The Standard - 2016 April 1 - Friday

VOL. XXX NO. 48 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 FRIDAY : APRIL 1, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

DoTC misses deadline on MRT

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FARMERS REFUSE TO LIFT BLOCKADE

By Christine F. Herrera and Sandy Araneta

SOME 6,000 starving farmers stood their ground on Day 2 of their human barricade of the Cotabato-Davao highway to demand that the government give them 15,000 sacks of rice as aid for as many families affected by the severe drought.

Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas secretary-general Antonio Flores said the drought-stricken farmers lay

on the highway and stayed there for two days now to dramatize their plight and to protest the government’s in-

action after five months of drought brought on by the El Niño phenomenon.

“Farmers are demanding the release of 15,000 sacks of rice as subsidy to farmers which was previously approved by North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Talino-Mendoza. The NFA simply told the farmers that their demand is ‘under process’,” Flores said.

Flores said the farmers from Makilala, Mlang, Tulunan, Magpet, Roxas, Antipas, Arakan towns and Ki-

dapawan City set up camp near the National Food Authority warehouse in Kidapawan City.

The barricade has stopped traffic from moving both ways along the highway.

Negotiations between farmers, the local government and the NFA were ongoing at the Diocese of Kidapawan mediated by Diocese Administrator Lito Garcia.

He said the farmers would lift the barricade only after their demands were met.

“Even the rice field rats and snakes evacuated the areas because there was nothing left to feed on in the farms,” Flores said.

The KMP also lambasted the North Cotabato police for alleging that farmers were duped into joining the ongoing massive protests that barricaded the Davao-Cotabato highway to demand urgent calamity assistance to farmers and lumad—or native tribes—severely affected by drought in the province.

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Protest. More than 6,000 farmers stand their ground near the National Food Authority warehouse in Kidapawan City on Thursday as they demand the release of 15,000 sacks of rice because of the drought in North Cotabato.

Binay promises unifying admin

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Tacloban mayor also denounces Mar comic

By Christine F. Herrera, John Paolo Bencito and Sandy Araneta TACLOBAN City Mayor Alfred Romualdez described as malicious and fictitious the account being circulated in a comic book used in the presidential campaign of administration candidate Manuel Roxas II that said the mayor as partying the

night before the killer Typhoon “Yolanda” flattened his city in November 2013.

“I am upset. Taclobanons are so upset because they saw me doing the rounds, busy evacuating people the night I was portrayed as partying, and a barangay chairman, who I woke up after the command conference, thanked me after the storm because had I not forced him to evacuate and had he not heeded, he

and his daughter would have perished because their house was washed away,” Romualdez said.

Reacting to the Roxas comic book, Romualdez offered to set the record straight with a detailed account of what happened the day Yolanda struck, and how these events showed that the national government went to Tacloban Next page unprepared.

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Poverty stalks ‘Yolanda’-hit areas Farmers...

From A1

Flores said North Cotabato Police Chief Supt. Bernard Tayong alleged that organizers of the protest led by Kilusang Magbubukid ng Kotabato, KMP’s local chapter in North Cotabato, tricked the protesters by promising them that rice would be distributed by the provincial government.

“Chief Supt. Bernard Tayong is not thinking. The farmers’ protest is just and legitimate. Anyone who is hungry will seek ways to find food and livelihood,” Flores said in Filipino.

“The farmers are just getting what is due to them.

Militant and daring actions are an expression of the people’s assertion of rights. The granting of rice subsidy to drought-affected farmers was already approved by the LGU. But because the national government is slow, the starving farmers are taking action,” Flores said.

Aside from rice and food aid, farmers were also demanding free distribution of seedlings, an increase in the farm gate prices of agricultural crops and the immediate pullout of military troops in the North Cotabato towns, Flores said.

The local government, however, insisted on dis-

Tacloban...

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Romualdez said Roxas and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin knew he was at the command conference, which the two Cabinet members co-presided, at the Philippine National Police regional headquarters that started at 8 p.m. on the eve of Yolanda’s onslaught.

Romualdez said he even apologized to Roxas and Gazmin for arriving 20 minutes late because he had to attend to a fire that gutted a residence in downtown Tacloban City.

After the command conference, Romualdez said he did the rounds of the coastal barangays to evacuate people and stopped at midnight while Roxas and Gazmin proceeded to check in at the Leyte Park Hotel after the conference at 10 p.m.

“I don’t drink, neither do I party. The comic book was very malicious. My life is very transparent. Everybody saw me the night before the storm and days after the storm,” the mayor said.

Romualdez hit back at Roxas, who thanked his supporters for coming out with the 28-page comic book that portrayed him as a hero and savior during Yolanda.

“When I was a kid, I watched superheroes like Superman and Batman, among others, but I never heard them say, ‘Bahala kayo sa buhay niyo’,” Romualdez said,

tributing the rice subsidy through the food for work program of the local Department of Social Welfare and Development, he said.

“Due to the drought, farmers cannot plant rice and crops and they have no alternative livelihood. Their families are already hungry and in need of urgent assistance.

Instead of acting swiftly to provide immediate relief to farmers, the LGU wants to follow circuitous and bureaucratic processes,” Flores said.

“Farmers will continue with their collective actions until the local government accedes to their demands,” he said.

In the Palace, a spokesman for President Benigno Aquino III said the government has taken steps to counter the effects of the El Niño.

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the Agriculture Department was carrying out El Niño mitigation programs in the area and was working with the local government to address the farmers’ concerns.

“But the DA is not directly involved in the matter of giving rice to the farmers as the DA itself is focusing on other El Niño mitigation projects,” Coloma also said.

North Cotabato was placed under a state of calamity in January due to the dry spell brought about by El Niño.

Pedro Arnado, chairman

of KMP Southern Mindanao, said they will continue with their protests until officials from the Cotabato provincial government meet their demands, including their call for Mendoza to negotiate with them.

Jessie Ined, assistant executive secretary of the governor, said Mendoza would meet with the protesters and denied that they had tried several times to set up a meeting.

Norma Capuyan, chairperson of Apo-Sandawa Lumadnong Panaghiusa in North Cotabato, said that during negotiations with Kidapawan City Mayor Joseph Evangelista, the mayor wanted to get the names of those who joined the rally, saying the rice would be coursed through their respective barangays.

But Capuyan said they want to sign a memorandum of agreement with the provincial governor, at their barricade to ensure that their demands will be met.

“This is not the first time that farmers here put up a barricade during El Niño,” Capuyan said, referring to a similar action in 1998. “And this was not the first time that we heard that line from the politicians.”

She said the farmers do not want to have a repeat of what happened 18 years ago where they went home with nothing.

“We want to receive the rice here in the picket line.

We will not leave this place until Governor Lala negotiates with us,” she said.

In its El Niño Advisory No. 13 issued on Feb. 9, 2016, the weather bureau said 18 provinces, mostly from Mindanao, experienced drought conditions in February.

As of Feb. 29, 2016, the provinces including Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, Basilan, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi have experienced drought, the bureau said.

“Meanwhile, occurrences of grassfires in General Santos City and Cotabato City have been reported due to the prolonged dry conditions and warmer than average temperatures attributed to the on-going El Niño phenomenon. The highest temperatures recorded were 38.0 °C in General Santos City and 36.2 °C in Cotabato City for the month of February,” the advisory said.

The largest by far in the grassfire last Saturday, March 26, that razed 300 hectares surrounding the country’s highest peak, Mt. Apo found on the boundaries of Davao City, Davao del Sur and Cotabato provinces.

quoting Roxas who made that comment when the mayor refused to surrender his powers that Roxas demanded in exchange for the help that the national government would extend to the city.

Romualdez said he was upset that the people of Tacloban were still being blamed for the tragedy two and a half years after the typhoon claimed more than 6,000 lives.

“They say the comic book was meant to set the record straight. Let us set the record straight then. It was them, the national government that came to Tacloban unprepared. During the command conference, I asked why there was no representative from [the weather bureau] Pagasa because Mar Roxas announced and started barking orders that the storm would hit land at noontime the following day. Yolanda made landfall at 7 a.m. the next day,” Romualdez said.

“Roxas, being then the head of DILG should have brought with him a representative from Pagasa to tell us authoritatively and accurately when the storm will strike,” he said.

He said there might have been some factionalism involved because the Cabinet secretary who oversaw the weather bureau was associated with a faction that opposed Roxas.

When Roxas realized that there was no weather expert in the room, he did not ask for one but continued barking orders, and thus failed to

get a crucial storm update that bumped up Yolanda’s expected landfall, Romualdez said.

At 6 a.m. the day the typhoon ravaged the city, Romualdez was already up presiding over a command conference and monitoring the situation, he said.

“While we were doing that, the winds were already so powerful and I was told that the tide receded by 200 to 300 meters away from the shore and that only meant one thing—it was not a storm surge but a tsunami coming. I made several calls and told my wife to stay put where they were. Had they left the house by the beach…. my entire family would have been swept away by the seawater,” Romualdez said.

“Where was Mar after the storm? The first thing they did was to go to my office begging that I produce for them a satellite phone, which they did not bring. I also had to let our chief of police ask a drugstore to open because Mar Roxas asked that I produce insulin because Gazmin [a diabetic] did not have his medication. So who came unprepared?” Romualdez said.

Romualdez questioned the national government officials’ inaction and slow response to the calamity such that a state of calamity was declared only four days after Yolanda.

“Yolanda hit us on a Friday and President Aquino was in Tacloban on a Sunday and that afternoon, some 150 inmates bolted jail because the few policemen left, some of whom were also casualties,

had to secure the President.

So I asked the President if he could augment our police force and security. The President told me, ‘I will think about it.’,” Romualdez said.

He said there was no debate that Roxas was in Tacloban “before, during and after” the storm.

“The question is, what did he do while he was there?” the mayor said.

The mayor said the President, who boasted that the national government was prepared and expected a “zero casualty,” was fast and immediately wanted to blame him.

“The President boasted the national government was prepared and expected a zero casualty. When the opposite happened, they immediately wanted to blame me with Roxas demanding that I surrender my powers that deemed as resignation and so by the time I came back, my term would be over. The President went on to address the nation blaming us for the thousands of casualties.”

“The President said we were stupid, and that we were not prepared. I’d say he was more stupid. And it seems like things get much worse when the national government officials are around,” Romualdez said.

Romualdez said the President should have known that while Tacloban has a population on record of 240,000, the real number of people during day time swells to one million since the city is a financial and business hub.

By Vito Barcelo and Macon Ramos-Araneta

THE incidence of poverty has worsened to 54.9 percent three years since the devastation of Super Typhoon “Yolanda,” with thousands of survivors still homeless and hungry due to the continued neglect by the government, the opposition United Nationalist Alliance said Thursday.

On a campaign stop in Borongang, Eastern Samar, UNA presidential candidate Vice President Jejomar Binay vowed that if he were elected, he would complete the construction of almost 190,000 houses for Yolanda victims in a year.

Referring to the delays in the Aquino administration’s use of aid earmarked for storm victims, Binay said poverty could easily worsen in a calamity-hit area if the government does not move fast to help the people.

Government data show that 14 provinces in the Visayas are in need of 205,128 housing units.

Of these, only 17,641 units were built as of October 2015.

The government expects to complete another 92,554 units

by December 2016.

But UNA said the Commission on Audit’s own report showed that more than P364 million in local and foreign donations for victims of several typhoons and an earthquake during the last six years are still in the bank account of the Office of the Civil Defense.

The same audit report said that as of December 2014, the OCD spent only P81.068 million in donations for various calamities since 2008.

The agency said the biggest chunk of donations was the P137 million received from government agencies and other sources after Yolanda devastated large areas of Eastern Visayas.

Out of the Yolanda contributions, however, only P38.755 million was released, as of the end of 2014, leaving P98.24 million untouched and deposited in a trust account with the Development Bank of the Philippines.

“It is not acceptable to see typhoon victims to wait several years from the government to have their own house. I will stop this kind of practice,” Binay said.

Binay vowed there would be no delays in the release of calamity funds under his administration.

He issued his remarks after the Department of Budget and Management announced the release of P2.25 billion for Bottom Up Budgeting (BUB) projects in the Eastern Visayas one month before the 2016 national elections.

Also on Thursday, vice presidential candidate Senator Francis Escudero criticized the Social Welfare department under President Benigno Aquino III for imposing conditions on aid to Yolanda victims.

Instead of including them in the government’s 4Ps dole

program, the government made typhoon survivors go through a cash-for-work program that had them lifting bodies of the dead and clearing roads of trash.

If he and his running mate Senator Grace Poe are elected, Escudero said, they would provide unconditional and swift distribution of government aid to victims of calamity.

“If you were battered by a typhoon, the help that should be given by the government should be unconditional cash transfer,” said Escudero.

He also hit the administration for using the conditional cash transfer or 4Ps program as a campaign fund, and warning the poor that it would be discontinued if the administration candidate did not win.

“They do not own the 4Ps. That did not come from their own pockets. It came from the taxes we are paying. We will continue the 4Ps and even widened it,” Escudero said.

The CCT program gives out a monthly stipend of up to P1,400 to each family beneficiary provided their children regularly attend school and the mothers, if pregnant, seek pre- and post-natal care, as part of government’s efforts to improve the health, nutrition and education of children from the poorest sector of society.

On Thursday, the Caritas Switzerland chief delegate to the Philippines, Marcel Reymond, said the Catholic charity had turned over the Malbago Elementary School, one of seven disaster-resistant schools under its school rehabilitation program that can also serve as evacutation centers.

“The rehabilitated school will serve as evacuation area if a heavy typhoon or other calamity strikes the area. Disaster risk reduction and mitigation strategies are an integral part of the rehabilitation program,” Reymond said.

“In times of evacuation, the multipurpose blackboards can be used as separation wall inside the classrooms to provide more privacy for evacuees.

During regular times they are used as shelves and for teaching,” he said. There is also a retrofitted computer room and principal’s office, a small canteen, a new perimeter fence, features to facilitate access for people with disabilities, a stage, and improved water and sanitation facilities. The school, which is estimated to cost about P23.96 million, also employed 65 skilled and unskilled workers from the community who were instructed in disaster-resilient contstruction techniques. With Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

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Poe supporter says she’s attracting more voters CEBU Rep. Ace Durano on Thursday expressed gratitude to those who shifted their support to leading presidential contender Grace Poe, saying her solid platform of government had convinced them to have a change of heart.

“The marked improvement in our survey performance is proof that our campaign efforts are achieving their desired results,” said Durano, the campaign manager of the Partido Galing at Puso.

“We are able to reach more and more Filipinos with each day on the campaign trail.”

Poe has started to pull away from the rest of the presidential aspirants, according to the latest survey of Social Weather Stations commissioned by TV5.

In the survey conducted on March 22, Poe broke away from her statistical tie with Vice President Jejomar Binay and surged to a preference rating of 35 percentage points, while Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte took second place with 26 percent. Binay slid to third with 18 percent while the Liberal Party standard-bearer remained in fourth with 17 percent.

While the result was generally anticipated because the survey was conducted at a time when Poe had already settled into a worry-free campaign after the Supreme Court’s favorable ruling reversing a decision of the Commission on Elections canceling her Certificate of Candidacy for president, the number of those who shifted loyalty to her was pivotal.

The SWS survey showed she gained much leverage from the voters who gave her their approval after previously supporting Binay (2 percent), Duterte (2 percent), Roxas (2 percent) and Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago (1 percent).

“Those were encouraging results that we’re on the right path,” Durano said.

Poe’s running mate, Senator Francis Escudero, continued to pace the vice presidential contenders, earning the nod of 30 percent of those polled.

Durano said that with barely 40 days left before the May elections, he expected the voter preference “to be more polarized as the factor of ‘winnability’ comes into play and would be felt down to the voter-level.”

“In a few days, things will boil down to one question: ‘Will the candidate I’m supporting win?” he said.

He was confident that Poe’s and Escudero’s numbers were going to improve as the elections draw near.

Pampanga sortie. Presidential candidate Grace Poe leads her senatorial team during a sortie in Pampanga on Thursday. JAY MORALES

Binay promises he will be a unifying president TACLOBAN CITY—Presidential candidate Jejomar Binay says his administration will be a “healing and unifying” one following the various allegations being hurled against him.

In a press briefing on Wednesday shortly after his campaign sorties in Leyte province and Tacloban City, Binay apologized to reporters for making them wait for about seven hours, citing his hectic schedule.

“We don’t have an ounce of bitterness,” Binay said, adding there was a need for unity in the country “for the cause of the people.”

“Ours is a platform of unity.

Let’s work together,” said Binay who was accompanied by outgoing Tacloban Mayor Alfred

Romualdez and her wife Cristina, who is a candidate for mayor in the city.

Binay then reiterated his earlier stand that he will allow the burial of the remains of the late President Ferdinand Marcos in his birthplace in Batac, Ilocos Norte, “with full military honors.”

“It cannot be denied that Marcos became a president and commander in chief. Let’s bury him with full military honors,” he said.

He chided the Aquino ad-

ministration for its underspending which, he said, delayed the delivery of government services to the people.

“Why do we have underspending, why do we keep on saving?” Binay said.

“The job of the government is to collect taxes and spend it. For every delay, for every underspending there is under-service.”

Binay said the underspending in the Aquino administration had affected the fast delivery of health, education and other social services to the public.

He said he will push for the further modernization of the agriculture sector and support for local government units once elected.

“If the barangays and local government units are progressive, the country will be progressive,” he

said.

“Our agriculture is very challenging. It hardly contributes to the country’s gross domestic product.”

Romualdez aired his views on the issue of a comic book purportedly showing former Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II as a “hero” during the height of Super Typhoon “Yolanda” in November 2013 that left more than 6,000 dead and mostly in Tacloban City.

“I don’t read comics, but I have heard nothing good about it. It was very fictional. It was not factual.

There was no basis,” Romualdez said.

“I don’t want to relive that horrible experience again and bringing out the issues that are uncalled for. Many people will get hurt. This should not be taken lightly. It’s the learning that is what we should be proud about.” Ronald O. Reyes

Duterte to continue dole to poor families

Caloocan sortie. President Benigno Aquino III campaigns for the Liberal Party standard bearers Manuel Roxas II, Leni Robredo and its senatorial lineup in Caloocan City on Wednesday. MALACAÑANG PHOTO BUREAU

PRESIDENTIAL bet Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday vowed to continue the dole to the poor or Pantawid Pampamilyang Pilipino Program if elected.

He said the 4Ps will not stop because it uses government money and not anyone else’s.

Duterte made his statement even as Malacañang on Thursday denied Duterte’s statement that there had been a high crime incidence during the administration of President Benigno Aquino III. “The Philippine National Police has been sustained and strengthened by President Aquino, as well as the ability of the police to be more effective in combating crime and ensuring the peace and order of our society,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a statement.

He said it was only during the Aquino administration that each policeman had been issued a gun.

Duterte urged the voters not to be

lured by the empty promises of candidates using the government’s 4Ps to get votes.

“The money that the poor people receive from the 4Ps is not candidates’ money but the government’s,” he said.

He said the conditional cash transfer program was not a program of the Aquino administration but of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Arroyo launched the program in 2010 and it continues in all the 17 regions covering 79 provinces, 143 cities and 1,484 municipalities.

Duterte expressed disappointment over the claim of several national and local candidates belonging to the Liberal Party that the 4Ps would stop if they lost in the May 9 elections.

“Don’t worry that the 4Ps will stop. It will continue under a Duterte presidency,” he said. Rio N. Araja and Sandy Araneta

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Bets vow to protect media

By Vito Barcelo and Rio N. Araja

TWO presidential candidates have vowed to prioritize the resolution of cases of media killings in the country, which has been tagged as the second most dangerous place in the world for journalists with 146 deaths in the past 25 years.

“Violence against the media has no place in a Binay presidency.

Press freedom must be respected and prioritized by the government and only a decisive leadership can end this culture of impunity in our 2.1.5.

GCGMEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO.2012 – 04 (3rdIssUE) SUBJECT

:

DATE

:

1.

NOMINATION AND APPOINTMENT OF APPOINTIVE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS/TRUSTEES OF GOCCS, SUBSIDIARIES AND AFFILIATES 26 October 2015

3.

1.3.

1.4.

1.5.

DEFINITION OF “GOCC”. – Section 3(o) of R.A. No. 10149 defines “Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporation (GOCC)” as “any agency organized as a stock or nonstock corporation, vested with functions relating to public needs whether governmental or proprietary in nature, and owned by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines directly or through its instrumentalities either wholly or, where applicable as in the case of stock corporations, to the extent of at least a majority of its outstanding capital stock.” It also provides that the term “GOCC” includes Government Instrumentalities with Corporate Powers (GICP), Government Corporate Entities (GCE) and Government Financial Institutions (GFI).

1.2.1.

Section 3(z) defines “Subsidiary” as “a corporation where at least a majority of the outstanding capital stock is owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, by the GOCC.” Subsidies therefore fall within the definition of “GOCCs” and are also expressly stated within the coverage of R.A. No. 10149, Section 4 thereof.

1.2.2. Section 3(a) defines “Affiliate” as “a corporation fifty percent (50%) or less of the outstanding capital stock of which is owned or controlled, directly, by the GOCC.” APPOINTIVE DIRECTORS. – Section 15 of R.A. No. 10149 provides that “An Appointive Director shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines from a shortlist prepared by the GCG,” which does not distinguish whether the Appointive Director is with the GOCC, a Subsidiary, or an Affiliate.

1.3.1.

Section 3(b) defines “Appointive Director” as: “(1) In the case of chartered GOCCs, members of its Board of Directors/Trustees who are not Ex Officio members thereof; “(2) In the case of nonchartered GOCCs, members of its Board of Directors/Trustees whom the State is entitled to nominate, to the extent of its percentage shareholdings in such GOCC; and “(3) In the case of subsidiaries and affiliates, members of its rules and criteria in the selection and nomination of prospective appointees and shall cause the creation of search committees to achieve the same. The GCG shall ensure that the shortlist shall exceed by at least fifty percent (50%) of the number of directors/trustees to be appointed. In the event that the President does not see fit to appoint any of the nominees included in the shortlist, the President shall ask the GCG to submit additional nominees.”

1.3.2. In non-chartered GOCCs, all members of the Board are considered Appointive Directors, unless otherwise provided by law or by an Executive Order issued by the President.

1.3.3. GOCC Representatives in GOCC Governing Boards are considered Appointive Directors subject to the selection and nomination process of the GCG. 1.3.4. Pursuant to Section 49 of Book IV (Executive Branch), Chapter 10 of the Administrative Code of 1987, an Appointive Director may, in addition to his primary position, hold not more than two (2) positions in the government and government corporations.

In accordance with GCG M.C. No. 2012-09 (Re-Issued), the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a GOCC occupies two (2) positions: as an Appointive Director and as CEO. As such, the CEO may hold only one (1) other Appointive Director seat in another GOCC. ALL CEO POSITIONS DEEMED TO CONSTITUTE APPOINTIVE DIRECTOR POSITION. – Pursuant to the following provisions of R.A. No. 10149, thus: (a) Section 17: “Any provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, all incumbent CEOs and appointive members of the Board of GOCCs shall, upon approval of this Act, have a term of office until June 30, 2011, unless sooner replaced by the President; Provided, however, That the incumbent CEOs and appointment members of the Board shall continue in office until the successor have been appointed by the President;” and (b) Section 18: “The CEO or the highest-ranking officer provided in the charters of the GOCCs, shall be elected annually by the members of the Board from among its rank;” the legal effect is that all CEO positions in GOCCs covered by R.A. No. 10149, have all become part of the Appointive Members of the Governing Board, who may be “subject to the disciplinary powers of the Board and may be removed by the Board for cause,” under the clear terms of Section 18 thereof, and therefore sit in the Governing Board having the same rights, privileges and inhibitions to which all other Appointive Members of the Governing Board.

TERM OF OFFICE. – Under GCG M.C. No. 2012-03,1 the GCG has formally taken cognizance of the fact that Section 17 of R.A. No. 10149 has provided for the “Term of Office” of Appointive Directors in GOCCs to officially begin on 01 July of each year and ending on 30 June of the following year, thus: (a) “Any provision in the charters of each GOCC to the contrary notwithstanding, the term of office of each Appointive Director shall be for one (1) year, unless sooner removed for cause x xx”

FROM WHOM FORMAL NOMINATION SHALL BE SOLICITED 3.1.1.

GOCCs under GCG Annex A: GCG shall formally solicit nominations for all the positions of Appointive Directors in each of the GOCCs, with indications as to who are being endorsed to the positions of Chairman and CEO, from the following: (a) The Department or Government Agency to which the GOCC is attached; (b) Board of Directors/Trustees of the Parent GOCC, when applicable; (c) Sectoral organizations for Appointive Members who are designated to represent such sector, when applicable; and (d) Stakeholder groups affected by the GOCC. 3.1.2. Subsidiaries: GCG shall formally solicit nominations for all the positions of Appointive Directors in each of the GOCCs, with indications as to who are being endorsed to the positions of Chairman and CEO, from the following: (a) The Department or Government Agency to which the GOCC is attached; (b) Board of Directors/Trustees of the Parent GOCC.

3.2.

SUBMISSIONS REQUIRED FOR NOMINATIONS 3.2.1. All nominations shall be accompanied by a Formal Nomination Form submitted to the GCG that shall: (a) Contain a certification that the nominees are qualified under the law and the charter of the GOCC, as well as the Fit and Proper Rules of the GCG for the positions to which they have been nominated; (b) Be accompanied by the following documentary requirements: • Appointive Director’s Data Form (ADDF); • Clearances from the: Civil Service Commission (CSC) Office of the Ombudsman (OMB), Sandiganbayan (SB) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI); • If nominee has pending case/s, case files such as Executive Summary, Complaint-Affidavit, Counter-Affidavit and other related documents or Certification that a particular nominee has not received any Order from the Court or Office to submit an Answer or Counter-Affidavit; • Affidavit of No Relation; and • Authorization to Secure Documents in Relation to Case(s) Filed Against the Nominee.

3.2.2. For nominations from the Department or Government Agency to which the GOCC is attached, the formal nomination form addressed to the GCG shall be: (a) Certified by Head of Agency; (b) The nominees shall be a number of at least 150% of the positions for which the nomination is made.

3.2.3. For nominations from the Board of Directors/Trustees of parent GOCCs, the formal nomination form addressed to the GCG shall be: (a) Certified by Head of Agency; (b) Accompanied by a formal Board resolution confirming the nomination by the Board of each of the nominees; and (c) The nominees shall be a number of at least 150% of the positions for which the nomination is made.

3.2.4. For nominations from sectoral groups, the formal nomination addressed to the GCG shall be: (a) Certified or signed by the Head of the sectoral group; (b) The nominees shall be a number of at least 150% of the positions for which the nomination is made.

3.2.5. For nominations from stakeholder groups, the formal nomination addressed to the GCG shall be: (a) Certified or signed by the Head of the stakeholder group; and (b) The nominees shall be a number of at least 150% of the positions for which the nomination is made.

INDIVIDUAL APPLICATIONS AND OTHER ENDORSEMENTS.The foregoing provisions are without prejudice to GCG processing individual applications received from interested candidates, as well as nominations/endorsements received from other sectors, and imposing the same or similar documentary requirements as provided for above, subject to vetting with the Department/Government Agency and Parent GOCC, if applicable.

NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF APPOINTIVE DIRECTORS OF AFFILIATES 4.1.

4.2.

(b)

2.

“Any provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, all incumbent CEOs and appointive members of the Board of GOCCs shall, upon approval of this Act, have a term of office until 30 June 2011, unless sooner replaced by the President x xx” 1.5.1.

Since Affiliates are not covered within the term “GOCCs” and do not fall within the defined coverage of R.A. No. 10149 per Section 4 thereof, they are not bound by the provisions of Section 17 on the “Term of Office” of Appointive Directors.

1.5.2. Since Economic Zone Authorities (EZAs) and Research Institutions (RIs) are expressly excluded from the defined coverage under Section 4 of R.A. No. 10149, they are also not bound by the provisions of Section 17 on the “Term of Office” of Appointive Directors.

LEVELS OF GOCCs 2.1. For purposes of administering the nomination, appointment or election processes for Appointive Directors in GOCCs, Subsidiaries, Affiliates, EZAs and RIs, the following levels are hereby recognized: 2.1.1.

GOCCs under GCG Annex A: Attached herewith is Annex A 2 which classifies into sectors the GOCCs constituting the covered “GOCCs, GICPs/GCEs, and government financial institutions [GFIs], and their subsidiaries,” referred to in Section 4 of the Act. The listing in Annex A shall be without prejudice to the power of GCG to update and reclassify them further as the need arises.

2.1.2. GOCC Subsidiaries: All subsidiaries of GOCCs which fall under the definition under Section 3(z) of R.A. No. 10149 which are not listed in GCG Annex A shall hereinafter be referred to as “Subsidiaries.”

2.1.3.

GOCC Affiliates. All affiliates of GOCCs which fall under the definition under Section 3(a) of R.A. No. 10149 shall hereinafter be referred to as “Affiliates.”

2.1.4.

Economic Zone Authorities (EZAs). The term “Economic Zone Authorities” referred to in Section 4 of R.A. No. 10149 as being excluded from the coverage of the Act shall cover only those having a charter which provides the primary purpose of which is to act as an economic zone authority, such as the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO), Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB), Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA), Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority (ZAMBOECOZONE).

All other chartered GOCCs where regulation of zone authorities is just an additional function, such as the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), or nonchartered GOCCs organized and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which under their articles of incorporation, are to engage in the regulation of economic zones, such as the Clark Development Corporation (CDC), John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC), and Poro Point Management Corporation (PPMC), are within the full coverage of R.A. No. 10149, not falling within the technical term of authorities.

Research Institutions.The term “Research Institutions” referred to in Section 4 of R.A. No. 10149 as being excluded from the coverage of the Act, shall cover only those having a charter which provides the primary purpose of which is to act as a research institution, such as Philippine Rice Research Institute (PRRI) and the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

All other chartered GOCCs where engaging in research constitutes merely an additional function of the GOCC, such as the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), or nonchartered GOCCs organized under their articles of incorporation to engage into institutional research, are within the full coverage of R.A. No. 10149.

3.1.

3.3.

4.

deadly conditions.”

“The state must protect the media.

In a democracy, the role of media is very important.

In the absence of a credible opposition party, you can rely on the media,” Duterte said.

NOMINATION AND APPOINTMENT OF APPOINTIVE DIRECTORS OF GOCCs AND SUBSIDIARIES

APPLICABLE LEGAL PROVIsIONs 1.1.

COVERAGE Of thE L Aw. – Section 4 of Republic Act No. 10149(The GOCC Governance Act of 2011) provides that “This Act shall be applicable to all GOCCs, GICPs/GCEs, and government financial institutions, including their subsidiaries, but excluding the BangkoSentral ng Pilipinas, state universities and colleges, cooperatives, local water districts, economic zone authorities and research institutions; Provided, That in economic zone authorities and research institutions, the President shall appoint one-third (1/3) of the board members from the list submitted by the GCG.” 1.2.

country,” Vice President Jejomar Binay said.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, for his part, called for greater protection for media workers, adding that many of them “work under dangerous and even

4.3.

FROM WHOM FORMAL NOMINATION SHALL ORIGINATE 4.1.1.

Affiliates, not being within the coverage of R.A. No. 10149, continue to be governed by their articles of incorporation and by-laws, and consequently, the nomination of Appointive Directors to their Boards shall remain within the business judgment prerogative of the Board of Directors/Trustees of the Parent or Holding GOCCs. 4.1.2.

In preparation for the annual stockholders’ or members’ meetings of the Affiliates at which the members of their Board are nominated and elected, the Board of Directors/ Trustees of parent or holding GOCCs shall, through formal board resolutions, nominate candidates for the Appointive Directors for each Affiliate whom the parent or holding GOCC is entitled to nominate to the extent of its percentage shareholdings in such Affiliates.

ELECTION OF APPOINTIVE DIRECTORS AT ANNUAL STOCKHOLDERS’ OR MEMBERS’ MEETINGS. – At each of the annual stockholders’ or members’ meetings, or any other special meetings, at which the members of the Affiliate’s Board of Directors/ Trustees shall be elected, the nominees to the Board of the parent or holding GOCC shall be formally announced during the portion on the election of the members of the Board of Directors/Trustees, with the nomination and election of the rest of the members being then conducted where the parent or holding GOCC shall no longer be casting any votes. At the end of such exercise, the nominees of the parent or holding GOCC, together with the rest of the candidates receiving the highest number of votes for the rest of the position available in the Board shall be formally announced as duly nominated and elected members of the Affiliate’s Board of Directors/Trustees.

REPORT TO THE GCG. – Within fifteen (15) days from the election of Appointive Directors in Affiliates, the Chairman of the Board of the parent or holding GOCC shall submit to the GCG the following: (a) The board resolution nominating their candidates; (b) Biographical write-ups or curriculum vitae for all the individuals nominated and elected into the Board of the Affiliate; and (c) Certification of the amounts of per diem and other benefits they are receiving as Appointive Directors of the Affiliate.

5.

NOMINATION, APPOINTMENT OR ELECTION OF APPOINTIVE DIRECTORS OF EZAs AND RIs 5.1.

Nominations and appointments for the seats subject to the selection and nomination process by the GCG in Economic Zone Authorities (EZAs) and Research Institutions (RIs) must conform to the guidelines provided under GCG M.C. No. 2014-01 on the Nomination and Appointment in Economic Zone Authorities (EZAs) and Research Institutions (RIs).

6.

REPEALING CLAUSE.– All other GCG orders, circulars, issuances, and decisions, as well as Board resolutions, or parts of the foregoing, which are inconsistent with this Memorandum Circular are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

EFFECTIVITY CLAUSE. – This Circular shall take effect immediately upon its publication in the Governance Commission’s website at www.gcg.gov.ph.

7.

(SGD.) CESAR L. VILLANUEVA Chairman

(SGD.)CESAR V. PURISIMA DOF Secretary

(SGD.) MA. ANGELA E. IGNACIO Commissioner

(SGD.) FLORENCIO B. ABAD DBM Secretary

(SGD.)RAINIER B. BUTALID Commissioner _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1

2

S t a t u s o f H o l d o v e r a n d A c t i n g A p p o i n t i v e D i r e c t o r s / Tr u s t e e s i n G O C C B o a r d s a n d R e q u i r i n g t h e Submission of Information on Their Respective Qualif ications.

T h e l i s t m a y b e d o w n l o a d e d f r o m o u r w e b s i t e , w w w. g c g . g o v. p h . ( T S - A P R . 1, 2 016)

Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance, however, took a swipe at the Davao Death Squad, a vigilante group associated with Duterte.

UNA spokesman Mon Ilagan said of the 146 journalists killed in the past 25 years, three were allegedly murdered by the DDS, namely Jun Pala, Ferdie Lintuan and Rene Galope.

“We must put a stop to this culture of impunity. We likewise cry for justice for victims of political violence who were unjustly threatened, harassed, intimidated and killed in this senseless act of political hatred and greed,” Ilagan said.

“A leadership that shies away from these issues and downplays the murder of our journalists as not work-related is unacceptable.

Likewise, a leadership that supports such atrocities is no leadership at all,” he added.

For his part, Duterte’s spokesman Peter Laviña said the mayor, who has never filed a libel case against journalists, will put up special courts and prosecution panels to handle cases of media killings and offer rewards and incentives for the immediate arrest, prosecution, and conviction of the killers and their masterminds.

Duterte said police investigators and prosecutors who fail to resolve these cases quickly “might as well look for another job.”

In February, broadcaster Elvis Ordaniza was shot dead inside his home in Pitogo town in Zamboanga del Sur. Data from the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines showed that Ordaniza is the 171st journalist to be murdered since 1986 and the 31st under the Aquino administration.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK f r i d aY : a p r i l 1 , 2 0 1 6

A5

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

PWDs laud VAT exemption

By Maricel V. Cruz

VARIOUS organizations of people with disabilities praised senatorial candidate Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez for championing the milestone law exempting 1.5-million PWDs from the payment of 12-percent value added tax on certain goods and services.

At a thanksgiving event in Quezon City Wednesday night, PWD groups Tahanang Walang Hagdanan Inc., Alyansa ng may Kapansanang (Akap) Pinoy, National Council of Disability Affairs Pilipinos With Disabilities party-list, the Bureau of Learning Resources of the Department of Education lauded the “malasakit” Romualdez displayed in pushing the passage of Republic Act 10754.

President Benigno Aquino III signed RA 10754 into law on March 23.

“The approval into law of Congressman Romualdez’s malasakit measure was a milestone achievement in the protection and promotion of PWD sector’s rights,” TWH president Manuel Agaoili said in a press conference.

“We commend the great attention given to us by Congressman Romualdez in expanding the benefits and privileges of PWDs. This is a genuine malasakit to us,” said TWH officer and sectoral representative Jocelyn Garcia.

Lawyer Jessica Magbanua, board secretary of Akap Pinoy, said the law will be a gateway for the passage of more measures in Congress to further uphold the rights of PWDs in the country. “The enactment of this measure was made possible through the initiative and malasakit of Congressman Romualdez.”

NCDA official Carmen Zubiaga acknowledged Romualdez’s efforts in championing their sector and said his act should be emulated by his colleagues.

“His [Romualdez] malasakit act is very laudable. The measure he worked for us will truly protect our rights and interest as members of PWD sector,” Zubiaga said.

Message of gratitude. Senatorial candidate Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez thanks President Benigno Aquino III and more than 200 leaders of various sectors for supporting the passage of Republic Act No. 10754 that exempts people with disabilities from the 12 percent value-added tax on certain goods and services. VER NOVENO

MMDA identifies 50 accident-prone roads

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE Metro Manila Development Authority has identified at least 50 major roads in the National Capital Region where most road accidents occur.

In northern part of Metro Manila, road accidents usually happen along Quirino Highway and Rizal Avenue in Caloocan City; Circumferential Road- 4, Gov. Pascual Avenue, M.H. Del Pilar Street, and McArthur Highway in Malabon City; Honorio Lopez Boulevard, Radial Road 10, and Naval Street in Navotas, and Maysan Road and McArthur Highway in Valenzuela.

In southern part, the accident prone areas are Sergio Osmeña Highway and Sen. Gil

Puyat Avenue in Makati City; the AlabangZapote Road, Real Street and Marcos Alvarez Avenue in Las Piñas City; West Service Road, National Highway, and Alabang-Zapote Road in Muntinlupa City; West Service Road, Roxas Boulevard, Ninoy Aquino Avenue, and Dr. A Santos Avenue in Parañaque City; Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue Extension and Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City; Carlos P. Garcia Avenue, Circumferential Road 5, M.L. Quezon Street and East Service Road in Taguig City, and Almeda Street and Herrera Street in Pateros.

In the eastern part of Metro Manila, the areas identified were the Marcos and Sumulong Highways in Marikina City; Edsa and Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City; Ortigas Avenue, E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, Marcos Highway and Julia Vargas Street in Pasig City; and Ortigas Avenue, Edsa, Santolan Road, P. Guevarra Street and N. Domingo Street in San Juan City.

In Manila, road accidents occur mostly along President Sergio Osmeña Highway, Radial Road 10 and Roxas Boulevard; and Commonwealth Avenue, Edsa, Quirino Highway, Quezon Avenue and Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City.

The MMDA identified those areas based on the 2015 Metro Manila Accident Recording and Analysis System program created and operated by the agency’s Traffic Discipline and Engineering Offices—Road Safety Unit in close cooperation with the Philippine National Police.

Based on the MMRAS report, a total of 95,615 road accidents happened in 2015, of which 519 deaths were recorded. Of the 519 cases, more than 200 involved motorcyclists. It also showed that the highest number of road accidents happened during the month of December and caused by human error (indisciplined drivers) and vehicular defect.

‘1-m studes may stop schooling’

By Sandy Araneta and John Paolo Bencito

Bulakenyos for Bongbong. Bulacan folk welcome Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. upon his arrival at Iba Oeste in Calumpit town where he resumed campaigning for the vice presidency. EY ACASIO

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

THE League of Filipino Students and Kabataan Party-list on Thursday expressed concern that around one million students may have nowhere to go after the K to 12 program due to the high cost of education.

LFS and Kabataan Party-list members, together with parents of graduating students, trooped to the Department of Education main office to demand the stopping of K to 12.

“As March ends, the dreams and future of hundreds of thousands up to a million students are being put to an end by the Aquino government. 700,000 to one million grade 10 students have nowhere to go after this school year because of the K to 12 program,” LFS national chairperson Charisse Bañez said.

Bañez noted that most of them are al-

ready considering to stop their schooling because of the high cost of education needed for the additional two years of K to 12.

Banez pointed out that even at the end of 2015 to 2016 school year, almost half of the grade 10 students are still unsure where to continue their senior high school education.

Bañez noted that an additional year will prompt students to look for P6,000 up to more than P15,000 for miscellaneous fees for modules, workbooks, ID, uniform, etc.

She added that the requirements needed for every subjects will cost P12,000 to more than P25,000 on top of the needed notebooks and other basic school supplies which costs P4,500 to P10,000. The youth leader also pointed out that the expenses for food, transportation will amount to P30,000 up to more than P60,000 annually.

for personnel services of branches shall be accounted for separately based on the implementation of the approved staffing model.

AUTHORITY OF THE GOVERNING BOARD. –

4.

4.1. Operational Flexibility. – Pursuant to the provision of adequate operational flexibility, the Governing Board shall have conditional authority to implement the actions below provided the same is first reported to the Governance Commission in the forms required under its Citizens’ Charter at least thirty (30) working days prior to implementation, and there was no communication from the Governance Commission to the contrary, to wit:

GCG MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 2015 – 04 SUBJECT

:

REORGANIZATION, RATIONALIZATION AND PERSONNEL PLANNING IN THE GOCC SECTOR

DATE

:

08 APRIL 2015

1.

4.1.1.

PURPOSE AND LEGAL AUTHORITY

4.1.2.

This Memorandum Circular covers the public policy, guidelines and procedures followed by the Governance Commission pursuant to its mandate under Republic Act (R.A.) No. 10149 to actively exercise the State’s ownership rights in GOCCs through the reorganization or streamlining of GOCCs1 to ensure that their operations support national goals. 2 Corollary thereto, the exercise of the State’s ownership rights must be balanced with the provision of adequate operational flexibility in light of the principle of “Board Autonomy” under Article 9-10 of the “Ownership and Operations Manual for the GOCC Sector”.3

4.1.3.

Towards this end, the Governance Commission shall ensure that: (a) (b) (c) (d) 2.

4.1.4.

Example Plantilla Item

(b) (c) (d)

(e)

Career Path

Chief Legal Counsel (I-III)

“Branch Staffing Model” determines (i) the job grade of the Head of the Branch Manager and the Officer next-in-rank; and (ii) Personnel Services budget based on the required personnel based on appropriate parameters for the GOCC’s operations (e.g. projected sales, population density, area).

“Career Bands” refer to relative groupings of jobs to help determine the nature (i.e., either management or individual contributor) and assess the level of contribution of a particular role in the organization.

“Career Levels” are discernible broad steps in a Career Band that reflect progression of jobs requiring higher levels of competence and knowledge.

“Job Grade (JG)”4 is a numerical representation of the relative internal values of a job in a GOCC’s plantilla/staffing pattern, determined by using quantifiable factors to assess the minimum requirements to perform a job as defined in the job description. The JG will dictate the Monthly Basic Salary of the job based on the Salary Structure.

“Reorganization or Rationalization” refers to changes in the Organization Structure and Staffing Pattern geared towards improving the delivery of services and overall performance of the GOCC. For purposes of this Circular, no distinction is made between reorganization and rationalization.

4.1.5.

4.1.6.

4.1.7.

4.1.8.

4.1.9.

3.1. Approval Process. – Applications for approval of the RP shall undergo the process prescribed by the Governance Commission, including: 3.1.1

Submission of the preliminary information required in the Citizen’s Charter on the GCG website; Presentation of the RP to the Governance Commission; Evaluation by the Technical Working Group (TWG) composed of representatives of the Governance Commission and the GOCC; 3.1.4 Discussion between the Governance Commission and the GOCC Governing Board of any issues not agreed upon at the TWG level; and 3.1.5 Issuance of Memorandum Order by the Governance Commission authorizing, or of a letter denying the implementation of the proposed Organizational Structure and Staffing Pattern (OSSP).

3.2. Evaluation Criteria. – The RP shall be evaluated on the basis of the following major criteria:

4.3.1

Design Framework. – The RP should demonstrate a clear link between the GOCC’s business strategy and proposed changes in the OSSP. It should identify the major criteria that guided the formulation of the plan. It should likewise identify success indicators of the Plan, the annual target for each indicator, and the units accountable for achieving the targets. The Governing Board shall take the lead in formulating the business strategy and the design framework, and shall be accountable for the RP. Design Process. – In addition to a clear and sound framework, the RP shall include the following components to indicate that the GOCC adhered to a transparent and evidencebased process in formulating the RP: Current State Assessment. – To ensure an objective and speedy identification of the problems and needs of the GOCC, the Governing Board shall cause the conduct of a current state assessment by a third party. The Governing Board shall provide the Commission the final report of the current state assessment. (b) Governance Structure. – To ensure orderly and efficient process, the GOCC shall at the start of the process issue clear guidelines and establish a governance structure in the formulation of the RP in accordance with this Circular. (c) Participatory Process. – To promote meaningful consultation and participation of employees and key stakeholders, the Governing Board and Management shall provide mechanisms for consultation and participation, establish a governance structure and guidelines, and define boundaries of decision-making. Such mechanism shall include the constitution of a Change Management Team (CMT), which shall include among its membership a representative from the employees’ association, and which shall have the following functions: i. To be the forum where employees and other affected stakeholders express their concerns and recommendations on the manner by which the Governing Board and Management develop the RP; ii. To recommend to the Governing Board and Management revisions to the final proposed RP to be submitted to the Governance Commission; iii. To cascade to the officers and employees the features of the RP once it has been approved for implementation by the Governance Commission; and iv. To assist officers and employees whose terms of employment are affected by the implementation of the approved RP. The GOCC’s Human Resource unit shall act as the secretariat of the CMT to ensure proper documentation of the planning and implementation of the RP. Nothing herein shall be interpreted to mean that the Governing Board shall delegate its decision-making powers or that key decisions should be arrived at by consensus. (d) Cost-Benefit Analysis – To determine the financial viability of the proposed changes to the OS, the GOCC shall conduct an analysis of the revenue and cost implications the proposed changes and their impact on the financial position of the GOCC. (e) Workforce Analysis and Planning – The GOCC shall conduct an analysis of the existing workforce by career band and job level. It shall prepare medium-term plan showing projected staffing levels by career band and job level over the next five (5) years. (f) Transition Program for Affected Officers and Employees – The RP shall provide for a program to assist officers and employees affected by organizational restructuring transition to new jobs outside the organization or new positions within the GOCC. Compliance to Standards. – The RP should comply with existing laws, rules or regulations. Parts thereof that are not compliant with existing laws, rules or regulations shall be invalid even if no adjustments are made by the Governance Commission and without prejudice to further action by the Commission on Audit (COA).

4.3.2

4.3.3.

(a)

3.2.3

4.3.4.

3.3.2.

3.3.3.

3.4. Authority to Implement RP. – Upon evaluation of the proposed RP, the Commission shall issue a Memorandum Order (MO) authorizing the Governing Board to implement the RP as approved by the Commission. The MO shall provide among others for the following: 3.4.1.

3.4.2.

3.4.3.

3.4.4.

The revised Organizational Structure (OS) or Table of Organization (TO); The Job Grade of the Heads and next-in-rank officers of units provided in the OS/TO; The staffing model for branches, stores, district offices, or project management units following a classification system approved by the Governance Commission; and The total budget for personnel services based on approved Job Grades of the Heads and next-in-rank officers of units together with the indicative workforce level/headcount and corresponding compensation of the various units of the OS/TO. Where applicable, this budget shall be for personnel services in the central office only. The total budget

JG 15

Bachelor of laws, 5 years managerial experience Bachelor of laws, 4 years managerial experience

Scrap and Build Flexibility. – Obsolete positions may be scrapped and replaced with new positions to meet new market conditions, provided the authorized workforce levels for career bands and job levels is maintained. Chartered GOCCs shall be responsible for securing from the CSC the applicable Qualification Standards for newly created positions.

Reassignment/Transfer. – Incumbent personnel and/or vacant positions may be transferred from one unit to another unit or grouped to form a new organizational unit, subject to compliance with pertinent Civil Service rules and regulations on personnel actions.8 Reduction of Workforce. – Positions, whether filled or vacant, may be abolished when the same are deemed obsolete, redundant or due to the closure of branches, satellite offices or other equivalent units, or technological advances.

Abolition of Co-Terminous Positions. – The Governing Board may implement the abolition of positions classified as co-terminous with incumbent (CTI) as a result of a Reorganization Plan approved under E.O. 366 upon satisfaction of the conditions for the abolition of such positions, provided, no additional positions shall be classified CTI. Creation and Closure of Branches. – The Governing Board of a GOCC that at the time of issuance of this Circular is operating branches, stores, or project management units shall be authorized to create new or close such units in accordance with the branch staffing model approved by the Governance Commission. In the case of GOCCs without branches or similar geographical units prior to issuance of this Circular, the creation of such units shall require approval by the Governance Commission and shall undergo the same process of review as a RP.

Technical Working Group (TWG) Meeting. – The Governance Commission may require TWG meetings to make adjustments to any of the actions above when they compromise the operations or the financial health of the GOCC, constitute gross abuse of discretion to the detriment of officers and employees or do not comply with the standards established herein or that were approved specifically for the GOCC. The call for a TWG meeting shall suspend the implementation of the actions in question until the issuance of a written formal notice that the GOCC may proceed, subject to any adjustments made.

Organizational Audit. – Whenever it deems fit, the Governance Commission may conduct an audit of the organizational structure, people practices, rewards system and other related matters to evaluate their effectiveness in achieving the objectives of the GOCC and the projected business outcomes. On the basis of the audit results, the Governance Commission shall direct the Governing Board to implement changes in the organizational structure to address identified gaps and issues and improve overall performance.

Non-Compliance to Rules and Regulations. – Any action that is contrary to laws, rules or regulations shall be invalid even if no adjustments are made by the Governance Commission without prejudice to further action by the Commission on Audit (COA).

Requirement on Comprehensive and Concise Reporting. – In order to facilitate evaluation by the Governance Commission within the 30-day period and to avoid repetitive and piecemeal reports that would render nugatory the approved workforce actions, the GOCCs concerned should ensure that the reports submitted are comprehensive and concise so as to cover the desired outcomes for the entire calendar year. The Governing Board shall perform a strategic and holistic review of its Organizational Structure and Staffing Pattern in its annual planning.

FUNDING OF PERSONNEL SERVICES. – Any increase in the budget for personnel services (annual total compensation for all personnel) resulting from any change in the Organizational Structure and/ or Staffing Pattern shall be charged to corporate funds. It shall be prohibited to source payment for the increase from any of the following: (a) Loans; (b) Subsidy; and (c) Sale of assets for the sole purpose of paying the increase in personnel services budget and not otherwise in the ordinary course of business.

6.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF NEWLY CREATED GOCCS. – The Organizational Structure of newly created GOCCs shall require approval by the Governance Commission prior to its implementation. The provisions of this Circular shall also cover applications for approval of a new Organizational Structure and Staffing Pattern.

7.

EARLY RETIREMENT INCENTIVE PROGRAM AND SEPARATION PAY. – The applicable Early Retirement Incentive Program (ERIP) and Separation Pay shall be pursuant to existing laws and regulations.

8.

CHECKLIST OF DOCUMENTS. – All reports required herein shall follow the checklist of documents and forms in the Citizens’ Charter section of the Governance Commission’s website.

9.

RETAINING EXPERTISE. – Each GOCC is encouraged to procure the consulting services of reputable HR consulting firms, companies or individual consultants, as well as market information that may be used for external benchmarks for the operations of the GOCC. The engagement shall ensure knowledge and technology transfer in line with the Government Procurement Reform Act (R.A. No. 9184). The expenses that will be incurred in procuring the services of such expert individuals or institutions shall be considered as necessary expenses of the GOCC.

10.

TRANSITORY PROVISIONS. – 10.1. All GOCCs shall submit the required workforce analysis reports following the forms in the Citizens’ Charter of the GCG website within three (3) months from the effectivity of this Circular.

The workforce analysis reports shall identify the business outcomes / performance measures of each unit, and group existing staff into the following career bands and job levels (a) Management, which consists of the following career bands: i. Executives; and ii. Middle Management/Supervisors. (b) Individual Contributors, which consists of the following career bands: i. Professionals; ii. Customer/Client Management; iii. Sales Staff; iv. Technical Support Staff, v. General Staff; and vi. Labor.

10.2. Individuals under Contracts of Services/Job Orders shall also be grouped accordingly.

10.3. All vacant positions shall be excluded from the grouping, except for those that have been identified as still relevant and have been vacant for not more than six (6) months.

10.4. Total Cash Compensation (total guaranteed compensation9 plus variable pay) for each Job Level and within each career band shall also be reported for costing analysis.

10.5. The filled positions within each GOCC and all positions that have only been vacant for not more than four (4) months from the effectivity of this circular shall be deemed the authorized workforce level of the GOCC, and all other vacant positions shall be deemed abolished.

10.6. Governing Boards may exercise the conditional authority herein only after sixty (60) working days from the time their workforce analysis reports are received by the Governance Commission.

The following Officers shall report directly to the Governing Board: (a) Internal Audit Officer; (b) Corporate Secretary; (c) Corporate Treasurer; and (d) Compliance Officer.

Nothing herein shall preclude the Governing Board of a GOCC from: (a) Designating an Officer within the GOCC, such as but not limited to the General Counsel, to perform the functions of the Corporate Secretary5 and/or the Compliance Officer 6 as an additional duty, or other such combinations that will best serve the interest of the GOCC. Nonetheless, the designated officer shall report directly to the Board insofar as the duties and responsibilities of Corporate Secretary and/or Compliance Officer are concerned, and may be entitled to a salary increase pursuant to the GOCC’s existing compensation framework; or (b) Filling up the position of Corporate Secretary by engaging an individual from the private sector on a part-time basis, to be compensated with an amount comparable to honoraria for actual attendance at meetings in accordance with the rate for Members under National Budget Circular 2007-5107 or the applicable rate for Committee per diems, whichever is lower, Provided, the total annual cost of the honoraria shall not exceed 75% of the total annual personnel services budget for the position of Corporate Secretary. The individual from the private sector should have no conflict of interest with the GOCC, and shall be considered a public officer subject to filing of the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) and other accountability requirements even though not a regular employee of the GOCC. The highest ranking officers for the following functions shall report directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO): (a) Finance; (b) Management Information Systems; (c) Strategic Communications; and (d) Corporate Planning.

Nothing herein shall preclude the Governing Board or GCG from combining the functions of the foregoing Officers into such combinations that will best serve the interest of the GOCC. Upon recommendation of the CEO, the Governing Board may issue orders for the foregoing to be supervised by another Officer before directly reporting to him/her, but such orders shall apply only during the tenure of the CEO.

Bachelor of Laws, 6 years managerial experience

5.

3.3. Mandatory Lines of Authority. – Regardless of whether a GOCC has already undergone rationalization or reorganization with the Governance Commission, the following organizational hierarchies / lines of authority shall be mandatory for all GOCCs: 3.3.1.

Qualification Standards

4.3. Regulatory Intervention. – The authority of the Governing Board is without prejudice to the authority of the Governance Commission to exercise oversight over the GOCC. The Governing Board must inform the Governance Commission in writing of its plan to undertake any of the above actions within thirty (30) working days after the same is approved by the Governing Board, or at least thirty (30) working days prior to its implementation, whichever is earlier. The written report must follow the forms required in the Governance Commission’s Citizens’ Charter.

3.1.2 3.1.3

3.2.2

VP Assistant VP

REORGANIZATION OR RATIONALIZATION PLAN (RP). – Pursuant to the authority granted under Section 5(a)(6) of R.A. No. 10149, the Governance Commission shall approve changes in the Organizational Structure of all GOCCs covered by R.A. No. 10149 prior to their implementation. The GOCC shall submit for review and approval of the Governance Commission a Reorganization or Rationalization Plan (RP) embodying the proposed changes in the Organizational Structure.

3.2.1.

Job Grade

Senior Vice-President (VP)

DEFINITION OF TERMS. – (a)

3.

The organizational structure and staffing of GOCCs are aligned with their strategy; The organizational structure and practices embody the highest standards of corporate governance, particularly through effective decision-making processes; The organizational structure and staffing of GOCCs embody industry best practices in organizational development and workforce planning to the extent that these are relevant to the GOCC’s strategy and particular circumstances; and GOCCs develop the capacity to review and restructure their organizational structure as a key lever to improving performance.

Changes in Scope of Responsibilities and Reporting Lines. – The Governing Board may change the scope of responsibilities and reporting lines of organizational units, subject to the mandatory provisions herein and the Code of Corporate Governance for GOCCs (GCG MC No. 2012-07), provided, that the creation or abolition of units or substantive changes in organizational structure not limited to the creation or abolition of units shall be approved by the Governance Commission.

Staffing – The staffing of positions below the Heads and next-in-rank officer of units, including the number of job positions, the job titles, the salary grades, and the number of positions per job title.

Titling. – Subject to the formal approval of the Civil Service Commission (CSC), whenever applicable, the titles of Organizational Units and Executives may be determined by the Governing Board, provided the titles clearly distinguish between the various units and levels in the organization based on size, scope of responsibility or other relevant parameters. Any changes to the framework for titling organizational units and Executives must first be reported to the Governance Commission and the CSC at least thirty (30) working days prior to implementation.

Career Pathing. – Incumbent personnel (i.e. change of rank with increase in job level/ grade) may be promoted within the career path of the particular item, provided, the incumbent meets the approved qualification standards of the new rank.

11.

EFFECTIVITY. – This Circular shall take effect immediately upon its publication in a newspaper of general circulation and on the Governance Commission’s website at www.gcg.gov.ph.

(SGD.) CESAR L. VILLANUEVA Chairman

(SGD.)CESAR V. PURISIMA DOF Secretary

(SGD.) MA. ANGELA E. IGNACIO Commissioner

(SGD.) FLORENCIO B. ABAD DBM Secretary

(SGD.)RAINIER B. BUTALID Commissioner _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8

9

S e c . 5 (a) , R . A . N o . 1014 9 S e e A r t . 4 . 5 ., G C G M C N o . 2 012 - 0 6 .

G C G M e m o r a n d u m C i r c u l a r N o . 2 012 - 0 6 .

A l s o k n o w n a s “ S a l a r y G r a d e ” u n d e r t h e f r a m e w o r k o f t h e S a l a r y S t a n d a r d i z a t i o n L a w (S S L) .

S e c t i o n 15 . 3 G C G M C N o . 2 012 - 0 7.

S e c t i o n 16 . 4 G C G M C N o . 2 012 - 0 7 U n d e r D B M N a t i o n a l B u d g e t C i r c u l a r N o . 2 0 0 7- 510 , t h e r a t e o f h o n o r a r i a s h a l l n o t e x c e e d 2 5 % o f t h e m o n t h l y R ATA o f t h e d e p u t y c h i e f o p e r a t i n g o f f i c e r o f t h e c o l l e g i a l b o d y f o r e v e r y m e e t i n g a c t u a l l y a t t e n d e d . F o r t h e p u r p o s e s o f t h i s C i r c u l a r, t h e c e i l i n g o f f o u r (4) p a i d m e e t i n g s p e r m o n t h s h a l l n o t a p p l y.

S e e g e n e r a l l y B o o k V, C h a p t e r 5 , S e c t i o n 2 6 (3) , E .O. N o . 2 9 2 , s . 19 8 9 , d e f i n i n g “ Tr a n s f e r.” S e e a l s o O m n i b u s C i v i l S e r v i c e R u l e s a n d R e g u l a t i o n s , R u l e V I I , S e c . 5 o n “ Tr a n s f e r ” a n d S e c . 10 o n “ R e a s s i g n m e n t .”

To t a l G u a r a n t e e d C o m p e n s a t i o n r e f e r s t o b a s i c g u a r a n t e e d c o m p e n s a t i o n p l u s f i x e d c a s h a l l o w a n c e s ( T S - A P R . 1, 2 016)

F R I D AY : APRIL 1, 2016

DoTC misses deadline for new trains

By John Bencito and Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Department of Transportation and Communications failed to meet its March 31 target date for a commercial run of two newlyprocured coaches for the Metro Rail Transit-3.

After promising the public that the new coaches will ease the lives of more than 500,000 people who ride the MRT-3 daily, Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya justified the delay by saying the DoTC cannot rush the tests required before the new vehicles can be put into actual operation.

“We tried. We wanted it available sooner, but again, we cannot rush it just so we could meet the deadline,” Abaya said in a television interview.

The two new light rail vehicles were delivered to the country by Chinese manufacturer Dalian Locomotives in December.

Abaya said that the train sets have only completed 3,009 kilometers—still short by almost 2,000 kilometers of the required 5,000-kilometer run before it can be used commercially.

In January, Abaya promised passengers to expect the new coaches up and running “by the end of the first quarter of 2016.”

The delivery of all 48 new train cars, which are projected to increase MRT-3’s capacity to over 800,000 daily, is scheduled to be completed by January 2017.

Former MRT-3 general manager Al Vitangcol earlier claimed that the Chinese-build coaches delivered were “engineless.”

Meanwhile, vice presidential candidate and Senate Majority Leader Alan Cayetano challenged President Benigno Aquino III to prove that there are no sacred cows in government by firing Abaya and Land Transportation Office chief Roberto Cabrera.

“There should be no sacred cows. The ordinary employees of these government agencies have been in pitiful condition for the past years due to several tirades and criticisms from the public. But the problems are really with the officials of these agencies,” Cayetano said.

F R I D AY : A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 6

A7

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

‘Reject noisy, traffic-causing bets’ Comelec tells voters to ‘get angry’ at candidates who inconvenience them

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

THE Commission on Elections on Thursday advised the public against voting for candidates who cause noise pollution and heavy traffic along the streets while campaigning.

The usual suspects. A woman walks along Remedios Street in Manila where graffiti depict traditional politicians running on May 9. DANNY PATA

Indonesia working closely with PH for hostages’ release JA K A RTA— I n d o n e s i a continues to coordinate with the Philippines to secure the release of 10 of its citizens being held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf group, Chief of Indonesian Armed Forces, General Gatot Nurmantyo, stated here Wednesday.

“As has been conveyed

by Foreign Minister Ret-

no Marsudi, our priority is to free our citizens.

Based on monitoring and coordination with the Philippine team, their location has been traced, and it is in the Philippines,” he stated.

“They have detected the location, and I will continue to coordinate with them and will be ready to offer assistance if they

need anything from us,” he remarked at the TNI Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta.

With regard to the preparations, this is “my business,” he emphasized.

Based on information from the foreign ministry, the hijacking of the Indonesian-f lagged Brahma 12 and Anand 12 vessels occurred while

they were sailing from Sungai Puting in South Kalimantan to Batangas, South Philippines.

“It is not known exactly when the hijacking occurred. The ships’ owners only came to know of it on March 26 when they received a telephone call from someone claiming to be from the Abu Sayyaf group,” Indonesian foreign

ministry spokesman, Arrmanatha Nasir, revealed.

Brahma 12 has been released and is now with the Philippine authorities, while Anand 12 and the 10 crew members are still being held by the hijackers.

A conversation with the ship owners revealed that the hijackers had demanded a ransom. PNA

“If [voters] are annoyed by these noises from the campaign, then they should not vote for those behind them,” Comelec chairman Andres Bautista told reporters, then added: “If you are put at a disadvantage by the traffic caused by closed roads and heavy traffic, then you should get angry at these candidates,” the poll chief encouraged.

The campaign period for local candidates began March 25 and will end on May 7, two days before the elections. Campaigning for national candidates began Feb. 9.

Local and national candidates normally hold motorcades with speakers blasting their campaign jingles, or hold political rallies that entail temporary road closures.

On Wednesday, the Liberal Party, led by administration party standard bearer Manuel Roxas II, held a motorcade and campaign rally at the Monumento Circle in Caloocan City, blocking the roads and causing heavy traffic.

Maguindanao clashes leave 3 injured, prompt evacuation CAMP SIONGCO— Clashes involving armed men in Pagalungan, Maguindanao erupted early Thursday and left three persons injured and massive evacuation.

Police Senior Inspector Blayn Lomas-e, Pagalungan town police chief, said the armed hostilities erupted around 5:30 a.m. in the village of Damalasak between the armed group led by Edzing Daguiaman and Makakena Kasim.

Lomas-e said the motive of the skirmishes remain unknown to date and investigation has been ongoing.

Due to the clashes,

hundreds of civilians left their homes and proceeded to the town center in Barangay Poblacion.

Initial reports showed that Kasim and Daguiaman have been locked in a long-standing land dispute.

Soldiers and policemen have been deployed near the village to separate warring armed men.

Lomas-e could not say if the warring groups were supporters of political candidates in the coming election.

Pagalungan is one of the areas considered by police, military and election officials as “area of immediate

concern” relative to the coming elections.

The village is also known as area of coverage of Moro Islamic Liberation Front which entered into a peace deal with Manila.

Lomas-e could not say if some MILF members or other lawless elements are involved in the conf lict.

Efforts are ongoing to settle what appeared to be a “rido” or clan war.

The three injured persons belong to one of the warring groups.

They were rushed to the hospital in nearby Pikit town in North Cotabato. PNA

Sign here. William Go signs criminal complaints he has filed against RCBC branch officers Maia Santos Deguito and Angela Torres. He claims the two falsified his signature and made it appear that he signed a withdrawal slip for P20 million in February. DANNY PATA

F R I D AY: A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 6

A8

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ

MINDANAO COULD ELECT THE NEXT PRESIDENT

[ EDI TORI A L ]

COAL DEPENDENCE THE Philippines is probably one of the few countries that still rely heavily on coal as a major source of electricity because they are fairly reliable as base load source of power. They are easy to install and can supply enough volume of electricity to meet the increasing energy demand.

But for climate change and environment protection advocates, coalfired power plants are the anti-theses. Their emissions into the atmosphere contribute to climate change and the plants pose great risk to one’s health.

Former US vice president Al Gore, in a visit to the Philippines in March, urged the Philippines to follow the way of the US in putting an end to the development of new coal plants. Electric generation capacity from coal plants in the US today, according to Gore, stood, at 0.01 percent while that of oil was at 0.07 percent.

Gore’s statement drew sharp reaction from Energy Secretary Zenaida Monsada. The Philippines, she said, could not unilaterally and immediately stop the development of new coal power plants. The country has 5,800 megawatts of installed capacity of coal-fired power plants across the country’s three power grids. The bulk, or 4,775.6 MW, is in the Luzon grid.

“We still need power… If there will be no coal plants, will the typhoons stop coming, will there be no more flash floods? We need power to fuel the economy,” says Monsada. Coal plants account for over half of the Philippine power requirements.

The top energy official said the government had imposed stricter standards on the construction and operation of coal power plants, and that the Philippines was working to achieve a cleaner air target of 70-percent emission reduction by 2030.

Clean energy, indeed, is the future. Technological advancements have allowed the speedy installation of solar, wind and other renewable sources of energy. Geothermal steam remains a significant contributor to the overall energy mix, while hydro-electric power plants provide another base load source to the Luzon and Mindanao grids.

The current coal-fired power plants will remain a major source of electricity in the country for at least the next 25 years. Their contribution, hopefully, will diminish as the Philippines shifts to liquefied natural gas and taps more sources of renewable energy.

BECAUSE THEY CAN LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES FOR the May 9 elections, the message of the Aquino administration is the continuation of reforms started by the outgoing president. But what the people always seem to get is more incontrovertible proof that this government doesn’t really care about them, even when it is seeking their vote in an upcom-

ing electoral contest.

President Noynoy Aquino and his Liberal Party caused a huge traffic jam last Wednesday around the Monumento Circle in Caloocan City, affecting motorists and commuters for several kilometers on Edsa, MacArthur Highway and Rizal Avenue. Why did Aquino, his candidates Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo and their coterie of LP camp followers choose to hold their political rally in a perennially traffic-clogged in-

tersection of Metro Manila on a weekday evening?

Apparently, they do it because they can. But whether or not Aquino and his partymates got any votes for the coming election for their candidates because of their latest insensitive political stunt is the big question.

The people I talked to who live around the area or who have to pass by the circle to get to other places north of Metro Manila were definitely not happy about the commandeering

A9

I sometimes wonder if we, the people, are even more stupid than those who lead us.

of their usual route. They wondered why they were being made to suffer some more, just three months before Aquino steps down from office, in exchange for yellow “ballers” and confetti and copies of a comic book extolling the virtues of Roxas as the unheralded savior of Tacloban City during the onslaught of Super Typhoon “Yolanda.”

Is this any way to court the people’s vote? I don’t know.

I’ve long suspected that this administration actually believes that the great majority of Filipinos will gladly

accept any hardship, inconvenience or whatever evidence of incompetence and insensitivity that this government dishes out. And they will do so simply because they are, for the most part, true believers in the daang matuwid.

Sadly, in the past six years, the Aquino administration can rightfully brag that the majority of Filipinos have not taken to the streets to revolt, no matter how stupid, thieving and unfeeling the govern-

Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City.

Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial), 832-5546, (Advertising), 832-

ment acts. And so the government routinely tests the fortitude and patience of the governed, secure in the knowledge that it will be forgiven or ignored, or both, no matter how often it transgresses or how big the offense.

It’s common for critics of the Aquino government to accuse the current leaders of stupidity. But I sometimes wonder if we, the people, are even more stupid than those who lead us.

5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www. manilastandardtoday.com E-mail: contact@thestandard.com.ph

MST ONLINE

can be accessed at: www.manilastandardtoday.com

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

*** Former Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo, now chairman of Veterans’ Bank, has come up with a statement on the ongoing Senate investigation of the theft of $81 million in funds of the Bangladesh central bank. De Ocampo has urged much-needed caution in the investigation, because of the probe’s deleterious effects on the entire Philippine banking industry and 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

FORMER Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Araneta Roxas II had a beautiful speech before the joint meeting of the Makati Business Club and the Management Association of the Philippines Wednesday, March 30. He spelled out his program of government and what he will do as president. The nation’s top capitalists and traders applauded him no less than ten times.

Mar got the heart of Big Business and their vote, but not the vote of their drivers and maids and employees.

Those masa votes go to either Grace Poe or Rodrigo Duterte.

BS Aquino’s most trusted cabinet member and best friend promised to move the economy from short pants to long pants, a metaphor for childhood to adulthood, although if you ask me, short pants is certainly “hotter” than long pants, especially with the onset of summer.

Mar promised to revitalize manufacturing (which is 25-30 percent of GDP, he said), tourism (arrivals will double to 12 million, he said), and agriculture (12 percent of GDP) to modernize the economy, create jobs, increase people’s income, and provide them livelihood.

He also promised to remove so-called blockages to the economic growth like red tape, poor infra and transport system, slow justice system (“Don’t hire a lawyer,” he told the businessmen), and Ninoy Aquino International Airport (he said he would move it to Clark which has 2,000 hectares and can provide for three runways). The 440 hectares of Naia will be sold as central business district to raise P440 billion.

The point is that Mar held two of the most important jobs in the government—Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Department of Transportation and Communications, why didn’t he do all those things during his five years as BS Aquino’s top lieutenant and bastonero?

Continued on A11

BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO Ambassador Del Rosario’s column will resume soon.

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

F R I D AY: A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 6

A8

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ

MINDANAO COULD ELECT THE NEXT PRESIDENT

[ EDI TORI A L ]

COAL DEPENDENCE THE Philippines is probably one of the few countries that still rely heavily on coal as a major source of electricity because they are fairly reliable as base load source of power. They are easy to install and can supply enough volume of electricity to meet the increasing energy demand.

But for climate change and environment protection advocates, coalfired power plants are the anti-theses. Their emissions into the atmosphere contribute to climate change and the plants pose great risk to one’s health.

Former US vice president Al Gore, in a visit to the Philippines in March, urged the Philippines to follow the way of the US in putting an end to the development of new coal plants. Electric generation capacity from coal plants in the US today, according to Gore, stood, at 0.01 percent while that of oil was at 0.07 percent.

Gore’s statement drew sharp reaction from Energy Secretary Zenaida Monsada. The Philippines, she said, could not unilaterally and immediately stop the development of new coal power plants. The country has 5,800 megawatts of installed capacity of coal-fired power plants across the country’s three power grids. The bulk, or 4,775.6 MW, is in the Luzon grid.

“We still need power… If there will be no coal plants, will the typhoons stop coming, will there be no more flash floods? We need power to fuel the economy,” says Monsada. Coal plants account for over half of the Philippine power requirements.

The top energy official said the government had imposed stricter standards on the construction and operation of coal power plants, and that the Philippines was working to achieve a cleaner air target of 70-percent emission reduction by 2030.

Clean energy, indeed, is the future. Technological advancements have allowed the speedy installation of solar, wind and other renewable sources of energy. Geothermal steam remains a significant contributor to the overall energy mix, while hydro-electric power plants provide another base load source to the Luzon and Mindanao grids.

The current coal-fired power plants will remain a major source of electricity in the country for at least the next 25 years. Their contribution, hopefully, will diminish as the Philippines shifts to liquefied natural gas and taps more sources of renewable energy.

BECAUSE THEY CAN LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES FOR the May 9 elections, the message of the Aquino administration is the continuation of reforms started by the outgoing president. But what the people always seem to get is more incontrovertible proof that this government doesn’t really care about them, even when it is seeking their vote in an upcom-

ing electoral contest.

President Noynoy Aquino and his Liberal Party caused a huge traffic jam last Wednesday around the Monumento Circle in Caloocan City, affecting motorists and commuters for several kilometers on Edsa, MacArthur Highway and Rizal Avenue. Why did Aquino, his candidates Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo and their coterie of LP camp followers choose to hold their political rally in a perennially traffic-clogged in-

tersection of Metro Manila on a weekday evening?

Apparently, they do it because they can. But whether or not Aquino and his partymates got any votes for the coming election for their candidates because of their latest insensitive political stunt is the big question.

The people I talked to who live around the area or who have to pass by the circle to get to other places north of Metro Manila were definitely not happy about the commandeering

A9

I sometimes wonder if we, the people, are even more stupid than those who lead us.

of their usual route. They wondered why they were being made to suffer some more, just three months before Aquino steps down from office, in exchange for yellow “ballers” and confetti and copies of a comic book extolling the virtues of Roxas as the unheralded savior of Tacloban City during the onslaught of Super Typhoon “Yolanda.”

Is this any way to court the people’s vote? I don’t know.

I’ve long suspected that this administration actually believes that the great majority of Filipinos will gladly

accept any hardship, inconvenience or whatever evidence of incompetence and insensitivity that this government dishes out. And they will do so simply because they are, for the most part, true believers in the daang matuwid.

Sadly, in the past six years, the Aquino administration can rightfully brag that the majority of Filipinos have not taken to the streets to revolt, no matter how stupid, thieving and unfeeling the govern-

Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City.

Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial), 832-5546, (Advertising), 832-

ment acts. And so the government routinely tests the fortitude and patience of the governed, secure in the knowledge that it will be forgiven or ignored, or both, no matter how often it transgresses or how big the offense.

It’s common for critics of the Aquino government to accuse the current leaders of stupidity. But I sometimes wonder if we, the people, are even more stupid than those who lead us.

5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www. manilastandardtoday.com E-mail: contact@thestandard.com.ph

MST ONLINE

can be accessed at: www.manilastandardtoday.com

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

*** Former Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo, now chairman of Veterans’ Bank, has come up with a statement on the ongoing Senate investigation of the theft of $81 million in funds of the Bangladesh central bank. De Ocampo has urged much-needed caution in the investigation, because of the probe’s deleterious effects on the entire Philippine banking industry and 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

FORMER Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Araneta Roxas II had a beautiful speech before the joint meeting of the Makati Business Club and the Management Association of the Philippines Wednesday, March 30. He spelled out his program of government and what he will do as president. The nation’s top capitalists and traders applauded him no less than ten times.

Mar got the heart of Big Business and their vote, but not the vote of their drivers and maids and employees.

Those masa votes go to either Grace Poe or Rodrigo Duterte.

BS Aquino’s most trusted cabinet member and best friend promised to move the economy from short pants to long pants, a metaphor for childhood to adulthood, although if you ask me, short pants is certainly “hotter” than long pants, especially with the onset of summer.

Mar promised to revitalize manufacturing (which is 25-30 percent of GDP, he said), tourism (arrivals will double to 12 million, he said), and agriculture (12 percent of GDP) to modernize the economy, create jobs, increase people’s income, and provide them livelihood.

He also promised to remove so-called blockages to the economic growth like red tape, poor infra and transport system, slow justice system (“Don’t hire a lawyer,” he told the businessmen), and Ninoy Aquino International Airport (he said he would move it to Clark which has 2,000 hectares and can provide for three runways). The 440 hectares of Naia will be sold as central business district to raise P440 billion.

The point is that Mar held two of the most important jobs in the government—Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Department of Transportation and Communications, why didn’t he do all those things during his five years as BS Aquino’s top lieutenant and bastonero?

Continued on A11

BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO Ambassador Del Rosario’s column will resume soon.

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

F R I D AY: A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 6

A10

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OUTLAW COMMENCEMENT SPEAKERS PENSEES FR. RANHILIO CALLANGAN AQUINO THERE is hardly any figure more pathetic than a commencement speaker.

He preens and solemnly parades at center aisle, sometimes beside, sometimes before, sometimes after the university president, is accorded a seat of honor onstage until the time comes for him to deliver the peroration he may have spent days on preparing to which no one, except perhaps the wretch who invited him, is willing to pay heed. The graduates eagerly await their three-minute walk through the stage, the ceremony of being hooded and receiving their di-

Let him who is eager to speak clamber atop some crate or unused container to deliver his peroration to the winds.

plomas, shaking the hand of a president they may have never met in all their years of university education. Parents crane joyously forward to capture every glorious moment, going to great lengths to capture on cellphone cameras the splendor of a few seconds! Meanwhile, the professors and instructors steadily lose strength, sweating gallons beneath their heavy academic robes, some of which reek of naphthalin balls, many in dire need of a dry-cleaner’s ministrations, in 38 or higher degree weather. Alternately fidgeting and retching, their backs are sore from sitting while an endless list of names is monotonously read, their lives threatened by the onset of deep-vein thrombosis. They are not in the least interested in the pompousness of the commencement speaker. It is their masseurs and masseuses for whom they long! So, who really wants a commencement speaker?

If some public intellectual, hidden genius, or plain fool has anything to say, let him write a book, publish an article, or request for some time in one of the mitings de avance of which we have a steady supply these days. If you were supposed to write a thesis but never got around to writing it or completing it, do not accept an invitation as commencement speaker to make up for your insouciance!

Let him who is eager to speak clamber atop some crate or unused container to deliver his peroration to the winds, but for the sake of everything holy, he should not spoil the rites graduates have dreamed of, in which they hoped to star, not some politician, government functionary, church prelate or hack or wag! I have only spite and scorn for those who eagerly accept invitations to be commencement speakers, knowing fully well that our constitution protects all citizens against cruel and unusual punishment! Since not even their spouses may be willing to listen to their blabbering, they cannot resist the prospect of a helpless, captive audience upon whom to spew what otherwise none would ever take notice of ! Truly worthwhile learning and wisdom is best dispensed under different circumstances, but all too often a commencement address is the chance poor souls seize to dish out a funny mix of plagiarized material, pithy quotations from disparate authors, and platitudes attributed to some ancient author who may never have come close to saying what he is quoted as having uttered!

The introduction of the commencement speaker is as bad, if not worse. Sycophants love introducing guest speakers in disgustingly long introductions that draw on one’s reserves of patience and endurance as sorely as does the main address itself. Magnifying achievements, exaggerating positions as unimportant as purok or zone leader, glorifying as products of genius every bit of nonsense published in tabloids and paid advertisements—this is the stuff of which usual introductions are made.

The pathetic bootlicker will employ superlative adjectives to paint a glowing, shimmering portrait of the ogre of a commencement speaker, and from the litany of virtues heaped on him, one would have every rea-

A LAST-DITCH EFFORT WE SENIOR citizens are old enough to know that all incumbent administrations use our social protection programs in bribing indirectly our electorate to vote for their anointed candidates.

They have done this in the past using the Social Security System, the Government Service Insurance System and PhilHealth. They now also do it using the newly legislated social pensions for indigent senior citizens and the still-unlegislated Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

We don’t really mind if this administration’s bright boys use these programs to perk up the now almost-lifeless candidacy of former Secretary Mar Roxas.

After all, we are current beneficiaries of these programs and any benefit enhancement —however miniscule it might be—would matter much in our daily lives.

Denied of any benefit increase in the last six years, we think that we now deserve some last-minute tokens of compassion from this administration before it vanishes into oblivion starting July 1.

This is why we have even begged PNoy to increase our SSS pensions by P2,000.

Like the ones before them, PNoy’s bright boys are pragmatic, shrewd and Machiavellian in the pursuit of their undertakings. They employ all possible resources that are available at their disposal and even crisscross the thin line that divides the legal from the illegal means.

The list of these controversial undertakings is now long. It includes the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona through the simultaneous release of billions of pesos of pork barrel funds to key politicians who acted as jury in his trial, the incarceration without bail since October 2012 of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center despite not yet being convicted by any court, and the illegal planning and execution of Oplan Exodus to arrest international terrorist son to suspect that the speaker was a candidate not for public office or high executive position, but for membership in nothing less than the Blessed Trinity!

Things get considerably worse at election time. While the DepEd has made clear that no politicians may be invited as commencement speakers, it has not forbidden their spokespersons and campaign managers from doing so. And that is exactly what is happening now. Candidates, no matter that they may have quit school, cheated their

FILIPINO PENSIONER HORACE TEMPLO Marwan that resulted in the massacre of 44 Special Action Force commandos.

They must have known by now that we cast our votes to the candidate who promises the most to improve our benefits but blacklist those who threaten to reduce or take them away. It is like choosing the highest bidder in an auction.

And so we thought that to win votes, this administration’s bright boys would risk the programs’ solvency by granting our demands for higher benefits.

Listen to how the administration bets claim credit for these programs’ enhancements and vow to expand them as if they were their party’s exclusive franchises.

Alternatively, they warn about their discontinuance if beneficiaries do not vote for their candidates. This, we heard from the now-so-quiet social welfare secretary when she spoke before a general assembly of 4Ps beneficiaries.

Of course, we now also hear rival candidates denying any program discontinuance while they promise to improve and expand them.

Surprisingly, no one is pursuing the P2,000-increase in SSS pensions except its original sponsor, Rep. Neri Colmenares, who is now running for a seemingly lost battle to get elected as senator.

But there is still a slim chance that PNoy would suddenly swamp us with increases in pensions and other social protection benefits a few days before May 9.

The timing would then leave little opportunity for raising questions against their propriety.

That single window of opportunity is on Labor Day on May 1, which is the universal day to appreciate workers, whether employed or retired.

That kind of announcement on that day would be his administration’s last-ditch effort to way through school, or worse, caused, through their mischief, truancy and delinquency, the untimely deaths of their principals and teachers—and are therefore completely unfit to be exemplars to students—appear by proxy, through spokespersons who outdo each other in excoriating political opponents’ vices and in championing the causes of their employers!

Nothing is more deleterious to the cause of solemn and edifying graduation rites that should be suffused with an academic

cling to power.

Unfortunately, the social protection institutions have performed badly in 2015.

PhilHealth’s premium collections were P1 billion short of benefit payments. Despite massive government subsidies, it had to dig into its P7-billion investment income to make up for this deficit and to pay for all of its huge operating expenses.

Trying to justify this contribution-to-benefit deficit, its president suddenly issued mystical words that: “We operate on a payas-you-go system where we immediately translate what we collect into benefit payments for our members.”

He boasted of annual benefits that steadily grew from P34 billion in 2011 to P97 billion in 2015, but kept quiet about the fast increase of non-paying and highly subsidized members and what we now pay out-of-pocket when we enter a hospital.

Obviously, he has no basis in concluding that “there is no reason for our members and other stakeholders to worry about.”

Our pension agencies are neither in a position to grant any benefit increase.

GSIS has dropped its net income to P48.85 billion in 2015 from a record-breaking performance of P140.22 billion in 2014. It even lost P2.51 billion in the value of its financial assets.

SSS continues to confuse us with statements about its sterling performance and entitlement to a performance bonus while denying us any amount of pension increase.

We have not seen yet its 2015 financial statements—audited or unaudited—yet we know that it sinks deeper day by day into its quicksand of actuarial deficiency with its present contribution system.

With or without any manna dropping from Malacañang on May 1, the probe into the operations of these three agencies must be first in the agenda of the next Congress.

Only thereafter would we all know what is really happening.

spirit than the presence and the noise of a commencement speaker. I wish the speedy demise of this despicable brood so that the graduates get the attention they deserve and that their parents have so ardently longed for, for them!

Graduates of the world, unite.

You have nothing but loathsome speakers to lose. You have your day of glory to regain! rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@yahoo.com

F R I D AY: A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 6

A11

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

EVERYMAN

By Joel Vega I ALMOST titled this column “Singing nurses with quack medicines,” as I only see the ambitions of these candidates but not their integrity. In fact, they all seem to have the same faces but wear different masks to beguile the unwary voter.

Walang mapagpilian.

I ended up with the same conclusion: Not a single one of them is fit to lead this country with integrity.

Integrity is the key word here because it ties up all other social values that would make a politician stand up and resist the pressures brought by political expediency, narrow religious and business interests, pervasive corruption and many other challenges.

These wannabes flip and flop like a fish that landed on dry land. Their absurdity no longer surprises me.

One candidate promises

BREAK THE MYTHS WITH YOUR VOTE the return to power of a dictator’s family that remains a resilient political dynasty. Another is caught up in the issues of loyalty and citizenship— but who are the real backers?

Another seemingly eloquent and shrewd political neophyte continues to chase her dreams of becoming the third female president. In her desperation, she even connived with the old powers which carry the same smell of moolah.

I call these politicians “Singapore gold,” their election promises wrapped in deceptive luster but concealing weak agendas. The worst part is that they represent a continuation of the same old politics that had made victims of us for many decades.

The truth is, we have been deceived, systematically and without finesse, by the same political elite that constantly adjust the tune of their political messages. To paraphrase

Mindanao... From A9 Like not hiring lawyers. Why is DoTC hamstrung by so many lawyers? Why are there so many kotong cops so that the sayote that a farmer in Benguet, he says, sells for only P3 or P4 a kilo does not become P50 by the time it reaches Araneta-owned Farmers Market in Cubao? Why? Was it incompetence or failure of will?

Meanwhile, I was looking at the latest survey of Pulse Asia done with ABS-CBN on March 8 to 13, with 4,000 respondents and a margin of error of plus/minus 1.5 percent, at 95 percent confidence level. This, to me, is a reliable survey because the more people participate in pollster interviews, the more accurate the results are.

The findings are closer to reality and the closer are the findings to reality. You cannot go smaller than the 1.5 percent margin of error unless you interview the entire universe of 54 million voters.

According to Pulse Asia, as of March 8 to 13, nationwide, Senator Grace is the No. 1 choice of voters, with 26 percent, followed by Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte 25 percent; Vice President Jejomar Binay 22 percent, and Mar Roxas 20 percent.

With 54.33 million voters and a turnout of 43.469 million, Poe’s 26 percent translates into 11.3 million votes, Duterte’s 25 percent into 10.867 million, Binay’s 22 percent into 9.563 million, and Roxas’s 20 percent into 8.693 million votes.

Poe will win the presidency by 433,000 votes—less than half a million.

However, I looked at the voting percentages of the four leading bets by region. The results are

a line from Alice in Wonderland: “The more they change their tunes, the more the same old song remains.”

It’s been 30 years since Edsa and yet we are fed the same half-truths as if we have never moved away from the chronic social ills that have plagued us in the dark years of dictatorship. We still chase the same hopes for justice, social order and political maturity.

All other signs of progressive thinking are still beyond our reach. If we do have some scant victories, we are again pulled back to the same pit of partisanship, prejudice and conservative thinking.

All four major candidates junked the thought of legalizing divorce and two even pushed for the return of capital punishment. Don’t they realize that a hellish marriage is also a form of capital punishment?

And what kind of statistics do they

quite different. Mayor Duterte could win the presidency—by just a tenth of a percentage point or less than 400,000 votes.

Poe wins in Metro Manila with 30 percent, a percentage ahead of Duterte’s 29 percent; wins in Balance of Luzon with 34 percent, 8 percentage points ahead of Binay’s 26 percent, and 18 points ahead of Duterte’s 16 percent. Poe loses in the Visayas, with 20 percent, to Mar Roxas’ 36 percent, and loses in Mindanao with 15 percent, to Duterte’s 46 percent.

Binay does not win in any region. He is only No. 3 in NCR with 23 percent, No. 2 in Balance of Luzon with 26 percent, No. 2 in the Visayas with 21 percent, and No. 4 in Mindanao with 14 percent.

Pulse Asia divides the Philippines into four regions— NCR with 6.253 million voters; Balance of Luzon 21.16 million voters; Visayas 11.315 million voters; and Mindanao 12.627 million voters. Assuming a voter turnout of 80 percent, NCR has 5.002 million voters on election day, Balance of Luzon 19.328 million, Visayas 11.315 million, and Mindanao 12.627 million.

According to Pulse Asia, Poe has 30 percent of the votes in NCR or 1.5 million votes; Duterte 29 percent or 1.45 million (he loses to Poe by 50,000 votes); Binay 23 percent or 1.15 million (the VP loses to Poe by 350,000 votes), and Roxas a measly 9 percent or 450,180 (he loses to Poe by more than one million votes).

In Balance of Luzon (which is Cordillera, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Bicol, a voter turnout of 19.328 million), Poe again wins, with 34 percent or 6.571 million votes. She

have to justify that killing a thief or an insurgent can actually reduce the incidence of thievery and rebellion?

Why is it that for every forward step we make such as rationale family planning or simple healthcare measures, we are drawn back to the same old habits endorsed by a religious majority?

The cynics among us may retort that to tie our high hopes with the ballot is wishful thinking. Their claims convey ironic truth since democracy, like any other big word, is a high-flying balloon that demands hard work.

Democracy is more difficult than any other political instruments and processes since it allows contrary views, the rationale standing next to the absurd. Democracy’s generous space makes room for both the benign and malignant in the same body politic that is sick and without

is trailed by Binay with 26 percent or 5.025 million votes; Duterte 16 percent or 3.09 million votes, and Roxas 15 percent or 2.899 million votes.

In the Visayas (9.052 million votes), Roxas wins hands down with 36 percent or 3.258 million votes; followed by Binay 21 percent or 1.9 million; Poe 20 percent or 1.81 million; and Duterte 18 percent or 1.629 million. The defection of One Cebu to either Poe or Duterte will deal Binay possibly a mortal blow, in a close fight.

In Mindanao (10.1 million vote turnout), Duterte is unrivaled with 46 percent or 4.64 million votes. Roxas is a poor second with 20 percent or 2.02 million votes, while Poe and Binay bring up the rear, with 15 percent (1.515 million) and 14 percent (1.414 million votes), respectively.

Summing up, Poe will have a national total of 11.396 million votes—1.5 million in Metro Manila, 6.571 million in Balance of Luzon, 1.81 million in Visayas, and 1.515 million in Mindanao.

Duterte battles Poe in a neckand-neck race. He could win the presidency. He has 10.809 million (less than 600,000 less than Poe’s), with 1.45 million in NCR, 3.09 million in Balance of Luzon, 1.629 million in Visayas, and a whopping 4.64 million in Mindanao.

No wonder Poe and Duterte have concentrated their campaigns in Luzon. Poe wants to solidify her hold on Luzon; Duterte wants to crack it.

If Duterte gains dramatically in Luzon and if Mindanao goes all out for him, the deep south will elect for the first time the Philippine president. biznewsasia@gmail.com

the normal defenses of good health.

We have once been called the Sick Man of Asia. Here’s more sad news: We are still in the same sick ward, coughing our way with terminal disease and all we have are singing nurses who can only offer quack remedies.

So when you hold that ballot on Election Day, look beyond the promises and TV glamour these candidates project and thrash the myths they dangle to our waiting mouths.

A ballot is not only a vote.

It can be your instrument to effect change, but be forewarned that real arduous work begins only after the elections, and in a democracy that means working for a long time. A very long time.

Joel Vega is a Palanca Award-winning poet. He now lives in The Netherlands.

Because... From A9 on the remittances of 12 million Filipinos working abroad.

Here is De Ocampo’s statement: “The money laundering issue we face started outside and appears to be largely limited to one branch of one bank. It appears to be an isolated case.

“Unfortunately for us, it has become a global spectacle. Unfortunate because as the investigation, aired live on television, drags, unintended consequences are starting to emerge and be felt across the board. If we continue on this path, the gains we have had in the past will be at risk: our credit rating, foreign investments, economic growth and even our international banking and financial operations.

“This early, Philippine banks’ remittance operations abroad experience tighter scrutiny from their partner foreign banks. That is bad news to our roughly 12 million OFWs. And that is only one example of problems we may be creating for ourselves over an isolated situation.

“I understand the need to investigate but I urge sobriety and circumspection lest we unwittingly put national interest at risk. With this in mind, if we must continue to dig deeper, we must spare our institutions and our nation which has shown tremendous growth potential in the past years.

“Our banking system is strong and our bankers noted to be among the best in the region. Our BSP governor has even been recognized more than once as central bank governor of the year. Even the embattled RCBC is among our most reputable banks and has served the public well over many decades.

“I strongly believe both our banking system and RCBC will be able to weather this storm and emerge even stronger with lessons learned from it.

“Towards this, I suggest that subsequent hearings be held behind closed doors since they will yield even more information and thus be more productive. Thus this investigation in aid of legislation could result in a positive outcome namely a strengthening of our AMLA law to include casinos in particular and the preservation of the globally recognized reputation of our banking system.”

F ri day : a p ri l 1 , 2 0 1 6

A12

sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

Navy cyclists favored at Ronda PH ALL eyes are on the Navy-Standard Insurance cyclists again as the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2016 hits the North with the five-stage Luzon Leg unfolding on Sunday at the Paseo de Santa Rosa grounds in Laguna and ending on April 9 in cold Baguio City.

Showcasing skill, preparedness and teamwork, the Navymen emerged victorious in the first two phases with Jan Paul Morales topping the Mindanao Leg last February and Ronald Oranza winning the Visayas Leg a month ago.

And Morales and Oranza should be the riders to watch when the LBC Ronda road

goes up North.

“I felt the heat in the Visayas, but I handled it,” said Morales, who still finished in the Top 10 in the Visayas after his Mindanao triumph..

“Bring it on,” Oranza, who hails from Villasis, Pangasinan, for his part, said.

Rudy Roque should be another Navyman to look out for after he wound up

1.

: :

3.3.

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION FOR DIRECTORS(PED) 26 October2015

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE. – Section 2 of the “GOCC Governance Act of 2011” (R.A. No. 10149) declares it a policy of the Stateto ensure that the governance of GOCCs is carried out in a transparent, responsible and accountable manner and with the utmost degree of professionalism and effectiveness, through Governing Boards who are competent to carry out their functions, fully accountable to the State as its fiduciaries and always acting for the best interests of the State.

Section 17 of R.A. No. 10149 states that an Appointive Director“may be nominated by the GCG for reappointment by the President only if one obtains a performance score of above average or its equivalent or higher in the immediately preceding year of tenure based on the performance criteria for Appointive Directors for the GOCC.”In the exercise of the Governance Commission’s mandate under Section 5(c) of R.A. No. 10149, the Code of Corporate Governance for GOCCs (GCG MC No. 2012-07) was issued providing for the development of an Annual Performance Evaluation of the Board1 that would further strengthen the competence and character of the Members of the GOCC Governing Boards.

Director Attendance Score: 15% 3.3.1.

Frequency of Board Meetings. Based on Section 8(a) of theCode of Corporate Governance for GOCC (GCG M.C. No. 2012-07),Governing Boards shall meet regularly, at least once (1) a month during the PED Period, unless the GOCC’s Charter or By-Laws provides otherwise. Compliance with this good governance practice shall be the primary responsibility of the Chairman.

3.3.2.

Committee Memberships.–All GOCC Directors, both Ex Officio and Appointive,and including the Chairman and CEO, shall be officially designated to at least one (1)Board Committeewhere their presence shall be determinative of quorum, and in the case of Appointive Directors, for which they shall be entitled to receive per diems for actual attendance. Further, all Ex Officio designations of Appointive Members to Committees shall be deemed to be regular memberships.

The GOCC, through its Corporate Secretary, shall certify in an official document to the Governance Commission such official designation of Committee membership.

Appointive Directors may beauthorized to attend Committee meetings to which they have not been officially designated, but such authorization shall be in an observercapacity where their presence is not determinative of quorum, with noright to vote and no entitlement toper diems.Receipt of suchper diems is deemed unlawful.

This Circular has been accordingly issued to establish the PERFORMANCE EVALUATION FOR DIRECTORS(PED) in the GOCC Sector.

2.

COVERAGE. – The PED shall cover all Appointive Directors and shall serve as the basis for the determination of whether they shall be recommended for reappointment; Provided, that the Appointive Director has served at leastthree (3) months within the calendar year and has attended at least three (3) duly called for Board and/or Committee meetings subject of performance evaluation (the “PED Period”).

It shall also cover a Director who was appointed to a term of less than three (3) months, but has served as Officer-in-Charge (OIC) or Acting Chairman or President/CEO and attended at least three (3) duly called for Board and/or Committee meetings during the PED Period.

3.3.3.

The PED shall also cover the Ex Officio Directorsand their Alternates/Authorized Representatives who have attended at least 10% of the Board and Committee Meetings for purposes of being able to report to the President the performance of such Ex Officio Directors, and to allow the GCG to develop and evolve a good governance system for Ex Officio Directors in the GOCC Sector.

3.

COMPONENTS OF THE PED. –The PEDmeasures the overall performance of Ex Officio and Appointive Directors within thePED Period based on the weighted-average of thefollowing components: 3.1.

GOCC Performance based on the application of the Performance Evaluation System (PES) for GOCCs under GCG Memorandum Circular No. 2013-02: 60% 3.1.1.

3.2.

Failure to submit the fully accomplished Monitoring Report (PES Form 3) and corresponding support documents for validation on the indicated deadline2 warrants a final PES rating of 60%.

Director PerformanceReview (DPR): 25% 3.2.1.

The DPR Rating of a Director shall be measured based on the following: (a) Self Appraisal Rating = 5% (b) Peer Appraisal Rating = 10% (c) Chairman’s Appraisal Rating for each Member = 10% 3.2.2.

In cases where there is no Chairman’s Appraisal Rating, The DPR Rating of a Director shall be measured based on the following: (a) Self Appraisal Rating = 7.5% (b) Peer Appraisal Rating = 17.5% 3.2.3.

For the Chairman, the following shall be used to measure his/her DPR score: (a) Self Appraisal Rating = 7.5% (b) Peer Appraisal Rating = 17.5% 3.2.4.

Guidelines on the DPR (a) Appraisal Forms (i) Self Appraisal Form (SAF). – Each member of the Governing Boardshall accomplish a SAF as follows: Evaluators

Members of the Governing Board President/CEO/ Administrator/ General Manager (ii)

SAF 3: Self-Appraisalas CEO

Forms to be used PAF 1: Peer-Appraisal for Members of the Board PAF2: Peer-Appraisal for the CEO

Members of the Governing Board

PAF 3: Peer-Appraisal for the Chairman PAF 1: Peer-Appraisal for Members of the Board PAF 2: Peer-Appraisal for the CEO

President/CEO/Administrator/ General Manager

PAF 3: Peer-Appraisal for the Chairman PAF 1: Peer-Appraisal for Members of the Board

(d)

(e)

4.

SAF 2: Self-Appraisal as Board Member

Chairman

(c)

3.3.5.

Peer Appraisal Form (PAF). – Each member of the Governing Board shall likewise accomplish a PAF for each of his/her co-member. All the members of the Governing Board shall evaluate one another as follows:

Evaluators

(b)

3.3.4.

Forms to be used SAF 1: Self-Appraisal as Chairman

Chairman

Online Submission and Assessment of DPR Forms (i) To increase the level of confidentiality in the DPR results, SAFs and PAFs will be answered and encoded by each GOCC Board Director using aninternet-based system accessible athttp://iped.gcg.gov.ph. (ii) Ex Officio Directors and their Alternates, and Appointive Directors shall provide an email address which shall serve as a default username account for the DPR web-based system. The email address shall also be used by the GCG to communicate directly to the GOCC Director regardingany issues and/or concerns relating to the DPR. (iii) The Compliance Officer/Corporate Secretary shall be tasked to identify, collate, and submit to GCG the list of the official emails ofGOCC Ex OfficioMembers and their duly- designated Alternates, and Appointive Directors. It shall be the responsibility of the Compliance Officer/Corporate Secretary to ensure that the email addresses are accurate and up-to-date.

The Compliance Officer/Corporate Secretary shall also serve as the GOCC liaison to GCG with regard to the compliance status of the GOCC Board Members to the DPR process.

Schedule: (i) Individual Performance Levels. –The GOCC’s Compliance Officer/ Corporate Secretary shall be informed of the opening of the DPR schedule starting on the first working day of February of each year. (ii) Submission.– Within the firsttwenty (20) working days of February of each year, the GOCC Board Membersmustsubmit the complete accomplished forms to the Governance Commissionfor tabulation and evaluation.

Tabulation: (i) The GCG shall tabulate the results from duly submitted DPR forms; Provided, however, that non-submission of SAFs within the prescribed timeperiod shall warrant the GCG to automatically establish a grade for each of the Appraisal Forms,according to the following rules: d.i.1. The Chairman’s failure to submit complete appraisal forms for his/her Directors would warrant a final DPR grade of 60% for the Chairman, his SAF notwithstanding; d.i.2. A Director’s failure to submit a SAF shall warrant a self-appraisal grade of 60%notwithstanding a Director who signified decision not to submit the said form; and d.i.3. A Director’s failure to submita PAF for a fellow Director shall cause the former a peer appraisal grade of 60% from the fellow Director that was not rated, notwithstanding submission of fellow Director’s PAF. (ii) In cases where the Director or Alternate does not have basis for evaluation, he/she must“force submit” the DPR Form which is equivalent to submitting a blank form which will not result to a corresponding rating.

Rules on Assessing Ex OfficioMembers and their duly-designated Alternates. (i) In cases where the Ex Officio Chairman did notattend Board Meetings within the PED Period, the duly-designated Alternate shall be assessed as Chairman.3 (ii) In cases where both Ex Officio Chairman and his/her duly-designated

LBC-MVP Sports Foundation will be the team Navy should be wary about after finishing strong in the Visayas Leg. Ronnilan Quita, an unheralded rider out of San Jose, Tarlac, came out of nowhere in snatching a second place finish in Stage Four behind former Tour champion Joel Calderon of Navy.

More dangerous is Rustom Lim, who finally snatched a stage victory from Navy by reigning supreme in the final stage also in Roxas City that catapulted him to a second place finish overall.

Alternate did not attend any board meeting during the PED Period, they shall automatically receive a final failing grade of 60%, and the Vice Chairman4 shall fulfill the PED obligations of, and himself be evaluated as, Chairman for the PED Period. (iii) In cases where an Ex Officio Board Member did not attend any Board Meetings within the PED Period, theduly-designated Alternate shall be the one subjected to the PED evaluation.

GCGMEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO.2014–03(3rdIssUE) SUBJECT DATE

second in the Visayas.

“If I will have my chance, I’ll take it,” said Roque, a native of Bataan.

For Navy playing skipper Lloyd Lucien Reynante, he just wants his team to finish strong.

“We’ll go for a sweep,” said Reynante, who himself did well the last time after he ended up fourth overall in the last leg.

Reynante though thinks it will be tougher this time.

“The opposition is getting stronger and we expect it to get even more tougher in Luzon,” he said.

Attendance at Committee Meetings shall be properly recorded in the DAF. Changes in committee membership will only be recognized upon submission to the GCG of necessary documents certifying such changes.

Rules on Attendance. –For purposes of reappointment, an Appointive Director must have attendedat least 75% of all authorized and duly called for Board and Committee meetings (to which he/she is officially designated) in any given year. In determining the total number of authorized and dulycalledfor Board and Committee meetings, the following rules shall be observed: (a) Attendance through teleconferencing or video conferencing in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Memorandum Circular No. 15, 2001, is allowed. (b) Absences arising from the actual conduct of official business for the GOCC, its Subsidiary, Affiliate, or for the National Government, are considered excused absences and thus counted as attendance on the part of the Director. Provided, the GOCC or the Director shall provide official documentation5 of such official business, such as, but not limited to, a travel authority, certificate of appearance, attendance sheets and invitations. (c) Absences arising fromserious medical conditions6 shall be considered excused only upon submission of official documentation such as medical abstract or certificate. (d) Absences arising from filial obligations shall not be considered excused, even if approved by the Governing Board; and (e) Vacation leaves shall not be considered as excused, even if approved.

Director Attendance System (DAS).–An internet-based Director Attendance System,duly prescribed by the GCG and to be accessed at http://iped.gcg.gov.ph, shall be used to encode the attendance of the GOCC Governing Board Members.

The Compliance Officer/Corporate Secretary shall provide a sworn certification on the accuracy and correctness of the information encoded in the DAS.The sworn certificate shall be uploaded as an attachment in the DAS. In encoding the attendance information the following rules shall apply: (a) Attendance of an Appointive, Ex Officio, or Alternate/Authorized Representative to a Board/Committee meeting shall be marked as “Present” or “P”, while nonattendance shall be marked as “Absent” or“A”. (b) In cases where an absence is caused by an actual conduct of official business (OB), supporting documents must be uploaded to the DAS as herein prescribed in Section 3.3.3(b). Non-submission of supporting documents shall cause the GCG to convert said OB to A. Individual Attendance Score. –The Compliance Officer/Corporate Secretary shall submit to the GCG,on or before the 15thof January of each year, the attendance recordand official Committee designationfor the previous calendar year of all members of the Governing Board, both Appointive and Ex Officio.

OVERALL GRADE EQUIVALENT.– Overall Score

Equivalent

100%

EXCELLENT

95% to 99.99%

OUTSTANDING

85% to 94.99%

ABOVE AVERAGE

80% to 84.99%

AVERAGE

70% to 79.99%

BELOW AVERAGE

Above 60% to 69.99%

POOR

60% and Below

VERY POOR

ELIGIBILITY FOR REAPPOINTMENT.– Appointive Directors who receive an overall rating of less than 85% will not be qualified to be included in the shortlist of nominees for the following term; Provided, that when in the GCG’s evaluation, the down-rating received by an Appointive Director is not warranted, the particular Appointive Director may still be included in the shortlist for proper consideration of the President with proper explanation thereof.

6.

RESULTS OF THE PED.– The GCG shall submit to the Supervising Agency and GOCC Chairman the results of the PED. It shall be the responsibility of the GOCC Chairman to disseminate and explain the PED results to the rest of the Members of the Governing Board.

7.

CHECKLIST OF SUBMISSIONS. – (a) SelfAppraisal Forms (SAF) of each member of the Governing Board (SAF Forms 1, 2, and 3); (b) Peer Appraisal Forms (PAFs)accomplished by the peer evaluators in assessing the performance of their fellow members in a GOCC Governing Board (PAF Forms1, 2, and 3); (c) Supporting documents determined initially by the GOCC, without prejudice to the request for further documents/records by the GCG from the GOCC concerned.

8.

SANCTION.–Failure of an Appointive Director to comply with the conditions of the PED shall be basis for the Governance Commission not to include his/her name in the shortlist of Appointive Directors and the non-entitlement to PBI.

9.

REPEALING CLAUSE.–All other GCG orders, circulars, issuances, and decisions, as well as Board resolutions, or parts of the foregoing, which are inconsistent with this Memorandum Circular are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

10.

EFFECTIVITY CLAUSE. – This Circular shall take effect immediately upon its publication in the Governance Commission’s website at www.gcg.gov.ph.

(SGD.) CESAR L. VILLANUEVA Chairman

(SGD.)CESAR V. PURISIMA DOF Secretary

(SGD.) MA. ANGELA E. IGNACIO Commissioner

(SGD.) FLORENCIO B. ABAD DBM Secretary

(SGD.)RAINIER B. BUTALID Commissioner _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2

3 4

5 6

LOS ANGELES—The Golden State Warriors kept their bid for a record-setting NBA regular season on track Wednesday with a 10396 overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets.

Stephen Curry scored 31 points and the Warriors overcame a double-digit, secondhalf deficit to notch a club record 68th win of the season. They have lost only seven games.

Klay Thompson scored 18 points to help the Warriors edge closer to the NBA record 72 regular-season victories posted by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. Golden State need five wins in their last seven games to surpass the record.

While the Warriors continued to close in on the regular-season wins record, the San Antonio Spurs broke one mark set by that Michael Jordan-led Bulls team of 1995-96 with their 38th straight home win of the season without a defeat.

Argentine veteran Manu Ginobili scored 20 points, including nine in the fourth quarter to help the Spurs finish off a 100-92 triumph over the injury depleted New Orleans Pelicans. AFP

Lions...

From A13

5.

1

Dubs, Spurs prevail

S e e S e c t i o n 17, G C G M C N o . 2 012 - 0 7.

G C G M . C . 2 013 - 0 2 ( R e - I s s u e d ) P e r f o r m a n c e Ev a l u a t i o n S y s t e m ( P E S) f o r t h e G O C C S e c t o r S e c t i o n 7. 3 . – s u b m i s s i o n i s b e g i n n i n g e v e r y f i r s t w o r k i n g d a y o f F e b r u a r y b u t n o t l a t e r t h a n t h e l a s t w o r k i n g d a y o f A p r i l o f t h e i m m e d i a t e l y s u c c e e d i n g c a l e n d a r y e a r.

S e c t i o n 5 o f G C G M C N o . 2 012 - 0 8 s t a t e s t h a t “A D u l y - D e s i g n a t e d A l t e r n a t e o f a n E x O f f i c i o B o a r d M e m b e r A c t s w i t h t h e S a m e L e g a l E f f e c t a s t h e P r i n c i p a l D i r e c t o r.”

Vic e Chair man shall refer to the Vic e Chair man as named by the Char ter/ By- Laws or any Member of the Board who assumes the position of the Chairman in the absence of the Ex Of ficio Chairman and his Alternate.

Cer tif ic ates issued by the Director himself/herself or by the Cor porate Secretar y are not c onsidered of ficial documentation.

Sickness or physic al c ondition that prevents a Director from physic ally at tending a Board or Commit tee M e e t i n g o r e f f e c t i v e l y p a r t i c i p a t i n g t h r o u g h t e l e c o n f e r e n c i n g , a s c e r t i f i e d b y a m e d i c a l d o c t o r. ( T S - A P R . 1, 2 016)

The defending champion Jose Rizal University-A Heavy Bombers are bunched in Group B with Letran-A, San Beda College, University of Santo Tomas, Emilio Aguinaldo College and Olivarez College.

In group A are Letran-B, Arellano University, Adamson University, University of Perpetual Help, Centro Escolar University and JRU-B. In the junior side, the NU Bullpups, recently crowned UAAP junior champions, are seeking their second straight crown. They are in Group B with San Beda-A, La Salle Greenhills-B, Adamson, San Sebastian, Perpetual Help, San Beda-Alabang, Hope in Hoops ansd Manila Patriotic School.

F ri day : a p ri l 1 , 2 0 1 6

A13

sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

Top NBA trainer holds Best Center workshop STUDENTS from select public schools in Metro Manila had a great opportunity to join a special basketball workshop with no less than Paul Fabritz, a worldrenowned performance enhancement coach and skills trainer, who flew all the way from Los Angeles, USA. Fabritz has worked with international athletes including NBA players Kobe Bryant, James Harden, Alex Len, and Derrick Williams.

Organized by the Basketball Efficiency Scientific Training Center and supported

by Chris Sports, with the help of DepEd Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Wilfredo Cabral and NCR Supervisor Joel Dionicio, the basketball workshop gave kids an experience of how top international athletes train to become the best in the game through the guidance of international coaches. It aimed to develop their skill set by instilling basketball skill-specific training and performance programs that focus on speed, agility, quickness, power, and shooting.

Joining Fabritz in the session were BEST Center’s seasoned coaches Edwin Barber, Eton Navarro, John Cusi, Jen Mondejar, and Marichu Bacaro. They provided kids with basketball handling and dribbling skills, as well basketball recovery exercises.

“Every kid has the potential to become a basketball superstar. Aside from having proper training and guidance, they must also have the determination and the right attitude to master the game. They have to keep training and never stop improving,” said Fabritz.

“It has been our mission at Chris Sports to help improve the sports development in the country. By bringing Coach Paul Fabritz to the country, we hope to introduce an international level of training for basketball enthusiasts. We are also honored to have BEST Center, one of the country’s pioneers and premiere basketball school, joining us in this endeavor,” said Chris Sports managing director Gilbert Tang.

Lions face Generals in Martin Cup opener Games Sunday

(San Beda College, Mendiola) 8 a.m. St. Patrick vs EAC-ICA (jrs-A) 9:30 a.m. PACE Academy vs Sta. Maria-Pampanga (jrs-A) 11 a.m. Adamson vs Arellano (srs-A) 12:30 p.m. San Beda vs EAC (srs-B) 2 p.m. UE vs Adamson (women)

THE San Beda Red Lions and the Arellano University Chiefs will clash with separate rivals in the opening games of the 22nd Fr, Martin Cup Summer Basketball Tournament on Sunday at the at the St. Placid gym of the San Beda College-Manila campus in Mendiola.

The Red Lions will meet the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals at 12:30 p.m., while the Chiefs confront the Adamson Falcons earlier at 11 a.m.

An eight-game bill has been slated that day, according to commissioner Robert de la Rosa with matches firing off at 8 a.m between St. Patrick School-Quezon City and EAC. A total of 37 teams are officially entered, with 12 squads listed in the senior division, 18 in the junior section, and seven in the women’s division.

Pace Academy fights a team from Sta. Maria, Pampanga at 9:30 a.m. in another junior match, while University of the East takes on Adamson Turn to A12 in women’s play at 2 p.m.

Paul Fabritz leading the workshop

Sulaiman teams up with WADA in fight vs doping

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

IN A laudable effort to try to establish new ways of protecting fighters, World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman told The Standard that the premier pro boxing organization in the world has a two-year program with UCLA, the University of California in Los Angeles and the World Anti-Doping Agency, headed by Dr. Margaret Goodman, to eradicate if possible, the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

In an exclusive interview at the 16th Gabriel “Flash” Elorde Annual Awards at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel on Tuesday, Sulaiman said: “We are doing testing which is out of competition.

It’s random testing and basically we want to teach the kids that some of these substances are harmful.”

The WBC president noted that some of these substances when taken by footballers or baseball players “you are scoring, but when you take a substance in boxing you are punching another person.”

“There are terrible sideeffects on the kidneys, the heart, the liver. So we need to educate fighters, trainers and managers. It’s a system that needs to be incorporated in the WBC rules,” Sulaiman emphasized.

Discussing the planned July mandatory title fight of No.1-ranked Jonathan Taconing of the Johnny Elorde stable, who faces newly crowned light f lyweight champion Ganigan Lopez, Mauricio said he believes that Taconing “will be a new world

champion because he is a great fighter and will take the opportunity.”

“The Philippines is one of the top five countries in boxing in the world. I wish to return to the country to meet more people because I am sure many Filipinos will be fighting for world titles in the future,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sulaiman has been made an “Adopted son of the City of Bacolod,” the picturesque coastal town in the Visayas region.

Sulaiman attended the 54th Convention of the Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation as guest of OPBF and Philippine Games and Amusements Board Chairman Ramon “Monju” Guanzon.

The prestigious title was bestowed on Sulaiman in recognition of all his multi-achievements in boxing, among them the fostering and boosting relations between all the member nations of the OPBF, continuing the great legacy of his esteemed father, the late Don Jose Sulaiman who always showed tremendous respect

for Filipino boxers and officials, including former WBC president Jutiniano Montano Jr. and general secretary, the late lawyer Rudy Salud, who drafted the WBC Constitution and By-Laws and was referred to by Sulaiman as “an icon of boxing.”

Unanimously elected to succeed his father Don Jose, Mauricio said he was delighted to receive the distinction and that his leadership is an honor to his late father, who worked tirelessly to dignify the sport and his commitment to especially protect boxers, while taking boxing to every corner of the world.

The WBC chief praised the work done by the OPBF and reaffirmed the on-going commitment to continue working with and for boxing.

During the Elorde Awards, Sulaiman was embraced by the fans as well as the boxers following an emotional and touching address, after which he awarded all the boxers a classy gold-plated WBC medal which thrilled the recipients no end.

Smart taekwondo summer program opens

Hecomo Patrick of A Jins Taekwondo (left) and Silang Taekwondo’s Herrera Luis Xavier are among the early participants in PTA’s summer program.

THE much-awaited 2016 SMART/MVP Sports Taekwondo Summer Program is now underway in all Philippine Taekwondo Association affiliates and branches all over the country.

One of the most popular martial arts in the country today, taekwondo is considered as the best exercise for physical conditioning, alertness and self-protection since knowledge in unarmed defense is better than acquiring a deadly weapon.

The program scheduled from March 28 to June 6 is be-

ing conducted in Matro Manila, Regions 1 to 12, CAR, ARMM and CARAGA as well as the PNPA and the AFP. Interested parties may contact the PTA at tel. nos. 5220518/522-0519/524-0457 or email philippinetaekwondo@ gmail.com/philtkd@gmail.com.

PTA is an affiliate of the World Taekwondo Federation and the Philippine Olympic Committee and recognized by the Philippine Sports Commission.

The summer program is also supported by PLDT, MERALCO, TV5, POC, PSC

and Milo.

Many products of the summer program get to compete in various PTA-organized tournaments all over the country. Some even get the chance to qualify for the national teams which compete in prestigious international events like the Olympic Games, Asian Games, Southeast Asian Games, World University Games and World Championships.

Continuous training with determination and perseverance can help a taekwondo participant master the sport.

4.1.7. An employee who rendered a minimum of three (3) months but less than nine (9) months of service and with at least “Satisfactory” rating shall be eligible for the grant of PBB on a pro-rata basis. The PBB of employees shall be pro-rated corresponding to the actual length of service rendered, as follows: GCG MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 2015 – 05

Length of Service

% of PBB

SUBJECT : 2015 INTERIM PERFORMANCE-BASED BONUS (PBB) DATE : 15 July 2015 ________________________________________________________

8 months but less than 9 months

90%

7 months but less than 8 months

80%

1.

6 months but less than 7 months

70%

5 months but less than 6 months

60%

4 months but less than 5 months

50%

3 months but less than 4 months

40%

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE. – This Circular has been issued to establish the rules and regulations for the grant of the Interim Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) for CY 2015 to qualified GOCC Officers and Employees pursuant to Executive Order No. 80, s. 2012 (E.O. No. 80)1, pending the approval by the President of the Compensation and position ClassifiCation system (CpCs), mandated by Republic Act (R.A.) No. 10149, “GOCC Governance Act of 2011”.

2. PRODUCTIVITY ENHANCEMENT INCENTIVE (PEI). – The PEI, as determined by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), shall be granted across-the-board to covered Officers and Employees2 of the GOCCs, and shall be distributed at the same time as National Government Agencies, as provided in the particular DBM Circular.

3. ELIGIBILITY OF A GOCC TO GRANT THE PBB. – The grant of PBB shall be based on the overall company performance, and then distributed to individual Officers and Employees based on their performance ranking. Pursuant to the “Performance Evaluation System for the GOCC Sector” [GCG MC No. 201302 (Re-Issued)] or any revised version thereof, a GOCC, in order to be eligible to grant PBB to its qualified Officers and Employees, must: 3.1.

Achieve a weighted-average score of at least 90% in its 2015 Performance Scorecard; 3.2.

Submit a Quality Management System (QMS) for at least one core process certified by any international certifying body approved by the IATF or submit an Operations Manual covering selected core processes or areas of operation; 3.3.

Comply with the Good Governance Conditions provided in GCG MC No. 2013-02 and 2014-023:

3.4.

Conditions Common to National Government Agencies and GOCCs: (a) Transparency Seal; (b) PhilGEPS Posting; (c) Cash Advance Liquidation; (d) Citizen’s Charter or its equivalent; (e) Government Quality Management System Standards (GQMSS) pursuant to E.O. No. 605, s. 2007; and (f) Compliance with submission and review of SALN of officials and employees.4 Conditions Specific to GOCCs Covered by R.A. No. 10149: (a) The GOCC has satisfied all statutory liabilities, including the payment of all taxes due to the Government as certified by the BIR, declaration and payment of all dividends to the State as of the end of the applicable calendar year, whenever applicable, and NG Advances, as certified by the Department of Finance (DOF).

Liabilities that are still under dispute and there has been no final and executory judgment/decision as of the date of the release of the PBB by the GOCC shall be excluded for the purpose of this provision. (b) Submission and execution of concrete and time bound action plans for addressing Notices of Disallowances and Audit Observation Memoranda from the Commission on Audit (COA), if any; (c) Maintain/update and implement the GOCC’s “Manual of Corporate Governance” and “No Gift Policy” approved by the GCG and uploaded on the GOCC’s website pursuant to the “Code of Corporate Governance for GOCCs” (GCG MC No. 2012-07); and (d) Compliance with posting on the GOCC’s website the information enumerated under Section 43 of GCG MC No. 2012-07.

The following are the valid reasons for an employee who may not meet the nine-month actual service requirement to be considered for PBB on a pro-rata basis: (a) Being a newly hired employee; (b) Retirement; (c) Resignation; (d) Rehabilitation Leave; (e) Maternity Leave and/or Paternity Leave; (f) Vacation or Sick Leave with or without pay; (g) Scholarship/Study Leave; and (h) Sabbatical Leave 4.1.8. An employee who is on vacation or sick leave, with or without pay, for the entire year, is not eligible to the grant of the PBB. 4.1.9. Personnel found guilty of administrative and/or criminal cases filed against them and meted penalty in FY 2015 shall not be entitled to the PBB. If the penalty meted out is only a reprimand, such penalty shall not cause the disqualification to the PBB. 4.1.10. Officials and employees who failed to submit the 2014 SALN as prescribed in the rules provided under CSC Memorandum Circular No. 3 (s.2015), shall not be entitled to the FY 2015 PBB. 4.1.11. Officials and employees who failed to liquidate Cash Advances received in 2015 within the reglamentary period as stated in the prevailing COA Circular, shall not be entitled to the FY 2015 PBB. 4.1.12. Agency heads should ensure that officials and employees covered

by RA 6713 submitted their 2014 SALN to the respective SALN repository agencies as prescribed in the rules provided under CSC Memorandum Circular No. 3 (s.2015) and also liquidated 2015 Cash Advances, as this will be a basis for the release of FY 2015 PBB to individuals.

4.2. Exclusions. – Excluded from the grant of the PBB are the following: 4.2.1. Those hired without employer-employee relationships and paid from non-Personal Services appropriations/budgets as follows: (a) Consultants and experts hired to perform specific activities or services with expected outputs; (b) Laborers hired through job contracts (pakyaw) and those paid on piecework basis; (c) Student laborers and apprentices; and (d) Individuals and groups of people whose services are engaged through job orders, contracts of service, or others similarly situated.

5.

5.1. Grouping of Personnel. – In determining the distribution of the PBB among qualified GOCC Officers and Employees, all personnel shall be ranked on a percentile basis within their respective levels as determined by the GOCC Governing Board through Management in accordance with the following guidelines: (a) Senior Management: This refers to the executive officers of the GOCC, and includes all heads of functional units, which are primarily involved in the development, evolution, and approval of long-term vision across a function or area of specialization. It includes those who lead the development of function strategy, implement and maintain policies of the organization for area of responsibility. (e.g., Deputy Administrator, Sr. Deputy Administrator, Assistant General Manager, Executive Vice President, Sr. Vice President, Vice President, etc.)

The President/CEO, or whoever is the highest ranking executive officer, has the prerogative to avail of either the Performance-Based Incentive (PBI) under GCG MC No. 2015-06, or the PBB, but not both. In the event the CEO is included in the PBB application, he/she must meet the eligibility requirements for the PBI and shall be ranked separately on his/her own and shall not be included in the forced ranking of Officers and Employees. (b) Middle Management: This covers those whose work is primarily achieved through others, with direct accountability for setting direction and deploying resources. Responsible for people management, including performance evaluation and pay reviews and typically hire/fire decisions. Includes individual contributors who are recognized as subject matter experts with in-depth technical knowledge, project management and significant influence skills in area of expertise (e.g., Head of Department or Service). (c) Professional and Supervisory: This level comprises the personnel whose work is primarily achieved by an individual or through project teams. Requires the application of expertise in professional or technical area(s) to achieve results. Typically has a university degree or equivalent work experience that provides knowledge and exposure to fundamental theories, principles and concepts. Includes supervisors and junior management that may not have full management authority (e.g., Financial Analyst/Specialists, Accountant, HR Officer, etc.) (d) Clerical/General Staff: This category includes all clerical, administrative and secretarial staff with little or no supervisory responsibility but who contribute independently to the organization. It also covers basic computing/data processing staff such as operators, customer service assistants and skilled craftsmen/technicians (e.g., Secretary, Clerk, Finance Processor, Administrative Assistant, Chauffeur, Utility Worker, Messenger).

5.2 Distribution for Qualified Officers and Employees. – In each level provided for in Section 5.1 above, the ratings of Officers and Employees under the GOCC’s SPMS or its equivalent shall be quantified to allow for ranking on a percentile basis for the purpose of distribution as follows: 5.2.1. For Profitable GOCCs. – The grant of the PBB shall be based on the performance of the individual Officers and Employees with the rate of incentive as a multiple of the individual’s monthly basic salary based on the table below, but not to exceed the ceilings computed by using the same multiple to twice the basic salary of the comparable NG position as provided in Annex A. Thus, the PBB for Profitable GOCCs shall be distributed among its Officers and Employees for CY 2015, as follows:

Comply with all Good Governance Conditions and other reportorial requirements as validated directly by the following oversight/validating agencies: PBB Requirement

Validating Agency

Transparency Seal

DBM-OCIO

PhilGEPS Posting

PhilGEPS

Citizen’s Charter

CSC

Submission of SALN of employees

Office of the President, Office of the Ombudsman and CSC. Note: The SALN validating agencies shall provide the list of SALN non-filers

Report on Ageing of Cash Advances

COA

DBM financial reports including BFARs

DBM

PES Accomplishments

GCG

STO - accomplishment

GQMC

•

QMS Certification / Operations Manual

•

STO identified by agency head (If Applicable)

DBM – BMB A, B, C, D, E and F; OPOES; CHED; LWUA

GASS •

Public Financial Management Reports

DBM

•

Submission of Financial Statements, Ageing of Cash Advances Report

COA

•

BFARs

DBM and COA

•

APCPI

GPPB-TSO

•

Submission of APP

GPPB-TSO

Priority Program Accomplishments

PMS

Percentile

(If Applicable) OP Planning Tool Accomplishments

Top: Maximum 10%

OP-OCS

(If Applicable) EODB Accomplishments

NCC

(If Applicable) Agency Rating and Ranking Report

DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM. – Distribution of PBB among qualified Officers and Employees of a GOCC who have complied with the eligibility rules in Section 4 above shall be in accordance with the following procedure:

4.

1.50 1.00

Activity

Deadline

Pre-Assessment of Good Governance Conditions

01 October 2015

Posting of Agency system of ranking delivery units and individuals

On or before 30 October 2015

Submission of Report on Ageing of Cash Advance Liquidation (with 15 November 2015 as cut-off)

On or before 01 December 2015

Submission of Certificate of Compliance with PhilGEPS (with 15 November 2015 as cut-off)

On or before 01 December 2015

Submission of BFARs to COA and DBM

30 Days or one month after the end of quarter

Submission of APCPI SelfAssessment

On or before 29 December 2015

Submission of APP

Within the first month of the year until 29 April 2015.

Validation of QMS Certification/ Operations Manual Submission

On or before 15 January 2016

Validating of 2nd STO Indicator as identified by head of agency

On or before 15 January 2016

11. EFFECT OF SUBMISSION AND NON-SUBMISSION ON THE PRESCRIBED PERIOD. – GOCCs that submitted all required documents on the given deadline may be authorized to grant their PBB upon receipt of the authorization letter from the Governance Commission. Failure to comply with the requirements shall render the GOCC ineligible to grant the PBI to its Appointive Directors for CY 2014.

12. APPEALS FOR DENIAL OF PBB. – Any appeal for the denial of the grant of PBB based on failure to comply with the Good Governance Conditions Common to National Government Agencies and GOCCs shall be made directly to the respective IATF oversight/validating agency, as indicated in Section 3 herein. All other issues shall be appealed with the Governance Commission.

13. PBI APPLICATION DEEMED AUTOMATICALLY FILED. – The PerformanceBased Incentive (PBI) for Appointive Directors is deemed to have been applied for by every GOCC which applies for the PBB grant; Provided that, the actual authorization for the distribution of PBI shall be conditioned upon compliance with the requirements of GCG MC No. 2015-06.

14. EFFECTIVITY. – This Circular shall take effect immediately upon its publication in the Commission’s website at www.gcg.gov.ph.

(SGD.) CESAR L. VILLANUEVA Chairman

(SGD.)CESAR V. PURISIMA DOF Secretary

(SGD.) MA. ANGELA E. IGNACIO Commissioner

(SGD.)FLORENCIO B. ABAD DBM Secretary

(SGD.)RAINIER B. BUTALID Commissioner

*The percentile of the “Top” and “Next” levels are maximum figures with the discretion on the part of the Governing Board/Management to decrease the figures and distribute them to the “Remaining” level.

Provided, that the total cost of the PBB shall not result in a net loss for CY 2015 computed before subsidy and unrealized gains/ losses, and after taxes.

5.2.2. For Losing GOCCs. – The grant of PBB shall also be based on the performance of individual Officers and Employees with the following fixed rate of incentive; thus, Losing GOCCs shall distribute PBB among its Officers and Employees for CY 2015, as follows:

COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION. – The GOCC CEO shall confirm with the GCG and IATF the name, position and contact details (e-mail, landline, facsimile, cellular phone) of the senior officials designated as the PBB focal person and the spokesperson, respectively.

COVERAGE5. – All Officers and Employees of eligible GOCCs who occupy regular, casual or contractual positions shall be entitled to full grant of the PBB from their employer at the time of the payout of the PBB; Provided, they have rendered an aggregate of at least nine (9) months of service in the public sector for the year ending 31 December 2015. Officers and Employees who do not meet the 9-month service requirement but have served at least 3 months of service shall be entitled to PBB on a pro-rata basis as provided in Section 4.1.7 herein.

4.1.

Eligibility of Individual Officers and Employees of GOCCs 4.1.1. Employees belonging to the First and Second Levels should receive a rating of at least “Satisfactory” based on the agency’s CSC-approved Strategic Performance Management System (SPMS); 4.1.2. Third Level officials should receive a rating of at least “Very Satisfactory” under the Career Executive Service Performance Evaluation System (CESPES). CESPES covers all incumbents of CES positions in various agencies of the national government including GOCCs with original charters, for an uninterrupted period of at least three (3) months. Payment of the PBB to Third Level officials shall be contingent on the release of results of the CESPES; 4.1.3. Other officials performing managerial and executive functions who are not presidential appointees are covered by the agency’s CSC-approved SPMS and should receive a rating of at least “Satisfactory”.

4.1.4. Personnel on detail to another government agency for six (6) months or more shall be included in the ranking of employees in the recipient agency that rated his/her performance. Payment of the PBB shall come from the mother agency.

4.1.5. Personnel who transferred from one government agency to another agency shall be rated and ranked by the agency where he/she served the longest. If equal months were served for each agency, he/she will be included in the recipient agency.

4.1.6. An employee who has rendered a minimum of nine (9) months of service during the fiscal year and with at least “Satisfactory” rating may be eligible to the full grant of the PBB.

The schedule for the 2015 PBB submissions for the Good Governance Conditions Common to National Government Agencies and GOCCs shall be as follows:

2.50

Remaining: Minimum 65%

GCG

The IATF oversight/validating agencies may be contacted through the following communication channels: (a) AO 25 Secretariat at ao25secretariat@dap.edu.ph (b) PBIS Info Board (c) RPBPMS website www.dap.edu.ph/rbpms (d) PCDSPO e-mail at pbb@gov.ph (e) Text hotline (Smart: +63920.498.9121) (f) Facebook (www.facebook.com/PBBsecretariat) (g) Twitter: @pbbsecretariat

Subsidy from the NG for the GOCC’s operations, except for subsidy income or subsidy given by DBM precisely for the payment of the PBB; and (c) Sale of the GOCC’s asset(s) for the sole purpose of paying the PBB and is otherwise not in the ordinary course of business.

10. CHECKLIST, TIMELINE AND EFFECTS OF SUBMISSION AND NONSUBMISSION. – GOCCs applying to grant the PBB within their respective corporations shall submit the required documents enumerated in Annex B on or before the last working day of February 2016.

Multiple

Next: Maximum 25%

*All submissions shall be made directly with the aforementioned oversight/validating agencies .

3.5.

(b)

Percentile

Amount

Top: Maximum 10%

25,000

Next: Maximum 25%

15,000

Remaining: Minimum 65%

7,500

*The percentile of the “Top” and “Next” levels are maximum figures with the discretion on the part of the Governing Board/Management to decrease the figures and distribute them to the “Remaining” level.

6.

DETERMINATION OF PROFITABILITY. – The resulting amount following the table below, as may be applicable, shall be the basis for determining a GOCC’s profitability, to wit: Total Comprehensive Income (TCI) Plus: 1.

2.

Less:

7.

8.

9.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Unrealized Losses found in Other Comprehensive Income 6 Disbursements of Program Subsidies treated as expenses Subsidies treated as revenues Subsidies granted to settle tax obligations for prior years Unrealized Gains found in Other Comprehensive Income All income or dividends received from Operating Subsidiaries, regardless of accounting entry

However, GOCCs with negative Retained Earnings shall automatically be classified as a “Losing” GOCC regardless of the resulting figure after application of the above formula, and shall use the applicable fixed rates stated in Section 5.3.2. herein, unless the GOCC has been determined as profitable based on the above formula for two (2) consecutive years, inclusive of the current year.

FLEXIBILITY. – The multiples and amounts herein are intended to provide a cap on the PBB that may be distributed by a GOCC. However, nothing herein shall be construed to limit the business judgment or authority of the Governing Board, when giving due regard to the financial condition and existing policies of a particular GOCC, to reduce (a) the actual amounts to be distributed, and/or (b) the distribution rates under Section 5.

GRIEVANCE MECHANISM. – The Governing Board through Management shall set up a Complaints Mechanism to respond to the PBB-related issues and complaints raised by Officers and Employees.

FUNDING FOR THE 2015 PBB. – Pursuant to Section 5(b) of E.O. No. 80, the funding to support the Interim PBB System herein shall be charged by GOCCs from their respective corporate funds, subject to the approval of their respective Governing Boards in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations.

However, it shall be prohibited to source the payment of the PBB from the following: (a) Loans;

__________________________________________________ 1

2 3 4 5

6

E .O. N o . 8 0 , e n t i t l e d “ D i r e c t i n g t h e A d o p t i o n o f a P e r f o r m a n c e - B a s e d Incentive System for Government E m p l oy e e s ,” w a s i s s u e d t o , a m o n g others, provide incentives that suppor t and encourage per formance - driven, productive and ef f icient GOCCs. S e e S e c t i o n 4 .1.

Policies and Guidelines on the Integrated Corporate Repor ting System ( I C R S ) f o r t h e G O C C S e c t o r.

S e e C i v i l S e r v i c e C o m m i s s i o n M e m o r a n d u m C i r c u l a r N o . 3 , s . 2 013 .

A d o p t e d f r o m D B M C i r c u l a r N o . 2 011 - 0 4 e n t i t l e d “ G u i d e l i n e s o n t h e G r a n t o f P r o d u c t i v i t y E n h a n c e m e n t I n c e n t i v e ( P E I) t o G o v e r n m e n t E m p l o y e e s f o r F i s c a l Ye a r ( F Y ) 2 011 ( 0 5 D e c e m b e r 2 011) ”.

O t h e r C o m p r e h e n s i v e I n c o m e (O C I) i s d e f i n e d a s c o m p r i s i n g “ i t e m s o f i n c o m e a n d e x p e n s e ( i n c l u d i n g r e c l a s s i f i c a t i o n a d j u s t m e n t s) t h a t a r e n o t rec ognized in prof it or loss as required or per mit ted by other Inter national F i n a n c i a l R e p o r t i n g S t a n d a r d s .” (S e e A n n e x B) ( T S - A P R . 1, 2 016)

F R I DAY A P R I L 1 , 2 0 16

Quiban, Lascuna shine; Tabuena quits TA R L AC — R o o k i e pro Justin Quiban and veteran Tony Lascuña turned in a pair of bogey-free rounds in scorching heat in opposite nines to surge on top as erstwhile leader Erwin Arcillas skied to a 79 and fancied Miguel Tabuena withdrew due to a bad back halfway through the ICTSI Luisita Championship here yesterday.

Quiban, a former Southwoods mainstay who marked his first foray in pro golf with a 71 Wednesday, flashed awesome form off the tee and came through with superb iron shots and putting to gun down seven birdies, including four coming home at the front, for a course record matching 65 that shoved him to the lead at eight-under 136.

Lascuna, the former three-time Order of Merit winner, matched that 36-hole output although he fell one birdie short of equaling Quiban’s sterling round with a 66 he spiked with four birdies at the back as they wrested a three-stroke lead over Japanese Toru Nakajima.

“It was indeed a good round. I putted well and my irons were simply good,” said Quiban, 20, who capped his brilliant round with scrambling pars on Nos. 1 and 10 and matched the 65 posted by the now retired Danny delos Santos in 1988 with a second straight birdie on the par-5 ninth.

Lascuña, a multi-titled Davaoeno seeking his first victory at the former home of the President’s Cup, bucked a shaky start with birdies on Nos. 3 and 8 then added four more at the back to be in a familiar place.

“I actually struggled with my irons in the early going and hit the bunkers. But I saved pars on both and regained my bearing after birdying No. 3 from eight feet,” said Lascuna, who also birdied Nos. 12, 13, 15 and 18 inside seven feet.

“This is my best round at Luisita and I hope to finally win here.”

After startling the stellar field with a flawless 66 in the opener of the P3.5 million championship sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc., Arcillas made a not-so surprising seven-over card and tumbled to joint 25th at 145.

GCG MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 2012– 08 (Re- Issued)

GCG MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 2015 – 06

SUBJECT :

ALTERNATES FOR EX OFFICIO MEMBERS OF THE GOCC GOVERNING BOARDS

SUBJECT

:

0 4 J a n u a r y 2 0 16

Date

:

D AT E I. 1.

2.

3.

:

DEFINITIONS, DOCTRINE AND PRINCIPLES DEFINITION OF EX OFFICIO MEMBERS OF THE BOARD Section 3(i) of Republic Act No. 10149, otherwise known as the “GOCC Governance Act of 2011” (R.A. 10149), defines an “Ex Officio Board Member” as referring “to any individual who sits or acts as a member of the Board of Directors/Trustees by virtue of one’s title to another office, and without further warrant or appointment.”

DEFINITION OF “ALTERNATE” No formal definition of “Alternate” appears in R.A. No. 10149. However, Executive Order No. 24 (s. 2011)1 defines an alternate as “an individual who is officially designated by an Ex-Officio Board member to exercise the powers and perform the functions of the latter in the event of his/her absence or incapacity when allowed by law”. 2 R. A. NO. 10149 RULE ON ALTERNATES FOR EX OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERS

1.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE. – This Circular has been issued to provide for an Interim Performance-Based Incentive (PBI) for Appointive Members of the Governing Boards of GOCCs covered by the “GOCC Governance Act of 2011” (R.A. No. 10149) pursuant to Section 23 thereof, and using as reference, among others, Executive Order No. 24, s. 2011 (E.O. No. 24)1, pending the approval by the President of the Compensation and Position Classification System (CPCS).

2.

CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO ENTITLEMENT TO PBI. – In order for an Appointive Director to be entitled to PBI, the following conditions must be fulfilled for the applicable calendar year: 2.1. GOCC Level. – The GOCC where the Appointive Director serves was eligible and granted the Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) to Officers and Employees pursuant to the “Performance Evaluation System for the GOCC Sector” [GCG MC No. 2013-02 (Re-Issued)], namely: (a) The GOCC achieved a weighted-average score of at least 90% on its 2015 Performance Scorecard; and (b) The GOCC satisfactorily complied with the Good Governance Conditions provided in GCG Memorandum Circular on 2015 Interim Performance-Based Bonus (PBB).

Section 14 of R.A. 10149 provides a rule on Alternates for Ex Officio Board Members in the Boards of Directors/Trustees of Government-Owned- or-Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), thus:

5.

2.2. Additional Good Governance Condition for Individual Appointive Directors.

The phrase “alternates who shall be the officials next in rank to them” has been interpreted in certain quarters in a restrictive sense, in that if the Ex Officio Director is the Secretary of an Executive Department, then he/she could only appoint an Undersecretary as his/her alternate in the Governing Board of the GOCC where he/she sits as an Ex Officio Member of the Board.

SECTION 14 OF R.A. NO. 10149 IS AN ENABLING, NOT A RESTRICTING NOR LIMITING, PROVISION 4.1. Section 14 of R.A. 10149 established in statutory form a principle of corporate governance that is peculiar in the realm of the GOCC Sector covered by the Act, in that it considers the exigencies of public service where often, the designated Ex Officio Board Members are Secretaries of Departments of the Executive Branch to which the GOCCs are attached to; that often, such Ex Officio Directors, who are required to concentrate their time to the primary concerns of their departments, would not have the quality time to devote to their duties and responsibilities as Ex Officio members of the Governing Boards of GOCCs under their charge — hence, the need to rely upon responsible alternates to fulfill their duties and responsibilities as Ex Officio Board Members.

4.2. The Governance Commission has interpreted the provisions of Section 14 as an enabling provision — setting as it does an exemplary principle in public corporate governance, to mean the allowance of the appointment of an alternate by an ex officio member in a GOCC Board, “whose acts shall be considered the acts of their principals”. The Commission does not consider the language under Section 14 as a restrictive clause to limit the choice of alternates to only the next-in-rank.

4.3. Such interpretation by the GCG has been officially concurred with by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in their opinion dated 02 May 2012. (DOJ Opinion No. 24, s. 2012), which in part ruled: The foregoing considered, this Department is inclined to concur with the position of the Commission. xxx Sec. 14 of the law specifically allows the ex officio members of the GOCC to name alternates . . .

It is apparent from the aforementioned principles and provision of law that ex officio members of the GOCC may delegate alternates who can act on behalf of the principal. Therefore, it behooves to mention that the concept of who could be a next-in-rank alternate should not be limited to designation of Undersecretaries. The measure of a next-in-rank designation should be whether an official lower in rank regularly confers with the principal and whether the said official performs functions relative to matters which fall within the domain of the GOCC. xxx A copy of which is attached hereto and made an integral part of this memorandum.

A DULY-DESIGNATED ALTERNATE OF AN EX OFFICIO BOARD MEMBER ACTS WITH THE SAME LEGAL EFFECT AS THE PRINCIPAL DIRECTOR 5.1. Section 14 of R.A. No. 10149 provides that when an Alternate has been duly designated by an Ex Officio Board Member, then the acts of such Alternate “shall be considered the acts of [the Principal Director].”

5.2. In an earlier DOJ Opinion (DOJ Opinion No. 037, s.2011), the Secretary of Justice had opined:

2.2.1. Attendance to Board and Committee Meetings. – No Appointive Director shall be entitled to the PBI unless he/she shall have attended at least 90% of all authorized and duly called for Board and Committee meetings, in accordance with the terms and conditions provided for under GCG Memorandum Circular No. 2014-03, 2 including any revisions thereof.

The Governing Boards of GOCCs shall constitute the proper Board Committees. Each Committee shall meet at least once for the performance year, or as many times as may be deemed appropriate based on Corporate Governance practices or studies of the requirements of the mandatory Committees.

2.2.2. Length of Service. – No Appointive Director shall be entitled to the PBI unless he/she has rendered at least three (3) months of aggregate service as Appointive Director in any GOCC for the year ending 31 December 2015, subject further to the following guidelines: (a) Should an Appointive Director be separated from service as such after having satisfied the 3-month service requirement; Provided it was not for cause, he/she shall nonetheless be entitled to the PBI. (b) Should an Appointive Director be subsequently appointed to another GOCC, he/she shall be entitled to the PBI from both GOCCs in accordance with the entitlement in paragraph 3 hereof, provided that the amount to be actually paid out by the second GOCC shall in no case result in the aggregate amount of PBI exceeding the cap of either GOCC, whichever is higher.

2.2.3. DPR Submission. – No Appointive Director shall be entitled to the PBI unless he/she has submitted all the required forms for the Director Performance Review (DPR) under GCG M.C. No. 2014-03 (3rd Issue) and implementing issuances issued pursuant thereto.

2.2.4. Submission of Corporate Operating Budgets (COBs). – (a) For GOCCs receiving national government budgetary support, COBs shall be submitted to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for review and approval on or before the deadline indicated in DBM National Budget Memorandum No. 123 on “Budget Call for FY 2016”; (b) For GOCCs without national government budgetary support, COBs shall be submitted to the Governance Commission using the same deadline as provided in DBM National Budget Memorandum No. 123.

2.2.5. Compliance with ICRS Submission (GCG MC No. 2014-02). – (a) Financial information for the past three (3) years using the GOCC Monitoring System (GMS) Module; and

“x x x Moreover, the exigency of the service requires that the alternate, whose designation is prescribed by law, be allowed to act for the principal given in the latter’s multifarious functions, duties and responsibilities.

3.

“Under settled principles of administrative law, it is said that where a public officer is authorized to appoint a deputy, the authority of that deputy (the alternate in this case), unless otherwise limited, is commensurate with that of the officer himself, and, in the absence of any showing to the contrary, will be so presumed. It has been held that a duly designated deputy may do any act that his principal might do; he cannot have less power than the principal. Corollary to this is the legal principle that the agent, alternate or representative cannot have a better right than his principal; and all laws, rules, prohibitions or restrictions that cover the principal member apply with equal force to his representative.” 3 II.

RULES ON DESIGNATION OF ALTERNATES

6.

PERSONS AUTHORIZED TO DESIGNATE ALTERNATES:

Attendance or Total Annual Authorized Per Diems Received by the Appointive Director concerned, which shall determine the maximum amount, or total base to be multiplied to the applicable Incentive Factor;

(b)

GOCC Performance Scorecard, which shall determine the maximum Incentive factor (100% / 95% / 90% / 85% / 80% / 75% / 70% / 65% / 50%) that can be applied to all Appointive Directors of a Governing Board; and

(c)

Director Performance Review (DPR) Rating, which shall determine the applicable Incentive factor for a particular Appointive Director.

Director Performance Review (DPR) Rating

QUALIFICATIONS OF PERSONS TO BE DESIGNATED AS ALTERNATES:

98% 100%

95% 97.99%

85% - 94.99%

80% - 84.99%

75% 79.99%

Below 75%

At least 98%

100%

95%

90%

85%

50%

None

At least 95% but below 98%

90%

85%

80%

75%

50%

None

80%

75%

70%

65%

50%

None

Below 95% but at least 90%

(a) An Officer of the Department or Agency to which the GOCC is attached who shall have a rank that is not lower than the equivalent of Director III; (b) The Alternate must not already be a member of the Governing Board of the GOCC to which he/she is being designated as an Alternate; and (c) The Alternate reports directly to the Principal Director on the matters covered by the GOCC.

(a) An Appointive Director must meet both criteria on the GOCC Performance Scorecard and DPR to be entitled to the corresponding Incentive Factor. (b) In no case shall the DPR result in an Appointive Director availing of an Incentive Factor that is higher than the one corresponding to the GOCC Performance Scorecard.

FORM OF THE DESIGNATION/REVOCATION OF ALTERNATES: The Principal Director shall designate a qualified Alternate through a written notice to the Corporate Secretary (or equivalent officer) of the GOCC concerned.

4.

The Principal Director may also revoke the designation of the Alternate at any time, provided it shall be effective only upon written notice to the Corporate Secretary of the GOCC concerned.

9.

(a)

PES Rating

Any Ex Officio Board Member (the “Principal Director”) may designate as an Alternate to the Governing Board of the GOCC to which he/she is an Ex Officio Director only the following:

8.

(b) Latest information on the non-financial aspect of the GOCC using the GOCC Leadership Management System (GLMS) Module.

2.3. The Appointive Director must not have been found guilty of an administrative and/or criminal case related to his/her work.

ENTITLEMENT. – The grant of the PBI to eligible Appointive Directors shall be based on the following factors:

3.1. The Incentive Factor shall be determined as follows:

Only Ex Officio Board Members (the “Principal Directors”) are authorized to designate Alternates; Appointive Directors and Ex Officio Alternates are not authorized to designate Alternates.

7.

PROHIBITION ON REPRESENTATIVES For attendance purposes, any person other than the duly designated Alternate/s of the Ex Officio Board Member shall not be recognized as an official representative.

10. NUMBER OF ALTERNATES 5.

An Ex Officio Board Member may only designate a maximum of three (3) Alternates.

11. POWER AND TERM OF THE ALTERNATE: Unless specifically limited in the letter of designation, the duly-designated Alternate may act and vote with the same power and legal effect as that of the Principal Director, and during the entire period that the Principal Director is an Ex Officio Board Member.

FUNDING FOR THE PBI. – The funding for the PBI shall be charged by GOCCs to their respective corporate funds, subject to the approval of their respective Governing Boards in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations. However, it shall be prohibited to source the payment of the PBI from the following: (a) Loans; (b)

Subsidy from the NG for the GOCC’s operations, except for subsidy income or subsidy given by DBM precisely for the payment of the PBI; and

(c)

Sale of the GOCC’s asset(s) for the sole purpose of paying the PBI and is otherwise not in the ordinary course of business.

CHECKLIST OF SUBMISSIONS. – GOCCs that apply for the PBB for their Officers and Employees are deemed to have automatically applied for the PBI for the Appointive Directors. Accordingly, for the PBI, GOCCs must also submit the following documents upon applying for the PBB: (a) Board Resolution authorizing the grant of the PBI to the GOCC’s Appointive Directors/Trustees in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations, using 2015 PBI Form 1; (b)

12. ATTENDANCE OF THE ALTERNATE: Sections 3.3.3 (a), (b), (c), (d) of GCG Memorandum Circular No. 2014-03 (Re-Issued) shall apply in the computation of attendance of a duly-designated Alternate.

13. WHEN ALTERNATE CEASES TO ACT WITH AUTHORITY: A duly-designated Alternate shall cease to act with the power and legal authority of the Principal Director upon: (a) The proper revocation of his/her designation by the Principal Director; (b) When the Principal Director has ceased to be a member of the Governing Board of the GOCC concerned; (c)

6.

Upon the death, civil interdiction, or the resignation of the Principal Director or the Alternate himself/herself from the public service.

REPEALING CLAUSE All other GCG orders, circulars, issuances, and decisions, as well as Board resolutions, or parts of the foregoing, which are inconsistent with this Memorandum Circular are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

IV.

7.

EFFECTIVITY

8.

This Circular shall take effect immediately upon its publication in the Commission’s website at www.gcg.gov.ph.

2 3

(i)

That all Conditions Precedent in Section 2 herein have been complied with; and

(ii)

Details of the Total Actual Annual Authorized per diems received by eligible Appointive Directors for both Board and Committee meetings for the applicable calendar year;

(c)

Record of attendance of Appointive Members of the Governing Board who are eligible to receive PBI, using the Directors Attendance System (DAS);

(d)

Copies of the particular pages of minutes of the meetings showing the presence/attendance of the Appointive Director/s and the signed attendance sheet to be submitted through the DAS; and

(e)

Supporting documents for absences due to official business to be submitted through the DAS.

TIMELINE AND EFFECT OF SUBMISSION AND NON-SUBMISSION ON THE PRESCRIBED PERIOD. – The schedule for the 2015 PBI submission of documentary requirements shall be as follows: Deadline On or before 12 February 2016 On or before 29 February 2016

GOCCs that submitted all required documents on the given deadline may be authorized to grant their PBI upon receipt of the authorization letter from the Governance Commission. Failure to comply with the requirements shall render the GOCC ineligible to grant the PBI to its Appointive Directors for CY 2015.

REPEALING CLAUSE. – All other GCG orders, circulars, issuances, and decisions, as well as Board resolutions, or parts of the foregoing, which are inconsistent with this Memorandum Circular are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

EFFECTIVITY CLAUSE. – This Circular shall take effect immediately upon its publication in the Commission’s website www.gcg.gov.ph.

(SGD.) CESAR L. VILLANUEVA Chairman

(SGD.)CESAR V. PURISIMA DOF Secretary

(SGD.) CESAR L. VILLANUEVA Chairman

(SGD.)CESAR V. PURISIMA DOF Secretary

(SGD.) MA. ANGELA E. IGNACIO Commissioner

(SGD.) FLORENCIO B. ABAD DBM Secretary

(SGD.) MA. ANGELA E. IGNACIO Commissioner

(SGD.) FLORENCIO B. ABAD DBM Secretary

(SGD.)RAINIER B. BUTALID Commissioner

(SGD.)RAINIER B. BUTALID Commissioner ________________________________ 1

Certification under oath from the Corporate Secretary on the Authorized Per Diems Received by Appointive Directors using 2015 PBI Form 2, which provides for the following:

Activity Completion of Directors Attendance System (DAS) PBI Forms 1 and 2

In every instance that the Principal Director attends a meeting of the Governing Board, the Alternate’s power to represent the Principal Director is deemed suspended for that particular meeting.

III.

Strategic Performance Management System (SPMS). – The GOCC established and implemented a Strategic Performance Management System (SPMS) of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) or its equivalent.

2.1.1.

Sec. 14. Ex Officio Alternates. – The ex officio members of the GOCC may designate their respective alternates who shall be the officials next in rank to themand whose acts shall be considered the acts of their principals.

4.

2015 INTERIM PERFORMANCE-BASED INCENTIVE (PBI) SYSTEM FOR GOCC APPOINTIVE DIRECTORS 10 September 2015

E n t i t l e d “ P r e s c r i b i n g R u e s t o G o v e r n t h e C o m p e n s a t i o n o f M e m b e r s o f t h e B o a r d o f D i r e c t o r s / Tr u s t e e s i n G o v e r n m e n t - O w n e d or C o n t r o l l e d C o r p o r a t i o n s , I n c l u d i n g G o v e r n m e n t F i n a n c i a l I n s t i t u t i o n s .”

S e c . 2 ( g) , E .O. N . 2 4 (s . 2 011) .

Q u o t e d i n D O J O p i n i o n N o . 2 4 , s . 2 012 ; e m p h a s i s s u p p l i e d . ( T S - A P R . 1, 2 016)

1

2

-------------------------------------------------------Entitled “ Prescribing Rues to Govern the Compensation of

M e m b e r s o f t h e B o a r d o f D i r e c t o r s / Tr u s t e e s i n G o v e r n m e n t - O w n e d o r Controlled Corporations, Including Government Financial Institutions” P e r f o r m a n c e Ev a l u a t i o n f o t D i r e c t o r s ( P E D) i n t h e G O C C S e c t o r.

( T S - A P R . 1, 2 016)

F R I DAY : A P R I L 1 , 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

On to the semis. Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates winning a point against Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic during Day 10 of the Miami Open presented by Itau at Crandon Park Tennis Center in Key Biscayne, Florida.

The defending champion withstood back spasms throughout the second set to win, 6-3, 6-3 and reach the ATP and WTA Miami Open semi-finals. AFP

Ladon mauls Indian foe, clinches Rio Olympic seat

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

ROGEN Ladon lived up to his No.1 ranking in the AIBA Asia-Oceania Qualifying Tournament in China as he clinched a berth in the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games later this year.

Ladon, who displayed speed and accuracy to thwart Iraq’s Al-Kaabi in a unanimous-decision win in the quarterfinals, 30-25, boxed beautifully to overcome shifty Indian opponent Devendro Singh Laisham as he won all three rounds.

All three judges scored it 30-27 for the 22-year-old Ladon, the 2015 Southeast Asian Games silver medalist, who now fights for the gold against Uzbekistan’s Hasanboy Dusmatov, winner over Mongolia’s Gankhuyag Gan-Erdene in the other semis bout.

The talented Dusmatov denied Ladon of a finals’ stint the 2015 ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing

Football clinics. The Goldtoe

Football Clinic was held at the Marikina Sports Center, with proponents Coach Frank Muescan, Juani Guirado, Victorino Son, Orman Okunaiya, Arnie Pasinabo of Ceres FC, Boyet Cañedo of Green Archers United, Gerald Pacquiao, formerly of GAU, Jun Garcia and Tetel Siasoco in attendance. Organized by Football Masters Academy and sponsored by Goldtoe Power Sox, the 15-day clinic is an outreach program of Ceres-La Salle FC and the City Government of Marikina.

Championships by decision.

Shut off from the gold-medal bout after losing to Russian Vasili Egorov in the semifinals last October in Qatar, Ladon, who hails from Bago City, Negros Occidental, refused to fall into an elaborate trap laid down by his crafty opponent.

Executive Director Ed Picson told The Standard: “Rogen focused on boxing and did not allow himself to be baited into the clinching and infighting tactics that his Indian foe wanted. He stuck to the fight plan of keeping his distance.”

Ladon wept after his hand was raised and continued to sob uncontrollably in the dugout as the entire

Philippine delegation congratulated him. Though assured of a spot in the Olympics, Ladon is not about to rest on his achievement.

He vowed to go for the gold.

“We are No.1 here and it would be a shame if we don’t win gold,” said Ladon.

Mario Fernandez, who also barged into the semifinals with a 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 decision over Alwadi of Jordan, had a tough time against highly regarded Chatchai Butdee of Thailand in the semifinals and lost all three rounds by a 10-9 margin for an overall 30-27 tally.

Fernandez still has a chance to make it to Rio if he is able to beat the other losing semifinalist, Kairat Yeraliyev of Kazakhstan, who was beaten by fancied Indian boxer Shiva Thapa, 29-28, and 30-27 on the scorecards of the three judges.

The two remaining hopefuls, veteran lightweight Charly Suarez and hard-hitting welterweight Eumir Felix Marcial were scheduled to see

action in the evening sessions.

Marcial, who injured the knuckles on his left hand, vowed to fight through the pain as the No. 1 seed hopes to earn a slot to the Olympic Games. The welterweight punching machine, also ranked no. 1 in the tournament, had no problem disposing of Kazemzadehposhtiri from Iran with all three judges having the tough and solidly built Filipino from Zamboanga winning handily, 30-27, (twice) and 29-28, in the quarterfinals.

Marcial goes up against 22-yearold Shakram Giyasov of Uzbekistan in the semis.

Suarez, who is a skillful boxer with hand-speed and punching power, will face China’s Shan Jun in the semifinal round late Thursday.

ABAP Executive director Ed Picson told The Standard that Suarez is aware that the 21-year-old Shan Jun has the hometown crowd, but the Filipino has “ a fight plan that I think will turn things around for me.”

Painters, Warriors try to boost bids

By Jeric Lopez TEAMS in the middle of the pack are looking to improve their marks and boost their chances of securing a berth in the quarterfinals as the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup elimination round reaches its homestretch.

Holding on to the last two slots in the quarterfinals, Rain or Shine and NLEX aim to strengthen their grip on the top eight when they take on separate lower-ranked teams.

The Elasto Painters (4-4) plunge to action against Phoenix Fuel (3-5) at 4:15 p.m., while the Road Warriors (4-4) are set to clash with cellardweller GlobalPort (2-6) at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum today.

Rain or Shine and NLEX are in a three-way tie with Mahindra for spots No. 6 to No. 8 and it is essential for them to win against their opponents to gain some much-needed leverage.

Teams below them such as Star (4-5) and Phoenix (3-5) are still very much in it.

Should the Fuel Masters earn a second straight victory against Rain or Shine, they will gain themselves a three-way tie with the Hotshots and the Elasto Painters and create a tighter chase.

If they lose, however, their chances of making it in the to the next phase will drop drastically.

Road Warriors coach Boyet Fernandez knows what’s at stake for his team in its game against GlobalPort.

“Our goal is to make the quarterfinals,” he said. “We’re looking forward to this next game against GlobalPort.

We need to win this one to put ourselves in a better position.”

B1

FRIDAY: APRIL 1, 2016

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

Hydro plant construction. Hedcor Inc., a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corp., works on the ManoloFortich hydro 1 and 2 in Bukidnon province. The Manolo Fortich hydroelectric power project is seen to generate about 68.8 megawatts of clean and renewable energy for Mindanao. Work is focused on additional excavation for headpond to prevent erosion of the side slope and drilling works for the 6-kilometer tunnel to be used for a portion of water diversion. A 5-km pipeline has laid over a 14-km target while the opening of the access road is nearing completion with 28 km of 30 km already accessible.

DoE seeks Aquino’s help on drilling row

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE Energy Department will ask President Benigno Aquino III to help resolve a 2015 Supreme Court ruling that nullified a service contract with a Japanese exploration company, a decision that may threaten the oil and gas industry.

“We will elevate the matter to the president because it involves contracts,” Energy Secretary Zenaida Monsada told reporters.

Industry players warned that the court’s decision nullifying service contract 46 with Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. Ltd. covering Tañon Strait between the islands of Negros and Cebu could affect all foreign service contracts.

Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo de-Castro, who wrote the decision last year, said while the government was allowed to enter into a service contract under the 1987 Constitution, service contract 46 signed on Dec. 21, 2004 by the Energy Department and Japan Petroleum on the exploration of a 2,850-kilometer area offshore Tañon Strait failed to comply with the

safeguards of the Constitution.

Section 2, Article XII of the Constitution requires that service contract be authorized by a general law signed by the president and reported to Congress.

The Philippine Petroleum Association of the Upstream Industry said the court decision effectively stopped the exploration, development and exploitation of petroleum resources within Tañon Strait.

The Energy Department’s legal division and Energy Resource Development Bureau are set to come out with a position paper on the impact of the ruling on the industry that will be submitted to the Supreme Court.

PAP chairman Rufino Bomasang and PAP president Sebastian Quiniones Jr. said in a letter to Monsada that the court’s ruling “signifies that

all service contracts entered into by the government of the Republic of the Philippines with foreign-owned corporations involving either technical or financial assistance for large –scale exploration, development and utilization of petroleum, but signed only by the secretary of the Department of Energy, not by the President, are null and void for being unconstitutional,” PAP, composed of foreign and local oil and gas players, said the execution of a service contract with foreignowned corporations involving either technical or financial assistance for large-scale exploration, development and utilization of petroleum, was simply a contractual undertaking by the state and was not “one of those exceptional circumstances that requires the personal action of the president.”

RCBC shuts down remittance operations in Italy

By Julito G. Rada RIZAL Commercial Banking Corp. said Thursday it closed its remittance operations in Italy, but the shutdown is not connected to the issue of money laundering.

RCBC said it stopped the Italian remittance operations because it could not meet on time the computer systems capabilities required

by Banca D’Italia, the central bank of Italy.

RCBC owns two branches in Italy—one in Rome and another in Florence.

RCBC global transaction banking group head Manny Narciso said the closure of its operations in Italy

was “not in any way related to the current issue on money laundering.”

RCBC is being probed by the Senate because of alleged involvement in the illegal transfer of $81-million funds believed stolen by cyber thieves from the Bangladesh Bank.

The illegal funds entered the country’s financial system in February through an RCBC branch on Jupiter Street in Makati City.

RCBC said it had taken immediate steps to improve operational processes.

The bank said it reduced its straight through processing threshold amount for both inward and

outward remittances.

“New threshold amounts have been established for corporate and individual accounts. In addition, RCBC has also increased the frequency of after-posting reviews. There will be greater focus on unusual transactions which will be escalated to the group head via separate and frequent operations reports. Further activities are also being programmed to ensure early and timely tracking and action on any suspicious transaction, with controls in place for higher level action,” it said.

RCBC said it also took action on strengthening the account opening process. “All in-branch account

opening will be signed by two officers, each reporting to different units of the bank. Photos will be taken of walk-in clients who are opening accounts. Unusual transactions will be escalated to the regional and/or national higher level officers for independent verification. All know your customer [KYC] procedures are also being reviewed or further strengthening,” the bank said.

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima earlier disclosed that a growing number of foreign banks recently closed accounts of money transfer operators that service Filipino migrants. He did not identify the banks.

PSe comPoSite index Closing March 31, 2016

8300 7840 7380 6920 6460 6000

7,262.30 36.93

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing March 31, 2016 48.00 46.00 45.00

P46.070

44.00

CLOSE

43.00

HIGH P45.900 LOW P46.070 AVERAGE P45.989 VOLUME 600.000M

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

oPriceS il P today

P19.25-P22.75 Diesel P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Thursday, March 31, 2016

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

46.1080

Japan

Yen

0.008895

0.4101

UK

Pound

1.437900

66.2987

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128984

5.9472

Switzerland

Franc

1.036484

47.7902

Canada

Dollar

0.771545

35.5744

Singapore

Dollar

0.740850

34.1591

Australia

Dollar

0.766800

35.3556

Bahrain

Dinar

2.654069

122.3738

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266709

12.2974

Brunei

Dollar

0.738116

34.0331

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0035

Thailand

Baht

0.028382

1.3086

UAE

Dirham

0.272301

12.5553

Euro

Euro

1.133400

52.2588

Korea

Won

0.000876

0.0404

China

Yuan

0.154555

7.1262

India

Rupee

0.015067

0.6947

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.253936

11.7085

New Zealand

Dollar

0.691300

31.8745

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031128

1.4352 Source: PDS Bridge

FRIDAY: APRIL 1, 2016

B2

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Thursday, March 31, 2016

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low 7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 4.2 17 30.45 10.4 0.92 2.6 890 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 91.5 137 361.2 57 180 1700 124 3.26

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.68 12.02 19.6 6.12 0.74 1.02 625 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 62 88.35 276 41 118.2 1200 59 2.65

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 89 20.6 125 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 15.32 62.5 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 5.25 12.98 6.75 15 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 1450 5.5 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 1.3 2.17

34.1 2.3 1.63 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 3.37 3.87 8.45 3 10.04 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 801 4.1 1.55 0.138 1.02 2.09 152 0.640 1.2

0.59 59.2 30.05 2.16 7.39 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 3.35 3.68 4.92 1455 7.5

0.44 48.1 20.85 1.6 6.62 0.23 0.23 634.5 7.390 12.8 2.6 1.15 2.26 837 5.3

76 6.5 5.29 6.66 9.25 0.85 17.3 0.71 5.53 9.66 0.0670 1.61 84.9 974 1.66 1.39 390 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

49.55 3.43 3 3.52 4.84 0.59 12 0.580 4.2 3 0.030 0.550 59.3 751 1.13 0.93 170 80 0.211 0.179 0.310

10.5 1.99 1.75 0.375 41.4 5.6 5.59 1.44 1.48 0.201 0.69

6.74 0.65 1.2 0.192 30.05 3.36 4.96 0.79 0.97 0.083 0.415

STOCKS

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.2 3.06 46.35 45.15 105.80 102.20 90.20 86.95 39.15 39 1.35 1.35 14.78 14.14 15.52 15.22 7.50 7.35 0.7 0.7 1.72 1.72 640.00 640.00 0.610 0.570 83.6 82.05 0.98 0.98 14.52 14.50 53.50 52.55 100 100 288 284.8 30.25 29.95 177.7 169.7 1395.00 1375.00 58.00 57.35 1.98 1.6 INDUSTRIAL Aboitiz Power Corp.

44.4 44.5 43.8 Agrinurture Inc. 4.88 5.05 4.7 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.74 0.75 0.73 Alsons Cons.

1.59 1.6 1.48 Asiabest Group 10.98 10.94 10.22 Bogo Medelin 56 62.9 58 Century Food 18.62 19 18.6 Chemphil 190 240 230 Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ 226 339 310 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 19.4 19.82 19 Concepcion 45 45 43 Crown Asia 2.52 2.56 2.48 Da Vinci Capital 5.92 5.96 5.8 Del Monte 11.9 11.9 11.42 DNL Industries Inc. 9.750 9.900 9.430 Emperador 7.59 7.61 7.58 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.99 6.01 5.81 EEI 7.65 7.75 7.56 Euro-Med Lab 1.55 1.75 1.75 First Gen Corp.

22.3 22.8 21.8 First Holdings ‘A’ 65.4 66.25 65.85 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 12.00 11.82 12.00 Holcim Philippines Inc. 13.80 13.80 13.78 Integ. Micro-Electronics 5.91 5.99 5.81 Ionics Inc 2.830 2.930 2.820 Jollibee Foods Corp.

230.00 230.60 223.00 LBC Express 11.4 11.6 10.6 Liberty Flour 35.60 36.00 30.80 LMG Chemicals 2.1 2.06 2 Mabuhay Vinyl 3.19 4.78 3.34 Manila Water Co. Inc. 26.6 27.2 26.6 Maxs Group 22.45 23 21.6 Megawide 6.38 6.4 6.2 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 325.00 327.60 322.40 Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp. 4.68 5.04 4.68 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 3.8 3.89 3.89 Petron Corporation 10.46 10.56 10.30 Phil H2O 3.43 3.49 3.13 Phinma Corporation 11.52 11.52 11.50 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 4.40 4.43 4.35 Phoenix Semiconductor 1.69 1.79 1.70 Pryce Corp. `A’ 2.77 2.9 2.77 RFM Corporation 4.20 4.23 4.14 San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’ 165 174 165 SPC Power Corp.

4.05 4.87 4.1 Splash Corporation 2.5 2.5 2.45 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.158 0.159 0.157 TKC Steel Corp.

1.27 1.39 1.24 Trans-Asia Oil 2.78 2.78 2.73 Universal Robina 214.2 219 214 Vitarich Corp.

0.74 0.75 0.71 Vulcan Ind’l.

1.19 1.23 1.19 HOLDING FIRMS Abacus Cons. `A’ 0.365 0.365 0.355 Aboitiz Equity 64.55 65.00 64.40 Alliance Global Inc. 17.02 17.12 16.50 Anglo Holdings A 1.12 1.12 1.12 Anscor `A’ 6.10 6.12 6.12 ATN Holdings A 0.290 0.300 0.290 ATN Holdings B 0.290 0.300 0.290 Ayala Corp `A’ 734.5 750 728 Cosco Capital 7.3 7.44 7.38 DMCI Holdings 13.54 13.60 13.24 F&J Prince ‘A’ 5.03 5.7 5.03 F&J Prince ‘B’ 4.8 6.46 5.7 Filinvest Dev. Corp.

5.00 5.03 4.98 GT Capital 1424 1443 1385 House of Inv. 6.05 6.12 6.12 IPM Holdings 9.75 9.70 9.52 JG Summit Holdings 79.60 80.45 78.00 Jolliville Holdings 5.5 5.5 4.98 Keppel Holdings `A’ 5.99 8.98 5.5 Keppel Holdings `B’ 4.99 7.48 7.18 Lopez Holdings Corp.

7.05 7.04 6.83 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.73 0.72 0.68 LT Group 15.9 16.12 15.6 Mabuhay Holdings `A’ 0.495 0.500 0.500 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 5.9 5.93 5.83 MJCI Investments Inc. 4.35 4 3.7 Pacifica `A’ 0.0350 0.0350 0.0330 Prime Orion 1.980 2.000 1.970 San Miguel Corp `A’ 77.50 77.50 76.05 SM Investments Inc. 953.00 973.00 944.50 Solid Group Inc. 1.10 1.14 1.10 South China Res. Inc. 0.80 0.80 0.76 Transgrid 227.00 270.00 228.00 Top Frontier 182.000 181.900 175.200 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.3100 0.3150 0.3100 Wellex Industries 0.2060 0.2050 0.2000 Zeus Holdings 0.320 0.320 0.290 PROPERTY 8990 HLDG 7.920 7.980 7.800 A. Brown Co., Inc. 1.02 1.05 1.01 Araneta Prop `A’ 1.610 1.580 1.570 Arthaland Corp.

0.227 0.250 0.230 Ayala Land `B’ 35.200 35.800 34.850 Belle Corp. `A’ 2.96 3.03 2.98 Cebu Holdings 5.15 5.15 5.15 Century Property 0.550 0.57 0.550 Cityland Dev. `A’ 1.000 0.990 0.990 Crown Equities Inc. 0.129 0.129 0.129 Cyber Bay Corp.

0.520 0.550 0.520 AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank Bright Kindle Resources COL Financial Eastwest Bank Filipino Fund Inc. First Abacus I-Remit Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp.

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

PB Bank Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities

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

Close

SHARES 25,489,779 100,727,632 123,333,133 192,571,769 338,127,411 138,699,390 923,363,204

3.06 46.35 104.70 90.15 39 1.37 14.12 15.2 7.50 0.7 1.72 640.00 0.600 83.7 0.97 14.50 53.50 104 289 29.8 169.6 1350.00 57.55 1.63

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3.09 46.3 102.30 87.00 39.15 1.35 14.64 15.38 7.35 0.7 1.72 640.00 0.570 82.45 0.98 14.52 52.55 100 284.8 30.05 175 1375.00 57.55 1.6

0.98 -0.11 -2.29 -3.49 0.38 -1.46 3.68 1.18 -2.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -5.00 -1.49 1.03 0.14 -1.78 -3.85 -1.45 0.84 3.18 1.85 0.00 -1.84

134,000 14,200 2,536,260 1,974,240 74,300 10,000 49,000 415,100 9,700 10,000 26,000 30 1,691,000 2,865,870 1,000 11,800 51,140 140 25,440 7,164,400 3,093,380 220 33,680 4,517,000

43.95 4.7 0.75 1.48 10.7 62 19 230 339 19.82 43 2.55 5.9 11.42 9.610 7.58 5.88 7.60 1.75 22.15 66 12.00 13.78 5.81 2.840 227.00 10.6 34.00 2 4.78 27 22.7 6.2 323.00 4.90 3.89 10.30 3.49 11.50 4.42 1.70 2.84 4.15 174 4.5 2.46 0.159 1.37 2.76 216.8 0.72 1.23

-1.01 -3.69 1.35 -6.92 -2.55 10.71 2.04 21.05 50.00 2.16 -4.44 1.19 -0.34 -4.03 -1.44 -0.13 -1.84 -0.65 12.90 -0.67 0.92 0.00 -0.14 -1.69 0.35 -1.30 -7.02 -4.49 -4.76 49.84 1.50 1.11 -2.82 -0.62 4.70 2.37 -1.53 1.75 -0.17 0.45 0.59 2.53 -1.19 5.45 11.11 -1.60 0.63 7.87 -0.72 1.21 -2.70 3.36

3,586,500 1,640,000 197,000 3,960,000 3,300 3,170 362,900 1,170 19,140 822,400 1,000 1,193,000 676,700 72,800 12,895,500 2,087,600 33,388,500 104,500 2,000 2,377,000 219,110 9,300 7,200 283,000 2,978,000 1,670,900 31,000 700 11,000 863,000 1,690,600 894,900 79,300 426,060 205,000 2,000 6,667,400 31,000 1,600 499,000 249,000 283,000 422,000 29,260 443,000 199,000 740,000 308,000 8,420,000 5,909,480 3,406,000 80,000

0.360 65.00 16.50 1.12 6.12 0.295 0.300 750 7.4 13.40 5.43 5.7 5.02 1390 6.12 9.52 79.35 5 8.49 7.48 7 0.68 15.6 0.500 5.87 4 0.0340 1.970 77.00 949.50 1.11 0.80 250.00 175.200 0.3100 0.2050 0.290

-1.37 0.70 -3.06 0.00 0.33 1.72 3.45 2.11 1.37 -1.03 7.95 18.75 0.40 -2.39 1.16 -2.36 -0.31 -9.09 41.74 49.90 -0.71 -6.85 -1.89 1.01 -0.51 -8.05 -2.86 -0.51 -0.65 -0.37 0.91 0.00 10.13 -3.74 0.00 -0.49 -9.38

110,000 2,816,660 6,444,100 1,000 2,800 1,910,000 250,000 706,170 2,620,400 8,119,300 901,400 37,000 1,002,900 277,120 1,800 1,766,300 4,357,540 24,800 93,900 20,000 4,220,800 367,000 2,477,900 20,000 42,720,500 16,000 32,200,000 399,000 170,010 440,100 186,000 107,000 1,480 25,110 1,330,000 1,240,000 1,060,000

7.850 1.05 1.570 0.230 35.250 2.99 5.15 0.550 0.990 0.129 0.530

-0.88 2.94 -2.48 1.32 0.14 1.01 0.00 0.00 -1.00 0.00 1.92

374,700 5,393,000 211,000 550,000 15,675,800 1,342,000 7,500 2,451,000 8,000 800,000 9,382,000

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

10.96 0.97 2.22 2.1 1.8 8.4 5.94 0.180 0.470 0.72 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 7.56 1.62 8.59

2.4 0.83 1.15 1.42 1.27 3.1 4.13 0.090 0.290 0.39 2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 3.38 0.83 5.73

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

Phil. Realty `A’ Primex Corp.

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

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 14.88 28.5 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 12.3 7.67 4 2720 8.41 70.5 119.5 7 5.8 12.5 0.017 0.8200 2.2800 5.93 12.28 3.32 2.53 3.2 1 2.46 15.2

1.97 35.2 1 0.63 10.5 18.2 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 10.14 4.8 2.58 1600 5.95 17.02 102.6 3.01 4 8.72 0.011 0.041 1.200 2.34 6.5 1.91 1.01 1.95 0.650 1.8 6

0.62 1.040 22.8 6.41 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

0.335 0.37 14.54 3 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

11.6 0.85 2.95 10 1.9

7.59 0.63 1.71 5 1.14

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

Cebu Air Inc. (5J) Centro Esc. Univ.

DFNN Inc. Easy Call “Common” Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Grand Plaza Hotel I.C.T.S.I. Imperial Res. `A’ Imperial Res. `B’ IPeople Inc. `A’ IP E-Game Ventures Inc. Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Lorenzo Shipping Macroasia Corp.

Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey Melco Crown Metro Retail MG Holdings NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

PAL Holdings Inc. Phil. Seven Corp.

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

SSI Group STI Holdings Transpacific Broadcast Travellers Yehey

0.0098 5.45 17.24 25 0.330 12.7 12.8 1.19 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 1.030 3.06 0.020 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9

0.0043 1.72 6.47 9.43 0.236 6.5 5.11 0.85 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 0.365 1.54 0.012 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67

Abra Mining Apex `A’ Atlas Cons. `A’ Atok-Big Wedge `A’ Basic Energy Corp.

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

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

TA Petroleum

-2,703,627.00

70

33

8,361,002.00

120 515 8.21 111 1060

101.5 480 5.88 101 997

1047

1011

78.95 84.8

74.5 75

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

BC Pref A First Gen G GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. MWIDE PREF PCOR-Preferred A PCOR-Preferred B PF Pref 2 PNX PREF 3B SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred D SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F SMC Preferred G SMC Preferred H SMC Preferred I

-46,050.00 570,560.00 -40,530,757 -55,308,512.00 1,829,220.00 1,470.00 -2,633,322.00

103,400.00 -36,023,826.00 -1,639,841.50 7,142,100.00 50,350,205 135,439,123.00 1,722.50 7,300.00 28,034,125.00 95,700.00 100,500.00 4,410,816.00 -1,608,816.00 75,300.00 -948,544.00 -102,458.00 38,986,350.00 -10,758,106.00 -71,592,678.00 -5,316.00 7,102,495.00 -3,272,349.50 -98,400.00 13,800.00 355,196.00 -570,700.00 -16,163,092.00

-2,070,510.00 -1,642,690.00 120,274.00 17,871,118.00 177,366.00

8,310.00 1,436,800.00 -265,500.00 15,675,000.00 439,961,650.00 72,500.00

-11,556,046.00 -61,648,444.00

-34,501,760.00 12,296,396.00 23,214,648.00 2,965,298.00 -33,496,360.00 -46,751,835.00 -15,048.00

4,118,503.00 -44,200.00 -45,540.00 -2,296,662.50 -19,236,145.00 -179,000.00 4,040.00 2,196,905.00

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

-17,184,035.00 -772,690.00

15

3.5

68,200.00

12.88

5.95

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

-24,500.00

Alterra Capital Makati Fin. Corp.

Italpinas Xurpas

High

VALUE 1,541,755,719.05 2,658,205,764.93 2,572,147,601.41 1,826,503,051.41 1,595,775,178.48 275,337,870.877 10,537,596,014.16

FINANCIAL 1,598.73 (down) 23.81 INDUSTRIAL 11,839.52 (down) 19.38 HOLDING FIRMS 7,106.63 (down) 21.61 PROPERTY 2,955.80 (down) 3.96 SERVICES 1,563.35 (up) 3.37 MINING & OIL 10,985.20 (down) 121.51 PSEI 7,262.30 (down) 36.93 All Shares Index 4,207.44 (down) 18.07 Gainers: 93; Losers: 111; Unchanged: 40; Total: 244

Close

38.15 0.860 1.05 1.80 1.43 4.50 4.13 0.092 0.2440 0.500 8.6 28.90 1.49 3.11 21.95 0.88 8 1.110 4.610

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

39 37.8 38.45 0.860 0.860 0.860 1.06 1.04 1.05 1.83 1.77 1.77 1.45 1.40 1.43 6.75 3.83 6.75 4.25 4.1 4.15 0.091 0.090 0.090 0.2440 0.2330 0.2440 0.475 0.425 0.475 8.65 8.65 8.65 29.20 27.55 27.90 1.51 1.5 1.51 3.09 3.05 3.08 22.75 21.65 21.95 0.91 0.87 0.9 8.8 7 7.06 1.160 1.110 1.130 4.710 4.610 4.660 SERVICES 7.5 7.49 7.42 7.43 57.7 57.7 57 57.05 1.35 1.37 1.25 1.28 0.600 0.590 0.570 0.580 10.62 10.62 10.62 10.62 28.4 28.5 28.5 28.5 5.15 5.15 5.07 5.15 0.0730 0.0770 0.0710 0.0720 3.38 3.39 3.3 3.3 91.6 92.3 89.5 89.5 9.9 9.9 9.9 9.9 6.91 7.06 6.92 6.96 3.20 3.39 3.20 3.39 2194 2220 2176 2220 7.00 7.00 6.90 6.95 28.45 28.45 26.50 26.50 67.15 67.7 66.1 67.7 33.50 33.40 27.00 27.05 318.8 320 250 250 11.34 11.34 11.34 11.34 0.0110 0.0110 0.0100 0.0110 0.275 0.290 0.275 0.280 1.3000 1.3700 1.2800 1.3600 2.46 2.87 2.4 2.4 7.79 7.79 7.73 7.75 3.56 3.65 3.56 3.56 1.34 1.33 1.33 1.33 2.80 2.85 2.80 2.84 0.550 0.580 0.550 0.550 1.9 1.94 1.91 1.94 2.45 2.57 2.47 2.53 3.91 3.92 3.85 3.85 0.285 0.285 0.280 0.280 1.010 1.140 1.000 1.100 17.5 17.8 17.7 17.8 5.03 5.20 5.00 5.08 100.00 100.00 99.00 100.00 22.05 22.05 21.50 22.05 1979.00 1989.00 1945.00 1980.00 0.430 0.440 0.420 0.420 0.920 0.930 0.890 0.900 36.90 36.80 36.25 36.40 71.85 74.65 72.00 74.00 6.07 6.20 6.11 6.11 3.74 3.78 3.55 3.58 0.570 0.590 0.570 0.570 1.75 1.79 1.75 1.79 3.77 3.81 3.75 3.75 4.690 4.850 4.690 4.760 MINING & OIL 0.0045 0.0045 0.0044 0.0044 2.08 2.08 2.05 2.05 4.19 4.22 4.19 4.20 12.60 12.78 12.58 12.78 0.255 0.245 0.234 0.245 9.6000 10.1 8.16 8.6000 9.6800 10.0000 8.2000 8.5000 0.63 0.65 0.62 0.62 0.485 0.485 0.470 0.480 8.21 8.40 8.13 8.21 0.860 0.860 0.840 0.840 0.280 0.295 0.280 0.285 0.285 0.280 0.270 0.275 0.295 0.295 0.290 0.295 0.0120 0.0120 0.0120 0.0120 0.0130 0.0130 0.0120 0.0130 2.09 2.15 2.06 2.06 5.49 5.5 5.26 5.26 2.58 2.66 2.59 2.66 0.5700 0.5900 0.5700 0.5900 1.2500 1.3000 1.3000 1.3000 0.0099 0.0100 0.0100 0.0100 3.73 3.80 3.72 3.72 5.68 5.68 5.55 5.59 2.30 2.48 2.30 2.34 0.0130 0.0130 0.0120 0.0120 131.30 132.00 131.10 131.30 2.55 2.55 2.5 2.5 PREFERRED 57 58.7 56.95 57 44.55 44.55 44.55 44.55 115.4 115.6 115.4 115.6 520 522 522 522 6.71 6.75 6.75 6.75 107.5 107.5 107.5 107.5 1070 1070 1070 1070 1060 1060 1056 1056 1017 1015 1010 1010 107.5 107.5 107 107.5 80 80 80 80 82 81 78.5 78.5 75.55 75.55 75.5 75.5 76 76 75.5 75.6 76.8 76.9 76.6 76.8 76 76 75.5 75.5 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 WARRANTS & BONDS 3.420 3.420 3.330 3.350 SME 3.85 4.4 3.75 4.19 3.7 3.67 3.58 3.6 3.32 3.32 3.2 3.2 17.18 17.92 17.2 17.88 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 119.9 120.6 118.6 119.1

T op g ainerS STOCKS

Low

0.79 0.00 0.00 -1.67 0.00 50.00 0.48 -2.17 0.00 -5.00 0.58 -3.46 1.34 -0.96 0.00 2.27 -11.75 1.80 1.08

1,552,000 791,000 1,833,000 55,165,000 424,000 346,000 42,642,000 2,000,000 700,000 104,000 20,000 4,055,600 175,000 98,000 28,230,900 3,387,000 155,400 3,323,000 6,064,000

19,394,340.00

-0.93 -1.13 -5.19 -3.33 0.00 0.35 0.00 -1.37 -2.37 -2.29 0.00 0.72 5.94 1.19 -0.71 -6.85 0.82 -19.25 -21.58 0.00 0.00 1.82 4.62 -2.44 -0.51 0.00 -0.75 1.43 0.00 2.11 3.27 -1.53 -1.75 8.91 1.71 0.99 0.00 0.00 0.05 -2.33 -2.17 -1.36 2.99 0.66 -4.28 0.00 2.29 -0.53 1.49

29,800 76,810 551,000 300,000 100 100 2,735,700 248,873.00 156,450,000 -48,180.00 394,000 778,800 38,384.00 1,200 329,200 6,000 147,535 66,957,880.00 89,900 2,300 1,098,850 -18,999,641.00 473,600 1,640 900 11,100,000 20,100,000 -142,500.00 5,524,000 -197,020.00 1,689,000 79,420.00 339,600 -2,109,165.00 248,000 1,000 24,000 24,000 16,000 -11,460.00 13,820,000 -11,791,900.00 1,103,000 1,305,210.00 290,000 45,606,000 -1,611,030.00 2,300 153,200 2,230 216,990.00 76,000 192,395 47,373,990.00 710,000 25,211,000 1,005,000.00 1,535,500 -3,033,895.00 3,797,570 44,419,161.00 1,102,100 -30,700.00 30,846,000 -1,972,220.00 5,909,000 1,570,380.00 2,000 664,000 -902,960.00 38,000

-2.22 -1.44 0.24 1.43 -3.92 -10.42 -12.19 -1.59 -1.03 0.00 -2.33 1.79 -3.51 0.00 0.00 0.00 -1.44 -4.19 3.10 3.51 4.00 1.01 -0.27 -1.58 1.74 -7.69 0.00 -1.96

15,000,000 88,000 237,000 1,300 860,000 306,900 120,100 36,000 700,000 7,000 21,914,000 810,000 36,470,000 1,990,000 23,200,000 900,000 386,000 4,971,000 100,000 299,000 10,000 20,000,000 13,000 1,484,100 5,028,000 1,900,000 1,453,460 300,000

0.00 0.00 0.17 0.38 0.60 0.00 0.00 -0.38 -0.69 0.00 0.00 -4.27 -0.07 -0.53 0.00 -0.66 0.00 0.00

343,640 300 5,920 14,590 100 260 140 210 1,350 12,280 20,000 40,000 452,600 182,970 21,950 100,170 282,130 96,810

-2.05

107,000

8.83 -2.70 -3.61 4.07

504,000 107,000 254,000 3,530,900

-0.67

18,190

-58,300.00 77,227,470.00 5,550.00 -35,966,400.00

-12,814,415.00 -43,500.00 152,392,210.00 -284,240.00 5,600.00 577,670.00

-67,260.00 -24,050.00 0.00

-5,307,498.00

-2,327,088.00 -384,790.00 -78,796,933.00 -1,884,775.50

50,500.00 -3,176,385.00 75,600.00

-640.00 24,450,098.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Conc. Aggr. 'A'

339

50.00

Imperial Res. `B'

250

Keppel Properties

6.75

50.00

Imperial Res. `A'

27.05

-21.58 -19.25

Keppel Holdings `B'

7.48

49.90

Benguet Corp `B'

8.5000

-12.19

Mabuhay Vinyl

4.78

49.84

Starmalls

7.06

-11.75

Keppel Holdings `A'

8.49

41.74

Benguet Corp `A'

8.6000

-10.42

Chemphil

230

21.05

Zeus Holdings

0.290

-9.38

F&J Prince 'B'

5.7

18.75

Jolliville Holdings

5

-9.09

Euro-Med Lab

1.75

12.90

MJCI Investments Inc.

4

-8.05

SPC Power Corp.

4.5

11.11

Philodrill Corp. `A'

0.0120

-7.69

Bogo Medelin

62

10.71

LBC Express

10.6

-7.02

FRIDAY: APRIL 1, 2016

B3

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

BSP to keep rate, forex tacks

By Julito G. Rada

BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said there is no need to change the current monetary policy settings, even if the US Federal Reserve on Tuesday said there could be a delayed pace of interest rates hike this year.

“We don’t see any need to veer away from current monetary stance and foreign exchange policy, but we will make adjustments should such be needed to keep any buildup of unwarrant-

ed market exuberance at bay,” Tetangco said in a text message Thursday.

Fed chairman Janet Yellen on Tuesday said global economic uncertainty including the slowdown

in China and declining oil prices led to the delay of an interest rate hike in January and March.

Yellen said she was expecting “gradual increases” in interest rates in the future.

The Fed’s comments, Tetangco said, fortified market views that the US central bank had turned more dovish than first anticipated when it began a rate lift-off last year. The Fed increased interest rates on Dec. 17, 2015.

“This seems to indeed have given the market more confidence to take on risk, as evidenced from the positive sentiment on emerging markets assets and curren-

cies,” Tetangco said.

The peso on Wednesday posted a fresh five-month high against the greenback and neared the 45-a-dollar level. The local currency gained P0.32 to close at 46.03 from 46.355 Tuesday. It was its strongest level since the 45.85 on Oct. 15, 2015.

Tetangco cautioned that markets should be careful “not to get ahead of themselves here, as the underlying US economic trend continues to be relatively better than the rest of the world.

He said local monetary authorities would continue to monitor these developments that could af-

fect other financial markets.

The last time the Monetary Board changed the policy stance was in September 2014, when overnight borrowing rates was increased to 4 percent and overnight lending adjusted to 6 percent.

The board during its March 23, 2016 meeting kept the benchmark interest rates steady for the 12th consecutive time since October 2014 due to a more manageable inflation environment.

The interest rates on term RRPs, RPs, special deposit accounts and the reserve requirement ratios were likewise left unchanged.

Poor infra, policies impede investments LEADING vice presidential candidate Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero said poor infrastructure, legal challenges and unstable policies are doing more harm to the country’s business environment than what many considered as restrictive provisions of the Constitution.

Escudero said relaxing certain economic provisions in the Charter should take a back seat to improving the conditions that would make investment opportunities here more appealing to foreign investors.

“I am open [relaxing certain economic provisions] but as I’ve said before, based on surveys, this is not the primary reason why foreign investors are not coming in,” Escudero said.

“The primary reason are our unstable policies, secondly the interference of the courts, and thirdly the lack of infrastructure. These are the issues I want to address,” the veteran lawmaker added.

Data from the Philippines Statistics Authority showed that total foreign investments approved in the first quarter of 2015 stood at P58 billion, 21 percent less than 2014’s P73 billion, while the figure in the second quarter amounted to P36.2 billion, or up only by 0.5 percent over the same period last year.

Approved investments of foreign and local businesses dropped by as much as 65 percent to P90 billion in the second quarter of 2015 from P257.8 billion recorded the previous year. PSA also said Filipino businessmen continued to dominate investments, pitching in some 59.8 percent or about P53.8 billion.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas data showed that net foreign direct investments in industries like agriculture, forestry and fishing, for instance, posted negative growth in 2015.

Escudero also supported calls to lift the nationality requirements in establishing businesses in the country. Ownership of land, however, should remain exclusive to Filipinos.

Judgment AS I write this, I have been thinking of confluence and coincidence. It often seems that life, at least mine, is marked by a pattern.

Divergent streams of relationships and activities somehow come together into one large whole.

This week, I stand at the convergence of many streams, all flowing into innovation and entrepreneurship.

Innovation My current interest in innovation actually stems from what many would see as an unusual origin. A little over a decade ago, I had been recruited to form part of a research team that was to work on writing a book concerning corporate social responsibility (CSR). The team assumed that, coming from a private sector finance background, I would be quantitative and hard-nosed.

By the time of the publication of that first project (Doing Good in Business Matters, AIM & DLSU), I had become an unofficial part of the CSR research team. As we explored the different modes of CSR across businesses and countries, and its evolution within companies, we slowly realized that many businesses had come to a satisfying conclusion, that being responsible made business sense.

In fact, we had realized that making a conscious and explicit commitment to multiple bottom lines tended to drive companies to innovate. As we continued

Guaranteed speeds. NOW Corp. head for enterprise marketing Kristian Pura urges large enterprises with sophisticated and demanding IT needs to look at IT as an important part of the overall business decisionmaking process. NOW has launched its broadband Internet business offerings that offer guaranteed speeds of up to 700 Mbps bundled with high-value IT products and services.

working with companies, we realized that companies that institutionalized CSR also tended to institutionalize social innovation – and that this resulted in creating competitive advantage (Herrera, 2015).

In fact, one of our business partners, Intel, had come to the same conclusion we had: that CSR can actually drive business innovation.

Entrepreneurship The entrepreneurship journey, on the other hand, can be traced much further back. First, to 1993 when we first began to talk about the business idea that eventually became two companies that celebrated their 20th anniversaries in 2014 and second, to 2001 when I was asked to be a Guru in the old AIM Master in Entrepreneurship program.

Last year, I began teaching in a program designed to help university-based inventors understand how to commercialize their inventions. This week, I was in a classroom with entrepreneurship professors from UC Berkeley and engineering professors from Philippine universities about how to introduce technopreneurship into engineering curriculums countrywide.

The readers of this column will have noticed a spike in my articles concerning entrepreneurship around about two years ago. Those who believe in the so-called rule of attraction will say that that might explain why I am now in the middle of preparing to offer the newly redesigned Mater in Entrepreneurship program. It might also explain why so many individuals and organizations involved in entrepreneurship have contacted AIM or even just me concerning innovation and entrepreneurship.

To the question of whether there is scientific evidence supporting coincidences, Thomas Griffiths and Joshua Tenenbaum actually propose scientific explanations in their paper: From mere

coincidence to meaningful discoveries. The difference between those who diverge towards meaningful discoveries and those who progress to false beliefs, they explain, are explained by at least three things: (a) the quality of prior knowledge, (b) the ability to collect accurate information, and (c) the ability to recognize a pattern in the evidence. One could say that collecting evidence for coincidence is simply a matter of attention. The authors famously point out that the fictional Sherlock Holmes is able to come to seemingly magical conclusions not only because he pays better attention, but also because he has vast prior knowledge and uses a system of deduction. The authors, however, point out that, unlike Holmes, many fresh theories come in a flash of inspiration – a process that happens in the back of the mind.

The reality, in scientific discovery as well as in business innovation, is that the seed can come either from purposeful search (Holmes) or an attitude of mindfulness and exploration.

Entrepreneuring at AIM This understanding of the multiple paths that entrepreneurs take towards that most important seed of entrepreneurship – the idea – is one of the basic building blocks of the AIM approach to entrepreneurial development.

The AIM Master in Entrepreneurship program is designed for owners, presidents and general managers of small and medium sized businesses.

The purpose of the program is to help ME students bring their business to the next level. Some of this is very logical, structured and quantitative. Some is logical but also involves something inherently dynamic and malleable – changing trends, human emotions, human relationships. But much of it happens inside the entrepreneur.

At the moment of business inflection, the entrepreneur stands at a nexus. He balances

multiple things and must at once be the roots and strong foundation of the company, the light that pushes the company’s vision, and the wings that will carry the company to that far horizon.

The entrepreneur must be able to do this without breaking the company or himself. It requires knowledge and skills, but also requires courage, confidence and inspiration.

A few weeks ago in AIM, two ME alumni visited to talk about their journeys and reminisce.

Mary Grace Dimacali, ME alumnus and founder of Mary Grace Foods, who had come to have coffee with me, has this to say: “Looking back, would I have opened my first mall kiosk without the ME? Definitely not.” “AIM provided the push, the momentum. And you’re more confident.”

Eddie Tuviera, another ME alumnus, explained that he had come to AIM hoping to learn to make his business better and bigger. He got much more. “In AIM, I discovered what I am is not just a dancer, not just a cameraman.

In AIM I discovered what I really love is creating businesses. I love the process of taking an idea and making it real. I aim to finish this year with ten companies.” To those who came to AIM wanting to learn about the ME, he began with a warning: “It won’t be easy. It will be painful. Be prepared for the hard questions. Be prepared to change. This program doesn’t just change your business, it changes you.”. Speaking about his AIM mentors, he said, “And they, I guess all of the AIM profs, have this thing of answering your questions with questions. They really want you to think things through for yourself. They really challenge you to be the best you can be.”

Readers can email Maya at integrations_ manila@yahoo.com. Or visit her site at http:// integrations.tumblr.com.

B4

FRIDAY: APRIL 1, 2016

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

IN BRIEF Money supply up 11.8% MONEY supply and bank loans grew at doubledigit rates in February from a year ago, amid sustained demand for credit by households and businesses, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Thursday.

Data showed liquidity or money supply increased 11.8 percent in February to hit P8.4 trillion from P7.54 trillion. The growth picked up from the 11.5-percent expansion recorded in January.

“The continued expansion of money supply during the month indicates that domestic liquidity remains adequate to support the requirements of the economy. Going forward, the BSP will continue to monitor monetary conditions closely to ensure that liquidity in the financial system stays in line with maintaining price and financial stability,” Bangko Sentral said.

Meanwhile, outstanding loans of commercial banks, net of reverse repurchase placements with Bangko Sentral, grew 16.9 percent in February, faster than the 15.8-percent rise in January.

Loans for production activities, which comprised more than 80 percent of banks’ aggregate loan portfolio, expanded 17.4 percent in February while for household consumption increased 15.7 percent.

Julito G. Rada

Israelis hold trade mission A TEAM of Israeli companies conducted an agrotrade mission to the Philippines in search for local partners to bring in the latest technology on farming and solutions.

Israeli economic and trade mission head of delegation Gilad Peled said eight companies involved in seed manufacturing, water management and post-harvest facilities expressed interest to do business in the Philippines.

“This is the second time in about one-and-a-half years that we’ve brought in investors from Israel.

The Philippines is fast becoming a favored country for our trade missions,” said Peled who is the director for water, clean technology and agro-technology department of the Israeli Export and International Cooperation Institute.

The delegation consisted of Agrotop Ltd., Bermad, BioFishency Ltd., Eshet Eilon, Metzerplas Cooperative Agricultural Organization Ltd., Netafim Ltd., ShneorSeed Ltd. and Tefen Flow and Dosing Technologies. Othel V. Campos

PSE officers seek reelection THE current board of directors of the Philippine Stock Exchange is poised for a sixth term in office.

Based on the official list of candidates for the PSE annual stockholders meeting in May, the 15 incumbent directors of the PSE board are all seeking re-election and will be running unopposed during the company’s annual stockholders meeting next month.

This will be the sixth term of current PSE president and chief executive Hans Sicat, who has been pushing for market reforms focused on increasing the liquidity in the stock market and improving corporate governance and developing infrastructure.

Also gearing for re-elections as non-broker directors are Amor Iliscupidez of SMC Retirement Plan, Government Service Insurance System president Robert Vergara, Annabelle Chua of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., Edgardo Lacson of Philippine Chamber of Commerce Inc. and independent directors Dakila Fonacier, Ramon Monzon and Jose Pardo. Jenniffer B. Austria

Emirates launches Dubai-Cebu flights

By Darwin G. Amojelar MACTAN, Cebu—Emirates Airline touched down at Mactan-Cebu International Airport Wednesday afternoon, as a part of new daily circular service from Dubai to Cebu and Clark.

“We are happy and very excited with the new circular flights. The demand is huge and it’s growing,” Emirates country manager for the Philippines Abdalla Al Zamani told reporters.

“We believe that the demand will increase even further and will enhance the

Conergy installs 201 MW CONERGY, a leading German solar photovoltaic solution and service provider, said it completed with its partners 201 megawatts of solar capacity in the Philippines in time for the March 15 deadline set by the Energy Department.

Conergy officials also said the company would pursue more than 500 megawatts of solar power capacity in the next two years.

Conergy Asia-Pacific president Alexander Lenz told reporters the company was in talks with possible partners for around 180 MW of solar projects, wherein power generated would be sold through bilateral contracts.

He said the cost of solar panels had significantly gone down, with only around $1 million to $1.5 million needed to put up 1 MW of ground mounted solar project.

Conergy also plans other services such as engineering, procurement and construction services; project development, finance and asset ownership and large scale commercial rooftop projects.

Alena Mae S. Flores

across six continents, and this new addition opens the Philippines to a world of more opportunities both for business and leisure,” Abbas said.

Abbas said with a convenient stop in Dubai, travelers from Cebu would be able to conveniently connect to 39 cities in Europe, 16 in the Middle East as well as a number of destinations across Africa and South America.

Abbas said trade relations between the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates had flourished since Emirates began operations in the Philippines 26 years ago.

“Globally, Dubai is recognized as an important trade hub, and is popular among Filipino companies to re-export their products to the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia,” he said.

Solar community.

Imperial Homes Corp. president and chief executive Emma Imperial (left) and Enfinity Imperial Solar Solutions Inc. president and chief executive Jocelyn Sta Ana (right) present to Climate Change Secretary Emmanuel De Guzman (second from left) and Pagibig Fund officerin-charge senior vice president Juanito Eje the world’s first solar-powered community. Called Via Verde, the pioneering community located in Sto. Tomas, Batangas is composed of 1,000 homes, and has received an Edge certificate from the International Finance Corp., a member of the World Bank Group.

Annoying campaign jingles

Cirtek eyes $36-m revenues CIRTEK Advanced Technologies and Solutions Inc., a pioneer in radio frequency/wireless broadband manufacturing, said it expects revenues to triple this year rto $36 million with the start of commercial operations of its production facility for US-based Quintel.

Cirtek ATS signed a multi-year manufacturing contract with Quintel, a leading innovator of spectrum and space-efficient base station antennas in November 2015.

“Cirtek ATS continues to ramp up to support the growing demands of Quintel. Cirtek ATS expects revenue to triple this year reaching $36 million,” the company said in a statement.

The production facility and capital equipment, costing $6 million, was set up at Cirtek ATS’ new 6,000-square-meter manufacturing facility at Laguna Technopark, Biñan, Laguna.

Cirtek ATS added over 200 personnel, including workers, engineers and managers for the project.

Cirtek ATS said the Quintel contract was worth $10 million to $20 million for the first 12 months, with the potential to double within the next two to three years. Alena Mae S. Flores

connectivity of Cebu and Clark and will give our travelers more choice that will contribute to the inbound tourism, trade and it will open up more markets for Filipino products,” he said.

Al Zamani said the “numbers are very encouraging” for the new circular flight.

Emirates senior vice president commercial operations in the Far East Badr Abbas said the launch of the circular service with the opening of Emirates’ second and third gateways in the country after Manila represented the airline’s strengthening commitment to the Philippines.

Emirates started flying to Manila in 1990.

“Cebu and Clark have become the 151st and 152nd destinations on our ever-expanding global network in 80 countries

IF YOU noticed that your quality of sleep has gone from worse to almost non-existent since Last Sunday, chances are, you’re being subjected to the annoying barrage of campaign jingles from local candidates whose paid minions shamelessly go around the barangays and villages with loudspeakers mounted on top of owner-type jeeps and even tricycles – even as early as 5 a.m.

Just imagine, you had a very late night drinking with friends you have not seen for decades and you get home at almost 4 a.m.

And just when you are about to sleep and get some relief from the throbbing pain in your head, with your skull feeling like it has been skewered by Wolverine’s adamantium claws, along comes this shclepp loudly playing an incomprehensible rap about some so-so candidate’s accomplishments and whatever.

And he does it every 30 minutes or so – to the point that you become so tempted to get up, wait for the moron to pass by your house again and put him (and yourself) out of a miserable existence.

Remember those jingles based on such last song syndrome-inducing mindless dance hits like Macarena and Dayang-Dayang?

Well, they have been replaced by the likes of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” that could make anyone feel like wrecking someone’s face and heaven help us, Justine Bieber hits like “Lolly” or “Never Let You Go” being played over and over again, night and day.

We’re just so glad however that lately, we no longer hear the campaign jingle of senatorial

candidate Migz Zubiri – the 2007-era “Boom Tarat-Tarat” song by Lito Camo. Sure, this might have helped Migz get elected in 2007 but it’s just so annoying hearing the meaningless song played over the radio, repeatedly going “Boom tarat-tarat, boom tarat-tarat, Zubiri, Zubiri, boom boom boom” and that last shouted portion “Masipag Magtrabaho!”

Makes you wonder if the senator has run out of funds to commission someone else to create a new campaign jingle for this 2016.

Isn’t there supposed to be a law against pollution? Candidates should be made accountable when voters’ eardrums burst because of the endless bombardment coming from blaring sound systems about this or that candidate’s platform or agenda. And they should also be charged with the crime of littering because of their flyers that somehow always manages to land inside private homes despite the high walls. It’s just so sad that we don’t have laws against annoying political campaign ads, or that illegal possession of an unpleasant face and inflicting them on the electorate is not considered a crime.

Jeep ni Erap, Kotse ni Poe? Still on the elections, a reader sent us a photo of this car whose presidential candidate is so obvious with its plate: POE 472. Grace Poe continues to be the undisputed frontrunner as shown in the recent survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations commissioned

by TV5 with 35 percent followed by Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte at 26 percent.

Vice president Jejomar Binay and Mar Roxas are statistically tied in last place, although Binay is ahead with 18 percent while Mar still

continues to be firmly in last place with 17 percent.

Grace Poe supporters are also elated at the support thrown in by former president and incumbent Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, whose solid support from his base (as seen in the victory of his wife and son in recent Senatorial races) of followers is beyond question. Grace Poe on the other hand is said to have the support of several of the country’s biggest business tycoons – which sort of gives her campaign a balance between the upper and lower rungs of society. So will the lady senator ride to victory with the Jeep ni Erap and—well, Kotse ni Poe? We will soon know.

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

F R I D AY : A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 6

B5

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD

Rights lawyer slams China BEIJING—China prevented a human rights lawyer from travelling to the United States to receive an award for her work, she told AFP Thursday as she condemned the restriction on her freedom.

Authorities refused to provide Ni Yulan with a passport to attend a ceremony on Tuesday in Washington DC honoring “International Women of Courage”, a day before Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the city for a nuclear summit.

The Public Security Bureau “would not let me leave”, Ni said, adding that authorities informed her she was being stopped due to her involvement with more than 200 rights lawyers and activists detained by the government last summer.

“It is purely to limit my personal freedom,” she said.

Ni is best known for her advocacy on behalf of Beijingers’ property rights. She has been jailed twice and is paralyzed from the waist down, a result she says of beatings received during her detention.

In a tongue-in-cheek letter posted online Wednesday, she thanked the “party and government” for making her award nomination possible, noting it was the direct result of an incident in 2014 when she says authorities held her in her apartment without food or water.

In desperation, she wrote, she reached out to “foreign diplomats” who brought supplies to her home and negotiated with China’s foreign ministry on her behalf.

Ni is one of a widening group of campaigners put under tightened control

by Beijing as it seeks to tamp down activities that go against the party line.

She was one of 14 women from around the world recognized by the US State Department for “exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment, often at great personal risk”. AFP At the event, US Secretary of State John Kerry bemoaned the fact that China had refused to allow Ni to attend “despite repeated requests”, and praised her “leadership in advocating for

concerns about Ni’s passport refusal with the Chinese government”, a spokesman told AFP. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that Ni had “committed crimes in the past and was sentenced to prison”.

“The US government has ulterior motives in giving this award to this person,” he told a regular briefing, adding: “We oppose any foreign government’s interference in

the rule of law and full, equal rights in China”.

Ni was the only awardwinner not present at the ceremony.

The US embassy in Beijing has “raised our

China’s domestic affairs under the pretext of human rights.”

The Global Times, a newspaper linked to China’s ruling Communist Party, quoted analysts as saying that the award was an attempt

by Washington to “smear China’s image and stir trouble”.

Earlier this year, Beijing stopped journalist Yang Jisheng from traveling to the US to receive an award for his

Republic of the Philippines Office of the President National Irrigation Administration

(PAMBANSANG PANGASIWAAN NG PATUBIG) UPPER PAMPANGA RIVER INTEGRATED IRRIGATION SYSTEMS Office of the Department Manager Office Address : Telephone Nos.: Website :

Maharlika Highway, Cabanatuan City (044) 958-9711 to 9712 www.nia.gov.ph

Telefax No. : (044) 958-9711 TIN Nos. : 005-154-569

Invitation to Bid

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

Contract ID Contract Name Contract Location Scope of Work Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) (f) Contract Duration (g) Amount of Bidding Documents

: : : :

2016EOD0001 Renovation of NIA Guest House (Phase I) Brgy. Fatima, Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija Renovation

: :

Php 19,323,684.15 210 Calendar Days

:

Php 25,000.00

C o r p o r a t e G ove r n a n c e S c o r e c a r d (CG S) f o r GOCCs

DAT E

0 8 O c t o b e r 2 015

1.

Background and Purpose

In view of the foregoing, and to reinforce the Code of Corporate Governance for GOCCsmandated under Section 5(c) of R.A. No. 10149, this Circular has been issued to establish within the GOCC Sector covered by R.A. No. 10149 a Corporate Governance Scorecard (CGS) for GOCCs. Objectives

The CGS is a quantitatively-driven evaluation tool extracted from existing and globally accepted standards1 and practices. The CGS serves as an instrument to assess the Corporate Governance performance of GOCCs using a methodology benchmarked against the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance and ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard.

The CGS aims to recognize well-governed GOCCs and raise Corporate Governance standards and practices.

Accordingly, the CGS shall serve the basis for the following: (a) Reinforcing the ownership function of the state through GCG; (b) Establishing a standardized framework in assessing GOCCs’ level of corporate governance; (c) Identifying GOCCs’ strengths and weaknesses compared to existing corporate governance provisions;

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

(d) Assessing the level of adherence of GOCCs to best practices and international standards of corporate governance;and

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 ofthe Philippines.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from NIA-UPRlIS-RlO and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Interested bidders are also required to present to the BAC Secretariat, NIA-UPRlIS-RIO original copies of the following documents for authentication and issuance of Bid Documents: a) PCAB License; b) Contrad’s Registration Certificate (CRC); c) Certificate of Materials Engineer accreditation; d) Latest copy of Authorizing Officer together with machine copy of two (2) Valid IDs; e) Certificate of Safety Officer Seminar from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); 1) Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGeps) Order Form (Documents Request List); g) Latest CPES Rating and h) Income Tax Return (ITR) with Payment Slip.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by Interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents prescribed in the above mentioned list of projects.

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website ofthe Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later that the submission oftheir bids.

Only Representatives whose names appear in the Contractor Registration Certificate (CRC) shall be authorized to purchase and submit bidding documents.

The NIA-UPRIIS-RIO will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on April 12, 2016, 2:00 P.M. at Carlos S. Salazar Hall, National Irrigation Administration -Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (NIAUPRIIS) Regional Irrigation OffICe, Imelda District, Cabanatuan City, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on April 25, 2016 until 12:00 Noon. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any ofthe acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB. Clause 18, per GPPB Resolution No. 25-2013 dated August 30, 2013 approving amendments to Section 27.2, 27.5 and 39.2 of Revised IRR of RA No. 9184.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidder’s representatives who choose to attend at the address below.

Late bids shall not be accepted.

Prospective bidders shall submit their sealed envelopes duly accomplished in forms as specified in the BD’s on or before the deadline of dropping of the bid documents at the NIA-UPRIIS-RIO by the Authorized Managing Officer (AMO) or authorized liaison officer of interested parties as stated in their Contractor’s Certificate of Registration (CRC). The liaison officer shall submit a letter from the AMO authorizing her/him to drop their bid, attend the bidding process and also submit a copy of company I.D. for verification. No Special Power of Attorney (SPA) shall be allowed.

The significant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below:

(e) In tandem with the Performance Scorecard, ensure the improvement in transparency of GOCCs’ corporate governance initiatives and practices.

3.

The NIA-UPRIIS-RIO reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders For further information, please refer to:

Coverage The CGS shall be implemented to all GOCCs covered by the Governance Commission.

4.

Assessment

The Governance Commission shall undertake the final and official evaluation on the basis of the accomplished CGS(see Annex A for the CGS Questionnaire).

Each GOCC shall be appraised of its performance and its level of adherence to the best practices and international standards of corporate governance. Assessment shall be based on the disclosures in the GOCC website.

5.

Exit Conference

An Exit Conference shall be scheduled once the CGS Rating and Results have been consolidated. The Attendees from the GOCC are: two (2) Board Members and Corporate Secretary/ Compliance Officer.

The Governance Commission shall discuss the CGS Rating and Results with the concerned GOCC. The Exit Conference shall be properly documented.

6.

Schedule

The CGS Assessment shall be conducted on the second week of March.The CGS Assessment shall be processed within forty (40) working days after which the CGS Rating and Results shall be discussed with the GOCC in an Exit Conference. The final CGS Rating and Results will be released by the Governance Commission on first week of July of the following year.

7.

Release of CGS Rating and Results The CGS Rating and Results shall be released to the GOCC and its Supervising Agency.

8.

April 4 -11, 2016 from 8:00 A.M to 5:00 P.M. April 12,2016 at 2:00 P.M. April 25, 2016 from 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 Noon April 25, 2016 at 2:00 P.M.

Repealing Clause

All other GCG orders, circulars, issuances, and decisions, as well as Board resolutions, or parts of the foregoing, which are inconsistent with this Memorandum Circular are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

9.

Effectivity

This Circular shall take effect immediately upon its publication in the Commission’s website at www.gcg.gov.ph.

ROSALINDA B. BOTE Division Manager A, Engineering & Operations Division Chairman, BAC (For Infrastructure Project) NIA-UPRIIS-RIO Imelda District, Cabanatuan City Tel. No. (044) 958-9711 Approved:

(SGD) ENGR. FLORENTINO R. DAVID, CESE Department Manager A, UPRIIS Head of Procuring Entity

:

Pursuant to the declared policy under the “GOCC Governance Act of 2011” (R.A. No. 10149), for the State to recognize the potential of Government-Owned or - Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) as significant tools for economic development, it is the statutorilymandated obligation of the State to ensure that the governance of GOCCs is carried out in a transparent, responsible and accountable manner and with the utmost degree of professionalism and effectiveness, under Governing Boards who are competent to carry out their functions, fully accountable to the State as its fiduciaries and always acting for the best interest of the State.

Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description ofan eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly in Section II, instruction to Bidders. Credit line commitment shall no longer be accepted as an alternative to the prospective bidder’s computation of NFCC per GPPB Resolution No. 20-2013 dated July 30, 2013.

Noted:

academics have said his work is anti-China propaganda. AFP

SUBJECT :

Bid received in excess ofthe ABC shall be automatically ejected during bi opening.

1. Issuance ofBidding Documents 2. Pre-bid Conference 3. Receipt of Bids 4. Opening of Bids

ing China’s Great Leap Forward in the 1950s.

Government-affiliated

G CG M E M O R A N D U M C I R C U L A R N O. 2 015 – 07

2.

The National Irrigation Administration -Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems Regional Irrigation Office (NIA-UPRIIS-RIO), through the General Appropriations Act of 2016 intends to bid out the projects listed below: I.

work documenting tens of millions of deaths from starvation dur-

(SGD.) ROSALINDA B. BOTE Division Manager A, E.O.D. Chairman, BAC (For Infrastructure Project) VCC JBSA

(TS-APR. 1, 2016)

(SGD.) CESAR L. VILLANUEVA Chairman

(SGD.)CESAR V. PURISIMA DOF Secretary

(SGD.) MA. ANGELA E. IGNACIO Commissioner

(SGD.) FLORENCIO B. ABAD DBM Secretary

(SGD.)RAINIER B. BUTALID Commissioner

--------------------------------------------------1 S e e R . A . N o . 1014 9 ; “ C o d e o f C o r p o r a t e G o v e r n a n c e f o r G O C C s ” (G C G M C 2 012 - 0 7 ) ; O E C D P r i n c i p l e s of Corporate Governance for State Owned Enterprises; and the ASE AN Corporate Governance Fr a m e w o r k . ( T S - A P R . 1, 2 016)

B6

F R I D AY : A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 6

WORLD

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

North Korea in focus as security summit begins WASHINGTON—North Korea’s nuclear defiance will feature prominently during the first day of a major security summit hosted by President Barack Obama in Washington Thursday.

Obama will kick off the nuclear security summit by meeting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-Hye, followed by a separate sit-down with President Xi Jinping of China.

North Korea’s threats following the January detonation of a nuclear device and a long-range rocket launch a month later, are expected to feature promiAUCTION SALE

CINTHY PAWNSHOP All unredeemed pledges during the month of NOVEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on: APRIL 25, 2016 STA. MESA – 8:00 AM # 3630 Ramon Magsaysay Blvd. Sta. Mesa, Manila at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER ( T S - A P R . 1, 2 0 16 )

AUCTION SALE PENTHOUSE PAWNSHOP

All unredeemed pledges during the month of NOVEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on APRIL 4, 2016 at BETTER - 8:00 AM at # 82 Betterliving Subd.

Parañaque City at JUAN LANUZA & SONSAUCTIONEER ( T S - A P R . 1, 2 0 16 )

AUCTION SALE POB CASA DE EMPEÑOS

All unredeemed pledges during the month of NOVEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on APRIL 23, 2016 at the ff. branches: ST. FRANCIS - 10:30 AM at # 40 Kingfisher St., St. Francis, Meycauayan, Bulacan POBLACION – 11:30 AM # 721 Barrera St., Poblacion, Baliuag, Bulacan at JUAN LANUZA & SONSAUCTIONEER ( T S - A P R . 1, 2 0 16 )

AUCTION SALE

TAMCAR PAWNSHOP CORP.

All unredeemed pledges during the month of NOVEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on APRIL 11, 2016 at the ff. branches: BUSTILLOS -2:00 PM at # L2522-28 Road 216, Earnshaw Bustillos, Manila APRIL 25, 2016 CALOOCAN – 1:00 PM # 434 J. RODRIGUEZ ST., at JUAN LANUZA & SONSAUCTIONEER ( T S - A P R . 1, 2 0 16 )

AUCTION SALE PEARLAS PAWNSHOP CO., INC. All unredeemed pledges during the month of NOVEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on APRIL 04, 2016 at the ff. branches: MONTILLANO 12:30 PM at 249 Montillano St., Alabang, Muntinlupa City APRIL 08, 2016 SUMULONG – 9:00 AM # 24 Sumulong Hway Sto. Niño, Marikina City CONCEPCION – 10:00 AM #19 Bayan Bayanan Ave., Concepcion, Marikina City APRIL 11, 2016 G. NUEVO – 9:00 AM Tan Hock Bldg., Cor. EDSA, Makati City APRIL 23, 2016 B. BARRIO - 11:30 AM # 35 Malolos Ave., B. Barrio, Caloocan City APRIL 23, 2016 VALENZUELA – 12:00 PM # 115 Faustino St., Punturin, Valenzuela City at JUAN LANUZA & SONSAUCTIONEER ( T S - A P R . 1, 2 0 16 )

nently in both meetings.

The White House wants to keep the pressure on the North Korean regime, increasing the economic and diplomatic cost of ignoring international appeals to mothball its nukes.

“The international community must remain united in the face of North Korea’s continued provocations,” Obama wrote in an article published on the

ERRORS & OMISSIONS

In Classified Ads section must be brought to our attention the very day the advertisement is published.

We will not be responsible for any incorrect ads not reported to us immediately.

AUCTION SALE NORTHERN LEGASPI All unredeemed pledges during the month of NOVEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on APRIL 25, 2016 at NAVOTAS - 2:30 PM at # 256 Champaca St., Navotas Metro Manila at JUAN LANUZA & SONSAUCTIONEER ( T S - A P R . 1, 2 0 16)

AUCTION SALE WESTCHESTER

All unredeemed pledges during the month of NOVEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on APRIL 11, 2016 at the ff. branches: HERRAN - 8:00 AM at # 1101 P. Gil St., Paco, Manila STA. ANA – 10:00 AM # 390 AP Reyes Cor. JP Rizal St., Makati City at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER ( T S - A P R . 1, 2 0 16)

AUCTION SALE CITRINE PAWNSHOP CO., INC All unredeemed pledges during the month of NOVEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on APRIL 4, 2016 at RITZ - 12:00 PM at Stall # New Muntinlupa Public Market, Alabang Muntinlupa City JUAN LANUZA & SONSAUCTIONEER ( T S - A P R . 1, 2 0 16)

AUCTION SALE LUIROM PAWNSHOP CO., INC. All unredeemed pledges during the month of NOVEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on APRIL 4, 2016 at the ff. branches: SUCAT - 9:00 AM at #3 Dr., A. Santos Ave., Sucat, Parañaque City MUNTI – 1:30 PM #659 National Road, Poblacion St., Muntinlupa City APRIL 08, 2016 SAN JOAQUIN – 1:30 PM # 9 M. Concepcion San Joaquin, Pasig City APRIL 23, 2016 10TH AVE. – 2:00 PM # 245-B 10TH Ave., Brgy., 60 Zone 6, Caloocan City APRIL 23, 2016 MARILAO – 1 PM #5 NETWORK AVE., MERALCO VILL. LIAS MARILAO BULACAN APRIL 12, 2016 SAGRADA – 11:00AM #1978 ESTRADA ST., FORMER SAGRADA FAMILIA STA. ANA, MLA. APRIL 18, 2016 GAGALANGIN – 8:45 AM #2 JUAN LUNA ST., COR. GUIDO ST., TONDO MANILA APRIL 23, 2016, STO NIÑO – 9:30 AM #30 ST., THERESE COR, ST. PETER, P3 STO NIÑO MEYCAUAN BULACAN at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER ( T S - A P R . 1, 2 0 16)

AUCTION SALE N.C. TAMBUNTING All unredeemed pledges during the month of NOVEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on APRIL 8, 2016 at PATEROS - 8:00 AM at # M. Almeda Cor. B. Morcilla St., Pateros, Metro Manila at JUAN LANUZA & SONSAUCTIONEER ( T S - A P R . 1, 2 0 16)

AUCTION SALE

eve of the summit.

“The additional sanctions recently imposed on Pyongyang by the United Nations Security Council show that violations have consequences.”

Obama, Abe and Park are likely to call for the rigorous implementation of those sanctions and discuss the possible deployment of US missile defense systems in the region.

The United States and South Korea have begun discussions on deployment of THAAD—the Theater High Altitude Area Defense System, a sophisticated missile system.

“I think the three leaders will clearly demonstrate their unity in our commitment and our firm resolve to deter and defend against North Korean aggression,” said Dan Kritenbrink, a top Obama advisor on Asia.

RACATAM PAWNSHOP CO., INC. All unredeemed pledges during the month of NOVEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on APRIL 18, 2016 at the ff. branches: PRITIL 8:00 AM at 1833 N. Zamora St., Pritil, Tondo, Manila BLUMENTRITT – 10:30 AM #1687 M. Hizon St., Blumentritt, Manila VARONA – 8:30 AM 1872 F. VARONA ST., BRGY 95, ZONE 8, TONDO, MANILA APRIL 25, 2016 ALTURA – 9:00 AM # 418 Altura St. Sta. Mesa, Manila at JUAN LANUZA & SONSAUCTIONEER ( T S - A P R . 1, 2 0 16)

AUCTION SALE PANG NEGOSYO PAWNSHOP

All unredeemed pledges during the month of NOVEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on APRIL 7, 2016 at the ff. branches: COUNTRYSIDE - 12:30 PM at 49 Countryside Ave., Sta. Lucia, Pasig City JUNCTION – 2:30 PM # Star Valley Plaza Mall, Junction at JUAN LANUZA & SONSAUCTIONEER( T S - A P R . 1, 2 0 16)

AUCTION SALE

MAKATI LUXURY JEWELRY PAWNSHOP CO., All unredeemed pledges during the month of NOVEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on APRIL 04, 2016 at BF Homes – 10:00 AM # 43 President’s Ave., BF Homes, Parañaque City SPL - 3:00 PM at Casa Hacienda San Pedro, Laguna on APRIL 08, 2016 at the ff. branches: ROMULO - 10:00 AM at 135 13TH Ave., Cor. P. Tuazon, Cubao, QC SANTOLAN – 4:00 PM 526 ADR Bldg., Dela Paz, Santolan, Pasig City on APRIL 11, 2016 JP RIZAL – 11:00 AM # 529 Olympia St., JP Rizal, Makati City ALPHALAND – 5:00 PM G11 South Gate Towers, P. Tamo Ext., Makati City MANUELA – 3:00 PM G/F Starmall, Wack2, Mandaluyong City APRIL 18, 2016 LALOMA – 11:30 AM # 67 Calavite St., Brgy., P. Bundok, QC RETIRO - 12:30 PM # 270 N.S. amoranto Street, Retiro QC. ROTONDA – 2:00 PM # 1 Sto. Tomas St., Rotonda QC at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER ( T S - A P R . 1, 2 0 16)

Obama will later meet Xi, his only fullyfledged bilateral meeting with the dozens of world leaders coming to Washington.

Obama will also hold what the White House is calling a “brief ” meeting with France’s President Francois Hollande.

China is seen as key to making sanctions against North Korea bite.

“We’ve seen China step up in many ways in terms of applying pressure,” said Obama foreign policy aide Ben Rhodes, praising the passage of UN sanctions.

But Washington believes that China could more forcefully wield its influence over Pyongyang, including encouraging its Stalinist neighbor to tone down destabilizing rhetoric.

Tensions are only expected to rise in advance of a major Communist

Party Congress in North Korea in May. China also has its own concerns about the deployment of THAAD so close to its own territory, fearing it may weaken Chinese capabilities and deepen US influence in the region.

And Obama and Xi are also likely to touch on disputes in the South China Sea, where Beijing has seized contested territory.

Washington fears the islets and atolls may be used for military purposes.

US officials see a steady series of meetings and exchanges between Obama and Xi as vital in limiting disagreements.

“This is where problems get solved and decisions get made,” said Kritenbrink.

Obama and Xi are expected to meet again at the G20 in China in September. AFP

Republic of the Philippine

CITY OF NAGA BIDS & AWARDS COMMITTEE Invitation to Bid for the Construction of a Wastewater Treatment Facility (Sequencing Batch Reactor) at the Naga City Abattoir, Bgy. Del Rosario The Naga City Government, through the Naga River Rehabilitation and Development Fund, intends to apply the sum of SEVEN MILLION (P 7,000,000.00) PESOS, being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) for the Construction of the Wastewater Treatment Facility (Sequencing Batch Reactor) at the Naga City Abattoir, Bgy. Del Rosario, Contract Reference Number: 004947-2016-01.

Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

The Naga City Government now invites bids for the Construction of the Wastewater Treatment Facility (Sequencing Batch Reactor) at the Naga City Abattoir, Bgy. Del Rosario, Contract Reference Number: 004947-2016-01. Completion of the Works is required within 120 calendar days. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to bidders.

Of the similar projects completed within the past 10 years, at least five are sequencing batch reactors for abattoirs or meat processing facilities and still in actual operation with a processing capacity of at least 80 cubic meters per day and granted discharge permits by the DENR or the Laguna Lake Development Authority for the current and the past two years.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary 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.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the Naga City Bids and Awards Committee Secretariat and inspect the Bidding Documents at the Office of the BAC Secretariat at the City Planning & Development Office, City Hall Compound, Naga City from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM starting on Friday, April 1 to May 2, 2016.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders until 2:00 PM on Monday, May 2, 2016, from the Office of the BAC Secretariat at the City Planning & Development Office upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND (P 25,000.00) PESOS, an Annual Registration Fee of Three Thousand (P 3,000.00) Pesos, and upon presentation of Document Request List (DRL) from PhilGEPS showing your company name It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Naga City Government (www.naga.gov.ph), provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

The Naga City Bids and Awards Committee will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on Wednesday, April 13, 2016 at 3:00PM at the City Procurement Office, Ground Floor, City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, Naga City, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

Bids must be delivered to the City Procurement Office, Ground Floor, City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, Naga City on or before 3:00 PM on Monday, May 2, 2016. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security, either in the form of: cash or cashier’s/manager’s check issued by a universal or commercial bank (2% of ABC), or, Bid Securing Declaration (BSD).

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the City Procurement Office, Ground Floor, City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, Naga City at 3:00 PM on Monday, May 2, 2016. Late bids shall not be accepted.

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

For further information, please refer to: MR. FLORENCIO T. MONGOSO, JR. Acting City Administrator, City Hall Compound, J. Miranda Avenue, Naga City Telephone Number: 054-4732240, 054-4723235 Email address: bac@naga.gov.ph, Website: www.naga.gov.ph

( T S - A P R .1, 2 016)

(SGD) FLORENCIO T. MONGOSO, JR. BAC Chairperson

Milkmen keep the beloved tradition ST ALBANS—Once a daily sight on every British street, a dwindling but resilient band of milkmen still go out at the crack of dawn to deliver bottles of fresh milk to the nation’s doorsteps.

The overwhelming majority of milk used to be sold at the front door until the supermarket revolution all but wiped out this very British institution.

But by selling more than milk and embracing the Internet, the few thousand remaining milkmen, including Neil Garner, have breathed new life into the cherished tradition.

“It has given us a big boost and brought us into the 21st century. The future’s looking bright,” said Garner, the customer-nominated Milkman of the Year at Milk and More, the country’s biggest doorstep delivery firm.

The 57-year-old has driven his milk float—an electrified, open-sided delivery van—through towns and villages in the dead of night since 1994, placing glass pint (halfliter) bottles of milk on the doorstep ready for when customers wake for their morning cereal and cups of tea.

“Nowadays, you don’t do as many houses in each street. But we sell a lot of other stuff to the people we do have,” he told AFP. It’s not just breakfast staples like tea bags, bread, butter, eggs and bacon that Garner now has on the back of his float.

Jam, cranberry juice, pet food, potatoes and toilet roll are all available. Even bird seed and compost can be dropped off on the round.

In 1980, 89 percent of all the milk bought in Britain was delivered to the door, according to trade association Dairy UK. That figure plunged to 30 percent during the 1990s out-of-town supermarket boom.

In 2015, just 2.8 percent of the milk still went to the door, a total of 154 million liters, with 5,000 milkmen and women delivering to around 2.5 million homes.

Garner’s round sees him deliver six days a week to St Albans, a small commuter city northwest of London.

AFP

F R I D AY : A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 6

MOTORING mst.daydesk@gmail.com

RAMON L. TOMELDAN EDITOR

B7

Nissan dealers rewarded

NISSAN Philippines, Inc. recently awarded three outstanding Nissan dealerships the “Dealer of the Year” award during the company’s first Annual Dealer Conference and Awards Night at the Marriot Hotel in Pasay City.

The Dealer of the Year award is NPI’s highest recognition given to dealerships with the most exemplary performance in all aspects of dealer operations, including Sales, Aftersales service, Finance and Customer Relations management.

This event is but one sign of NPI’s phenomenal growth, with the company posting a 60% sales growth since its establishment two years ago, the rapid expansion of its dealership network with the addition of 11 new deal-

By Masroor Gilani SAAD ALI is in pole position to become Pakistan’s first Formula 1 driver, a seemingly impossible target in a country with no race tracks and where all sport sponsorship money is poured into the national obsession—cricket.

The 28-year-old faces significant hurdles before he can become one of 22 elite drivers at the pinnacle of motorsport, but a decade after his “clueless” beginning as a college dropout hooked on racing, he is edging towards his target.

“As a kid I was always interested in cars, but there was no racing in Pakistan, it was not even on television,” he says.

He competed in the Formula Gulf 1000 series in 2014, reaching the podium to take third place twice in one weekend in Abu Dhabi.

Describing that race as a “big stepping stone”, he adds it was “proof to me that this is something that I could pursue and achieve”.

Now he must conquer the Formula 3, GP3 and GP2 classes, seen as stepping stones on the road to Formula 1.

“Getting there is extremely tough, extremely hard, extremely competitive,” he says.

It is also expensive.

“I have been racing by myself for the country without support, flying the Pakistani Flag on circuits making a name for racing (here)” says Ali, who last year was only able to compete in go-karting’s 2F2F Endurance Grand Prix in Pakistan due to the sheer costs

erships in 2015, and the increasing accessibility of the car brand to more customers nationwide.

For this year, NPI awarded the title under the Rural Category to Nissan Pampanga, Royce Motors Inc; under the Urban Provincial Category to Nissan Bacolod, Ponce Automobile Corp., and under NCR Category to Nissan North EDSA, Tetra Sales and Services Inc. It also awarded the country’s first-ever Nissan Global Award to the Nissan Bacolod dealership.

Receiving this singular honor was Ponce Automobile’s President, Geoffrey Ponce, together with Luis Carlos, Sales Manager, and Natalie Espinosa, Aftersales Manager. The Nissan Global Award is a worldwide program that recognizes the best of the best, with the additional level of recognition qualifying the winner to represent the country to meet other Nissan Global Awardees in Japan.

During the dealer conference, NPI also awarded the following: • Excellence in Customer Service (CSI)—Nissan Bacolod, Ponce Automobile Corp. (Provincial) and Nissan Shaw, Tetra Sales and Service (NCR Category) • Best in After-Sales Service Nissan Lipa, Tetra Sales and Ser-

vice • Best in Sales Satisfaction Nissan Isabela, Royce Motors Center. Inc., (Provincial) and Nissan Don Chino Roces, Summit Automall, Inc. (NCR Category) • Top in Vehicle Sales Operations - Nissan Bohol, Nissan Cebu Distributors, Inc. (Rural), Nissan Bacolod, Ponce Automobile Corp. (Urban), and Nissan Commonwealth (NCR) • Fleet Dealer of the Year - Nissan Cebu, Nissan Cebu Distributors, Inc. (Rural), and Nissan Mantrade, Mantrade Development Corp. (NCR) • Excellence in Vehicle Sales Nissan Bacolod, Ponce Automobile Corp.

• Nissan Service Skills Competition winner - Nissan Commonwealth

Dreams of thunder

Pakistani seeking Formula 1 glory

of taking part in motorsport.

Currently, he uses the money earned from his job at information technology company Swiftclick, and his documentary-film work to fund his obsession.

He has more races later in 2016.

But estimates he will need around $2 million in sponsorship over the next three or four years to achieve his dream of racing alongside the likes of Sebastien Vettel or Lewis Hamilton.

“For motorsports you need that expertise, you need those mechanics, you need facilities, infrastructure, you need that architecture to actually perform,” he says.

Right now, he has to make do with a simulator at his home, where he practises his manoeuvres.

The odds of international successes are against him. “There are very few people in the world who make a living from driving racing cars –- and even fewer in F1,” Matthew Marsh, a leading F1 TV commentator and former racer, tells AFP. Young and restless The absence of any sort of official motor racing in Pakistan beyond go-karting means he is unlikely to find the deep wallets he needs there.

But Ali says building tracks would not only boost the economy but help

save the lives of restless young Pakistanis who take their need for speed underground.

One 22-year-old racer who asked to remain anonymous told AFP that races take place in Pakistan’s major cities in the dead of night despite accidents and police chases.

“There have been accidents, some really bad in which people have died, but this thing goes on as you cannot restrict youth,” he says.

“If there is a proper track, the risk of accidents would be minimised and the passion of young people for racing could be groomed,” he argues.

Ali agrees, saying: “The first thing

Forming part of the evening’s highlights, NPI also named Niño Alllan Musngi as the 2015-2016 Nissan Service Advisor Excellence Competency awardee and Robert Biando as the Nissan Service Technician Excellence Competency awardee during the event.

“We would like thank each and every one of you for your renewed faith in the business brand,” Antonio Zara, NPI President and Managing Director said. “Without your commitment and trust, we will not be here, enjoying unprecedented growth in the past two years.” Zara also pledged the company to “be a better principal in 2016”. “Our goal is not to beat our competitors, but rather, to be different in how we do business,” he said. that we need in the country is a race track... People who are racing on the roads, they will go to that particular facility and their need for speed and everything can be brought out in a very, very safe manner”.

Baber Kaleem Khan, editor of the Pakwheels.com motoring blog, says there would be an economic benefit.

“Motorsports isn’t just a sport, it is a massive capital generating program as well,” he says.

“Engineering development that goes on in the car, the training of the driver, the staff and students, the product and the commercial development, it has a trickle down effect on local businesses who could develop and export parts from here.”

The road to Formula 1 Ali become interested in racing when he was in college in Islamabad in 2006, adding: “I was absolutely clueless as nobody in Pakistan had done professional race car driving”.

He dropped out and went to the Formula BMW Racing Center (FBRC) Bahrain, where aspiring drivers can learn the art of racing.

“After three days of training I joined the racing school’s championship,” he says, describing the decision as a “pivotal” point in his life.

Sitting in a claustrophobic racing car for the first time nearly put the brakes on his F1 dream, he admits.

“When you sit in a race car and you put on the helmet, you can’t breathe properly,” he says, adding that with the seat belts so tight they left three inch marks branded on his shoulders, he could only get his lungs about half full. AFP

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RAMON L. TOMELDAN EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

MOTORING

THE MILLENNIALS IN MIND Luxury automakers try to cash in on Generation Y BRITISH carmaker Jaguar has developed a tool to win over seen-it-all millennials who view a conventional test drive as passe.

Seeking to tap into younger customers' desire for a few moments of cinematic glory, Jaguar films the prospective customers behind the wheel as they navigate the vehicle through several precarious driving challenges, channeling their inner speed demon.

Moments later, they are emailed a slickly edited two-minute film, which can conveniently be uploaded to Facebook and social media sites.

"It all takes literally minutes," said Jaguar spokesman Stuart Schorr. "By the time you're done, you've taken a test drive, but you've also got an asset that's shareable and fun."

The clever tactic is part of the 94-year-old brand's effort to boost its US sales as it broadens its offerings in 2016 with the introduction of new models, including the FPACE, Jaguar's first sports utility vehicle.

But all the automakers at this week's New York International Auto Show have the new generation in their sights.

"Generation Y will dictate who wins and who loses in the marketplace," said John Humphrey of JD Power's global automotive practice. "It is by far the biggest generation we've had in the US."

BMW, also eyeing millennials, has trained a cadre of some 1,000 showroom "geniuses" -- like the staff at an Apple Store "Genius Bar" -- to show drivers how they can customize the car's myriad gadgets and driving tools.

They are distinct from the salesforce and are not supposed to seal deals, said Ludwig Willisch, president and chief executive of BMW North America.

Millennials "don't like sales pressure," Willisch told the JD Power auto forum Tuesday, as opposed to their parents, the baby boomers, who rely more on test drives and multiple visits before making a purchase.

With millennials, he said, "You only get one shot."

"If we get this right, and we will, we have the opportunity to create lifelong BMW drivers."

Pocketbook challenge It is a crucial point for luxury cars, which account for about half of the auto industry's profits.

A long-term worry for auto companies is that with the surge of rideshare programs like Uber and optimism about self-driving cars, younger Americans will drive less than earlier generations did.

Humphrey said automakers face particular pressure because

the overall US auto market is expected to cool significantly following several boom years.

"We're coming up on the end of the current cycle," said Humphrey, who warned that the industry could slip back towards overcapacity and a reliance on rebates and cheap prices to move inventory.

Those practices are less a problem for brands like Jaguar and BMW, which cater to a more select group of buyers less influenced by price, Humphrey said.

But luxury brands face other

difficulties with millennials, a generation renowned for carrying hefty student loans and without the means to spend $50,000 or $60,000 on a car.

Compact and midsized cars accounted for the highest shares of the millennial market in 2015, with a combined 32.6 percent. Premium vehicles in total accounted for less than 10 percent, according to JD Power data.

For that reason, luxury automakers are taking the long-term view in their marketing campaigns.

Few of the 6,000 consumers who have participated in the Jaguar events have ordered one of their cars, Schorr said. But about 60 percent have shared their personal action videos on Facebook.

That creates additional exposure and buzz, enhancing the brand's prospects.

"The whole subtext is to reintroduce the Jaguar brand to a younger group of customers, and that's an investment you look to pay off over a number of years," he said.

AFP

Drumbeats for 10th generation Civic SINCE its first ASEAN appearance in Thailand earlier this month, the 10th generation Civic will soon make its way to Philippine shores.

The newest reiteration of the Honda Civic is bound to set a new benchmark in its class with its aerodynamic styling, sophisticated interior, spacious cabin space, and a host of new and advanced features.

HCPI confirms that the 10th generation Civic line-up will include an RS Turbo Variant. The RS Turbo Variant is the Civic top of the line variant, exclusively integrated with Honda’s RS or Road Sailing design that provides the All-New Civic with a sportier and a more unique character.The Civic RS Turbo variant flaunts 17-inch RS Design Alloy Wheels, a Gloss Black Front Grille, RearWing Spoiler, LED Fog Lights, Chrome Door Handles, and an RS emblem.

To provide the All-New Civic with a more powerful and fun-to-drive performance, the Civic RS Turbo variant is powered by Honda’s

first-ever VTEC Turbo Engine.

On the inside, the Civic presents a dynamic blend of spacious interior complemented by a modern and expansive cockpit design. Showcasing a completely redesigned cabin, the Civic is integrated with

premium quality soft-touch materials and an extensive package of intuitive controls.

The new Civic is incorporated with key technologies such as a full color Multi-Information Display on the instrument cluster,

which not only shows vehicle speed, but also other vehicle-related information, SMS, and e-mails for the driver’s easy viewing.

Its dashboard features a new 7-inch Advanced Display Audio that provides touch controls, en-

tertainment features, and Smartphone connectivity. It also displays the dynamic guidelines projected from the Multi-view Reverse Camera. Its multi- functional Smart Key features the Remote Engine Start Function that starts the vehicle engine and turns on the Auto Climate Control System to allow the cabin to cool even before you enter the vehicle, with a simple push of a button.

With the overall combination of its redesigned sporty exterior, new upscale and spacious interior, excellent driving performance, and extensive set of advanced features, the All-New Civic has received positive reviews and awards, such as the “2016 North American Car of the Year”, “2016 Canadian Car of the Year”, “Autoguide.com 2016 Car of the Year”, and “Overall Best Buy of the Year” by experts at Kelley Blue Book. Authorized Honda dealerships nationwide are now accepting reservations for the All-New Civic. The All-New Civic is available in 1.8 E and RS Turbo Variants.

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TATUM ANCHETA EDITOR

BING PAREL

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

BERNADETTE LUNAS

life @ thestandard.com .ph

WRITER

@LIFEatStandard

ST Y L E & BE AU T Y

LIFE

FIlIpInO DESIgnERS ShOWCASE InSpIRED FAShIOn In lOnDOn

The PhiliPPines receives iTs highesT recogniTion aT The inTernaTional Fashion showcase

A

ny piece made by hand becomes more special when there’s a compelling story behind it. An artist can look within himself or at things happening around him to find an inspiration that will serve as the bedrock of his work.

For four emerging Filipino designers, the rich history of our country, the resilience of the nation and the optimism of our countrymen are stories that needed to be told to the world – in the form of fashion items.

Maco Custodio, Micki Olaguer, Thian Rodriguez and Jared Servaño represented FashionPhilippines at Fashion Utopias: International Fashion Showcase at the Somerset House in London, United Kingdom held on February 18 to 23.

For this year’s exhibition, emerging designers and curators from 24 countries shared their visions of Utopia through commissioned and curated fashion installations.

The Philippine installation, entitled “Utopian U-turns,” received a special citation under the Best Country Category.

The Best Country award, which was won

by Czech Republic, is given in recognition of exemplary overall exhibition.

“Utopian U-turns” was curated by TAO Inc.’s veteran curators Marian Pastor Roces and Judy Freya Sibayan.

The two curators held a series of design workshops for the four designers to challenge them to create pieces made of materials that are rich with Philippine historical narratives of utopian ambition, disaster, re-imagination, failure of vision, and reversals into renewed optimism.

The special commendation of the Philippines is the highest recognition the country has had thus far in the years of our participation in the IFS. “It affirms that the country is right on track in its aim of making the Philippines a center for creativity and design in the fashion industry,” said Rosvi Gaetos, executive director of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions.

The IFS panel, for its part, was very impressed by the Philippines’ installation and its ingenuity. “With very little, you [Philippine delegation] did so much. It’s important that you are here, with all the positive messages and this beauty that comes out with thoughts, and love, and passion for what you do,” commented Anna Orsini, a strategic consultant for the British Fashion Council.

In the exhibition, the select designers manifested their grit savoir faire through their powerful collections that reflect their own personal utopian journey.

Top London photographer Darren Black took notice of Servaño’s abaca gown, and lauded, “When I look around there’s a dress that’s made out of banana… it’s amazing… it’s just so beautiful; I think it’s the most innovative.

It looks like a McQueen dress. It’s so exotic… so bizarrely strange. For me, it’s a wonderful piece of mechanical engineering right there.”

Servaño personally chose to work with abaca or Manila hemp, a material that is ubiquitous in his southern Philippine home province of South Cotabato, for his IFS collection. Abaca, though considered as the toughest fiber in the world, forcibly yielded to Servaño’s hands as the fashion designer wrangled the fiber to conform to his ideas. Servaño was able to take the stiff and prickly bits of his homeland history and culture to wrestle a wild beauty out of it.

Drawn by the transformability of brass from ammunition to musicmaking gongs, Rodriguez saw a vacillation between aggression and seduction in the material. Inspired by this, Rodriguez’s “Utopian U-turns” collection presented leather design with metal grommets and bullet finials that cling and enwrap the human body, as if evoking pierced skin.

Custodio, using his years of honing his craft in design and shoemaking, fashioned footwear that spoke of dismemberment and re-configuration. Working with waste tetrabrick packaging as band to

Micki Olaguer’s mother-of-pearl and gold and silver jewelry

Thian Rodriguez’s brass grommets and bullet finials cut out dress

Jared Servaño’s Manila hemp gown

Maco Custodio’s bespoke footwear design

suture off-cuts of leather, Custodio made a bold statement on remembering and reconfiguring in quite a Frankensteinian manner while paying tribute to the loss of his beloved dog.

Traveling in episodes of utopia and dystopia, Olaguer’s creations for the IFS exhibit were a juxtaposition of both worlds through a jewelry collection of mother-ofpearl combined with silver and gold. Hers was a presentation that lamented perverse

labor practices in the precious metal mining industry, placed in simultaneous contrast with the perfection that a motherof-pearl demands from the pristine marine environment that created it.

FashionPhilippines is a CITEM-initiated industry brand that depicts fashion pieces created by Filipino design talents who use traditional and current techniques in manipulating materials into veritable works of art.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

Ben Isaac

C

@LIFEatStandard

Ben Isaac, Philippe Escalambre, Miguel Lasala

NIVEA MEN UNLOCKS THE SECRETS TO LOOKING GOOD

elebrities, media members and bloggers gathered for the launch of Nivea Men’s latest campaign, “Discover the Science of Looking Good,” that aims to encourage Filipino men to unlock their potential through science.

The event served as an avenue where males were able to learn and talk more about grooming, man to man. Before participants were granted access to the main event, they had to play and conquer several challenges that put their brains and brawn to the test.

Known personalities who epitomize “looking good at work and at play” were also at the event as speakers who shared some of their secrets on looking good and how grooming plays a vital role in achieving success and unlocking one’s full potential. Entrepreneur David Bonifacio gave an enlightening talk on how to achieve more in one’s career, while professional basketball coach Luigi Trillo shared his insights and experiences on learning the right skills and the importance of grooming and hygiene in team play.

But the event is just the start of Nivea Men’s efforts to help men unleash their potential. “We want more Filipino men to understand the importance of grooming as an essential key to unlocking one’s full potential. We’re creating an avenue to make information about grooming more accessible to men,” said Ashley Steier, Nivea Men brand manager.

A series of webisodes on “Discover The Science of Looking Good” features Gino Quillamor who offers useful, witty, and engaging tips on how a modern man can look good in the aspects of career, sports, and relationships.

Check out the webisodes via the NIVEA MEN Philippines YouTube channel or via NIVEA MEN Facebook page www.facebook.com/niveamenph.

To find out more about Discovering the Science of Looking Good via grooming, visit the Grooming Guides on the NIVEA MEN website http://www.niveamen.ph/grooming-guides.

Ashley Steier with Wil Dasovich and Jules Aquino

Go Vivid Matte for Your Lips This Summer

Maybelline New York’s Vivid Matte by Color Sensational

Summer months call for summer wear and for women who can’t leave the house without makeup, a lot of brands offer summer makeup that not only look fresh and toned down, they also don’t make your face look like a shimmering oily canvas, especially while frolicking down the beach. While typical summer makeup essentials would be waterproof mascaras and bronzer, your lipstick stash makes or breaks your look.

Matte lipsticks are your best weapon in the lip arsenal for this hotter season as the lippies need to look smooth, not greasy nor creamy so that they won’t look like they’re all over the place. Maybelline New York highlights its boldest and brightest Vivid Matte lip collection for that sensational summer pout. When it comes to lip color, matte can be as bold as possible. You may opt from four lip shades from Vivid Matte which are Scarlet Red, Neon Pink, Violet Pink, and Rosy Orange. Get that Gigi Hadid pout and look sensational in your trendy summer wear.

If you’re a little iffy on how to achieve that perfect summer pout, check out these tips from Maybelline’s Makeup Artist Chuchie Ledesma as she outlines some guides on how to rock bold lips with Vivid Matte: Outline your lower lip and Cupid’s bow with a concealer to highlight it and make your summer lips look sharper.

Make sure you flash that summer smile when

Gigi Hadid wearing Vivid Matte in Violet Pink

applying Vivid Mattes to evenly spread lip color on your lips!

Keep your face and eye makeup this summer simple, fresh, and easy as sporting vivid lip colors already help in brightening up your complexion.

“With our newest Vivid Matte lip collection from Color Sensational, mattes really come alive with the most vivid colors perfect for the trendiest Maybelline girls this summer season,” shares Kat Diaz, product manager for Maybelline New York. “By even having just one Vivid Matte lippie in your makeup kit, you can readily

Vivid Matte Color Sensational

transform your makeup collection to create that enviable summer look.”

Maybelline New York’s Vivid Matte by Color Sensational is available in all Maybelline counters nationwide for only P299 starting on APRIL 1. Products are exclusively imported and distributed by Maybelline.

For more information about Maybelline, visit MaybellinePhilippines on Facebook. To share your Vivid Matte applications or to follow what others have posted about the brand, check #MakePerfectSummerHappen on Twitter and Instagram.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

Daryl Chang all styled in Denim

S

Joan Bitagcol hits the blues in denim and chambray

@LIFEatStandard

Tessa Prieto’s summer Style Up look

Annika Prieto Valdes goes sporty

HOT FASHION UP AT SM MAKATI

M Makati is upping the ante with its Style Up campaign to make the mall the most exciting fashion destination this summer with some of the hottest looks this season.

At a recent grand fashion event featuring some of the metro’s style influencers, SM Makati showed that there is no way to go but up.

For those who want to update their look, try out a new trend or take that runwayready route, SM Makati can help you “Style Up” with a fun, fabulous and fashionable selection of clothes, shoes, and accessories.

Experience the transformative power of fashion to give you that confident look whether you’re just out on the beach, strolling on the mall or anywhere else.

Check out the daywear and dressy casuals from the SM Woman, SM GTW, SM Men, and SM Kids collections, and complement the outfits with footwear by SM Shoes and accents

by SM Accessories.

During the fashion event, Manila’s influencers that include Tessa Prieto-Valdes, Lucille Dizon, Michelle Aventajado, Joan Bitagcol, Chi and Gabs Gibbs, Dani Camcam, Annika Prieto, GP Reyes, Daryl Chang and Andre Chang took to the runway dressed in their own Style Up looks.

STYLE UP FASHION

Bold florals, monochromes and stripes band together and make summer sizzle at SM Makati, one of the most exciting style destinations for the season.

Go feminine with pretty pleats and romantic ruffles, and bare those shoulders on sultry tropical nights.

Highlighters, bronzers, and foundation from Revlon, BYS, in2it, Loreal, and Deborah will give you that flawless summer vibe.

Be hot on the latest trends from Maybelline for that sexy, sunkissed glow.

And remember, match your look with a fragrance wardrobe that has summer blends, like Michael Kors’ Sexy Sunset Fragrance inspired by the radiant glow of the sunset.

STYLE UP SHOES

Put your best foot forward with Parisian Shoes in scallop strappy heels to kitten heeled mules and pumps.

Everything is bright and beautiful in Electric Pop shades of summer: azure blue, zesty orange and Tuscan yellow.

Meantime, wedges and stacked heels in shades of blue, caramel and mocha can amp up your poolside appeal.

Cool guys on the other hand will find that this is the best time to hit the road to one amazing hot summer adventure with Milanos Shoes.

From loafers for weekends to sneakers for road trips and sandals to beat the heat, Milanos has got men covered.

Floral blooms and brights for Alecx Garcia

Gabs Gibbs

Chi Gibbs

GP Reyes’ executive style

Andre Chang on his Style Up look

Pastel and blues for Hideo Muraoka

Patterns and color play for L.A. Aguinaldo

Athena Prieto Valdes goes print on print

Lucy McCartney goes bold on colors and print

STYLE UP ACCESSORIES

Revel in your individuality and celebrate in style with SM Accessories’ summer essentials with the Club Tropicana collection for ladies that feature flat lens sunnies, ethereal looking hats, cosmopolitan scarves and revolutionary jewelry that speak of who you are.

Stylish men also have everything they may need with SM Accessories that has every kind of style for every personality.

Find the style that suits you from the Retrospective collection from bewildering knapsacks to hip sunnies to idiosyncratic caps and eccentric jewelry.

So if you want to style up this summer, SM Makati should be your next destination for an exciting and fashionable summer season. You may also watch the Style Up fashion show at blog.thesmstore.com.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

Chanel's Spring makeup hues are inspired by the colors and tones that hit the Los Angeles skyline on a spring morning sunrise

Photo CourteSy of ChAneL

spring Forward pop-up beauty By jigs mayuga

T

he thought of springtime evokes many different ideas for different people. For some, it may indicate the start of a new year with a change

in climate that signals the blossoming of flowers and the emergence from a deep slumber during winter. For others, it may symbolize a rebirth of sorts, starting over with a fresh, clean slate from a cold, dark season. For makeup, spring represents a transformation in not just color, but also textures and the way products are applied to the face. Pigments are brighter. Finishes make a subdued statement. Translucent skin shines through. I’ve had the chance to play around with the products from five different Spring Collections from five different iconic cosmetics brands. Here are some of my faves from each collection.

sTiLa aqua glow serum Foundation The Impressionist, Spring 2016

Stila introduces a collection inspired by Impressionism that represents dramatic plays on light and vivid colors. Featherweight textures using light and water create a flawless canvas. Radiance is revealed and the face becomes an illuminated work of art. The star product in this collection is this ionized water-based foundation infused with reflective pigments that deflects light and sculpts the face so skin looks natural and radiant. The serum formula boosts skins moisture levels to keep skin supple throughout the day. Lightweight enough to wear in our warm climate with an almost invisible texture.

CHanEL sunkiss ribbon Blush L.A. Sunrise, Spring 2016

nars Hammamet duo Eyeshadow Nouvelle Vogue, Spring 2016

m.a.C. CosmETiCs Chic Trick Lip pencil Flamingo Park, Spring 2016

guErLain Lip Colour in Black perfecto La Petite Robe Noire, Spring 2016

Inspired by the colors and tones that hit the Los Angeles skyline on a spring morning sunrise, this collection from Chanel incorporates vivid colors in blues, greens and purples against a canvas of beautiful skin. With images ranging from the glam Rodeo Drive look to the beach babe Malibu Beach look, this spring set from Chanel has something for everyone. The highlight of the collection though is the limited edition blush in an interlaced ribbon design of pink, beige and coral that instantly brightens the cheeks with a smooth satin finish. No need to layer one blush on top of the other to get that gorgeous glow.

Nars launches a collection inspired by the fresh and calming shades of the ocean in contrast with modern neutrals. It offers eye shadows in mint, soft pink and midnight blue that are huge trends for spring. But for those who are afraid of color, the star and my favorite in the collection is the limited edition eyes hadow duo that features a matte beige and a bronze rose shade that is just perfect for that crisp, daytime look for spring. Apply the shimmer shadow all over the lids and blend towards the crease to create a soft gradation.

Finish by sweeping the matte beige shadow on the brow bone to add contrast.

Celebrate all things pink, fun and flirty with the MAC Flamingo Park collection for Spring. Inspired by the delicious colors, this one lets you have your cake and wear it too! It features eye shadows, blushes, nail lacquers, lipsticks and glosses in – you got it – all shades pink. MAC recently held a fun event to launch the collection at a penthouse garden venue complete with games and confections that will satisfy your sweet tooth. Since matte lips are still popular for spring and their pencils are popular choices to wear ever on their own, my top pick is this bright Amped-Up Fuschia Lip Pencil called Chic Trick. Be sure to prep lips with lip balm before applying all over the lips.

La Petite Robe Noire literally means “The Little Black Dress” in French, and that’s exactly what this collection from Guerlain suggests. Sleek, simple yet sophisticated.

The brand created an irresistible lipstick in a soft, shiny texture to dress up your style with a strong pop of color.

The winning shade in this range is Black Perfecto.

Don’t be intimidated by its name. It actually applies smoothly as a soft plum shade with hints of glitter so it’s perfect to wear during the day and you can pair it with a deeper shade of lip liner for evening to add drama to your look.

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @jigsmayuga

f RIDAy : A pRIl 1, 2016

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

“60 Days In” is a docu-series that features seven innocent people who volunteered to be incarcerated at the Clark County Jail

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

C5

Correctional. The 12-episode series gives viewers a better understanding of the US correctional system – how it operates and its psychological effects

A&E NETwORk’s ‘60 DAys IN’

C

rime + Investigation Network (CI) presents 60 Days In, an unprecedented new, original docu-series following seven innocent participants who enter the dangerous world of incarceration at the Clark County Jail in Jeffersonville, Indiana, in an effort to expose internal issues and what really happens behind bars.

As a result of the facility’s recent corrupt history, Sheriff Jamey Noel has devised a program where seven participants will live among the facility’s general population for 60 days without officers, fellow inmates, or staff knowing their secret.

Around-the-clock cameras captured this unparalleled access in an effort to bring problems to light and give viewers a first-hand look as the participants adapt to unfamiliar and terrifying surroundings.

60 Days In is a warts-and-all view of what life is like behind bars, through the eyes of people who have never been charged with a crime or done time.

This 12-episode series premieres April 9

at 9 p.m. on CI available on Skycable Ch 98 , Dream Satellite Ch 35, Cablelink Ch 41 and Destiny Cable Ch 98. “We are grateful to Sheriff Jamey Noel and the Clark County Jail for allowing our cameras to capture this unprecedented and trailblazing program.

This provocative series will be an incredible addition the to rich non-fiction portfolio as the network continues to bring audiences cutting-edge immersive content,” says Elaine Frontain Bryant, EVP and Head of Programming for A&E Network.

“After recently taking office, it was no secret that the Clark County Jail had problems and we needed to take quick control.

The only way to truly understand what was going on in the jail was to implement innocent participants into the system to provide first-hand unbiased intelligence. These brave volunteers helped us identify critical issues within our system that undercover officers would not have been able to find.

We couldn’t be more thrilled with the success of this inaugural program,” says Sheriff Jamey Noel.

Clark County Correctional Jailhouses approximately 500 prisoners, from inmates charged with drug dealing to first time offenders to capital murder. Over 12 episodes, the participants, who were hand selected by Sheriff Jamey Noel, are followed by hundreds of cameras planted throughout the jail exposing their journey. Each participant’s reason for volunteering for this program varies, but they share the ultimate goal of leaving with a better understanding of the system –how it operates, its psychological effects, and wanting a part in exposing its larger impact on society.

The sheriff is joined by Captain and Public Information Officer Scottie Maples who helped provide training to all seven participants prior to being placed into the jail to help prepare them for their experience.

Would you be willing to give up your freedom and risk your life to better understand America’s polarizing jail system? The participants in this project have.

60 Days In is produced by Lucky 8 TV for A&E Network. Executive producers for

Sheriff Jamey Noel of Clark County Correctional Jailhouses

Lucky 8 TV are Gregory Henry, Kimberly Woodard and Jeff Grogan. Executive producers for A&E Networks are Elaine Frontain Bryant, Shelly Tatro, Drew Tappon and Brad Holcman.

frank Underwood Knows Too Well That ‘foul Is fair’ The airing of House of Cards Season Four could not have mirrored a more appropriate time as the Philippines and the United States elect their future leaders this year. As Election Day comes closer, the unfolding political drama in these countries grows more and more intense.

But did you know that House of Cards is largely influenced by works of the greatest English dramatist? As artists and scholars all over the world look forward to William Shakespeare’s 400th death anniversary in April, shows like House of Cards and characters like Frank Underwood (played by Kevin Spacey) remind audiences of the enduring influence of the Bard’s works.

Here are some facts on Shakespeare’s influence on the series.

1. Richard III is a major basis of Frank Underwood’s character The original House of Cards is based on a novel by Michael Dobbs, a British Conservative politician. Dobbs’ novel was adapted into a series that aired in 1990 in the United Kingdom. A major basis of the novel’s central character was Shakespeare’s Richard III, a play about an English king who earned a reputation as an ambitious and murderous villain.

Like Frank Underwood, the title character in Richard III did not hesitate to get rid of the people who thwarted his ambi-

Kevin Spacey as the ruthless frank Underwood, a Democrat from South Carolina

tion. Richard III killed one character after another, including his brother, wife, and two young nephews. After a brief reign, the notorious character met a bloody end on a battlefield in the hands of traitors.

2. Kevin Spacey played Richard III In playing the ruthless Frank Underwood, Kevin Spacey seems to be getting in touch with a character he has played before. In 2014, Spacey played the title role in Sam Mendes’ production of Richard III, which went on an international tour for ten months. For this production, Kevin Spacey’s look was inspired by the late Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi who was killed by rebel forces in 2011.

“House of Cards” stars American actors Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright

3. Frank Underwood’s “asides” are often used in Shakespeare’s plays There are moments in House of Cards when Frank Underwood would talk to the viewer and reveal his intentions. In the British series, the lead character also talks to the audience in this manner called an “aside.”An aside is a dramatic device where a character shares his thoughts to the audience. Asides are usually not heard by other characters on stage, but they allow the audience to understand what’s going on in the speaker’s mind.

4. Claire and Frank Underwood’s marriage mirror the relationship of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Frank Underwood’s wife Claire is supportive of her husband’s schemes and ambitions, and they both share a taste for power. At first, their relationship is very similar to that of Shakespeare’s ultimate power-hungry couple, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

But readers of the Scottish play would notice that at the beginning of the story, Macbeth is full of doubt, while his wife was more certain in their pursuit of power.

Towards the end of the play, Macbeth becomes a murderous tyrant, and Lady Macbeth is driven to madness by her guilt.

The outcome of Macbeth and his wife resembles Claire and Frank’s relationship in the latest episodes of House of Cards. While they used to be supportive of each other, their marriage—along with their political partnership—now seems to have broken down.

Considering that House of Cards is based on Shakespeare’s tragedies, a curious question could now be: Will the series end the same way a Shakespearean tragedy would?

House of Cards Season Four airs every Tuesday, 9:55 p.m., first and exclusive on RTL CBS Entertainment HD.

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SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

DzMM lEaDs In nEws anD publIc sERvIcE ISAH V. RED

D

ZMM Radyo Patrol 630 continues to be the first in news and public service after placing no.1 in a radio survey and taking the lead in delivering information and analysis on the upcoming elections.

The AM radio station remains on top according to a survey conducted by Kantar Media and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) among 11 radio stations in Metro Manila from Dec. 11 to 17 last year.

DZMM got a 38 percent share in the survey, well ahead of rival station DZBB, which only managed a 23.3 percent share in the survey conducted among 1000 individuals aged 10 years old and above in Metro Manila. They are followed by DZRH (15.4 percent), DWWW (8.8 percent), and DWXI (7.0 percent).

Based on the survey, DZMM can be considered the no.1 AM radio station in Metro Manila and Mega Manila in 2015 since it recorded the highest full-year average audience share of 32 percent compared to the 17 percent of DWWW, 15 percent of DZBB, 13 percent of DZRH and 5 percent of DWXI. And this year, the station still leads in delivering important and relevant information to the Filipino people as they are set to elect the nation’s new leaders in the national polls in May. DZMM is the first to complete interviews on the candidates for president, vice president, and senators in the “Ikaw na Ba ang Para sa Pamilyang Pilipino” interview series. This is where the public first heard and saw the candidates directly answering the accusations made against them and presenting their platforms and opinions on various issues in society.

Through the straightforward and hard-hitting questions of Karen Davila, Vic De Leon-Lima, Gerry Baja, and Anthony Taberna, Vice President Jejo-

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

Vice president Jejomar Binay

former DIlG Secretary Mar Roxas

Senator Grace poe

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago

mar Binay, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Senators Miriam DefensorSantiago and Grace Poe, and former Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas had the opportunity to answer the issues raised against them.

Apart from the candidates, voices of ordinary Filipinos from various barangays in Metro Manila, Baguio, Bicol, Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, and Iloilo were heard thanks to the help of Radyo Patrol reporters and anchors and field reporters of DZMM. Candidates for the vice presidency, like Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Chiz Escudero, Gringo Honasan, Bongbong Mar-

cos, and Sonny Trillanes, and Congressman Leni Robredo, also took the challenge and even tried to outdo each other in a pop quiz on the history of the country, laws, and other matters.

According to ABS-CBN Integrated News and Current Affairs Head Ging Reyes, the aim of DZMM in the “Ikaw na Ba” series is for Filipinos to get to know the people who they want to lead the country.

“We went beyond the usual news stories that allowed candidates little time to expound on their plans and positions on important issues. We hope the ‘Ikaw na Ba Para sa Pamilyang Pilipino’ series gave the public an opportunity to think and rethink about their choices and analyze

where the candidates stood on the issues that matter to them and their families.

In this series, we held nothing back, we wanted to make sure all the questions and issues were raised, and addressed by the candidates. It’s now up to the voting public to judge each of these candidates based on their sincerity, preparedness, competence and willingness to serve their country,” she explained.

Furthermore, DZMM also launched a forum to help the people use their votes wisely this 2016 elections. During the “DZMM Pasado? Para sa Pamilyang Pilipino Forum” held at the Rizal Park Open Auditorium on March 16, experts fleshed out how the Filipino vote, the real meaning behind the words and actions of candidates, and what qualities Filipinos should look for in those that are running. In the next forum of DZMM, they shift their focus on the readiness of the Commission on Elections in holding the elections this May. DZMM is the AM radio station in Mega Manila of ABS-CBN, the largest media and entertainment company in the country. One can re-watch the videos of the Ikaw na Ba ang Para sa Pamilyang Pilipino” interview series and “DZMM Pasado? Para sa Pamilyang Pilipino Forum” at www.dzmm. com.ph. A replay of the interviews will also be aired on DZMM Radyo Patrol 630 and DZMM Teleradyo on SkyCable and ABS-CBN TV Plus.

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answer PreVIOUs PUZZLe

ACROSS 1 Mound of earth 5 Heavy metal band 9 Nimble 13 Tony’s cousin 14 Mustang 16 Mr. Ducommun 17 Leaning tower city 18 Insurance giant 19 Reunion attendee 20 NFL broadcaster 21 Eur. airline

22 Loud watercraft (2 wds.)

24 Giant-ant movie 26 Hindu mystic 27 On the loose 30 Settle 34 Treat a wound 35 Roused up 36 Gooey mass 37 John, in Glasgow 38 Golfer’s shouts 39 High dudgeon

40 Cote dwellers 42 Smoke-detector output 43 “The Wreck of the Mary —” 45 Without thinking 47 Apartments without rent 48 Team setback 49 Red meat 50 Deepest 53 Sine — non 54 Night fliers 58 — Man Triathlon 59 Meets edge to edge 61 Cafe au — 62 DEA operative 63 VIP accommodations 64 Impromptu screwdriver 65 Great merriment 66 Road map info 67 Shut with a bang DOWN 1 Optimistic feeling 2 Heron kin 3 Kiddie talk?

4 Shacks (hyph.)

5 Belittled 6 It may be sour 7 Pixels 8 News channel 9 Auditorium

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016

10 11 12 15 23 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 35 38 41 43 44 46 47 49 50 51 52 53 55 56 57 60

concern Positive sign Icy place Sherpa’s sighting Coaxes “I” trouble — -been Blouse parts Farewell Muscle Keep subscribing Trite Saga of Hector and Priam Man in a mask Touche provokers Cashmere and merino Pinata occasions Hush Woodland creature Swaddles Brillo rival Halts Mesa’s cousin Ding-a- — Aloud Got threadbare Throw in the towel Banshees do it City or bean Pipe handle Clingy seedpod

f RIDAy : A pRIl 1, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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GMA NEws’ ‘ElEksyON 2016 sTIckER PAck’ ON VIbER

aking its elections advocacy campaign to another level, GMA News has partnered with instant messaging app Viber to launch a special “Eleksyon 2016 Sticker Pack”.

The “Eleksyon 2016 Sticker Pack,” which was available since Feb. 18, allows Viber users to not only spice up their conversations, it also gives them instant access to GMA News Public Chat. The initiative is part of the Kapuso Network’s “Dapat Tama” campaign that encourages Filipinos to do what is right come election day.

“GMA News believes that messaging is the new social media.

Messaging apps have enabled people to create communities where conversations thrive, and we wanted to be part of those conversations,” says Sheila Paras, publisher, GMA News Online.

According to her, the Network has been constantly on a lookout for opportunities to expand its reach and deliver news to people in ways that are familiar and comfortable to them.

She shares that as one of the most widely used messaging apps in the Philippines, Viber is a stable platform that continues to innovate. “We also took into ac-

count Viber’s efforts to broaden its appeal to multiple demographics through Public Chat. It’s in sync with our objectives in GMA News, especially for Eleksyon 2016,” adds Paras.

Public Chat will also get updates directly from reporters in the field.

Users will not only receive the latest updates about the elections, they’ll also be privy to what’s going on behind-the-scenes as our reporters share photos and their experiences on the campaign trail. We’re also doing a couple of Q & As on that page with some of our partner organizations as guest participants,” adds Paras.

The instant messaging and VoIP app company, meanwhile, has lauded the Network’s election education campaigns.

“Viber is proud to partner with GMA News to promote responsible voting and fair elections.

The Eleksyon 2016 Viber Stickers and GMA News Public Chat aim to engage and create awareness among Filipino voters through proactive conversations,” says Carlo Velasco, Creative & PR manager, Viber Southeast Asia.

The GMA News Public Chat is currently the most followed

Philippine news organization on Viber. It is available on Viber. com/GMANews.

Meanwhile, Viber users just need to follow the steps below to get the “Eleksyon 2016 Sticker Pack”: For Android users: 1. Select “Sticker Market” from your “More Options” menu.

2. Find the “Eleksyon 2016 Dapat Tama” pack to open the sticker package preview.

3. Select the green button at the top of the sticker package preview 4. When the download is complete, the package will be available in the sticker menu.

For iOS users: 1. Select “Sticker Market” from your “More Options” menu.

2. Find the “Eleksyon 2016 Dapat Tama” pack to open the sticker package preview.

3. Select the green button at the top of the sticker package preview 4. When the download is complete, the package will be available in the sticker menu.

Once the sticker pack is downloaded, the user automatically becomes a follower of the GMA News Public Chat page on Viber.

Since its launch, the Eleksyon 2016 sticker pack has been downloaded by more than 80,000 Viber users.

BongBong MARcoS HonoRED

By ERAp’S EnDoRSEMEnT Kapuso actress Heart Evangelista

Heart wooing Ilonggos The wife of Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero seems tireless in campaigning for her husband.

Recently, she flew to Iloilo with her sister Cam Ongpauco, designer friend Mark Bumgarner and other friends to do another round of campaigning among Ilonggos.

Heart posted on her Instagram account their photo while on the plane saying that they’re sleepless but excited to meet the Ilonggos.

Escudero’s wife has already campaigned in Ilocos with her best friend Lovi Poe, sister of Senator Grace Poe. Apart from radio interviews and “palengke tour,” Heart visited the Museo Iloilo and Jaro Church where Grace Poe was found when she was a baby. Poe also said she will take her oath of office in the church if she’d win the elections.

Heart is committed to support her husband in his bid to become vice president. She said she likes to convince the electorate that Chiz deserves to be the next vice president.

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. said he is deeply honored by the endorsement of former President Manila Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada saying he epitomizes his advocacy for unity as he had united the Filipinos when he overwhelmingly won the presidency in 1998.

Estrada endorsed Marcos’ vice presidential bid in the former’s proclamation rally in Liwasang Bonifacio last Monday night.

Marcos, who was accompanied by his wife Atty. Liza Marcos and their two sons, Simon and Vincent, said Estrada has always represented unity in politics especially with the masses. “Kitang-kita sa record niya noong tumakbo bilang pangulo, isa sa pinakamataas, kung hindi man pinakamataas, na resulta na nakuha niya, pinagisa po niya ang buong Pilipinas…sya po ang isang magandang halimbawa ng pagkakaisa. Mabuhay ang ating President-Mayor Erap Estrada,” he said.

The senator said he is deepy honored

by Estrada’s endorsement. “Alam ninyo ngayon lang nangyari sa akin na ang nagpakilala sa atin ay isang President-Mayor, napakasikat naman ng proclamation na ito.

Itinuturing kong isang napakalaking karangalan na makapagsalita at makibahagi dito sa proclamation rally,” he said.

He also endorsed Estrada’s candidacy as he expressed admiration for him for choosing to serve the people, especially the poor, although he was already a superstar in show business.

“Sa lahat ng kanyang paninilbihan ay

kitang-kita po natin na ang kanyang laging inuuna ay ang mga mahihirap, ang masa.

Kung mayroon pong kandidato, kung mayroon pong lingkod bayan na kilala na talagang makamasa at tumutulong at inuuna ang mahihirap, andiyan na po si Mayor Erap, siya na po ang magandang halimbawa,” he said.

Last Monday’s endorsement was the second endorsement of Estrada of Marcos’ vice presidential bid. The first one was when Estrada attended Marcos’ proclama-

tion rally on October 10, 2015 in Intramuros, Manila.

Estrada said he has always believed that Marcos is destined for greatness. “Now, he (Marcos) is destined to be among the leaders of this country. He has proven his worth in more than two decades of public service and today he must be given the opportunity to serve in the executive branch, for the whole nation not just his province, and he will prove his worth as the next vice president of the Republic of the Philippines,” Estrada said.

Senator and vice presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos

f riday : a pril 1, 2016

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iSaH V. rEd EDITOR NiCKiE WaNG WRITER

isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ pEOplE ¼

are talking about

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are not talking about

Marian Rivera

Kris Aquino

She only gave birth to her daughter four months ago but the 31-year-old Kapuso star has already bounced back to her envy-inducing pre-baby body, and she posted the photo on Instagram for the world to know. Whether it’s a wonderful work of genetics or a strict diet, fans couldn’t believe their eyes how she’s able to shed those pregnancy pounds that fast and fit in a two-piece bikini to show off her incredible figure.

It was a great relief when people learned that she’s leaving showbiz so she could spend more time with her kids. In a rather lengthy social media post, Kris announced that she’s making a crucial decision for the sake of her children and to take care of her own health, too. But wait, the drama isn’t over yet, she’s actually coming back.

She only needs two months to rest. Now that’s comedy.

Kathryn Bernardo Ian de leon We don’t hear much about him unless he would appear in a movie or in a TV series.

But over the weekend, the actor and Nora Aunor’s son earned praises online when a mother of a 10-year-old kid took to Instagram to get his attention. The mother considers Ian a Good Samaritan for helping out his kid who met an accident. The mother said that everybody was just passing by and staring at his helpless kid when Ian suddenly appeared and brought him to the nearest hospital.

First, she gave us an audio trash, now she’s giving us a book, a self-help manual on how to be a Teen Queen. Are we going to buy the book, which she claims she personally penned? Of course, not. But, her fans who follow her blindly, of course, will!

Alden Richards His latest EP is now the biggest album of 2016 after selling more than 75,000 units. We wonder what Rhap Salazar will say upon knowing that Alden’s Wish I May album has just been certified 5x platinum by PARI. We think Rhap will agree with us that Alden is so popular he can sell anything but he needs to train as a singer professionally first before we can call him a legitimate recording star.

Aljur Abrenica In a latest interview, the Kapuso actor said that most successful people are those who committed mistakes first.

He was relating to the controversy he got involved in 2014 when he and GMA Network almost cut ties. We appreciate his being humble and all. And we couldn’t agree more on the borrowed adage he used.

But he was already successful then, we don’t see him bouncing back unless something magical happens to his career.