The Standard - 2016 March 22 - Tuesday by Manila Standard

VOL. XXX NO. 41 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 TUESday : MaRCH 22, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Santiago missed in Cebu debate

THEY GANGED UP ON ME, MAR SAYS By John Paolo Bencito

CANDON, Ilocos Sur—Administration candidate for president Manuel Roxas II on Monday said his opponents ganged up on him during Sunday’s debate in Cebu, proving that he was “the man to beat” in a tight race. “I think you can see. In every survey, Mar Roxas is the one who is leading,” he told reporters in Filipino—even though none of the major polling organizations

have put him in the top spot. “It’s Mar Roxas whom they gang up on, so that shows they’re all afraid of me.” Roxas took a heavy beating Sun-

day from his rivals, Senator Grace Poe, Vice President Jejomar Binay and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on various issues raised against the administration, including the slow response to Super Typhoon ‘‘Yolanda’’ and the Mamasapano massacre. At one point, Duterte called him a “pretentious leader who couldn’t handle stress” and also referred to him as “a fraud,” “a weak leader,” and “a moron.” On Monday, Roxas said Poe attacked him during the debate be-

cause she was disappointed that President Benigno Aquino III did not endorse her. “Senator Grace tried to establish that the President didn’t trust me, but for me there’s one simple question. Why am I being endorsed by the President?” Roxas told reporters during a campaign stop. “I think Senator Grace is just disappointed because she dreamt of getting the endorsement of the President. I think you can see from the words of the President that I’m

the one whom he chose,” he added. During the second presidential debate on Sunday, Poe asked Roxas if his lackluster performance as former head of the Transportation and Interior departments was the reason he was kept in the dark in the planning and execution of the bungled Mamasapano operation in 2015. She also suggested that the President’s presence during the Zamboanga siege was a sign that President Aquino did not trust Roxas. Next page

Campaigning up north. Presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II visits public markets in Ilocos Sur and La Union to woo the voters in the so-called Solid North. John Paolo BenCito

There will be no issue of The Standard beginning Thursday (March 24) in keeping with the Holy Week break. We will resume publication on Easter Sunday (March 27).

Binay challenges opponents to sign waiver By Christine F. herrera MACTAN, Cebu—Vice President Jejomar Binay on Monday dared his opponents in the presidential race to join him in signing a waiver that would open his bank accounts to scrutiny and to undergo a lifestyle check to find out who among them are clean or corrupt.

Binay, who says he has been falsely accused of plunder, presented the joint waiver and other documents at a press conference at the Waterfront Hotel-Mactan. Binay had tried to bring these documents to the second presidential debate on Sunday, but citing the debate rules, organizers disallowed him from doing so. At the press conference, Binay said each

presidential candidate should present their statement of assets, liabilities and net worth since they joined the government. He took aim at his bitter rival, administration candidate Manuel Roxas II, accusing him of making money from contracts when he was secretary of the departments of Transportation and Next page

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Binay... From A1

Waiver. Presidential candidate Jejomar Binay on Monday urged his rivals to sign a waiver and allow the Anti-Money Laundering Council to check their bank accounts for transparency.

MNLF accuses Mar of not knowing Muslim history By Francisco Tuyay and Joyce Pangco Pañares

THE Moro National Liberation Front lambasted Liberal Party presidential bet Manuel Roxas II for being ignorant of history, after the administration candidate said during Sunday’s presidential debate that the 2013 siege of Zamboanga was caused by “Muslim invaders.” “What is his right to become president [when] he does not even know the history of his own country?” said MNLF spokesman Absalom Cerveza. “I’m not a Muslim, but...Mindanao is the land of the Muslims. How can they be invaders in their own land?” Cerveza said. The Muslims could no more be called invaders than the Filipinos who fought the Americans when they occupied the Philippines, Cerveza said. “If he does not know how to answer the question, he better keep his mouth shut so he won’t commit a blunder. He should not demonstrate his ignorance of

history,” the MNLF spokesman added. Roxas also drew fire from the former head of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos for the same remark. In a statement posted on his Facebook page, former NCMF chairman Mehol Sadain said Roxas, while referring to the Zamboanga siege, made it appear that all Muslims were invaders. “Is that how Roxas looks at all Muslims in the Philippines? As invaders? Is that why they pulverized Rio Hondo, Campo Muslim, Simariki, and other areas including Sta. Barbara and Sta. Catalina during the Zamboanga siege be-

They...

Roxas had unsuccessfully tried to recruit Poe as his running mate. An opposition lawmaker on Monday slammed Roxas for defending the Aquino administration’s Bottom-up Budgeting, which was “intrinsically designed” to boost his candidacy. “Mar Roxas and the Aquino administration is hyping the socalled grassroots approach to budgeting under the BUB program. However, looking at the regional budget allocation for BUB projects show that its ulterior purpose is to boost Mar Roxas’ candidacy through patronage politics,” Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said.

From A1

“The President had to go to Zamboanga to make sure the operation was carried out efficiently. If he trusted the people leading at that time, why did he have to go there?” Poe said. Aquino paved the way for Poe’s career in public service by giving her an initial post in the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board and giving her a slot in the Team PNoy Senate slate in 2013. Before she ran for president,

cause these are strongholds of Muslim invaders?” Sadain said. “Since when did Muslims become invaders in their own land?” he added. Roxas’ remark drew flak online, with some Facebook users likening him to Donald Trump, who is seeking the presidency in the US under a platform of imposing a complete ban on Muslims from entering America. The Liberal Party standard bearer was apparently referring to the Nur Misuari-led faction in the MNLF that attempted to take control of Zamboanga City in 2013. A day after the debate, Roxas said he meant no disrespect to Muslims. “There was no malice on my part. Those who try to put malice to what I said, those who try to spin what I said—maybe they’re the ones who should explain,” he said, adding that he was just giving an accurate accounting of the siege that was Ridon said the BUB program of the Aquino government will obviously benefit Roxas’ presidential bid as large BUB funds have been allotted to traditional bailiwicks of President Aquino and Roxas, such as Regions III (Central Luzon), which was given a total of P1.6 billion in BUB projects spread over several agencies in 2015, and P1.9 billion in 2015. This is also the case for Region VI (Panay), which received a total of P1.8 billion worth of BUB projects this year, and P2.1 billion for 2016. Similarly, Ridon, a member of the leftist Makabayan Bloc, said vote-rich Region VII, where Cebu is located, got the largest chunk of

led by an MNLF branch. “I am not insulting Muslims or Islam as a religion. I am just stating the facts,” Roxas added. In 2010, Muslim legal scholars issued a fatwa against Roxas, along with former President Joseph Estrada and Senator Franklin Drilon, declaring them “enemies of Islam” and making it forbidden (haram) to vote for them. The religious edict was issued by the Bangsamoro Supreme Council of Ulama, stemming from the politicians’ opposition to the 2008 memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which was eventually junked by the Supreme Court. Before his “Muslim invaders” comment, Roxas was conferred the honorary title of datu by the Federation of the Royal Sultanate of Lanao, a group of 16 royal houses formed in 2010, for his support to the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law. the BUB budget. In 2015, Region VII received a total of P1.9 billion in BUB funds, which will only get bigger in 2016, with a total allocation of P2.3 billion, the highest allocation among all regions. “These are only some examples that show how the BUB is designed to cater to vote-rich regions and traditional bailiwicks of the Liberal Party. Mar Roxas is essentially using BUB projects to woo local support. Even if DILG does not admit it, the figures speak for themselves—BUB is a tool designed for political patronage and muscle-building at the local level,” Ridon said. With Maricel V. Cruz

Communications and Interior and Local Government. Binay cited former Metro Rail Transit manager Al Vitangcol III’s and Czech Ambassador Josef Rychtar’s claim that Roxas was involved in the $30-million extortion attempt at the MRT. He also cited the overpricing done by Mahindra, an alleged favored supplier of patrol jeeps that were found to be substandard and overpriced and were procured during Roxas’ stint at DILG. Roxas has denied any involvement in anomalous contracts, but Binay said Roxas was not as clean as he claimed to be. He again referred to Roxas as a disciple of Adolf Hitler’s minister of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, who said a big lie repeated often enough would be accepted as truth. Binay said he was surprised at the demeanor of Senator Grace Poe at Sunday’s debate. “I was surprised at her reaction,” Binay said in Filipino about Poe’s response to his question about her nationality and her being a naturalized American citizen. “She joined in the attacks on me. We are godparents to each other’s children, but all this is forgotten when it comes to politics.” Binay had only kind words for Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, however. Still, Binay urged all his opponents to sign a waiver to allow the AntiMoney Laundering Council to check their bank accounts and those of their family members. The waiver would authorize AMLC or its representative to “open and check all bank accounts under my name, under my spouse’s name, my children’s name and my children’s children’s name to ensure full transparency in this election process,” Binay said. The waiver also indicated that the candidates would voluntarily submit themselves to a lifestyle and government service performance check in accordance with law. Binay brought the documents with him to the debate Sunday, but was unable to present them because the Commission on Elections rules disallowed the use of notes or documents during the event. The argument over the rules delayed Sunday’s debate by an hour and a half. Binay said the documents he brought would have disproved the allegations against him. Binay also brought with him his medical certificate showing he was physically and mentally fit to mount a nationwide campaign for president; the plaque for the 2011 Seal of Good House Keeping from the DILG and signed by the late DILG s ecretary Jesse Robredo; the plaque for the 2014 Blue Certification for Business Permits from the Office of the Ombudsman signed by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales; and the plaque from the National Competitive Council for being the 1st Place Most Competitive City in the overall competitiveness category. United Nationalist Alliance president Toby Tiangco said Binay’s performance during the second presidential debate surpassed their expectations. “We are very satisfied with VP’s performance, actually, more than what the team expected out of the debate,” Tiangco told Radyo 5. With Vito Barcelo

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One Cebu severs ties with UNA MACTAN—Barely a month after they forged an alliance, the Garcia-led One Cebu Party on Monday severed its ties with Vice President Jejomar Binay’s opposition United Nationalist Alliance for allegedly treating it like “Imperial Manila” treats the rest of the country [with disrespect].” In February, One Cebu and UNA held a joint press conference and announced they would support Binay’s presidential bid. Yesterday they held separate press conferences. One Cebu cut its ties with UNA even as former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña reportedly dumped Liberal Party standard bearer Manuel Roxas II in favor of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. Winston Garcia, supposedly UNA’s gubernatorial candidate for Cebu, would not say who the coalition would support next for president in 2016 polls. But sources said the talks

between the camp of Duterte and the Garcias were close to clinching a deal. Binay would not say who he would back for governor but said he welcomed One Cebu’s decision. He said he remained optimistic that “whatever misunderstanding” could be threshed out soon. “We withdraw support from Binay! After a thorough deliberation, we in One Cebu are unanimous in our decision to break away from our alliance with UNA and presidential candidate Jejomar Binay,” Garcia read the party’s statement during a press conference at Casino Español in

Cebu City. “One Cebu entered into an alliance with UNA in the belief that it will be a partnership of equals. We were wrong. Dead wrong. UNA treated One Cebu like imperial Manila treats the rest of the Philippines: with absolute contempt and disrespect.” Right from the start, Garcia said, UNA had regarded the alliance as nothing more than a “marriage of convenience.” “UNA obviously subscribes to traditional politics. We don’t,” Garcia said. “We reject traditional politics and everything that it stands for. The new generation is hungry for real change, not more of the same politics of patronage that UNA espouses and practices to the hilt.” Garcia said One Cebu entered into an alliance with UNA out of loyalty, but recent events showed that UNA did not appreciate or reciprocate that loyalty. Without prior notice or con-

sultation with One Cebu, Garcia said UNA had been doing sorties in various areas in the province of Cebu on its own. Worse, he said, the people of UNA had been cavorting with the opponents of local candidates, thus sowing disunity, discord, and confusion. “This brings into serious doubt UNA’s perception and treatment of One Cebu as a coequal partner worthy of loyalty and mutual respect,” Garcia said. He said it was evident that UNA forged the alliance for its own convenience, just to show that it enjoyed support from vote-rich Cebu rather than for mutual benefit. “We are therefore constrained to rescind our alliance and to work instead with those who are willing to share our core principles and philosophy to ensure victory for the Cebuanos,” Garcia said. He cited the public rally of UNA on Monday night in Lapu-Lapu City in which they

were not invited. He also said that UNA did not coordinate with them on Binay’s sortie in Cebu last Friday in Carcar City, Dalaguete, Argao and Talisay City. As to which candidate they would support now for the national election, Garcia said they might go for a free zone or they might decide to support one candidate. As to who this candidate would be, Winston said, they would still have to conduct consultations with their leaders in Cebu. Binay said he respected the decision of One Cebu to break its alliance with UNA. “We respect their decision,” Binay said in a press conference in Waterfront Hotel-Mactan. “But let me just assure you, people of Cebu, that [I will pursue] the promises and commitments I made when I become president. Firstly, I will establish a Malacañang in Cebu.” Christine F. Herrera, Alex Doronio and Vito Barcelo

‘Santiago sorely missed in Cebu during debates’

How it works. The Commission on Elections on Monday demonstrated how a vote-counting machine works with a voterverified paper audit trail at the Plaza Miranda. DANNY PATA

SENATOR Miriam Defensor Santiago was a big loss during the presidential debate in Cebu on Sunday, her vice presidential bet Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Monday. In an interview on the sidelines of his Unity Caravan in Makati City, Marcos said Santiago’s absence during the debate was a big loss in terms of the level of discussion. “If she was there the level of the discussion among the candidates would have been higher,” Marcos said. He said many people missed Santiago because she was the best debater among the presidential candidates. “She has the record not only as a debater but as a judge, legislator and senator,” Marcos said. “We feel she would have done very well as she always does.” Marcos said he remained hopeful Santiago would be able to join the last round of debates next month. Santiago skipped the Cebu leg of the presidential debates because she was undergoing tests for a new anticancer pill. While he refused to say who did well in the debate, Marcos said he could sense that in the second round, the determination of each candidate to stand out was strong. “They were determined to stand out,” he said.

On alert over campaign period THE police will increase their visibility during the start of the campaign period this week to ease the tension leading up to the national elections on May 9, an official said Monday. National Police Chief Ricardo Marquez said his men had been placed on heightened alert during the start of the campaign period on March 25, Good Friday. “We will increase the police presence and focus on ground operations,” Marquez said. The Philippine National Police recorded 20 people killed in election-related violence in the 2010 elections. Marquez decided to order increased police presence days after the communist rebels went on a bombing attack in 11 ar-

eas in Masbate, which is considered an election hotspot. The PNP has asked the Commission on Elections to coordinate with the members of the Joint Security Control Center to formulate a security plan. The JSCC is tasked to formulate plans for intensified law enforcement and to neutralize private armed groups. Marquez said police operatives started going after private armed groups in Masbate a week following the deployment of 100 members of the Special Action Force on the island. Aside from Masbate, the PNP is also assessing if it will declare Nueva Ecija as an election hotspot following the violence there during the 2010 elections. Francisco Tuyay

Prayer. Presidential candidate Grace Poe prays at Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Parañaque City. EY ACASIO

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Love more, prelate urges By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

Calvary of the poor. Activists hold a flash mob at Manila’s Santa Cruz district to dramatize Filipinos’ continuing hardships under the Aquino administration. DANNY PATA

US to demonstrate rockets in Balikatan By Florante S. Solmerin ASIDE from 4,904 troops, the United States will also deploy multiple rocket launchers during the two-week “Balikatan 2016” military exercise from April 4 to 15, the Armed Forces announced Monday. Balikatan spokesman Captain Celeste Frank Sayson said an undetermined number of M142 High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (Himars) will be demonstrated at Crow Valley in Tarlac before it is brought to Palawan. “Part of the simulated live fire exercises in Crow Valley is the Himars which is for air protection,” Sayson told reporters

in Camp Aguinaldo. “It is also an anti-ship warfare, ground warfare asset. So that will be used during the live fire exercises and later on it will be brought to Palawan, although we will not have live fire exercises there,” Sayson added. Developed by the US Army in 1998, the multiple rocket launcher was first deployed in Iraq in 2007. The Himars carries six rockets

or one tactical missile on a fiveton truck that is transportable by a C-130 cargo plane. It is the weapons system that followed the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket system that is widely used by member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The Himars is also similar to the Shore-Based Missile System that the country wanted to acquire from Israel until AFP chief General Hernando Irriberi shelved the project in favor of helmets, body armor and rifles. But Sayson clarified the missile deployment was only for the annual Balikatan exercise and has no other purpose. “We would like to make it clear that these exercises, it has nothing to do with the emerging threat or what is emerging in the West

Army officers get medals TWO young army lieutenants will be conferred the two top military decorations when the Philippine Army marks its 119th anniversary at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City on Tuesday. The Distinguish Conduct Star, the second highest combat medal after the Medal of Valor, will be awarded to Lt. Dionizer Mark Delos Santos for engaging communist rebels in a daylong battle that resulted in the death of five rebels, including a ranking leader. Delos Santos’ commander Lt. Col. Virgilo Noora of the 41st Infantry Battalion said the lieutenant and his platoon were conducting combat operation in said barangay when they discovered a

temporary encampment of the rebel group in Lacub, Abra last November. Five New People’s Army rebels were killed, including the Arnold Jaramillo, alias “Ka Mando,” secretary of the Abra provincial party political committee and a notorious NPA leader in the province. Also to be decorated is Lt. Franz Arvin Balmaceda of the 73rd Infantry Battalion who led his troops in a battle that resulted in the killing of 7 communist rebels, the surrender of 13 more and the eventual dismantling of an NPA unit in Sarangani. 73rd IB commander Lieutenant Colonel Ronnie Babac said Balmaceda

encountered the NPA in Alabel, Sarangani in February 2015. “In that combat operation in Barangay Datal Aggas in Alabel town, Lt. Balmaceda led his troopers in battling the NPA that resulted in the killing of 7 rebels, recovery of 9 high-powered firearms and 3 improvised explosive devices (IED), subversive documents, and other war materials,” Babac attested. “The encounter eventually led to the surrender of another 13 rebels after pursuit operation was conducted,” he added. Babac said that months after that, on July 2, 2015, the Guerilla Front 75 was “eventually dissolved” by the NPA. Florante Solmerin

Philippine Sea,” he said, adding that 3,773 Filipino troops and about 80 Australians will also join the exercises. “This exercise for this year [is] to enhance maritime law enforcement as well as to enhance techniques, tactics and procedures which is a critical part of interoperability of our forces,” he said. Military observers are also expected from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, India, Japan, South Korea, and Timor Leste. Sayson said the US “will be sending 55 aircrafts” for the aerial maneuvers. “For the ship, US will be sending out at least five or more and the Philippines will also be committing at least two ships, our main battle ships,” he said.

Beyond the call. Army

Lieutenant Franz Arvin Balmaceda of the 73rd Infantry Battalion will be conferred on Tuesday the Armed Forces Gold Cross Medal for leading troops in an antiinsurgency operation that eventually led to the dissolution of communist guerilla front in Sarangani province.

ASIDE from praying and offering sacrifices, the head of the country’s Catholic episcopacy urged the faithful to help the poor, comfort the sick and visit those in prison this Holy Week. “If you want to truly make a good Holy Week love much. Love more,” said Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. “Give to the poor. Visit the jail. Visit hospital wards.” “This pilgrimage to the poor will add to the holiness of our times,” he said, echoing the call of Pope Francis to celebrate the God through acts of mercy and compassion. The archbishop added that what makes these days holy is not selfinflicted pain, not publicized pious devotion, and not daydreaming meditation. “What makes this week holy is the immeasurable, unequaled love that Christ poured into these days,” he said. Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle earlier lashed out at the multimillion money laundering scandal that rocked the country’s financial industry. In his Palm Sunday homily at the Manila Cathedral, he said the recent controversy only shows the modern-day plague of unbridled hunger for money and power. “Where is mercy? Where is compassion? This Holy Week, may we learn from Jesus how we can restore mercy and compassion in this world,” he said. Hundreds of faithful attended the Sunday service and waved their palm fronds as the cardinal blessed them with holy water before the mass. In an impassioned appeal, the cardinal said people need to resist the temptations of money, power and pleasure. “In our world today, we do not rely on the Lord any more. We rely on money, arms, private armies, and intimidation. Some even rely on connections to gain some advantage over others,” said Tagle.

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Meralco rate hike affirmed By Rey E. Requejo

The Court of Appeals has upheld the decision rendered by the energy Regulatory Commission in 2011 allowing the Manila electric Co. to increase its rates by P0.0168/ kwh, despite earlier findings by the Commission on Audit that Meralco overcharged its customers by as much as P7 billion in 2004 and 2007.

Romualdez backed. Multisectoral leaders at the Relocation Area of Rodriguez, Rizal endorse senatorial candidate and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez during the consultation on their needs and problems at the relocation site. VER NoVENo

Ex-INC minister skips court hearing again exPelleD Iglesia ni Cristo minister lowell Menorca II again did not appear in last Monday’s hearing at the Court of appeals, and his lawyer was not able to give the court a good explanation for his continued absence. Menorca petitioned the Ca last year for the issuance of writs of habeas corpus and amparo in his favor, claiming he was illegally detained by the INC on suspicions of posting entries in a blog exposing supposed anomalies in the religious organization. The ex-minister already failed to appear in court last March 7. His lawyer, Trixie Cruz-angeles, told the court her client was missing. The Bureau of Immigration immediately clarified, however, that Menorca and members of his family hurriedly flew

to vietnam a day before his scheduled hearing. Menorca told immigration and court officials he was supposed to be back to the country on March 20, 2016. last Jan. 20, 2016, Menorca was arrested by Manila police on his way to the Court of appeals because of a warrant of arrest issued in connection with a libel charge he was facing. Menorca was able to post bail and was released. Menorca has also been charged separately withm adultery and assault. His recent continued absences in court and in the public eye has fueled speculations that he has been evading these strings of cases. at the latest Ca hearing on Monday, which was supposedly set for Menorca’s cross-examination, angeles manifested that she has not been able to talk to her client and could not explain why Menorca

was absent again to testify on his own behalf. INC’s lawyers from the aCCra law firm moved that the case be rendered moot and academic considering Menorca’s continued non-appearance and apparent lack of interest. Counsels from both sides were required to submit their respective position papers on the mootness of Menorca’s petition. “It’s becoming clear that Mr. Menorca is hiding from the court, and is running out of excuses for doing so. How else can you explain his successive non-appearance? The Ca was correct in denying his lawyer’s motion to have another witness substitute for him. He should be the one testifying on this matter he himself brought before the Court of appeals,” aCCra’s lawyer Trina Prodigalidad explained.

Coco farmers undecided on whom to endorse as VP By Rio N. Araja Several leaders of the Confederation of Coconut Farmers of the Philippines have clarified that they have yet to officially resolve who to support as vice president in the May 9 elections. Oscar Solidor, ConFed secretarygeneral, reacted to a statement of their national chairperson—efren villaseñor —that they are backing Senator Grace Poe for president and Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for vice president. “The issue of whom to support as vP—whether it is Marcos or Francis escudero in the May 2016 elections—has not been officially resolved. We will tackle and resolve this issue on our scheduled ConFed national assembly by middle of next month,” he told reporters. Solidor issued the statement as the coconut farmers’ association “intends” to endorse Marcos in the upcoming polls. a ConFed board member—Benjamin

andong—echoed Solidor’s stance, saying the board, which has representations from key leaders from various coconutproducing provinces, has yet to resolve or validate the statements earlier aired by villaseñor. at a recent news conference, villaseñor said most of ConFed members have expressed “intention” to endorse and vote for Marcos. andong said the issue on their official endorsement of Marcos’ candidacy must bet taken up in a national assembly because some of the members wish to endorse escudero under Poe’s Partido Galing at Puso. about 300 key leaders of ConFed representing various organizations of coconut farmers nationwide will be asked in the national assembly whether majority of its members would go for Marcos or escudero as vice president for 2016, he added. ConFed’s statement said there are some

leaders who find it awkward to endorse only Poe, but not her running mate. ConFed, through Solidor and andong, backed Poe’s position that the P72-billion coco levy fund was no longer in the hands of San Miguel Corp. chairman eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr., but in the hands of the government. Poe was called Cojuangco’s mouthpiece over her statement that Cojuangco was no longer to be blamed over the coco levy fund plunder. In a campaign sortie in Quezon province, Poe, along with escudero, pledged to use the coco levy fund for the coconut industry and to set aside 30 percent of the funds to revive the industry and the balance as “perpetual trust fund” for the farmers. The Supreme Court ruled the coco levy fund truly belonged to the coconut farmers, and that the fund came from the taxes they paid during the administration of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.

In a 16-page decision, the Ca’s Seventh Division through associate Justice victoria Isabel Paredes denied the petition filed by National association of electricity Consumers for reforms Inc. seeking to nullify the erC’s order issued on June 21, 2011. The energy regulatory body, in its ruling in 2003, granted Meralco’s application for the approval of its unbundled rates, appraisal of its properties and proposed increase in rates. Meralco justified before the erC that the rate increase was intended to augment its growing operation and maintenance expenses, which include leased properties on customer premises, construction work in progress, and building plants for future use. The Supreme Court affirmed the erC’s May 30, 2003 order granting the petition of Meralco for an increase in rates, while at the same time directing the erC to seek the assistance of the Coa in conducting a complete audit of Meralco’s books, records, and accounts to see to it that the rate increases are reasonable and justified. Pursuant to the SC ruling, the erC requested Coa to conduct audit of Meralco’s books, accounts and records to determine whether the implementation of Meralco’s approved distribution rates resulted in a fair return and whether the recovery of generation costs had been revenue-neutral to Meralco. In Nov. 12, 2009, the Coa transmitted to the erC its audit report revealing the unbundling of Meralco rates effectively resulted in over-recoveries or revenues in excess of the required revenue by P1.682 billion in 2004 and by P5.327 billion in 2007. The Coa report said the over-recoveries were determined after it discovered certain factors or items, which should not have been included in the computation of Meralco’s revenue requirements. However, the erC ignored the COa report and instead upheld its May 30, 2003 decision prompting Nasecore to file a petition before the appellate court seeking to stop erC’s order. In denying Nasecore’s petition, the appellate court stressed that even if the SC directed the erC to request the COa to undertake a complete audit on the books, records and account of Meralco, it recognized that the power to fix the rates of electric distribution utilities primarily belongs with the erC. “after an examination of the assailed orders, we find that the erC had dutifully complied with the order of the Supreme Court. Just because the erC did not adopt the findings in the COa report does not mean that the erC failed to follow the directive in the lualhati case,” the Ca stressed. The appellate court noted that the COa audit is not a pre-requisite to rate fixing, and the erC is not bound to accept and adopt any finding that a COa audit may come up with. The Ca did not give weight to the claim of NaSeCOre’s that the erC erred in disregarding COa’s finding that Meralco’s operating expenses, which include employees pension and other benefits, amounting to P3.479 in 2004 and P2. 916 billion in 2007 were not recoverable from consumers as they were not reasonable and necessary in the distribution services.

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Market fire prompts Erap to pursue rehab program By Joel E. Zurbano

FOUR people, three of them minors, died in a fire that struck a public market in Tondo, Manila late Sunday night, police said. The incident prompted Mayor Joseph Estrada to pursue his plan to rehabilitate and renovate old public markets, which are also unsanitary to consumers in the city. “All of these old public markets are virtual fire traps. It would be devastating if there would be more lives to be lost if we don’t act now and modernize our

markets,” said Estrada, adding that no stall owners and vendors will be displaced by the project. Estrada tapped Dr. Arnold Pangan, head of the Manila Department of Social Welfare, to provide relief assistance to the displaced families, especially to those who perished in the blaze at the New Oriental Market along Carmen

Planas Street. In a report submitted to Manila City Hall, police said the fire started around 11 p.m. and quickly spread to an adjacent commercialresidential building. Investigation showed that Evelyn Veloso, who had rented a stall in the market, and her three children aged 4, 5, and 7, were trapped in their burning room atop the market. “As of now, we’ve been distributing relief goods to those who lost their homes. Mayor Estrada wants to ensure that they are properly taken care of,” Pangan said.

The Department of Public Works and Highways classified that residentialcommercial building as “condemned.” Estrada said the latest fire incident pushed him to pursue his plan to rehabilitate the city’s public markets through a joint venture agreement with private developers. Under City Ordinance No. 8346 or the Manila Joint Venture Ordinance, several of the city’s 17 public markets will be demolished to pave the way for their rehabilitation through a public-private

sector partnership. Among the public markets planned to be rehabilitated are those located in Quinta, Sta. Ana, Sampaloc, San Andres, Trabajo, Pritil, Dagonoy and Paco. Two weeks ago, Estrada directed the Manila Fire Department to coordinate with barangay officials in undertaking prevention and safety measures during this fire season. Records showed that 470 fire incidents were recorded in Manila from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 in 2015. Of the number, 51 happened in March.

SC, Manila court set no-work schedule THE Supreme Court has announced that work in courts in Manila will be suspended tomorrow in light of the observance of the Holy Week. In an advisory, the SC said the suspension covers the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals and the Manila regional trial court. But several offices— SC judicial records office (JRO), SC fiscal management and budget office cash division, CA cash division, CA JRO and the Manila RTC—have been tapped to maintain a skeleton force from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. The City of Manila has already declared nonworking holiday in its offices tomorrow. Meanwhile, the tribunal has also suspended work in all the remaining courts nationwide from 12 noon onwards tomorrow. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are regular holidays, while Black Saturday is a special non-working holiday. Rey Requejo

PCSO lotto sales, draws suspended

Harbor view. Coast Guard Commandant Rear Admiral William Melad makes a surprise inspection of the passenger terminal at the north port of the North Harbor in Manila on Monday, March 21, 2016 as crowds start flocking to the ports to embark on the Holy Week exodus to the provinces. DANNY PATA

Road repairs, reblocking slated during Holy Week CHAIRMAN Emerson Carlos of the Metro Manila Development Authority on Monday advised motorists to plan their trips to avoid the heavy traffic due to road reblocking and other repairs along major thoroughfares and some parts of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue during the Holy Week. The Department of Public Works and Highways, according to Carlos, will conduct the road works in Quezon City on Maundy Thursday up to Easter Sunday when low volume of vehicles is expected. “The DPWH will undertake the road reblocking along Edsa beginning at 2 a.m. on Thursday until 2 p.m. of Sunday along the northbound lane between Madison Street and Ortigas Avenue, and Edsa southbound lane between

Ortigas flyover and Boni Avenue,” he said. Carlos said majority of their personnel are assigned to roads leading to provincial bus terminals, seaports and airports to ensure the safety of thousands of commuters that are beginning to troop to their respective provinces to commemorate the Holy Week and take advantage of the long holiday. The MMDA chief will deploy 3,073 personnel under “Oplan Metro Alalay Semana Santa 2016” starting Holy Wednesday when the interagency operation was activated. A “Nose-In-Nose-Out” policy at bus terminals will also be imposed to ensure the smooth flow of traffic during the traditional Holy Week exodus. Joel E. Zurbano

Another cross to bear. Residents of Tondo, Manila dramatize their opposition

to a coal stockpile on Monday, March 21, 2016 in a Lenten play dubbed as ‘Kalbaryo ng Mamamayan.’ They demand the closure of the facility for being a health hazard. DANNY PATA

THE Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office has suspended selling of lotto tickets and holding lotto draws on four days this week, from March 24, Maundy Thursday, to March 27, Easter Sunday, in observance of Holy Week. Ticket selling and draws will resume on March 28, Monday. According to PCSO vice chairman and general manager Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II, the suspension of the agency’s gaming activities during this period is to “provide the respect proper to the solemnity of the occasion and to give lotto agents and PCSO employees the time off to conduct their own Holy Week observances.” Rojas said, “We thank the public for their continued support of PCSO lotto and other games which raise funds for PCSO’s many charity programs.” PCSO’s conduct and management of lotto draw and prize claim processes are certified to ISO 9001:2008 international standards to ensure public trust and confidence in the games.

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NEWS

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Alcala tells N. Cotabato farmers: We will help you

Children of the mud. Kids play in a carabao mudhole in Bugnay, Tinglayan, Kalinga. DAve LeProzo

Farmers sue ex-congressman for plunder over tobacco tax By Abe P. Belena Lingayen—a group of tobacco farmers from Pangasinan filed plunder charges against former Congressman Mark Cojuangco last week over alleged misuse of close to P600 million in tobacco taxes the former lawmaker got on behalf of farmers. Leaders of the Central and Northern Luzon Tobacco Farmers Association who brought the complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman in Quezon City alleged that the former lawmaker and his wife, Kimi Cojuangco, misused the shares of the towns of Alcala, Villasis, Sison and Sto. Tomas released to them from 2010 to 2012. The tobacco taxes were used by the couple in projects that violat-

ed the native and burley tobacco excise tax law (R.A. 7080) which identified specific projects in which the taxes could be used to benefit farmers, said Ruben Lagmay, president of the association. The biggest project was a P1-billion dairy farm in the town of Laoac completed in 2012 but recently closed shop, the farmers charged. Cojuangco, however, brushed aside the farmers’ complaint as a

diversionary tactic of his political rivals. “The record speaks for itself. There were no anomalies whatsoever in any of the transactions involving the tobacco excise taxes,” Cojuangco said. After the same farmer group recently held a protest rally at the closed dairy farm, Cojuangco said the bulk of the expenditures were sourced from his pork barrel since 2004 and contributed by the Department of Agriculture and the National Dairy Authority. The facility, he claimed, had not been closed but only suspended operations and will be reopened after the May elections. Lagmay and his group also said that the P200-million corn-drying facility that Cojuangco built in Alcala town was designed and oper-

ated for use by big land owners and corn traders at drying capacity of 1,000 bags of corn a day. “Small farmers, whose corn harvests averaged less than 100 cavans per hectare, were rejected from using the facility,” Lagmay complained. The farmers were questioning Cojuangco’s 80-percent share from excise taxes for the 5th district of Pangasinan which was released before the 2010 elections. The counterpart shares of the tobaccoproducing towns were 10 percent while the provincial government got another 10 percent. Shares of local governments for 10 years were released in the eve of the elections of 2010. Releases were then made yearly the latest of which was reportedly released when the President visited the province last week.

COTABATO CITY—Department of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala has assured farmers in North Cotabato who have been suffering the brunt of the long dry spell that the government is addressing their needs to cushion the impact of drought, officials said Monday. Amalia Jayag Datukan, DA-12 executive director, said Alcala made the assurance when he addressed the Farmers and Irrigators forum in Carmen, North Cotabato. “The government has anticipated this drought and mitigating measures have been in place, pag kulang pa, kikilos ang pamahalaan at di kayo pababayaan [If the programs need augmentation, the government is willing to extend more help],” Alcala told more than 4,000 farmers and irrigators from the towns of Pikit, Carmen, Midsayap and Aleosan who are part of the MalitubogMaridagao (Mal-Mar) Irrigation Project cluster. Alcala urged everyone to support the endeavors of the administration which helped farmers in increasing their production and translated to bigger incomes. Because of government intervention, farmers survived the dry spell by still harvesting crops. “We heard from Dir. Datukan’s report to the people where farmer leaders reported that their average palay yield significantly increased from 2.27 metric tons per hectare to 4.87 MT/ha because of various government interventions such as irrigation systems, provision of farm equipment and a lot more,” he stressed. As the main highlight of the forum, Datukan delivered her “Ulat sa Bayan” underscoring the biggest projects implemented by the agency where farmers have been benefiting the most. Datukan reported that North Cotabato province ranked number 2 (national level) in the implementation of Sikat Saka program with a total accumulated loan of P163.4 million, next to Nueva Ecija. PNA

DENR inaugurates P10-m air quality sensor SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—A P10-million air sensor that measures real-time air quality was inaugurated here on Monday, providing a means to measure systematically the concentration of pollutants in ambient air and provide a scientific basis for measures to reduce air pollution and protect the community’s health. The Air Quality Monitoring Station was installed here as part of the Ambient Air Monitoring Network Project of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources for the assessment of air quality in the entire Philippines.

“The world is changing, and we really have to be very vigilant about how climate change is going to affect us,” said Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority chairman Roberto Garcia during the launch. “We are very fortunate here in SBMA to have this facility, for as you know we are very strict as far as our environment is concerned,” Garcia said, adding that “we really have to ensure excellent air quality in Subic, considering that we are the number one tourist destination in Central Luzon.” Funded by the DENR, the

AQMS is expected to be a big boost to the Freeport’s environmental protection program as it could measure air pollution coming from motor vehicle emissions, as well as factories and construction sites in Subic. “Once this is connected to the Internet, results of the air quality measurement will be sent to the DENR main office and the SBMA Ecology Center, and will be posted in airquality-embdenr.gov.ph site for its real-time measurement,” said engineer Zaldy Pagador, Air Quality Management Division chief of the DENR. PNA

Tradition. Devout Catholics from Barangay Santiago, General Trias, Cavite participate in the annual ‘Pabasa’ in observance of the Holy Week. PNA

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OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

EAGLE EYES DEAN TONY LA VIÑA

GUIDE TO PASCHAL TRIDUUM

[ EDI TORI A L ]

‘THIS IS MY TIME’ SUNDAY’S debate gave us, among others, a preview of what each presidency would look like. Four presidential candidates answered questions from journalists and from each other on various national issues, but their demeanor in doing so was even more telling than the words they spewed. All four candidates—Vice President Jejomar Binay, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Senator Grace Poe and former Secretary Manuel Roxas II—fended off questions regarding issues of corruption, human rights violation, patriotism and incompetence, respectively, with some coming off better prepared and tougher than the others. Binay, despite being a lawyer, seemed particularly off even as he repeated himself numerous times accusing Poe of abandoning her country to become a citizen of the United States. Duterte gave the highest number of sound bytes, pummeling Roxas with sweeping accusations and calling him names. Poe cleverly laid a trap for Binay by saying working hard in a foreign country is so much better than staying here and plundering public funds. When the vice president took offense, she said she was not referring to him. Roxas, for his part, was visibly upset by attacks on his person. He appeared the most out of touch among all the four candidates. There were rules, to be sure, but these were taken as mere suggestions. There was that confusion on being allowed to bring notes to the stage, which was said to be the reason the debate started more than an hour later than it was supposed to. There was the rule on how long a candidate was supposed to speak and whether any interruptions may be made. Much too often, we heard the phrase “this is my time” uttered by a candidate, belaboring a point but finding himself or herself interrupted by a rival. In the end, we saw that for all their talk about respecting the rule of law, the candidates tended to bend it—in varying degrees—to suit their own purposes. Sunday’s debate was decidedly racier than the first one held last month in Cagayan de Oro City. Then, there was a semblance of an effort to be nice to each other. In the latter one, there was no attempt to mask their growing disdain for their rivals. This was their time, indeed. The more conscientious voters—those who try to put some thought into the exercise—normally consider the candidates’ educational background and professional experience to determine their fitness for the job. We might add one more measure: how they speak, respect simple rules, address their opponents, defend themselves and present their arguments. Whether the insight we got from the debate was worth the delay is arguable. Whether it should be a factor in shaping the decisions of those who still have not made up their minds is not.

MAR LOSES IT LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES DID Mar Roxas win last Sunday’s television debate and is he now the man to beat? In his mind, maybe, he did and he is—but only in his mind. Yes, Roxas believes that he was ganged up on by the three other presidential candidates who were with him at the debate. And the reason why they did that to

poor, defenseless Mar was, according to the administration candidate himself, he has become the man to beat in the coming May elections. Not only does Roxas promise to continue the work of his former running mate and boss, Noynoy Aquino. He seems to have contracted Aquino’s severe detachment from reality, as well. Privately, I guess Mar now realizes why Aquino never agreed to debate with anybody in the run-up to the

2010 elections. If, for example, Aquino had debated with his rivals back then, he would probably be exposed just as Roxas has been in the current televised face-offs. And what Aquino has in common with Roxas, we already know: Both of them whine a lot and cannot take criticism, both can only mouth vague motherhood statements (notice how “ibalik ang pagiging disente” sounds so much like “kung walang korap, walang mahirap”) and both are so misin-

Perhaps, Mar, you aren’t really the man to beat. Maybe it’s just that nobody likes you.

formed they would probably call the Muslims of Mindanao “invaders” in the land that they had occupied for several centuries before the first Christians even set foot on the island, just like Roxas did last Sunday. But of course, people who are crazy enough to seek the presidency should have a reality-distortion field so strong that they cannot see impending defeat even if it went up to them and poked them in the eye. It would help Roxas, though, if he didn’t go around saying publicly that he is now the man to beat—especially if the

only evidence he can show is that his rivals seem to love to beat up on him. Perhaps, Mar, you aren’t really the man to beat. Maybe it’s just that nobody—with the possible exception of your mother and your wife —likes you. And it’s really easy to see why, Roxas’ own personality flaws aside, many people have never really cottoned to the Liberal Party candidate. In the same manner that

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Aquino only succeeds in making Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. more popular every time the President attacks him, Roxas just sinks a little lower in the rankings whenever his former boss sings his praises. And in this respect, Roxas is just like Aquino, too: Whenever any of Mar’s rivals pointed out an apparent failing of a member of the administration during the course of Sunday’s debate, Roxas would

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quickly say that it wasn’t him who erred. I’ve already written about how Roxas has been severely handicapped by his slavish declarations of following in Aquino’s footsteps on that mythical straight path of his. But that is the deal he made, in exchange for all the government resources that are being used to prop up his hopeless candidacy, and he will have to live with that. Continued on A11

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

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

THE Sacred Paschal Triduum is the most solemn three days of the liturgical year which includes Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil. This period recalls greatest mysteries of the redemption, the paschal mystery of the passion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, as narrated in the canonical Gospels. It symbolizes the passing of the Lord from this world to his Father. Paschalis Sollemnitatis (The Preparation And Celebration Of The Easter Feasts) prepared by the Offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship to guide the faithful says, “the Church by the celebration of this mystery, through liturgical signs and sacramentals, is united to Christ her Spouse in intimate communion.” The Triduum, although celebrated in a span of three days, is a single feast that begins on the evening of Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday and ends with evening prayer on Easter Sunday. On Holy Thursday, the faithful commemorate the Mass of the Holy Supper, the final meal before the crucifixion. During the Last Supper, Jesus breaks bread with his apostles, saying: “This is my body which is given for you.” For Catholics, this words signify Jesus’ institution of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. At this time Jesus predicts the betrayal by Judas Iscariot for 30 pieces of silver, washes the feet of his apostles, as a gesture of humility and charity, gives them a new commandment “to love one another as I have loved you,” calling them “friends and not servants,” as he prepares for the supreme sacrifice. Traditionally, the washing of the feet of chosen men is performed on this day. It symbolizes the humility and charity of Christ, who came “not to be served, but to serve.” By way of tradition, the faithful visit several churches often numbering seven, hence, the name Visita Iglesia, to pray before the Blessed Sacrament and perform other acts of devotion and piety. Good Friday is traditionally the day that the faithful commemorate Christ’s passion and death on the cross. The synoptic Gospels give us a detailed account of Christ’s suffering and death on Calvary, also called Continued on A11

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

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

T U E S D AY : M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 6

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

EAGLE EYES DEAN TONY LA VIÑA

GUIDE TO PASCHAL TRIDUUM

[ EDI TORI A L ]

Perhaps, Mar, you aren’t really the man to beat. Maybe it’s just that nobody likes you.

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

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

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

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T U E S D AY : M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 6

A10

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

POE ELIGIBILITY A PLURALITY IS NOT A MAJORITY IS STILL QUESTIONABLE TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

THERE was nothing new at the way the four candidates for president attacked their rivals last Sunday. The only new thing about that second presidential debate in Cebu was the name-calling. For some, the debate had exciting moments. Those personal attacks against some of the candidates have already been made on the campaign trail or during press conferences. Santa Banana, it was not a debate, in the strictest sense of the word, at all.

I am ready to erase my name from the roll of lawyers.

This is why I don’t give much credence to debates sponsored by television and radio networks in partnership with national broadsheets. They are never enlightening. The only winners are the television networks that get the revenues from the expensive commercials. At this point, most voters already know whom to vote for. Only the undecided, which constitute at most 20 percent, can still be influenced by debates and political advertisements. *** As a journalist and a lawyer, I’m still confused about whether the case of Mrs. Mary Grace Natividad Kelly Poe Llamanzares was indeed resolved by what the Supreme Court announced as a “majority decision” of 9-6. The decision said the Comelec committed grave abuse of discretion and excess of jurisdiction in disqualifying her for not being a naturalborn citizen and making misrepresentations or lies in her 10-year residency as mandated by the

Constitution. I am on record as saying that the gods of Mount Olympus self-destructed and lost all their credibility as impartial interpreters of the Constitution. They went out of bounds by interpreting the fundamental law of the law liberally and out of context. They “presume” so many things to claim she is natural-born, and that Mrs. Llamanzares did not lie. As a lawyer and officer of the Court, I am ready to erase my name from the roll of lawyers because my faith and respect for Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno and her cabal of justices has gone to the dogs. I read the legal questions on Mrs. Llamanzares’ eligibility to run for president by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, based on the reading of the main decision as penned by Justice Jose Perez. They show that the Supreme Court as a body has not resolved the issues on Mrs. Llamanzares’ citizenship and residency. The IBP board of governors claimed that the dispositive portion of the alleged majority decision “merely orders the reversal of the decisions of the Commission on Elections granting the petitions to disqualify her... and states that she is qualified to be a candidate for President.” The IBP further stated that “it can be concluded that the decision did not settle the matter of whether Poe is a natural-born citizen and whether she has met the residency requirement under the law.” Note and read this: “The IBP believes that the SC ruling penned by Associate Justice Jose Perez, and approved by a majority of nine justices, held that only the Presidential Electoral Tribunal can rule on such issues and not the Comelec.” The IBP further said that for this issue to be final, the Supreme Court posits that she must first win in the May 8 polls for someone to file quo warranto petition against her with the Supreme Court sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal to rule on this matter with authority, jurisdiction and finality. I agree and subscribe to what the IBP, an

WEEKS ago, the spokesman of the Supreme Court announced that the tribunal held that beleaguered presidential candidate Grace Poe is not disqualified from running in the May 2016 elections. The main reason cited—Poe is presumed to be a natural-born citizen of the Philippines on the basis of a statistical inference made by the Solicitor General, and on account of Poe’s physical features. Earlier, Poe’s disqualification had been sought by four parties because she is, among others, not a naturalborn Filipino, inasmuch as she is a foundling incapable of establishing her bloodline. Under the Constitution, only natural-born citizens are eligible to run for president. What seemed like a victory for Poe may be a hollow triumph in the long run. In his dissenting opinion, Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who voted to disqualify Poe from the presidential race, revealed that the ruling in favor of Poe does not have the support of a majority of the justices of the Supreme Court. Carpio disclosed that only seven of the 15 justices ruled that Poe is presumed to be a natural-born Filipino citizen, and seven indicates a mere plurality, not a majority. Several months ago, the Commission on Elections disqualified Poe from the presidential derby on the ground that she is not a natural-born Filipino citizen. Under the Constitution, the decision of the Comelec may be reversed only by the Supreme Court, and only upon a clear showing that the Comelec committed grave abuse of its discretion when it arrived at its pronouncement. In turn, the decision of the Supreme Court must be supported by a majority of the justices who participated in the deliberations. This is a very important point. It is well-settled in Constitutional Law that the decision of the Comelec carries with it a presumption of

association of all registered lawyers nationwide. Given all the facts of the case showing that the 15 justices who participated in the voting, only five directly stated in their opinions that the senator met her residency status. They were Chief Justice Sereno and Associate Justices Presbitero Velasco Jr., Marvic Leonen, Francis Jardeleza and Perez. It is also on record that the nine justices who approved the ruling, two of them—Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin and Jose Mendoza—did not issue their separate opinions and stated for sure their concurrence on the residency status. Records also show that two other justices—Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta and Benjamin Caguioa— concurred in the majority ruling, but only insofar as the finding of grave abuse

before the Comelec—whether or not Poe is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, and whether or not Poe satisfies the 10-year residency requirement imposed on candidates for president. The Comelec resolved these two issues against regularity and validity. Accordingly, Poe. Thereafter, the legal dispute a party who assails a decision of the was elevated to the Supreme Court. Comelec has the burden of prov- Since the Comelec already resolved ing that the Comelec committed a those two issues against Poe, the grave abuse of discretion in ruling sole issue before the Supreme Court that Poe is not a natural-born citi- is whether or not the Comelec comzen of the Philippines. That is not mitted a grave abuse of discretion in all. The party concerned must con- ruling that Poe is disqualified from vince a majority of the justices of running for president because she the Supreme Court to rule against is not a natural-born citizen, and the Comelec. If the party concerned because she failed to comply with fails to discharge that burden, or the 10-year residency requirement. fails to get the nod of a majority of Simply stated, the issue before the the justices, then the presumption Supreme Court is whether or not that the decision of the Comelec is the Comelec acted whimsically, caregular and valid must be upheld by priciously, and arbitrarily—which the Supreme Court. There are no are the badges of grave abuse of discretion—when it decided the disifs or buts about that. A decision of the Supreme Court qualification cases filed against Poe. As stated earlier, to reverse the which is supported by a majority of the justices is a doctrinal ruling decision of the Comelec, a major—one which establishes a doctrine, ity of the justices of the Supreme a legal principle that is binding on Court must categorically rule that everybody in the Philippines. Any the Comelec acted with grave abuse ruling which is short of the required of its discretion. What, therefore, constitutes a majority is a mere plurality ruling, and the same is not doctrinal. To majority of the justices of the Sustate the obvious, it binds nobody. preme Court? Seven justices voted Therefore, where a decision of the that Poe is presumed to be a natuSupreme Court does not establish ral-born Filipino citizen. Five disdoctrine, the same cannot be the agreed. Three voted that the issue valid basis for overturning a deci- on citizenship need not be passed upon. sion rendered by the Comelec. Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno The disqualification cases filed against Poe are not original cases, insists that since the three justices that is, they did not begin in the refused to rule on the issue of citiSupreme Court. That is so because zenship, the basis for computing the under the law, disqualification cas- majority should be 12, and that seves against candidates for president en out of 12 constitutes a majority. Justice Carpio disagrees. He must be filed with and resolved by the Comelec, before it may be el- pointed out that the three justices evated to the Supreme Court. This cannot be taken out of the equation requirement makes a very big dif- because they actually voted. This ference. It means that the issues means that only seven out of 15 jusbefore the Comelec and those in the tices sided with Poe, and this is one Supreme Court are not identical. vote shy of a majority. Why not? There were two issues Continued on A11

of discretion on Comelec’s cancellation of Poe’s COC due to material misrepresentation or lies about her residency status. To me, Santa Banana, the most damning to the majority decision was Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio’s claim in his dissenting opinion that no majority in the ruling, claiming that as the facts and records show, the voting was 7-5-3. This means no decision at all. With so many unanswered questions on the eligibility of Mrs. Llamanzares to run for president, and the eerie silence of Sereno and her cabal of pro-Poe justices, it would seem the nation is in limbo. This is until and unless the Sereno Court acts sooner than later in all the consolidated Motions for Reconsideration filed by the petitioners against Poe.

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA

Or, perhaps, the Sereno Court can motu propio meet and decide en banc to settle this issue with finality. Until then, as a journalist and a lawyer, I believe that the eligibility of Mrs. Llamanzares to run for president hangs on the balance. *** As a journalist for over 66 years now, I have never seen press freedom so debased and abused by a national broadsheet, like the Philippine Daily Inquirer, in allowing itself to be used for political purposes by President like BS Aquino in demonizing a political enemy like Vice President Jojo Binay. Santa Banana, these are dark days indeed for the Philippine press. Not content in using the Anti-Money Laundering Council against former Chief Justice Renato Co-

rona, who was impeached and convicted because the AMLC came out with the peso and dollar deposits of Corona not stated in his Statement of Assets and Liabilities Net Worth or SALN, now BS Aquino had the AMLC, headed by Bangko Sentral Gov. Amando Tetangco leak the assets, peso and dollar accounts of Binay to the Inquirer. The paper in turn was more than willing to be used if only to have a sensational headline so that people will continue reading it. I know only too well that negative news sells, while positive news doesn’t. My gulay, when the Binay camp wanted to answer AMLC and be given the same prominence that it gave the story demonizing Binay, the Inquirer claimed it could not because there’s no law mandating it. Continued on A11

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A11

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

HOW TO ROB A CENTRAL BANK Bloomberg editorial AS BRAZEN heists go, it was a quiet one. Over a single weekend in February, hackers managed to extract tens of millions of dollars from Bangladesh’s central bank before anyone noticed. Now the bank is in turmoil, its governor has resigned and much of the cash is missing. It’s one of the biggest holdups in history—and other central banks should be on notice. The scheme started when intruders inserted malware into Bangladesh Bank’s system in January. With information evidently gleaned from the attack,

Guide... From A9 Golgotha or Skull in Aramaic. The Gospel starts with the temple guards arresting Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He is then brought before Annas and Caiphas the High Priest. Peter denies Jesus three times. He is brought before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate under charges of subverting the nation, opposing taxes to Caesar, and making himself a king. Pilate had Jesus flogged and brought out to the crowd who at the instigation of his enemies demand that he be crucified. Mass is not celebrated on this day; instead, the church reflects on the seven last words of Jesus while hanging on the cross. On Good Friday, the faithful observe the Veneration of the Cross to commemorate the cross as the instrument of salvation. Legend has it that St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, discovered the true cross in 326. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher now stands on the site where

the cross was found. Superstitions are common on this day. Not to take a bath, especially after three o’clock, empowering anting-antings or amulets, and prohibiting children from making unnecessary noise are some of the many folk beliefs and practices that have been deeply engrained in our consciousness. While the Catholic Church frowns upon these cultural practices, they remain as constant reminders of our syncretic past. Fasting and abstinence are obligatory. Holy Saturday is also popularly known as Black Saturday. Here we remember the Lord as he lay on the tomb. As it was Sabbath day, his disciples rested on this day. According to the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church, Christ went down to the abode of the dead, “hell”—Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek—because those souls are deprived of the vision of God. He did not go down to hell as we know it to deliver the damned

A plurality... From A10 The math supports Justice Carpio. Logic is also on his side. Although the three justices did not side with either Poe or those who filed the disqualification cases, the

Poe... From A10 No law? Santa Banana, it is ethics in journalism that requires it. The press is a public trust. The Inquirer owes it to the people who read it to be

they were able to divert funds from the bank’s account at the New York Fed using the SWIFT messaging system. Officials only wised up when the thieves tried to move an additional $850 million to suspect accounts, and a routing bank noticed a comical spelling error in one request. By then, some $81 million was long gone. A few lessons from this strange tale suggest themselves. First, central banks make fat targets. Many are under constant attack. Those in the developing world, with lots of new capital but not much digital security, are especially at risk. Bangla-

desh had amassed some $28 billion in foreigncurrency reserves, and its central bank had alarmingly lax defenses. It was a hacker’s dream. Second, fessing up quickly is crucial. Officials at Bangladesh Bank kept quiet for more than a month, and never quite got around to informing the country’s finance minister. Meanwhile, the pilfered cash made its way across the globe. Asian governments and industries, in particular, would benefit from better informationsharing about intrusions. A more crucial lesson is that cybersecurity, though boring, is everyone’s re-

but to free the holy souls as they await their redemption. The church strictly abstains from celebrating the Holy Mass and Holy Communion may only be given in the form of Viaticum. Easter vigil is the last part of the Paschal Triduum, held the night before Easter of the resurrection, the climax of the Christian faith and hope. Easter Vigil means waiting for the coming of the Lord, and Easter being the greatest feast on the Liturgical Year. Explaining the significance of a night vigil, the Paschales Solemnitatis says: “From the very outset the Church has celebrated that annual Pasch, which is the solemnity of solemnities, above all by means of a night vigil. For the resurrection of Christ is the foundation of our faith and hope, and through Baptism and Confirmation we are inserted into the Paschal Mystery of Christ, dying, buried, and raised with him, and with him we shall also reign.”

undeniable fact is that the three justices voted, and they opined that the issue on citizenship need not be passed upon. How then can the three justices be eliminated from the equation for purposes of ascertaining a majority?

fair and honest. When I write and even make exposes, I take it upon myself to recognize their Right of Reply and to give them prominence. It’s a scandal sheet, my gulay!

sponsibility—even the boss’s. (“I am not a technical person,” the now exgovernor of Bangladesh Bank said by way of explanation.) All too often, malicious hacks come down to simple human error. Making better use of encryption, access controls and strong verification systems can help, but nothing can substitute for training and vigilance. Finally, preventing hackers from moving the money they’ve siphoned off requires global cooperation. The thieves in this case laundered much of the cash through casinos in the Philippines. Not coincidentally, Fili-

What all these mean, Pope Francis explained so well during his homily two days ago, on Palm Sunday: “God’s way of acting may seem so far removed from our own, that He was annihilated for our sake, while it seems difficult for us to even forget ourselves a little. He comes to save us; we are called to choose His way: the way of service, of giving, of forgetfulness of ourselves. Let us walk this path, pausing in these days to gaze upon the Crucifix, the “royal seat of God,” to learn about the humble love which saves and gives life, so that we may give up all selfishness, and the seeking of power and fame. By humbling Himself, Jesus invites us to walk on His path. Let us turn our faces to Him, let us ask for the grace to understand something of the mystery of His obliteration for our sake; and then, in silence, let us contemplate the mystery of this Week.” Facebook: Dean Tony La Viña Twitter: tonylavs

Many Filipinos are already upset that the seven justices based their votes on grounds which find no support in either the letter or the spirit of the Constitution. To insist that seven out of 15 is a majority is to add insult to injury.

I admit that there is no longer objective journalism—the press has evolved in so many ways through the years. They now call it subjective or opinionated reporting, which digs

deep into the heart of fair reporting. That’s why reportage becomes subjective, which becomes dangerous depending on the prejudices and biases of more paper owners, publishers and reporters.

pino lawmakers have exempted casinos from a nt i - m on e y - l au n d e r i n g requirements. Tightening those restrictions would be wise. But there are still far too many places where lax laws, custom or generalized chaos provide a welcome home for dirty money. Changing those norms will only get more urgent. All told, this puzzling episode should be a wakeup call. Next time, the miscreants won’t be so flagrant, greedy or orthographically challenged. They’ll have plenty of enticing targets to choose from. And they’ll only have to get lucky once.

Mar... From A9 It is too late now for Roxas to break away from Aquino’s death grip. But at least Roxas should really stop pretending that, like Noynoy in 2010, he has somehow become the frontrunner in this race. Perhaps because of his long career holding top government positions and his service in Congress, his background in real private-sector work and his academic credentials (never mind if he doesn’t really have a Wharton MBA), I never really thought Mar would be as delusional as his boss. All this time, I merely suspected that, like many officials in this thoroughly mediocre administration, Roxas was just dumbing himself down, in order to blend in with the rest of Noynoy’s Cabinet. But after last Sunday’s debate, I think I may have to revise my position. And I may have to rethink my belief that craziness isn’t contagious, as well. *** Some may disagree with me, but I’d like to congratulate TV5’s Luchi Cruz Valdes for a yeoman’s job of moderating the debate last Sunday. The debate at times came dangerously close to spinning out of control, but Luchi’s firm hand (and voice) eventually brought all four candidates back in line. Given the free-wheeling format—compared to the stilted, advertising-is-everything first debate, anyway—it was all Luchi could do to rein in the candidates. As Senator Grace Poe pointed out, this was the format that the organizers wanted, so they couldn’t really complain about the ensuing chaos. Some people may quibble that it was Luchi’s fault that the hour-and-a-half delay happened, because she agreed that Vice President Jejomar Binay could bring papers to his podium. I prefer to think that she was placed in an impossible situation to begin with and still succeeded. Having said all that, I hope the people organizing the third and final debate of the candidates for president learn something from the first two. And I hope Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago is well enough to attend the next time, just to liven up the debate and lift it up from the gutter a little.

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Raptors nip Magic, close in on Cavs THE Toronto Raptors moved within one game of the Cleveland Cavaliers for top spot in the Eastern Conference on Sunday with a 105-100 NBA victory over the Orlando Magic.

Kim ties mark in Founders Cup win SOUTH Korea’s Kim Sei-Young matched Annika Sorenstam’s 15-year-old record for the lowest 72-hole score in LPGA history, firing a 10-under par 62 to win the LPGA Founders Cup. The 23-year-old from Seoul completed four rounds at 27-under par 261 over the Phoenix, Arizona, layout to match the mark set by Swedish legend Sorenstam to win the 2001 Standard Register PING tournament at Moon Valley Country Club, also in Phoenix. “It’s a dream come true,” Kim said. “Today scoring 10 under, it was my best score ever. I didn’t know it was best score ever. I asked caddie, ‘Did I hit 10-under?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ Amazing. Dream come true.” Kim, who matched the course record with her 62, had a chance to break the mark on the final hole—and match the best final round in LPGA history—but came up short on a 12foot birdie putt and tapped in to tie the record. World number one Lydia Ko of New Zealand made a late charge to finish second on 266 with American Jacqui Concolino third on 268. “Congratulations to Sei-Young,” Ko said. “Not many times you shoot 7-under and still finish five behind.” The victory will provide Kim a lift with the year’s first major, the ANA Inspiration at Rancho Mirage, only two weeks away. “Last couple of tournaments I lost my confidence,” Kim said. “After this tournament, it has come back and I’m most happy for that.” Sorenstam fired the all-time LPGA low 18hole round of 59 during her record run 15 years ago. Kim opened this week with a 63, making nine birdies without a bogey, and followed with rounds of 66 and 70. AFP

Kyle Lowry (no. 7) of the Toronto Raptors plays defense against the Orlando Magic at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. AFP

Djokovic captures record 5th Indian Wells title WORLD No. 1 Novak Djokovic won the Indian Wells title with a 6-2, 6-0 rout of a hobbled Milos Raonic, taking the crown for the third straight year and a record fifth time overall. The defending two-time champ Djokovic, who hasn’t lost in Indian Wells since 2013, on Sunday earned his 62nd career title and extended his match win streak at the joint ATP and WTA hardcourt tournament to 17 straight. “To win this tournament five times is Novak Djokovic of Serbia holds up the winners trophy after his win over Milos Raonic of Canada during day fourteen of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California. AFP

a fantastic achievement,” Djokovic said. “I’m just glad to be able to raise the level of my game as the tournament progresses, and that’s something that I have been doing in the last two years particularly on the big events.” The 28-year-old Serb won in Indian Wells in 2008 and 2011 as well as 2014 and 2015. Djokovic is hoping Sunday’s victory will be a stepping stone to his first French Open victory in two months which would complete the career

Grand Slam. “Roland Garros has been and is this year again one of the top priorities of the season,” Djokovic said. “I have been—I felt like I have been coming closer and closer to the title in the last couple of years. “I’m not going to change much in terms of preparation for the event.” Djokovic said he felt like this was one of his best performances and that all the preparation he did beforehand helped him get into what

he described as “the zone” when he hits the court. “I have been managing to win most of the big matches against top 10 players,” he said. “I have a certain routine and certain preparation for these big matches that works for me, again. “I will try to follow that kind of routine and get myself in that state of mind where I’m able to get the best out of myself when it’s most needed.” AFP

Ilocos hosts nat’l age group chess finale THE 2016 National Age Group Chess Championship Grand Finals will be held April 1-8 at the Centennial Arena in Laoag City in Ilocos Norte. Organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and hosted by the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte, the week-long tournament will be participated in by the top age group qualifiers from all over the country. The opening ceremony and the first round will be held on April 2, while the awarding ceremony will take place on April 7. Participating players will be billeted at the Ilocos

Norte National High School (INNHS) Vocational Compound, which is located beside the venue. For more details, please contact the NCFP Secretariat at 09952348200. Meanwhile, Far Eastern University’s (FERN) Vince Angelo Medina defeated Romy Fagon to grab the early lead in the boys (Open) under-20 category in the Luzon age-group qualifier being held at the Philippine Sports Commission Dining Area in Vito Cruz, Manila. National Master John Merill Jacutina, also of FEU, is at second place in a tie with Jonathan Jota and Daniel Quizon.

DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with a game-high 25 points and five assists. Luis Scola added 20 points and eight rebounds while Kyle Lowry chipped in with 18 points and seven assists as the Raptors notched their fourth straight win and improved to 13-4 since the All-Star break. Scola said the pursuit of first place in the East was important, but not the overriding motivation as the post-season approaches. “Of course we want to win games, of course we want to finish first, but the most important thing is to be able to build good momentum going into the playoffs,” Scola said. “Eventually, when we get to the seventh game of the conference final, if we get there, we’ll worry about that then. “We’re fighting for (first), because it’s the right thing to do, but we can’t lose sleep over it.” Orlando, connecting on 51.6 percent from the field, took an 82-80 lead into the fourth quarter. But the Raptors used a 10-0 scoring run to take a four-point lead with 5:22 to play and held on. Victor Oladipo led Orlando with 21 points and six rebounds. Evan Fournier had 21 points, but the Magic have now lost three in a row and trail the Chicago Bulls by six games for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. In Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki joined an elite group as he poured in 40 points to lead the mavericks to a 132-120 overtime triumph over the Portland Trail Blazers. The Mavs snapped a fivegame home losing streak and clinched the season series against Portland —a fact that could come into play with the teams battling for playoff seeding in the bottom half of the Western Conference standings. “We’re still in the same position where we’re fighting for our playoff lives,” Nowitzki said after his 20th career 40-point game. “Our goal before the season was to make it into the playoffs. We’re still fighting for it.” Nowitzki reached 40 for the first time since January 11, 2014. He drained a three-pointer to cap an 11-0 scoring run to open overtime. AFP

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Fernando, Castro rule kiteboarding BORACAY rider Louie Fernando foiled Atte Kappel’s sweep bid as he snared the Twin Tip Race Masters crown while Spain’s Julia Castro topped the women’s side in the final leg of the ICTSI Philippine Kiteboarding Tour Season 3 at the scenic Cuyo Island in Palawan recently. Christian Tio marked his return with a flawless performance in Freestyle, which Castro also ruled to complete a two-title feat, while Jing Gajisan of Tablas, Romblon and Doque delos Santos shared overall top honors in the Twin Tip Race of the event organized by the Philippine Kiteboarding Association. Fernando put on a superb performance to end Kappel’s domination of the centerpiece event of the four-leg sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. with the Swede ace settling for runner-up finish after topping the Siargao, Anguib, Sta. Ana and Boracay legs. Carlo Leongson finished third while PKA president Jay Ortiz and Eddie Garcia ended up fourth and fifth, respectively, in the three-day event sponsored by Cabrinha, Coca Cola, Sailor Gerry, Greenyard Boracay, Buradol, Cuyo Water Sports Association, Municipality of Malay, Nikki’s Pension and Sun Zapper. Castro also flashed top form to clinch the women’s Twin Tip Ladies crown, beating Gajisan, Paula Rosales and Corina Bleitz while Boracay’s Doque delos Santos bested Sassan Moscoso from Caliraya to cop the men’s Twin Tip Racing diadem.

Milcu Got Skills lures 52 teams By Peter Atencio AROUND 52 teams are expected to see action in the Milcu X Got Skills Basketball Summer Showcase 2016. Organizer Allen Ricardo said 12 teams have so far registered in the 25-year-old-and-under division of the tournament set to begin on April 14 at the Malolos Convention Center in Bulacan. Reigning UAAP champion Far Eastern University is joining, with University of Santo Tomas, La Salle, National University, Arelano University and a team from Malolos. Lyceum Philippines University is also listed with Enderun College, St. Clare, Bulacan State University and Manuel L. Quezon University. Ten teams are registered each in the agegroup levels of 16-under, 14-under, 13-under and 12-under.

Crash! McLaren Honda’s Spanish driver Fernando Alonso crashes into the wall after colliding with Haas F1 Team’s Brazilian driver Esteban Gutierrez during the Formula One Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. AFP

Morales on track; 2 jockeys in spotlight MAKING his strongest start ever, businessman-sportsman Narciso O. Morales took a huge lead in number of wins and earnings among owners while two apprentice jockeys stole the spotlight from the established stars after two months in the racing season. A Philippine Racing Commission report shows Morales posting 36 wins and P5,622,537 earnings during the January-to-February period, well ahead of the rest of the Magic 5 as he stayed on track of duplicating his overwhelming overall victory last year. Sharing the limelight were rookie riders Oneal Cortez and Mark Gonzales, who took the 1-2 spots in the jockeys category to upstage the big names like last year’s Philippine Sportswriters As-

sociation Jockey of the Year Jonathan Hernandez, Jesse Guce, Mark Alvarez and Jeff Zarate. Cortez registered 35 victories, 33 second, 23 third and 29 fourth place finishes and P710,697 earnings in the same period to take the lead, slightly ahead of Gonzales who had 36 wins and P680,862 in prizes. The runaway overall champion last year with 137 wins, Morales also had 42 second, 40 third and 36 fourth place finishes.One of those tri-

umphs was courtesy of veteran stakes campaigner Tap Dance, who ruled the first leg of the Imported-Local Challenge Series in February. “That’s a pretty good start. I hope and pray the stable will be able to sustain it,” said Morales, who has around 50-plus horses running competitively at present. “It’s going to be hard (winning the overall title again), but we’ll give it a try.” Veteran Ruben Tupas emerged the winningest trainer after two months by saddling 34 winners that gave him P507,491 in prizes, while multi-titled Low Profile wound up first among horses with P1,520,020 in prizes, including P600,000 for winning the Commissioner’s Cup in January. The standings (As of endFebruary) Owners 1. N. Morales P5,622,

537 (36 wins, 42 second, 40 third, 36 fourth); 2. Ruben Dimacuha P1,984, 930 (10-6-4-2); 3. Patrick Uy P1,680, 907 (14-10-5-9); 4. E. Tan P1, 478,034 (13-6-4-9); 5. Jade Bros. Farm P1,396,690 (811-13-16) Jockeys 1. O. Cortez P710,697 (35-33-23-29); 2. M. Gonzales P680,862 (36-31-1518); JB Guce P627,270 (31-2222-14); 4. J. Zarate P513, 078 (28-19-17-11); 5. M. Alvarez P494,496 (16-21-18-11) Trainers 1. R. Tupas P507,491 (34-32-21-30); 2. C. Vicente P460,950 (21-20-22-18); 3. D. dela Cruz P391,743 (27-1620-15); 4.A. Sordan P336, 956 (19-23-21-19); 5. D. Sordan P308,723 (21-19-13-10) Horses 1. Low Profile P1,520,020; 2. Manalig Ka P772,520; 3. Pangarap P600,000; 4. Kid Benjie P600,000; 5. Dolce Ballerina P598,343).

Lagrisola, Aparte cop Lucena tennis crowns

Blanche Lagrisola (center) and Angelo Aparte (right) hold their trophies as they pose with PPS-PEPP Area manager Analiza Abis after topping their respective divisions in the PPS-PEPP age-group tennis Lucena leg yesterday.

BLANCHE Lagrisola came away with a pair of emphatic romps, Angelo Aparte captured the boys’ 16-and-under crown while Gabrielle Zoleta and Patrick Salvacion pulled off victories on home turf as they shared top honors in the Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional tennis circuit at the Lucena City Tennis Club yesterday. Lagrisola, from Sta. Rosa, Laguna, shut out Maylani Borbor twice, 6-0, 6-0, to run away with the girls’ 16- and 18-U titles while Alabang’s Aparte scored a 6-2, 6-2 victory over JM Buenaventura, who stunned top seed Sebastian Lhuillier, 6-1, 3-6, 10-7, in the semis, to cop the boys’ 14-U crown in the Group 2 tournament sponsored by

Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger. But top seed Marcus Del Rosario foiled doubles partner Aparte’s two-title bid, fashioning out a 6-2, 6-2 win in the 16-U finals of the event sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association and backed by Asiatraders Corp., exclusively distributor of Slazenger, the official ball. Zoleta and Salvacion, on the other hand, hacked out victories in contrasting fashions before local fans with the former upending top seed Denise Bernardo, 7-6(1), 6-3, for the girls’ 14-U plum and the latter turning back Alexi Jarata, 4-0, 3-5, 4-0, for the 10-unisex diadem.

“Given the proper training, support and exposure, Lagrisola and Aparte could be the sport’s next stars and Palawan Pawnshop will be here to provide the venue for the other young players seeking to follow their footsteps,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/ CEO Bobby Castro. Other singles winners were Lucena’s Julia Ignacio (girls’ 12-U), Jiray Virey (boys’ 18-U), Andrei Jarata of Agoo, La Union (boys’ 12-U), while doubles victors were Kidlat Estogero/Alexi Arata (10-unisex), Aparte/JR Bernardo (boys’ 14-U), Ignacio/Amanda Zoleta (girls’ 14-U), Del Rosario/ Aparte (boys’ 18-U) and Kaye Alcala/Lagrisola (girls’ 18-U).

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Superliga All-Stars off to Bangkok Fil-Am is Red Bull King of the Rock By Peter Atencio ROBERT Herndon, Filipino-American and former San Francisco State University NCAA Division II player, became the first winner of the Red Bull King of the Rock-National One-onOne Basketball finals. Herndon prevailed in his face off with PBA MVP alumnus Willie Miller in an epic fiveminute finals showdown last Saturday at the Baluarte de Dilao inside the ancient walls of Intramuros, Manila. The 22-year-old Herndon’s two clutch three pointers in the final minute sealed the win, giving him the first title honors with a score of 21–19. “I figured I made it this far and that it would suck to lose. Willie Miller was a good opponent. And it feels awesome to represent the Philippines like this,” said Herndon. He will become the first-ever Philippine representative to compete at the Red Bull King of the Rock World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey in August 2016. Herndon said he hopes to beat top players from more than 60 countries at the world’s largest and most prestigious one-on-one basketball competition later this year. In a separate slam-dunk competition, Nigerian native Obinna Ezeike reigned supreme with his high-flying skills and crowd-rousing showmanship.

BANGKOK—The Petron-Philippine Superliga All-Star squad left Manila Monday morning, eyeing to come up with a strong performance in the Thai-Denmark Super League women’s volleyball tournament starting Wednesday at the MCC Hall of the Mall in Bangkapi here. Stars Rachel Anne Daquis of RC Cola-Army and Cha Cruz of F2 Logistics skipper will lead the squad as it collides with the best teams from Thailand and a squad from Hong Kong in this prestigious club tourney organized by SMMTV.

Also competing for Petron-PSL All-Stars are Rhea Dimaculangan and Maika Ortiz of Foton; April Ross Hingpit and Jeanette Panaga of Cignal; Jen Reyes, Mina Aganon, Frances Molina and Aiza Pontillas

of Petron; Melissa Gohing and Michelle Gumabao of Philips Gold; and Stephanie Mercado and Aby Marano of F2 Logistics. George Pascua, who led Petron to back-to-back titles, will be calling the shots, while Michael Carino of Cignal will serve as his chief deputy. Pascua admitted winning the crown here would be an uphill climb, as the Filipinas are bracketed with powerhouses Bangkok Glass, 3BB Nakhonnont and Idea Khonkaen, which emerged as top teams in

last year’s edition. The other pool, on the other hand, is made up of Supreme Chonburi-E Tech, Nakhon Ratchasima, King-Bangkok and Hong Kong. “Wala tayong idea kung ano ang laro nila. Medyo mahirap pang kapain. Pero sana madali kaming makapag-adjust kapag nadoon na sa laro,” said Pascua, whose Tri-Activ Spikers are already in the final round of the ongoing PSL Invitational Conference together with the Lady Troopers and the Cargo Movers.

Participants of the Manila Bay Seasports Festival compete in one of the races.

EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF THE ESTATES OF SPOUSES SERAFIN ZAMORA CALIBOSO AND EMILY DOLOT CALIBOSO WITH WAIVER OF SHARE AND TRANSFER OF RIGHTS Notice is hereby given that the Estates of the late SPOUSES SERAFIN ZAMORA CALIBOSO AND EMILY DOLOT CALIBOSO, who died on April 21, 1989 at Marilao, Bulacan and March 20, 2004 at Marilao, Bulacan, respectively, has been the subject of an EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF THE ESTATES OF SPOUSES SERAFIN ZAMORA CALIBOSO AND EMILY DOLOT CALIBOSO WITH WAIVER OF SHARE AND TRANSFER OF RIGHTS among their heirs over a parcel of land covered by TCT No. T-52.096(M); the heirs agreed to adjudicate among themselves, that they release, waive and transfer their rights in favor of their co-heir, ERIC D. CALIBOSO, the parcel of land and existing improvements covered by TCT No. T-52.096(M); as per instrument dated September 18, 2015; known as per Doc. No. 370;Page No. 75; Book No. III; Series of 2015 under the Notary Public ATTY. CLAUDETTE C. TOLENTINO. ( T S - M A R . 2 2 / 2 9 , A P R 5 , 2 016)

EXTRA- JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF THE ESTATE OF FELIX B. MORALES WITH WAIVER OF SHARES AND TRANSFER OF RIGHTS Notice is hereby given that the Estates of the late FELIX B. MORALES, who died on April 30, 1989 at Pangasinan Medical Center, Inc. has been the subject of an EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF THE ESTATE OF FELIX B. MORALES WITH WAIVER OF SHARES AND TRANSFER OF RIGHTS among their heirs over a parcel of land covered by TCT No. 34712; the heirs agreed to adjudicate among themselves, that they release, waive and transfer their rights in favor of their co-heirs, EMER JOHN M. MACAPAGAL and ELTON JOHN M. MACAPAGAL, the parcel of land and existing improvements covered by TCT No. 34712; as per instrument dated November 9, 2015; known as per Doc. No. 432;Page No. 88; Book No. III; Series of 2015 under the Notary Public ATTY. CLAUDETTE C. TOLENTINO. ( T S - M A R . 2 2 / 2 9 , A P R 5 , 2 016)

AFFIDAVIT OF SELF-ADJUDICATION OF THE ESTATES OF SPS. MARCELINO AND JOSEFINA STA.ANA Notice is hereby given that the ESTATES OF SPS. MARCELINO AND JOSEFINA STA. ANA, who died on January 28, 2007 at Quezon City and August 5, 2003 at Bocaue, Bulacan, respectively, has been the subject of AFFIDAVIT OF SELF ADJUDICATION of the Estate to their sole heir MA. JENNIELYN DE LEON STA.ANA, over four (4) parcels of land together with all the improvements covered by TCT No. T-31168 P9(M), TCT No. T-20091, TCT No. T-35361-P(M), TCT No. 9468; the heir hereby adjudicate herself the above mentioned real properties; as per instrument dated May 13, 2015; known as per Doc. No. 238;Page No. 49; Book No. III; Series of 2015 under the Notary Public ATTY. CLAUDETTE C. TOLENTINO. ( T S - M A R . 2 2 / 2 9 , A P R 5 , 2 016)

EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF THE ESTATE OF DIOSCORO RAZO WITH WAIVER OF SHARE Notice is hereby given that the Estate of the late DIOSCORO RAZO, who died on September 27, 1998 at Manila, has been the subject of an EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF THE ESTATE WITH WAIVER OF SHARE among his heirs over a parcel of land covered by TCT No. C-303831; the heirs agreed to adjudicate among themselves, that they waive and transfer their rights in favor of their co-heir, HENRIETTA P. RAZO, the parcel of land and existing improvements covered by TCT No. C-303831; as per instrument dated January 27, 2004; known as per Doc. No. 255;Page No. 51; Book No. 13; Series of 2014 under the Notary Public ATTY. FERNANDO M. SALUDES. ( T S - M A R . 2 2 / 2 9 , A P R 5 , 2 016)

Seaports Festival set at Manila Bay

Republic of the Philippines Office of the President NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION (PAMBANSANG PANGASIWAAN NG PATUBIG) Interim Eastern-Western Samar Irrigation Management Office Catbalogan Samar Office Address: Telephone Nos. Website:

DA Compound, Brgy. Guindapunan Catbalogan City, Samar (055) 251-2818 www.nia.gov.com

Email Address. bac_samar@yahoo.com TIN 000-916-415-010

INVITATION TO BID NO. 02-2016 The National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Interim Eastern-Western Samar Irrigation Management Office, Catbalogan City through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), hereby invites Domestic Contractors, registered with and classified by the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), to bid for the hereunder contracts. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. Approved Budget for the Contract (Php)

ITEM/DESCRIPTION 1.

Gandara IP - Nacube - Concepcion - L 01-2016 - Construction of Concrete Canal, Canal Structures & Terminal Facilities Gandara, Samar Gandara IP-Nacube - Concepcion - L - 02 - 2016 - Construction of Concrete Canal, Canal Structures & Terminal Facilities Gandara, Samar Gandara IP-Nacube-Concepcion-L-03 2016-Construction of Concrete Canal, Canal Structures & Terminal Gandara, Samar Osmeña CIS - W- L - 01 - 2016 Construction of Concrete Canal, Canal Structures & Terminal Facilities Osmeña, Marabut, Samar

Duration

Cost of Bidding Documents

15,626,103.13

240 cd

P25,000.00

15,422,266.22

240 cd

P25,000.00

14,523,854.07

240 cd

P25,000.00

2,673,420.57

120 cd

P5,000.00

The Prospective Bidders should have completed, within five (5) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project whose value must be at least fifty percent (50%) of the ABC. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (R.A. 9184) otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. Theprospectivebiddersmust secure an Affidavit of Site Inspection and Certificate of Inspection before the purchase of bid documents. Prospective Bidders are not allowed to participate if they have negative slippage in their ongoing contracts. Individuals with Special Power of Attorney (SPA) are not allowed to transact and participate in the procurement utilizing another construction firm. The pre-bid conference shall be open only for those who have purchased the bid documents. No more sale of bid documents after pre-bidding conference in order for the bidders to submit a highlytechnical and educatedbid. The Schedule of BAC Activities are as follows: BAC Activities 1. Issuance of Bid Documents 2. Pre-bid Conference 3. Receipt and Opening of Bids

Schedule StartingMarch 21, 2016 March 29, 2016 April 12, 2016

Time 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. 09:00 a.m.

The BAC will issue a complete set of Bidding Documents to eligible bidders fromtheaddressabove and uponpayment of non-refundableamount of Php25,000.00forGandara IP-Nacube-Concepcionand Php5,000.00 forOsmeña CIStotheCashier. For qualified/eligible bidders, please take note that after qualified bidders has been determined, we prefer cash bond, cashier’s or manager’scheck and bank guarantee with the amount equivalent to two (2%) percent of the ABC of the contract and surety bond with the amount equivalent to five (5%) percent of the ABC of the contract as Bid Security The NIA reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to the contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. SGD. RIZALINA B. GALLARDE BAC Chairman Noted: SGD. ALEJANDRO C. CULIBAR, D.M. Officer In-Charge

(TS-MAR.22, 2016)

THE 2016 Manila Bay Seasports Festival fired off at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Baywalk along Roxas Boulevard. The inspection of standard motors was followed by qualifying heats in both the stock and formula races of the bancathon. On Sunday, the dragon boat championships along with semifinal rounds for motorboat races began at 8 a.m. all the way to the final rounds. Capping the two-day event was an

awards night and mini concert at 6 p.m. featuring Renz Verano and the Sassy Girls. The Manila Bay Seasports Festival is organized by the Manila Broadcasting Company and Star City together with the City of Manila, in cooperation with the Philippine Coast Guard, Cobra Energy Drink, Kremtop, The Generics Pharmacy, Executive Optical, Revicon, M. Lhuillier, My Juiz, White Castle, and Herco Trading Corporation.

Forum tackles boxing THE campaign of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) for an Olympic berth in the Asia-Oceania qualifiers in China will be tackled in a special Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum on Holy Tuesday at Shakey’s Malate. ABAP executive director Ed Picson and coach Nolito ‘Boy’ Velasco talk about the bid of the six-man

Philippine team in the China tournament that starts on Wednesday during the session to be aired live over DZSR Sports Radio 918 and presented by San Miguel Corp., Accel, Shakey’s, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. Composing the national team lineup are Rogen Ladon, Roldan Boncales, Mario Fernandez, Charly Suarez, Eumir Felix Marcial, (TS-DEC. 1, 2015) and Nesthy Petecio.

T UE S DAY : M A RC H 2 2 , 2 0 1 6

A15

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Super rookies

SPORTSCASTERS dubbed them as “super rookies,” these ARMAN D. ARMERO first-year players of the University of the Philippines Lady Maroons women’s volleyball team playing well beyond their years and experience. Sportscasters sometimes overdo it when they assign monikers to athletes, but this time, they hit the nail on its head. Isa Molde, Diane Carlos, Justine Dorog and Sheena Chopitea, all rookies, are indeed playing super, the reason why the Lady Maroons are up there at third place in the standings with a 7-4 record. Of the four, Molde and Carlos have alternated in leading the UP belles in scoring, and both were instrumental in scoring a stunning upset of defending champion Ateneo in the first round. At one stretch in the second round, UP was on a four-game winning roll, before they were stopped by perennial title contender De La Salle. But the Maroons had since bounced back with an easy win over cellar-dweller UE Lady Warriors. Ateneo and La Salle, with their full complement of seasoned players, still lead the pack with similar 9-2 cards and have secured a place in the Final Four, but the way the Lady Maroons are showing, I wouldn’t be surprised if they will soon join the Lady Eagles and the Lady Spikes in the coveted Top Four. The emergence of super rookies such as Isa, formerly of Hope Christian High School and Diane, from the Sta. Cruz Academy in Lubao, Pampanga, who had chosen to play for the Lady Maroons and not for traditional sports powers De La Salle, Ateneo and UST should serve the UAAP in good stead. In the past years, “rich” schools such as Ateneo, DLSU and UST almost always get the best players in almost every sport, especially in basketball and volleyball, because they have the resources and the facilities that come with the scholarships that they offer to the most talented athletes from the provinces. In turn, these athletes reward them with trophies and championships. But not anymore. With tycoons expanding their reach to the academe, schools, which had traditionally lagged behind in terms of sports achievements have now reversed the trend. A perfect example of this is National University, which is now fully owned by the Sy family (of SM Supermalls). From perennial tailenders, the Bulldogs have turned into title contenders overnight, winning a basketball title a few years after the Sy family took over the school management. Now, I don’t know who (or what group) is behind UP’s frenzied recruitment in volleyball that produced the likes of super rookies Molde and Carlos, but they are sure doing a super job. STEP BACK

Badminton for a cause. A group of badminton enthusiasts recently held a tournament for a cause at The Zone in Makati

that will beneﬁt a cancer patients’ halfway house in Manila. The MaxforceShuttlers, founded in 2008 to promote camaraderie and the love of badminton, chose BahayAruga Foundation as its beneﬁciary of the proceeds from the tournament. The cash donation was made from the proceeds of the tourney and also from other sponsors like Rotary Club of Makati and Corabes Construction Corporation.

Pro boxers at Olympics is madness, says Nacho By Ronnie Nathanielsz

ANOTHER highly respected trainer, Hall of Famer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain has come out strongly against the announced plans of AIBA president Dr. Wu Kuo Ching to allow professional boxers to compete in the Olympic Games beginning in Rio de Janeiro this year. Beristain branded the plan “complete madness.” “This seems to be a recipe for disaster and it’s a project without a future,” Beristain, who has handled Olympic boxers from Mexico, told Boxing Scene. The AIBA, which is the governing body for amateur boxing, is aiming to copy the

entry of NBA players in the Barcelona Olympics in the form of the “Dream Team” because they believe “it will increase the quality of the matches.” Beristain knows the sport as he trains several former and current world champions. “This project is impossible to be a success because of numerous factors which separate

an amateur from a pro,” said the renowned trainer. “They will ruin the essence of amateur boxing. I don’t understand how a professional that practices this discipline to make a living would risk that for a tournament like this one.” The AIBA has also proposed to eliminate the use of headgear that protects boxers, which is something that has been thoroughly criticized by the entire boxing community as that would create a dangerous situation, where an amateur risks suffering serious injuries by facing a professional. “I think this is a complete mixture of nonsense. The way judges evaluate amateur and professional boxing is different, the way they punch is way different,” Beristain added.

Bradley has a big game-plan to beat Pacman TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” Bradley said he has a big game-plan to defeat eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao when they clash for the third time at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 9. Bradley won a widely criticized split decision over Pacquiao in 2012, but in a rematch some two years later, the Filipino dominated the American to win a lopsided unanimous decision. Since the loss, Bradley fired trainer Joel Diaz and teamed up with renowned trainer and boxing analyst Teddy Atlas, a move that the two-weight champion believes has markedly improved his ring skills and fight preparation. “Our approach this time [against Pacquiao] is going to be way different. We have a big game plan going into this fight and I am looking closely at Pacquiao and his weaknesses,” Bradley told Peter Gilbert of Sky Sports. Bradley added: “I can take a lot from the first two fights. I didn’t really have a game plan for the first fight, pretty much fighting on my peer skills and my experience, and I did pretty well in that one. The second fight, Pacquiao definitely won that

Bradley hands down, but I suffered an injury in the second round. The fact that now, I will have a big game plan, I think that I have a much better chance.” Bradley, whose defeat to Pacquiao is his only loss in 35 fights, said Atlas has taught him to focus.

“I’ve learned a lot of things... but the hardest thing for me is to trust the game plan at all times in the ring, in training. What I mean by that is that no matter what’s going on, no matter how bad a day you’re having, you always have to be focused, you always have to be committed. That is enforced every single day [with Atlas]. I show up to the gym and it’s total concentration, total focus all the way through,” said Bradley. The American is confident that he and Atlas have established a winning strategy for the April 9 showdown in Las Vegas. “We have a game plan, I just have to go out there and execute it, just like I did against Brandon Rios (whom he stopped in the ninth round in his last fight.) I trust everything that Teddy is telling me and teaching me. I’ve just got to do my job. Teddy has shown me everything that I need to win this fight, but if I don’t go out there and do it, then I’m not going to win this fight.” Bradley added: “Manny Pacquiao pretty much does the same things, he’s going to bring the intensity, he’s going to come forward, he’s going to be the Manny Pacquiao that we have always seen. He knows me, but I think I’m going to be a little different now.” Ronnie Nathanielsz

LOTTO RESULTS 6/55 00-00-00-00-00-00 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 4 DIGITS 0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

P0 M+ P0 M

T U E S DAY : M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 16

A16

RIERA U. MALL ARI EDITOR

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

sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS

Three Mahindra defenders, led by August Gilchrist and Aldrech Ramos, gang up on a driving Shane Edwards of Alaska in a PBA Commissioner’s Cup game won by the Enforcers, 102-94.

Cray 17th in world athletics RIO Olympics-bound Eric Cray placed 17th overall last in Saturday’s semifinal round of the of the 60-meter run in the 2016 World Indoor Athletics Championships in Portland, Oregon. The 27-year-old Cray, the only Filipino trackster, who has earned a slot in the 2016 Rio Olympics, clocked 6.67 seconds. His clocking was far behind the 6.44 seconds of Jamaica’s Asafa Powell, who topped the semifinals. Powell eventually took the silver in the final round, which was also held Saturday. Trayvon Bromell of the United States won the gold in the finals in 6.47 seconds, with Powell trailing with a time of 6.5 seconds. Cray’s 6.67 in the Worlds improved on the 6.7 seconds which he clocked in last month’s Asian Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar. While in Qatar, he took the bronze behind the Iran’s Hassan Taftian (6.56) and Reza Ghasemi (6.66). He momentarily held the Games’ record when he clocked 6.57 in the semifinal round, and that was until Iran’s Taftian ran in the final. Peter Atencio

Mahindra stuns Alaska to arrest 3-game slide By Jeric Lopez

THE bleeding stops. Mahindra snapped its three-game losing slide, taking down powerhouse Alaska, 102-94, to get back in contention in the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Monday night. Vastly improving Aldrech Ramos was on fire in the second half, where he scattered all of his careerhigh 25 points on a very efficient 11-of-15 shooting, and his offensive barrage and clutch shooting in the fourth helped lift the Enforcers to the impressive triumph. Ramos, who also had seven rebounds, got plenty of help as Nino Canaleta scored 17, while Augus-

Raptors close in on Cavs TURN TO A12

tus Gilchrist had 16 and Karl Dehesa contributed 14 for Mahindra. While the Enforcers ended their dry spell and improved to 4-4 for a tie for sixth with idle Star, the erstwhile league-leading Aces lost their second straight and slipped to a third-place tie with Barangay Ginebra (5-3). Mahindra was able to establish a double-digit lead, 37-26, with

three minutes left in the opening half after back-to-back baskets from LA Revilla that capped off a 15-4 scoring surge in the middle of the second quarter. Digging itself out of trouble right away, Alaska countered with a 13-6 run of its own to narrow the gap to just four points, 39-43, at halftime. However, Mahindra was really determined to end its losing skid. Still with a lot left in the tank, the Enforcers regained control after they produced a 10-0 blast to end the third period, restoring a sizeable 11-point lead, 76-65, entering the payoff quarter. The Aces cut their deficit to just two, 82-80, after a 15-6 run with over five minutes left, but Mahindra kept its composure

Bradley has a big game-plan to beat Pacquiao TURN TO A15

and still had a finishing kick left. The Enforcers replied with a swift 9-0 bomb to put themselves to safety and climb their lead back up to 11, 91-80, with only three minutes remaining. That proved to be the dagger as they were finally able to complete the remarkable upset victory. The scores: MAHINDRA 102—Ramos 25, Canaleta 17, Gilchrist 16, Dehesa 14, Revilla 10, Bagatsing 5, Ballesteros 5, Pinto 5, Guinto 3, De Vera 2, Digregorio 0, Jaime 0, Yee 0. ALASKA 94—Edwards 24, Abueva 15, Manuel 12, Banchero 10, Jazul 10, Thoss 7, Baguio 6, Hontiveros 6, Dela Rosa 4, Exciminiano 0, Menk 0, Racal 0. Quarters: 16-16, 43-39, 76-65, 102-94

TUESDAY: MARCH 22, 2016

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

BSP to hold banks ‘accountable’ By Clarissa Batino and Andreo Calonzo

THE Philippines will hold accountable any bank or banker found responsible or remiss in their duties in the $81-million cyber heist of Bangladeshi foreign reserves that wound up in the Southeast Asian nation’s financial system, officials said. “You can be assured that banks that fail to perform their responsibilities will be held accountable,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Governor Nestor Espenilla, who heads the central bank’s supervision and examination divi-

sion, said in reply to a text message. Philippine lawmakers last week started an investigation into how the stolen funds ended up in Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., wired to remittance company

Philrem Service Corp., and transferred to casinos. Senator Teofisto Guingona, who’s leading the inquiry, said the theft could threaten the wider financial sector in the Philippines and put the country’s credit rating at risk. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco said March 18 he sees “risk associated” with the incident and the nation has “to show that action has been taken.” Bank officials found to be involved in the money-laundering case will be held accountable, Communications Undersecretary Manolo Quezon also said on

Saturday in a briefing on government radio. The Philippines banking regulatory framework is already strong and the remedy isn’t necessarily more regulations, Espenilla said. Strict deposit secrecy law, inadequate protection of bank examiners and delays in the judiciary are among the challenges banking regulators face in enforcing effective compliance, he said. President Benigno Aquino III will wait for recommendations from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on the easing of the bank secrecy law, Quezon said. Senate hearings on the heist focused on testimony by Maia

Santos Deguito, the manager of the RCBC branch from which the money was withdrawn, who agreed to a tell-all in a in closeddoor session with lawmakers last week. RCBC president Lorenzo Tan, who has denied Deguito’s claims, invoked the law on bank secrecy during the Senate hearing. The case is an isolated one and has nothing to do with the bank’s strength and stability, RCBC said in a statement Friday. “RCBC follows global best practices but even the most stringent rules and restrictions are only as good as the people who must follow them,” it said. Bloomberg

PSe comPoSite index Closing March 21, 2016

8300 7840 7380 6920 6460 6000

7,376.41 69.67

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing March 21, 2016 48.00 46.00 45.00

P46.330

44.00

43.00

HIGH P46.330 LOW P46.580 AVERAGE P46.493 VOLUME 567.500M

P400.00-P620.00 LPG/11-kg tank P30.00-P39.32 Unleaded Gasoline

oPriceS il P today

P19.25-P22.75 Diesel

Miners protest.

Workers from four mining companies operating in Sta. Cruz town, Zambales hold a protest rally in front of the Environment Department’s building in Quezon City to push for the reopening of Eramen Minerals Inc., Benguet Nickel Minerals Inc., Zambales Diversiﬁeld Metal Corp. and LNL Archipelago Minerals Inc. The miners said economic losses mounted and crime rate rose in Sta. Cruz, as 3,000 displaced workers and families failed to ﬁnd decent jobs after the government suspended nickel mining operations in the area. See related story on B4. LINO SANTOS

P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, March 21, 2016

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

46.2700

Japan

Yen

0.008965

0.4148

Pound

1.446100

66.9110

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128942

5.9661

Switzerland

Franc

1.031566

47.7306

Canada

Dollar

0.767813

35.5267

Singapore

Dollar

0.736920

34.0973

Australia

Dollar

0.759300

35.1328

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652520

122.7321

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266667

12.3387

Brunei

Dollar

0.734214

33.9721

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000076

0.0035

Thailand

Baht

0.028483

1.3179

UAE

Dirham

0.272309

12.5997

Euro

1.127200

52.1555

Korea

Won

0.000860

0.0398

China

Yuan

0.154488

7.1482

India

Rupee

0.015066

0.6971

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.247127

11.4346

New Zealand

Dollar

0.678400

31.3896

Taiwan

Dollar

0.030968

1.4329 Source: PDS Bridge

Govt to operate UCPB as a state-owned company By Gabrielle H. Binaday THE Governance Commission for Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporations said Monday it will supervise United Coconut Planters Bank as a staterun company pending a Supreme Court order restraining the bank’s privatization. The GCG said with the effectivity of the temporary restraining order against the UCPB’s privatization, the agency would begin regulating the bank as a GOCC following the Republic Act 10149, or the GOCC governance Act of 2011.

The SC issued the TRO on June 30 last year putting on hold the implementation of executive orders 179 and 180 signed by President Benigno Aquino III on March 2015. President Aquino approved the privatization of the bank and the reconveyance of about P74.3 billion in coco levy funds to the government. The court issued the order on the petition filed by the Confederation of Coconut Farmers’ Organizations of the Philippines Inc., which alleged that the privatization would deny the right of

the coconut farmers over the coco levy funds. UCPB was originally under the supervision of the Presidential Commission on Good Government when the agency was still litigating matters involving the bank. President Aquino approved the bank’s privatization following a seperate Supreme Court ruling on Jan 24, 2012 declaring UCPB a GOCC. The GCG said until the privatization was implemented, UCPB would remain a GOCC that must comply with the corporate governance requirements of R.A. No. 10149.

“The members of the bank’s governing board will be appointed by the President of the Philippines to the extent of the State’s ownership and its performance will be closely monitored and evaluated by the Governance Commission,” the GCG said. “In particular, regulation will focus on safeguarding the interests of coco farmers, among others,” it said. The compensation of UCPB personnel will also be regulated under the Compensation and Position Classification System for GOCCs once approved by the President.

TUESDAY: MARCH 22, 2016

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Monday, March 21, 2016

52 Weeks

High Low 7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 4.2 17 30.45 10.4 890 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 75 91.5 137 361.2 57 180 124 3.26

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.97 1.68 12.02 19.6 6.12 625 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 58 62 88.35 276 41 118.2 59 2.65

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 89 148 20.6 85 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 2.89 31.8 109 20.75 15.3 9.4 0.98 241

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 40.3 32 15.32 20.2 10.08 29.15 1.5 1.5 10.72 9.55 9.04 6.02 8.86 1.06 20.2 71.5 13.86 13.24 5.34 0.395 173

79 3.95 4 33.9 90 13.26 293 5.25 12.98 6.75 15 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.34 1450 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 5.28 1.3 2.17

34.1 2.3 1.63 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 3.87 8.45 3 10.04 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 5.9 801 1.55 0.138 1.02 2.09 152 4.28 0.640 1.2

0.59 59.2 30.05 7.39 3.4 823.5 10.2 84 3.35 4.92 0.66 1455

0.44 48.1 20.85 6.62 0.23 634.5 7.390 12.8 2.6 2.26 0.152 837

76 6.5 9.25 0.85 17.3 0.71 5.53 0.0670 2.31 1.61 84.9 3.5 974 1.66 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

49.55 3.43 4.84 0.59 12 0.580 4.2 0.030 1.23 0.550 59.3 1.5 751 1.13 80 0.211 0.179 0.310

10.5 26.95 1.99 1.75 0.375

6.74 12 0.65 1.2 0.192

STOCKS

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.1 2.86 46.25 44.05 106.00 104.90 90.15 89.45 38.4 38.2 2.96 2.96 1.40 1.32 14.4 14.3 15.36 15.26 7.24 6.52 649.50 649.50 0.580 0.580 87.6 86.95 0.96 0.96 14.64 14.50 25.45 25.45 53.90 53.05 103 102 293 291 30.15 29.8 163.4 160.8 59.00 58.00 1.53 1.53 INDUSTRIAL Aboitiz Power Corp. 43.3 44.6 43.45 Agrinurture Inc. 4.67 4.95 4.46 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.75 0.76 0.72 Alsons Cons. 1.46 1.47 1.45 Asiabest Group 10.48 10.5 10 Bogo Medelin 47 43.5 43.5 C. Azuc De Tarlac 160.00 188.00 150.00 Century Food 19 19.06 18.94 Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ 59.5 67 59.2 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 17.8 18.1 17.78 Concepcion 42 43.5 42.4 Crown Asia 2.39 2.59 2.39 Da Vinci Capital 6.02 6.19 5.79 Del Monte 11.7 11.8 11.48 DNL Industries Inc. 9.000 9.400 9.200 Emperador 7.52 7.50 7.20 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.96 6.10 5.91 EEI 7.12 7.20 7.10 Euro-Med Lab 1.68 1.66 1.66 First Gen Corp. 20.85 21.45 20.75 First Holdings ‘A’ 63.85 64.5 63.95 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 11.12 11.42 11.40 Holcim Philippines Inc. 13.90 13.90 13.80 Integ. Micro-Electronics 5.61 5.7 5.61 Ionics Inc 2.650 3.060 2.650 Jollibee Foods Corp. 232.00 235.00 229.40 LBC Express 10.48 10.9 10.48 Liberty Flour 29.50 29.05 29.00 LMG Chemicals 1.85 1.85 1.85 Mabuhay Vinyl 3.1 3.1 3.1 Manila Water Co. Inc. 26.5 26.8 26.5 Maxs Group 20.6 21.7 20.8 Megawide 6.44 6.48 6.3 Mla. Elect. Co À’ 315.00 324.00 315.20 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 3.82 4.01 3.87 Petron Corporation 10.30 10.40 10.20 Phil H2O 3.31 3.4 3.3 Phinma Corporation 11.50 11.48 11.46 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 4.33 4.35 4.27 Phoenix Semiconductor 1.72 1.77 1.70 Pryce Corp. À’ 2.7 2.7 2.64 RFM Corporation 4.09 4.20 4.09 Roxas Holdings 5.04 5.04 4.8 San Miguel ‘Pure Foods À’ 169 169.3 168 Splash Corporation 2.44 2.45 2.39 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.160 0.163 0.159 TKC Steel Corp. 1.25 1.33 1.25 Trans-Asia Oil 2.75 2.77 2.70 Universal Robina 204.6 212 204.8 Victorias Milling 4.6 4.6 4.6 Vitarich Corp. 0.77 0.8 0.77 Vulcan Ind’l. 1.15 1.16 1.14 HOLDING FIRMS Abacus Cons. À’ 0.355 0.365 0.340 Aboitiz Equity 63.40 64.65 64.00 Alliance Global Inc. 15.88 16.16 15.98 Anscor À’ 6.18 6.12 6.11 ATN Holdings A 0.290 0.285 0.285 Ayala Corp À’ 737 754 734 Cosco Capital 7.2 7.44 7.31 DMCI Holdings 13.56 13.80 13.56 F&J Prince ‘A’ 5.1 5.1 4.81 Filinvest Dev. Corp. 5.00 5.00 4.84 Forum Pacific 0.229 0.213 0.213 GT Capital 1405 1445 1425 IPM Holdings 9.74 9.75 9.55 JG Summit Holdings 79.00 83.00 78.90 Jolliville Holdings 3.9 4.48 3.6 Lopez Holdings Corp. 6.36 6.57 6.42 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.69 0.71 0.69 LT Group 15.8 16.08 15.8 Mabuhay Holdings À’ 0.510 0.500 0.500 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 6 6.03 5.98 Pacifica À’ 0.0330 0.0350 0.0330 Prime Media Hldg 1.250 1.390 1.370 Prime Orion 2.010 2.030 1.980 San Miguel Corp À’ 77.50 77.50 76.55 Seafront À’ 2.2 2.20 2.12 SM Investments Inc. 990.00 1006.00 989.00 Solid Group Inc. 1.09 1.13 1.08 Top Frontier 155.000 165.000 149.000 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.3100 0.3150 0.3100 Wellex Industries 0.1950 0.2000 0.1930 Zeus Holdings 0.295 0.295 0.295 PROPERTY 8990 HLDG 8.000 8.020 7.800 Anchor Land Holdings Inc. 7.75 7.76 7.70 A. Brown Co., Inc. 0.87 0.86 0.84 Araneta Prop À’ 1.610 1.730 1.600 Arthaland Corp. 0.226 0.226 0.226 AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. Bright Kindle Resources COL Financial Eastwest Bank Filipino Fund Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp. MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp. PB Bank Phil Bank of Comm Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank PSE Inc. RCBC À’ Security Bank Union Bank Vantage Equities

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

SHARES 12,763,618 98,464,649 136,673,295 133,747,624 484,592,331 259,475,317 1,127,997,192

2.85 46.15 104.00 90.00 38.35 2.91 1.41 14.28 15.2 6.90 600.00 0.560 87.5 0.96 14.50 23.05 53.00 103 291 30 161 58.60 1.53

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3 46.25 104.90 90.00 38.3 2.96 1.32 14.38 15.28 6.52 649.50 0.580 87.35 0.96 14.64 25.45 53.80 103 292.8 29.8 162.3 58.00 1.53

5.26 0.22 0.87 0.00 -0.13 1.72 -6.38 0.70 0.53 -5.51 8.25 3.57 -0.17 0.00 0.97 10.41 1.51 0.00 0.62 -0.67 0.81 -1.02 0.00

234,000 13,800 2,817,160 1,765,910 103,000 11,000 161,000 5,500 233,300 200 110 44,000 2,100,510 187,000 12,200 1,400 99,840 12,000 13,760 164,100 975,060 13,190 3,795,000

43.45 4.93 0.73 1.45 10.42 43.5 188.00 18.98 67 17.8 42.4 2.55 5.95 11.48 9.310 7.20 5.93 7.18 1.66 20.75 64 11.40 13.90 5.68 3.060 230.00 10.5 29.00 1.85 3.1 26.75 21.3 6.3 321.20 3.99 10.30 3.36 11.48 4.34 1.75 2.65 4.15 4.8 169.1 2.45 0.161 1.33 2.70 210 4.6 0.77 1.15

0.35 5.57 -2.67 -0.68 -0.57 -7.45 17.50 -0.11 12.61 0.00 0.95 6.69 -1.16 -1.88 3.44 -4.26 -0.50 0.84 -1.19 -0.48 0.23 2.52 0.00 1.25 15.47 -0.86 0.19 -1.69 0.00 0.00 0.94 3.40 -2.17 1.97 4.45 0.00 1.51 -0.17 0.23 1.74 -1.85 1.47 -4.76 0.06 0.41 0.63 6.40 -1.82 2.64 0.00 0.00 0.00

1,803,000 2,748,000 122,000 1,003,000 1,200 300 160 1,271,600 820 441,700 3,000 4,224,000 2,143,100 129,400 4,292,200 3,765,100 20,881,300 168,800 2,000 3,595,000 230,060 5,400 68,000 100,600 15,379,000 1,304,090 3,300 800 18,000 17,000 1,233,000 1,645,000 117,200 400,470 935,000 9,935,600 5,000 42,700 406,000 315,000 110,000 239,000 8,200 1,260 3,941,000 900,000 155,000 8,980,000 2,573,650 41,000 2,693,000 17,000

0.350 64.25 16.00 6.12 0.285 747.5 7.31 13.74 5.04 5.00 0.213 1435 9.55 82.00 4.18 6.48 0.7 15.9 0.500 5.99 0.0340 1.370 1.990 77.50 2.2 994.50 1.12 165.000 0.3100 0.1930 0.295

-1.41 1.34 0.76 -0.97 -1.72 1.42 1.53 1.33 -1.18 0.00 -6.99 2.14 -1.95 3.80 7.18 1.89 1.45 0.63 -1.96 -0.17 3.03 9.60 -1.00 0.00 0.00 0.45 2.75 6.45 0.00 -1.03 0.00

180,000 1,266,720 5,453,900 9,200 310,000 619,400 1,288,100 6,977,800 98,000 812,800 10,000 208,615 1,694,000 4,299,020 9,000 4,433,200 264,000 2,830,700 16,000 46,961,400 51,200,000 36,000 83,000 1,864,050 25,000 845,050 117,000 41,390 2,600,000 1,950,000 30,000

7.800 7.76 0.84 1.630 0.226

-2.50 0.13 -3.45 1.24 0.00

362,500 6,300 931,000 1,484,000 200,000

52 Weeks

High Low

STOCKS

High

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

41.4 5.6 5.59 1.44 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 0.305 2.22 2.1 1.8 5.94 0.180 0.470 0.72 27 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 7.56 1.62 8.59

30.05 3.36 4.96 0.79 0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 0.188 1.15 1.42 1.27 4.13 0.090 0.290 0.39 23 2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 3.38 0.83 5.73

Ayala Land `B’ 36.600 Belle Corp. À’ 2.83 Cebu Holdings 5.16 Century Property 0.550 Crown Equities Inc. 0.128 Cyber Bay Corp. 0.500 Double Dragon 38.95 Empire East Land 0.880 Ever Gotesco 0.154 Global-Estate 1.04 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.78 Interport À’ 1.34 Megaworld 4.05 MRC Allied Ind. 0.092 Phil. Estates Corp. 0.2290 Phil. Realty À’ 0.445 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 19.60 Primex Corp. 8.66 Robinson’s Land `B’ 29.20 Rockwell 1.48 Shang Properties Inc. 3.09 SM Prime Holdings 21.45 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.84 Starmalls 5.62 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 1.010 Vista Land & Lifescapes 4.690

0.96 2.12 0.00 1.82 0.78 -1.00 1.41 -1.14 -0.65 0.00 1.69 -2.24 1.48 1.09 0.44 3.37 0.00 0.23 -1.88 1.35 -1.94 3.26 0.00 4.98 2.97 -0.21

16,132,800 3,106,000 14,900 2,124,000 1,760,000 1,128,000 1,371,100 61,000 600,000 4,831,000 23,758,000 51,000 29,330,000 2,710,000 1,240,000 120,000 200 9 2,945,300 245,000 22,000 24,957,100 2,118,000 110,100 2,430,000 6,903,000

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 2.6 7.67 2720 8.41 1.97 119.5 7 5.8 0.017 0.8200 2.2800 12.28 3.32 2.53 1 15.2

1.97 35.2 1 0.63 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 1.6 4.8 1600 5.95 1.23 102.6 3.01 4 0.011 0.041 1.200 6.5 1.91 1.01 0.650 6

0.62 1.040 6.41 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

0.335 0.37 3 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

11.6 0.85 10 0.490 1.9

7.59 0.63 5 0.315 1.14

2GO Group’ ABS-CBN Acesite Hotel APC Group, Inc. Bloomberry Boulevard Holdings Calata Corp. Cebu Air Inc. (5J) Discovery World DFNN Inc. Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. Imperial Res. `A’ Imperial Res. `B’ IP E-Game Ventures Inc. Island Info ISM Communications Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Lorenzo Shipping Manila Bulletin Melco Crown Metro Retail MG Holdings NOW Corp. PAL Holdings Inc. Phil. Seven Corp. Philweb.Com Inc. PLDT Common PremiereHorizon Premium Leisure Puregold Robinsons RTL SBS Phil. Corp. SSI Group STI Holdings Travellers Waterfront Phils. Yehey

0.27 1.02 2.48 5.56 0.00 1.54 1.78 -0.83 1.97 -0.64 1.83 0.14 0.80 0.00 16.69 31.08 0.00 3.70 0.00 -2.20 -2.16 -2.33 1.85 -1.77 -0.51 1.79 2.33 -2.00 -0.48 0.68 -0.81 -1.10 1.04 -1.73 -1.39 0.00 -0.87 0.00 3.52 -4.41 -0.21

61,800 36,060 8,000 306,000 6,379,200 27,680,000 1,040,000 279,050 28,000 95,300 91,145 60,600 224,000 2,259,220 19,900 1,900 200,000 36,660,000 738,000 3,900 181,000 6,000 30,000 10,256,000 1,682,000 1,200,000 7,254,000 35,200 74,540 153,800 165,685 1,470,000 11,450,000 2,055,200 925,610 1,129,300 3,350,000 394,000 7,140,000 500,000 2,000

0.0098 5.45 17.24 25 0.330 1.19 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 1.030 3.06 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9

0.0043 1.72 6.47 9.43 0.236 0.85 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 0.365 1.54 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67

Abra Mining Apex À’ Atlas Cons. À’ Atok-Big Wedge À’ Basic Energy Corp. Century Peak Metals Hldgs Coal Asia Dizon Ferronickel Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. Lepanto À’ Lepanto `B’ Manila Mining À’ Manila Mining `B’ Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. Nickelasia Nihao Mineral Resources Omico Oriental Peninsula Res. Petroenergy Res. Corp. Philex À’ PhilexPetroleum Philodrill Corp. À’ Semirara Corp. TA Petroleum

-2.22 -1.06 -1.52 -0.31 0.84 1.64 2.08 0.00 -1.19 -3.39 -1.72 -1.64 0.00 0.00 0.47 -0.89 -1.52 -3.70 1.56 0.00 -1.83 -10.00 0.00 -1.85 -5.80

79,000,000 20,000 659,000 3,300 170,000 380,000 390,000 1,400 12,404,000 710,000 27,220,000 2,340,000 77,100,000 3,000,000 356,000 3,895,800 115,000 151,000 431,000 1,000 1,068,800 25,568,000 21,400,000 1,629,700 1,386,000

70 120 8.21 111 1047 84.8

33 101.5 5.88 101 1011 75

-0.09 -0.51 0.15 1.40 0.10 -0.06 0.13 0.00 -0.26 10.55

104,740 10 79,400 37,140 1,710 7,670 31,870 16,900 27,360 5,000

1,634,969.50

1.34

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. First Gen G GMA Holdings Inc. MWIDE PREF PF Pref 2 SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred D SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F Swift Pref

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

-2.20

364,000

150,200.00

183,048.00 -11,640.00

12.88

5.95

1.37 2.94 -0.70

57,000 1,271,000 918,300

-93,400.00 697,354.00

159,220.00

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

1.77

34,040

577,465.00 192,642,094 33,238,322.00 46,200.00 -2,185,740.00

2,961,863.50

-315,796.50 409,055 98,503,914.00 5,274.00 22,699,560.00 -73,390.00

3,437,478.00 -12,720 -90,980.00 89,250.00 -550,198.00 22,634,143.00 -11,950,593.00 2,407,744.00 254,891.00 -11,264,440.00 3,235,704.50 -940,200.00 151,800.00 -21,723,254.00

-18,700,195.00 -6,607,475.00 -3,438,114.00 2,239,940.00 -63,875,984.00 3,400.00 302,620.00 42,240.00 41,440.00 50,620.00 12,000.00 15,726,380.00 198,757,908.00 188,600.00 -697,390.00

36,903,960.50 2,266,196.00 -6,615,370.00 1,683,705.00 -7,890,086.00 148,500.00 153,480,865.00 111,091,530.50 -324,040.00 0.00 5,651,020.00 -38,552,233.00 -10,200.00 -51,740.00 209,804.00 29,713,420.00 605,245.00 -6,200.00

Alterra Capital Italpinas Xurpas

37.850 36.850 36.950 2.96 2.87 2.89 5.16 5.15 5.16 0.56 0.540 0.560 0.130 0.129 0.129 0.500 0.490 0.495 39.7 38.9 39.5 0.890 0.870 0.870 0.153 0.153 0.153 1.10 1.04 1.04 1.84 1.77 1.81 1.34 1.31 1.31 4.16 4.05 4.11 0.094 0.089 0.093 0.2300 0.2300 0.2300 0.460 0.450 0.460 19.60 19.60 19.60 8.68 8.68 8.68 30.10 28.40 28.65 1.5 1.48 1.5 3.08 3.02 3.03 22.45 21.45 22.15 0.85 0.82 0.84 5.9 5.61 5.9 1.070 1.010 1.040 4.700 4.610 4.680 SERVICES 7.36 7.5 7.36 7.38 58.6 59.2 58.8 59.2 1.21 1.28 1.24 1.24 0.540 0.570 0.540 0.570 5.30 5.45 5.15 5.30 0.0650 0.0670 0.0650 0.0660 3.38 3.6 3.38 3.44 90 90.3 89.25 89.25 1.52 1.55 1.55 1.55 6.28 6.30 6.24 6.24 2190 2230 2184 2230 6.92 6.98 6.92 6.93 1.25 1.26 1.22 1.26 69 69 68.5 69 5.99 7.00 6.10 6.99 37 48.5 30 48.5 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 0.270 0.280 0.270 0.280 1.3700 1.4000 1.3200 1.3700 8.18 8.00 8.00 8.00 3.70 3.68 3.61 3.62 1.29 1.26 1.26 1.26 0.540 0.550 0.550 0.550 2.83 2.89 2.77 2.78 3.90 3.94 3.87 3.88 0.280 0.285 0.265 0.285 0.860 0.900 0.860 0.880 5.00 5.00 4.90 4.90 105.00 105.00 100.00 104.50 22.05 22.20 22.00 22.20 1978.00 1980.00 1950.00 1962.00 0.455 0.465 0.450 0.450 0.960 0.970 0.940 0.970 37.65 37.70 36.00 37.00 71.80 72.00 70.00 70.80 6.15 6.40 6.15 6.15 3.44 3.53 3.36 3.41 0.530 0.540 0.530 0.530 3.69 3.91 3.71 3.82 0.340 0.325 0.325 0.325 4.780 4.770 4.770 4.770 MINING & OIL 0.0045 0.0045 0.0044 0.0044 2.08 2.08 2.08 2.06 4.61 4.62 4.51 4.54 12.80 12.76 11.00 12.76 0.238 0.240 0.240 0.240 0.61 0.62 0.61 0.62 0.480 0.490 0.480 0.490 7.88 7.90 7.82 7.88 0.840 0.860 0.830 0.830 0.295 0.295 0.285 0.285 0.290 0.290 0.280 0.285 0.305 0.305 0.300 0.300 0.0120 0.0130 0.0120 0.0120 0.013 0.013 0.012 0.013 2.12 2.16 2.1 2.13 5.63 5.71 5.48 5.58 2.63 2.64 2.59 2.59 0.5400 0.5400 0.5200 0.5200 1.2800 1.3000 1.2800 1.3000 3.80 3.80 3.80 3.80 6.00 6.11 5.89 5.89 2.50 2.78 2.25 2.25 0.0120 0.0130 0.0120 0.0120 135.00 136.00 129.90 132.50 2.76 2.94 2.6 2.6 PREFERRED 58.5 59 58.45 58.45 117.6 117 117 117 6.89 6.95 6.65 6.9 107 108.5 107 108.5 1009 1010 1006 1010 82 81.95 79.3 81.95 75.5 75.6 75.6 75.6 75.5 76 75.5 75.5 76.4 76.4 76.1 76.2 1.99 2.2 2.2 2.2 WARRANTS & BONDS 3.640 3.690 3.560 3.560 SME 3.65 3.7 3.25 3.7 3.4 3.54 3.42 3.5 17.1 17.3 16.98 16.98 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 118.7 120.8 118.7 120.8

T op g ainerS VALUE 828,618,269.28 1,673,268,845.95 2,811,416,009.595 1,588,067,699.89 1,401,575,114.53 339,599,440.013 8,666,951,593.855

Low

STOCKS

FINANCIAL 1,627.69 (up) 4.74 INDUSTRIAL 11,644.75 (up) 97.69 HOLDING FIRMS 7,239.31 (up) 101.90 PROPERTY 3,028.85 (up) 42.54 SERVICES 1,564.84 (down) 4.07 MINING & OIL 11,233.73 (down) 181.77 PSEI 7,376.41 (up) 69.67 All Shares Index 4,225.76 (up) 34.69 Gainers: 104; Losers: 79; Unchanged: 35; Total: 218

312,552,440.00 -1,358,020.00

99,000.00 2,168,615.00 -10,400.00 -11,767,410.00 9,995,940.00

65,100.00 -8,154,555.00 70,480.00 55,712,825.00

-14,841,710.00

-8,960.00 -8,319,120.00 86,650.00 1,629,081.50 25,983,710.00 117,740.00 113,962,953.00

-46,750.00

2,497,340.00 -342,280.00 -483,520.00 -1,000.00 0.00 1,298,905.00 53,086,595.00 90,000.00 -747,930.00 -40,062,890.00 -1,847,186.00 -18,840.00 551,060.00 -53,000.00 1,169,820.00

-1,848,820.00

-632,050.00 -156,000.00

-2,072,950.00

570,347.00 -2,329,900.00 -112,115,801.00 -481,210.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Imperial Res. `B'

48.5

31.08

PhilexPetroleum

2.25

-10.00

C. Azuc De Tarlac

188.00

17.50

Bogo Medelin

43.5

-7.45

Imperial Res. `A'

6.99

16.69

Forum Pacific

0.213

-6.99

Ionics Inc

3.060

15.47

Bright Kindle Resources

1.32

-6.38

Conc. Aggr. 'A'

12.61

TA Petroleum

2.6

-5.80

Swift Pref

2.2

10.55

Filipino Fund Inc.

6.52

-5.51

Phil Bank of Comm

25.45

10.41

Roxas Holdings

4.8

-4.76

Prime Media Hldg

1.370

9.60

Waterfront Phils.

0.325

-4.41

Manulife Fin. Corp.

649.50

8.25

Emperador

7.20

-4.26

Jolliville Holdings

4.18

7.18

Omico

0.5200

-3.70

TUESDAY: MARCH 22, 2016

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

One-stop shop.

Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and mobile units Smart Communications and Sun Cellular, Manila Electric Co. Bayad Center lead the launching of the new one-stop-shop facility at the Bacoor Government Center to serve the various transaction requirements of Bacoor City residents and neighboring areas in Cavite. At the ribboncutting ceremonies to open the new facility are (from left) Bayad Center president and chief executive Manny Tuason, Meralco senior vice president and head of corporate marketing and communications Al Panlilio, Bacoor Mayor Strike Revilla, Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla and PLDT Home operations head Oscar Reyes Jr.

Ty sells entire interest in CHI

Globe unit invests in another startup

By Jenniffer B. Austria

By Darwin G Amojelar

FIRST Metro Investments Corp., the investment banking unit of Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. of tycoon George Ty, is selling its entire 10.47 percent interest Cebubased property developer Cebu Holdings Inc. First Metro said in a regulatory filing the board approved the sale of its stake in Cebu Holdings, an affiliate of Ayala Land Inc. The disclosure did not provide other details, including the timetable of the sale and potential buyers of the same shares. The sale of the 10.47-percent stake in Cebu-based property developer could reach over P1 billion based on Cebu Holdings’ closing price of P5.16 Monday. First Metro is the second biggest shareholder of Cebu Holdings after Ayala Land, which owns over 50 percent. Cebu Holdings in 2015 posted a record net income of P827.2 million, up 56 percent from P530.9 million a year ago, on higher revenues from the sale of commercial lots and leasing income. Consolidated revenues hit a record P3.7 billion, fueled by an increase in rental income as well as real estate sales. “The company’s consolidated revenues were derived from sale of commercial lots, lease income from Ayala Center Cebu and eBloc Towers and sale of residential lots and condominium units. The company also derived income from interest earnings from short-term investments, interest & other income and equity in net earnings of affiliates,” Cebu Holdings said. Cebu Holdings was formed in 1988 as a company engaged in real property ownership, development, marketing and management.

KICKSTART Ventures Inc., a wholly-owned venture capital unit of Globe Telecom Inc., has invested in Teridion, a cloudbased networking company.

Kickstart joins SingTel Innov8, Jerusalem Venture Partners and Magma Ventures for Teridion’s Series B fund-raising amounting to $20 million, which allows Teridion to accelerate its go-to-market strategy as well as expand its team both in the US and abroad. Teridion, which becomes the 25th startup in the investment portfolio of Kickstart, offers a fix for content companies, app publishers and other businesses that serve content and apps at scale. It has deployed a cloud-based optimization service that identifies the best paths for content and apps, and selects these paths so that dynamic content—both uploads and downloads—are delivered up to 20 times faster.

Being a Business-to-Business company, Teridion requires no hardware nor software installation, making deployment much quicker and cost-effective than a traditional content delivery network. This means a typical cloud customer can be connected to the network in under an hour. “We have confidence in Teridion. We believe that it is the answer to the fastgrowing appetite for high performance and reliable Internet experience by today’s applications and services for content delivery—but without sacrificing quality or reliability,” Kickstart president Minette Navarrete said. “With their network optimization and content acceleration solutions, Teridion is well on its way to becoming an important partner for organizations that need to build highlydynamic applications without compromise,” she said. Kickstart and Globe are both committed to help build a digital nation by supporting and maximizing the use of information and communications technology. “The Internet is an incredibly powerful tool

but until now, we have struggled to take full advantage of its capabilities. It is still common for us to fall victim to slow response times and volatile connections,” Teridion chief executive and co-founder Elad Rave Teridion said. “We are thankful for the trust given by Jerusalem Venture Partners and Magma Ventures, our earliest institutional investors; and our most recent investors, Singtel Innov8 and Kickstart,” he said. “We are breaking down boundaries and providing users with a seamless Internet experience—no matter their location, device or application so that they can say goodbye to slow response time and volatile connections. The funding and general availability of the company’s product are major steps in this direction. We are extending our sales coverage and channels to Asia Pacific countries,” he added. Teridion was only formed in 2013 but Rave has been working on the concept for over six years based on his past cloud and video experience. Global headquarters is located in San Francisco while the engineering team is based outside of Tel Aviv, Israel.

PSE warns brokerage firms implicated in scams THE Philippine Stock Exchange said stockbrokerage companies that may have helped former employee Jose Cecilio Peñaflor in his alleged investment scam will also be meted sanctions by the local bourse. The PSE said in a statement its investigation would try to determine whether individuals, especially agents and salesmen, tagged in the complaints might have used their position to help Peñaflor perpetrate the investment scam. The exhange added that it would also investigate if the stockbrokerage firms they represent were aware of their actions. “We want to find out if our

rules and regulations were violated not just by individuals but stockbrokerage firms as well. If our investigation shows that rules were breached, we will mete out the applicable sanctions,” said PSE president and chief executive officer Hans Sicat. The PSE has called on potential victims of investment solicitation scams to approach the exchange. “We are getting a better picture of what may have transpired given the accounts and reports of complainants. We encourage other victims to also come out because the sooner they report their case, the better for everyone concerned,” Sicat said.

The PSE did not name the stockbrokerages covered by its investigation but Peñaflor was allegedly connected with several brokerage companies. Peñaflor reportedly misrepresented himself as a broker and capital markets expert and started pooling capital from investors which reportedly reached P300 million. He allegedly duped the investors by promising them guaranteed returns on their investments. The PSE reminded potential stock market investors to open their own account with PSEaccredited brokerage firms and transact only with employees of their chosen broke. The

exchange asked the public to be wary of investment solicitations offering share prices at discounted prices. Some of these schemes may include offering supposed shares of employee stock option plans. The PSE said the public should never believe in solicitations for stock market investments that guarantee returns on investment. “While the Philippine stock market has provided compelling returns in the past years due to the positive corporate and the country’s economic performance, the public must understand that share price movements cannot be guaranteed,” the PSE said. Jenniffer B. Austria

B4 ServiceSource opens PH office.

ServiceSource, a US company that provides revenue-as-a-service solutions to global technology companies, opens an office in the Philippines with a goal to employ 500 knowledge workers in the country by end-2015. Shown during the inauguration of ServiceSource facility at Net Park building in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig are (from left) ServiceSource chief operating officer Brian Delaney, ServiceSource site leader and vice president of managed services James Keating, Net Group executive vice president Ramon Rufino, Net Group president Carlos Rufino and ServiceSource chief executive Christopher Carrington. RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ

BSP set to launch interest corridor By Julito G. Rada BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas is set to launch an interest rate corridor by the second quarter this year to boost the capital markets, a bank official said Monday. Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said the regulator was on track to implementing the interest rate corridor, a move that would support the development of Philippine capital markets and promote more active liquidity management by individual financial institutions. The interest rate corridor framework involves the establishment of the required infrastructure to effectively implement the monetary policy stance. It includes two standing liquidity facilities—deposit and lending—whose rates will form a corridor around the BSP’s policy rate, and will be supported by auction-based monetary operations. “We expect to launch it in the second quarter… All systems are [currently] in the installation stages. We will launch it no matter what happens in the financial markets,” Guinigundo said. He said everybody could participate in the term deposit auction which would be “truly a market-driven” facility. He said Bangko Sentral would make an official announcement in due time on the details of the facility. Guinigundo earlier said there would be a little volatility in the domestic financial market once the term deposit auction facility took place this year. He said there could be some migration of funds from the special deposit account facility to the higher interest rates of term deposit auction facility. Bangko Sentral’s initial plan was to conduct the auction once or twice a week depending on the liquidity requirements. Guinigundo said the tenor would be seven to 28 days.

ADB lending $123m for new Angat tunnel By Gabrielle H. Binaday

THE Asian Development Bank said Monday it approved a $123.2-million loan for a new six-kilometer water tunnel connecting Angat Dam in Bulacan province to Metro Manila’s water supply. The Manila-based multilateral lender said the funding for the water tunnel would reduce the risk of shortage, as demand for water rose in tandem with the growth of Metro Manila’s population. “The Angat transmission system provides more than 95 percent of Manila’s water but its existing tunnels are up to 75 years old and in poor condition, leaving the metropolitan area highly vulnerable to serious supply

disruptions,” said Paul van Klaveren, senior urban development specialist with ADB’s Southeast Asia Department. “This assistance will allow the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System to build a fourth tunnel, clearing the way for it to upgrade and modernize its other existing tunnels and aqueducts to maximize and strengthen supplies,” Klaveren said. MWSS is a government-owned

corporation, supplying raw water for Manila, with two private companies, Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Co. Inc., holding distribution concessions ADB said demand for water grew strongly to around 40 cubic meters a second, with the concessionaires largely able to meet demand in the past by sharply reducing non-revenue water, or water that is produced but does not reach the customer due to system faults. MWSS plans to develop a major new water source, which is expected to be operational after 2021. Before the completion of the new water source, there is an urgent need to rehabilitate the Angat system to avert a potential supply breakdown. MWSS is carrying out improvements includ-

ing the construction of a new aqueduct. “The main components of the Angat transmission line are as old as 50 years, in poor condition, and not in compliance with structural and seismic requirements, risking the partial interruption of Metro Manila’s water supply,” ADB said. “The benefits of this aqueduct can only be fully achieved if a new tunnel is built to provide it with raw water,” ADB said. The planned tunnel will be over six-kilometers long with an internal span of about four meters, an intake structure at the Ipo reservoir, and a new transition basin at Bigte, along with connecting infrastructure. A key element will be structural measures to limit the impact of earthquakes and other hazards, as

Closure of Zambales mines affects local economy By Othel V. Campos ECONOMIC losses mounted and crime rate rose in the mining town of Sta. Cruz, Zambales, as some 3,000 displaced workers and families failed to find decent jobs after the government suspended nickel mining operations last year. A coalition of miners and mining workers from four nickel mining companies operating in the area said losses to the provincial government reached P200 million in terms of annual taxes alone. “On top of that, petty theft and crime rate have escalated by 15 percent to 20 percent,” Orlan Mayor of Eramen Minerals Inc. said Monday. The miners held a

protest action in front of the Environment Department office in Quezon City. Coalition members called for the lifting of suspension order imposed by the Environment Department in support of the families of displaced workers. Mayor said based on what transpired during the protest action, the MGB was still reviewing the events. MGB ordered the suspension of nickel mining in Sta, Cruz in July 2015, after an avalanche of reddish earth believed to be nickel laterite allegedly silted the fishing waters in one of the barangays. Some residents blamed irresponsible mining for the incident. Records showed that of the

four mining companies that were suspended since July 2015, only Benguet Nickel Minerals Inc. was given the go-signal to resume operations in December 2015 after satisfying the conditions set by the MGB. The other three companies – Eramen, Zambales Diversified Metals Corp. and LnL Archipelago Minerals Inc. – are still barred from operating their respective mines, as they have yet to comply with the set of conditions required by MGB. Benguet Nickel Minerals accountant Danny Calimlim said independent studies and investigations showed that all four mining firms had complied with the demands of the government and

Sta. Cruz residents represented by by the Concerned Citizens of Santa Cruz. Calimlim said studies showed that the avalanche or slurry of red earth was caused by typhoon Lando and not by what CCOS termed as “irresponsible mining”. Calimlim said more than 2,000 workers from the three miners were struggling for decent living as a result of the suspension of nickel mining. “These are direct employees. We are not even talking about indirect workers like haulers, for instance, who are also dependent on mining. At peak operations the mining workforce in Sta. Cruz goes way beyond 3,000,” he said.

T U E S D AY : M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 6

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

FIT rate set at P0.1240 per kWh By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE Energy Regulatory Commission has provisionally approved the application of National Transmission Corp. to collect a feed-in tariff allowance of P0.1240 per kilowatt-hour from power consumers this year. ERC said in a decision dated Feb. 16, 2016 the FIT-All collection would start in the succeeding billing period, following the receipt of the order by TransCo. FIT All is a uniform charge billed on all on-grid consumers who are supplied with electric-

ity through the distribution or transmission network. It will be used to pay renewable energy projects amounting to P6.925 billion, of which the bulk will be for wind projects at P2.788 billion, solar at P2.591 billion, biomass at P1.263 billion and hydro at

P282.516 million. The regulator said after computing the forecast renewable energy generation and the feedin tariff rates while maintaining and adopting the rest of the parameters used by TransCo in the feed-in tariff computation, the regulator arrived at the rate of P0.1240 per kWh. ERC said it updated the list of forecast eligible renewable energy plants based on current records to cover those with existing and approved certificates of compliance as FIT-eligible plant and those with pending applications for the issuance of COCs.

“The commission, conforms, based on the information provided by the grid operator and representatives of these RE plants, that these entities with pending applications of COC as FIT-eligible plants, are almost certain to become operational before the March 15, 2016 deadline set for the availment of solar FIT 2,” it said. ERC said it took cognizance of the appropriate commercial operations date of the plans “to avoid any deficit occurring in the funds should these plants remain unaccounted for.” TransCo sought the regulators

approval in December to collect a feed-in tariff allowance or FIT-All of P0.1025 per kWh from consumers starting this year but the ERC approved a higher rate based on certain assumptions. “We assessed the list of the existing FIT COCs [certificate of compliance] and those gencos with pending FIT COC applications which are the most certain to become operational before the March 15 deadline. The list totaled 1,054 MW. Using this capacity, we computed the FITAll to be P0.1240 per kWh,” ERC chairman Jose Vicente Salazar said.

Ceza listed in top 500 PH taxpayers

RCBC clients. Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. celebrates its enduring relationship with the Japanese business community in the Philippines during the 11th Annual Japanese Corporate Executive Invitational Golf Tournament at The Orchard Golf & Country Club in Dasmariñas, Cavite. Shown speaking at the event is RCBC vice chairman Cesar Virata, who expressed gratitude and hopes for the future to the bank’s Japanese corporate allies.

THE Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, operator of the 54,000-hectare Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport, has been named among the largest taxpayers in the Philippines. Ceza, a profitable government corporation and economic growth nexus in northeastern Luzon, was listed at 285th among the 500 largest non-individual taxpayers of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. The BIR list, based on taxable year 2014, included the largest private corporations and stateowned companies, which paid income taxes of at least P70 million. Data from the BIR showed that Ceza paid P129.735 million worth of income tax in 2014, making it the ninth top taxpayer among government-owned and -controlled corporations.

Ceza’s tax payment was on top of the P200 million that the agency remitted to the National Treasury as its dividend’s share for 2014, according to Ceza administrator Jose Mari Ponce. Ponce said Ceza’s contribution to the national coffer was also on top of the taxes paid by locators and other income generated by other government agencies through Ceza-related operations, which also amounted to hundreds of millions of pesos in 2014. Ceza was the only company or non-individual taxpayer in Revenue District Office No. 13 included in the top 500 list nationwide. RDO 13 comprises the whole provinces of Cagayan and Batanes. Ponce said this only proved that CEZA had become the highest income generator in Cagayan Valley region.

More competition, please I RECEIVED a letter last week that caused a fair amount of anxiety. “Welcome to Globe, your new home!” said the letter that came in the envelope that usually carried my monthly bill for Bayantel’s broadband service. For about 10 years now, I’ve been a reasonably satisfied Bayantel customer. Their broadband service wasn’t the fastest or the cheapest, but it was reliable, and when something went wrong, customer service was responsive—and quick. Now, I never signed up to move to my “new home,” but sometime in July 2015, Globe Telecom Inc. bought Bayan Telecommunications Inc. for P1.83 billion and took full control of my service provider. If anyone from Globe is listening, here’s some unsolicited advise. Your letter to Bayantel customers needs some work, even though it promises “an exciting time” that will enable me “to experience a new world of wonder.” “Here’s a glimpse of what you can anticipate as part of our family,” the letter continued cheerfully. • A whole new digital lifestyle. Soon, you’ll have access to NBA LEAGUE PASS, and see more games live and on-demand on all your devices. • More flexible options for customer support. Our various self-service channels will allow you to enjoy quality customer care at your fingertips anytime, anywhere.

• State-of-the-art Globe stores to serve you. You’ll be able to pay bills and apply for new lines at Globe Stores nationwide, and our Generation3 (Gen3) stores will give you a taste of our world-class retail experience. First, I do not need a new digital lifestyle. I don’t particularly care for NBA League Pass or want to view games live and on demand on all my devices. Second, I don’t want flexible self-service channels. I want to be able to pick up the phone and call a hot line that doesn’t make me sit through 30 minutes or more of recorded commercials before a live operator becomes free to talk to me. And

once the service personnel is on the line, I’d like an assurance that they can fix my problem within 24 hours. Third, I don’t really care about stateof-the-art stores or world-class retail experiences. When I pay my bill, I’d like to see really short lines that move quickly. As far as I’m concerned, Globe’s welcome letter to me struck out on all three tries. Instead of all this marketing BS, I wish they’d talk to me about things that matter; tell me my broadband service will become faster and more reliable that they’re not going to suddenly jack up my rates. Assure me that customer service will become even better, not “more flexible.” That’s something I think all Bayantel customers would rather hear. Regardless of how this will all turn out, the buyout of Bayantel really does nothing to enhance competition—in fact, it reinforces the duopoly that has hardened around Globe and Smart Communications Inc. With only two competitors in the market, it is customers who must bear the brunt of poor service and high rates. Comparative data bear this out. A third quarter 2015 report by content delivery service provider Akamai Technologies shows that among 15 Asian countries, the Philippines, with an average Internet connection speed of 2.8Mbps, was ranked No. 14 – faster only than

India, which had an average connection speed of 2.5Mbps. For a moment, there was hope that a third big player would challenge the duopoly, but that hope faded this month when Telstra backed out of talks with San Miguel Corp. to invest $1 billion to build a new mobile network to compete with Smart and Globe. Australia-based Telstra said it abandoned negotiations with San Miguel because of the lack of an acceptable “risk-reward balance,” adding that the two companies were “unable to reach commercial arrangements” over their prospective joint venture. Late last year when talks began, Telstra Chief Executive Andrew Penn described telecommunications services in the Philippines as “lousy.” “Go the Philippines and experience for yourself the sort of lousy service you get from the incumbent operators and you will see that the opportunity there for a new operator to provide a much better quality service,” he said at the time. Sadly, it seems, we are stuck with lousy service—and no real competition--for now. Column archives and blog at: http://www.chinwong.com

TUESDAY: MARCH 22, 2016

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

How $81m slipped through PH By Norman P. Aquino LAWMAKERS last week started a hearing on how $81 million of funds stolen from Bangladesh’s foreign reserves May 15, 2015 Four bank accounts named after fictitious people opened with Rizal Bank branch in Makati financial district. Feb. 4, 2016 Hackers issued at least 35 Bangladesh Bank SWIFT payment instructions to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York involving $951 million. Of that total, four payments comprising $81 million were later cleared at Rizal Bank and another for $20 million was cleared at Pan Asia Banking Corp. in Sri Lanka. New York didn’t execute 30 payment instructions worth $850 million for lack of beneficiary details. Feb. 5 Zubair Bin Huda, a joint director of Bangladesh Bank, found the printer tray empty when he looked for confirmations of SWIFT financial transactions normally printed automatically overnight. It took him and his colleagues more than 24 hours before they could manually print the receipts, which revealed dozens of questionable transactions. In the Philippines, bank account in name of “William Go” opened at Rizal Bank. A person using the name Jessie Christopher Lagrosas, which is believed to be fictitious, withdrew $22.7 million over the counter at Rizal Bank after the inward remittance from New York was credited to one of four dollar accounts that had been idle since May 2015. Exactly the same amount was deposited in the “William Go” account. Filipino-Chinese businessman named William So Go denied owning the accounts and said his signatures were forged. Rizal Bank branch manager Maia Santos Deguito allowed the money to be withdrawn, according to Philippine Anti-Money Laundering Council. Boxes of cash were seen being loaded into Deguito’s car before she drove off, according to Romualdo Agarrado, a bank employee. Feb. 6 Bangladesh Bank’s Huda noticed the software on the terminal connecting to the SWIFT system wasn’t responding. They later found receipts showing the Federal Reserve Bank of New York sent back queries to Bangladesh Bank against 46 payment orders in different messages. Feb. 8 Bangladesh Bank officials discovered that five unauthorized SWIFT messages were sent indicating that $101 million was transferred -- $81 million to Rizal Bank in the Philippines and $20 million to Pan Asian Banking in Sri Lanka. Another $850 million in transactions were halted. Stop payment orders via the SWIFT system were sent to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Rizal Bank, Bank of New York Mellon, Citigroup, Wells Fargo and Pan Asian Banking.

ended up in the Philippines’ financial system. Senator Teofisto Guingona, who’s leading the investigation, said the heist could threaten the wider financial sector in the Philippines and put the country’s credit rating at risk. The $20 million transfer to Pan Asia Banking raised alarms because of its size and a typo in the beneficiary’s name, Shalika Foundation. Stop payment requests were sent to Rizal Bank at 5 p.m. on a Philippine holiday. Feb. 9 Four people using names believed to be fictitious, including Lagrosas, withdrew the remaining $58.1 million from the four accounts at Rizal Bank, and transferred it to the “Go” account. Rizal Bank told Bangladesh Bank at 7:45 p.m. Manila time it had placed the accounts on hold as requested, however there was only $68,305 left in them by that time. Senator Guingona later said the $58.1 million would have been preserved had the bank complied with the stop payment order. Branch manager Deguito allowed the money to be withdrawn again, according to the Philippine Anti-Money Laundering Council. Agarrado, a Rizal Bank employee, heard Deguito saying she would rather process the transactions than see herself or her family members die. Feb. 5 to Feb. 13 Rizal Bank wired about $81 million from the “Go” account to Manila-based remittance business Philrem Service Corp., which converted it to pesos and delivered the equivalent of $29 million to Bloomberry Resorts Corp.’s Solaire Resort and Casino, $21.2 million to junket operator Eastern Hawaii Leisure Co. Ltd., and $30.6 million to a person called Weikang Xu. Bloomberry later said it received the funds and that Xu’s employed by Solaire as a gaming room promoter. Feb. 11 Philippine Anti-Money Laundering Council learned of the $81 million heist after Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman called Governor Amando Tetangco, his Philippine counterpart, and sought help on the stolen funds. Feb. 16 Representatives from Bangladesh Bank and the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit visited the anti-laundering council in the Philippines to seek assistance. Feb. 17 Pan Asia Banking remitted the funds back to Bangladesh Bank’s account in New York via Deutsche Bank. Feb. 29 The council filed a petition for a freeze order with the Court of Appeals on several Rizal Bank accounts including the four dollar accounts where stolen funds were wired from New York, and “Go” account where money was later transferred. March 1 The appeals court issued the freeze order.

Legislators are expected to resume the hearing on March 29. Here’s a timeline of the heist based on official Philippine government proceedings and hearing. Bloomberg March 8 The Bangladesh central bank issued a statement, tracing part of the funds to the Philippines. March 9 The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that $81 million of the funds were transferred to Rizal Bank and the other payments were blocked. March 11 The Philippine anti-money laundering agency filed a complaint to the Department of Justice against Deguito, the Rizal Bank branch manager, for allowing the funds to be withdrawn. March 13 Bangladesh Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith said he will take action against the “incompetent” Bangladesh Bank. March 15 Bangladesh Bank Governor Rahman submitted his resignation. The Philippine Senate began its investigation on the heist. Rizal Bank President Lorenzo Tan invoked the bank secrecy law when questioned. Deguito, the branch manager, asked for a close- door hearing. Rizal Bank shares fell 5.1 percent, the biggest drop in more than six months. March 17 Deguito spoke with lawmakers in a closed-door hearing. Her lawyer said she has e-mails, mobile-phone messages and other evidence showing she was acting on orders from her superiors. She denied she was under threat in an open session, responding to Agarrado. Rizal Bank disputed her account and said she falsified bank accounts and facilitated the withdrawals despite receiving a request from Bangladesh to halt the transactions. At least two other Rizal Bank senior executives are suspected to have been involved in the funds transfer. March 18 The laundering of funds from Bangladesh’s reserves through the Philippines could threaten the wider financial sector in the country and put its credit rating at risk, Senator Guingona said. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco said there’s risk associated with the case and action is needed. Philippine trader William Go filed a complaint against Deguito before the Makati City prosecutor for alleged falsification of document, saying his signatures on bank deposit documents in the branch managed by her were forged.

No Presidential candidate has a good tax FOR an economist or a development specialist listening to and reading about the things that four of the five Presidential candidates have been saying about taxes is a very scary experience. The only candidate who is talking sense is Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago. In any democratic electoral exercise the two most often used verbs, when the discussion is about economic issues, are ‘remove’ and ‘reduce.’ In their overwhelming desire to gain the electorate’s attention and support, candidates promise that, when elected, they will remove various restrictions installed by the authorities in furtherance of the nation’s economic interest and will reduce taxes and other diminutions of individual financial entitlements. Although the removal of restrictions on certain kinds of economic activity figures often in the public discourses of candidates, it is the lightening of the tax burden on income and property—through reduction and reclassification—that candidates dwell on in their appeals for voter support. To be sure, the Presidential candidates—

Mar Roxas, Jejomar Binay, Grace Poe and Rodrigo Duterte—have been phrasing their tax and other fiscal proposals in a way that has made them reasonable and tolerable. The proposals have been laced with phrases like “promoting greater social justice” and “leveling the tax playing field.” But close examination of the proposals is not required for their characterization as unsound and dangerous. One does not need a degree in mathematics or statistics to be able to appreciate that for a total to remain stable, a subtraction therefrom must be replaced by a figure of more or less the same magnitude. One cannot keep on subtracting from a total without causing the total to become unstable and undependable. If a reduction or downward reclassification of a tax is proposed, there must be a substitute fiscal measure of more or less similar revenue potential if the national tax base is not to be further eroded. As things stand, this country has a comparatively narrow tax base, thanks to the notorious incidence of income tax evasion. Sen. Santiago said everything that Philippine and foreign economists have wanted to say when, speaking about the spate of taxreduction proposals, she blurted out, “Who’s

going to pay for all of this?” The answer? The Philippine economy, in terms of even greater government inability to provide adequate physical infrastructure for productive activity and social infrastructure for the citizenry’s well-being. Tax relief and fiscal benefits are what voters want from candidates, and candidates, in tell-them-what-they-want-to-hear fashion, are usually only too willing to oblige. The result is that, on the day after an election, the ground is littered with tax and other fiscal proposals that, because of their extravagant character, are mostly going to be unfulfilled. The classic example of candidate infidelity in this regard is US Presidential candidate George H. Bush’s “Read my lips” answer to a voter question as to whether he would raise taxes if re-elected. Untrue to his campaign promise, the re-elected President’s administration supported Congressional tax-raising proposals. Candidates Roxas, Poe, Duterte and Binay presumably have advisers who give them counsel on fiscal matters. Either these advisers know what they are doing and give their candidates sound advice—don’t promise the electorate tax benefits that are economically unsound—or they are of the same electiondriven mindset as the candidates. The way

the candidates are sounding, the latter seems to be the case. Can a Philippine Presidential candidate not make unsound tax promises and still emerge victorious? He can. It is possible for him to not go fiscally berserk and still prevail at the ballot box. The Presidential-candidate ear to which I have ever come close was Fidel V. Ramos’s in 1992. FVR made no economically outrageous tax promises, yet, as we know, he got to Malacanang. All the 2016 Presidential candidates have said that they will expand the coverage of the 4Ps (Pantawid) program. And budget more spending for the physical infrastructure that the economy is woefully short of. How can that be done with a further-eroded tax base? A noted political commentator once called election time “the silly season.” Economists and fiscal experts wholeheartedly agree. With only about seven weeks left before Election Day, it is almost certainly too late to expect one of the candidates to come out with a coherent, well-thought-out tax program. Sen. Santiago will probably have to go without an answer to her question. E-mail: rudyromero777@yahoo.com

T U E S D AY : M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 6

WORLD

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Karadzic to stand trial for genocide THE HAGUE—The once-feared Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic will Thursday stand before UN war crimes judges to learn if, 20 years on, they find him guilty of the worst atrocities in Europe since World War II. The notorious political leader faces 11 charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity arising out of the 19921995 Bosnian war in which 100,000 people perished and 2.2 million were forced from their homes. Now 70, he will become the highestprofile politician to be judged by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia after former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic died in his prison cell in The Hague in 2006 while on trial. Karadzic, as the leader of the breakaway Republika Srpska, is accused of taking part in a criminal scheme to “permanently remove Bosnian Muslim and Bosnian Croat inhabitants from territories claimed” by the Bosnian Serbs through a campaign of ethnic cleansing, indiscriminate killings, persecutions and terror. Karadzic’s verdict “will for sure be one of the most important in the history of the tribunal,” ICTY chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz told AFP. It will focus a spotlight on “the responsibility of political leaders for the suffering of their own people,” he said. A poet and a trained psychiatrist, Karadzic notably stands accused of two charges of genocide, including the 1995 massacre in the UN-protected enclave in Srebrenica where almost 8,000 Muslim men and boys were slaughtered in cold blood before being dumped in mass graves. S i g n i f i c a n t l y, Karadzic is also accused of genocide in several municipalities, including Kljuc and Zvornik. If he is found guilty on this charge, it will be a landmark ruling at the ICTY. AFP

Obama in groundbreaking talks with Castro in Cuba H AVA N A — P r e s i d e n t Barack Obama will hold rare talks with his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro on Monday in Havana, setting aside a more than half-century bitter standoff between the United States and the communist island.

Later he noted that the last US president to come, Calvin Coolidge in 1928, needed three days to make the trip by train and navy ship. “This is a historic visit,” he remarked to staff at the freshly reopened US embassy in Havana. The trip has been touted mostly for its huge symbolic value, and comes more than a year after Obama and Castro surprised the world in December 2014 by announcing that their countries would begin normalizing relations. “The presence of a US president on the island for the first time since the 1959 revolution marks a transcendental change in relations between the US and Cuba,” Michael Shifter, head of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank in Washington, said. But some tough issues are up for discussion. Although the embargo can only be lifted by Congress, where Republicans are far less keen on rapprochement, the Obama administration is chipping away at the edges of the sanctions. For example, a trickle of US visitors over recent years is soon expected to turn into a flood with the lifting of an onerous requirement that they go to Cuba as part of pre-approved groups. AFP

The meeting in the Cuban capital’s Palace of the Revolution is only the third formal encounter between Obama and the brother of Fidel Castro, who handed over the presidency in 2008. At stake is the historic shift to end the Cold War conflict, which has seen Washington try to bring Cuba to its knees through an economic embargo, while Havana, a close Soviet ally, became enemy territory. Obama, who arrived Sunday with his family, is the first US president to touch down on the island, barely an hour’s flight from Florida, in 88 years. As Air Force One landed in Havana, Obama cheerfully began the landmark trip by tweeting in local slang: “Que bola Cuba?”—or “What’s up?”

Augustine’s Passion. This picture taken on March 18, 2016, shows actress from Quebec Celine Bonnier posing in Saint-Jean de Luz as she presents her film ‘La passion d’Augustine’ (Augustine’s Passion). Her film tells the story of a school of religious girls where the mother superior places music at the heart of the education in the sixties in Quebec. AFP

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

NATIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY

Invitation to Bid

REqUEST FOR ExPRESSION OF INTEREST

The National Housing Authority (NHA), through the Corporate Budget approved by the NHA Board for the year 2016 intends to apply the sum of the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payment for the following contracts: Ref. No.

Projects

ABC/ Source of Funds (P)

Duration (c.d.)

Required PCAB License

Work Description

2016 -03161

Construction of One (1) Unit, 3-Storey, 15 Classroom School Building, Villa Santa Rosa, Brgy. Caingin, City of Santa Rosa, Laguna

23,805,822.00 NG Subsidy

180

At least Category “B” and Medium “A”for Building

Construction of 3-Storey School Building

2016 -03162

Construction of One (1) Unit, 3-Storey, 15 Classroom School Building, Don Jose Housing Project, Brgy. Banlic, Calamba City, Laguna

23,805,822.00 NG Subsidy

180

At least Category “B” and Medium “A” for Building

Construction of 3-Storey School Building

Construction of 1-Unit Covered Court/Multi-Purpose Center, Don Jose Housing Project, Brgy. Banlic, Calamba City

5,933,935.55 NG Subsidy

2016 -03163

150

At least Category “C” and “D” and Small “B” for Building

Construction of Covered Court/ Multi-Purpose Center

Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The NHA now invites bids for the above-cited projects. Completion of the works is required within the duration herein cited upon receipt of the Notice to Proceed. Bidders should have completed a single contract similar to the project costing at least fifty percent (50%) of the ABC. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. A complete set of Bidding Documents shall be issued only to bidders/authorized official representatives or employees of the bidder who can show proof of Notarized Authority to secure bid documents for the specific project, Official Company ID upon submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI) and upon Cash Payment of non-refundable fee of P20,000.00 for Ref. Nos. 2016-03-161 & 2016-03-162 and P6,000.00 for Ref. No. 2016-03-163 at the Office of the NHA-BAC 2 Secretariat, 2nd Floor NHA Main Building, Diliman, Quezon City from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. starting on March 22, 2016. The BAC 2 Secretariat may be contacted at Tel/Fax No. 928-8272. The NHA will hold a Pre-bid Conference on March 31, 2016, at 9:00 a.m. at the NCR Conference Room, 3rd Floor NHA Main Building, Diliman, Quezon City, which shall be OPEN ONLY to bidders who have purchased the Bidding Documents. Bids must be delivered at the Operations Center, 3 Floor NHA Main Building, Diliman, Quezon City not later than 9:00 a.m. on the date specified below. rd

Schedule of Opening of Bid April 14, 2016

Ref. Nos. 2016-03-161, 162 and 163

All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and amount as stated in Bid Data Sheet (BDS). Bid opening shall follow immediately after the deadline of submission of bids at the same venue. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend. Late bids shall not be accepted.

The National Housing Authority (NHA), through the NHA-Board approved Corporate Budget for the year 2016, intends to apply the sum equivalent to the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract: Ref. No.

Projects

2016- Survey Works and 03-160 Individual Lot Titling of the Taytay-East and West Embankment of the Manggahan Socialized Housing Project

ABC/ Source of Funds (P) 4,418,000.00 Corporate Receipts

Duration (Calendar Days) 270

Work Description Boundary Relocation Survey, Consolidation/ Subdivision and Lot Titling Works

Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the opening of the financial proposals. The NHA now calls for the submission of eligibility documents for the above-cited project. Checklist of requirements for eligibility is available for examination upon submission of a letter of intent addressed to the BAC 2 Chairperson and upon payment of a non-refundable fee of P1,000.00 at the BAC 2 Secretariat Office, 2nd Floor NHA Main Building, Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City. Interested Consultants must submit their eligibility documents on or before April 5, 2016, not later than 9:00 a.m. at the Office of NHA-BAC 2 Secretariat, 2nd Floor NHA Main Building, Diliman, Quezon City. Opening of Eligibility Documents shall follow immediately after the deadline of submission of eligibility documents. Applications for eligibility will be evaluated based on a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion. The BAC 2 Secretariat may be contacted at Telephone No. 928-82-72. The BAC shall draw up the short list of consultants from those who have submitted eligibility documents/Expression of Interest and have been determined as eligible in accordance with the provisions of R.A. 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”, and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The short list shall consist of maximum of seven (7) prospective bidders who will be entitled to submit bids. The criteria and rating system for short listing are: a) Applicable experience of the consultant and associates, considering both the overall experiences of the firm and the individual experiences of the principal and key staff including the times when employed by other consultants; b) Qualification of personnel who may be assigned to the job vis-à-vis extent and complexity of the undertaking; and c) Current workload relative to job capacity. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the IRR of RA 9184 and is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. The NHA shall evaluate bids using the Quality-Cost Based Evaluation/Selection (QCBE/QCBS) procedure. The weights to be allocated for the Technical and Financial Proposals and the criteria and rating system for the evaluation of bids shall be indicated and provided in the Bid Data Sheet.

The NHA reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder/s.

The NHA reserves the right to reject any and all bids, annul the bidding process, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

(SGD) VICTOR C. BALBA Chairperson, Bids and Awards Committee 2 (BAC 2) NATIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City

(SGD) VICTOR C. BALBA Chairperson, BAC 2 NATIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY

( T S - M A R . 2 2 , 2 016)

T U E S D AY : M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 6

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD

Groups alarmed at reef bleeching SYDNEY—Environmental groups Monday urged greater action on climate change after the government sounded the alarm over severe coral bleaching in the pristine northern reaches of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The government said Sunday that corals had turned white and gray in parts of the World Heritage-listed marine park, with the bleaching “severe” in the northern areas. Environmental group WWF said large sections of coral near Lizard Island were drained of all color and fighting for survival. “The reef can recover but we must speed up the shift to clean, renewable energy and we must build reef resilience by reducing runoff pollution from farms and land clearing,” said WWF spokesperson Richard Leck. Bleaching occurs when abnormal environmental conditions, such as warmer sea temperatures, cause corals to expel tiny photosynthetic algae, draining them of their color. Corals can recover if the water temperature drops and the algae are able to recolonize them. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority said recent underwater surveys had detected “substantial levels of coral mortality” in the remote far north areas, blaming prolonged higher than average sea surface temperatures. As a result, it has raised its response to level three -- the highest level in its response plan and indicating “severe regional bleaching”. “The pictures we’re seeing coming out of the northern Great Barrier Reef are devastating,” said Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s Shani Tager. “The Queensland and federal governments must see this as a red alert and act accordingly.” She called on the government to reconsider coal mining, saying the burning of the fuel was “driving climate change, warming our waters and bleaching the life and color out of our reef ”. Scientists had feared that the current El Niño weather phenomenon—when the trade winds over the tropical Pacific start to weaken and sea surface temperatures rise—would affect the reef. AFP

Giant aquarium. Children watch fish swimming in an aquarium at the Scientific Center of Kuwait on March 20, 2016, in Kuwait City. AFP

Pacific countries lead charge in climate deal MAJURO, Marshall Islands—Battered by massive cyclones, El Niño-fueled drought and swollen king tides, fragile Pacific island nations vulnerable to climate change are leading the charge in implementing the landmark Paris climate deal. The Marshall Islands is the latest Pacific nation after Fiji and Palau to adopt the historic deal which was agreed by 195 nations in December with the aim of curbing carbon emissions and limiting global warming. Scientists warn the low-lying island nations risk being swamped as sea levels rise, losing coastline, arable land and facing more extreme weather events. Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine said this vulnerability ex-

plained why the first three nations to confirm their Paris commitments were all from the Pacific. “By becoming one of the first countries to ratify the Paris agreement, we have shown our determination to continue to lead this fight from the front,” she said after parliament ratified the Paris accord Friday. The accord sets a target of limiting global warming to “well below” 2.0 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) compared to pre-industrial levels.

World leaders will gather in New York on April 22 to formally sign the deal in an important statement of intent. However, ratification goes a step further, involving lawmakers agreeing on action plans that will take concrete steps to address the problem. The Pacific nations, among the strongest advocates for meaningful action in Paris, have been swift to ratify in the hope of setting an example for bigger nations. “[It] puts us closer to the goal we all set for (the) nation and ourselves to ensure that our children inherit a habitable, hospitable planet,” Palau President Tommy Remengesau said when parliament voted to ratify last month. The Marshalls’ ratification comes

as the nation of about 55,000 people faces a severe drought that prompted Heine, elected in January, to declare a state of disaster last month. With almost no rainfall in the capital Majuro for months, tap water is rationed to four-hour blocks three days a week, when residents scramble to fill storage tanks and bottles. The government has sent portable desalination units to remote communities as forecasters predict the drought may not ease until the second half of the year. The Marshalls’ latest climate crisis follows extreme weather in recent years, including ferocious storms, and in 2014 the highest king tides recorded in three decades, which forced 1,000 to flee their homes and left more than US$2.0 million worth of damage. AFP

North Korea fires 5 short-range missiles

Meeting. German President Joachim Gauck attends a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 21, 2016. AFP

SEOUL—North Korea on Monday fired five short-range missiles into the sea off its east coast—the latest in a series of missile launches ordered by leader Kim Jong-Un amid rising military tensions. The launches came just days after the North test-fired two mediumrange missiles, in what the UN Security Council described as an “unacceptable” violation of UN resolutions. Tensions have been soaring on the divided Korean peninsula since the North carried out its fourth nuclear test on January 6, followed a month later by a long-range rocket launch that was widely seen as a disguised ballistic missile test. The Security Council responded ear-

lier this month by imposing its toughest sanctions on North Korea to date. In recent weeks, Pyongyang has maintained a daily barrage of nuclear strike threats against both Seoul and Washington, ostensibly over ongoing large-scale South Korea-US military drills that the North sees as provocative rehearsals for invasion. An official with South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the five shortrange missiles were launched from near the eastern city of Hamhung, beginning just before 3:20pm (0620 GMT), and landed in the East Sea (Sea of Japan). He said analysts were still gathering intelligence on the precise missile type. The North had fired two short-

range missiles into the East Sea on March 10, using what state media described as a new high-caliber multiple rocket launcher. Existing UN sanctions ban North Korea from conducting any ballistic missile test, although short-range launches tend to go unpunished. Last Friday the North upped the ante by test-firing two mediumrange missiles, which were seen as far more provocative given the threat they pose to neighbors like Japan. They were the first medium-range launches for two years and followed an order from Kim Jong-Un for his military to prepare a series of missile launches as well as an eventual nuclear warhead explosion test. AFP

tuesday : m arch 22, 2016

tatum aNcheta EDITOR

BING PareL

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

BerNadette LuNas

life @ thestandard.com .ph

WRITER

@LIFeatstandard

a rts, cuLt u re & t ech

LIFE

Abstract Christ Seaside Cross from the SEA collection

Woven cross from the Art Collection

Editor’s note: Cal Tavera’s column comes out every Wednesday under the Home and Living theme, but we are publishing her column printed today as part of our Holy Week special.

few days ago, I posted a teaser of a cross with a message to my friends and family to forgive and remain kind. The past few weeks during Lent, I was surprised by the random messages or meetings where hurtful exchanges would erupt between longtime friends, business partners and even some of my family members. There was even a violent action towards a parent from an adult child – the reason for which I honestly still cannot comprehend until today. I know situations like these exist but it can be draining even as a bystander. I am not here to rant though or pass on any negative vibes. This week’s column will be focusing on something beautiful and positive that can uplift our spirits and strengthen our faith during moments like these. It is the story of a group’s strong faith and their unique way of spreading love and joy to other homes through design. Seven months ago, devout Catholics Nestle and Trina Jeturian and Patrick and Joey Frias launched a passion project to honor their faith called “The Carpenter,” which is a religious concept store designed for contemporary living. It offers artisanal and modern items, blending both tradition and design into their religious pieces. The group hopes their designs serve as a gentle reminder of God’s love through their beauty in the modern day. Since the Spanish regime when our country was introduced to Catholicism, crosses and other religious elements have become a common sight when entering a home here. I remember when I was studying back in 2008 and our class was discussing dining room designs for residential projects. Our professor exclaimed, “When I design dining rooms, I ALWAYS come across the owner asking me where we should put The Last Supper and that is their main concern. Always.” The whole class laughed but it’s quite true in our

culture where the beauty of this tradition has been passed down from generation to generation. These elements are a testament to the homeowners’ spiritual beliefs. However, the aesthetics of today’s generation have evolved to the likes of minimalism. While the finishes and furniture in homes have validated this, the religious pieces remained traditional and untouched. Trina admits, “When we built our home in 2011, we planned to have an altar and crosses in each of the spaces to serve as visual reminders of the Lord’s love and light. However, we had a hard time searching for pieces that would match the modern, minimalist interiors of our house.” It took the couple months before they found a piece that could work but it still did not quite match the exact style they had in mind. That experience inspired them to toy with the idea of updating the religious pieces, but it was only in 2014 that they took the steps in realizing their vision. Nestle and Trina decided to collaborate with Patrick Frias, their friend from Couples for Christ who also designed the furniture for their modern home. Together, they created various collections where the crosses and scripture boards were lovingly made from beautiful local wood like narra and kamagong. They also have rustic items inspired by the seaside and created out of pinewood and artisanal accents made from steel. Design enthusiasts can also customize pieces and collaborate with this group from scratch. Verses can also be transformed into scripture boards. Trina admits that it is always a joy to sell or work on a piece because that means an individual or a family is accepting Christ in their home. Trina shares, “More than anything else, this passion project is for the Lord. We want to honor Him and spread His name in as many households, offices and other places possible.” She added, “My husband calls this a ‘faithbased entrepreneurship.’ Even if we do not reap maximum profits, we pray that we will be able to realize our profits in heaven as we plant our seeds of faith through God and for God. That will be more than enough for us.” Please visit their Facebook and Instagram accounts, thecarpenterph. They will also be launching their online shop, thecarpenter. ph, next month. You can also find some of their pieces in Rustan’s department store in the gift pavilion and in Lily, Discovery Primea’s Lifestyle Store. For my personal adventures, follow my Instagram @cal_tavera. You may reach me at caltavera@gmail.com.

Products from the brand’s various collections

Standing Abstract Cross created from metal

The Carpenter Cross made from Kamagong wood

Scripture Cross designed with pinewood

Cross Last Supper Board

tuESday : m arch 22, 2016

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

In the Philippines, Via Crucis or Way of the Cross is re-enacted with penitents carrying the heavy wooden crosses on their backs

How Holy week is observed in otHer countries

or Catholics and Christians all over the world, the season of Lent is a time to reflect on the sacrifices that Christ made to save humanity. The religious observance lasts for about six weeks starting from Ash Wednesday and culminates in Easter Sunday. In the Philippines, the week preceding Easter – the Holy Week – is a period marked by fasting, praying and reflecting on the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. A highlight of Holy Week is called the Easter Triduum that begins with the evening of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. In many provinces particularly in the North, designated families would put up altars representing the 14 Stations of the Cross where the priest leading the procession on Good Friday would stop to talk about the Passion of Christ, and the kind of suffering and humiliation he went through on the way to the cross of the Via Crucis. In many homes, the Pabasa or Pasyon would be held, with a guitarist leading the lilting chants that are read from a book of the Pasyon. Although the observance of Holy Week may basically be the same with the prayers,

masses and procession, there are still distinct differences in the ways these have been traditionally observed. In the island of Hvar in Croatia, a 500-year-old tradition called “Za Krizen” (following the cross) is observed on Maundy Thursday. Six processions from six different churches simultaneously start at night and would end early in the morning with the route (spanning approximately 25 kilometers) going around the island in a big circle. A man carrying a large cross serves as the leader of the procession with participants dressed in formal white. In one of the participating villages called Jelsa, the cross bearer runs upon reaching the last 100 meters. What is interesting though is that the six simultaneous processions must coordinate so that none of them meets along the way. Singing of the Gospin plac (Weeping of the Lady) – an eight-syllable 15th century Passion text sang like a dialog by chosen kantaduri (singers) accompanies the procession. Over in Texistepeque near San Salvador in El Salvador, men garbed in red devil masks and costumes carry whips or belts to lash at the people during a procession. The masked faithful are popularly known as the

Talciguin, and the lashing is an old tradition that symbolizes the cleansing of sins. At the Orthodox Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Resurrection in old Jerusalem, the devout and faithful and pilgrims all over the world congregate in the place believed to be the site where Jesus rose from the dead. In Jerusalem, Holy week begins with a morning mass on Palm Sunday to commemorate Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, followed by a palm procession in the afternoon, with thousands walking down to the Mount of Olives in Kidron Valley going to the Old City. At 9:00 p.m. on Holy Thursday, Christians watch a depiction of Christ’s meditation in the Garden of Gethsemane after which a candlelight procession is held leading to the church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, believed to be the place where Jesus stayed on the night he was betrayed and arrested. A highlight is on Good Friday with a reenactment of the deposition of Christ’s body into the tomb – a tradition that is unique to Jerusalem. In many parts of Spain, the Holy Week is the most important part of the year for numerous hermandades or cofradias y

There is only one underlying message during Holy Week: that Jesus Christ died on the cross to save us from our sins

penitencia (brotherhoods of the penitent) composed of Catholic lay people, where they take charge of many of the religious activities that occur during the season of Lent and Holy Week. In Oviedo in Northern Spain, members of the Hermandad de Los Estudiantes take part in a procession while people drop rose petals from their balconies. In Sevilla, processions depicting the various stages in the life of Jesus Christ are held, and these are usually done in a solemn and pious manner with members of the cofradias wearing hooded robes. Floats or pasos carrying images of saints go around the procession route, similar to the processions that happen in many provinces and cities in the Philippines. One of the most interesting is the float of the La Borriquita (She-Donkey) to depict the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Regardless of the tradition or the manner of observance, the Holy Week has one universal message: that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and by His resurrection conquered death that we may have eternal life if we believe in Him and accept Him as our Lord and Savior.

tuESday : m arch 22, 2016

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

Penitent Ruben Enage is raised after he was nailed to a cross by residents wearing costumes of Roman centurions during the observance of Good Friday in the village of Cutud in San Fernando City, Pampanga last 2015 (AFP)

PenItensya

Places to go to in the PhiliPPines to witness Penitence and other religious traditions during holy week

emana Santa is a weeklong event in commemoration of the last week of Jesus’ life on Earth, His suffering, His death, and His resurrection. Christians around the world mark the Holy Week with different rituals and traditions. Catholics practice repentance, penance, abstinence and sacrifice. In the Philippines, the great highlight of the event is the Easter Triduum, the three days leading up to Easter Sunday. Depending on the parish and town, rituals and traditions vary. Some of the age-old traditions reflect some Spanish and Mexican influences, but the Philippines has some of the more extreme traditions especially observed among fanatics where the act of penance is practiced with mortification of the flesh to ask for forgiveness for their sins or to fulfill a panata or vow. Penitents all over the country carry wooden crosses, crawl on pavements, self-flagellate and perform actual crucifixion where they are nailed on the cross. People all over the globe tune in to the numerous practices of devotees

and penitents in the Philippines, a country known for some of the most extreme displays of religious devotion. We’ve rounded up a few places where you can witness and experience these traditions.

PamPanga

Pampanga is a popular destination during Holy Week because of the practice of flagellation. Visitors congregate to watch the spectacle of people lashing at their backs with whips made of broken glass, nails and other sharp objects. Maleldo is one of the most celebrated traditions in Pampanga, where the re-enactment of Christ’s crucifixion is performed annually that dates back to 1955 with the staging of the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross). Last year alone, there were 22 penitents nailed to wooden crosses in the City of San Fernando. The procession of penitents with covered faces happens during Holy Thursday and crucifixions happen on Good Friday, and these usually take place in San Pedro Cutud, San Juan and Santa Lucia all in San Fernando. Other places in Pampanga where this is practiced include Pampang

Devotees re-enact the suffering and death of Christ on the Cross in a play called the Senakulo (AFP)

in Angeles City, San Agustin in Magalang, and Telepayung in Arayat. It is a rather bloody sight to behold and not for the faint of heart.

Infanta, Quezon

Infanta has some of the most devout penitents practicing self-

flagellation. The devotees wear a unique costume with colorful tukarol (headdress) covering their faces, mostly made of flowers and leaves and religious images, and usually in a triangular shape. The penitents also wear a saya (skirt) made of dried banana leaves. This elaborate costume is said to be a part of the penance as it lessens the macho image of the penitents. The flagellants usually start at 2:00 a.m., go to the churches to pray and then head to the river or the beach to wash themselves.

Bataan

Pampanga is a popular destination during Holy Week because of the practice of flagellation (AFP)

In Bataan, the Senakulo has been going around especially in Samal, Abucay and Orani for many years where the crucifixion of Christ is reenacted. Some devotees have undergone actual crucifixion with real nails but it is not the same bloody spectacle as in Pampanga. The flagellants can be seen crawling on the streets from morning ‘til afternoon and beaten by sticks. They’re usually barebacked, wearing only denim pants with their faces covered in handkerchiefs

or head cloths and sometimes crowned with leaves and thorns.

tarlac

In Capas, Tarlac, women called the Magdarame follow the male flagellants in a procession. These women walk barefoot, clothed in red robes while their faces are covered in black cloth and leaves. Sometimes they bring their children with them during the walk and if they can’t proceed anymore, the children will continue to do the penance. After the traditional walk alongside the male flagellants, the women pray in the chapels and then bathe with their children or their families as a symbol of sharing the blessings from their sacrifice. Other parts of the North observe penitence and flagellation, going as far as Baler in Aurora Quezon, Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, and even in Metro Manila. A short drive away from the City can take you to numerous bloody spectacles that mark the age-old traditions practiced by Filipino religious devotees.

tuESday : m arch 22, 2016

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

ARTS AND CULTURE ROUNDUP What’s on in theaters and galleries this week

ExhibiTS Topsy Turvy Tall Gallery, Finale Art File, Makati City Ongoing until April 1 In this day and age when paintings are injected with copied and printed matter, the term “original” in works of art is now being challenged. To confront this topic, 21 artists from different generations and countries present their individual expressions using various printing techniques. Featured in this comprehensive exhibition of contemporary art are the recent works of Maria Cruz, Lizza May David, Romeo Lee, The Weather Bureau, Timo Roter, Jayson Oliveria, Valeria Cavestany, Sam Kiyoumarsi, Ferdz Valencia, Gerardo Tan, Robert Langenegger, Carlo Ricafort, Juan Carlos Quintana, David Griggs, Luis Santos, Tanya Villanueva, Jeona Zoleta, Pow Martinez, Gaston Damag (in collaboration with Mark Biwit), Manuel Ocampo and Argie Bandoy. Some of the media used are oil and photograph collage (Bandoy), mixed media and serigraph print collage (Cavestany), spray paint on

Mending Wall The Inner Room, Art Informal, Mandaulyong City Ongoing until April 16

canvas (Martinez) and pulp and collage on canvas (Tan), among others. To know more about this ongoing exhibition, visit www.finaleartfile.com.

FinaLEE Upstairs Gallery, Finale Art File, Makati City Ongoing until April 1 Eccentric artist Romeo Lee never considered himself part of the mainstream, but as his artistic career matures, the Pinoy punk pioneer is coming out of his shell, so to speak, as more people have become appreciative of his work. Answering his fans’ clamor, Lee presents his latest series of artworks in a solo show. Lee, who is known for only painting what he feels like, exhibits a couple of oil on canvas pieces that unmistakably underscore a more serious tone but still feature unusual colors, layers of dripping, swirling paint and ghoulish imagery.

Taking his cue from Robert Frost’s poem of the same title, visual artist Lubin Nepomuceno takes advantage of people’s fascination with walls as he showcases his recent series of paintings featuring no less than walls. Paintings love walls – obviously because the former are usually hanged

on the latter –but Nepomuceno believes that every wall behind every painting has a story to tell. He tries to tell that story by painting walls on a canvas that is meant to be placed on walls. Visit www.artinformal.com for inquiries and more details on this exhibition.

Saturday Fun Machine Silverlens Galleries, Makati City Ongoing until April 23

Visit www.finaleartfile.com for more information on this ongoing exhibit. Insidious Main Gallery, Art Informal, Manadaluyong City Ongoing until April 16

Growing up as a child in Manila in the 1980s, Isabel Roxas is full of memories involving a block of programming devoted to robots, superheroes, and other wild fantasies. And so, the artist explores nostalgia to create work that is deeply personal and specific. Roxas transcribes the “most banal scenes” of her childhood in the hopes of touching universal experiences of a bygone time and to recreate intimate moments that will transport the viewers through the fractured lens of unreliable memory. She exhibits character portraits of various household helpers, who are inseparable from her memories and moments. For inquiries, call (02) 816-0044 or send an email to infor@silverlensgalleries.com. Fernando Zobel: Prints and Drawings Third Floor Galleries, Ayala Museum, Makati City Ongoing

Lace meets wire and wire meets lace in Eugenia Alcaide’s latest exhibition that marries two diverse and very different worlds of expressions. Alcaide wrought the two materials together to create unwritten emotions that will move the audience – that when the two are combined, there is a subtle surrender. The images formed evoke emotional turbulence – the world of broken dreams

and survivorship; how a woman finds freedom; the beauty of harshness, grief and sorrow; and what makes a woman strong and fortified. Alcaide ventures to the very heart of her being to help delicate souls find solace in lace and be mended by wires. For more details on this exhibit, visit www.artinformal.com.

The Ayala Museum combines its collections of Fernando Zobel’s artworks with those of Ayala Corporation collections to mount an exhibition that features selected drawings and prints made by the Spanish-Filipino painter and businessman. The exhibition illustrates how these works on paper are steps toward, or are variations or permutations of, Zobel’s larger works on canvas. Call (02) 759-8288 local 10 or send an email to hello@ayalamuseum.org for inquiries and more details on this exhibit.

T UES DAY : M A RCH 2 2, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

Kapamilya star Sarah Labhati in a reading session with Sacred Heart Parish kids

Loisa Andalio and Joshua Garcia

KAPAMILYA TULONG CENTER MARKS SECOND YEAR

n celebration of its second anniversary, Tulong Center of the ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc. (ALKFI) adhered to its mission of extending assistance to Kapamilyas in various ways. For the entire day of the celebrations, the center gave free medical consultation, medicine distribution, dental services, reading glasses distribution, legal consultation with Ipaglaban Mo, storytelling with Jolina Magdangal and Sarah Lahbati, and a feeding program at the Sacred Heart Par-

Jolina Magdangal

Concert King Martin Nievera entertains the crowd

ish in Old Sta. Mesa, Manila with DZMM TLC (Teaching, Learning, Caring). The day of activities opened with a program with Fr. Tito Caluag, head of ABSCBN Integrated Public Service welcoming guests. Robi Domingo hosted the event. A number of special raffles, games, and a fun karaoke contest added fun to the event. Martin Nievera livened up the crowd even more while the love teams of Loisa Andalio and Joshua Garcia (“LoiShua”), together with

IPS bosses (L-R) Jun Dungo, Jerry Bennett, Robi Domingo, and Fr. Tito Caluag with actor and host with Robi Domingo

Miles Ocampo and Inigo Pascual performed a couple of songs. They also helped serve food and distribute medicines to the crowd. The Boto Mo Patrol Mo team was also present to show support for the advocacies of the center. In the past year, the ABS-CBN Tulong Center at the Eugenio Lopez Drive attended to an average of 30 various cases daily and extended assistance to almost 7,000 individuals throughout 2015.

“In 2016, we hope to continue to help our Kapamilyas and further improve all the services being offered at Tulong Center,” according to Higino Dungo Jr., head of ABS-CBN Public Service Group. For more information on how to get assistance and help the ABS-CBN Tulong Center, like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Tulongcenter or call 4141296/4145431 . You may also e-mail them at Tulongcenter@abs-cbn.com.

JAKE CUENCA THE NEWEST GUITAR MAN

If you’re a male who grew up in the 60s, most likely you have worn a guitar undershirt. Guitar Underwear was born in those years and it had sworn to provide its consumers top-of-the-line products and services at an economical price. Juan Carlos Cuenca or simply Jake Cuenca is the newest ambassador of Guitar Underwear. He’s been a Star Magic artist for 10 years now. With a series of endorsements from different companies as a model, Cuenca never thought he would make his mark a serious dramatic actor. He found himself being cast in memorable roles that gradually sharpened his acting skills. Among these were his characters from his past soap operas Palos, Tayong Dalawa, Green Rose, Kung Ako’y Iiwan Mo and Kahit Puso’y Masugutan. He received lots of recognition in Passion de Amor as he did really well in acting. He got roles in the movies In The Name of Love, My Neighbor’s Wife, Tuhog, Lihis, Status: It’s Complicated and When The Love Is Gone. All his hard work paid off when he won his very first award – Best Supporting Actor at the PMPC Star Awards for Movies – for his role in the political/romantic/drama movie, In The Name of Love in the year 2012.

“Pasion de Amor” star Jake Cuenca is the new face of the undergarment brand

Guitar Underwear and Jake Cuenca have a couple of things in common, but most notably quality. One last thing, they both dare to be great.

Cuenca joins other Guitar endorsers Gloc-9, Carlos Agassi, Ann B. Mateo, and Sachzna Laparan. In its dire commitment to excellence, the brand worked its way and introduced De Hilo innovation in the Philippines in 1970. “De hilo” is a Spanish short term for “Hilo de Escocia” which literally means “finest cotton.” Seeing its potential, what’s first used as labels and tags for white shirts and sandos had become the prime material in producing comfortable and durable clothing. From manufacturing undergarments, the company has grown into production of other wardrobe basics catering a larger market than ever. In its pursuit to slice through demographics, the brand is converged at injecting new and vibrant ideas in its product lines, being utterly keen in responding to latest trends in general favorites, fashion and style. For over 50 years now, Guitar has been providing consumers its quality products through merchandising and being present at about a hundred retail spaces in the country. High quality of yarn is used produce this superior quality of fabric that makes this series stand- out. It allows the skin to breathe thereby giving maximum coolness

and total comfort - perfect for innerwear and sleepwear. The 800 series is its newest line. This new line of products was designed for the hip and new generation because it has streamlined sides to give a better fit to the body. It embodies the active lifestyle of the youth for that trendy look. Made of cotton mixed with spandex material to give a better outer look. The brief/panty series with 100 percent combed cotton designed for comfort and trend to match today’s athletic, hip and casual Filipinos. The Polo Shirt Series sticks to the basics. The newest line features pique material. It has a classic collared shirt silhouette and solid tone color. This is a staple piece in a gentleman’s closet, a classy upgrade for both Men’s and Ladies wardrobe. The latest additional to the Guitar series is the socks series. Featuring cotton spandex material and a solid tone color; these socks provide comfort for any footwear. Be cool at school. Guitar uniforms are out for students from Nursery to Secondary level. Made with 35 percent cotton and 65 percent polyester, these uniforms (Guitar uniforms) provide top-of-the-class durability and comfort.

T UES DAY : M A RCH 2 2, 2016

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

CYRIL CHAUQUET OF ‘CHASING MONSTERS’

Fishing aficianado and “Chasing Monster” host Cyril Chauqet

Q&A

JAO GAVINO

“F

ishing” and “exciting” are two words often unseen together, and, in the rare occurrences that they are, the words “is not” are frequently lodged in between them. According to fishing aficionado Cyril Chauquet, however, fishing is a lot of things: it is mysterious, dangerous, and, contrary to the previous sentence, it is indeed quite exciting. Eager for more insight, being the fishing novices that we are, we sat down for a few questions with the Canadian host of Chasing Monsters, History Asia’s newest fishing show with a catch, literally and figuratively. The Standard (TS): Hello, Cyril! How was Chasing Monsters conceived? How is it different from your standard fishing show? Cyril Chauquet (CC): Hi! Before “Chasing Monsters” started, there was another show called “Fishing Adventurer.” I started that show about 10 years ago and it evolved into “Chasing Monsters,” … [which] started from a passion, an obsession [with] catching and chasing the biggest fish in the world, whether they live in the ocean or in fresh water. That’s basically the premise of the show. TS: Sounds exciting, and dangerous. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves – could you explain the intricacies and nuances of fishing to a fishing newbie? What “lured” you to it? What are we missing out on? CC: Every person that feels the tug on the line for the first time, doesn’t matter if it’s a small fish or big fish, will love it. I can bet you that if I were to take you fishing you will love it. It’s a primal instinct that humans in general like. When you have that line in your hands, and all of a sudden you see the tug (starts to make tugging noises) and you feel that bite and you see the hook and you’re on to fighting a fish or animal, and you don’t know

to shore and when I was releasing the fish, I got stung by its barb. It was not a pleasant experience: the pain was so intense, and it lasted for an entire night. I spent the entire night in pain in a remote place with no access to doctors or anything like that. I really thought I was not going to make it. TS: Luckily, you made it. Well, that’s it for us, it’s been a short interview, but it’s been quite informative. Would you like to add anything else? CC: I just want to thank you very much for your time and for the interview, it’s been a pleasure of mine and hopefully we can hook up one day and I can get you to experience the tug on the line! TS: Thanks, Cyril! We’re looking forward to it.

Big catch: Cyril Chauqet shows off a mosnter fish featured on his show

what it is. It’s mysterious. That’s what drives every single part of me – that tug, that bite. Fish are mysterious in the sense that people don’t really relate to fish because we don’t live in the same environment. I love them; I want to see them up close. They are beautiful animals and I just want to be in contact with them. But, I bet you that the tug on the line, for the first time in your life, if you experience it, you’d want to repeat it.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ANSWER PREVIOUS PUZZLE

ACROSS 1 Couch potato’s option 6 Sigh or murmur 11 — out (relax) 14 Coil or spiral 15 Ear pollution? 16 Rower’s need 17 Burned up 18 Low-voiced woman 20 Kernel’s quarters

21 Croissant 23 Brownies 24 Be in a shower 26 Dins 28 Bends 30 Tends the hens 31 Enticed 32 Frigid and Torrid 33 Caesar’s law 36 Malt beverages 37 Horned animals

38 Do dock work 39 Leaf out 40 Road shoulders 41 Worm seeker 42 Long time 43 Colombia’s capital 44 Tall cactus 47 Knight wear? 48 Missouri range 49 Be impatient 50 Genre 53 Type of squash 56 Wed secretly 58 Before, to bards 59 Rummage through 60 Beauty aid 61 Cheerful color 62 Hits hard 63 Ms. Sarandon DOWN 1 Trendy 2 Space lead-in 3 Tattled 4 Afire 5 Put forth effort 6 Male relative 7 Cat’s-paw 8 Pewter component 9 PST minus 3 10 Goes over again 11 Car import 12 Dinner guest 13 Make before taxes 19 Poor-box donations

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

22 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 33 34 35 37 38 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 49 51 52 54 55 57

Sighs of distress Hatchets Loose change Wine sediments “Spare tire” Doozy Gets frothy Don Diego masked Very difficult Fix typos Lawless role Forward or reverse Corp. symbol Lab glassware Tot’s outfit Round dwelling Bikini half Like a judge Shade of blue Like some communities Gambling stakes Mope Links org. Finely sharpened Sugarloaf locale Gridiron div. Piniella of the diamond

TS: Wow, it sounds like something that every person needs to experience. Well, on “Chasing Monsters,” did you have a stand out moment from the show’s production? A dangerous encounter, or an interesting location, perhaps? CC: Yeah, we had some very interesting “challenges.” One of them is I got stung by a stingray about 3-4 years ago when I was fishing in Central America. I brought a stingray

*** * Well, there you have it folks – fishing is indeed quite mysterious, dangerous, exciting, and so much more. For those of you who want to learn more about fishing, and to see Cyril tackle the biggest, baddest aquatic monsters across the world’s most remote rivers, oceans, seas and even beneath frozen lakes, tune in to History’s Chasing Monsters, premiering on Thursday, March 24, 10 p.m. History is available on SKYCable Ch. 67; Cable Link Ch. 43; Dream Satellite Ch. 30; Destiny Cable Ch. 57; and Cignal Ch. 125.

T UES DAY : M A RCH 2 2, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

MICHAEL V. SOLID KAPUSO

ward-winning comedian and TV host Michael V. remains a loyal Kapuso as he renewed his contract on March 16) with GMA Network, Inc. Present during the contract signing were GMA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Atty. Felipe L. Gozon, GMA President and Chief Operating Officer Gilberto R. Duavit Jr., GMA Consultant for Business Development Department II Marivin T. Arayata, GMA Vice President for Corporate Communications Angela Javier Cruz, GMA Assistant Vice President for Business Development Department II Janine PiadNacar, GMA Senior Program Manager Bang Arespacochaga and Bitoy’s wife and manager Carolina Bunagan. During the contract signing, Michael V. revealed that he is very thankful with the way GMA has been taking good care of his career all these years. “GMA ang nagbigay talaga sa akin ng pinakamagandang break, kaya hindi mawawala ang loyalty. More than work ang relationship, beyond friendship na nga.” At present, he headlines the longest run-

Comedian Michael V with wife Carolina Bunagan

ning gag show Bubble Gang and the family oriented sitcom Pepito Manaloto and is host of the comedy-musical competition

Lip Sync Battle Philippines. Bitoy also said he is very proud that he is part of GMA’s success in terms of creating innovative and pioneering comedy shows in the country. “Dito sa GMA, tayo ang nagpasimula ng magagandang comedy series. I would say, ako tagasulong lang ng nasimulan ng GMA sa paggawa ng comedy. With Bubble Gang, 20 years na ganung katagal. Proud talaga ako. Hindi lang para sa sarili ko, kundi para rin sa mga kasama ko, yung mga writers, the people behind the camera. Nandiyan sila to support us at nandiyan palagi to lend an ear whenever may suggestion kami at request. Para sa akin, malaking bagay iyon. For a management and talent, dapat may ganun laging relationship.” Atty. Gozon has nothing but praises for Michael V. and he is pleased that he continues to affirm his loyalty to the Kapuso Network. “I am more proud that he is with us. Ang hindi niyo alam, si Michael ay hindi lamang talent na nagpe-perform in front of the camera. Malaki ang kanyang naco-contribute sa paggawa ng mga shows niya. He is not only a comedian; he is also a direc-

tor, a writer. But the most important thing as far as I am concerned, Michael is a very, very decent artist.” Atty. Gozon also revealed that he is a fan of the ace comedian. “Isa siya sa mga hinahangaan kong comedian. Pinapanood ko ang mga shows niya. Ang tagal na nga Bubble Gang. At karamihan ng napapanood niyo ay siya ang nag-iisip, yun ang difference.” Duavit said that he is very happy that Michael V. is a Kapuso and the network will continue to provide good projects for him. ”Si Michael V. ay hindi lamang haligi at kasamahan, kundi isang kinahahangaan at tinitingalang kasamahan natin na Kapuso. We are ecstatic. Bitoy stands out as being unique in his generation. Whether it’s the quality of his performances, what he writes, talagang hindi lamang bukod tangi o nangingibabaw. Kundi walang katumbas. At sa paniniwala ko at least personally, ay parang hindi pa napapanganak ang susunod sa yapak niya. So that accounts in good part for how well his programs perform and how highly he is regarded, hindi lamang nating mga Kapuso kundi ng mga manonood.”

ABS-CBN TVplus launches Kapamilya Box Office Channel Here’s a reason why you should upgrade your family’s home entertainment to ABSCBN TVplus soon: with the launch of its new channel, the Kapamilya Box Office (KBO), you get to watch Star Cinema movies for one month, for free. The free trial promo, which airs during weekends, gives Filipino families more chances to experience quality Kapamilya entertainment as it features hit movies across all genres in crystal clear digital TV viewing. Well-loved Star Cinema films such as The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin, Praybeyt Benjamin, A Very Special Love, She’s Dating The Gangster “Feng Shui, My Amnesia Girl, and Ekstra are among the film titles that will be

showcased on March 26-27, April 2-3, April 9-10, and April 16-17. The free trial comes with a Dolce Amore catch up marathon, where Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil give viewers the chance to experience life’s greatest adventure – falling in love. All ABS-CBN TVplus users who already own an ABS-CBN mobile SIM may avail of the Kapamilya Box Office free one month trial by texting KBO <TVplus box ID> to 2131 using an ABS-CBNmobile SIM for free. Once registered, users simply need to press SCAN on the TVplus remote control to activate KBO on the ABS-CBN TVplus’ 7th channel. For users who do not have an ABS-CBNmobile SIM, the SIM is available in any SM

store, 7-Eleven store, and ABS-CBNmobile store. Users may also text 23661 to order a SIM for delivery. Meanwhile, All ABS-CBN TVplus boxes priced at P1,999 are bundled with an ABS-CBNmobile SIM and are available in any accredited retail outlets, sales agents, and dealers. The Kapamilya Box Office service is available in Metro Manila, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pangasinan, Benguet, and Metro Cebu. Subscribe now to the Kapamilya Box Office free trial until April 17. For more information on the promo, text KBO INFO to 23661 and visit tvplus.abs-cbn.com.

Healthy living, healthy hair BY ROBBIE PANGILINAN

Athlete and fitness enthusiast Joaquin Carlos G. Cañas

Professional football player Joaquin Carlos G. Cañas, or Joaco, has stuck to a strict health and fitness regimen since he started playing the sport in 1998. Joaco began his football career with the youth team Escuela de Futbol Barrio del Pilar in Madrid, Spain where he was born. He played at the same level as main youth teams of the country like Real Madrid or Atletico de Madrid and got promoted to a higher division every season. He was team captain before he signed his first professional contract at the age of 17. From 2006 to 2012, he played professional football in Spain. His first visit to the Philippines was in January 2012 in a charity game against the Azkals. He then signed a contract in Aug. 2012 with Stallion FC where he was captain and led the team to become the UFL Cup champions and UFL League champions. He signed a contract in Sept. 2013 with Loyola Meralco Sparks FC where he again brought victory to the team: UFL Cup champions (December 2013) and 2nd runnerup (2015), UFL League 1st run-

ner-up (June 2014 and 2015), and Smart National Club Championship Champions 2015. Throughout his career, Joaco has made sure he takes care of his health, focusing not only on training hard, but also on his nutrition and sleeping time. He eats clean and healthy, cooking his own food at home as much as possible. “Being a professional football player and fitness personal trainer, I am very busy training and working out. I do football training in the morning and evening, gym session in the afternoon with some of my clients, too,” says the Best Defender awardee of the Smart National Club Championsip in 2015. But last year, Joaco noticed that his hair looked weak and a bit thin in some areas. He was concerned and since he has been observing healthy habits, he could not pinpoint the cause. “I would like to have healthier, stronger and nicer hair, so I searched for some hair growth products,” admits the 28-year-old, the 5’11’’ Defender-Midfielder. He tried some products that promised hair growth, but the best he discovered was Anagen Hair Regrowth Shampoo and

Tonic, a product of Healthwell Nutraceuticals Inc., an affiliate of YSA Skincare Corporation. “Anagen treats the root cause by improving blood circulation in the scalp, recovering skin temperature, helping repair salontreated hair and sun-damaged hair, and acting as a moisturizer,” explains Healthwell President Paulo Legaspi. Jiou liquid, the main ingredient of Anagen, is Japan’s secret to reverse hair loss. Jiou liquid promotes strong and heathy blood circulation necessary for hair growth. “It is more effective than other hair growth products because of its 3-way action system. It can address hair loss by inhibiting the activity of 5-alpha reductase enzyme that triggers the development of thinning hair or hair loss. At the same time, it accelerates blood flow and activates the energy metabolism in follicles,” adds Legaspi, who personally uses the natural, safe, and no bad side effects shampoo. Now, Joaco leaves his hair problems in the care of Anagen, and you could, too. Anagen is available at Mercury Drug Stores and Watson’s nationwide.

T UES DAY : M A RCH 2 2, 2016

ISAH V. RED EDITOR NICKIE WANG WRITER

isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ NADINE MYX MUSIC AWARDS TOP WINNER

Big winner: Nadine Lustre walks home bagged the major awards in the recently concluded Myx Music Awards

ISAH V. RED

adine Lustre was the top winner of the MYX Music Awards 2016, sweeping a total of five awards including Favorite Music Video, Favorite Song, Favorite Artist, Favorite Female Artist, and Favorite Collaboration along with boyfriend and onscreen partner James Reid. Another big winner at the awards night was young artist Darren Espanto who took home two awards for Favorite Male Artist and Favorite MYX Celebrity VJ. RnB princess Kyla also shone brightly, winning Favorite Remake and Favorite Media Soundtrack for her rendition of “On the Wings of Love.” OPM icon Ogie Alcasid was the big star of the evening. He was recognized as this year’s MYX Magna awardee for his tremendous contribution in the local music scene. As a tribute, a mind blowing medley of some of Ogie’s best hits was performed by top OPM artists Jaya, Erik Santos, Christian Bautista, Yeng Constantino, Kyla, Angeline Quinto, Jona, Matteo Guidicelli, Jay-R, Aicelle Santos, and Top Suzara that earned a standing ovation from the audience. International OPM artist Charice even surprised everyone in the MYX Music Awards as she sang Nirvana’s “Smells like Teen Spirit” with Mayonnaise. The 11th MYX Music Awards was held at the Kia Theater, MYX VJs Ai dela Cruz, Robi Domingo, Tippy Dos Santos, Sarah Carlos, Alex Diaz, Jairus Aquino, and Sharlene San Pedro hosted the event. Among the artists and media personalities who graced the muchawaited awards night were Donna Cruz, KZ Tandingan, Kapamilya Chicken Pork Adobo online star Bretman Rock, Cheats, Callalily, Jason Dy, Silent Santuary, Abra, Paolo and Kiana Valenciano, Morisette, Jayda, Denise Laurel, JK Labajo, The Juans, Jensen and the Flips, and Ella Cruz. The MYX Music Awards will have a replay on March 24, 10 p.m.; March 25, 1 p.m.; and March 27, 11a.m..

Music acts and artists during an explosive opening number

Donna Cruz

Squad snap: Myx VJ Robi Domingo with some of this year’s winners

Charice Pempengco

Singer and songwriter Ogie Alcasid is this year’s MYX Magna awardee

Winners of the MYX Music Awards 2016 Myx Magna Award: Ogie Alcasid Favorite Music Video: “Me and You” - Nadine Lustre (Director: Miggy Tanchangco) Favorite Song: “Me and You” - Nadine Lustre Favorite Artist: Nadine Lustre Favorite Female Artist: Nadine Lustre Favorite Male Artist: Darren Espanto Favorite Group: Silent Sanctuary Favorite Mellow Video: “Dance Without The Music” -

**** Yeng Constantino (Director: Cristhian Escolano) Favorite Rock Video: “Firepower” - Bamboo (Director: Paolo Valenciano) Favorite Urban Video: “Diwata” - Abra feat. Chito Miranda (Directors: Marco Gatchalian & Mark Ginolos) Favorite New Artist: Jason Dy Favorite Collaboration: “Hanap Hanap” - James Reid & Nadine Lustre Favorite Remake: “On The Wings of Love” - Kyla Favorite Media Soundtrack: “On The Wings of Love” - Kyla

Young singer Darren Espanto

Favorite Guest Appearance in a Music Video: Alden Richards (“Kapangyarihan Ng Pag-Ibig” Aicelle Santos) Favorite International Video: “Bad Blood” - Taylor Swift Favorite MYX Celebrity VJ: Darren Espanto Special Award: Best Music Video (not open to public voting): “Cerberus” - Abra feat. Loonie & Ron Henley (Director: Willan Rivera) Myx.ph Vlogger Search winner: Sunny Kim