The Standard - 2016 April 29 - Friday

VOL. XXX NO. 76 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 FRIDAY : APRIL 29, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Marcos plans suit over vote anomaly

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BUSINESS: RODY ‘DISAPPOINTING’

MBC says Duterte didn’t divulge detailed plans

By John Paolo Bencito

BUSINESS leaders said Thursday they were disappointed that Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte offered no specifics about his economic plans and policies during Wednesday’s speech before the Makati Business Club and the Management Association of the Philippines.

.“I think that was an expectation that he would spell out more concrete and more substantive policies, measures and plans which Senator [Grace] Poe and Secretary [Manuel] Roxas [II] did, and it was highly appreciated by the members. I think the members, in this particular meeting, went home a little bit...their expectations were

not met,” said Peter Angelo Perfecto, MBC executive director in an ANC television interview.

“What was unfortunately missing was any discussion on economic policies and programs,” said Ramon del Rosario, chairman of the MBC. Duterte’s lead in the presidential race two weeks before the May 9

polls has unnerved the business sector, with the peso slumping 1.6 percent this week as opinion polls put the mayor firmly ahead of his rivals, despite his provocative comments about rape and extrajudicial killings.

Meanwhile, Philippine bond risk has climbed from near an Next page

Unfazed. Presidential frontrunner Rodrigo Duterte flashes his fist hand sign to supporters during a campaign sortie on Wednesday. Duterte has been accused of hiding hundreds of millions of pesos in a bank account he opened jointly with his daughter Sara. AFP

‘Election winners known only by May 25’

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan ALTHOUGH the transmission of votes is expected to be completed within 48 hours from the closing of the election precincts, the next president and vice president will not be known until May 25.

Commission on Elections Commissioner Christian Robert Lim said the

country would have to wait for the manual canvassing of votes by Congress to finish.

“In 2010, what they did was a manual canvass even though there was electronic transmission but we’re hoping that

by May 25, all of the results will reach Congress. It’s their rules, it’s their own body. If they want to do a manual canvass, that’s their option. That’s no longer

our concern,” he said.

Congress will have its separate canvassing center for the votes of president and vice president while the Comelec is tasked to count the votes for senators.

Lim said that the poll body may already know the winning president and vice president, through the electronic result, but will not be allowed to announce it.

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Duterte hit for denying account

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Roxas accuses Duterte of lying about account

By John Paolo Bencito

ADMINISTRATION standard bearer Manuel Roxas II called his rival Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte a liar Thursday, after showing journalists a deposit receipt for P500 that he said showed a member of the mayor’s staff had made a deposit into a BPI bank account that Duterte said did not exist.

“Mayor Duterte, you’re lying again,” Roxas said. “When can the people know the whole truth?

When will we know if you’re saying the truth? You said yesterday that the account is non-existent, that it’s fabricated. You’re saying that it’s just made up. You’re even saying that we should prove that the account exists... Now, we proved that you’re a liar.”

Earlier this week, vice presidential candidate Antonio Trillanes IV accused Duterte of having a joint bank account with his daughter Sara in the BPI branch on Julia Vargas in Pasig City. He said that as much as P211 million was in the account, that was not part of the mayor’s statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

Duterte on Thursday backpedaled from his earlier blanket denial and admitted he had accounts at the BPI branch, but said it held thousands, not millions of pesos as Trillanes claimed. He said these represented savings from his stint as a congressman.

Like Trillanes, Roxas challenged Duterte to sign a waiver so the authorities could look into his bank account to prove or disprove the allegations against him.

Presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe and her running mate Senator Francis Escudero also challenged Duterte Thursday to sign a waiver of the Bank Secrecy Law. “You gave your word, when nobody challenged you. They were even the ones who said they’re willing [to sign a waiver],” she said of Duterte and his running mate, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who had earlier signed a manifesto in which they expressed their willingness to waive the Bank Secrecy Law in the interest of transparency.

Poe and Escudero noted that while privacy is important, transparency should always prevail.

Poe said she would be willing to sign a similar waiver.

Trillanes on Thursday vowed to resign from the Senate and quit politics if his claims against Duterte were proven wrong.

Speaking in a news conference at the Magdalo headquarters in Quezon City, Trillanes said he would leave politics if his discloosure that presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte did not declare at least P211 million in his 2014 SALN. Trillanes said Duterte stashed the alleged “hidden wealth” in the BPI Julia Vargas branch in Pasig, and said P211 million was just “the tip of the iceberg.”

“In this issue, his courage disappeared. He must show his bravery in this issue,” Trillanes taunted Duterte.

“I’m standing by my reputation and track record… Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you. You have been warned. All the red flags have come out,” said Trillanes.

To support his claim, Trillanes showed the media a big sheet of paper which he called a “mother document.” He said it contained “all the details” and “collated information” on Duterte’s bank account.

Asked how Duterte’s wealth would compare to that of Vice President Jejomar Binay, Trillanes said Binay’s was of a “different level.”

Duterte said Trillanes had resorted to a smear drive to derail his presidential bid after he rejected the senator’s offer to run as his running mate.

Trillanes challenged Duterte to meet him at the BPI branch on Julia Vargas Monday morning so that he could bring his waiver and show how much he had in his accounts.

Trillanes said he would initiate an impeachment complaint against Duterte if he became president.

He also welcomed the threat from Duterte’s camp to file a libel case against him.

“Mayor Duterte, please file a libel case against me,” he said.

“The Duterte campaign is based on a lie. It is propaganda. Davao is not a paradise. Mr. Duterte does not sleep inside a mosquito net. He is a billionaire,” Trillanes said.

When questioned on the timing of his claims, the senator said he received information only last week through a “network of informants,” whose privacy he was trying to protect.

Also on Thursday, the Commission on Human Rights vowed to make Duterte accountable for his actions.

“We will continue to perform our duty with the view to ensuring all persons are held accountable for their actions,” CHR Chairman Jose Luis Martin Gascon told The Standard in a text message Thursday.

“If people’s actions are lawful and legitimate, as they should be, then all will be well,” he added.

Duterte, in his pitch before a group of businessmen on Wednesday, said that while he wanted to strengthen the country’s law enforcement agencies, he sees the human rights commission, the Ombudsman and even Congress as a “hindrance” in his fight against criminality.

He also complained at how Congress treated police officials who were summoned to testify during hearings.

“I will not allow that, just because you are a congressman, or a senator. Do not do that or else we’ll have a fight,” he said. With Sandy Araneta

Business...

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eight-month low and foreigners have pulled $41 million from local stocks this month.

Duterte, famous for his expletives, trailed his two closest rivals Poe and Roxas in a Bloomberg survey of economists on which candidate would best steer the country’s economic policy.

While Duterte said his economic policies would be leaning towards the improvement of the people’s lives, which includes spending more than P18 billion yearly to support start-ups; amending constitutional provisions to open the restrictive economy to foreign ownership and even copying the best practices of many of his rivals and the past administrations—many questions about his economic policies were left unanswered, businessmen said.

“Even if they were best practices, they should have been identified. If there were things the Arroyo and Aquino administration, if there were policies there that the mayor liked, then he should have said what these were, and if there were things in the platform of the two [Roxas and Poe] that he’d like to copy, it would have been better if he told us and stated clearly what exactly in these platforms he would adopt,” Perfecto said.

“When you have a claim that in six months you will address crime, I think we would expect more detail to that, and particularly the traffic problem, the only thing he did say... was that it may not be solved in six years but he will do his best,” he added.

Issues, such as Duterte’s plan to adopt “socialist” economic policies also raise concerns among members of the business community.

Duterte, who talked for an hour, failed to entertain questions as a question-and-answer session was called off because of his tight schedule.

Perfecto said that details in his speech, aside from the usual remarks he makes in sorties, could have helped businessmen decide who to support.

“At the very least, I think we were expecting a little bit more detail. I think that’s important so that people can make their decision,” he added.

Peter Wallace, however, said Duterte stayed true to himself in stark contrast to other politicians.

“He talks as he is, and I think people respect that. I think people are sick of listening to politicians who say what they think other people may like, other than what they really believe. He [Duterte] says what he believes and this is refreshing for people,” Wallace said.

Del Rosario said Duterte, who was the third and last presidential candidate to appear at the MAP-MBC presidential forum, may have missed the opportunity to get the message across to another set of voters.

Roxas and Poe had earlier spoken before the influential business groups.

“Clearly the two [Poe and Roxas] knew this was a business group that wanted to hear more about economic policies and programs and they made it a point to address those issues. In the case of Mayor Duterte, his passion is really law and order and he chose to focus on that. And that’s fine, that is his prerogative,” Del Rosario added.

In his talk, Duterte said he was open to amending the Constitution to allow foreign investors to play a bigger role.

“I will open the economy to foreigners,” said Duterte.

In February, Duterte said he was “comfortable” with up to 70-percent ownership, up from the 40 percent maximum the Constitution now allows.

But Duterte said he will let Congress decide on which industries will be opened to foreigners.

While he was against foreign ownership of land, Duterte said foreigners could lease land for up to 60 years.

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Forgery. Vice presidential candidate Senator Antonio Trillanes IV shows a copy of a check he supposedly received from San Miguel Corp. which went viral after he accused presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte of having hundreds of millions of pesos in a Metro Manila bank. The check was a fake, SMC said. LINO SANTOS

“We cannot aggregate but we can also rely on the networks that have the data,” he said.

Also on Thursday, Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said the poll body will penalize voters who make fake complaints.

Comelec rules, he said, state that the filing of frivolous objections shall constitute an election offense punishable under the Omnibus Election Code.

Under the law, election offenses are punishable by one to six years imprisonment.

Meanwhile, former Comelec commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal wrote the Comelec to question why provincial canvassers had to wait for the manual upload of data from SD cards to be complete before proclaiming winners for the positions of mayor, vice mayor and councilor.

“The proclamation of winning candidates is dependent on the transmitted data, and not on the SD cards that will be manually uploaded,” Larrazabal said.

He also said that the Board of Canvassers are allowed to lower the threshold and proclaim winning candidates even if they have yet to receive all of the results that they are required to canvass.

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Poe: Duterte may be in my way LEGAZPI CITY—Independent presidential candidate Grace Poe on Thursday rejected the claims by her detractors that she was the only person “standing in the way” of a Duterte administration.

Promise. Presidential candidate Jejomar Binay vows to provide Filipinos a better life because he understands how it is to be poor.

Sorsogon governor says Binay is his candidate SORSOGON CITY—Seven months after he announced he was backing the presidential bid of the Liberal Party’s Manuel Roxas II, Sorsogon Gov. Raul Lee changed his mind and chose Senator Grace Poe instead.

Poe then issued a statement to announce Lee’s endorsement on Monday.

But on Thursday, Lee said all the previous endorsements he made were purely “gossip,” and that his presidential candidate was still Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Lee made his statement even as Binay vowed to continue the anti-poverty programs that he started when he

was elected mayor of Makati if elected president.

He sought the support of the more than 10,000 people who gathered in a campaign rally in Tabaco City in Albay. He and the members of his party, United Nationalist Alliance, earlier held a campaign sortie in Sorsogon City where 5,000 supporters gathered.

Lee raised Binay’s hand and told supporters at the jampacked Sorsorgon Provincial Gymnasium that Binay would be the country’s next president.

Confronted by his recent pronouncement about Poe, Lee told reporters not to believe in “rumors.”

‘Wag manalig sa bulungbulungan. Tsismis lang ‘yon,” Lee said.

“Sabi ko sa tao, salamat at sa lahat ng dumating dito, nandito kayo. Dito n’yo ipinakita ang enthusiasm sa kandidatura ni VP Binay kaya ako masaya because I can feel the pulse of the people.” Asked who his final choice for president was, Lee said “Yung katabi ko [Binay].”

But while Lee’s decision has changed three times on his choice for president until he finally settled for Binay, the governor was consistent in supporting his provincemate, vice presidential candidate Senator Francis Escudero.

“Si Leni Robredo maraming

kamag-anak dito. Si Greg Honasan maraming kamag-anak dito. Si Chiz Escudero konti ang kamag-anak, maraming supporters, maraming admirers. Kaya nasa taong-bayan na ‘yon kung ano ang lalabas dito,” Lee said.

“But of course, I am for Binay-Escudero.”

Lee said Binay’s running mate Senator Gregorio Honasan, who also hails from Bicol, would understand his choice of Escudero.

“Senator Greg is a personal friend but my family has long political ties with Escudero.

Greg will understand,” Lee said. Christine F. Herrera and Vito Barcelo

“I believe it is not fair to say that I’m standing in his way,” said Poe when asked to comment on the reports she was the only one frustrating the presidential bid of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, the standard bearer of the PDP-Laban.

“He could also be standing in my way,” said Poe. Duterte had said Poe would be a weak president if elected to the position.

Duterte has overtaken Poe in the latest poll surveys, but Poe continues to gain endorsements and support from various parts of the country.

Poe and Duterte are now tied in the race for the presidency.

Asked to comment after it was suggested she was the only one who could stop a Duterte presidency, Poe said people should be able to believe what they wanted to believe.

“What kind of Philippines do we want to have? It would be difficult if you don’t do anything if you can do more for your country because you may one

day regret it and blame yourself,” she said.

“And I don’t really believe that we should put an end to the problems of the country through the use of violence,” said Poe in alluding to Duterte’s vow to kill all criminals to put an end to crime.

The tough-talking mayor has claimed he shot dead 16 inmates for the rape and killing of an Australian lay minister.

“My point here is we have to choose somebody who can get us out from poverty but bullets are not the answer to our problems,” Poe said.

She rejected the reports that her husband Neil Llamanzares engaged Escudero in a fistfight.

“You are again looking for an exciting story in this campaign,” she said.

Escudero also denied the report, saying Poe’s family and his were very close.

Poe also said it was not she who had offered Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago P300 million to quit the presidential race. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Group identified with FPJ supports Marcos candidacy A GROUP identified with the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. on Thursday endorsed the vice presidential bid of Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Marcos is the running mate of Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago who is seeking the presidency under the People’s Reform Party, her own political party.

Santiago is an opponent of Senator Grace Poe who is running for president as an independent candidate and whose vice presidential bet is Senator Francis Escudero.

In a meeting Wednesday afternoon in Makati City, the party-list group Partidong Bayan ang Bida said Marcos embodied the group’s advocacy for equality regardless of age, gender, religion and social status.

“Senator Bongbong

[Marcos] is one with us in our advocacy and perspective,” said PBB’s Butch Cagsawan.

“We know that he has a strong stance and concern for the poor. As a leader, he is trustworthy.”

Cagsawan said Marcos should be credited for putting in the right perspective the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law by introducing a more comprehensive and inclusive measure in the Basic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region that would usher in real peace and prosperity in Mindanao.

“He is the real public servant who is the hope of the country,” PBB said.

PBB is composed of officers and members of the FPJ for President Movement, the group that pushed FPJ’s presidential bid in 2004. Macon Ramos-Araneta

The Wong Chu King Foundat ion ( WCKF) recently completed the second refurbishment phase of the 3 0 0 - y e a r- o l d S t . James the Apostle Parish in Iguig, Cagayan, in line with its 26thanniversary rite. It was celebrated with a solemn turnover ceremony led by Archbishop Emeritus Diosdado Aenlle Talamayan, D.D., Ph.D., S.T.D. from the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao with the family, officers and staff of the WCKF. The foundation initially refurbished the roof and ceiling structure followed by the flooring for its second phase. Over time, the church incurred damages due to pests and natural calamities that annually befall the province.

The historic church is also popular among tourists for its now-rare flying buttresses and the life-sized 14 Stations of the Cross located behind it. In Photo (L-R): James Vincent Navarrete (WCKF General Manager), Belen Wongchuking, Mr. Alexander Wongchuking (WCKF Executive Director), Archbishop Emeritus Diosdado Aenlle Talamayan, D.D., Ph.D., S.T.D. from the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao, PDir. Rodrigo de Gracia, PDir. Rodrigo de Gracia (Ret.), Lt. Gen. Edilberto Adan (Ret.), PDir. Henry Losanes (Ret.) together with other St. James Parish officials and Wong Chu King Foundation, Inc. volunteers.

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Raps readied over lost votes

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Joel E. Zurbano

VICE Presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. vowed on Thursday he will file a complaint before the Commission on Elections on vote receipt discrepancies in the Overseas Absentee Voting after his legal team completes its collation of evidence.

At the same time, the National Movement for Free Elections warned that cheating may still happen during the May 9 elections by delaying the transmission of the results and by using the data leaked from the Comelec to coerce voters to support a certain candidate.

Fearing this could seriously affect the integrity of the May 9 elections, senatorial candidate Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez urged the Comelec to investigate the matter

even without a complaint.

At the same time, Marcos stressed he will not take the vote receipt discrepancies issue sitting down and his lawyers are already in touch with Filipinos overseas who have personal knowledge of incidents where the vote cast in Marcos’ favor were credited to other candidates in the receipts.

“We are in the process of collating all complaints, all data in preparation for the filing of a complaint

before the Comelec regarding the controversy. We will exert all efforts to get to the bottom of this,” he said.

He disclosed that more vote receipt discrepancies have been reported with the latest happening in California.

“When the voter in California complained to the election officers, he was scolded by the Board of Elections Inspectors who ordered him to just go home. The BEI even allegedly tore his vote,” Marcos said. “What is disturbing is that I am the only one losing votes!”

Vote receipt discrepancies have been earlier reported in Hong Kong, Dubai, Kuwait and Japan.

Marcos further chided the Comelec for warning voters taking selfies with their receipts saying instead of wasting its time on such matters, the Comelec should ensure the

conduct of clean, honest and credible elections on May 9.

He aired the call after the Comelec said the Board of Election Inspectors in Dubai, Hong Kong, Vientiane in Laos, Madrid in Spain and Singapore reported incidents of voters taking selfies with their ballots, which is strictly prohibited.

Commissioner Arthur Lim said the poll body will investigate if charges should be filed.

“You cannot fault the voters to take actions in a bid to protect their vote if they continue to hear reports of alleged flaws in the voting process,” the senator said.

Meanwhile, an IT professional connected with Namfrel bared different ways a losing candidate can be cheated during the automated elections.

Job fair. President Benigno Aquino III and Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz inspect the 2016 Pre-Labor Day job fair in Mandaue City in Cebu. MALACAÑANG PHOTO

Joma eyes peace talks, homecoming

By John Paolo Bencito COMMUNIST Party founder Jose Maria Sison said on Thursday the possible election of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte may lead to a ceasefire between the government and the insurgent movement and the resumption of talks to end the 47-year-old communist rebellion.

“I will come home as soon as there is a sure basis for the ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks,” Sison said in an interview with television network ABS-CBN from his home in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

“I might even come home for a visit as early as June to witness the oathtaking of Duterte, if he wins

or if he is not cheated,” he added.

Sison said he spoke on Tuesday with Duterte who thanked him for helping in the release of five policemen detained by the communist New People’s Army.

“We [also] talked about the need to resume the peace negotiations and release the political prisoners unjustly imprisoned by the Arroyo and Aquino charged in violation of the Hernandez political offense doctrine and the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees,” Sison said.

The communist leader described Duterte as “the most open to coalition government of national unity, peace and development.”

But officials of the Aquino

administration scored Duterte for his ties with the communist movement.

Liberal Party standard bearer Manuel Roxas II warned Filipinos to be wary of voting for Duterte because it might lead to the dominance of communism in the country.

Malacañang, through palace spokesperson Herminio Coloma, also expressed concern on Duterte’s ties with the CPP-NPA, a warning that was branded as “pathetic.”

“Malacañang’s dig at Duterte for appearing in a picture with the NPA is pathetic,” Renato Reyes, secretary-general of militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said.

14 Sayyaf gunmen slain in campaign

By Florante S. Solmerin THE military is validating reports that at least 14 Abu Sayyaf members have been killed from aerial and artillery bombardments over the past three days as emotions remained high here and abroad over the beheading of Canadian captive John Ridsdel on April 25.

According to Colonel Noel Detoyato of the military public affairs office, he received a report from the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) about the number of slain Abu bandits.

“The [Westmincom] received reports from civilians in the area that there are about 14 Abu Sayyaf men killed as a result of the bombardments of the 105mm howitzers the past three days,” he told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

The Philippine Air Force also deployed OV10 bombers and MG520 attack helicopters.

“But these 14 slain bandits reported by civilians are for further validation.

What is important is that operations are continuing,” Detoyato said, addting “there are no confirmed reports there of the hostages.”

Earlier, military spokesmanBrigadier General Resituto Padilla said more than 20 local and foreign hostages are still being held by the Abu Sayyaf, including Ridsdel’s companions Robert Hall, Kjartan Sekkingstad and Marites Flor, Hall’s Filipina girlfriend.

Deceptive policies. Government employees march on the Philippine Coconut Authority office in Quezon City to protest the supposedly deceptive policies of the Aquino administration on government-owned or-controlled corporations.

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Hire more cops to keep felons at bay—Recto

By Macon ramos Araneta

With emphasis. Senatorial candidate and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez (right) emphasizes a point in his ‘malasakit’ message to more than 5,000 members of urban poor and multisectoral groups of Barangay Payatas in Quezon City. Ver NoVeNo

Senate President Pro tempore Ralph Recto on Thursday asked the government to hire more policemen to combat the crime surge and stop terrorists dead on their tracks.

If the nation will be hiring 18,083 politicos to fill local and national positions in May 9, then why can’t it hire the same number of additional policemen?”

Recto asked.

Fielding more policemen would require the PnP to step up its recruitment drive and the Department of Budget and Management to speedily approve PnP request for funds for personnel positions.

“In recruiting, government should widen its information drive to reach as many interested applicants as possible. There should be a recruitment roadshow targeting schools. and in order to boost the passing rate in qualifying tests, the PnP may have to offer free review classes to state colleges,” he said. according to the reelectionist senator, the government is spending P6.8 billion to organize an election which is basically a recruitment event for 18,000- plus vacant positions. “and yet there seems to be a lack of a national drive to entice qualified young men and women to join the understaffed Philippine national Police [PnP],” Recto said.

For 2016, the Comelec has a budget of P16 billion for voting machines and the holding of two national elections, the second one in October for barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan posts.

Urban groups back Romualdez

By Maricel.V. Cruz at leaSt 500 urban poor groups under the Sulong Mamayang Pilipino (Sumapil) on Thursday endorsed the senatorial candidacy of leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez because of his “malasakit” (compassionate) platform, including housing and increasing the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program that would advance their welfare and interests.

“Naniniwala kami na si Martin Romualdez ang aming magiging boses sa Senado upang isulong ang mga programang para sa mahihirap tulad ng murang pabahay, at relokasyon,” Mayet nacional, Sumapil national president which has 150,000 members within and outside Metro Manila, told her 5,000 supporters during the multisectoral forum held at the Payatas covered court at Ilang-ilang St., Brgy. Payatas, Quezon City Thursday attended by Romualdez.

“Siya rin ang napipisil namin na magbibigay katuparan ng aming pangarap na mawakasan ang contractualization sa trabaho at magbibigay ng tuloy-tuloy na trabaho,” nacional added.

Sumapil vice president Rodrigo abraham cited Romualdez’s “malasakit” in providing immediate rescue and assistance and the rebuilding of “Yolanda”-hit areas especially tacloban City.

“Kumbinsido kami na kayang gawin ni Martin ang kanyang pagmamalasakit hindi lamang sa mga taga-leyte kundi sa lahat ng mga mahihirap na mamamayan sa ating bansa. Gawin lang ni Martin ang kanyang ginawa sa leyte, masaya na kami,” abraham pointed out in the event that was also attended by Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista.

Brgy. Payatas chairman Manny Guarin and Brgy. Holy Spirit chairman Chito Valmocina, also Sumapil leaders, have also backed Romualdez’s senatorial bid.

For his part, Romualdez assured the leaders and members of Sumapil that he would push decent housing program for them, institutionalizing, increasing and making 4Ps or the conditional cash transfer accessible to all free of any discrimination, ending the “contractualization” system, and champion further the interests of persons with disabilities.

“Mula po sa kaibuturan ng aking puso, nagpapasalamat po ako sa inyong suporta sa akin. Makakaasa po kayo na aking itataguyod sa Senado ang inyong kagalingan at interes, iyan ang pangako kong malasakit sa inyong lahat,” Romualdez said.

Romualdez also cited his platforms of government in ensuring peace and order, curbing graft and corruption, giving free colleges education, improving health services for indigents’ zero billing, and among others.

The leyte opposition leader vowed to work on programs that would provide affordable and decent housing in Metro Manila for the informal settlers with the objective of “preserving their jobs” by constructing medium rise buildings in government-owned lands where they are located in partnership with the private sector.

He also vowed to push the 4Ps or CCt expansion where he proposed a substantial increase with a maximum P46,200 and a minimum P24,200 financial support annually to each family-beneficiary, and among others.

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A6 QC solon goes after road sign thieves

By Maricel V. Cruz A RANKING lawmaker has sought the passage of a measure seeking to impose stiffer penalties to reduce, if not eliminate, the theft or illegal possession of manhole covers and road signs to safeguard Filipino drivers and pedestrians.

Quezon City Rep. Alfredo Vargas III, author of House Bill 6490, imposes the penalty of 12 to 15 years of imprisonment or a fine of P200,000 to P500,000 or both, at the discretion of the court on any person found guilty of stealing or in possession of road signs and warning devices including manhole covers.

Likewise, the same penalty is imposed on any person selling or buying disaster warning and risk reduction instruments and their accessories.

On the other hand, any person who is found guilty of damaging/vandalizing or destroying road signs and warning devices and their accessories shall be meted the penalty of six to 10 years of imprisonment or a fine of from P100,000 to P150,000 or both, at the discretion of the court.

Under the bill, to be known as the “Stealing and Vandalism of Traffic Signs Act of 2016,” it shall be unlawful to dismantle, remove, transfer, and take into possession the road warning devices installed by national and local governments or non-government organizations for the purpose of warning motorists of dangers along the road.

The measure refers to traffic signs and accident warning devices and instruments as road or traffic signs exemplified by ‘stop’, ‘yield’, ‘slippery when wet’, signs of zigzagging sections of roads, railings, and similar devices.

Manhole covers shall also be included as part of the accident-prevention devices warning the public to avert, or prevent the loss and (of) properties covered under this Act.

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Money laundering raps against remittance firm

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Anti-Money Laundering Council has asked the Department of Justice to prosecute the controversial remittance firm PhilRem Service Corp. for its involvement in the money laundering of the illegally transferred $81-million Bangladeshi funds to a local bank.

In a 17-page joint complaintaffidavit filed on Thursday, the AMLC charged PhilRem president Salud Bautista, chairman of the board and treasurer Michael “Concon” Bautista, and Anthony Pelejo, compliance officer of PhilRem, with money laundering.

The council revealed that the stolen funds were credited to fictitious bank accounts of Michael Cruz, Jessie Christopher Lagrosas, Alfred Ver-

gara, and Enrico Vasquez, which were all opened on May 15, 2015.

It said fictitious dollar and peso accounts of William So Go opened on Feb. 5, 2016 and July 30, 2014, respectively, were likewise involved. All bank accounts were maintained at the RCBC Jupiter Business Center Branch in Makati. Go had already denied owning the peso and dollar accounts involved.

SEVEN Filipino overseas voters who were not registered at the Philippine Embassy in Moscow were able to vote at the embassy on April 26 following a new Comelec rule allowing this set-up, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

“The first to avail of this new rule in Moscow was Imelda Ferrer. She is a registered voter at the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong but recently moved to Moscow for employment reasons,” the DFA said.

“The new Comelec rule provides that all registered

of PhilRem. In total, $61 million was eventually converted and transferred to PhilRem’s peso account at the RCBCUnimart Greenhills branch.

On Feb. 17, 2016, Pelejo submitted a suspicious transaction report (STR) indicating that $80,884,641.63 had been remitted to Eastern Hawaii and Weikang Xu as instructed by a certain “William Go.” The AMLC found out that the fact that Kim Wong received funds from PhilRem was omitted from the STR narrative submitted by Pelejo.

The agency stressed that PhilRem had the responsibility to conduct “Know Your Customer Rule” and keep identification record when it dealt with “Go,” the owner of the account to whom a large

part of the stolen funds were transferred.

“What is highly irregular was that respondent spouses claimed that they were dealing with [RCBC Jupiter] Branch Manager [Maia] Deguito, and not the ‘owner’ of the account, ‘William So Go,’” read the complaint-affidavit.

“It is contrary to business practice that a person would deal in large amounts of money with someone who is not the owner of the account, nor someone who was duly authorized by the owner,” the complaint noted.

The AMLC said the PhilRem officials were clearly aware that the funds were not legitimate when they deliberately ignored the AMLA requirements to conduct the KYC rule and record keeping of customer information.

Condemned school. Dr. Romeo Fernandez, school principal at the Rosauro Almario Elementary School in Tondo, Manila, shows the cracks on the wall of the school building on Thursday, April 28. The building has been declared condemned by the city engineering unit of Manila. Fernandez asks the government to build another school to house the growing number of students. DANNY PATA

Comelec eases poll rules for OFWs

By Vito Barcelo

Of the stolen Bangladeshi funds, $65,668,664.37 was withdrawn from the fictitious bank accounts of Cruz, Lagrosas, Vergara, and Vasquez on Feb. 5 and 9, 2016, then transferred to the “Go/Centurytex” account. At least $13 million of that amount was then transferred to the RCBC account of Abba Currency Exchange Inc., on Febr. 9, 2016.

On Feb. 5, 9, and 10, 2016, the balance of $52,668,664.37 in the Go account was transferred to the RCBC-Unimart Greenhills account of PhilRem. On Feb. 9, 2016, $15,215,922.26 from Vasquez’s account was also transferred to PhilRem’s account at RCBCUnimart Greenhills.

On Feb. 11, 2016, Abba and Beacon transferred $10 million and $3 million to the RCBC-Pasig branch account

overseas voters with active OFW would not be countregistration status may ed. Thank you very, very vote at the Foreign Service much for this opportunity Post [FSP] near their cur- for us to vote.”

Berginia Antiquin, who rent residence or work,” is also a registered voter at the DFA said.

The DFA said that six the Philippine Consulate other voters registered in General in Hong Kong and Hong Kong and one voter who voted right after Ferregistered in Singapore rer, also expressed her apcame to the Embassy in preciation, adding “I am thankful that I was able Moscow to vote,” Ferrer expressed her to come here to vote. I gratitude to the DFA for thought I would not have the opportunity to exercise the chance to vote here.

“To ensure the smooth her right to vote, saying “thank you for this op- implementation of this portunity, even though we new rule, the Comelec had registered in Hong Kong set up verification hotlines we were given a chance to between Philippine FSPs vote here in Moscow . . . and the Office for Overotherwise my vote as an seas Voting.”

Water and jobs. Marking the 2016 World Water Day dubbed as ‘Water and Jobs,’ commissioned officers and men of the Skyway O&M Corp.

Philippine Army Affiliated Reserve Unit, together with representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources– Environment Management Bureau, barangay officials and residents of Fort Bonifacio and Western Bicutan, conducted the cleanup of Maricaban Creek along the Magallanes stretch of the Skyway System’s at-grade section. Joining SOMCO’s PAARU were its Pollution Control Office, Safety and Rescue Unit, and Quick Response and Flood Control Teams.

F R I D AY : A P R I L 2 9, 2 0 1 6

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NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Appeals court stops ouster of Bulacan mayor

By Rey E. Requejo THE Court of Appeals has stopped the Office of the Ombudsman from implementing its resolution removing San Jose del Monte, Bulacan Mayor Reynaldo San Pedro from his post for grave abuse of authority and grave misconduct.

The CA’s Second Division through Associate Justice Priscilla Baltazar-Padilla granted the plea of San Pedro for the issuance of a temporary restraining order against the Ombudsman’s order issued on March 16, which found him guilty of harassing city engineer Rufino Gravador Jr. by stripping him of his duties and creating the position of city building official, purportedly to spite him.

The appellate court ordered the anti-graft body “to cease and desist” from enforcing its decision dated March 7, 2016 which removed San Jose del Monte, Bulacan mayor from his position due to an administrative case for “Oppression” filed by former SJDM city engineer Gravador.

“Considering that San Pedro was meted the supreme penalty of dismissal from service, it was reasonably necessary to protect [his] legal rights pending resolution of the extant appeal … to prevent any irremediable remedy that San Pedro may sustain in view of the enforcement of the Decision in question,” the resolution stated.

Associate Justices Remedios Salazar-Fernando and Socorro Inting concurred with the ruling.

The TRO, valid for 60 days, is conditioned upon the filing of a bond of P200,000.

In his petition, San Pedro told the CA that the decision of the Ombudsman was excessive and that he was deprived of the right to due process, as he was removed for a ground different from that alleged in the complaint filed by Gravador.

In a statement, San Pedro through lawyers Ferdinand Topacio and Joselito Lomangaya said that he was “elated by the grant of the TRO,” adding that “justice has prevailed.”

Flat fish. A tourist appears happy after buying ‘padas’—dried fish set in a neat pattern and sold in Carbon market in Cebu. DAVID CHAN

Graft court defers issuing arrest warrant vs governor

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE Sandiganbayan First Division has postponed the issuance of a warrant of arrest against North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza for the graft case concerning the alleged anomalous procurement of P2.4 million worth of diesel fuel.

“We never received a copy of the Honorable Court’s ruling. That was why we still filed our motion for judicial determination of probable cause,” Mendoza’s counsel, Thea Daep, said Thursday.

The anti-graft court, in its April 18 resolution, ordered the issuance of warrant of arrest against Mendoza after it found sufficient ground to hold her on trial for the case.

Mendoza is facing three counts of violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act after the Office of the Ombudsman filed last month the cases against her.

In 2010, Mendoza was said to have approved the release of P2.4 million from the provincial funds to pay for 49,526.72 liters of fuel used for one road grader and four

dump trucks supposedly used for two-day road rehabilitation projects in the province.

The Ombudsman said no public bidding was conducted for the purchase of the fuel.

Instead, Mendoza allegedly directly contracted the Taliño Shell Station, a fuel station owned by her mother.

Apart from the graft case, Mendoza is also being held liable for the April 1 Kidapawan Massacre.

In response to Daep, state prosecutor Raymundo Julio Olaguer argued that the First Division should no longer consider Mendoza’s motion as it is already rendered moot.

The court had ruled that there was probable cause to go on trial.

Daep then asked to the justices

to treat their motion as an appeal to the court’s ruling.

First Division chairman Associate Justice Efren dela Cruz granted Daep’s request and ordered the prosecution to submit a written comment on the motion within 10 days.

The court asked Mendoza’s camp, was asked to reply to the prosecution’s comment in five days. After which, Mendoza’s earlier motion, now adopted by the court as a motion for reconsideration, will be deemed submitted for resolution.

“In the meantime, pending the resolution of the accused’s motion for reconsideration on the court’s ruling finding probable cause, the issuance of warrant of arrest is hereby deferred,” Dela Cruz said.

ARMM approves P1.3-b palm oil project in Maguindanao

By A. Perez Rimando

Half and half. In Nuro Upi, Maguindanao, a quarrying area makes an eyesore out of a hilltop. MARK NAVALES

COTABATO CITY, Maguindanao—The Regional Board of Investment of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao approved last week the registration of a P1.3-billion palm oil plantation project of Gintong Agri-Corporation in Datu Odin Sinsuat town, this province, a board executive said.

Lawyer Ishak v. Mastura, RBOI-ARMM chairman, said the company “is a partnership between Singaporean investors and local community cooperatives whose members own the land to be developed into an oil palm plantation.”

Mastura told media the GAC, headed by Alex Fergusson, will finance and manage the plantation “under a nucleus estate system where full support from technical advice to market assistance would be provided to participating farmers” even as the project is set to employ more than 1,000 workers during its full operation.

The RBOI registered a total investment of P6.5 billion in 2015, he said, adding that more investors are expected to come to the region this year, confident that they can do good business owing to the area’s improved peace and order situation.

Mastura said that related to the construction of an oil depot, a bulk water treatment and supply system and an industrial waste management and treatment project are now in the works.

He claimed that GAC had submitted to the RBOI a plan to initially develop a 5,000-hectare oil palm plantation in Datu Odin Sinsuat which the company would later expand to 20,000 hectares in the next few years in adjacent Talayan and Guindulungan municipalities, even as it would also build and operate facilities to produce crude palm oil and palm kernel oil.

A8

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR F R I D AY, A P R I L 2 9, 2 0 1 6

OPINION [ EDI TORI A L ]

ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY THE business community is anxious over the possible victory of presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte. His lead in the latest surveys has ruffled the nerves of traders, while his inflammatory comments about rape and extra-judicial killings have gone beyond the bounds of decency.

Members of the Makati Business Club and the Management Association of the Philippines on Wednesday finally had the chance to take a look at and weigh Duterte.

The controversial mayor, apparently aware that his antics and the use of gutter language do not sit well with businessmen, sought to calm the nerves of his well-heeled audience.

Duterte did provide some of his economic insights if elected to the highest position of the land. He promised to spend P18 billion annually to support start-ups made up mostly by micro, small and medium enterprises, with each region getting P1 billion.

The leading presidential candidate vowed to stop corrupt officials, correct the ineffective Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, speed up the construction of infrastructure projects and allocate as much as P30 billion as health assistance to poor families living in the poorest provinces.

True to form, Duterte unveiled a plan to hire 3,000 more policemen and double the salary of security forces to start “a bloody war against crime.”

His spokesman also attempted to calm market jitters, assuring the businessmen that it will be “business as usual” should the mayor be elected president. The front-runner will provide businesses the “right and proper atmosphere” to prosper without sacrificing the welfare of the people, spokesman Peter Laviña said in a statement.

But Duterte, like the other presidential candidates, failed to present a clearcut economic agenda—the one that will significantly reduce poverty incidence, attract foreign investors and respect their contracts, liberalize certain sectors of the economy, improve the lot of farmers and fishermen and close the gap between the rich and the poor.

Duterte has not identified his economic team to allay the fears of businessmen.

He has so far overlooked the gains of the economy and failed to identify the reforms needed to boost it further. The stock and currency markets will reflect the political and economic uncertainty he has created.

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.

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LENI AS GLORIA LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES

AND then there was the guy who went to a 7-Eleven to buy one of those Gulp drinks with the candidates’ faces on them. He chose Mar Roxas and gave the store clerk a P100 bill.

The guy waited for his change until he could wait no longer. So he asked the store clerk.

Guy: Miss, where’s my change?

Clerk: Sir, you chose Mar. Don’t expect any change. *** When Leni Robredo channeled her inner Rody Duterte (when Duterte was boosting his laggardly running mate, Alan Peter Cayetano) and asked her supporters not to vote for her if they were not voting for Mar Roxas, I thought she was just bragging. The Yellows have always been known for their hubris, I thought; Leni must have caught the disease hard by her constant association with the Aquino crowd.

Then I saw that Social Weather Stations survey where Robredo was supposed to have pulled off her spectacular “jump,” pulling abreast of Senator Bongbong Marcos in a statistical tie. I remembered the Liberal Party vice presidential candidate’s “love me, love Mar” request and thought I’d pay more attention to Jesse Robredo’s widow.

I think I found what I was looking for in a news item published yesterday in another newspaper, where a well-known Roxas-Robredo operative predicted that Mar could still make it to the presidency by riding on Leni’s supposedly surging survey numbers. This couldn’t be mere coincidence, I thought.

Advertising executive Yoly Villanueva-Ong is supposed to have created both the “kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap” slogan and the yellow ribbon-cumdove logo for President Noynoy Aquino in the 2010 elections. According to the report, Ong said Robredo could help Roxas by “convert[ing] those who

The LP has all but conceded that Roxas will lose and is now working to make Robredo win as the next best thing.

would choose the most decent candidate.”

“Those who are open to that kind of logic and process will probably be swayed by a word or two from Leni Robredo, especially if they are already believers and supporters of Leni Robredo,” Ong said. To me, the report was not really intended to improve Roxas’ chances but to condition the people’s minds that Leni was going to win—never mind if there was really no explaining her rise to the top.

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

*** In certain political circles, the supposed jump of Robredo’s numbers is merely a prelude to a diabolical plot by the Yellows to remain in power even if Roxas loses. According to this theory, the LP has all but conceded that Roxas will lose and is now working to make Robredo win as vice president as the next best thing.

If, the theory goes, either Duterte or Vice President Jejomar Binay win the presidential race and Robredo makes it to Number 2, the plan to retake Malacañang Palace will go into effect. (I confess I don’t know why there is no scenario for such a takeover if Senator Grace Poe makes it as president.)

The template was supposedly created right after Joseph Estrada won in 1998. That was the year the Yellows and their elitist backers were run over by the unstoppable Jeep ni Erap, which made it all the way to Malacañang even if Erap himself was eventually forced to step down.

Continued on A11

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

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

F R I D AY, A P R I L 2 9, 2 0 1 6

A10

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

A TEACHER OF THE LAW

AS MY father, Justice Hilarion Aquino, and my mother, Dean PENSEES Leticia P. Callangan-Aquino, FR. RANHILIO mark in May, 60 years as CALLANGAN lawyers, I am yielding this AQUINO space to a paean my father wrote that he entitled “Teacher of the Law.” With pride, I can say that my father—my parents in fact, for both teach law—have lived these words!

Teacher of the Law

By Justice Hilarion Lolarga Aquino What is it to be a teacher of the law?

A person with a string of law degrees or a writer whose prose blooms and scintillates?

Ought he be a black-robed person holding a gavel or a legal eagle known for his trial skills and strategies?

If a teacher fits into any one of those frames, fine indeed… but not for those reasons alone would he be a good teacher of the law, for to be one, he must, in addition, be a man or a woman of luminous integrity.

Here’s a poem my father wrote.

Important too for a teacher of the law to possess is the love for the law and the passion to teach, whose aim is to educate and not to pontificate, to inspire and not to impress, to give his students a will and the confidence to succeed.

Awesome indeed is the influence of the teacher of the law for when he starts his class with a smile, the room brightens and all tensions melt, but when he grits his teeth and his voice is raised, the students brace themselves for a foul day ahead.

The teacher of the law must at all times remind himself of his sacrosanct responsibility: to make his students great lawyers of tomorrow, faithful keepers of the law and tribunes of justice who will always fight for what is just and right.

But perhaps more important than those is the nation’s expectation of him: to train the country’s future leaders, those who will make the laws of the land officials who will enforce the law’s commands, and those who shall sit in judgment over their fellowmen.

For all his toils, what is the teacher’s reward?

Certainly, not the small remuneration he receives but the undying gratitude, respect and affection of lawyers molded by his hands, and the dipping of the colors when he is gone! rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@yahoo.com

#FAILOCRACY

PNOY VERSUS ‘EMILIO AGUINALDO’ AS CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTORS WE HAVE always observed PNoy using his Daang Matuwid team in campaigning for the presidency of his bosom friend Mar Roxas. He has done this throughout his term instead of confronting the country’s problems and seeking their solutions.

Lately, he has been campaigning more frenziedly, and we suspect— even if we don’t see—that he is also forging secret deals with Mar’s potential fat-cat campaign supporters about pseudo public-private partnership projects.

He never stops reminding us about his administration’s accomplishments and the need to sustain the Daang Matuwid agenda that he has started, never satisfied with what his mass media machinery is repeatedly broadcasting to us.

Does he really believe in his charisma to magically sway the people into voting for his candidate?

He probably fears that if his candidate is not elected, he wouldn’t be spared from the same government persecution that he has made President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and his other personal enemies suffer.

He has no qualms whatsoever, contrary to law, in “utilizing government resources such as personnel, including job order or contract of service hirees, time, and properties” for political purposes.

Thus, he tirelessly campaigns, crisscrossing the country while flying on board military planes and helicopters that he presumes he is entitled to use as president. He doesn’t mind riding these vehicles that are consuming expensive aviation fuel using taxpayers’ money as he makes air force pilots fly them neither to rescue disaster victims nor to defend our people and the country’s territories.

In fact, these are nothing compared to how he had placed the entire government resources at the disposal of his anointed successor since Day One of his administration.

For instance, Secretary Mar knew that PhilHealth officials would back him up when he asserted during last Sunday’s presidential debate that its program had been effective.

FILIPINO PENSIONER HORACE TEMPLO Mayor Digong unnecessarily contradicted this.

It was enough for Mar to convince the viewers that he was partly right and that the mayor was categorically wrong.

Instead, Mar—like a spoiled child who couldn’t wait to grab a lollipop that was being dangled at him—immediately dared the mayor to withdraw his candidacy if he, Secretary Mar Roxas, could prove that PhilHealth had released to Davaoeños millions of benefits.

It only highlighted his naivete, pettiness and desperation to win the presidency.

As expected, PhilHealth’s president—a true-blooded Liberal Party loyalist—promptly released unverified Davao City PhilHealth statistics within hours and published them a day after in a national newspaper. Suddenly, PhilHealth has become very responsive.

Most government officials and employees—with the exception of Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman and a few cabinet secretaries—are opting to keep quiet and conveniently claiming political neutrality.

Perhaps, they are heeding the publicity-shy chairperson of the Civil Service Commission—Alicia dela Rosa-Bala—who reminded them recently of the constitutional provision that “no officer or employee in the civil service, as well as any member of the military, shall engage, directly or indirectly, in any electioneering or partisan political activity, except to vote.”

Of course, the president, vice president, cabinet members and elective local officials are exempted from this prohibition but not barangay officials.

The prohibition, according to her, “does not preclude a civil servant from expressing his or her views on current political problems or issues, or from mentioning the names of candidates whom he

or she supports.”

Moreover, “social media functions such as liking, commenting, sharing, reposting, or following a candidate’s or party’s account” are allowed “unless meant to solicit support for or against a candidate or party during the campaign period.”

Still, civil servants are quiet, satisfied perhaps after receiving their salary standardization adjustments, which PNoy gave away through an executive order unlike before when they were granted by Congress.

Those from the Social Security System, Government Service Insurance System, PhilHealth and other government corporations are quiet, too, but for another reason.

The Governance Commission for Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations—which PNoy created by law and includes as ex-officio commissioners his finance and budget secretaries—is still evaluating their 2015 productivity bonuses.

They certainly wish that PNoy would order the release of these bonuses before Election Day. Meantime, they are being treated like desperate voters who await from their barangay officials a few hundreds of pesos in exchange for their votes.

Before, the biggest campaign donors of Senator Grace Poe and Vice President Jojo Binay—and even Secretary Mar—were executives of San Miguel Corporation, Araneta Group, Aboitiz Group and other private companies.

In this election, PNoy is Mar’s fat cat contributor. Spending government funds as if they were his own, he is going down in our history as the most obsessed president who ever campaigned for his successor.

Curiously, Mayor Digong declared as his principal contributor Emilio Aguinaldo from “bukid.”

In fact, Emilio Aguinaldo represents the poor Filipinos—mostly rural folks—who could hardly afford to donate but still give to his campaign kitty their last five-peso coins.

There for us to see and feel is the profile of our nation’s first president.

CHONG ARDIVILLA

F R I D AY, A P R I L 2 9, 2 0 1 6

A11

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO OF THE 54.4-million registered voters for the May 9 elections, 1.3 million are overseas Filipino workers. This number of OFW voters plus the still undecided could spell the difference in the close four-way race for the presidency. The presidential candidates know this, which is why they are now singing the same refrain of ending the onerous “endo” practice of employers. The word “endo” like “kilig” is now part of the new lexicon in the colorful Filipino language. As anyone who has been terminated from employment knows, this is the practice of employers to end the contract of workers after the five-month period. As contractuals, the laid-off workers cannot collect separation pay or avail of health care benefits.

This illegal practice is what drives many of our countrymen and women into seeking better working conditions in the Middle

VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ I APPROACHED leading presidential candidate Davao Mayor Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte at Wednesday’s (April 27) joint meeting of the Makati Business Club and the Management Association of the Philippines.

At this writing, Duterte already has 35 percent of the vote. I think the long-time Davao mayor will duplicate Joseph Estrada’s record in 1998 (39.86 percent of the vote) and Benigno Simeon Aquino III’s in 2010 (42 percent), making the first president from Mindanao one of the country’s most popular presidents.

At the MAP-MBC lunch, while talking to me, Digong pressed my hand tightly and warmly like I were a long lost friend. He said he would be “honored” to be interviewed by me and asked for my number. The man comes across as genuinely warm and sincere.

He has an easy way with people.

Duterte, however, is not the kind of man the country’s economic titans usually relate to. At the presidential table, the mayor was flanked on his left by MAP president Perry Pe, and on his right, by MBC chair Ramon del Rosario Jr. and vice chair Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala (Jaza).

Their conversation was perfunctory and not at all animated.

The photographers signaled me to ask Duterte to stand up and shake the hand of Jaza. The mayor gladly obliged, to the furious

Leni... From A8 Just like what they did to Estrada, the Yellows will start working from Day 1 of either a Duterte or Binay presidency to remove the new occupant of Malacañang. And just like in 2001, the Yellows and the elite will have Leni reprise the role of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as the all-too-willing replacement

RACE TO WIN 1.3-MILLION OVERSEAS VOTERS East and other countries. They are extolled by the government as “modern-day heroes” who help prop up a sagging economy. Despite the economy’s surge, this has not trickled down to the masses but only added to the small number of Filipinos who make it to Forbes magazine’s select class of billionaire industrialists.

Why won’t big business help improve the lot of the working class? The answer is because it’s easier to control a few congressmen already bought than workers who will organize themselves into a union that will demand better compensation and other fringe benefits. This is why contractualization continues to this day. Some of this dirty money managed to reach the poor during elections when candidates buy voters to get elected or remain in power.

Big business, particularly those in the retail and service sectors, has managed to rake in bil-

lions of pesos in profits with the complicity of the Department of Labor under three presidents.

By contributing to the campaign funds of candidates, businessmen assure themselves contractualization will be here to stay. And so will the outflow and deployment of Filipino workers overseas.

Clearly, the major intertwined issues in the 2016 elections are unemployment, poverty, corruption, crime, the Muslim rebellion in Mindanao and China’s aggression in the South China Sea territorial dispute.

After three presidential debates held in Cagayan de Oro, Cebu and Pangasinan under the auspices of the Commission on Elections, voters have yet to hear how the presidential bets plan to address these problems confronting the country.

White House race In the United States, it looks like the race to the White House

will be between billionaire businessman Donald Trump and former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton. Trump seeks to sew up the Republican Party’s nomination over Ted Cruz who has the support of Americans of Latino descent. He has tapped Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.

Clinton, on the other hand, is still facing a stiff challenge from grandfatherly looking Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination. Health care and foreign policy are the two major issues in this November’s US elections. These two pillars of President Barack Obama’s policy have come under fire from Americans who now appreciate former President George W. Bush more.

Obama has enunciated the US military pivot to Asia-Pacific and assured that under the USPHL Mutual Defense Treaty and

the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, Washington will come to the aid to the Philippines if attacked. In light of Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, 100-million Filipinos are counting on US aid to stop China’s ambition for hegemony in the region. US treaty allies Japan, South Korea and Taiwan and even Vietnam have stepped up to side with the US against Chinese bullying.

Meanwhile, we have yet to hear from Aquino-appointed Foreign Affairs Secretary Rene Almendras on China’s aggressive moves and the Abu Sayyaf kidnap for ransom group who recently beheaded a Canadian hostage. Although he has a limited shelf life to fill in the last three months of resigned Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, one expects Almendras to at least speak out and issue a statement after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the barbaric execution of the hostage.

IS DUTERTE AN INFRA PRESIDENT? clicking of cameras.

The mayor began his 77-minute speech by telling the 300 CEOs, “relax. I am not the man portrayed to be by some.” He related a number of anecdotes with a common theme—he is an action man who deals with criminals and other unsavory elements rather harshly, by sending them to Heaven. He talked about the corrosive effects of money on crime, drugs and corruption. He vowed a clean government, right on Day One. If he cannot do it, right away, he assured, he cannot not do it in 10 years.

Duterte is probably not an infrastructure president. I see infra as the panacea to the nation’s problems.

The outgoing BS Aquino III administration claims to have increased infrastructure spending, from 1.8 percent (P165 billion) of the Gross Domestic Product in 2010 to P766.5 billion or 5 percent of GDP in 2016.

The target is infra spending of 5.4 percent of GDP by 2018. Assuming GDP of P18 trillion, infra spending should reach P1 trillion in 2018.

It is no coincidence that among the major countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Philippines has the poorest quality of infrastructure, the lowest amount of yearly foreign investments, and the highest poverty and unemployment rate.

Also, the Philippines is also the only country in the entire Asean region to have failed the Millennium Development Goal (MDG)

of halving the 1990 poverty incidence by half, by 2015, from 34 percent to 17 percent.

Poverty in 1990 was 34 percent. Poverty in 2015 was 26 percent. The Philippines is the only nation in Asia to miss its poverty halving target.

Under BS Aquino, about threemillion Filipinos joined the ranks of the poor.

At the last presidential debate on April 24, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago and former Department of Interior and Local Government secretary Mar Roxas mentioned infrastructure, in a meaningful manner.

“Our economy will be devoted to construction and reconstruction and will always—and will always be able to depend on five percent to seven percent of the GDP,” Santiago said in her opening presentation.

She knows that infra must be at five percent to seven percent of GDP. While spending on infra, she also vowed to keep the budget deficit at three percent of GDP. “In agriculture, we will modernize with irrigation, water impounding facilities, infrastructure, credit available for poor farmers and other technological advances in agriculture that other countries have already adopted,” Santiago said.

For his part, Mar Roxas promised to create 10-million jobs in six years as president. That’s an average of 1.66-million new jobs per year.

He should have promised two million jobs a year because the

economy, even if there were no president or the president were a dog, would continue creating one-million jobs a year, due to its size (P17-trillion GDP or $369 billion)—one million to provide jobs to one-million new entrants to the labor force and another one million to reduce the combined nine-million unemployment (two million) and underemployment (seven million).

On traffic, the candidates think the problem is one of personnel, not infra. Grace Poe will appoint a “traffic terminator,” probably with Cabinet rank. Binay will employ good managers and engineers.

Santiago’s solution is railways.

Duterte echoed Santiago’s railway proposal, but one built along the Pasig River “so you don’t buy the road right of way.”

The problem is that the Pasig River runs east from Laguna Lake to west to Manila Bay. It does not reach Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Sorsogon. Duterte also suggested a better mass transit system. Noting that more than 300,000 new vehicles hit Metro Manila roads, he seemed exasperated. “Nothing would really solve the problem,” he conceded.

In any case, outside of crime and drugs, Duterte is not strong on details. He has the macro view of problems and will probably let his advisers to do the devil in the details. They include the Dominguez brothers of Davao, led by Sonny; lawyer and ex-newsman Jess Dureza (a Duterte law classmate and their valedictorian), and

some of the Fidel Ramos boys and generals (they are in full force) during the FVR presidency. Over a year ago, it was Ramos’s idea to have a Philippine president from Mindanao.

At the April 24, debate Grace Poe talked about completing long-pending infra projects—the South Luzon Skyway, the NorthSouth Luzon connector road, the MRT 7 from Trinoma to Bulacan, and the LRT Extension to Cavite.

She raised the possibility of a subway system (very expensive), even one running under the sea (really very expensive), restoring the Philippine National Railway lines to Dagupan, and perhaps building MRTs for Cebu, Cagayan de Oro “and other parts of the Philippines.”

Roxas, of course, talked about current Aquino projects—installing additional 144 coaches for the decrepit MRT 3, the groundbreaking for MRT 7 (a San Miguel Corp. project), the LRT 2 extension to Antipolo (delayed), the LRT 1 extension to Dasmariñas, Cavite (delayed), and even to Calamba, Laguna (delayed).

VP Binay talked about education, enforcement, and engineering but didn’t elaborate except to blame the Aquino administration for its incompetence in coping with traffic.

Binay thinks traffic is a manpower problem. He will deploy competent managers and create a Department of Transportation by cannibalizing the DoTC.

of the ousted popular president who had the audacity to win even if he had not been chosen by the elite.

Depending on how fast it would take the Yellow-oligarch combine to oust the new president, Leni could serve as long as (or even longer than) Arroyo, who was gifted Erap’s unexpired term before winning a controversial election against

Fernando Poe Jr. in 2004. Of course, almost immediately after Arroyo beat Poe and started to serve an elected six-year term, she ran afoul of her former backers, led by the sainted Cory Aquino and the Makati Business Club.

And so Gloria had to spend her last six years in office fighting off Cory and the oligarchs. Then Cory died in 2009 and the Yel-

lows found their unlikely champion in her feckless slacker of a son—the rest of this unfortunate story, we already know.

It’s true that Arroyo didn’t start out as the Yellow’s designated replacement to Erap. But she was next in line and perfectly willing to undermine Estrada, which was why the elitist anti-Erap movement had no choice.

(Remember that Noli de Castro was also being groomed to replace Arroyo by the same crowd if she could be forced to step down after 2004. That didn’t happen because both parties could not agree on the “terms.”)

But Leni Robredo appears to have been vetted way ahead of the plan to make her replace Duterte or Binay. More on this in a coming piece.

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Countdown to Olympics starts RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil —Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday launched the 100 day countdown to hosting South America’s first Olympic Games with government and global sports leaders insisting they can overcome Brazil’s political meltdown and troubled preparations.

Nintendo to sell Mariners shares TOKYO, Japan—Nintendo said Thursday it has put some of its stake in the Seattle Mariners baseball team up for sale, as the struggling Japanese video game giant looks to repair its finances.

The company, which did not release any financial details, said it would no longer be the team’s majority owner if a deal is reached.

The firm’s US unit “has started negotiations to sell a portion of its ownership in First Avenue Entertainment”, which operates the Mariners, Nintendo said in a statement.

“If and when the deal is done, Nintendo of America Inc will no longer be the principal owner of the team.”

Nintendo’s late president Hiroshi Yamauchi bought shares in the team’s operator in December 1992 when they were under threat to be relocated from Seattle.

The Mariners’ roster has included many Japanese stars including prolific hitter Ichiro Suzuki.

Nintendo’s ownership, the presence of Ichiro and other Japanese players on the team over the years, as well as Seattle’s location on the US West coast helped fuel the team’s popularity among Japanese baseball fans.

Kyoto-based Nintendo has been struggling to regain revenue and profits as it lags behind competitors while long staying reluctant to stray from its console-only policy even as online games shot up in popularity.

Last month the firm released “Miitomo” -- a free-to-play and interactive game that allows users to create “Mii” avatars -- as it tries to compete in an industry that has increasingly gone online.

On Wednesday, the firm said its net profit in the fiscal year through March tumbled 60 percent from a year earlier, mainly due to a stronger yen, which dents profits calculated in yen. AFP

Hard hit. Ryan Getzlaf (15) of the Anaheim Ducks is hit in the face with a stick by Mike Fisher (12) of the Nashville Predators during the third period of Game Seven of the Western Conference First Round during the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Honda Center on April 27, in Anaheim, California. AFP

Day wants to win gold in Rio MIAMI—World number one Jason Day is relishing the prospect of trying to win an Olympic gold medal but has no problem with fellow professionals who have opted to skip the Games.

A lengthening list of golfers have ruled themselves out of consideration for the Rio de Janeiro games in August, where golf is returning after a 112-year absence.

South Africans Louis Oosthuizen,

Charl Schwartzel and Day’s Australian compatriot Adam Scott are among players who have withdrawn in recent weeks.

But 28-year-old US PGA champion Day said he couldn’t wait to head to Brazil to have a crack at Olympic glory.

“For me personally, I’m looking forward to the challenge of trying to win a medal,” Day told reporters as he prepared for Thursday’s open-

Club America clinches crown MEXICO CITY —Mexican giants Club America clinched back-to-back Concacaf Champions League crowns on Wednesday after coming from behind to beat fellow Liga MX side Tigres 2-1, sealing a 4-1 aggregate victory.

America had been heavy favorites to retain their continental crown and seal their place in this year’s FIFA Club World Cup after a superb 2-0 away victory in last week’s first leg.

But the holders were given a scare towards the end of the first half at the iconic Azteca Stadium when French international Andre-Pierre Gignac rifled in a low shot

ing round in the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

“It would be a really, really fantastic honor to be able to win a gold medal or any medal at the Olympics,” he added.

“To be able to go down there and try and win a gold medal and represent your country is a unique and massive honor.”

Day’s compatriot Scott faced stinging criticism in Australia for

ruling himself out of the Olympics, with swimming legend Dawn Fraser among those taking aim at the golfer.

Day however said he had sympathy for players who had elected to miss the Olympics, acknowledging that majors were viewed as more important than medals.

“Your career is pretty much based on how many majors you win and how many tournaments you win,” Day said. AFP

to give Tigres hope.

The goal lifted Tigres in a first half which threatened to boil over towards the break when an ugly challenge by America’s Rubens Sambueza triggered a prolonged melee that led to four bookings.

Sambueza and team-mate Paul Aguilar were both cautioned for their role along with Tigres goalscorer Gignac and Damian Alvarez.

With tension mounting in the second half, the game swung in America’s favor with the introduction of Ecuadoran international midfielder Michael Ar- Club America’s footballers celebrate with the trophy after defeating Tigres during their royo in the 65th minute for Concacaf Champions League final football match at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City on April 27. AFP Dario Benedetto. AFP

At an Athens ceremony featuring ancient Greek goddess costumes, Brazilian organizers took the Olympic flame for the start of a journey that will see it carried by 12,000 people around Latin America’s biggest country.

“Rio is ready to make history,” Carlos Nuzman, president of the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee, said at the torch handover.

New Zealand athletes marked the 100 day countdown with a traditional Haka dance on an Auckland beach at sunrise. Buildings around the world lit up in special colors—Brazilian yellow and green at Tokyo’s municipal government headquarters and US red-white-blue for the Empire State Building in New York.

Several countries also unveiled their Olympic uniforms, including Britain with a set designed by Stella McCartney and the US team turning to Ralph Lauren.

With Rio’s hills, beaches and the famed statue of Christ the Redeemer providing one of the most telegenic backdrops in the world, the Games are expected to be spectacular.

But despite the insistence of the Brazilian government and International Olympic Committee that everything will be ready, storm clouds are gathering.

President Dilma Rousseff appears likely to be suspended from office through impeachment in the next few weeks. Even her vice president, Michel Temer, who would normally take over—and whom she accuses of mounting a coup—could face action.

And with the economy in steep decline for the second straight year, Brazilian unemployment has shot up to 10.2 percent and Olympic organizers have had to slash budgets, fueling fears of embarrassing delays.

Crime remains out of control. Brazil’s human rights record came under fire Wednesday with a demand by Amnesty International for action over rising police killings, particularly in Rio’s favela shanty towns. AFP

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sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

World’s press flock to cover Leicester fairytale LONDON, United Kingdom—A sweep of the press room before Leicester City’s recent victory over Swansea City confirmed the extent to which their pursuit of Premier League glory has captivated global audiences.

Journalists from as far afield as Finland, Turkey, South Korea and Australia mingled in the queue for a pre-match meal, while a 10-strong Japanese contingent sat around a table discussing how Shinji Okazaki would fare in the absence of his suspended strike partner Jamie Vardy.

The team that narrowly avoided relegation last season are now just three points from the league title and their Cinderella story has won them admirers in the most unlikely locations.

“Last season, no-one really wrote about Leicester in the US and no-one really talked about them,” says Joe Prince-Wright, the lead soccer writer for American broadcasting giant NBC. “This season it’s been incredible—people like (New England Patriots quarterback) Tom Brady and NFL players have been sending them messages.

“All of a sudden there’s this clamour to latch onto the underdog story. The American public love an underdog story.

“Most people haven’t got a team (to support) yet, but we get pictures from people on a tractor in some small town in the middle of the US and they’ve got a Leicester shirt or a Leicester scarf and they’re following the Foxes.”

One tellingly titled recent video on the NBC Sports website was called: “What You Need To Know To Jump On The Leicester City Bandwagon”.

ESPN, meanwhile, has sent its acclaimed sportswriter Wright Thompson to Leicester for the season’s final weeks to capture the Foxes’ story.

“I’m here for the duration!” he told AFP during the 4-0 victory over Swansea last Sunday.

A modest club from a humdrum city in England’s east Midlands, Leicester’s previous highest finish was a runner-up spot in 1929 and in times past the only newspaper they could rely upon for regular coverage was local daily the Leicester Mercury.

This season’s fairytale campaign has seen them featured in such bastions of American journalism as the New York Times, Sports Illustrated and the Wall Street Journal.

As Peter Soulsby, Leicester’s mayor, told the Daily Telegraph earlier this month: “A provincial English city doesn’t get on the front of the WSJ unless it’s doing something amazing.”

The multinational make-up of the King Power Stadium press pack reflects the league of nations that is the Leicester squad, which includes players from 14 different countries (not including those out on loan). AFP

Bernice Olivarez-Ilas squints as she follow the flight of the ball after a drive from the fairway. Ilas flashed top form to post a threestroke lead in the second round of ICTSI Beverly Place Challenge in Mexico, Pampanga yesterday.

Ilas posts 3-shot lead AMATEUR Bernice Olivarez-Ilas flashed top form on the very site of her recent victory and carded a one-under 70 as she pounced on Chihiro Ikeda’s backside foldup to post a three-stroke lead in the second round of ICTSI Beverly Place Challenge in Mexico, Pampanga yesterday.

Ranged against the pros, including the veteran Lovelynn Guioguio, the 14-year-old Ilas proved she’s up to the task, even putting the pressure on her fancied rivals with superb driving and iron shots and steady putting.

Two behind Ikeda after 18 holes, the Country Club mainstay moved up by two on a three-shot swing on the par-3 12th then pulled away by three as Ikeda bogeyed the par-5 14th.

“I’ll just take it one shot at a time but I must stay focused all throughout the final round tomorrow (to-

day),” said Ilas, who rolled in a long birdie putt from 30 feet on No. 12 then watched Ikeda miss the green and end up with a three-putt mishap for a 5.

With a one-under 141, Ilas, a La Salle-Zobel student who won here last week during the JungolfThe Junior Golf League tournament, moved 18 holes away from duplicating TCC spearhead Princess Superal’s recent victories in the country’s first-ever ladies pro circuit sponsored by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

But Ikeda, who wound up with a 75 and a 144, vowed to strike back but stressed the need to toughen up with her irons and polish her putting stroke to foil her amateur rival’s bid and nail the elusive crown.

“I struggled with my irons, most ending up in trouble and I missed a lot of greens.

But there are still 18 holes left, I just have to minimize my mistakes,” said Ikeda.

Sam Martirez, also a member of the TCC stable, joined Ikeda at second by matching Ilas’ 70 on a fiery windup that featured three birdies in the last six holes while another amateur, this time from Malaysia, Kellie Kan, carded a 72 to tie former leg winner and Philippine Ladies Open winner Jayvie Agojo, who also put in a 72, at 147.

Martirez, who turned in a strong joint third effort in the Taiwan LPGA Tour and LPGT leg at Manila South-

woods and also won the Royal Selangor Golf Club title in Malaysia last month, headed for a disastrous finish after going two-over after 10 holes. But she birdied No. 13 then gained two more strokes on Nos. 16 and 18 to wheel back into contention in the event backed by Custom Clubmakers, adidas, KZG, Sharp, Summit Mineral Water, Srixon, Champion, TaylorMade and Pacsports.

The rest are too far behind to contend for top honors worth P100,000 with Mikha Fortuna, also from the TCC squad, laying eight shots behind at 149 after a 76 and Anya Tanpinco another stroke back at 150 despite a decent 73.

Guiiguio skied to a 78 and tumbled to eighth at 151 while TCC’s Kayla Nocum bounced back with a 75 to tie last year’s Sherwood Hills leg champion Sarah Ababa, who faltered with a 78, at 153.

McGregor out of UFC 200 says White NEW YORK—Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White on Wednesday confirmed Conor McGregor would play no part in an upcoming fight card in July, seeking to draw a line under a public spat with the Irish superstar.

Featherweight champion McGregor had stunned the mixed martial arts world last week by announcing his “retirement” before later backtracking and claiming he had not decided to hang up his gloves.

The UFC responded by pulling the

27-year-old from the top billing for UFC 200 in Las Vegas on July 9, where he had been due to face Nate Diaz in a rematch.

McGregor on Monday however caused fresh confusion after tweeting that he was back on the UFC 200 card, thanking White for helping broker a deal.

White in turn responded by denying that a deal had been reached for McGregor’s return, insisting that the Diaz fight was off.

On Wednesday White confirmed that

a light heavyweight title unification bout between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones would headline the July card in Las Vegas.

White confirmed the billing during an appearance on on ABC television’s “Good Morning America.”

White later told a news conference in New York that McGregor had withdrawn over a reluctance to engage in promotional work.

He insisted however that McGregor had a future with the UFC.

“I’ve said it a million times, Conor asked to fight Nate Diaz and Conor wants to fight Nate Diaz,” White said.

“Conor doesn’t back down from fights.

One of the things that has made Conor popular and as big as he is, is this dude wants to fight.

“He comes to fight. He comes out guns blazing. Conor is fun. Conor is a stud. I have a lot of respect for Conor. Conor and I just had -- you know, you have to show up and do the PR. You have to do it.” AFP

N OTIC E TO TH E PU B LIC P l e a s e b e i n f o r m e d t h a t t h e f o l l o w i n g a c c o u n t a b l e f o r m s o f I N V E S TO R S A S S U R A N C E C O R P O R AT I O N ( I AC) h a v e b e e n l o s t : T Y P E O F P O L I CY J C R (2 ) - P e r s o n a l B a i l B o n d

ORHO - Official Receipt ( f o r G e n e r a l U s e)

ORHO- OLD - Of ficial Receipt ( f o r G e n e r a l U s e)

SERIES FROM 16 6 5 3 16 6 5 5 16 6 5 8 13 5 8 8 13 5 9 0 13 6 2 0 13 6 2 3 13 6 9 6 16 74 9 13 7 01 13 7 0 9 13 710 13 711 13 712 13 713 13 714 13 715 15 7 9 7 13 0 7 3 12 2 4 5 12 9 3 8 12 9 8 5 1617 2 13 4 9 0 16 613 12 8 2 2 1615 2 16 317 13 3 8 6 16 4 9 3 11114 12 2 6 8 12 76 0 12 9 0 9 13 015 16 3 75 16 3 01 16 3 0 3 13 2 61 16 410 13 412 15 5 8 7 12 42 9 15 6 5 9 15 8 0 4 15 9 9 5 12 9 74 13 6 8 4 13171 16 4 3 5 16 5 61 15 8 4 9 15 9 6 3 12 9 5 9 16 2 2 5 16 2 7 2 16 5 3 3 1617 2 13 4 9 0 16 613 16 74 0

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S h o u l d y o u h a v e a ny o f t h e f o r e g o i n g I AC f o r m s i n y o u r p o s s e s s i o n , p l e a s e c oordinate with our of f ic e immediately and br ing the said form/s to our o f f i c e w i t h i n t h i r t y (3 0) d ay s f r o m t h e d a t e o f t h i s p u b l i c a t i o n , f o r p o s s i b l e r e p l a c e m e n t o f t h e f o r m / s o r r e i m b u r s e m e n t o f p ay m e n t s , i f w a r r a n t e d . I AC reser ves the right to require presentation of other adequate proof of issuance a n d /o r p ay m e n t i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f t h e o r i g i n a l f o r m / s .

I N V E S T O R S A S S U R A N C E C O R P O R AT I O N U n i t 1/ 2 0 t h F l o o r, B D O P l a z a , P a s e o d e R o x a s n e a r c o r.

M a k a t i Av e n u e , M a k a t i C i t y 12 0 0 Te l N o s .: ( 6 3 2) 8 2 2 - 4 0 0 0 / 8 2 2 - 5 0 0 0 / 8 91- 0 9 9 4 / 8 91- 0 9 9 6 / 8 91- 0 9 7 6 ( T S - A P R . 2 9 , 2 016)

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Marasigan leaves legacy of success

By Peter Atencio

ATENEO De Manila Blue Eagles team captain Ysay Marasigan said he has left a legacy for his teammates to follow next season.

The 21-year-old Marasigan came up with 11 kills for a total of 12 points last Wednesday to lead the Blue Eagles to their second straight title in the 78th University Athletic Association of the Philippines

A Sure Bet for Progress in Gaming, Entertainment and Nation Building

INVITATION TO BID FOR THE PROCUREMENT OF TWO (2) YEAR ANNUAL MEDICAL EXAMINATION & NEURO PSYCHIATRIC EXAMINATION UNDER ITB NO. PB16-039 The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is inviting all interested bidders in its forthcoming public bidding for the Procurement of Two (2) Year Annual Medical Examination & Neuro Psychiatric Examination under ITB No. PB16-039.

Brief Description

LOT 1: Two (2) - Year Service Contract of Annual Medical Examination for Rank and File Employees assigned at Corporate Offices, Satellite Operations Groups (SOGs) 1 – 5, Imus Complex, Metro Manila branches, CFTagaytay, CF-Angeles and CF-Olongapo.

LOT 2: Two (2) - Year Service Contract of Neuro Psychiatric Examination for Drivers.

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)

The total ABC is in the amount of Twenty-Six Million Three Hundred Ninety-Eight Thousand One Hundred Fifty Pesos (PhP 26,398,150.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero Rated Transaction.

The ABC for each of the two (2) lots are as follows: Lot 1: Twenty-Five Million Five Hundred Sixty-Six Thousand One Hundred Fifty Pesos (PhP 25,566,150.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero Rated Transaction.

Lot 2: Eight Hundred Thirty-Two Thousand Pesos (PhP 832,000.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero Rated Transaction.

Delivery Schedule

The complete schedule of deliveries is provided in the Section VI (Schedule of Requirements) of the Bidding Documents which will commence from the effectivity date specified in the Notice to Proceed.

Source of Funds

Internally Funded

Note: Bidders may bid on one or both lots.

Bidders should have completed, within the last three (3) years before 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. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

All particulars relative to Pre-Bid Conference, Detailed Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its IRR. The schedule of activities is listed, as follows: Activities 1. Issuance of the Bidding Documents

Schedule April 29, 2016 (Friday) to May 23, 2016 (Monday)

2. Pre-Bid Conference

May 10, 2016 (Tuesday), 3:30 P.M.

3. Deadline for the Submission and Receipt of Bids

May 23, 2016 (Monday), 2:00 P.M.

4. Opening and Preliminary Examination of Bids

May 23, 2016 (Monday), 2:00 P.M. onwards

Complete details of the project are indicated in the bidding documents which will be available to prospective bidders at the Bids and Awards Services Department (BASD), acting as the BAC Secretariat, upon payment of the non-refundable cost for the sale of bidding documents in the amount based on the following matrix, from the address below: Approved Budget for the Contract 500,000.00 and below More than 500,000.00 up to 1 Million

Cost for sale of Bidding Documents (in Philippine Pesos) 500.00 1,000.00

More than 1 Million up to 5 Million

5,000.00

More than 5 Million up to 10 Million

10,000.00

More than 10 Million up to 50 Million

25,000.00

Prospective bidders may also download the Bidding Documents free of charge from the following websites: www.p agcor.ph and www.philgeps.gov.ph and may be allowed to submit bids provided that bidders shall pay the non-refundable cost for the sale of bidding documents not later than the date of the submission of bids. The Pre-bid Conference is open to all prospective bidders. Prospective bidders should present to PAGCOR’s Cashier located at the Sixth (6th) Floor, PAGCOR Corporate Office, New World Manila Bay Hotel, 1588 M.H. del Pilar Street corner Pedro Gil Street, Malate, Manila either the Bidding Fee Slip which may be secured from BASD or a copy of this ITB in effecting payment for the Bidding Documents. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

PAGCOR assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of their bids.

In accordance with Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) Circular 06-2005 – Tie-Breaking Method, the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) 2 shall use a non-discretionary and non-discriminatory measure based on sheer luck or chance, which is “DRAW LOTS,” in the event that two or more bidders have been post-qualified and determined as the bidder having the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid (LCRB) to determine the final having the LCRB, based on the following procedures: 1.

2.

In alphabetical order, the bidders shall pick one rolled paper.

The lucky bidder who would pick the paper with a “CONGRATULATIONS” remark shall be declared as the final bidder having the LCRB and recommended for award of the contract.

PAGCOR reserves the right to accept or reject any Bid, and to annul the bidding process and reject all Bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

Please address all communications to the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) 2 thru the BASD, Room 203, Second (2nd) Floor, PAGCOR House, 1330 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita, Manila, Tel No.: (02) 5243911, (02) 336-6906 and (02) 521-1542 local 223/617.

(SGD).RODERICK R. CONSOLACION Chairperson Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) 2

( T S - A P R . 2 9 , 2 016)

men’s volleyball tournament.

He ended his stint with the Blue Eagles as the Finals MVP, and one of the tournament’s best scorers, behind scoring leader Marck Espejo, the season MVP. With his 48.89 percent success rate, Marasigan feels that his performance is something that his teammates can look up to when they seek a three-peat next year.

“This (year) is special.

When coach came, he made me team captain.

So this year, I showed my teammates the best the game that I can have, so they can use it as an example,” said Marasigan.

Marasigan spoke of his thoughts after the Blue Eagles completed a 2-game sweep of their best-of-three finals series, winning over National University, 25-16, 25-20, 25-19, in Game 2 of the best-of-three series at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

During the game, he made seven digs, for the team.

For Marasigan, this is his second championship this year, after he and Espejo, a threetime season MVP, also took the UAAP beach volleyball title in the first semester.

Marasigan will still play for Ateneo for one last time in July.

The 22-year old Marasigan, an Interdisciplinary Studies student, will see action for the school in the Asian University Games in Singapore this July.

In reaching the finals, The Blue Eagles only lost once in the eliminations for a 13-1 win-loss slate.

For coach Oliver Almadro, making it to the finals means hard work for the team.

“Walang may advantage.

Kailangan may preparation ka,” said Almadro.

The Blue Eagles reached the finals beating University of the Philippines in the semifinals.

They took Game One with a 23-25, 2520, 25-17, 25-18 win.

Meanwhile, defending champion Ateneo Lady Eagles silenced the La Salle Lady Spikers walked away without a word after the Lady Spikers endured a 25-18, 28-26, 17-25, 16-25, 11-15 loss.

F R I DAY : A P R I L 2 9, 2 0 16

A15

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

LOTTO RESULTS

6/49 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 6 DIGITS 00-00-00-00-00-00 3 DIGITS 00-00-00 2 EZ2 00-00

Letran leads Fr Martin Cup summer tourney REIGNING National Collegiate Athletic Association champion Letran gave its new coach another rousing win while the Far Eastern University Baby Tamaraws stayed unbeaten Tuesday in the 22nd Fr, Martin Cup Summer Basketball Tournament at the Arellano University gym in Legarda, Manila.

The Letran-A Knights, now coached by Jeff Napa, smothered the San Sebastian Stags, 90-78, to move ahead in the solo lead of

Group B in the senior division.

Rey Nambatac fired 20 points, John Paul Calvo 14 and Jerick Balanza made 12 for the Knights who stormed to their third straight triumph under Napa.

The Knights, who had earlier beaten Jose Rizal University-A, 80-64, and Emilio Aguinaldo College, 89-69, are now in the solo lead of Group B. In the junior action, the Baby Tams drew 25 points from LJ Gonzales in swamping La Salle-

Greenhills-A, 86-66. LSGH, now behind FEU at 3-1, earlier won over San Beda-B, 78-69.

The Baby Tams also posted win no. 3, and they are in front of Group A. In other games, the Mapua Cardinals, with Josh Layug making 15, turned back Letran-B, 87-83, to win their opening game in Group A. The San Beda Red Lions (3-1) are behind Letran-A after they won over Centro Escolar University-B, 61-53, with Eugene Toba

leading with 16 points.

JRU-A shares the same record with the Red Lions after they repulsed the Stags, 87-84, the other day, and with Abdel Potouochi and Jordan de la Paz hitting 18 points each.

JRU-B, with Tey Teodoro scoring 30 points, held off CEU-A, 72-66, to improve at 1-2.

In other junior matches, JRU put away Sta. Maria of Pampanga, 108-59, while LSGH-B prevailed over San Beda-Alabang, 67-62.

Aces, Bolts try to gain upper hand

By Jeric Lopez

IT’S anyone’s game at this point with both Meralco and Alaska looking to gain every advantage they can as they break the one-all tie in their bestof-five semifinals series in the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup.

Alaska Aces forward Calvin Abueva (8) challenges a pair of Meralco Bolts defenders Bryan Faundo (0) and Ryan Buenafe. The Aces and the Bolts clash today in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal duel in the 2016 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Donaire, Magsayo fight to win a nation’s love

By Ronnie Nathanielsz AS Filipino boxing fans look for a possible successor to eight division world champion and one of the greatest fighters of all-time, Sky Sports in Britain claims that at the age of just 20, Mark Magsayo is bidding to replace Manny Pacquiao as the darling of Filipino boxing.

Repoter Isaan Robinson says that “in terms of a nation embracing a fighter—or, for that matter, a sportsman—being billed an heir to Pacquiao presents the very biggest of metaphorical thrones to sit on.

So adored is ‘Pac Man’ that he has moved smoothly (or not so smoothly) into politics during the twilight of his boxing career. Manny may have lost the ‘Fight of the Century’ against Floyd Mayweather and officially retired in the wake of April’s points victory over Timothy Bradley as the sport’s only eight-division world champion, the Philippines already has other fighters on the world scene such as four-weight world champion Nonito Donaire (37-3KO24). But while the exploits of ‘The

Filipino Flash’ will no doubt shine brighter now, a significant proportion of hopes will be transferred to Magsayo.”

On April 23, Donaire and Magsayo (14-0-KO11) fought on the same “Its About Time” card at the sprawling Cebu Sports Center with Donaire defending his WBO world super-bantamweight title against Zsolt Bedak, while Magsayo took on former Carl Frampton victim, Chris Avalos, with a jump up in the WBO featherweight rankings on the line.

Robinson points out that while both excelled in what could be seen as auditions, needless to say, Donaire and Magsayo are in different weight divisions and are not mutually exclusive in terms of support. Both ended thrilling contests with stoppage victories.

Donaire has mixed it with the very best, of course. Aside from a points defeat in his second professional bout, the 33-year-old has only lost to the best. He was outmaneuvered on points by the slick Guillermo Rigondeaux in April 2013 and then blasted out in six

Mark Magsayo (left) hits Chris Avalos with a cracking left hook to the temple during their recent bout in Cebu won by Magsayo.

rounds by Nicholas Walters in October 2014.

It’s was clear the defeat against Walters simply represented a step too far for Donaire, who was fighting a featherweight who has since stepped up to superfeatherweight. Two quick-fire stoppage victories later, he was back at 122 lbs to claim a world super-bantamweight crown by outpointing Cesar Juarez.

Sky Sports believes that if Donaire cares to become the national boxing hero (and there’s no suggestion it’s something keeping him up at night), he faces a problem in that so much of his greatness has been overlooked while Pacquiao ran amok; overlooked not just by his countrymen but by the world in general. Conversely, Magsayo is just starting as Pacquiao is finishing.

After splitting the first two games, both the Aces and the Bolts want to get the today semis, Game 3 u p p e r - Game Smart Araneta Coliseum hand as 7 p.m. - Alaska vs. Meralco they battle again in Game 3 at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

A 2-1 series lead will certainly mean a lot for the victor as it will move within a game of booking a finals ticket.

If the first two games of the series are indicators, expect Game 3 to be an all out war.

After Alaska prevailed in Game 1 to draw first blood, Meralco came back with a steadier performance in Game 2 Wednesday night, taking it, 92-87, to square the series after a stronger performance from import Arinze Onuaku.

Meralco coach Norman Black hopes the Bolts can follow up their win with another one.

“We’ve shown that we can come back and now I’m hoping we can keep it up and grab the lead,” said Black.

Onuaku and skipper Jared Dillinger combined for 42 points to power the Bolts in Game 2.

The game was decided down the stretch. Alaska Aces head coach Alex Compton said Meralco made the right plays and Alaska’s offense broke down. He noted that the Bolts were similar to the Aces in that they never give up. They just kept on coming.

Compton didn’t stay long to chat with reporters after the game and instead hurriedly left to proceed to the team’s headquarters at the Hoops Gatorade Center to meet with his coaching staff.

The difference, according to Compton, was Meralco executing their plays and making the shots down the stretch. He said the Aces were surprised by the pace of the Meralco offense and were often caught flatfooted by the Bolts who mixed fastbreak attacks with their slow half-court offense.

Compton cited import Arinze Onuaku, rookie Chris Newsome and veteran Reynel Hugnatan for their heads up play.

F R I DAY : A P R I L 2 9, 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

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (foreground) drives past Houston Rockets defender Trevor Ariza (1).

The Warriors shrugged off the absence of Stephen Curry to crush the Rockets 114-81 and book their place in the next round of the Western Conference playoffs. AFP

No Curry, no problem as Dubs rout Rockets LOS ANGELES—The Golden State Warriors shrugged off the injury absence of Stephen Curry to crush the Houston Rockets 114-81 and book their place in the next round of the Western Conference playoffs on Wednesday.

The Warriors season has been plunged into uncertainty after Curry suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament during Game Four against Houston on Sunday.

However the reigning NBA champions dispelled the gloom with an emphatic rout of the Rockets to complete a 4-1 series victory over the Texas outfit.

The Warriors will now play either the Portland Trail Blazers or the injury-ravaged Los Angeles Clippers in the next round, with the opening game in the best-ofseven series set for Sunday.

Curry is likely to miss all of

Alaska, Meralco continue battle TURN TO A15

that series as he struggles to recover from his knee injury.

The star point guard’s place in the starting line-up was taken by veteran Shaun Livingston on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old scored 16 points with seven-for-eight shooting in Wednesday’s win.

The template for the game was set early in the first quarter, with the Warriors jumping out to a 37-20 lead that they never looked like relinquishing.

Rockets star James Harden had 18 points in the quarter but his teammates never made a hoop in

12 minutes, with the only other Houston points coming from Dwight Howard’s two free throws.

Harden top scored with 35 points, six rebounds and six assists, but it was not enough against the Warriors all-round game.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 27 points, including seven of 11 three-point attempts.

Meanwhile, Courtney Lee produced a game-winning threepointer with just 25 seconds left as the Charlotte Hornets stunned the Miami Heat 90-88 to move within one game of a playoff series victory on Wednesday.

Lee produced his crucial play in the dying seconds as the Hornets trailed 88-87 with Miami poised to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Instead, Lee grabbed a huge offensive rebound after Charlotte guard Kemba Walker missed a jumper.

Magsayo fights to win nation’s love TURN TO A15

Lee then held his nerve, draining a decisive three-pointer to leave the Heat’s playoff hopes hanging by a thread.

Charlotte will be at home for Friday’s Game Six, where victory would see them advance.

Marvin Williams top-scored for the Charlotte with 17 points while Al Jefferson and Walker weighed in with 14 points each.

Lee finished with eight points as Charlotte notched their third win on the spin.

Miami star Dwyane Wade led the game scoring with 25 points but squandered a shot with 2.6 seconds left that would have have tied the score on Miami’s final possession.

Once again it was Lee who rescued Charlotte, blocking Wade from behind with a game-saving intervention. A furious Wade cried foul but the game officials waved away his complaints. AFP

Fury wants to relocate to USA

By Ronnie Nathanielsz CLAIMING that he is “not accepted in Britain because I’m a Gypsy” world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury said he will settle down in the United States after his rematch with Wladimir Klitschko on July 9.

Sky Sports reported that the 27-year-old Fury who scored a stunning upset win over Klitschko last November to grab the WBA and WBO belts claimed he was a gypsy and “that will never change.”

Fury told Sky Sports in Britain “Klitschko will be my last in Britain—get past him and I’m away.”

Fury had previously spoken about the online abuse he receives for being part of the Traveller community and added, “This country has been waiting for me for 120 years but when I finally arrived, people called me a bum, so I’m moving to America where champions are appreciated. I made the decision last week to move to Los Angeles where they admire success and big talking. I was made for America. I’m going where millionaires are welcome and I’m a millionaire now.”

Fury concluded ““Every Brit that wants to make it in life has to go to America. If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere.”

Fury, who is undefeated in 25 professional fights, stunned the boxing world by outpointing Klitschko, who had not been beaten for 11 years, in Dusseldorf.

B1

FRIDAY: APRIL 29, 2016

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

PH signs new free trade deal

By Othel V. Campos

THE Philippines and the four-nation European Free Trade Association on Thursday signed a free trade agreement in Bern, Switzerland, a trade official said Thursday.

Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo confirmed the news from an active information exchange with the Philippine delegation in Bern led by Trade Secretary Adrian Cristobal Jr. “From what I know, the agreement should have been signed Thursday around 4:30 in the afternoon,” he said.

EFTA, a free trade area consisting of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, recent-

ly concluded the fifth and final round of talks and eight consultations with the Philippine government before the agreement was signed.

The Trade Department said the agreement with EFTA would be the country’s second free trade deal, after the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement. A free trade aims for a free flow of goods, services and people between two or more countries by

removing barriers and reducing import duties.

The government is currently developing a work program to encourage and promote utilization of the free trade agreement so that Philippine industries and sectors will benefit from the opportunities and potential of the deal.

“Right now, most Philippine products have duty-free access to the EU through the European Union’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus. We are targeting a more permanent and long-term relationship through the ongoing negotiations with EFTA,” Rodolfo said.

Establishing a strong foothold in the European market is a key component of the country’s trade strategy, according to the depart-

ment.

Top Philippine exports to EFTA member-states include gold in semi-manufactured forms, digital monolithic integrated circuits, aircraft parts, printed circuits, artificial teeth and silver while top imports from EFTA include medicaments, diagnostic or laboratory reagents, parts of airplanes or helicopters and wrist-watches.

The improving market access with Europe through EFTA will encourage investments in the services and non-services sector, bring in high-value added products, technological knowhow, and capital from the highly developed economies.

Rodolfo said with the recent development, the Philippines would continue to participate

in other multilateral free trade agreements. It will pursue negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a planned free trade area in the Asia-Pacific, and will hold talks with Trans-Pacific Partnership member-countries including Chile, Peru, Japan and Vietnam.

The government earlier held technical consultations with Canada, Mexico, the United States, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand for the TPP. “The country’s sectors and industries stand to benefit greatly from these trade initiatives. These will further improve the country’s global standing as we engage in freer trade and attract more foreign direct investments,” Rodolfo said.

PSe comPoSite index Closing April 28, 2016

8300 7840 7380 6920 6460 6000

7,162.56 17.97

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing April 28, 2016 48.00 46.00 45.00

P46.770

44.00

CLOSE

43.00

HIGH P46.720 LOW P46.830 AVERAGE P46.773 VOLUME 740.000M

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

oPriceS il P today

P19.25-P22.75 Diesel

Super8 festival. Super8 Grocery Warehouse holds the Super8 Funfest 2016 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City on April 28 to 30 to

empower small business owners and provide great deals for Filipino households. Shown pressing the button to signal the opening of the event are (from left) Super8 purchasing department manager Rowena Ong, finance manager and officer-in-charge Jennifer Tan, chief executive Alvin Lim, managing director Dorothy Santos and business group director Armand Mendoza. EY ACASIO

Economy likely grew over 7% in 1st quarter

By Julito G. Rada THE Philippine economy likely grew more than 7 percent in the first quarter, faster than the 6.3-percent expansion in the fourth quarter, bolstered by election-related spending ahead of the May 9 elections, economists said Thursday.

Economists from First Metro Investment Corp. and University of Asia & the Pacific said in joint report the stronger growth in the first three months of 2016 was possible

despite a slowdown in agriculture output during the period.

“We foresee an above-7 percent Q1 GDP growth, even if agriculture were to decline by 5 percent [which is unlikely] in Q1,” the economists said in the April issue of Market Call report.

“This optimistic outlook not only hinges on the stellar performance in January but also on our expectations for the other sectors,” they said.

Robust election spending by both the government and the can-

didates should continue to actual elections in May. “This should boost employment, consumer and investment spending,” the economists said.

The government earlier said the gross domestic product was expected to grow between 6.8 and 7.8 percent this year, anchored mainly on robust domestic demand. Last year, the economy grew 5.8 percent, below the target range of 7 percent to 8 percent.

Metrobank Research said in a separate report the economy

could grow 6.3 percent in 2016, as consumption spending would remain solid amid the soft commodity prices and the prevailing low-interest rate environment.

It said election spending was expected to support key services such as transportation, communication, and storage, business activities and retail trade.

However, Metrobank said the agricultural sector would remain weak as the El Niño dry spell was expected to extend until the first half.

P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Thursday, April 28, 2016

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

46.7870

Japan

Yen

0.008973

0.4198

UK

Pound

1.454800

68.0657

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128944

6.0329

Switzerland

Franc

1.030184

48.1992

Canada

Dollar

0.793840

37.1414

Singapore

Dollar

0.741510

34.6930

Australia

Dollar

0.758300

35.4786

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652942

124.1232

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266738

12.4799

Brunei

Dollar

0.738771

34.5649

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000076

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.028490

1.3330

UAE

Dirham

0.272294

12.7398

Euro

Euro

1.132400

52.9816

Korea

Won

0.000871

0.0408

China

Yuan

0.153965

7.2036

India

Rupee

0.015071

0.7051

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.255754

11.9660

New Zealand

Dollar

0.683000

31.9555

Taiwan

Dollar

0.030937

1.4474 Source: PDS Bridge

FRIDAY: APRIL 29, 2016

B2

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Thursday, april 28, 2016

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 4.2 17 30.45 10.4 2.6 890 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 75 91.5 137 80 361.2 57 180 1700 124 3.26

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.68 12.02 19.6 6.12 1.02 625 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 58 62 88.35 52 276 41 118.2 1200 59 2.65

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. I-Remit Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp.

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

PB Bank Phil Bank of Comm Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank Philippine trust Co. PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 89 148 20.6 85 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 2.89 31.8 109 20.75 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 3.95 4 74 33.9 90 13.26 293 0.62 5.25 12.98 15 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.86 7.34 238 5.5 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 5.28 1.3 2.17

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 40.3 32 15.32 20.2 10.08 29.15 1.5 1.5 10.72 9.55 9.04 6.02 8.86 1.06 20.2 71.5 13.86 13.24 5.34 0.395 173 2.3 1.63 33 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 0.335 3.87 8.45 10.04 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 1.65 5.9 161 4.1 1.55 0.138 1.02 2.09 152 4.28 0.640 1.2

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

Asiabest Group Bogo Medelin C. Azuc De Tarlac Century Food Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Concepcion Crown Asia Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) EEI Euro-Med Lab First Gen Corp.

First Holdings ‘A’ Ginebra San Miguel Inc. Holcim Philippines Inc. Integ. Micro-Electronics Ionics Inc Jollibee Foods Corp.

LMG Chemicals Mabuhay Vinyl Macay Holdings Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A’ MG Holdings Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Petron Corporation Phinma Corporation Phoenix Petroleum Phils.

Phoenix Semiconductor Pryce Corp. `A’ RFM Corporation Roxas and Co. Roxas Holdings San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ SPC Power Corp.

Splash Corporation Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp.

Trans-Asia Oil Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

0.59 59.2 30.05 2.16 7.39 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 3.35 4.92 0.66 1455 7.5 76 5.29 9.25 0.85 17.3 0.71 5.53 9.66 0.0670 2.31 1.61 84.9 3.5 974 1.66 1.39 390 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

0.44 48.1 20.85 1.6 6.62 0.23 0.23 634.5 7.390 12.8 2.6 2.26 0.152 837 5.3 49.55 3 4.84 0.59 12 0.580 4.2 3 0.030 1.23 0.550 59.3 1.5 751 1.13 0.93 170 80 0.211 0.179 0.310

Abacus Cons. `A’ Aboitiz Equity Alliance Global Inc. Anglo Holdings A Anscor `A’ ATN Holdings A ATN Holdings B Ayala Corp `A’ Cosco Capital DMCI Holdings F&J Prince ‘A’ Filinvest Dev. Corp.

Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Keppel Holdings `A’ Lopez Holdings Corp.

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

LT Group Mabuhay Holdings `A’ Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

MJCI Investments Inc. Pacifica `A’ Prime Media Hldg Prime Orion San Miguel Corp `A’ Seafront `A’ SM Investments Inc. Solid Group Inc. South China Res. Inc. Transgrid Top Frontier Unioil Res. & Hldgs Wellex Industries Zeus Holdings

10.5 1.99 1.75 0.375 41.4

6.74 0.65 1.2 0.192 30.05

8990 HLDG A. Brown Co., Inc. Araneta Prop `A’ Arthaland Corp.

Ayala Land `B’

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

SHARES 11,679,021 78,239,264 134,343,883 153,361,145 592,296,587 296,304,144 1,269,383,832

Close

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.1 2.9 45.7 45.5 99.95 99.00 91.00 90.55 38.5 38.4 1.70 1.60 14 14 16.1 15.94 7.60 7.05 1.77 1.69 601.00 600.50 0.630 0.590 83 82.25 0.96 0.96 14.60 14.50 25.00 25.00 53.50 52.15 102.9 102.9 310 310 270 269 31.9 31.55 170 166.5 1415.00 1405.00 58.00 57.65 1.53 1.51 INDUSTRIAL 44.5 44.5 44.2 4.54 4.58 4.4 0.78 0.78 0.78 1.36 1.45 1.36 15 14.9 13.1 57.9 53.15 53 220.00 190.00 142.00 18.86 18.9 18.82 190 239 200 17.9 18.06 17.88 46.75 42.2 42.2 2.28 2.32 2.28 5.03 5.2 4.9 11 11.06 11.06 9.010 9.150 9.010 7.93 8.05 7.00 5.94 5.94 5.84 7.30 7.40 7.18 1.66 1.67 1.67 20.65 21 20.6 69.45 69.4 68.6 14.90 13.50 15.42 14.00 14.00 14.00 5.59 5.6 5.58 2.290 2.400 2.300 226.00 230.00 226.00 2.07 2.07 2.06 3.6 3.75 3.5 38.00 40.00 38.00 27.9 27.9 27.4 20.7 21.3 20.6 6.4 6.38 6.3 344.60 344.60 340.20 0.290 0.280 0.280 3.77 3.77 3.76 10.54 10.80 10.54 11.60 11.60 11.58 4.78 4.78 4.68 1.64 1.64 1.58 2.69 2.75 2.69 4.20 4.22 4.17 2.3 2.3 2.3 4.56 4.8 4.8 166.9 209 201.2 4 4.19 3.99 2.68 2.74 2.67 0.155 0.155 0.152 1.25 1.27 1.17 2.58 2.56 2.53 210.4 210.4 208 4.8 4.8 4.8 0.94 1 0.91 1.30 1.47 1.32 HOLDING FIRMS 0.350 0.390 0.350 66.80 67.00 66.60 15.24 15.30 14.50 1.11 1.17 1.11 6.05 6.07 6.05 0.360 0.415 0.360 0.360 0.410 0.375 776 780 765 8.09 8.18 7.97 12.10 12.42 12.12 5.2 5.19 5.19 5.55 5.55 5.40 0.225 0.234 0.224 1368 1388 1367 6.32 6.32 6.20 83.50 83.80 80.00 5.5 6.29 6.29 7.42 7.41 7.26 0.68 0.72 0.68 15.28 15.46 15.2 0.485 0.475 0.470 5.8 5.8 5.95 3.34 3.32 3.32 0.0330 0.0340 0.0320 1.590 1.600 1.450 1.880 1.900 1.870 67.70 69.30 66.30 2.14 2.14 2.14 950.00 958.00 946.00 1.15 1.17 1.16 0.82 0.83 0.83 195.00 196.00 196.00 139.000 139.800 132.100 0.3400 0.3550 0.3350 0.1940 0.1960 0.1920 0.280 0.285 0.280 PROPERTY 7.600 7.600 7.520 1.09 1.13 1.05 2.710 2.800 2.440 0.255 0.270 0.255 34.200 34.950 34.200

2.93 45.6 99.50 90.80 38.55 1.61 14 16.04 7.60 1.77 600.50 0.610 82.35 1 14.50 24.50 52.15 102.9 450 269 31.65 166.5 1405.00 57.65 1.51

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3.02 45.6 99.50 90.70 38.4 1.61 14 15.94 7.60 1.69 601.00 0.610 82.75 0.96 14.60 25.00 52.20 102.9 310 269 31.85 168.3 1405.00 57.70 1.53

3.07 0.00 0.00 -0.11 -0.39 0.00 0.00 -0.62 0.00 -4.52 0.08 0.00 0.49 -4.00 0.69 2.04 0.10 0.00 -31.11 0.00 0.63 1.08 0.00 0.09 1.32

204,000 14,300 3,466,830 1,065,220 171,500 706,000 15,600 1,150,300 1,300 12,000 230 544,000 2,703,810 21,000 3,200 20,000 34,670 2,700 70 83,430 31,900 1,386,090 325 29,070 94,000

44.4 4.52 0.78 1.37 14.68 53.15 190.00 18.9 202 17.9 42.2 2.28 4.9 11.06 9.150 8.00 5.86 7.40 1.67 20.6 68.75 14.98 14.00 5.58 2.360 230.00 2.07 3.6 40.00 27.85 21 6.33 340.20 0.280 3.77 10.68 11.58 4.78 1.60 2.69 4.21 2.3 4.8 201.2 4 2.7 0.155 1.20 2.55 208.8 4.8 0.92 1.43

-0.22 -0.44 0.00 0.74 -2.13 -8.20 -13.64 0.21 6.32 0.00 -9.73 0.00 -2.58 0.55 1.55 0.88 -1.35 1.37 0.60 -0.24 -1.01 10.96 0.00 -0.18 3.06 1.77 0.00 0.00 5.26 -0.18 1.45 -1.09 -1.28 -3.45 0.00 1.33 -0.17 0.00 -2.44 0.00 0.24 0.00 5.26 20.55 0.00 0.75 0.00 -4.00 -1.16 -0.76 0.00 -2.13 10.00

2,452,600 155,000 151,000 2,590,000 8,800 30 310 858,000 9,690 142,500 100 567,000 517,000 1,500 3,871,200 798,800 12,754,100 539,100 11,000 1,649,300 113,870 3,900 424,900 72,800 2,456,000 866,840 10,000 27,000 4,000 2,352,100 265,900 26,800 182,630 210,000 542,000 5,783,000 27,500 252,000 229,000 61,000 132,000 2,000 6,000 1,800 47,000 127,000 4,750,000 34,000 2,586,000 3,160,870 160,000 13,940,000 12,281,000

0.365 67.00 14.50 1.15 6.05 0.390 0.385 772 7.97 12.36 5.19 5.45 0.234 1367 6.32 81.50 6.29 7.31 0.7 15.3 0.470 5.95 3.32 0.0340 1.600 1.870 66.30 2.14 946.00 1.16 0.83 196.00 139.800 0.3450 0.1960 0.285

4.29 0.30 -4.86 3.60 0.00 8.33 6.94 -0.52 -1.48 2.15 -0.19 -1.80 4.00 -0.07 0.00 -2.40 14.36 -1.48 2.94 0.13 -3.09 2.59 -0.60 3.03 0.63 -0.53 -2.07 0.00 -0.42 0.87 1.22 0.51 0.58 1.47 1.03 1.79

15,020,000 1,601,750 5,944,500 129,000 130,100 32,950,000 4,150,000 325,370 1,969,800 6,337,400 100 419,600 130,000 140,315 27,500 1,581,200 500 1,505,300 16,000 2,491,300 250,000 36,442,700 10,000 5,700,000 339,000 408,000 160,890 55,000 160,970 77,000 1,000 20 3,470 15,170,000 150,000 120,000

7.550 1.09 2.460 0.270 34.250

-0.66 0.00 -9.23 5.88 0.15

24,600 4,129,000 7,181,000 2,810,000 6,407,800

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

High

Close

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3.36 0.79 1.1 0.97 0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 1.15 1.42 1.27 3.1 4.13 0.090 0.290 0.39 23 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 3.38 0.83 5.73

Belle Corp. `A’ 2.96 Century Property 0.550 City & Land Dev. 0.96 Cityland Dev. `A’ 1.000 Crown Equities Inc. 0.136 Cyber Bay Corp.

0.455 Double Dragon 38.5 Empire East Land 0.830 Global-Estate 1.00 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.89 Interport `A’ 1.30 Keppel Properties 4.50 Megaworld 3.8 MRC Allied Ind. 0.085 Phil. Estates Corp.

0.2500 Phil. Realty `A’ 0.540 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 28.55 Robinson’s Land `B’ 27.40 Rockwell 1.59 Shang Properties Inc. 3.1 SM Prime Holdings 22.45 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.86 Starmalls 6.52 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 1.040 Vista Land & Lifescapes 4.800

2.70 -1.82 0.00 0.00 2.94 2.20 1.30 0.00 1.00 0.53 -3.08 0.00 -1.32 0.00 4.00 9.26 -1.93 -1.46 -0.63 0.00 2.00 0.00 1.07 0.96 0.00

226,000 3,139,000 42,000 2,000 24,420,000 3,320,000 2,395,400 125,000 15,815,000 7,196,000 10,000 2,000 43,484,000 630,000 90,000 2,863,000 2,200 1,980,400 133,000 3,000 12,971,900 4,158,000 4,000 2,027,000 7,741,000

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 7.67 2720 8.41 1.97 119.5 7 5.8 12.5 0.017

1.97 35.2 1 0.63 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 4.8 1600 5.95 1.23 102.6 3.01 4 8.72 0.011

0.8200 2.2800 5.93

0.041 1.200 2.34

12.28 3.32 3.2 2.46 15.2

6.5 1.91 1.95 1.8 6

1.040 22.8 4 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

0.37 14.54 2.28 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

11.6 0.85 2.95 10 0.490 1.9

7.59 0.63 1.71 5 0.315 1.14

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

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

Manila Jockey Melco Crown Metro Retail NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

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

SSI Group STI Holdings Transpacific Broadcast Travellers Waterfront Phils.

Yehey

-1.20 0.27 0.00 0.00 2.39 0.00 2.00 0.22 1.41 -0.09 1.80 -0.85 -0.70 49.75 40.54 0.00 -1.00 -0.10 12.86 5.02 2.30 -2.57 1.32 1.30 0.00 1.01 8.96 2.63 -4.76 0.57 0.00 0.00 -1.39 3.57 2.35 -0.49 0.13 -1.26 -0.89 1.67 3.23 -0.29 1.47 -2.22

184,400 12,460 30,000 678,000 1,343,000 9,460,000 207,000 405,230 208,000 101,875 99,300 227,000 605,350 1,394,200 8,790 100 200,000 1,524,000 507,010,000 15,155,000 67,000 12,800 50,000 375,000 1,000 336,000 14,222,000 487,000 16,070,000 1,000,200 21,000 106,600 291,635 1,460,000 9,848,000 2,103,500 419,840 632,400 1,157,000 1,945,000 10,000 199,000 310,000 38,600

5.45 17.24 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

1.72 6.47 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

7 Seas Oil Explo.

Apex `A’ Atlas Cons. `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

7.89 0.49 1.69 2.04 12.80 21.59 1.43 6.00 -2.10 2.25 1.72 11.36 6.69 0.00 0.00 -0.50 0.58 -3.35 6.90 0.00 -1.08 -5.00 4.01 2.79 0.00 0.79 3.21

107,000,000 59,000 19,000 110,000 388,000 189,400 588,000 821,000 6,800 14,866,000 1,110,000 54,830,000 7,380,000 65,500,000 1,800,000 648,000 1,994,200 232,000 295,000 162,000 1,000,000 60,000 480,200 744,000 34,100,000 911,770 398,000

42,900.00

70 8.21 12.28 111 1060 1047

33 5.88 6.5 101 997 1011

-7,292,679.00

78.95

74.5

0.88 5.26 0.00 -2.52 0.00 0.39 -0.29 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.85 1.43 0.00 0.60 0.53

928,340 100 8,000 140 60 6,500 500 2,090 153,850 1,660 81,470 25,020 7,050 50,800 30,400

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

-0.31

78,000

15

3.5

12.88

5.95

3.38 2.16 -0.98 2.96

10,000 76,000 186,000 2,884,500

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

0.00

3,280

-2,036,060.00 3,540.00 51,600.00 10,942,483.00 -17,520.00 -201,890.50

585,880 31,881,656.00 -245,875.00 -35,754.00 18,613,060.00 1,407,300.00 9,170.00 -3,493,328.00

20,520.00 -5,625,295.00 -1,169,320.00 -12,240,072.00 544,868.00 -6,055,830.00 -810,322.50 -70,000.00 -253,660.00 21,511,690.00

-1,833,995.00 483,230.00 25,333.00 -11,452,438.00 1,424,110.00 -18,836,518.00 -130,866.00

491,120.00 -20,900.00

-50,600.00 21,106,920.00 768,000.00 427,760.00 -1,480.00 40,136,738.00 -61,796,682.00

4,250.00 39,386,275.00 -5,565,971.00 653,062.00

-76,304,140.00 40,480.00 -9,977,619.00 -381,919.00 7,849,144.00 15,828,712.00

-6,845,430.00 b

-103,650.00

-179,650.00 -2,261,330.00 16,803,720.00

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

GMA Holdings Inc. Leisure and Resort MWIDE PREF PCOR-Preferred A PF Pref 2 PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred D SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F SMC Preferred G SMC Preferred H SMC Preferred I

Alterra Capital Makati Fin. Corp.

Italpinas Xurpas

3.04 2.96 3.04 0.56 0.540 0.540 0.96 0.92 0.96 1.000 0.960 1.000 0.141 0.132 0.140 0.480 0.455 0.465 39.5 38.5 39 0.840 0.830 0.830 1.03 0.99 1.01 1.90 1.86 1.90 1.26 1.26 1.26 4.50 4.50 4.50 3.88 3.71 3.75 0.085 0.083 0.085 0.2650 0.2420 0.2600 0.600 0.570 0.590 28.60 28.00 28.00 28.00 26.95 27.00 1.6 1.57 1.58 3.1 3.1 3.1 22.95 22.50 22.90 0.86 0.89 0.86 7 6.25 6.59 1.090 1.030 1.050 4.820 4.730 4.800 SERVICES 7.49 7.44 7.23 7.4 56.45 56.85 56.55 56.6 1.25 1.26 1.25 1.25 0.570 0.580 0.570 0.570 4.19 4.35 4.20 4.29 0.0540 0.0550 0.0530 0.0540 3 3.06 3 3.06 89 89.9 88.5 89.2 7.10 7.40 7.15 7.20 2202 2214 2196 2200 6.68 6.80 6.65 6.80 1.17 1.21 1.14 1.16 64.25 66.8 63.8 63.8 16.16 24.20 16.26 24.20 185 260 150 260 11.52 11.52 11.52 11.52 0.0100 0.0099 0.0099 0.0099 9.71 9.70 9.62 9.70 0.350 0.415 0.360 0.395 2.1900 2.3500 2.1000 2.3000 2.17 2.3 2.15 2.22 10.9 10.68 10.62 10.62 7.60 7.70 7.70 7.70 3.85 3.96 3.78 3.90 2.80 2.80 2.80 2.80 1.98 2 1.97 2 2.12 2.32 2.14 2.31 3.80 3.90 3.80 3.90 3.360 3.560 3.200 3.200 17.5 17.6 16.98 17.6 2.75 2.75 2.75 2.75 23.60 23.65 23.20 23.60 1725.00 1775.00 1696.00 1701.00 0.420 0.435 0.420 0.435 0.850 0.880 0.830 0.870 41.00 41.20 40.35 40.80 76.60 77.00 76.50 76.70 6.36 6.45 6.28 6.28 3.38 3.38 3.30 3.35 0.600 0.620 0.600 0.610 1.86 1.92 1.92 1.92 3.4 3.49 3.38 3.39 0.340 0.345 0.325 0.345 5.400 5.400 5.280 5.280 MINING & OIL 0.0038 0.0042 0.0040 0.0041 2.03 2.05 1.95 2.04 4.13 4.20 4.14 4.20 0.245 0.250 0.247 0.250 8.2000 10 7.83 9.2500 7.4100 9.8000 7.4600 9.0100 0.7 0.72 0.67 0.71 0.500 0.530 0.510 0.530 8.58 8.48 8.05 8.40 0.890 0.920 0.900 0.910 0.290 0.295 0.290 0.295 0.220 0.247 0.222 0.245 0.239 0.260 0.240 0.255 0.0120 0.0120 0.0110 0.0120 0.0130 0.0130 0.0130 0.0130 2.01 2.06 2 2 5.18 5.38 5.16 5.21 2.69 2.75 2.6 2.6 0.5800 0.6400 0.5900 0.6200 1.2900 1.2900 1.2300 1.2900 0.0093 0.0092 0.0092 0.0092 4.00 3.90 3.68 3.80 5.51 5.71 5.49 5.78 2.15 2.23 2.15 2.21 0.0120 0.0120 0.0110 0.0120 127.00 129.00 126.90 128.00 2.8 3 2.84 2.89 PREFERRED 56.5 57.3 56.9 57 6.46 6.8 6.8 6.8 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 110.9 110 108.1 108.1 1026 1061 1026 1026 1016 1020 1015 1020 103.8 103.8 103.8 103.5 108 110 108 108 77.5 77.5 77.5 77.5 76 76 76 76 75.6 77 75.6 77 76.9 78.2 77.9 78 77 77 77 77 75.05 75.5 75.05 75.5 75.1 75.5 75.5 75.5 WARRANTS & BONDS 3.250 3.300 3.100 3.240 SME 4.14 4.28 4.04 4.28 4.16 4.25 4.17 4.25 3.05 3.15 3.2 3.02 16.22 16.9 16.28 16.7 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 118 118.3 117.7 118

%

5.6 1.44 1.97 1.48 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 2.22 2.1 1.8 8.4 5.94 0.180 0.470 0.72 27 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 7.56 1.62 8.59

36,690.00 -56,047,156 12,860,302.50

T op g ainerS VALUE 932,015,266.88 1,419,449,129.94 1,410,471,584.394 934,684,703.46 1,766,768,202.993 171,841,090.649 6,684,759,265.915

Low

STOCKS

FINANCIAL 1,596.46 (UP) 3.28 INDUSTRIAL 11,798.69 (DOWN) 26.28 HOLDING FIRMS 7,094.13 (DOWN) 46.17 PROPERTY 2,940.36 (UP) 17.82 SERVICES 1,467.92 (DOWN) 5.73 MINING & OIL 10,739.66 (UP) 231.92 PSEI 7,162.56 (DOWN) 17.97 All Shares Index 4,247.85 (DOWN) 53.58 Gainers: 110; Losers: 71; Unchanged: 55; Total: 236

486,910.00 -857,200.00 14,000.00 45,500.00 21,000,850.00 -1,060,500.00 -6,967,990.00 1,360,580.00

-30,152,305.00 63,090.00 118,244,115.00

126,750.00

-1,139,260.00 8,255,964.00 -2,949,730.00 -18,530,809.50 122,550.00

-277,050.00 -111,060.00 385,000.00

2,715,820.00 -15,460.00 1,631,500.00 -63,655.00 -67,326,835.00 -8,500.00 1,129,740.00 1,983,365.00 -3,383,475.50 -318,270.00 -174,730.00 95,700.00

-33,600.00 43,376.00

-113,750.00

-3,898,289.00 260,000.00

308,451.00 -31,535,844.00 27,517,302.00

-4,384,500.00

30,200.00 -28,227,776.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Imperial Res. `A'

24.20

49.75

Philippine trust Co.

310

-31.11

Imperial Res. `B'

260

40.54

C. Azuc De Tarlac

190.00

-13.64

Benguet Corp `B'

9.0100

21.59

Concepcion

42.2

-9.73

San Miguel'Pure Foods `B'

201.2

20.55

Araneta Prop `A'

2.460

-9.23

Keppel Holdings `A'

6.29

14.36

Bogo Medelin

53.15

-8.20

Island Info

0.395

12.86

Petroenergy Res. Corp.

3.80

-5.00

Benguet Corp `A'

9.2500

12.80

Alliance Global Inc.

14.50

-4.86

Lepanto `A'

0.245

11.36

NOW Corp.

3.200

-4.76

Ginebra San Miguel Inc.

14.98

10.96

I-Remit Inc.

1.69

-4.52

Vulcan Ind'l.

1.43

10.00

TKC Steel Corp.

1.20

-4.00

FRIDAY: APRIL 29, 2016

B3

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

Globe to invest $2b in 5 years

By Darwin G. Amojelar

GLOBE Telecom Inc. said on Thursday it is spending about $2 billion over five years to provide the country’s households with fiber optic cables in a move that could put pressure on rival Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. Globe chief commercial officer Albert de Larrazabal told reporters the investment over five years to roll out fiber optics in 20,000 barangays aimed to provide ultra-faster Internet access to about two million homes nationwide by 2020.

Globe will also pour significant investment in capacity enhancement for both mobile and wireline using different technologies that include 3G, Long Term Evolution and even Wi-Fi. To be able to achieve its goal of

creating an Internet super highway nationwide, Larrazabal said the company teamed up with the city government of Manila for the pilot rollout of its broadband technology in Binondo.

Larrazabal said the company was investing at least $1 million for the deployment of fiber broadband technology in Binondo, which is expected to deliver ultra-fast Internet to at least 5,000 new business and home subscribers.

The project will be completed in the third quarter of the year.

“Globe is able to deploy fiber broadband technology in Binondo

Of heroes and monsters

THE campaign rhetoric has turned to claimed heroics and even to quotes from fictional heroes. While there is a comic aspect to this, it is indicative of the fact that many people still look for heroes.

In discussions on corporate culture, we often say that the company stories, the ones that people tell each other again and again are like the spoken history of the organization. These stories reflect what individuals believe. When we try to capture the real but often unspoken values of an organization, we usually need look no farther than the corporate mythology. If you can identify who the company’s heroes and villains are, you are well on your way to understanding what the organization truly values.

In much the same way, when we are young or even when we are old and need to re-examine our life’s path, reflecting on the lives and choices of those we admire can be instructive Giving back, moving forward I first met him early this year. I was working on relaunching the Master in Entrepreneurship program of the Asian Institute of Management and our Dean thought it would be a good idea for us to meet.

His name is Ed Isidro and, as of this last week of April, he has been running a monthly venture capital forum for exactly 29 years. It is a unique format. He begins at seven in the morning and ends at exactly nine a.m. There is no fee and there are no refreshments.

The program involves trend and opportunity spotting; and no more than five very short presentations. These presentations tend to be calls for investors; although some of them also ask for distributors, suppliers, or even key talent or expertise. The audience is primarily made up of angel investors, entrepreneurs, businessmen.

Isidro’s formula is straightforward. The venue is the same and has not changed for 29 years. The original group of members has been increased primarily by invitations from regular members. No commissions or fees are assessed. There are no membership dues.

Connections and investments are made unimpeded by any intervention of Isidro or his team. While the Asian Institute of Management provides the venue, Isidro and his team have essentially been running this forum for free for 29 years.

Isidro, who retired in his 50’s at a time when most people waited for mandatory retirement, had prepared well for his retirement. He had bought himself an office con do unit. From that space, he manages his retirement activities. The forum is his idea of giving back, providing a mechanism for entrepreneurs to reach out to those with the capital or resources they need in order to move forward. Clearly, it is also something he enjoys. It is obvious that Isidro is living a life he enjoys, one he prepared well for and one he is entirely in control of.

Keeping calm He was the fourth child in the family, the youngest for 13 years, the boy that his parents had been waiting for.

I was the first child, with a name taken off of a calendar because these were days before the sonogram, when the gender of your baby was unknown until after birth. My parents had a name for a boy, but not for a girl.

In the second week of this month, on the west coast of the United States of America, he celebrated a milestone birthday. Like many families today, we are geographically fragmented, the emotional fabric of our relationships made to stretch across miles and time zones.

He crossed the Pacific in the year he turned twenty.

In that new country, he finished his education while working for the university he was enrolled in. He got married and raised a family. In a career that has spanned two industries and included a position reporting directly to a president and a chairman of the board, he has managed to steer clear of the temptation to drown in work. In a field littered with

burned out professionals, he has chosen balance over money, professional fulfilment over title. In a country of endangered teens, he has managed to raise calm, responsible, well-behaved children.

Whenever I feel dark shadows closing around me, I think of him. Some days, we chat or talk. We have the internet to thank for that. Some years, I find a way to schedule a trip to visit him. It may seem bizarre to many that I actually find a trip to California calming.

But this is not about the country or the state. It is about spending time with someone who takes a good, long look at his life choices and accepts. He looks at his past and his reality and knows that he cannot change what has been. He faces the future and chooses light over dark, joy over despair, love and family over money and corporate titles.

This is not to say that those who choose their careers over personal considerations are wrong. But it is refreshing to be with someone who chooses calm and joy.

In the week of his birthday, I thought of looking for the meaning of his name. I had thought to write a column about him and planned to use the meaning of his name as the title. One meaning I had always known. Jay is the name of a small, colorful bird. While he is not small, he is certainly lithe and flexible. And his calm career choices have allowed him to paint the rest of his life with the colors of his many interests – martial arts, travel, culture, food, wine. But my favorite meaning of his name was this: Jay comes from the Latin Gaius, meaning to rejoice. And that, I think, entirely appropriate.

My brother is one of my personal heroes. For me, he is a constant source of quiet joy.

Sky This week as I tried to power my way through a packed work week, I came across a post from one of my favorite authors. Claudia Hall Christian writes Denver Cereal, a story that has been told in daily instalments for over five years. Now on chapter 412, this serial has so far been turned into 13 books. But my favorite of the stories she writes is the one on Alex the Fey. I loved that weekly serial so much that I actively searched for news about a new book once the one I was reading ended.

My search found Claudia on Facebook. I added her as a friend and, lo and behold, she added me back. She is one of those wonderful human beings whom you might never have met face-to-face but nevertheless manages to touch your life.

This week, she posted this: You are the sky, everything else is just weather. It is a meditation mantra and was entirely appropriate for the sorts of things I have been thinking of this week.

When we make decisions about our life path, when we make collective decisions about our country’s future direction, we must separate the distractions from the essence. It is always important to focus on what is truly important. For life choices, it is important to have a clear sense of who you are. Happily, the analogy of the sky reminds us to see farther, to look beyond, to push forward, to choose the light.

I suppose the conundrum of leadership in a difficult situation is much like the dilemma of the choices before us as a nation. In a recent movie adaptation of the story of Dracula, the protagonist says this: “My father was a great man, a hero, so they say. But sometimes the world doesn’t need another hero, sometimes what it needs is a monster.”

In all this talk about heroes, one of the realities is that much of the campaign messaging has been about monsters. The questions before us are difficult but important. What does the country really need? What can we live with? Who are we as a nation?

Readers can email Maya at integrations_manila@ yahoo.com. Or visit her site at http://integrations. tumblr.com.

only because we are united with the local city government in realizing a vision of developing ‘connected communities’ where both enterprise clients and customers at home get to experience the full benefits of having world-class data connectivity,” de Larrazabal said.

“We hope to replicate the realization of this vision in many other areas in the country as we all aspire to further drive local economic growth,” he said.

He said Globe was in talks with other local government units for the development of “connected communities.”

Larrazabal added Globe would also roll out small cell technology in various parts of Binondo as part of efforts to expand network coverage and capacity. The small cell technology, which supports multiple technologies including 3G and LTE, will enable Globe to harness additional capacity from fiber optics without the need for macro cell sites.

Globe is also in close coordination with the city government of Manila relating to the construction of additional cell sites not only in Binondo but also in other parts of the capital, as part of its continuing coverage and capacity expansion.

Manila

Standard TOYOTA FINANCIAL SERVICES PHILIPPINES CORPORATION TODAY 32nd Floor

G. T. Tower International, Ayala Avenue corner H. V. dela Costa Street,Salcedo Village, 1226 Makati City

STATEMENT OF CONDITION As of March 31, 2016 ASSETS Due from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas P Deposit in Banks GS Purchased Under Reverse Repurchase Agreement with BSP GS Purchased Under RRA Sold Under Resale Agreement Loans and Receivables (Net) (Long-Term Portion of P32,053,137,688) Available-for-Sale Securities (Net) Real Estate for Sale/Lease (Net) Real Property, Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (Net) Real and Other Properties Acquired (Net) Other Assets (Net) TOTAL ASSETS P

6,983,598,916 1,123,433,750 0 0 33,289,119,832 0 1,500,000 0 73,222,061 75,069,176 3,713,724,172 45,259,667,907

LIABILITIES Bills Payable Accrued Taxes and Other Expenses Other Liabilities TOTAL LIABILITIES

P P

35,727,455,243 300,003,210 4,704,602,240 40,732,060,693

CAPITAL ACCOUNTS Capital Stock Retained Earnings Sub - Total Less: Treasury Stock TOTAL CAPITAL ACCOUNTS

P

P

1,700,000,000 2,827,607,214 4,527,607,214 0 4,527,607,214

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND CAPITAL ACCOUNTS

P

45,259,667,907

P

COMMITMENT AND OTHER CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS Other Contingent Accounts Note: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

P

0

Held for Trading Securities comprise of Government Securities of P0 and Equity Securities - Common Shares of P0 Non-performing loans and ratio to total loan portfolio: P 718,824,229 ;1.78% Classified loans and other risk assets: P 1,678,886,448 General loan loss reserve: P 391,148,986 Specific loan loss reserve: P470,446,691 Return on equity (ROE): 14.90% DOSRI loans/advances and ratio to total loan portfolio: None Past due DOSRI loans/advances and ratio to total portfolio: None

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES) We, Ma. Fe S. Medrano, Assistant Vice-President and Atsushi Murakami, President of the above-mentioned NBQB, do solemnly swear that all matters set forth in the statement of condition are true and correct to the best of our knowledge and belief.

(Sgd.) MA. FE S. MEDRANO Assistant Vice-President

(Sgd.) ATSUSHI MURAKAMI President

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 20th day of April 2016, affiants exhibiting to me their Driver’s License No. N0410001084 issued at Manila and Passport No. TG8260436 issued at Japan.

Doc. No. 76 Page No. 17 Book No. 6 Series of 2016

(Sgd.) XERXES E. CORTEL Commission No. M-115 Notary Public of Makati City Until December 31, 2017 Suite 1015, 10F Cityland Condominium 10 Tower 1 Ayala Ave. cor. H.V. dela Costa Street, Makati City Roll No. 40927/04-12-96 PTR No. 5329597; 01-06-15; Makati City IBP No. 1012327; November 26, 2015; Nueva Ecija MCLE Compliance No. V-0010755 Valid until April 14, 2019

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FRIDAY: APRIL 29, 2016

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

IN BRIEF Teleperformance adds site TELEPERFORMANCE, the world’s leading provider of outsourced management services, opened a new facility in Ugong, Pasig City to add 2,000 employees to its growing presence in the Philippines.

Teleperformance Silver City at Frontera Verde Drive across Tiendesitas shopping complex brings to over 42,000 the number of duly employed Filipinos in Teleperformance, making it one of the largest employers in the Philippines.

It is the 17th Teleperformance site that was programmed to be part of the company’s year-long celebration of 20th founding anniversary in the country.

“The opening today of our 17th site signifies our strong commitment to the Philippines’ BPO sector. I am confident that our growth story will continue to unfold as we offer excellent service to our clients from around the world,” said Teleperformance Philippines managing director Travis Coates. Othel V. Campos

Lufthansa expands in PH

THE Lufthansa Group said Thursday it will hire 440 employees over the next 24 months as it expands operations in the Philippines.

Two business units of Lufthansa – Lufthansa InTouch and Lufthansa Global Business Services teamed up to establish a company called Lufthansa Services Philippines, which will start operations in June this year.

“The service delivery center in Manila will play a key role in preparing ourselves for future growth,” said Lufthansa Global Business senior vice president Astrid Hartmann.

“We will be able to provide outstanding service and optimize our delivery costs; as a result we expect to expand our business portfolio and attract new customers,” he said.

Lufthansa said over a period of 24 months, the 4,000-square-meter service center in Alabang would grow to 440 positions for highly qualified employees.

Darwin G. Amojelar

Meralco, Semirara to build P90-b plant

By Alena Mae S. Flores

SEMIRARA Mining and Power Corp. and Meralco PowerGen Corp., a whollyowned subsidiary of Manila Electric Co., formed a joint venture to develop a 700-megawatt coal plant in Calaca, Batangas costing P90 billion.

Semirara Mining, a unit of DMCI Holdings Inc. of the Consunji Group, said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Thursday it signed a joint venture agreement with Meralco PowerGen “for the purpose of owning, constructing and operating a

700-MW coal fired power plant to be located in Calaca, Batangas.”

Meralco PowerGen is the power generation arm of Meralco, which has also been scouting for possible partners to increase its power portfolio to 3,000 MW. The project company for the coal power plant will be St. Raphael Power Generation Corp., which was incorporated in 2013.

“An environmental compliance certificate ECC-CO-1530-0012 dated Sept. 17, 2015 has been issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for said project,” Semirara Mining said.

DMCI chairman Isidro Consunji said Semirara Mining and Meralco PowerGen would equally take a 40-percent stake in the project, with Marubeni Corp. of Japan holding the balance.

“Meralco will buy the output,” Consunji said.

The move came shortly after Consunji confirmed talks with Meralco and Marubeni to build the two-units coal plant in Batangas.

Consunji said earlier the company was in preliminary discussions with the two groups and expected to finalize the ownership structure of the project.

The proposed power plant is the second phase of the planned expansion of the Calaca coal-fired plant facility.

Semirara Mining’s board approved the second phase of the expansion in 2014 for the investment in two units of 350 MW each, using pulverized coal technology.

The current Calaca facility consists of two 300-MW generating units and is designed to utilize local coal from Semirara.

DMCI bought the Calaca plant from the government in July 2009, with a bid of $361.7 million.

Korean bank lends $100m

THE government on Thursday signed a $100 million-loan deal with Export-Import Bank of KoreaEconomic Development Cooperation Fund for the construction of a 4-19-kilometer bridge in Mindanao.

Treasurer Roberto Tan signed the loan agreement with Kexim-EDCF chief representative Yongkeun Oh. “With the steadfast support we have from our development partners and neighbors, we are able to fund the Republic’s infrastructure investments at a lower, and much favorable premium,” Tan said.

The agreement marked the first bridge infrastructure project of Kexim-EDCF in the country which is seen to support growth in the southern part. The loan will finance the construction of a 4.19-kilometer bridge across Panguil Bay connecting the City of Tangub in Misamis Occidental and the town of Tubod in Lanao del Norte.

The Public Works Department will serve as the implementing agency of the project, which is scheduled to be completed in 2018. Gabrielle H. Binaday

Remittances resilient

BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said Thursday remittances from overseas Filipinos will continue to be a major pillar of economic growth.

“I think remittances will continue to be a significant source of foreign exchange for us and a significant source of funding for economic activities such as consumption investments and the like and boost the economy,” Tetangco said.

“Despite these issues, remittances have continued to exhibit resilience. You’ve got the global financial crisis in 2007 and 2008. You’ve got the oil price sharp decline over the last two years. But remittances have continued to increase,” he said.

Tetangco said the recent slowdown in remittances growth could not be attributed to the money laundering scam. He said this could be due to different factors, such as the strengthening of the US dollar against third currencies.

“So it has converted into the US dollar, then the US dollar equivalent is less. There are also mitigations that if you convert the dollar amounts to Philippine peso, then the value has actually gone up because the peso has weakened against the US dollar. So in terms of what the families here actually receive in terms of peso are much higher,” Tetangco said.

Cash remittances grew 4.6 percent to a record $25.767 billion in 2015 from $24.628 billion in 2014.

It also accounted for a tenth of gross domestic product. Julito G. Rada

DBP employees to keep jobs EMPLOYEES of state-run Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines will keep their jobs despite the planned merger, the Governance Commission for Government owned and Controlled Corporations said Thursday.

GCG chairman Cesar Villanueva said employees would not be laid off during the merger of the two banks, as it was the condition of President Benigno Aquino III before he approved the plan.

“Actually, no employees will be affected. That’s the condition of the president. He wouldn’t sign it unless he was assured that no employees would be affected,” Villanueva said at the sidelines of the launching of whistleblowing web portal for state-run corporations.

Villanueva said employees of the two banks would also be given a chance for an early retirement program wherein they would be compensated with a retirement pay equivalent to 1.5 of their monthly salary for every year of service.

GCG said that while no employees would be forced to separate from the bank, some of them might be reassigned to different locations or jobs.

The agency also said a merger incentive plan would be offered to employees who wish to separate from the bank in view of the change in their duties. The separation and availment of the MIP would be on a voluntary basis, subject to the approval of management. “[The surviving bank] will absorb all of them. The president has provided P1.5-million [retirement pay] on top of everything. It’s not gonna be tucked up with their GSIS,” Villanueva said. Gabrielle H. Binaday

SM City in San Jose. SM Prime Holdings Inc. is opening SM City San Jose Del Monte on April 29, 2016. This is SM Prime’s 57th mall in the Philippines and the third in the province of Bulacan – after SM City Baliwag and SM City Marilao. The newest retail and dining destination will add 101,000 square meters in gross floor area to the floorplate, which will bring SM Prime’s total retail space to 7.4 million sqm, the largest footprint in the country. Shown is an architect’s perspective of SM City San Jose Del Monte, which is strategically located along Quirino Highway.

62 more days, and counting ONLY 62 more days to go before we finally say goodbye to the administration of President BS Aquino, and like most Filipinos, we are hoping the new dispensation will finally do away with the likes of Transportation Secretary Jun Abaya.

It baffles the mind how BS Aquino could have allowed a paragon of incompetence like Abaya to linger on and be deaf and blind to the clamor of people for the transportation chief’s head to roll.

Aside from the continually degenerating state of the MRT – with the tracks looking like walkways because an early morning breakdown on Monday caused passengers to walk (and most likely ruined their week) – one of the major issues would be against the LTO. Imagine, 2015 has come and gone and we’re approaching the halfway mark for 2016 but car owners have yet to receive the stickers and car plates they paid for?

There’s a clamor among vehicle owners who have not received the stickers and new-old plates to either be reimbursed for the amount they paid last year or better yet, be exempted from paying when they renew their registrations. After all,

it’s obvious that stickers were not printed, otherwise they would have been available, right? So if nothing was printed, there was no production cost. So where did all that money go?

Unfortunately, vehicle owners will not be getting any reimbursement because according to LTO officials, the payment goes directly to the Bureau of Treasury and the agency does not refund what has been paid for by motorists. Besides which, it’s “not the LTO’s problem” to do any refunding because the LTO’s role is only “to collect payment and distribute the plates and stickers.” Well, they certainly do a good job of collecting payment but are lousy when it comes to the other half of their job description.

If you think about it, what LTO is doing is almost like robbery in broad daylight – they get your money as payment for a product that they don’t deliver.

And the sad part about it is that there’s nothing you can do about it, because if you boycott registration, you get flagged down and harassed by LTO operatives.

When he took over as LTO chief, Roberto Cabrera promised an end to the license plate backlog within the last six months of the BS Aquino administration,

as well as resolve the legal problems that the agency is embroiled in, but we are not holding our breath. Last we heard, the controversial and allegedly anomalous P3.8-billion car plates contract with a private group that partnered with a Dutch firm (whose equity was P100? Is that right)? was signed way back in 2014 by no less than DOTC chief Jun Abaya himself.

COA discovered the anomalies but they have yet to file charges against DOTC officials and the former LTO chief Aljun Tan under whose term the controversial contract was signed. Meantime, the plates— which were initially held up at Customs because the winning contractor did not have the money to pay for customs duties—had been reportedly released by Customs chief Alberto Lina because he took pity on the poor, suffering motorists. Now tell us, is that “daang matuwid” or what?

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!

— d f a e t y, y e

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CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD

Performance. Monte-Carlo ballet Belgian dancer Bernice Coppieters performs in the show ‘Chapeau’, a creation of Jiri Kylian, at the Grimaldi Forum on April 27, 2016, in Monaco. AFP

Migrants to be fingerprinted Gay rights activists forced underground DHAKA—Xulhaz Mannan was a rallying figure for Bangladesh’s marginalized but increasingly outspoken lesbian, gay and transgender community, but his brutal murder has dealt a huge blow to the movement and forced some of its leaders underground.

Mannan, who founded Bangladesh’s first magazine for gays and lesbians that he used to launch a vibrant rights movement in the deeply conservative, Muslim-majority country, was hacked to death on Monday along with a fellow activist.

Friends and fellow campaigners this week rushed to remove all trace of their activism from social media sites, fearing they could themselves become targets.

“Everyone felt safe because of

him. But he is gone, so everyone is scared,” one fellow activist who helped set up the magazine told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“I’m sure everyone [is now] facing the same devastating situation.”

A group of unidentified attackers carrying machetes and guns murdered Mannan and Mahbub Tonoy after gaining access to his Dhaka apartment on Monday night.

It was the latest in a series of killings of secular bloggers and liberal activists in Bangladesh that have caused global outrage, and sparked fears that the attackers are expanding their range of targets to include openly gay people. AFP

ROME—Italy is to introduce the fingerprinting of migrants crossing the Mediterranean as soon as they are picked up by rescue boats, officials say.

The move could help to reduce the mounting tensions between Italy and its EU partners over the large numbers of migrants who arrive in Italy but are not registered here and then travel on to northern Europe.

If they are not registered in Italy, neighboring countries like Austria and France and popular destination states like Germany and Sweden do not have the option of sending them back to Italy.

In theory they should be able to do this under the EU’s Dublin convention rules governing asylum claims.

The Italian move follows talks on Wednesday between Interior Minister Angelo Alfano and EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos in Sicily, where most migrants arrive and are processed at “hotspot” reception centers.

“With this we will now have hot spots at sea,” Alfano said.

It was not clear if the policy will be applied systematically—migrants picked up at sea are often in a traumatized state and asylum seekers from Eritrea notably generally refuse to have their prints taken because they want to make their applications elsewhere.

Italy was warned last year by the European Commission that it must make its registration procedures more efficient.

But Italian officials say the country cannot cope alone with the migrant influx.

More than 350,000 people from all over the world have reached Italy on boats from Libya since the start of 2014, as Europe battles its biggest migration crisis since World War II. Alfano said that after problems in 2014, the process of identifying migrants was now working “100 percent”.

With Austria on the verge of introducing anti-migrant checks at its border with Italy in the Alps, there is mounting concern in Rome that the country’s overcrowded reception facilities could soon have to deal with tens of thousands of additional asylum seekers.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi warned Austria not to go ahead with the border closure.

“It would be a flagrant breach of European rules, as well as being against history, against logic and against the future.”

The tensions have given added urgency to attempts to find a lasting solution to the crisis and Italy is pushing a plan to introduce NATO naval patrols off Libya in time for the peak summer season for people smuggling.

Modeled on an existing NATO operation in waters between Turkey and Greece, the plan has been backed by US President Barack Obama and is expected to be approved by alliance leaders at a summit in Warsaw in July. AFP

Cops in spotlight over racist remarks LOS ANGELES—Police in Los Angeles and San Francisco have come under fire after authorities uncovered racist and homophobic text messages and emails in which minorities were referred to as “barbarians” and “wild animals.”

Three officers in San Francisco have already left the police department after the messages were discovered and a fourth is facing disciplinary measures, officials said.

On Tuesday, authorities released details of text messages exchanged between the three former officers in which they used the N-word to refer to black people, and described Arabs as “rag heads.”

The messages could affect at least 207 criminal cases, including three for murder, San Francisco public defender Jeff Adachi told reporters.

He said the slurs were discovered as part of a separate probe over rape accusations against Jason Lai, one of the former officers.

In one of the text messages Lai compares black people to “barbarians” and a “pack of wild animals on the loose.”

“It is chilling how casually former officer Lai dehumanizes the citizens he was sworn to serve,” Adachi said.

“He wished violence upon the very people he was being paid to protect and none of his colleagues turned

him in.”

In Los Angeles, the county sheriff ’s chief of staff, Tom Angel, has also come under the spotlight for the emails he forwarded in 2012 and 2013 mocking Muslims, blacks, Latinos and women.

Angel at the time was a top police official in the city of Burbank, near Los Angeles.

According to the Los Angeles Times, which obtained a copy of the emails, one message forwarded

by Angel on January 7, 2012, lists a series of terrorist attacks attributed to “devout Muslim male extremists” and says “Muslims, gotta love em can’t punish em .......?” AFP

Respite. A boy flies his kite at sunset at a makeshift camp for migrants and refugees at the Greek-Macedonian border near the village of Idomeni on April 27, 2016. AFP

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WORLD

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Seoul says North failed again with latest missile test SEOUL—North Korea on Thursday tried and failed in what appeared to be its second attempt in two weeks to test a powerful, new medium-range ballistic missile, South Korea’s defense ministry said.

A ministry official said the North had fired what was understood to be a Musudan missile at around 6:40 am (2140 GMT Wednesday) from Wonsan on the east coast, but it plunged back to earth seconds after launch.

“It is believed to have failed,” the official told AFP. There had been widespread intelligence reports in recent days that

the North was preparing for another flight test of a Musudan, which is capable of striking US bases on the Pacific island of Guam.

North Korea initially launched a Musudan on April 15—the birthday of founding leader Kim Il-Sung—but the exercise ended in what the Pentagon described as a “fiery, catastrophic” failure, with the missile

apparently exploding just after take-off.

The failed tests come as the country is gearing up for a rare and muchhyped ruling party congress next month, at which Kim Jong-Un is expected to take credit for pushing the country’s nuclear weapons program to new heights.

There is growing concern that Pyongyang is preparing to conduct a fifth nuclear test in the run-up to the event that opens May 6.

In recent months the North has claimed a series of major technical breakthroughs in developing what it sees as the ultimate goal of

its nuclear weapons program—an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to targets across the continental United States.

The achievements trumpeted by Pyongyang have included miniaturizing a nuclear warhead to fit on a missile, developing a warhead that can withstand atmospheric re-entry and building a solid-fuel missile engine.

Last Saturday, it successfully tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile and was promptly criticized by the UN Security Council. AFP

Invitation to Bid for the Supply and Delivery of CCTV Equipment under ITB No. PB16-014ANG The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is inviting all interested bidders in its forthcoming public bidding for the Supply and Delivery of CCTV Equipment under ITB No. PB16-014ANG. Brief Description

Various Surveillance/CCTV Equipment

Delivery Period

Within sixty (60) calendar days from the effectivity date specified in the Notice to Proceed

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC):

The total ABC is Three Million Fifty-Three Thousand Four Hundred Seventy-Six Pesos & 20/100 (P 3,053,476.20), VAT-Exclusive, ZeroRated Transaction.

Source of Funds:

Internally Funded

Bidders should have completed, within the last three (3) years before 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. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

Liftoff. A Russian Soyuz 2.1a rocket carrying Lomonosov, Aist-2D and SamSat-218 satellites lifts off from the launch pad at the new Vostochny cosmodrome outside the city of Uglegorsk, about 200 kms from the city of Blagoveshchensk in the far eastern Amur region on April 28, 2016. AFP

Looking for laughs one last time WASHINGTON—Once a year, the US president attends a party he can’t avoid and is asked to make Washington laugh.

When Barack Obama steps onto the stage of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday, he will carry out that ritual for the eighth and final time.

The clips will be played again and again and endlessly dissected by pundits—so finding the right tone and jokes are key.

“This is one of the hardest speeches of the year,” said 35-year-old Cody Keenan, who leads a team of speech writers at the White House.

“Other than the State of the Union address, this is probably the speech we start earliest, just

because humor is so difficult,” he added.

“It’s also the biggest team working on any speech other than the State of the Union address.”

This year, the team member with “the pen” and tasked with making Obama funny is 34-yearold Tyler Lechtenberg.

“Jokes in general are some of the most nerve-racking parts of speeches,” he said. “With a joke, there is more vulnerability to it. If it flops, that is something that we can take personally too.”

One of the first steps in the writing process is developing a broad list of potential topics, which is circulated both inside and outside the White House.

Former Obama aides Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer

and David Axelrod are among those consulted this year.

Listening to other people “is a big part of the process” said Lechtenberg. “Every idea in the brain storming stage is a good idea.”

But then comes the tough task of whittling all those ideas down.

“We’ll probably have maybe 100 jokes total and bring them down to 20-25 by the end,” said Keenan. “You’ve got to have a thick skin because most of your jokes are going to get cut.”

Lechtenberg describes the process as having a “herding cats” feel.

There will be some digs at political opponents and some at his hosts and the journalists who cover the White House and have invited all the guests. AFP

All particulars relative to Pre-Bid Conference, Detailed Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its IRR. The schedule of activities is listed, as follows: Activities 1. Issuance of the Bidding Documents

Schedule April 29, 2016 to May 19, 2016

2. Pre-Bid Conference

May 09, 2016 (Tuesday), 2:00 p.m.

3. Deadline for the Submission and Receipt of Bids

May 19, 2016 (Thursday), 2:00 p.m.

4. Opening and Preliminary Examination of Bids

May 19, 2016 (Thursday), 2:00 p.m., onwards

Complete details of the project are indicated in the bidding documents which will be available to prospective bidders at the Bids and Awards Services Department, upon payment of the nonrefundable cost for the sale of bidding documents amounting to Five Thousand Pesos (P5,000.00).

Prospective bidders may also download the Bidding Documents free of charge from the following websites: www.pagcor.ph and www.philgeps.gov.ph and may be allowed to submit bids provided that bidders shall pay the non-refundable bidding fee not later than the date of the submission of bids. The Pre-bid Conference is open to all prospective bidders. Prospective bidders should present to Finance Section located at the Mezzanine Floor, Casino Filipino – Angeles, Mac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City either the Bidding Fee Slip which may be secured from the BBASS or a copy of this ITB in effecting payment for the Bidding Documents. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

PAGCOR assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of their bids.

In accordance with Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) Circular 06-2005 - Tie-Breaking Method, the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) shall use a non-discretionary and non-discriminatory measure based on sheer luck or chance, which is “DRAW LOTS,” in the event that two or more bidders have been post-qualified and determined as the bidder having the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid (LCRB) to determine the final LCRB, based on the following procedures: 1.

2.

In alphabetical order, the bidders shall pick one rolled paper.

The lucky bidder who would pick the paper with a “CONGRATULATIONS” remark shall be declared as the final bidder having the LCRB and recommended for award of the contract.

PAGCOR reserves the right to accept or reject any Bid, and to annul the bidding process and reject all Bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

Please address all communications to the Branch Bids and Awards Committee through the Branch Bids and Awards Services Section, Utility Building, Casino Filipino – Angeles, Mac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City at Tel No.: 625-7600.

(SGD) GLECY B. DANGA Chairperson Branch Bids and Awards Committee (BBAC)

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MOTORING

RAMON L. TOMELDAN EDITOR

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

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FAST LANE Stopping power

by Brembo

VW officials with the Golf: JP Orbeta, pesident and CEO; Klaus Schadewald, Chief Operating Adviser and Franz Decloedt, head of marketing

BREMBO, the world’s authority and standard in braking performance has proven its mettle once again at the recent staging of the Toyota Vios Cup. Held at the Clark Speedway, TRD Vios Cup cars equipped with Brembo brakes traded paint, as race teams competed for precious podium points.

Brembo’s range of brake discs and drums is unrivalled in terms of both size and innovation. Brembo offers affordability along with the quality and performance of the world’s leading braking system manufacturer to all models of cars.

Brembo recently expanded its lineup with the launch of a dedicated range of Aftermarket integral

and composite brake discs (including floating discs).

Brembo is now bringing its exclusive expertise as a supplier of top-of-therange braking systems for the world’s most prestigious cars to the design and manufacture of Aftermarket components for highend cars. The cutting-edge technology and vast experience of a company that manufactures braking systems for the world’s major automotive constructors, combined with absolute control in every stage of the production process, allow Brembo to offer the Aftermarket professional a more comprehensive and reliable range of spare brake parts that covers over 96% of all vehicles on the road today.

At Volkswagen, they come in twos Text and photos by Dino Ray V. Directo III

VOLKSWAGEN Philippines recently introduced two more variants of its Golf series. Held at the VW showroom at the Bonifacio Global City, the launching was spearheaded by VW executives JP Orbeta, president and CEO; Klaus Schadewald, Chief Adviser to the President and Franz Decleodt, VW’s savvy marketing who also found his calling that night as an event’s host.

“It was also around this time in 2015 that we introduced to the Philippines the Golf GTI, the everyday super car for performance seekers looking for fun and excitement. And it was warmly received by the local market. This year, Volkswagen Philippines increases the product lineup of the Golf brand and

tonight, you get the first look at the two other variants--the Golf Highline 1.4 TSI DSG and the Golf Comfortline 1.4 TSI DSG,” said Orbeta.

Now on its 42nd year in the automotive industry, the Golf is one of the world’s most popular automobile due to its precision craftsmanship and that

A testament to German engineering and precision

Teutonic automotive engineering and design. The introduction of the Highline and Comfortline variants ushers in an expansion of the nameplate and to further provide the local market with more options to enjoy one of the most iconic hot hatches ever produced by VW. With a price tag of P1,739,000 for the Golf Highline 1400 TSI DSG, and the Golf Comfortline 1.4 TSI DSG goes for P1,590,000, both cars have these features as standard equipment: Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP), seven airbags, Engine Drag Torque Control (MRS), Electronic Differential Lock (EDL) with XDS, and a Regenerative Braking System all come as standard. Powering both lines is a 1.4-liter TSI Turbo

4-cylinder gasoline engine with a Blue Motion Start/ Stop system managed by a 7-speed DSG that produces a maximum output of 150 Ps at 5,000 rpm and 250 Nm of torque at 1,500 rpm.

This system ensures great fuel efficiency without compromising on the power when you need it most.

Exclusive to the Highline are Bi-Xenon headlamps with headlamp washer and LED daytime running lights, dynamic headlight range adjustment with dynamic cornering lights, and an auto headlight activation with separate daytime running lights The interior of the Highline variant is highlighted by the “Vienna” leather seats and a Climatronic 2-zone air-conditioning system with rear A/C vent.Both models are available in the following exterior colors: Pure White, Sunset Red Metallic, Limestone Grey and Deep Black Pearl. Pacific Blue is exclusively available for the Golf Comfortline.

“After 42 years, and 7 generations, the Golf family has grown in the Philippines. Both the younger set of Filipino car buyers, as well as the older ones, will surely take a keen interest in this line-up, because the brand heritage transcends generations. To put it simply, having fun while you’re behind the wheel knows no age. And so we expect the Golf to be among our bestsellers,” Orbeta stressed.

Oven baked protection FOR YEARS, Foilacar has been at the forefront of paint protection with its line of automotive foils from Germany. This year, the company at the forefront of car exterior protection system is reinventing a new way to preserve and protect your car with its latest market innovation, the GlossFx controlled environment system.

Made in Italy, the GlossFX is a big oven designed to dry out any foil on cars in 30 minutes. This procedure fast tracks car foiling technology, whose drying

time usually takes a day to dry out. “This machine enables us to foil anything from the car exterior, down to interior pieces for our Foilainterior Division. The technology involves diesel combustion which is utilized for heating the oven in a safe and environmentfriendly manner,” adds Jan

Vincent Mercado, Chief Financial Officer of Foilacar Industries.

This multi-million oven technology also enables us to finish more cars. Unlike before due to the drying time, our output is limited.

Now with GlossFX, we can dry out five to eight cars a day,” explains Lester Codog, President of Foilacar Industries.

This personalized film protection is the car technology once exclusively enjoyed by the super rich, now made affordable by Foilacar. “We have different color hues to choose from and our professionally trained service crew will take care of your paint.

Imagine lesser maintenance and change of color anytime at a practical price. We also offer clear film protection to protect your valuable investment,” adds Codog.

To experience the ultimate in paint protection technology, visit the Foilacar showroom at #10 Brixton St., Barrio Kapitolyo, Pasig City. Dino Ray V. Directo III

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RAMON L. TOMELDAN EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

MOTORING

AN ICON RETURNS Text and photos by Dino Ray V. Directo III

Honda is set to regain lost glory with the recent launching of its iconic Civic sedan, which is bruited about as more technologically advanced and powerful.

On Tuesday's big bash for the iconic car held at the Makati Shangri-La hotel, Honda Cars Philippines Inc executives led by its president and GM Toshio Kuwahara unveiled the 10th generation Civic, with an RS VTEC-Turbo fed variant ready to take on the competition.

With styling cues inspired by the “Revolutionary Silhouette Advanced Neo Sedan” exterior design concept, the current generation Civic boasts a sporty design punctuated by its low and wide stance, sleek and swept back bodylines and sharply defined character lines that give the current iteration a coupe like stance.

Its bold front fascia is complemented by Honda’s signature LED lighting, which includes full LED headlights, and LED daytime running lights. The unique and distinctive C-shaped LED tail lights further emphasize the car’s sporty demeanor. “The car is an engineering marvel in terms of aerodynamic efficiency,” Kuwahara said.

Under the hood of the new Civic is a DOHC VTEC Turbo Engine that delivers a maximum torque of 22.0 kg-m at 1,700--5,500 rpm, and a maximum power output of 173 PS at 5,500 rpm. HCPI retains a 1.8 liter engine option for the new Civic which produces a maximum torque of 17.4 kg-m at 4,300 rpm, and a maximum power output of 141 PS at 6,500 rpm. The All-New Civic

is powered by engines that boast a powerful driving performance with uncompromised fuel efficiency.

These engines are mated to a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) developed under Earth Dreams Technology, Honda's bid to churn out environment friendly cars.

The RS Turbo is also equipped with paddle shifters for a sportier driving performance. Harmonizing with the aggressive sporty design of the new Civic is an interior that defines modern refinement. The Civic is equipped with dynamic and wide cockpit design integrated with high class soft-touch materials. The RS

THE CIVIC MODULO IS AN UPGRADED VERSION OF THE CIVIC. Turbo Variant gets leather seats, steering wheel, and shift knob.

The new Civic has its full compliment of safety features that includes driver and passenger SRS airbags (with side and side curtain airbags for the RS Turbo), Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Hill Start Assist (HSA), Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), Multi-view Reverse Camera with Dynamic Guidelines, Seat Belt Reminder, ISOFIX and Immobilizer. The All-New Civic also gets an Electric Parking Brake (EPB), which replaces the conventional pedal or handbrake lever with a single button or switch. The Auto Break Hold (ABH) incorporated in the EPB provides more convenience in different driving situations.

The top-of-the-line variant, the Civic RS Turbo has a sticker price of P1,398,000 while the Civic 1.8 E I costs P1,088,000. Deliveries take effect in June.

Rear tail lights give away the Civic’s sporty nature.

Drive safe campaign launched WHEN drivers get hungry, they end up doing crazy things on the road.

SoSnickers is reminding people not to let hunger get in the way of their driving as it launched the “Don’t Drive Hungry Initiative” on April 23, 2016.

It unveiled the initiative by giving away free temporary “Don’t Drive Hungry” license plates and car stickers at the Capital Commons Carpark, which are great reminders of the brand’s message to drive safe by not driving hungry.

A study released by a top global navigation app revealed that Metro Manila was named as “having the worst traffic on Earth.”

In the survey’s “Driver Satisfaction Index” the Philippines also did poorly, with a score of 3.9 (10 being satisfying and 1 being miserable).

Manila also topped the survey for the longest time spent commuting from home to office with an average time of 45.5 minutes, though some motorists report much longer travel times especially during rush hour.

Long hours stuck in traffic can lead to drivers getting hungry on the road, affecting their mood and focus, which can have detrimental effects to the quality of driving by motorists." Snickers is all about satisfying those hunger moments because we recognize that you aren't you when you're hungry. Given the traffic situation in the Philippines, hunger can make drivers do crazy things. By giving out these temporary license plates, we want to remind drivers, drive safe, don't drive hungry,” said Fui Ching Phua, MARS Southeast Asia Marketing Manager.

Aside from getting free temporary license plates, motorists were also invited to support the Don’t Drive Hungry Initiative by posting on their experience with the hashtag #dontdrivehungry.

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TATUM ANCHETA EDITOR

BING PAREL

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

BERNADETTE LUNAS WRITER

life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

ST Y L E & BE AU T Y

LIFE

E

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DROPS OF YOUTH FROM THE BODY SHOP

very woman wants to keep looking young. And while The Body Shop may not have discovered the fountain of youth, a few drops of its Drop of Youth skin care range will help keep skin looking smoother and healthier.

With 99 percent of its ingredients being of natural origin, the new Drops of Youth collection highlights the potent power of three plant extracts known for their exceptional renewing properties. Utilizing a biotechnical process, the company was able to preserve the potency of the extracts while still respecting the plants.

These plants include the Edelweiss from the high alpine mountains of Trentino-alto, Italy, which is rich in leontopodic acids which research has shown to be an antioxidant three times more efficient than vitamin C. Then there is the Sea Holly from the sandy shores of South Brittany in France, and is known for its firming properties and packed with polyphenols and flavonoid chemistry. Criste Marine, which is found in the rocky coastline of North Brittany also in France is adapted to unpredictable and harsh conditions, enabling it to withstand environmental stress, giving it renewing properties.

Keeping skin looking young need not be stressful or complicated. After cleansing,

The Body Shop’s new Drops of Youth skin care range

The Body Shop Drops of Youth cream

follow with the Drops of Youth Essence Lotion, then treat your skin to Youth Concentrate Skin serum to make it look smoother, fresher and more supple.

Moisturize with the Youth Cream, which leaves the skin with a velvety soft finish.

Replenish overnight with the Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask, a leave-on night-time mask that leaves skin feeling smoother and refreshed as you sleep, giving the skin a firmer look after two

weeks. The Drops of Youth Eye Concentrate, on the other hand, is enriched with Edelweiss extract which instantly refreshes the eye contour, and smoothens out the appearance of fine lines, bags, and fatigue.

The Body Shop now accepts SM Advantage Card for points earning and redemption, SM and Sodexo premium pass in all The Body Shop stores nationwide.

For updates and other information, visit thebodyshop.com.ph.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

The guests let their radiance shine while being photographed

by Sara Black

From left: Arci Muñoz, Ida Anduyan, Ericka Villongco, Natalie Hart, Carla Humphries, Priencess Violago, Kim Baranda and Kara Gozali got their glow on as they experienced the #OneWashWonder promise of the new Olay Skin Whitening Bar

Renowned photographer Sara Black shared tips on how to look and feel beautiful in front of the camera

Beauty queen, model and entrepreneur Valerie Weigmann Guests were treated to a soothing hand spa with Olay is the face of Olay’s New Skin Whitening Bar Whitening soap bar and rose-infused lotion or oil

GEt Snow whItE In onE wASh

By Weizel Gulfan kin whitening is still very much weeks of speculation, Procter & Gamble the trend in Asia especially in finally revealed its newest addition to Olay the Philippines, but getting fairer Total Effects – the one-wash wonder which isn’t quite as important as getting promises fair, radiant skin sans the pain. even-toned skin. Let's face it, achieving During an exclusive interview with beauty real results takes time and patience and enthusiasts, Olay unveiled the new Olay oftentimes, requires a hefty investment.

Skin Whitening Bar which eight out of 10 Our goals for our skin may change over Filipinas agree helps to whiten skin from time. It may include correcting a tan gone the very first use. Talk about instant results. wrong from overexposure to the sun, It is no wonder that the new Olay is quickly brightening a dark spot on the face from winning over fans, including beauty a breakout, or generally just wanting a queen, model and entrepreneur Valerie brighter healthier glow overall which will Weigmann. “Getting and maintaining fair make us look radiant. A lot of us women skin has never been easier,” she shares. frequently experiment with beauty rituals “I love that it comes in a bar; this makes in an effort to nail the one formula that will it easy for me to travel with it,” adds the do away with the rest, but using multiple snow-white queen. products especially when they are layered New Olay Skin Whitening Bar has on top of each other can actually cause a triple whitening system that gently more harm than good. exfoliates, brightens and evens the skin Being a girl is tough; you have to work tone. It even contains 90 percent of the hard, do well and look good doing it so it’s active ingredients that come in the Olay always a treat when beauty brands like Olay Natural White Day Cream. More than its come up with solutions to make living as a proven efficacy, it is also dermatologically girl simpler. and clinically tested to be gentle on skin Olay strives to address every skincare with naturally derived ingredients like rose, need most especially whitening. After pearl, and milk extracts. It also has a longer

S

Olay Skin Whitening Bar is available in Rose and Milk, Vitamin C and Papaya variants

lasting scent and a rich lather that leaves skin soft, smooth and moisturized.

The Olay “one wash wonder” soap was launched in Vask at The Fort and the event was nothing short of loveliness embodied.

The event showcased different pastries made of fresh milk served on literally a bed of roses in soft-pink and white to celebrate the three key ingredients in the one wash wonder soap which are rose, pearl extracts and milk. Guests were treated to a sight that is made for fairy-tales and fit only for a princess and true enough, the darlings that make up the Philippines’ modeling and entertainment industries were present, making the event nothing short of beautiful.

Jia Salindong-Du, P&G country leader for personal care, shares that the vision of Olay is to build a deep understanding of women around the world and that they are committed to make every woman look and feel her best by providing the best skin whitening and anti-ageing all-in-one product in the market.

For more about Olay products and updates, visit OlayPhilippines on Facebook.

Summer-safe skin with neutrogena Summer was never this hot, literally. The province of Palawan was recently declared under a state of calamity due to the extreme heat, and in the metro we are seeing Celsius degrees leveling up to numbers that used to be exclusive to the Middle East deserts. Climate change is very real and it is a certainty that we are all confronted with now. With these new challenges we are “faced” with, cosmetic and beauty brands are coming up with stronger, better, and lighter sun protection formulas as well as intense hydration moisturizers to help us survive the damaging effects of the sun, and look good doing it.

Uneven skin tone, sunspots, freckles, sunburn and on the extreme – cancer and yes, premature aging (considered as grave as skin cancer by most) – are just some of the harmful long-term damages caused by sun exposure in a world that faces global warming.

There are two ways to go about the problem: Bring global climate temperature down by drastically cutting down fossil fuel emissions and lowering carbon foot print, or on the other hand, wear better, longer-lasting sunscreen and increase moisturization.

Obviously the latter is easier to do than the former. That’s not to

say though that we should not do our part in slowing down climate change. However, a more immediate action is to opt for the sunscreen right now.

This is why dermatologically recommended brand Neutrogena is proud to bring forth its moistureintense facial hydration formulas and clinically proven lightweight sunscreens to help address the challenges of skin preservation under the powerfully damaging rays of the sun this summer through a two-step solution to stay young this summer: hydration and sun protection.

The Science of Hydration

Just like the rest of your body, the upper layers of your skin need their daily supply of water to retain the face’s plumpness and smoothness.

Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost line is designed to help increase the water content of your skin by replenishing water supply and by strengthening the skin’s moisture barrier. This combination gives women that much-coveted smooth, supple and younger-looking skin. A unique ingredient called purified hyaluronic acid allows the hydrating formula to be released continuously overtime that restores the skin’s moisture and moreover, targets the areas that need it most.

There are four products under the Hydro Boost line: Hydro Boost Renewal Gel Cream, which helps fight dullness, visible pores and dry lines; Hydro Boost Mousse Cleanser, which effectively foams away impurities; Hydro Boost Essence to help replenish and retain hydration all day long; and Hydro Boost Renewal Serum, so skin looks best even without makeup.

Protection from the Sun

While giving your skin its much-needed supply of water is a must, hydration is not enough.

The skin should also be protected from the harmful rays of the sun.

In fact, sun protection is one of the simplest and most effective anti-ageing skincare secrets that will hold back years off your skin and face.

Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer DryTouch Sunscreen SPF50+ is a dermatologist-tested formula that contains Helioplex Technology. It helps prevent damaging UVA rays from penetrating deep under your skin’s surface. The unique DryTouch technology helps leave a clean, lightweight and non-shiny finish which works up to three times better and lasts longer compared to other sunblock lotions. It is also lightweight and does not stick on the face.

A lifetime of sun exposure can cause wrinkles, age spots and may increase the chances of other skin problems that can be prevented with everyday sunscreen.

quarter of the bottle’s worth for the body to achieve optimal sun protection.– Weizel Gulfan

Road test

Neutrogena got to test its claim in a yoga event at the Manila Polo Club led by Power-yoga pioneer Isabel Dulay of Bliss Yoga Manila.

In one of the rarer gentle classes she guided, participants were lavished with generous amounts of Neutrogena Sheer Sunblock before the peak of noon outdoor yoga class. And true enough, not one case of sunburn was reported after.

Everyone was advised to use at least one tablespoon worth of sunblock for the face and a

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Renewal Gel Cream

Dry-Touch Sunscreen

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

Kipling adds a luxury line to its wide range of chic and casual bags

@LIFEatStandard

Kaeon marries style and sustainability with its fashion-forward bags made from eco-friendly material

KAEon: ThE EvoLuTIon oF KIPLIng

S

ustainability is the new Black. From Anya Hindmarch’s “I'm not a plastic bag” to animal-skin-free soles and clutches up to fair-trade diamonds and pearls, brands are listening more and more to humanity’s demand for kinder, lower-carbon footprint alternatives for their lifestyle of choice.

Kipling is a household brand that has managed to be a staple even with inter-

Caralisa

Elyse

Mini Backpack Sunset Yellow

generations. Its signature crumpled nylon and bold strong colors, prints and adorable life-like Gorilla key-chain is synonymous with a casual style and an adventurous spirit.

The brand has always been the goto-bag for a fuss-free fashion-forward functional carry-on but now, despite the brand’s success in cornering the everyday, outdoor-loving market, Kipling is ready to evolve into something more.

From being a bag that simply makes sense, to being a bag of desire, Kipling has come out with a luxury line that will put it head-to-head or in this case, strap-to-strap with signature high-end brands both in quality and price. This is a very bold move that can make any regional sales director uncomfortable as it is a big step away from the comforts of what the brand has stood for all these years: Casual, fun, comfort to chic, elegant and yes, luxurious.

Whether Kipling will be able to dominate the market for high-end bags remains to be seen but its efforts has already won it applause for putting one important consideration into play: The environment.

Not one to turn a deaf ear to the growing shift in consumer consciousness, Kipling launched Kaeon, an entire line made from sustainable nylon that uses only 10 percent of water called the Aires.

It is lightweight, soft, waterproof fabric that is made-up of 37 percent recycled fibers, which needs 90 percent less water when it is dyed.

Kaeon is a true testament to the perfect marriage of style and sustainability.

Fashion-forward and environmentally sound, it comes in the form of a satchel, all-around backpack and whimsical clutch.

Ready now – This is the staple carryall bag that allows users to keep everything compartmentalized and organized. The bag has a lot of zips and pouches and hidden pockets that make it a perfect ensemble to anyone who values style with function.

On a Roll – Kipling’s signature backpack just got a makeover with its easy adjustable and interchangeable straps. It is the perfect travel buddy as it is lightweight and waterproof which makes it the bag of choice for the great outdoors.

Sleek Shopper – The ideal tote for rummaging in mall sales and boutique bargains. Sleek with its classic cut, it comes in a modern design and has organizer pockets to make sure nothing gets jumbled around inside.

Fuzzy Friend– It is a playful clutch designed to go from day to night. The furry texture makes it a statement piece that stands out in any outfit-of-the-day.

Not only is it embellished with faux fur, its combination of purple, yellow and orange also gives it an attractive, quirky feel.

Kaeon is a revolution born from Kipling’s timely evolution to cater to the growing demand for sustainable eco-friendly fashion in our climate-change affected daily lives. – Weizel Gulfan

Stylish, leisurely and all Sm Woman Who says casual cannot be stylish? Not with SM Woman that is taking a minimalist spin to leisure wear with simple and easy, practical separates. For the woman who is always on the go, a practical solution for going from one errand to another, or changing hats from corporate exec to serious athlete.

SM Woman features clothes that can be described as “après sport” or “gym to office” outfits – basic pieces that are smart, lightweight, frill free, and even architectural at times. The brand’s designers and retailers have in fact created a lot of buzz about “athleisure” collections which, as the term suggests, are appropriate for either athletic or leisurely pursuits.

Leisure wear is everything casual and comfortable in a woman’s wardrobe, mostly loose fitting garments made of breathable fabrics like cotton or nylon. The pieces show the softer side of minimalism

with the use of soft, breezy fabrics, staple knits, and a neutral, monochromatic color palette. A subtle hint of soft pastels here and there gives the overall silhouette an urban, contemporary edge.

High-neck sleeveless knits, cropped tops, asymmetrical hem shirts, boxy blouses, and flattering tunics are SM Woman’s most popular pieces. Cool culottes and cropped pants will definitely make any ensemble look simply chic, while sleek long vests jazz up even the simplest of outfits. And to maintain the fluidity of the whole look, keep accessories and sole choices to a minimum.

Shot on location at One Esplanade, the latest SM Woman separates are available at The SM Store.

PhoToS bY RAYmonD CELESTIno mAKEuP bY JET bAbAS

Gray knit long vest worn with a black asymmetrical sleeveless top and white trousers

This white shell top is a hit

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

Beach bag with seashell prints and flip flops with wood beads

Ocean-inspired canvas pouches

I

Resort report. An embroidered caftan worn with a floppy beach hat, an orange ombré bag, and banig flip flops

it's a Kultura summer

n a tropical country like the Philippines, summer brings forth images of the ocean with its refreshing spray as you walk barefoot on the sand, the sun painting everything it touches with a rainbow of vibrant colors. It’s also the time when sitting under the shade with a picnic blanket spread on the ground becomes so inviting, surrounded by the lush verdant colors of the countryside.

Kultura, a purveyor of all things Filipino, celebrates tropical summer in a uniquely Filipino way.

There are ombré maxi dresses and caftans for the beach and beyond, as well as wooden fashion accessories. Bags take inspiration from nature with seashell, coral, turtle, and starfish prints; while woven banig hats give an extra flair that never fail to make heads turn.

Fashion takes on a whole new level with Kultura as the brand pays tribute to

local artistry and craftsmanship through its high-quality apparel, accessories, and gift items. From flip-flops to canvas bags and tote bags, earrings, bead necklaces and other eye-catching accessories – all that’s left for the savvy shopper to do is choose a date for a getaway, book a destination, and be off to a stylishly fun holiday this summer.

The Tropical Summer collection and other summer essentials are available in all Kultura stores located at SM Aura Premier, SM Makati, SM Megamall, the SM Mall of Asia, SM Lanang Premier, SM City Cebu, and at the newly opened SM Seaside City Cebu. Kultura boutiques are also located in Pico de Loro, Taal Vista, and the Molo Mansion, Iloilo. Visit its website at www. kulturafilipino.com or like it on Facebook at Kultura Filipino (Official).

Canvas bags with turtle and starfish prints

Sfera goes big with colors

Matching printed cropped top and skirt worn with a lightweight zipped jacket

Popular Spanish brand Sfera plays with colors in its SpringSummer Collection with shades of blue and yellow leading the way. Key pieces in the collection that feature ‘70s inspired pants and tunic tops, double breasted coats with wide lapels and new knitted fabrics with Lurex add a chic, sophisticated feel to the new collection with navy blue as a predominant color. Yellow, which is the color du jour this summer, brightens up the fashion mood for the season.

For women, the summer palettes are showcased in the Red, Burnt Orange and Retro line. And since the Sfera woman is known for always being chic, the time is ripe to try the boldest looks of the season: geometric prints with fluorescent colors, draped skirts with small geo motifs in rose quartz and silver threads, and Lurex blouses and dresses worn with burgundy leather and suede.

At the The SM Store Makati where the brand showcased its Spring-Summer 2016 Collection, highlighted three trends in the Casual Collection feature African-inspired pieces as well as Nautical and Romantic themes.

For the minimalist trend in the women’s collection, black and white was key as seen in the basic tops with pinstripes, tiny flowers against a black canvas, and hints of pumpkin orange in monochromatic styles.

During the event, Sfera’s style ambassadors – lifestyle blogger-cumTV host Mari Jasmine and fashion/ lifestyle blogger Patricia Prieto were spotted reveling in the brand’s hot new collection. These ladies were also joined by lifestyle blogger, TV and radio host Nicole Aguinaldo; fashion blogger Yuki Tansengco; and stylish moms Chinky Apostol and Christina Garcia Long.

Sfera under Spain’s renowned El Corte Ingles Group, focuses on quality, constant renewal, variety in its collections, and customer service.

The brand offers clothing for men, women, kids and babies and also includes smaller lines for accessories, confidentials, and swimwear. In the Philippines, Sfera is located at the second floor of The SM Store Makati, Level 2 Mega B SM Megamall, and UG/F SM Seaside City Cebu. Follow the latest from Sfera on Instagram @sfera_ph and on Facebook at SFERA Philippines.

You may also visit www.sfera.eu.

Cream of the cropped – sleeveless top and pants from the Red, Burnt Orange and Retro line

f RIDAy : A pRIl 2 9, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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‘FIElDs OF HOpE’ wIns aT THE 2016 ManHaTTan FIlM FEsTIval A documentary on a football team in Tacloban brought the message of Filipino resiliency, warmth and hope to The Big Apple – Tony Ty

T

hree young boys from typhoon-ravaged city of Tacloban pegged their hope for a better life on football. Mission Tacloban of the Remedios Trinidad Romualdez Medical Foundation formed a team under its grassroots program.

The Extra Mile Productions, an independent production house that produces documentaries heard about the story of Jarred Troy Regis, Kenneth Imperial, and Julius Coringcoting of Barangay San Jose, a coastal village of about 14,000 people that was nearly wiped out off the map when the super typhoon Haiyan hit the city on Nov. 8, 2013.

Immediately, Troy Bernardo, assembled a crew and filmed the three boys and how they and their families coped with rising from the devastation of the typhoon that decimated thousands in the city.

The result is a moving documentary titled Uma han Paglaum, or Fields of Hope that brings the message of the resiliency of the Filipino as it shows the warmth and hope of an entire nation.

Fields of Hope was awarded Best International Documentary Film at the recent Manhattan Film Festival 2016, a day after it played to a mixed audience of New Yorkers who trekked to the West Village for the film’s world premiere at the Player’s Theatre West NYC as an official selection of the festival on Apri 23.

The film’s director, Troy Bernardo, received the award last Sunday in Vapiano, New York City.

Local, national, and international media including television, newspaper, magazine, and web outlets namely, the New York Times, Good Morning America, Good Day New York, and Vogue covered the festival.

Through the film, the viewers’ get a glimpse of what it’s like to be a resilient even in the face of the greatest adversity.

The boys and their families were victims of Yolanda’s (internationally known as Haiyan) wrath, the strongest typhoon recorded in human history to hit the shores of the

Philippines. They lost almost everything yet they remain optimistic.

The film isn’t just about football or about the boys and their struggle for survival. It

is the story of every child who has dreams, who works hard to achieve it and who uses his passion to fuel achievement and ambition. It is a representation of a survivor’s life – the life of hope and courage, of gloomy days and bright mornings, and of believing in oneself and not giving up on one’s dreams.

“We chose the film because it stood out,” said Philip Nelson, organizer of, and one of the panelists at what MovieMaker Magazine calls the coolest film festival in the world. “It had a lot of heart.”

In all of Eastern Visayas – also known as the islands of Biliran, Leyte and Samar, which make up Region 8 -- only the tiny village of Barangay San Jose has ever produced national players for football, making this particular dream a very realistic, pragmatic and attainable one.

The Extra Mile Productions would like to bring this team, the RTR All Stars, into the consciousness of world football through more screenings of the documentary in order to reach people who may be able to donate in kind, time, or money in an effort to bring the dreams of these children into fruition.

“We believe that if these children continue to excel in the football field, they will have a stronger fighting chance to succeed in other aspects of their lives,” said Bernardo, the film’s writer and director, at the festival’s awarding ceremony, accepting the award for executive producers Ginggay Hontiveros and Gabby Malvar, founders of The Extra Mile Productions, a boutique production house that specializes in documentaries. Its previous work on the whale sharks of Oslob and Donsol, called On the Brink, won the Conservation Award at the Ocean’s Film Festival in San Francisco early this year.

The Extra Mile Productions intends to not only keep telling stories that are compelling, insightful and relevant, but also bringing their unique brand of storytelling to the world.

For more information on Fields of Hope, visit: https://fieldsofhopeblog.wordpress.com/.

‘Rise Against Movie piracy philippines’ launched The Intellectual Property Office Philippines (IPOPhil), Motion Picture Association (MPA), United States Embassy, and the Korean Copyright Commission (KCC), along with the country’s leading video-on-demand service providers Blink, Hooq and iflix, today launched Rise Against Movie Piracy Philippines (RAMP-PH) a videomaking contest for Manila-based film students to raise awareness on the importance of respecting copyrighted content by obtaining them only through legal means.

The contest seeks to encourage today’s youth to support films by watching the theatrical release and refraining from pirated media such as torrents or peer-to-peer sites.

As digital natives, today’s youth consume content mainly online through their mobile or PC devices. By patronizing legal sources such as subscription-based streaming services, Filipino TV and movie fans help the creative community to continue making movies and TV programs that audiences love.

“The film industry is an important component of the country’s creative industries which generates substantial employment opportunities. The intellectual property system recognizes the vital role of

the creative sector and provides them with incentives to their creations. The respect of the intellectual property rights of the creators and producers of films and movies is therefore important and should be inculcated in the minds of the youth who are not only the movie goers and film watchers but are also the future artists, creators, and filmmakers of this country,” said Josephine Santiago, director general, Intellectual Property Office Philippines (IPOPHL). “The IPOPHL, thus, supports this contest as an awareness campaign among the youth on the importance of protecting intellectual property rights and preventing the on-line piracy of films, movies and TV shows.”

The contest is open to students who are currently enrolled in the film programs of schools in Metro Manila. Interested contest participants must create a 60-second video on why Filipinos should respect copyrighted content and what they can do to protect IPR online.

“Each illegally downloaded movie makes it difficult for artists to craft high quality, creative films, and deprives filmmakers the opportunity to pursue ambitious new projects due to the inability to recoup production costs,” said Direc-

tor Tae Won Cha, regional director, Korean Copyright Commission Manila. “We hope this contest will inspire the new generation of film makers to boldly pursue their craft with passion and creativity, encouraged by the fact that steps are being taken to change the culture of infringement.”

Video entries much illustrate the dangers of illegally downloading copyrighted content. When audiences use infringing torrent sites to download movies, TV shows or music, torrent users place themselves at risk of malware, identity theft and illicit content. It must also promote the There are legitimate streaming options for films, TV and music. Avoid using valuable bandwidth to support illegal online activities.

“The Philippines is now considered a leader in ASEAN for efforts to safeguard intellectual property.

Through this contest, we hope to spread awareness about the importance of protecting creativity, and also give a Filipino filmmaker the chance to work with some of the world’s greatest talent in California,” said Brian Breuhaus, economic officer, United States Embassy Manila.

“We support the Philippines’ efforts to protect creative industries so future generations can enjoy the fruits of in-

tellectual property, whether in movies, games or music.”

The first 90 video submissions will each receive a free limited subscription to a video-on-demand service, either from Blink, HOOQ or iflix.

The RAMP-PH Grand Prize Winner will be awarded an all-expense trip to Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. to represent the Philippines in the fiveday long Film Immersion Program conducted by film industry experts.

While, five runners-up will each receive one copy of the Cyberlink PowerDirector 14 Ultra software, as a consolation prize.

An IPOPHL Special Award of P10,000.00 will also be given

by IPOPHL to the winning entry that best incorporates the message of building respect for intellectual property in the Filipino family.

Additionally, the entry that garners the most number of likes on the RAMP-PH Facebook Page (https:// www.facebook.com/rampph2016/) will win one Canon VIXIA HF G20 HD Camcorder.

Submission of entries will be open from May 1 to Aug. 6 and awarding will be in September.

To find out more details about the contest, visit the Rise Against Movie Piracy Facebook Page at https:// www.facebook.com/rampph2016/.

(from left) iflix’s Sherwin Dela Cruz, Solar’s Atty. Valerie Domantay, IpOpHl’s Josephine Santiago , US Embassy’s Brian Breuhaus and HOOQ’s Mon Ibrahim

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

pEOplE ¼

are talking about

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McNeal Briguela

Kris Aquino

Most likely you have already seen this “aura look” (see photo) even if you are not an avid Kapamilya fan. Otherwise we would surmise that you’re currently living under a rock. McNeal, “Boy Aura” to netizens or Mak-Mak in the top-rating action drama FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano is slowly dominating all media platforms via his amusing videos and memes.

Guess what? We’ve found another Internet star who looks like a small version of Shalala only he’s more relatable and entertaining.

‘Just the 3 of us’ Arci Muñoz The former Kapuso and Kapatid star landed on the cover of Metro Magazine’s special body issue, which many magazine readers consider as the most awaited summer and anniversary issue of the glossy. By default (uncontested), Arci being on the cover puts her as the face and body of summer. And we are not complaining.

“Ipagtanggol niyo naman ako,” she asked the crowd in one of the campaign sorties of Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo. This was her appeal after the presidential chopper brouhaha that earned her flak from the public. Of course we now know the reason why she took the ride, what we don’t know is why there’s still nobody willing to come forward and defend her publicly. Probably, her star and her magic are now just an illusion.

The director of the film that stars John Lloyd Cruz and Jennylyn Mercado squealed online as soon as he learned that his rom-com is up against JaDine’s This Time. The director felt it’s downright unfair because both films will premiere in cinemas on the same day next week. Perhaps, he suddenly lost his faith in himself as a director and realized that his crappy work will just be devoured by JaDine’s film at the local box office. Can we say he just gave people another reason to choose This Time over Just the 3 of Us?

Emilio Garcia He swore he’s not going to give politics another try after losing in his first attempt to run for public office three years ago. And that’s understandable, it’s really hard to face the truth that showbiz didn’t even make him popular enough to make people think he’s capable to be their leader. Question is, who’s Emilio again? He’s a former male bold star who tried but failed to be in politics, let’s just keep it that way.

Alexa Ilacad The young Star Magic talent known for her roles in Bagito and Luv U graduated from junior high school with flying colors. On her Instagram account, the 16-year-old Alexa posted a photo of her showing off the medals she received during her school’s commencement exercise saying she’s moving up to senior high. Now we wonder, if Alexa were able to finish school amid hectic schedule, what’s the excuse of those stars her age who don’t attend school?

cROsswORD puzzlE 45 47 48 50 52 54 58 62

answer PreVIOUs PUZZLe

ACROSS 1 Cleveland NBAer 4 The whole extent 9 Wingding 13 “The Greatest” 14 Plugged in 15 Girl at a ball 16 Cliff dwellings site (2 wds.)

18 Repair-bill item 19 Look into 20 Wins the joust

22 Cast about 25 Sudden urges 26 “Beowulf” et al.

28 Decrees 32 Bump 35 Teenager 37 Marsh stalker 38 Large-scale 40 Slug cousin 42 Lake Victoria outlet 43 Bar legally

Ocean motions Diner order Goober Swings a scythe Herr’s spouse Fuji summit Reckoning Supermodel — Campbell 63 Cheapen 64 Funny story (hyph.)

67 Parceled out 68 Hair-raising 69 Foot-pound relative 70 Ballot marks 71 Pony brakes 72 “L.A. Law” star DOWN 1 Sleeps in a tent 2 Tip off 3 Eyeshade 4 Collapsed (2 wds.)

5 Dazzle 6 Nick or scratch 7 Language of Pakistan 8 Itty-bitty 9 Donuts, in the Wild West (2 wds.)

10 Linen vestments 11 — -eyed

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2016

12 15 17 21 23 24 27 29 30 31 32 33 34 36 39 41 44 46 49 51 53 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 65 66

Milady’s Fair maiden Vigoda and Fortas Start of a bray Id companions Unnerve One kind of flight Cheat sheet Rat on Dele’s undoing Cherokee, e.g.

Domed recess “Gilda” Goes to earth Bewilders Slope Was a happy cat Mooches “— -Pan” Influence Andretti rival In secret writing Romance in a gondola Kind of bank Notoriety Wild goat Slalom obstacle Clarified butter Meyers of “Kate & Allie” — and tonic

f RIDAy : A pRIl 2 9, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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SM youTH AMbASSADoRS In CITIES foR youTH EMpowERMEnT

oung, fresh and the life of the parties, the SM Youth Ambassadors toured key cities in the Philippines to join in the many hip festivals of the year. TV personalities Tommy Esguerra and Richard Juan, stunner Janna Tee, heartthrob L.A. Aguinaldo and music maven DJ Carlo Atendido frontline the SM Youth brand.

As the esteemed SM Youth Ambassadors, the fabulous five serves the latest in youth fashion and brings the latest lifestyle culture to teens across the country. Recently, they visited Cebu for the Sinulog Festival in Cebu, danced the night away at the Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo and saw the

full blooms in Baguio through the Panagbenga Festival.

Tommy, Richard, Janna, L.A. and Carlo went in a cultural dive throughout the tours.

They had their faces painted, wore the traditional clothing for each destination and learned a lot more about the teens in those cities. Aside from a fresh dose of fashion, the SM Youth Ambassadors used their influence to empower the youth that style is key to making your personal statement.

Visit facebook.com/SMyouthlifestyle, or drop a note @SM_Youth on Twitter and Instagram. SM Youth, along with the other brands under its arm, are available at all SM Stores nationwide.

‘pop Talk’ celebrates 5th anniversary in Zamboanga

SM youth Ambassadors Hideo Muraoka, lA Aguinaldo, Tommy Esguerra, Janna Tee, Carlo Atendido and Richard Juan at the Dinagyang festival in Iloilo

Susan still loves her niece Sheryl New Kapamilya star Ritz Azul told some people how Susas Roces loves her niece, Sheryl Cruz, so much even when the popular “Mr. Dreamboy” singer is not in speaking terms with her cousin, Senator Grace Poe. In an interview with the press, Azul shared her first encounter with Roces on the set of Ang Probinsyano.

“Si Tita Susan muna nag-usap kami. Tapos sabi niya, kilala niya raw ako. Parang, ‘Si Tita Susan kilala ako!’ sabi ko sa isip ko,” Azul said.

Lifestyle show Pop Talk turns five and this Saturday as host Tonipet Gaba takes viewers to Zamboanga del Norte.

Aside from its historical significance as Jose Rizal’s place of exile, there’s more to discover in Zamboanga. Pop Talk will explore this beautiful province and will go to the must-see hang out places, restaurants, shops, and gimmick spots.

Don’t miss Pop Talk’s 5th Anniversary episode, 8 p.m. tomorrow on GMA News TV.

Susan seemingly remembered she was with Sheryl Cruz in one of the drama series on TV5.

“Kasi kasama ko si Ms. Sheryl Cruz noon sa Nagbabagang Bulaklak, eh pamangkin niya.

Naalala pa niya, sabi ko sa isip ko.

Kinikilig-kilig naman ako,” Azul added.

That only means that Roces follows the career of her niece. And when Sherly made noise about Grace, her aunt simply tried to understand her and never went out of her way to reprimand her.

politicians can’t afford my fees – Coco Martin Coco Martin denies he was paid to endorse Senator Grace Poe during a campaign sortie in Palawan last week.

“Sa palagay ko naman po hindi ko na po kailangan sa mga panahon ngayon,” he told a reporter.

The lead star of the no. 1 show on primetime TV said that he wants to help Senator Poe in her campaigns and wanted to join her sorties but the network didn’t permit him due to his schedule.

“Actually po sa akin naman po meron pa po akong trabaho today. Pero pinilit kong magpaalam kasi hindi ko na kaya. Gusto ko na, nanggigigil na yung nararamadaman ko, gusto ko nang tumulong, gusto ko nang magsalita na mai-share kung anuman lang yung nararamdaman ko at naiisip ko para dito po,” Coco explained.

Coco said that her endorsement for Grace Poe is because he is close to her mother, Susan Roces, who plays Lola Kap in the series in which also stars as Ador/ Cardo, originally plaed in the film version of the series.

“Matagal kong pinag-aralan to pinanood ko lahat ng mga debates, lahat ng mga interviews nila. Siyempre po sa pagkakataong ito, boboto ako hindi lamang para sa aking sarili, hindi para sa aking pamilya, para sa ating lahat sa buong Pilipinas,” the actor said.

“Napaka-importante ng boto ko, ito pong pagkakataon na ito ay panahon para tumulong ka sa iyong bayan. Sa lahat po ng napanood ko po lahat po ng qualities na hinahanap ko po sa pagiging pangulo nakita ko po kay Grace Poe,” Coco added.

Kapamilya star Coco Martin and presidential candidate Sen. Grace poe in a campaign sortie in palawan

Sky Cable Corporation officials with the officers from Armed forces of the philippines

SKy’s direct-to-home service to Afp troops nationwide

Sky Cable Corporation donated installation kits of SKYdirect, its newest direct-to-home service to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to give them nationwide access to news and information in support of their call of duty to serve the country.

Through SKYdirect, AFP troops deployed in various locations across the Philippines including Basilan, Jolo, Tawi-Tawi, Ilocos Norte, and Samar, among others will have nationwide access to vital news and in-depth information through the wide channel variety of SKYdirect all in digital quality, including a select number in high definition.

“We know how important it is for the AFP to have seamless access to information especially in

remote areas in the Philippines.

With the help of SKYdirect, AFP troops will be connected to quality information and entertainment,” said Sky Cable Corporation chief operating officer March Ventosa.

“We hope SKYdirect will create a difference in your pursuit to continuously offer excellent service for Filipinos,” he added.

Meanwhile, AFP vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda expressed his gratitude to Sky Cable for recognizing their role and service to the Filipino people.

He remarked, “A lot of you here recognize the sacrifices of our troops and I am delighted with your donation to the AFP. This (SKYdirect) will contribute a lot to our troops.”

Lt. Gen. Miranda received the SKYdirect kits together with AFP major services representatives Col. Jose Benavidez (AFP General Headquarters) Col. Vener Odillon Mariano (Philippine Army), Col. Gerso Lopez (Philippine Air Force), and commander Gualterio Dela Cruz (Philippine Navy) in behalf of Gen. Hernando Delfin Iriberri.

SKYdirect is Sky Cable Corporation’s newest service powered by direct-to-home technology. It aims to give Filipinos access to quality information and entertainment via its rich cable channel lineup in any part of the country. Sky Cable is a unit of leading media and entertainment organization ABS-CBN Corporation.

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iSaH V. rEd EDITOR NiCKiE WaNG WRITER

isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ ‘ThaT’s My aMbOy’ EnDs TOnIghT, lEaD sTaRs shaRE ExpERIEncEs ISAH V. RED

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he story of Maru and Bryan or ‘MaBry’ ends tonight. Barbie Forteza and Andre Paras are unstoppable in enjoying each other’s company as their primetime show That’s My Amboy gave them a chance to know each other more.

Being together on the set of the series for several months, both Kapuso stars recognized little things about each other that will make them miss one another.

“She is a person who makes everyone happy and at the same time you will enjoy your work because she is very makulit,” Andre said.

But for Barbie, aside from his timely weirdness and kakulitan, she will always remember her partner in a coffee. “Because he becomes extra hyper when he drinks one,” she playfully said.

andre paras and Barbie forteza otherwise known as anBie, stars of toprating primetime rom-com “That’s My amboy”

On the other hand, the AnBie love team is very grateful how this show gave them growth in their respective careers.

That’s My Amboy, according to Barbie, has given her memorable experiences during the entire production. Apart from learning how to drive a car on her own for a scene in the series, Barbie shared one lesson she will bring as she continues her acting career—how to take scenes seriously.

“All thanks to Bb. Joyce [Bernal], I learned how to really understand the script and follow the scene’s objective and emotion,” Barbie said.

For Andre, That’s My Amboy is not only a series about the love story of Maru and Bryan but is about working with a great cast and director.

“I learned to trust everyone and just have fun with what you’re doing because that’s what will translate on screen,” he said.

Find out what’s bound for team MaBry’s ‘kilig’ love story in That’s My Amboy. Will there be a second chance for them in love or will they just part ways?

Catch That’s My Amboy’s finale tonight after Poor Señorita on GMA Telebabad.

British talent show back for 10th anniversary Odd yet astonishing performances hit center stage in the tenth season of Britain’s Got Talent (BGT).

This season, which marks the talent show’s 10th anniversary, opens with deathdefying acts that earned unanimous praise from the show’s judges. The Togni Brothers and aerial gymnasts Katy and Paul are among these stunning performers.

From Birmingham, the Togni brothers Michael and Dario are foot jugglers who grew up in an Italian circus. The duo drew strong cheers from the crowd throughout their stunt. Even Amanda Holden, who called their stunt extraordinary, couldn’t help herself from exclaiming “Oh my God!” Simon Cowell described the brothers’ audition as a great act, having never

seen anything like it before.

Liverpool-based aerial gymnasts Katy and Paul have been performing together for 14 years. Katy is a healthcare worker while Paul is a full-time performer. Paul described Katy as someone who is like a sister to him. Their spins also drew a huge response, receiving a standing ovation from both the judges and the audience.

Though the first episodes of the British talent show featured some extremely dangerous acts, other auditions also made for great entertainment. Among those who stood out in the first episodes of the British talent show are the Presentation School Choir from Kilkenny, the Elite Squad Royalz from Oxford, and Wayne Woodward, who sounded like Frank Sinatra.

hot favorites to win. aerial gymnasts The Togni Brothers (left) and 12-year-old singer Beau dermott (right)

Fond memories

Britain’s Got Talent judges david Walliams, , alesha dixon, amanda Holden and Simon Cowell

For 10 years, the strange and stunning exploits of the show has excited viewers in Britain and around the world. Looking back, Britain’s Got Talent producer and judge Simon Cowell admits that when the show first aired in 2007, he was not 100 percent sure that the talent search would be a success.

It was only when Paul Potts auditioned that Simon realized Britain’s Got Talent would be a great show. “Paul, in a weird way, defines the whole show and what it’s all about. It’s different from other competitions because I’m not sure other competitions would have got him to enter,” Simon said.

Now an operatic pop music singer, Paul got three yeses during the show’s first season when he performed Nessun Dorma, an aria from the opera Turandot.

Simon also thought Connie Talbot, who sung “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” during her audition, was also one of the show’s

most unforgettable talents. Like Paul Potts, Connie Talbot was a crowd favorite. Paul Potts, however, ended up becoming the show’s first winner.

Other surprises in store

Daring acts have surprised both the audience and the judges this season but another highlight is the return of the “Golden Buzzer.”

The judges, as well as the show’s hosts Ant and Dec each have Golden Buzzers.

When the hosts or a judge press the Golden Buzzer for a performer, that performer receives an automatic place in the live semi-finals. So far, two acts have received the golden buzzer –Beau Dermott and the 100 Voices Choir.

Britain’s Got Talent Season 10 premiered April 10 exclusive on RTL CBS Entertainment HD. It airs 10:30 a.m. as live via satellite on Sundays. Primetime encores 9 p.m. on Sundays and Thursdays.