The Standard - 2016 May 10 - Tuesday

VOL. XXX NO. 87 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 TUESDAY : MAY 10, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

13 killed as polls turn violent

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DUTERTE RACES TO EARLY LEAD Bongbong holds slim advantage over Robredo

By John Paolo Bencito

DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. maintained the lead over their rivals in the presidential and vice presidential races, based on a partial unofficial count released Monday night.

Memory aid. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte checks his vote against a list he brought with him to Daniel Aguinaldo National High School in Davao City, where he cast his vote on Monday. Duterte, the wildly popular anti-establishment firebrand, was the early leader in the hotly contested national election. AFP

Roxas confident he will still win

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Turnout was a high 80 percent, the Comelec said.

Results transmitted to the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas-Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (KBPPPCRV) Transparency Server after the polls closed Monday night gave Duterte a commanding lead over his rivals, with 11,510,550 votes, ahead of Senator Grace Poe with 6,534,246, and administration candidate Manuel Roxas II with 6,459,788 votes.

With 67 percent of precincts reporting, Vice President Jejomar Binay was fourth with 3,898,409 votes, and Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago with 1,179,537.

In the vice presidential race, Marcos led with 10,595,809 votes, followed by Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo with 9,698,760 votes.

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano came in at third with 4,042,460 votes while Senator Francis Escudero got 3,403,638 votes.

They were followed by Senators Antonio Trillanes IV with 576,150 votes and Gregorio Honasan with 502,494 votes.

Senatorial aspirants who made it to the top 12 were: 1. Former TESDA Director-General Joel Villanueva (13,920,690) Next page

‘Polls went smoothly despite glitch reports’

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan and Christine F. Herrera DESPITE the sporadic failure of vote counting machines in more than 100 precincts around the country, the Commission on Elections said voting went as planned Monday.

“Overall, we believe the elections went smoothly,” said Comelec Chairman An-

dres Bautista at a press conference after the polls closed in most precincts at 5 p.m.

“There were of course problems encountered... but we are solution-oriented,” Bautista added.

The Comelec chairman said that only 150 VCMs or 0.16 percent of the 92,509 machines failed and needed to be replaced this year. This compared with 171 out of 77,829 machines in 2013, and 205

out of 76,347 VCMs in 2010.

Bautista said the most common problems were VCMs that rejected ballots or failed to print out voter receipts.

There are also reports from Cordova, Cebu that the Comelec had deployed the wrong ballots.

“There were mis-deliveries but [these were] corrected in time,” Bautista said, Next page

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13 killed as violence erupts on election day The worst incident occurred in Cavite province, where seven volunteer poll watchers in a convoy were shot dead by still unidentified suspects in Rosario town past 12 noon Monday.

The victims were on board several vehicles traversing Rosario town when they were fired upon by the assailants on a jeep and two motorcycles. An eighth poll watcher survived the attack but was wounded.

Cavite provincial police director Senior Supt. Eliseo Cruz said the convoy was on its way to check on a report of vote buying when it was ambushed.

In Guindulungan in Maguindanao, a voter was shot dead inside a polling station, police said.

A bystander was also killed when a grenade was launched at a market in Cotabato as people were casting their votes, police said.

In the nearby town of Sultan Kudarat, a stronghold of the nation’s biggest Muslim rebel group, 20 men forced their way into a voting center and carted away voting machines, police chief Senior Insp. Esmael Madin said.

In the northern province of Abra, armed supporters of rival mayoral candidates shot at each other, leaving one person dead and two wounded, provincial police spokeswoman Marcy Grace Marron said.

Police arrested two men and two women with guns after the fighting in

the mountainous town of Lagayan, Marron added.

In Marawi City, two political supporters of the mayoralty candidate of the Liberal Party were shot dead by still unidentified assailants. Lanao del Sur provincial director Senior Supt. Rustom Duran said the victims joined the team of Board of Elections Inspectors transporting ballot boxes when the gunmen opened fire.

In Lanao del Norte, a group of armed men torched an elementary school building in Salvador town.

Three grenade explosions rocked the town hall of Sultan Mastura, Maguindanao, but voting was not interrupted, police said. Police said the rifle grenade attacks came in succession at past 1 p.m. Nobody was hurt in the attack. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Still, Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon

‘Polls...

ing violence and electionrelated deaths,” the poll watchdog stated.

The Comelec en banc convened its canvassing process at 3:30 p.m. Monday, but this was immediately discontinued as they had yet to receive any voting results from the provincial board of canvassers.

Bautista said the canvassing of votes would resume Tuesday at 11 a.m., adding that accuracy, and not speed, was the priority.

He also assured the public that data would be available

by Monday evening and Tuesday morning.

But he said the Comelec wanted to discourage trending based on partial data.

‘We are not statisticians.

Our job is to count the votes right,” he said. “You make your own analysis as results are coming out through our transparency server.”

Bautista said they might proclaim the 12 winning senatorial candidates in a week.

Early frontrunners in the unofficial count expressed concern over the defective VCMs, saying they offered the opportunity for cheating.

Amor Amorado, a lawyer for vice presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr., said replacement machines for defective ones could be

pre-programmed for cheating.

Arriving in Manila after he cast his vote in Batac, Ilocos Norte, Marcos went straight to his campaign headquarters along Edsa in Mandaluyong City to oversee the preparations being made by monitoring center located at the building’s fourth floor.

Duterte’s party spokeswoman, Paola Alvarez, said the campaign team was bothered by reports of VCM failures from different parts of the country, which delayed the voting process.

Television reports showed long lines, mostly outside schools that served as voting centers.

In Metro Manila, VCMs malfunctioned in 23 polling precincts in Quezon City.

In Luzon, several provinces reported VCM glitches that delayed voting. In some instances, lines grew longer as the precincts awaited the arrival of replacement machines.

In some precincts, voters filled out their ballots and left them in a folder with the board of election inspectors, while others chose to wait for a replacement VCM before casting their votes.

The administration candidate for vice president, Leni Robredo, had to wait

By Francisco Tuyay and Florante S. Solmerin

THIRTEEN people were killed and three others were wounded in election-related violence Monday.

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adding that no precincts declared a failure of elections.

But Lente, a poll watchdog, said the same election violations and irregularities that plagued previous polls were present on Monday.

In a statement, Lente said it monitored several incidents of vote buying, unlawful electioneering and the ban on campaigning on Election Day. The group also expressed alarm at the disenfranchisement of voters and delays in voting due to glitches in the VCMs. “In a number of polling places, the VCMs stalled in the middle of the process.

In Lupang Pangako Elementary School in Payatas, for example, the VCM was reported to have malfunctioned since 8 a.m.,” Lente said.

Lente also reported that the increase in number of missing names on the voter’s list was worrisome as it pointed to voter disenfranchisement.

“Lente also observed several cases of unlawful entry of AFP, PNP and barangay officials. The most unsettling trend, however, has been the increase in the number of reports involv-

said the violence would not affect the result, noting they had taken place in known “hot spots” where extra security forces were in place.

Military spokesman Col. Noel Detoyato also played down the violence.

“There are isolated incidents. [They] had minimal effect on the conduct of the elections,” he said.

Fifteen people had been confirmed killed in preelection violence since the start of the year, according to the national police poll monitoring task force.

Political violence is a longstanding problem, fueled by lax gun laws, corrupt security forces and political dynasties that often have their security forces.

Rodrigo Duterte, the tough-talking mayor of Davao City, is the favorite to win the presidential elections after campaigning on a platform of killing thousands of criminals that critics say will incite more violence. With AFP, PNA in line for two hours at the Tabuco Central School in Naga City, while the precinct awaited a replacement VCM. Voters in several precincts in Mindanao also waited for hours for defective machines to be replaced.

The church-based election watchdog Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting on Monday said it has received numerous instances of election-related violence and violations of election laws from its volunteers across the country.

It also said it pulled out its volunteers in Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato City for their safety.

The PPCRV, an election watchdog and the citizen arm of the Comelec, also reported spotting some VCMs in rooms at the Novotel in Araneta Center, where the Comelec’s technology provider, Smartmatic, were billeted.

But Bautista, who went to the hotel after receiving the reports, said he found nothing.

The campaign team of the Liberal Party also criticized the PPCRV for “spreading baseless and unsubstantiated rumors.” With Joel E. Zurbano, Vito Barcelo, John Paolo Bencito, Jun David, AFP

Duterte...

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2. Sen. Pres. Franklin Drilon (13,677,848) 3. Sen. Vicente Sotto (13,124,118) 4. Former senator Panfilo Lacson (12,834,899) 5. Former senator Richard Gordon (12,791,021) 6. Former Philhealth director Risa Hontiveros (11,968,117) 7. Former senator Juan Miguel Zubiri (11,846,042) 8. Former senator Kiko Pangilinan (11,783,823) 9. Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao (11,412,880) 10. Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian (11,330,066) 11. Senator Ralph Recto (10,574,584) 12. Former Justice Sec. Leila de Lima (10,397,377) Senatorial bets in the crucial Top 13-15 spots were: 13. Former Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Francis Tolentino (9,552,483) 14. Senator Sergio Osmena (9,522,476) 15. Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez (9,056,512) Following his early lead based on the partial unofficial polls, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte told a GMA7 interview that he would begin assembling his Cabinet if he wins.

He would not claim victory, however.

“My habit is that I place myself in a 50-50 position in all the elections in my life. I do not listen to the news, I shut myself [off], I always believe in destiny,” he added.

Saying that the 2016 polls have been divisive, Duterte said that he would soon reach out to his rivals after the polls.

“We should be healing now,” he said.

He would not comment on his lead, saying “there’s always a time for everything.”

He added that he would never become president by cheating.

Duterte’s campaign team, however, said they were confident of a landslide victory.

“Looking at the exit polls and looking at the field reports that we are getting, it would seem that Mayor Duterte will parallel if not surpass the victory of President [Benigno] Aquino in 2010,” said Lito Banayo of Duterte’s camp.

Marcos also declined to comment on the partial results.

“It’s good to see that we’re leading in the numbers, but it’s still quite early. We’re not even halfway yet,” he told GMA 7. “It’s not over until it’s over.”

The Roxas camp said they remain confident that the fight for the presidency is not yet over.

“Obviously, we have to admit that the initial results are discouraging, but we know it’s not over,” said his spokesman, Akbayan Rep. Ibarra Gutierrez.

“We haven’t even reached 50 percent so there’s still time to make up for the ground that we have to cover,” he added.

As of 8:05 p.m., 60.02 percent of election returns were already transmitted to the Transparency server.

In the Comelec Main Server, meanwhile, which would be the basis of the official canvass for the National Board of Canvassers, 41,469 election returns or 44.23 percent out of 93,754 election returns were already transmitted as of 8:12 p.m.

Under the existing system for canvassing the results, the election returns (ERs), which are sourced from the vote counting machines, are transmitted to the municipal board of canvassers and city board of canvassers, which will use them as the basis for the canvassing of votes.

These results will then be transmitted to the provincial board of canvassers to come up with provincial certificates of canvass, which will be used by the national board of canvassers to canvass the votes for senators and party-list groups.

Votes for president and vice president, meanwhile, will be canvassed by the two houses of Congress.

Congress is expected to convene as the national board of canvassers on May 23.

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Digong calls for reconciliation DAVAO CITY—Presidential aspirant Rodrigo Duterte on Monday offered a hand of reconciliation to his opponents and other candidates and told them “let us begin the national healing now.”

Poe votes. Presidential candidate Grace Poe casts her vote at the Sta Lucia Elementary School in San Juan on Monday. LINO SANTOS

Roxas confident he’ll win the elections FOLLOWING the accusations by his rivals about the cheating allegedly to be orchestrated by the ruling Liberal Party, administration standard bearer Manuel Roxas II on Monday insisted his rivals were lying, and that he would win in an honest election.

After voting in his hometown Roxas City in Capiz, he dismissed as lies some reports claiming the LP would be cheating.

“Siguro sila na lang ang tanungin ninyo kung saan nagmumula yan,” Roxas said

after casting his vote at the Rufina Andrada Santos Memorial School.

“Iyan ay mga kasinungalingan, kung anu-anong mga imbento at kung anu-anong mga ‘di totoong sinasabi at nakikita ‘yan ng ating mga kabababayan.”

Roxas said he will emerge as the winner of the May 9 elections, and that he did his best to wage a principled campaign until the end.

“I’m very serene, I’m very optimistic at payapa ang kalooban ko,” Roxas said.

While Roxas cast his vote easily, his running mate Leni Robredo took an hour waiting in line after the vote-counting machine in her precinct at the Tabuco Central School in Naga City, Camarines Sur, broke down.

After casting her vote, Robredo said the camp of her rival, Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., should not “condition the minds of our people with false accusations.”

“Let’s all be reminded that it is not impossible that the majority of our people don’t want an unrepentant Marcos back,”

she said.

Roxas said he hoped the country could move forward after the divisive political exercise, adding that the people trooping to the precincts to vote showed that democracy was alive.

Roxas was statistically tied with Senator Grace Poe for second place in the last preferential surveys released by both Pulse Asia and the Social Weather Stations.

Robredo, meanwhile, was statistically tied with survey front runner Marcos. John Paolo Bencito

In his talk with reporters at the DuterteCayetano Media Center, Duterte called out to presidential aspirants Jejomar Binay, Grace Poe, Manuel Roxas II, Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Antonio Trillanes IV to begin the healing.

“Let us forget and start the healing. Let us be friends. Let us forget the travails of the elections,” he said.

When asked if none of his opponents would heed his call, Duterte said “Fine.”

He said he had a deep and abiding faith in God although “I am a free-range believer in God.” He said he believed in the “eternal law of karma,” that if you did good and you would be rewarded with goodness, and that if you did bad the karma would take over.

While this election is his 11th with zero defeat, Duterte refused to predict its outcome.

“I ain’t there until I’m there,” he said.

Duterte said he could go down in defeat or up in victory.

“I am hopeful and I pray to God. If he wants me there I will accept it,” he said.

Duterte, who arrived at his polling center after 3 p.m., was the last among five presidential candidates to vote at the Daniel Aguinaldo National High School.

He shrugged off the alleged vote-buying incidents in Monday’s elections: The 71-year-old Davao City mayor said ensuring fair and honest elections was the mandate of the Commission on Elections.

“If they cannot come up with one, that is their problem. That is not my problem,” he said.

Duterte also appeared not surprised at the mammoth crowd of supporters who braved the scorching heat while awaiting his arrival at the voting center.

“I am not surprised, I am a candidate for the presidency. And almost all of them are my constituents, so it is very natural for them to gravitate towards me,” he said.

PNA

700 Poe backers are guarding her votes AT LEAST 700 lawyers, IT experts and volunteers for Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero have been mobilized to ensure that the votes for the independent candidates are counted when the polling precincts close and the counting of the ballots begins.

George Garcia, the head of Poe and Escudero’s legal team, said the candidates’ lawyers and volunteers were ready to help protect the integrity of the elections and the votes of their presidential and vice presidential contenders.

“We are about to start the next crucial chapter of the electoral process, which is the counting of the official ballots,” Garcia said.

“Our volunteers are not only here to guard the votes of the Poe-Escudero tandem, but also to fight any form of poll fraud.”

Garcia made his statement even as Poe on Monday exhorted the Filipino people and all the candidates to

respect the will of the majority.

“What is most important is for our countrymen’s voices to be heard and counted,” Poe said after casting her vote at the Sta. Lucia Elementary School on Vincencio Street, San Juan.

Garcia said he expected more lawyers, IT experts and volunteers to join them before Congress sits as the National Board of Canvassers on May 24.

His legal team has set up its headquarters in the clubhouse of the National People’s Coalition, the country’s second biggest political party that threw its support behind Poe and Escudero, in New Manila, Quezon City.

“Our battalion of lawyers and volunteers will be here to help until the last vote is counted,” Garcia said.

Before voting, Poe visited the tomb of her father, the late actor Fernando Poe Jr., at the Manila North Cemetery in Manila. FPJ ran for

president in 2004 but lost to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in an election in which the actor’s camp claimed he was cheated.

Poe thanked her countrymen for inspiring her to seek the country’s highest post.

A day before the elections, Poe said she had the jitters just like in 2013 when she ran for senator and received the highest number of votes.

She said it took her only a few minutes to vote.

“I voted before lunch time so there would be fewer people, but it was still crowded because the classrooms were small,” Poe said.

She said she also visited her mother, actress Susan Roces, and they talked until wee hours.

Her husband Neil Llamanzares described the senator as “nervous but she is also very hopeful, as are the rest of the family.” Macon Ramos-Araneta

‘Vote for continuity.’ Presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II casts his vote in his hometown Roxas City in Capiz on Monday.

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Aquino casts vote in Tarlac

By Sandy Araneta

UNLIKE many voters who encountered problems during the election, President Benigno Aquino III cast his vote in Tarlac City without issue with members of his family.

Wearing a light brown shirt and blue jeans, Aquino arrived at the Central Azucarera de Tarlac School inside the Hacienda Luisita at 9:20 a.m. with his sisters Maria Elena “Ballsy” Aquino-Cruz and Aurora Corazon “Pinky” Aquino-Abellada, their husbands and children.

Accompanied by videographers from Radio-Television Malacañang, Aquino searched for his name from the list of voters in his precinct, exchanged pleasantries

with other voters and joined a queue for almost an hour.

Compared to other voters who took only around five minutes to complete the voting process, Aquino spent about 15 minutes to finish—taking his time to carefully fill his ballot, review his choices, casting his ballot and verifying his voter’s receipt.

Aquino refused to speak to reporters but he appeared to be in high spirits, smiling broadly to the people at the school before he re-

turned to Malacañang to monitor the polls, Palace officials said.

Over the weekend, Aquino urged voters to form a united front with Liberal Party standard bearer Mar Roxas against frontrunner Rodrigo Duterte, who has threatened to padlock Congress if it goes against him. The three other presidential candidates spurned his proposal.

Without mentioning the toughtalking Davao City mayor by name, Roxas also warned of “the spectre of a looming dictatorship” under a Duterte presidency.

“It behooves everybody to try and get together and ensure, instead of thinking what we should do if everything he says is exactly what he intends to do, why don’t we remove that problem or threat or insecurity

by uniting the 70 and defeating the 30,” he said in an interview.

Aquino was referring to several statements of presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte threatening, among others, to padlock Congress.

“I’m trying to get all of these different voices from so many sectors together and in that sense perhaps help our candidates get together and have that united front,” he added.

Over the weekend, Aquino said he was confident the Daang Matuwid [Straight Path] coalition will win the election.

“I thank you again because we will win again on Monday,” Aquino said in a speech during the LP miting de avance at the Quezon City Circle on Saturday.

Early bird. Presidential candidate Vice President Jejomar Binay, accompanied by his son suspended Makati mayor Junjun Binay, inserts his ballot inside a vote counting machine at the San Antonio National High School in Makati City. DANNY PATA

VP Binay confident of victory

By Vito Barcelo UNITED Nationalist Alliance standard bearer Vice President Jejomar Binay cast his ballot at a middleclass village in Makati City and expressed confidence he would win the elections although he feared his political opponents will still resort to cheating.

Accompanied by his son, former Makati mayor Junjun Binay, Binay arrived at the San Antonio National High School to cast his ballot early Monday morning while his wife and daughters followed later in the morning.

“I hope that we’ll have clean elections,” Binay said after casting his ballot.

“My concern is massive cheating, especially what they have done to me. The first of two phases have happened. What’s left is the principal phase.”

The vice president did not expound on what he though were the two phases, but Binay’s camp earlier cast suspicion on his slump in the last presidential surveys, where the former frontrunner slid to take fourth place out of five bets.

Despite his fears, however, Binay said he was still confident of winning.

“Last night, I’ve prepared my victory speech because I think, like what you’ve seen during the campaign, I will really win,” Binay said.

Meanwhile, suspended Mayor Junjun dismissed allegations that his father will be put behind bars right after May 30, the last day of his father’s term as vice president which also ends his immunity from charges.

TUCP: Fulfill your labor pledges

By Vito Barcelo THE next administration to honor its commitment to protect the workers plight and to finally end contractualization and unemployment, the labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines on Monday said.

“More than 40 million active voters went out to choose the next leader who they think can address massive problems on poverty, contractualization, lack of job opportunities, poor wages, worsening crime situation and inadequate government service,” TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said.

“The Filipino people have been confined in a very harsh wilderness due to past leaderships’ failures. They selected a candidate they think a savior who can, at least, reduce the pain of their afflictions caused by irreg-

ular jobs, measly wages, rising criminalities, joblessness and inadequate government service,” Tanjusay said.

The TUCP said only three of the five presidential candidates signed a contract with a coalition of labor federations and workers’ organizations calling for the repeal of the notorious and rampant contractual work scheme in the country.

“We have the signatures of Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senator Grace Poe and Mar Roxas, conforming to workers’ clamor to repeal contractualization work scheme in the country,” he said.

He said the three presidential candidates have formally signed the proposed “antiendo contract,” we are elated that ending contractualization work scheme is among the primary social issues that is being advocated by all the presidential candidates.

Youth watch. Although she was accompanied by husband Narciso Santiago and daughter Mallory at the La Vista Clubhouse in Quezon City around 7 a.m. on Monday, presidential candidate Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago takes care to fill her ballot even as she urged her supporters to closely watch the tallying of ballots on Monday.

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Escudero wants to be reenergized

Vice presidential frontrunner Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr. casts his vote at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School in Batac, Ilocos Norte.

By Macon Araneta Vice presidential candidate Francis “chiz” escudero, after casting his vote at the Buhatan elementary School in Sorsogon, said he leaves his fate to God. “Whatever God gives us, that will be the fate of all candidates.

We will accept that,” said escudero, who was with his wife actress Heart evangelista at the polling precinct at 6:10 a.m.

After a gruelling campaign, escudero said he needed to rest. escudero called on his fellow candidates to respect the election turnout, regardless of the results.

“Whatever the decision is of our countrymen, all of us candidates should accept it because in a democracy, we have to follow the will of the masses. We should remember that on this day, we are all equals. We should respect the day and use the power and the right to choose who we elect,” he said.

He said his group has poll watchers and lawyers in different polling precincts around the country to make sure that their votes would be counted and the conduct of the elections, clean.

“More than anything, we must ensure that the results of the elections, whatever these may be, are credible and our people would accept these,” escudero said.

He said he was “satisfied” with the voting process, noting that the receipt issued by the vote counting machine reflected his choices. evangelista, who cast her vote for the first time in her husband’s home province of Sorsogon, said being a wife of a politician in the midst of an important election is an exciting and pressure-filled experience.

“We will be happy with whatever the Lord gives us, truly and sincerely,” she said.

She said the fatigue she feels is nothing compared to the satisfaction she has after helping her husband through this endeavor. “it was very tiring but it was worth it. i gave my 100 percent to help chiz and support him. No regrets,” she said.

HERE COMES THE SON

Marcos: God’s will be done

By Joel E. Zurbano Batac, Ilocos Norte—Vox Populi, Vox Dei. Thus said vice presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. after he cast his vote at the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial elementary School in Batac, ilocos Norte.

“With the idea that Vox Populi, Vox Dei, i just ask that God’s will be done. Because after all that’s what election should be about.

Hopeful that we are still going to have an orderly and honest election,” said Marcos, who arrived at exactly 6 a.m. at precinct 36-A. The senator, accompanied by his mother former first lady imelda Romualdez-Marcos and

sister irene, then visited Batac church for a prayer before going to the Marcos Mansion for a family breakfast. “i think it went very well. i think our message was well received, that in the end the people agreed with our message of unity and i think that will be reflected in the vote today,” said Marcos.

When asked if he is confident he will win, the senator said “Yes, i’m feeling that by all indications we should be successful today.”

Marcos said he expected some minor problems, including missing names of voters during elec-

tions but he advised them to be patient. He also appealed to the people to be vigilant against any form of cheating and other election-related irregularities.

“We have so many voters, millions of voters but i hope the commission on elections and the Smartmatic are prepared for this,” he said.

Marcos and his running mate presidential aspirant Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago earlier warned their supporters to guard their votes to ensure that the true will of the people will be reflected in the results of the elections.

The tandem said the administration’s recent moves show it is panicking with the imminent loss of their bets as they also ac-

cused theadministration of using money to buy votes to ensure their rallies are well-attended.

Marcos said the enthusiastic response they got everywhere they went during the campaign was proof that the people welcomed their message of putting excellence back in government, unifying the nation, advocating that the needs of the country should go first before self and adhering that national interest should be paramount to partisan politics. in his persistent call for national unity, Marcos said that after the elections politics should not influence governance and public service.

He said earlier he is ready and willing to help whoever wins as the country’s next president.

Trillanes won’t ease up on Duterte

By Macon Araneta

Medical mission. The Iglesia ni Cristo’s Aid for Humanity charity event on April 29, 2016 offered free medical assistance to residents of Moriones, Tondo, setting new Guinness world records in the process for most medical assessments made and most ultrasound examinations conducted, both within a span of eight hours.

Vice presidential candidate Senator Antonio Trillanes, who had accused presidential front runner Rodrigo Duterte of acquiring P2.4 billion in “hidden wealth,” vowed to go after the Davao city mayor regardless of the results of the elections.

“We will see each other and i will go after him . i will deal with him after the election, i will not buckle down,” Trillanes said after casting his vote at the Holy infant Montessori center in caloocan city.

His mother and brothers arrived ahead of him at the polling precinct.

Donning an orange shirt, the political color of Nacionalista Party of which he is a member, Trillanes, arrived at precinct 0687B of the school around 9 a.m. “i feel good. Regardless of the results of the election, i will continue to serve,” said Trillanes.

Trillanes had vowed to withdraw from the vice presidential race and resign as senator if his accusations about Duterte’s “undeclared funds” were not true.

He had challenged Duterte to sign a waiver to make public his bank deposits at BPi Julia Vargas branch in Pasig city to disprove allegations of the deposits not declared in the mayor’s SALN filed in 2014.

But Duterte stood his ground not to sign a waiver and insisted that the other presidential bets should first do it ahead of him.

Trillanes vowed to go after crooks.

He also filed a plunder case against Duterte before the Office of the Ombudsman over the hiring of 11,000 ‘ghost employees’ in 2014. in a nine-page complaint-affidavit, Trillanes said he based his allegations on a commission on Audit report in 2015 questioning the recruitment of 11,000 contractual workers that cost the Davao city government some P708 million in 2014.

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Martin contented with poll process

By Maricel V. Cruz

SENATORIAL candidate Martin Romualdez on Monday said he leaves the outcome of the election to God and can take solace in his hard work during the 90-day grueling campaign period to win the electorate in returning “malasakit” (compassion) to public service.

“I am praying that the polls will be believable and reflective of the people’s will. I am also leaving everything to God,” Romualdez stressed after casting his vote 10 a.m. Monday along with his wife, congressional candidate Yedda Marie M. Kittilstvedt-Romualdez at the Polling Precinct No. 0480B of V&G Memorial School at Barangay No. 96 in Tacloban City.

“I gave my very best during the campaign to win the people’s support and we are now at this stage where people vote for the leaders they want to serve the country,” he said.

In his case, Romualdez said he

was contented with the voting process as the receipt issued by the vote counting machine accurately reflected his choices.

“I hope the voting process here is also similar to many parts of the country,” Romualdez said.

He said he voted for his cousin, vice presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “I voted for Senator Bongbong because he is the most qualified among the vice presidential candidates,” Romualdez, the House Independent Bloc leader, said.

Romualdez also thanked presidential candidates led by Davao City

Rep. Rodrigo Duterte, Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago for endorsing his senatorial candidacy.

“I thank the three of them for believing and carrying my candidacy to the Senate as their common guest candidate,” Romualdez said.

“This is also a good opportunity for me to thank all my supporters who helped me during the campaign period,” Romualdez added.

Romualdez reiterated his expression of hope that the outcome of the polls will be reflective of true people’s will.

Romualdez called anew on the electorate to continue exercising vigilance in safeguarding their votes to protect the integrity of the 2016 presidential polls as a show of “malasakit” or compassion to the future of the Philippines.

Last week, Romualdez attended the Mass at the Manila Cathedral officiated by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle before taking part in signing the Truthful, Responsible, Upright, Transparent and Honest Senatorial candidate and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez (right) and wife (TRUTH) Elections to ensure clean, congressional candidate Yedda Romualdez cast their ballots at V&G Elementary School in Tacloban City. VER NOVENO honest and peaceful polls.

Republic of the Philippines Province of Bataan City of Balanga BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE OFFICE INVITATION TO BID NO. GOODS-026-2016 26

The Provincial Government of Bataan, through the General Fund intends to apply the below listed procurement w/ corresponding Approved Budget of the Contract (ABC). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected a bid opening.

Name of Project

Approved Budget of the Contract (ABC)

1. Supply & Delivery of Cashew, Eucalyptus, Kakawate, Ipil-ipil& Fire Tree Seedlings

=P=6,800,000.00

Solon pushes repeal of energy tax law A VISAYAN lawmaker has proposed the abolition of a law (Batas Pambansa 36) which imposes an energy tax on electricity consumption of residential customers, saying that it doesn’t serve the purpose of its creation.

Bidding is open to all interested bidders, whether local or foreign, subject to the conditions for eligibility provided in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

INVITATION TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO BID The Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology through the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) invites Contractors registered with and classified by the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) to apply for eligibility and if found eligible, to bid for hereunder contract: 1.

Project Title : Proposed Perimeter Fencing (Phase I) Approved Budget for the Contract : PhP34,708,000.00 Location: NEUST Gabaldon Campus, Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija Contract Duration: 210 Calendar Days Source of Fund: GAA 2016

2.

Project Title : Proposed Gymnasium Roofing and Provision of Gymnasium Stage Approved Budget for the Contract : PhP4,365,157.50 Location: NEUST Atate Campus, Atate, Palayan City Contract Duration : 120 Calendar Days Source of Fund : Special Trust Fund

3.

Project Title : Proposed Accreditation Center Approved Budget for the Contract : PhP4,000,000.00 Location: NEUST Main Campus, Sumacab Este, Cabanatuan City Contract Duration : 120 Calendar Days Source of Fund : Special Trust Fund

4.

Project Title : Facelifting of Administration Building/LTC Building Approved Budget for the Contract : PhP 1,851,036.35 Location: NEUST Gen. Tinio Campus, Cabanatuan City Contract Duration: 90 Calendar Days Source of Fund: Special Trust Fund

5.

Project Title : Road Concreting/Earthfilling Approved Budget for the Contract : PhP1,327,006.65 Location: Tabon, NEUST San Isidro Campus, San Isidro, Nueva Ecija Contract Duration: 60 Calendar Days Source of Fund: Special Trust Fund

Interested bidders may obtain further information from Office of Bataan Bids & Awards Committeeand inspect the Bidding Documents from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the same office.

Bid documents will be available only to eligible bidders upon payment of a non-refundable amount of using standard rates approved by GPPB as stated on their Resolution No. 042012 listed below.

Approved Budget for the Contract 500,000 and below

Maximum Cost of Bidding Documents (in Philippine Peso) 500.00

More than 500,000 up to 1 Million More than 1 Million up to 5 Million More than 5 Million up to 10 Million More than 10 Million up to 50 Million More than 50 Million up to 500 Million More than 500 Million

1,000.00 5,000.00 10,000.00 25,000.00 50,000.00 75,000.00

The Provincial Government of Bataanwill hold a Pre-Bid Conference on May 17, 2016 at 10:00 A.M atProvincial BAC Office, PEO Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

Bids must be delivered on or before May 30, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. at Provincial BAC Office, PEO Capitol Compound, BalangaCity, Bataan. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated on IRR of RA 9184 and Bid Securing Declaration in standard form.

The winning bidder has the option to deliver the items requested by the end-user with higher technical specification & better technology provided it will be beneficial to the government & will not incur additional expenses on the part of the procuring entity.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend opening of Bids at Bataan BAC Office. Late bids shall not be accepted.

In case of the above dates is declared a special Non-Working Holidays, it will automatically reset on the next working days.

Other necessary information deemed relevant by the Provincial Government of Bataan Activities 1. Advertisement/Posting of Invitation to Bid 2. Eligibility Check 3. Issuance and availability of Bidding Documents 4. Request for Clarification 5. Opening of Bids

Schedule May 10 – May 16, 2016 Refer to date of Opening of Bids May 10 – May 30, 2016 May 19, 2016 May 30, 2016

The Provincial Government of Bataanreserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to: Engr. Josephine R. Valenzuela Provincial BAC / PEO Bataan Provincial BAC / PEO Office, Capitol Compound, BalangaCity, Bataan 047-237-9316 bac@bataan.gov.ph

Prospective bidder should possess a valid PCAB license applicable to the contract, have completed a similar contract with the value of at least 50 % of the ABC, and have key personnel and equipment (Listed in the Eligibility Forms) available for the prosecution of the contract. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of Bids. The BAC will conduct post qualification of the lowest calculated bid.

All particulars to the Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, PreBidding Conference, Evaluation of bids, Post Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).

Schedule of Activities 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Advertisement/Receipt of Letter of Intent Pre-bid Conference Submission of Bid Bid Evaluation Post-Qualification

Date -

May 10-17, 2016 May 18, 2016 May 30, 2016 May 31, 2016 June 1, 2016

The BAC will issue to prospective bidders Eligibility Forms at the Office of the BAC Chairman, Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology, Cabanatuan City upon their submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI) to the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology. Prospective bidders shall submit the Eligibility Requirements to the BAC at the said address. They may also obtain the results of the Eligibility Check by the BAC at the same address.

The BAC will issue bidding documents only to bidders declared by the BAC to be eligible for the bidding upon payment of the non-refundable amount of PhP 25,000.00 for the Proposed Perimeter Fencing (Phase I), PhP 5,000.00 for the Proposed Gymnasium Roofing and Provision of Gymnasium Stage, PhP 5,000.00 for the Proposed Accreditation Center, PhP 5,000.00 for the Facelifting of Administration Building/LTC Building, PhP 5,000.00 for the Road Concreting/ Earthfilling to the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology Cashier’s Office.

The Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology reserves the right to accept or reject any Bid to annul the bidding process, and to reject all Bids at any time prior to contract award, whether thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

Approved by:

(SGD) ENRICO T. YUZON BAC CHAIRMAN (TS-MAY 10, 2016)

least 650 kilowatt-hours.

During the period, Caminero said there was oil crisis and power generation and transmission were in the hands of the government through the National Power Corp.

“At that time when sup-

Republic of the Philippines NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Cabanatuan City 044-463-0228 www.neust.edu.ph

The Provincial Government of Bataan now invites bids for the above listed Procurement.

Delivery of goods is requiredon or before the maturity date stipulated on contract.Bidders should have completed, at least one (1) contract that is similar to the contract to be bid.

The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Rep. Wilfredo Caminero of Cebu said BP 36 was approved on Sept. 7, 1979 to conserve energy and promote its efficient utilization. Covered by the law are residential consumers with monthly power consumption of at

(SGD) ENGR. ERNESTO A. DELA CRUZ BAC Chairman Email: neustmain@yahoo.com NEUST Gen. Tinio Street, Cabanatuan City 3100 Tele Fax no.: 044-600-3594 | 044-463-0226

(TS-MAY 10, 2016

ply was limited, imposing an additional energy tax was a valid means to encourage energy conservation,” Caminero, member for the House majority bloc, said.

After 37 years, however, Caminero said it becomes evident that BP 36 is no longer an incentive to conserve energy and does not promote efficient utilization of electricity.

Caminero said his advocacy for the repeal of BP 36 as contained in House Bill 5883 does not mean he rejects the goal of energy conservation, which he declared must be supported and encouraged.

“But considering the fact that the Filipinos now carry the burden of paying one of the most expensive power rates in the world, the government must craft a conservation and efficiency program that incentivizes consumers instead of penalizing them and that applies to all electricity users, not only the residential consumers,” Caminero said.

For one, with the implementation of Republic Act No. 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira), the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity have been unbundled and NPC ceased to have monopoly in power generation, Caminero said.

Another thing, Caminero said, is that the demand of residential consumers has outpaced the industrial and commercial consumers.

Citing the study prepared by the National Tax Review Center, Caminero said the average energy tax collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue from 20042010 generated P298.40 million, 52 percent of which was collected by the Manila Electric Co. (TS-DEC. 1, 2015) Maricel V. Cruz

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A7

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Civic duty. Members of the Kankanaey tribe—siblings Igor and Mia, children of leader Bong Cawed of the Mountain Peoples Tribal Association—vote in Monday’s polls. DAVID CHAN

Mamasapano grenade blast wounds four COTABATO CITY—Four persons, including three members of a family, were wounded after an M79 grenade projectile landed near the Manungkaling Elementary School in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, shortly before noon on Monday.

The Manungkaling school is one of 10 other public schools in the locality utilized for today’s synchronized national and local polls.

Those injured and rushed to a local infirmary were identified as Johaira Mohammad, 23; and also Saela, 17; Paetra, 42; and Ibrahim, 23; all surnamed Usop. Reports said the Usops reside near the back portion of the public school.

Voting resumed after Army and police augmentation forces arrived in the area.

Authorities have yet to identify the culprits behind the incident. PNA

Police arrest suspected shooters of mayoral bet

By Mel Caspe

MEMBERS of the San Jorge Police Station in Samar arrested one of the suspects in the shooting of a candidate for mayor and his supporter.

Ready for duty. Soldiers and policemen line up for deployment in Camp Diego Silang in Carlatan, San Fernando City, La Union. CHRISTINE JUNIO

Ex-President Arroyo casts vote in Pampanga

By Romeo E. Dizon CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga—Rep. and former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo cast her vote at around 8:30 a.m. Monday morning at the Central Elementary School in Barangay San Nicolas, Lubao, Pampanga.

Atty. Emmanuel E. Ignacio, re-

gional director of the Commission on Elections, said Arroyo was accompanied by a sheriff from the Sandiganbayan and four police escorts even as she rode her own vehicle.

Arroyo, running unopposed to represent the first district of Pampanga, was accompanied by Gov. Lilia Pineda when she cast her vote.

Ignacio said that there was 80 percent

turnout of voters in the region compared to the 2010 (74 percent) and 2013 (77.9 percent) elections amid reports of vote buying in Angeles and Mabalacat in Pampanga, Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija and some towns in Bulacan.

Central Luzon has a total of 6,056,392 registered voters.

Meanwhile, 38 vote counting machines in the region malfunc-

tioned during the election. Ignacio said that counting machines failed to read and initialize the ballots.

The Regional Election Monitoring Center here reported 17 election-related incidents in the region, mostly shootings among rival candidates, mauling, grave threat, strafing, vote buying, and armed encounter.

Reports say that in the early morning of Monday, May 9, in Barangay Sapinit, San Jorge, Samar, suspects Stephen Grey, the son of incumbent Mayor Nancy Grey, barangay captain Norman Bernales, Emmanuel Pacampara and one unidentified gunman fired on municipal councilor and mayoralty candidate Lester Bisnar, 48, and a resident of Barangay Lapaz, San Jorge, Samar, and his supporter Noel Jabolin.

Bisnar was on his way home aboard his vehicle when the suspects appeared and shot him. He sustained a wound on his left ankle and was brought to the nearest hospital for medical treatment.

The three suspects are now detained at San Jorge municipal police station.

A8

opinion [ EDI TORI A L ]

TrusTing The sysTem ImmedIately after the polls closed monday, Filipinos tuned to the running tally of election results available in traditional media and the internet.

Several elections ago, this would have been impossible. People had to wait for days, even weeks, to get a sense of the what happened. There were countless opportunities for rigging and manipulation—opportunities that grew by the hour. this time around, the public is able to get a preview of what the final results might look like. We no longer have to wait so long—and we have less time to adjust to the reality and the imminence of what lies ahead.

By this time, trends have emerged. They would be decisive, especially among those separated by wide margins. We would know who the next crop of leaders would be—the knowledge no doubt accompanied by strong feelings about the elected officials and the prospects they bring. monday’s exercise and the days leading to it, to be sure, were far from perfect. There were violence, power interruptions, disenfranchisement. There were allegations of vote buying, either clothed in some project or outright purchase. among candidates and their supporters, there was acrimony and contempt. all these, however, pale against a higher good: That the results reflect the true will of the people, whatever that will may be, and whoever each of us believes to be the “right” candidate.

Because the results came fast, the country can sooner start pondering how best to move forward after this bitter and divisive phase. despite our worst fears, it appears that the system, while imperfect, still works. We then focus on what lies ahead in the next six years, and ultimately on how to make decisions that are good for the country instead of those that just feel good.

In the end, we do get the leaders we deserve, for better or for worse.

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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revolT lowdown jojo a. robles

There really is a populist revolt. That the elite—and the gullible who routinely believe in the elite—refused to acknowledge it until the very last minute didn’t make the revolt any less real.

As Davao City Mayor rodrigo Duterte continues his onceimprobable march towards Malacañang Palace, what’s clear is just how wrong the fatcat contributors, the professional punters and the political academics were. They misjudged the people’s anger until it was too late, then they doubled their efforts to deny it even if it was already staring them in the face.

A big part of the blindsiding, I surmise, is because many of these political and

economic elites were already committed to other candidates and could no longer back out. This was aggravated by the fact that Duterte was such an outlying outsider that it was very easy to dismiss him as a flash in the political pan. he was too extreme and too populist to win a national campaign, too volatile and policyhazy to take seriously. he would be felled by a tsunami of selfinflicted wounds and his popular support would disappear in the face of fearsome, wellfunded and coordinated political machineries.

But the people proved the elite and the pundits wrong. And the people may be wrong, but they must be heard if enough of them speak in unison.

Quite naturally, the

The people have spoken, and clearly. woe to them who refuse to listen.

worst deniers of the Duterte phenomenon were President Noynoy Aquino and his chosen successor, former secretary Mar roxas.

Because Aquino decided to make yesterday’s election not just a transfer of power but a referendum of his own term, he had more than just an ordinary

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

supporter’s interest in seeing to it that roxas won.

And because Aquino could not wrap his mind around the idea that the people would repudiate him and his administration, he was among those who failed to correctly understand the groundswell of support for Duterte.

And figuratively, at least, he was run over by a train filled with angry citizens tired of his blather about world-beating GDP growth and i nve s t ment-g r ade credit ratings.

Ultimately, Aquino, roxas and the rest believed their own propaganda, refusing to validate their precooked conclusions on the ground. Now, perhaps, they have learned their lesson.

The people have

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

Continued on A11 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

A10 Dire scenarios after May 9 As I write this column to meet my deadline before the election precincts close on Election Day, massive cheating and election fraud have been reported nationwide. Of course, in our kind of elections, there will always be cheating. And, santa Banana, who else would cheat but the Aquino administration? They know too well what can befall President Aquino when he steps down on June 30.

The administration must make Mar Roxas win at all costs. President Aquino may land in jail when he is no longer immune from suit.

What do you think would happen when the Commission on Elections announces who won and who lost?

I have been a journalist for over 66 years. I have observed elections since the time Elpidio These are not Q u i r i no defeated Jose welcome thoughts.

Laurel for the presidency.

What is tragic is that our electorate is still basically immature.

Even the late Lee Kwan Yew of singapore observed this.

People go for a demagogue who takes advantage of popular prejudices as a reaction to an incompetent president. Indeed this so-called Daang Matuwid that is characterized by insensitivity and vindictiveness.

Every time I hear this demagogue speak, I am reminded of the time when I was young, watching Moro-Moro comedic plays at the public plaza. When he talks about killing, womanizing, and even raping, the people are entertained. My gulay, that’s our kind of electorate, composed of the masa. We have seen that when somebody rides the tiger to rule to country, he can never get off the tiger that will devour him.

What I foresee after Election Day are dire consequences of what’s happening now. If there is massive cheating, street protests and threats of revolution, there will be a failure of elections.

When that happens, there are provisions in the Cory Constitution on who should be in charge. But supposing there is no proclamation of an acting president, the Armed Forces can come in as protector of the people.

I am not an alarmist, but these are very real possibilities!

Another consequence is that if Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Du-Dirty becomes president, there will be civil unrest. Do you think Mr. Aquino will just accept this? With his usual Makati Business Club and Ayala Avenue taipans behind him, he can very easily have an impeachment case filed against Du-Dirty. And, as he has threatened, he will form a revolutionary government and then abolish Congress. If these happen, do you think the military will just stand by and do nothing?

There are times when my wife and I just say “bahala na kung sino ang presidente” considering our ages. I am 88 years old and she is 83. But then we think of our children and our children’s children.

It is with this thought that we seek God’s mercy to “deliver us from evil.”

The camp of Du-Dirty may now be celebrating its victory, knowing that they have a strong chance

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OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

our DeMocracy is still Messy THIs is a revised version of a column I wrote on Election Day in 2010. That was entitled “Our messy democracy.” I am not exactly surprised by the fact that I did not have to do a lot of changes. Our democracy is still messy; and hopefully as the results are finalized today or the next two days, we will be again congratulating ourselves.

Like 2013, as I finish writing this column, people continue to line up at their clustered precincts to vote. Being active in the Grace Poe campaign, I have followed the reports of problems in the elections. Voters have complained of long lines, not finding their precincts or of broken Voting Counting Machines (what we use to call PCOs). There are also some reports of election-related violence. Whether the results are credible, untainted by cheating, remains to be seen.

There were last-minute dirty tricks by one campaign on sunday, disseminating false news of the withdrawal of senator Grace Poe and Vice President Jojo Binay.

But that was quickly squelched and many people I know who posted the news quietly retreated and took it off their Facebook timelines. My Facebook post about it was attacked by trolls from that campaign but my own team was able to repel those attacks. sadly, that took time and energy out of our final efforts to nudge the elections closer to what we would like it to be.

Every Election Day I remember has always been chaotic and I go back to when I was six years old in 1965 when I sat down with my maternal grandfather to listen to the radio giving accounts of Ferdinand Marcos winning the presidency. so far, this election does not seem to be any different than previous ones except the type of the problems we are seeing. This time around, another Marcos is on the ballot for vice president and we will know soon enough if he would have vindicated his family name.

The historical record, as dug up in 2010 by my son Eman, an AB History graduate, confirms a pattern of problematic elections.

At the advent of spanish rule, the

EAGLE EYES DEAN TONY LA VIÑA colonizers had to take back direct voting for local officials because those election exercises were tainted with fraud and violence.

In the Legal History course I teach at the UP College of Law, I explain to my students how spain got sovereignty over the Philippines by faking a referendum where the inhabitants of our islands supposedly consented to pay tribute to the King of spain.

Centuries later, we repeated this experience in the 1972 citizens’ assemblies that were used to justify continued martial rule and the ratification of the 1973 Constitution.

In 1907, the United states introduced its form of democracy to the Philippines when it allowed elections for the Philippine Assembly. But there were so many restrictions, including property and gender qualifications, on the right to vote that most inhabitants were effectively disenfranchised.

It was also during the American era, in the form of the QuezonOsmeña rivalry, that politics of personality, rather than of platforms, became prevalent in our political culture.

The post-colonial period was also problematic. In 1946, to ensure the passage of the parity rights amendment, the will of the people expressed in the elections was effectively thwarted by the expulsion of the members of the Democratic Alliance from Congress. The 1949, 1961, 1965, and 1971 elections saw many reports of fraud and violence.

The 1949 Presidential Elections, pitting Jose Laurel against the winner Elpidio Quirino, was particularly infamous and became known as the “”dirtiest election” in Philippine history. The 1971 senatorial election is notorious for the Plaza Miranda Bombing which killed several people and injured many politicians.

The elections during the Martial Law years were actually more peaceful but they were not exactly clean and credible. The 1978

of winning. I am still not predicting any victory for him, even though the fact that the Iglesia ni Cristo has gone for him and Bongbong Marcos only strengthens the likelihood of a Duterte win.

This is why the Liberal Party is in panic mode. They would do anything to avert a Du-Dirty presidency.

I am not discounting United Nationalist Alliance presidential bet Jejomar Binay. He has a deep-rooted grassroots presence and if only because of this, he may just spring a surprise.

I know how presidential elections are fought and won. Political strategists wait for election returns in contested areas. When the returns of one candidate are known, his political machinery gets to work.

Vote buying may be some kind of fraud, but that is how it is in this country. This is why I have been told that it takes no less than P3 billion to win the presidency. And where do you think that kind of money comes from? From taipans who invest in

parliamentary elections saw the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan sweep almost all seats except in Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao.

This KBL dominance was again repeated in 1984 although more opposition candidates won.

The 1986 presidential elections saw President Marcos proclaimed winner over Cory Aquino amidst accusations of systematic fraud.

More recently, in the 1992 and 2004 presidential elections, the losers have been quick to file election cases against the winners, charging fraud.

In 2010, there was fear in the adoption of a new technology— the Automated Election system.

Unfortunately, even as we have done automated elections twice already, the Commission on Elections still has not succeeded in forging agreement on contentious issues. Down to this Election Day, the election body has been criticized and second-guessed on its decisions.

Change management in itself is already difficult but it becomes even more challenging in an atmosphere of extreme distrust.

In my view, the problems of this election are more about the former (change management) rather than a widespread conspiracy to steal the elections.

Of course, there is a political economy of incompetence: bad implementation, even if unintentional, allows evil people to manipulate processes towards their favored ends. This is why we have to be both patient and vigilant.

What many of us forget is that the front liners in our elections are the public school teachers who constitute the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs). They are honest, diligent, innovative, resilient and courageous. This election, we should again give them standing ovation.

In 2013, a few weeks before the elections, I was in Athens, Greece and visited The Pnyx.

This is the hill by the Acropolis where the Athenians debated and decided issues. I shared with my sons Eman, Rico, and Rafa, how democracy was born in that place and ended with this lesson Continued on A11

candidates and who expect payback once their candidates win, that’s where!

Recall what frontrunner Du-Dirty said during the campaign: He could no longer withdraw because his rich supporters—mostly Chinese from Davao City and the whole of Mindanao—have already contributed to his campaign. Why did they do it? Certainly not because they love DuDirty’s face.

This is why the vicious cycle of corruption will not end. Actually, it’s the donors that manipulate our elections, for so long as over 60 percent of our countrymen live below the poverty line and as long as the gap between the rich and the poor remain wide!

One of the reasons foreign investors are looking closely into what happens in the 2016 polls is that a Du-Dirty win will set off alarm bells. This is not a welcome thought.

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A11

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

Pnoy admits Poe is LP’s PLan B; the triLLanes hate ads AFTeR denying it for five months, President Benigno Aquino III finally admitted that Grace Poe, an “independent candidate” for president, is actually the surrogate presidential bet of Aquino’s Liberal Party. Aquino himself confirmed this when he urged Poe to withdraw from the race in favor of LP presidential bet Mar Roxas, after the latest surveys indicated that PDPLaban presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte will win the election.

While President Aquino easily reached out to Poe, Aquino did not dare make the same overture to Jejomar Binay, another presidential candidate who had been at the receiving end of Malacañang’s hate campaign since last year. The President’s plea to Poe, unprecedented in Philippine political history, indicates that Poe was all along the LP’s “Plan B” or alternative candidate if Roxas does not prove to be a viable candidate for president.

Aquino urged Poe to withdraw in favor of Roxas, and not the other way around, because the LP has made it appear in its most recent campaign propaganda that Roxas has a better chance of winning than Poe does.

Anyway, the LP grand plan to field an official candidate in Roxas and an “independent candidate” in Poe backfired because it failed to consider that Roxas, who yielded his presidential ambition to Aquino in 2010, was not willing to sacrifice himself again to accommodate another self-serving Aquino request.

It likewise failed because Poe got overly ambitious and became desirous of becoming president, despite her dismal political track record as a censors agency chief and as a half-term senator.

In an obvious reference to Duterte’s advocacy of strongman but benevolent

government, President Duterte last week were Aquino said that there not underhanded HAIl to is no such thing as a enough, “independent” tHe CHAIr “benevolent dictator.” vice presidential vICtor Ironically, Aquino candidate Antonio AveCIllA criticized his own Trillanes IV went so mother, ex-President despicably low during Corazon “Cory” Cojuangco Aquino, the election homestretch. His latest with that remark. move—below-the-belt personal attacks After seizing the presidency in against Duterte consisting of television February 1986, Cory Aquino abolished advertisements using young children the 1973 Constitution and exercised cued to recite memorized words both executive and legislative powers associated with sex, obscenity, and just as President Ferdinand Marcos did violence, which children are supposed during the Martial Law era. For a whole to be insulated from hearing (much year, and with no legislature to check less reciting) in the first place. her, Cory ran the country as she saw fit Surprisingly, the advertisements —much like a dictatorship. Following were paid for by a vice presidential PNoy’s logic, Cory’s dictatorship candidate, who has no presidential must have been an evil one, there running mate, to attack a presidential being no such thing as a “benevolent candidate! dictatorship.” This is another instance The Trillanes advertisements were when P’Noy did not think before he broadcast on at least one TV network spoke.

—ABS-CBN TV Channel 2. Before P’Noy does not realize that the those advertisements could do further overwhelming appeal of Duterte and harm, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano vice presidential candidate Bongbong (Duterte’s running mate) went to court Marcos to the voters is a product of and obtained a restraining order to the incompetence, corruption, and stop the broadcasts. underhandedness associated with In an attempt to justify his televised his administation. Because PNoy has personal attacks against Duterte, proved himself a weak law enforcer, the Trillanes said that children have a people are attracted to the strongman stake in the outcome of the elections. government advocated by Duterte.

While the youth do have a stake in Since PNoy has always molded himself the outcome of the polls, the strategy as an anti-Marcos personality, all employed by Trillanes was uncalled voters who despise his notoriously for. The message could have been corrupt and incompetent regime have conveyed without exploiting children turned to his exact political opposite by making them memorize and embodied by Bongbong. recite lines they ought not to say as In other words, if President Aquino’s youngsters.

LP candidates for president and vice Trillanes undoubtedly exploited president lose in the elections, he has innocent children for his shameless only himself to blame. partisan political objective. He has *** no regard for standards of decency.

As if his last-minute, Malacañang- No wonder he hires more consultants supported media attacks against for his senate office than what the law

revolt... From A8 spoken, and clearly. Woe to them who refuse to listen. *** Right before the election on Monday, I posted a note on Facebook addressed to Aquino. I think it’s important to repeat part of it here: Because it is never your fault, you can’t accept that you caused the coming tsunami that now threatens to wash you away. And now it is too late. Too late to appeal for “unity,” to warn about “dictatorship,” to call for “decency.”

You could have shown us all of that, by your own actions, when you had the chance. But you didn’t.

You believed that you were always right. You ignored warnings of straying from the straight path that you claimed you were on, but had really abandoned a long time ago.

Most of all, because you never really listened to the people, never really showed you cared for them, never really felt their pain and their suffering, you never saw what was coming.

You gave them GDP growth and investmentgrade credit ratings, when all they wanted was food and real, endo-proof jobs. You gave them politicized CCT and worthless PhilHealth cards when they asked for education and hospitalization.

You claimed to have eliminated corruption, when they still had to wait for hours to ride a train.

You made the people angry, angry enough to not believe whatever you say anymore.

Now they would rather cast their lot with the unknown, rather than listen to you and your dire warnings.

You threw away all the goodwill you had instead of working for the good of the people who trusted you. You led them on but never delivered.

It’s your fault, you lying, lazy, uncaring, overly proud son of your supposedly sainted parents. Accept that you are wrong and try, in the time you have left in office, to make amends.

You made the people turn away from you and all you stand for. Now you, your surrogates and your kind must face the consequences. *** But what about Mar Roxas? What does destiny have in store for the man who twice claimed that he will win—and who fared even worse the second time around?

I think the first thing Mar should do is concede to Duterte. That would be the decent thing to do, given how the count is showing that Grace Poe is correct in her belief that she would get more votes than Mar. But that’s just me.

allows him to hire.

There are other questions to ask.

The law requires that before children may be featured in advertisements, the consent of their parents or guardians must be obtained first.

Likewise, the law requires that clearances must be obtained from government agencies like the Department of education (to assure that study hours of the children are not interrupted), the Department of Labor and employment (to assure that the laws governing juvenile workers are followed), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (to assure that the children are not exploited).

Under the Fair elections Act, the advertising contract between Trillanes, who paid for the advertisements, and the television network which broadcast the advertisements, must be approved by the Commission on elections.

Were the foregoing requirements complied with by Trillanes?

If the aforesaid government departments issued the required clearances, the heads of these agencies may be prosecuted for graft, and for violating special laws protecting the youth from commercial exploitation.

Although the Comelec apologist claimed that the poll body has no power to regulate the content of a political advertisement, he did not deny that the Comelec has the power to prohibit political advertisements that violate laws protecting children from commercial exploitation.

Unless a more plausible excuse is offered by the Comelec, the public suspicion that the poll body will countenance computerized election fraud to favor the LP candidates may not be far fetched after all.

our demoCrACy... From A10 from the great Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato and especially Aristotle: politics is noble and essential for a good and happy society.

We imagined how contentious democracy must have been for the Athenians with everyone trying to have a say.

A number of them, as some Filipinos might now want, would have given up on the idea. Indeed, our democracy is not perfect, not deliberative enough, and is certainly inefficient. Let’s improve this so there is less paranoia and inconvenience.

Regardless, I will also choose democracy no matter how messy. One enduring image for me in this election, as it was in 2010 and 2013, is seeing senior citizens side by side with 18-year-olds laboring over their choices, making sure they do not make a mistake. In this age of social media, another enduring image are Facebook, Instagram and Twitter posts of Filipinos proudly showing their fingers covered with indelible ink, a badge of honor signifying they have done their civic duty of voting.

Filipinos are schizophrenic: we like to praise ourselves and say how good we are but in the same breath we badmouth fellow Filipinos and our institutions as if they were the worst in the world. They are not. I have traveled everywhere and worked with governments in many countries. We have serious problems but there are a lot of things we should be grateful for. Our messy democracy is one of those.

Facebook: tonylavs5 or Dean Tony La Viña Twitter: tonylavs

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Disabled war veterans join Invictus games

Members of the US Marines Silent Drill Platoon perform during opening ceremonies for the 2016 Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida, May 8. The Invictus Games are an international Paralympic-style multi-sport event in which wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel take part in sports including wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, and indoor rowing. AFP

Mayweather may fight McGregor LOS ANGELES—Floyd Mayweather, already hinting at a ring return, says it’s “possible” he could come out of retirement to face mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor.

“It’s possible,” Mayweather said Saturday while in Las Vegas for the fight between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Amir Khan.

“It was a name that was shot at me,” Mayweather said in video posted by Fighthype.com. “The rumors that you all have been hearing are the rumors that I started. It may not be a rumor, so keep your fingers crossed. It may be a boxer versus an MMA fighter.”

Mayweather was asked about a potential McGregor matchup because British tabloid The Sun reported he and Ireland’s McGregor were “on the verge” of agreeing to meet.

According to the Sun the two would face off this year in a boxing ring – not an MMA octagon – with McGregor getting about $10 million to Mayweather’s $144 million. AFP

MIAMI—Britain’s Prince Harry on Sunday opened the Invictus games for disabled war veterans and awarded the first gold of the 2016 event to France.

Harry, fifth in line to the throne and patron of the Games, welcomed sportsmen, women and supporters to the huge event in Orlando, Florida, being broadcast by sports network ESPN. “Their stories are as amazing as they are unique. They focus on what can be achieved, rather than what can’t,” said the prince of the ex-servicemen and women, often amputees, who suffer higher than average rates of depression as well as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury.

The games are aimed raising awareness of the needs of service veterans – many of whom lost

limbs in combat zones – to adapt to their “new normal” after lifechanging experiences.

The prince himself served in the British army and performed tours of duty in Afghanistan.

Archery, track and field athletics and powerlifting were among the events on Sunday’s opening day.

Harry also presented the first gold medal of the games to France’s Rober Philippe and Rebujent Henri in the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge.

The French team triumphed in the test of communication, teamwork and strategic planning skills.

Estonia’s team of Kristjan Roivas and Ergo Mets won the silver and Denmark’s team of Rasmus Moeller and Flemming J.R. Nielsen took home bronze.

Djoko says Monte Carlo exit helped in Madrid ROME—Novak Djokovic heads for Rome this week crediting an unscheduled pause in his claycourt season with helping him clinch a record 29th Masters title.

The world number one defeated long-time rival Andy Murray 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 on Sunday to win the Madrid Masters for a second time.

Djokovic, 28, was forced to rest after losing his first clay outing of the season, going down in Monte Carlo to Czech Jiri Vesely.

But he credited the pause with actually helping his game as he decompressed after winning four early-season titles – Doha, the Australian Open and Indian Wells and Miami Masters.

“I had an amazing opening

four months of the season. The early exit in Monte Carlo happened for a reason – I needed some time to really recharge my batteries,” said Djokovic.

The Serb called his three-week stoppage “more than enough to get some freshness and new breath, on the court and get ready for Madrid.

“I came to Madrid early, got used to the conditions, and played a really fantastic tournament that will definitely serve as a great confidence boost before Rome and of course the French Open, where I want to arrive in

the best possible shape.”

The world number one captured his fifth trophy of 2016 as he defeated defending champion Murray for the 12th time in their last last 13 matches to stand at an overwhelming 23-9 in their career head-to-head.

Djokovic and Murray – born within a week of each other in May, 1987 – first met in Madrid in a 2006 round of 16 when the event was played on hardcourt.

Djokovic won it in three sets and set up his longstanding rivalry with the Spanish-trained Scot.

“We both strived to be at the top, we’ve known each other since we were 12. I think you can see already in those junior days that both of us have serious intentions to conquer the tennis world and try to make a serious mark.

“I’m very pleased that I have de-

veloped a great rivalry with somebody that I’ve known since a very long time and somebody that I have a very good and friendly relationship with on and off the court.”

Djokovic has defeated Murray in all four of their clay-court meetings as he added the 2016 Madrid trophy to the title he earned five years ago in the Spanish capital.

He has now won 33 of the past 35 sets against top 10 opponents – a stretch of 15 matches. He’s also won five of the past six and 10 of the past 14 Masters titles.

The Belgrade native won 912,900 euros ($1.04 million) on Sunday and victory in Rome will make him the first man to win $100 million in prize money.

Murray will fall to three in the world in the new rankings on Monday behind Roger Federer after failing to defend his title.

Ariya becomes first Thai LPGA winner LOS ANGELES—Ariya Jutanugarn fought off back nerves to par the 18th hole Sunday and win the Yokohama Tire Classic, becoming the first Thai player to win on the LPGA Tour.

Ariya started the fourth round with a three-stroke lead and despite a roller-coaster ride she managed to close with an even-par 72 to claim her first victory.

“It was so tough. I can’t control anything. My legs were shaking, my hands were shaking,” Ariya said.

The 20-year-old from Bangkok finished at 14-under 274 to beat South Korea’s Amy Yang and Americans Morgan Pressel and Stacy Lewis by one shot and finally reach the winner’s circle after three top-10 finishes this year.

Yang had a 67, Pressel and Lewis both shot 68 as the trio finished tied for second at 13-under.

Ariya needed a par on the final hole to get the victory, and her drive on the 18th hole went into the left rough.

Her second shot fell short of the green but landed above a bunker.

Ariya chipped to within five feet before sinking her par putt.

It wasn’t the way she drew it up, but Ariya finally broke through after a couple of near misses. She has twice held 54-hole leads but failed to convert those to wins.

Earlier this season at the ANA Inspiration, the first major of the year, she led by two shots with three to play in the final round but bogeyed her final three holes to lose to Lydia Ko. Ariya was just 17 years old when she let a two-stroke lead with one hole remaining slip through her fin-

gers at the 2013 LPGA Thailand. Her triple bogey resulted in her finishing one shot behind.

It was also a special win for another reason as her mom was in attendance on the US Mother’s Day. The Thai Mother’s Day is August 12.

“Thank you for my mom for being with me all the time to support me and happy Mother’s Day,” said Ariya.

Lewis, who has won 11 times on the LPGA Tour, has now gone 49 tournaments without a win. Her runner-up finish Sunday was her 11thsecond-place finish during her title drought.

South Korean Ryu So-Yeon, who led after 36 holes, had a 72 and finished at 10-under 278. First round leader Laetitia Beck of Israel also shot 72 to finish with three others six shots back of Ariya. AFP

Rock the house.

Dancers perform during the game between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2016 NBA Playoffs on May 8, at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

AFP

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Rio-bound Cray shatters 2 records

By Peter Atencio

Escote, Repato rule chess tilt LEONEL Escote scored 6.5 points to emerge solo boys’ champion while Oryza Reign Repato racked up 5.5 points to seize the girls’ crown in the Forum Robinsons Summer Rapid Chess tournament at Forum Robinsons EDSA in Mandaluyong recently.

Escote posted six victories and had one draw in the seven-round Swiss system tournament to nip three others for top honors worth P2,000, a gift certificate and a trophy in the one-day event organized and sponsored by Robinsons Mall in coordination with their Group Marketing Communications manager Ma. Theresa Gonzales.

Cyrus Francisco, Clifford Bernardo and Josh Castro all wound up with six points but Francisco took the runner-up honors with a superior tiebreak score.

Bernardo placed third and Castro finished third after the tiebreak with Prince Mella ending up fifth with 5.5 points.

Repato, on the other hand, won five matches and drew once to finish the top female player with 5.5 points. She took a cash prize and medal.

The kiddies tournament, which also featured the non-master category for 195o-and-below rating, drew 112 participants, according to National Arbiter and tournament director Alexander Dinoy.

RIO Olympics-bound Eric Cray clocked 49.07 seconds and shattered two records in settling for the silver medal in the men’s 400-meter action of the 2016 Kawasaki Golden Grand Prix Athletics World Championship in Tokyo Sunday.

Match Play champ. Mika Arroyo won the 2016 NGAP Philippine Junior Amateur Match Play Golf Championship Girls’ 13-under age category recently at the Alabang Golf and Country Club in Muntinlupa City. Arroyo, the eldest granddaughter of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, beat favored Sunshine Zhang on the 17th hole, 2-up in the finals’ match play. Zhang, a frequent participant in the US junior golf circuit, and Arroyo fought an evenly matched round that was decided only on the 17th hole.

La Carlota bets seek tennis sweep KARL Baran and Tracy Llamas hope to live up to their top billing as they shoot for a two-title sweep in the Palawan PawnshopPalawan Express Pera Padala regional age-group tennis tournament which shifts to Dumaguete starting Wednesday.

Close to 300 players from the Visayas region are v ying in the 20th leg of the country’s biggest and premier age-group circuit sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger with La Carlota bets Baran and Llamas gaining the top two seeds in both the 16and 18-and-under divisions of their respective categories.

But the fancied players will be up against a crack field and if the chart runs to form, Baran could face fellow La Carlota bet and No. 2 Eldyzar Albarico in the fi-

nals of both categories. Llamas, on the other hand, is tipped to run to a slew of talented rivals, including Avril Suace, Boracay’s Averille Sacapano and Precious Coderos in the premier section of the tournament backed by Asiatraders Corp., exclusive distributor of Slazenger, and sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association headed by president and Paranaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez.

“This guarantees another slambang action with top players from Cebu, Bacolod, Kalibo, Boracay, Roxas City, Iloilo and Siquijor going all out to foil the La Carlota aces,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro, adding that they have tapped two venues at the Praxevilla and Silliman tennis clubs to accommodate the big number of entries in the

Group 2 tournament.

For details, call Bobby Mangunay, PPS-PEPP regional age group tennis event organizer and Sports Program Development director at 0915-4046464.

Other La Carlota bets tipped to contend for the crown are brothers Rewel and Khenz Justiniani and Alexa Milliam, Bacolod’s Pete Rodriguez, Fernando Po and Fern Po, Al Francis Andrade and Lorenzo Legaspi from New Washington, Kalibo, sisters Averille and Abigail Sacapano from Boracay and Roxas City’s Drixcyn and Derrick Guillano and Claire Clavaton.

Nikhel Nowlakha and Averille Suace banner Iloilo City’s bid while Ellaine Bahonsua and Chad Cuizon anchor Siquijor and Cebu’s campaign, respectively, in the five-day event.

Cray’s feat had him surpassing the national record of 49.12 seconds, which he himself set last year in the 2015 Cayman Island meet.

He also went past the 49.40-second mark, the new course record he set in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore.

His stint in Tokyo serves as part of his preparations for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Cray placed 17th overall in Saturday’s semifinal round of the 60-meter run in the 2016 World Indoor Athletics Championships in Portland, Oregon. The 27-year-old Cray clocked 6.67 seconds.

His clocking is far behind the 6.44 seconds of Jamaica’s Asafa Powell.

Cray’s 6.67 in the worlds improved on the 6.7 seconds, which he clocked in last month’s Asian Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar.

PSA Forum resumes next week OWING to election week, the Philippine Sportswriters Association will not be holding its regular weekly Forum on Tuesday at Shakey’s Malate.

The public sports program resumes its session next week.

Trillanes, Guevarra capture Naga HEAD junior tennis crowns TOP seed Jan Harold Trillanes and Glydel Guevarra came out victorious with two titles each in the sixth leg of 18th HEAD Junior Tennis Satellite Circuit at the Naga tennis courts in Naga City in Camarines Sur recently.

Trillanes, the No. 1 in the boys’ 14-and-under singles class, blasted Lance Guevarra, 6-0, 6-2, to capture the crown and then bagged his second singles’ title by outlasting Megs Matias, 6-4, 6-0, to win the boys’ 16-and-under singles trophy.

He was also ranked No. 1 in the boys’ 16-and-under division of the satellite tennis circuit competition supported by HEAD, Chris Sports, Toalson,

92.5 FM Aksyon Sports, Reach Magazine, Philippine Tennis Association, Pilipino Mirror, ANC, Impact Magazine and Podcast.ph.

Guevarra swept Lulay Espiritu, 6-0, 6-0, to take home the girls’ 12-and-under singles’ crown and then she defeated Ryan Christian Taller, 4-1, 4-1, in 10-under unisex championship clinching her second trophy.

In other results, JB Aguilar crushed Marlo Correa, 6-1, 2-6, 10-5, to grab the 12-andunder boys’ crown, while Kevin Madrid rallied past Jolo Basa, 1-6, 6-4, 13-11, gain the boys’ 18-and-under trophy, Jezzelle Tristan Romero won by double default to bag the

girls’ 14-and-under title.

Top seed Patricia Corporal blanked Katrina Salvadora, 6-0, 6-0, for the girls’ 16-andunder singles’ diadem and No. 1 Nica Alanis bested Patricia Corporal, 6-1, 6-1, to clinch the girls’ 18-and-under singles’ trophy of the annual tournament attended by more than 100 participants all over the Bicol region.

The doubles boys’ champions of the competition organized by the Dynamic Sports were Kevin Madrid and Totoy Anes (18-and-under); Mark Guevarra and Angelo Miller Lorrea (14-and-under); and JB Aguilar and Ryan Christian The participants of Naga Leg from Iriga, Tabaco Albay and Naga City are shown durTaller (10-and-under unisex). ing the finals of the sixth leg.

Republic of the Philippines ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

PROJECT CODE Location Maharlika Highway, existing 69 kV Subtransmission lines Mabini Extension to Mabini Homesite Mayapyap to Caalibangbangan Sangitan Este to Bitas Daan Sarile Valdefuente NEUST to Select Gen. Tinio Extension Circumferential Road­Barrera Circumferential Road­H. Concepcion Lourdes to Bangad

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF CAPITAL PROJECTS WITH PRAYER, FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY ERC CASE NO. 2015-150 RC CABANATUAN ELECTRIC CORPORATION (CELCOR), Applicant. x--------------------------------------------------x

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: Notice is hereby given that on 07 August 2015, Cabanatuan Electric Corporation (CELCOR) filed an application for approval of its capital projects, with prayer for provisional authority.

In the said application, CELCOR alleged, among others, the following: 1.

2.

CELCOR is a domestic corporation duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with principal office address at Maharlika Highway, Barangay Bitas, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija;

C.

4.

5.

CELCOR is the authorized operator of the electric light and power service in the City of Cabanatuan, Province of Nueva Ecija;

CELCOR plays a big part in Cabanatuan City’s economic development by providing a steady and reliable electric supply to its industrial, commercial and residential customers. It continuously improves its supply of electricity and increases the standard of living through the construction of adequate electric facilities to serve the city’s requirements; Pursuant to the requirements of the Philippine Distribution and Grid Code (PGDC), the system must be designed, planned and upgraded so as to withstand a disturbance at any given time due to unexpected loss or failures, in a manner that will not degrade or affect the network operation; CELCOR seeks authority from the Commission to install, construct, operate and maintain its major electrical and non­ electrical capital projects. The Commission defined “capital projects’ as follows:

D.

Capital projects are intended to maintain a reliable electric service for the benefit of the existing and future customers of the distribution utilities (DUs). To achieve it, the DUs must not only rely on their existing distribution assets. They are mandated to make timely additions thereto and introduce improvements thereon to be responsive to the demands of their customers;

7.

Section 23, Chapter II of Republic Act 9136 (R.A. 9136), otherwise known as the “Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001” or “EPIRA”, mandates a DU “to provide distribution services and connections to its system for any end­user within its franchise area consistent with the distribution code”;

8.

Section 1.7.1 of the Distribution Services and Open Access Rules (DSOAR), promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the provisions of the EPIRA, provides that: “The DU may increase, substitute or withdraw from service · its authorized equipment and machinery in accordance with the Rules for Approval of Regulated Entities’ Capital Expenditure Projects, RDWR, and other rules of the Commission. If such undertaking is not covered by the RDWR or other rules, authorization shall be secured from the Commission in accordance with the pertinent provision of the Rules for. Approval of Regulated Entities’ Capital Expenditure Projects.”

9.

CELCOR filed the application seeking the approval of the Commission of the following capital projects: a. b. c. d.

Construction of new 69 kV Sub­transmission Line (N­1 Provision); Relocation and rehabilitation of 69 kV and 13.8/ 0.23 kV lines and poles; Installation of Cable Tray and Support (Primary line bridge attach); and Restoration of its century old building into a new two­ storey office building and construction of wing extension;

10. The total estimated cost of the project is One Hundred Fifteen Million Eight Hundred Seventy Thousand Eighty Four and 89/100 Pesos (PhP1l5,870,084.89), broken down as follows: Estimated Cost (PhP)

Construction of new 69 kV Sub­transmission Line (N­1 Provision) Land Acquisition and Development (Right of Way)

40,689,711.30 12,000,000.00

Sub­total

52,689,711.30

Relocation and Rehabilitation of 69 kV and 13.8/0.23 kV Lines and Poles

9,283,456.00

Restoration of CELCOR’s century old build­ ing into a new two storey office building and construction of wing extension

25,831,605.16 115,870,084.89

TOTAL

11. The proposed projects will be funded through its Retained Earnings (Appropriate for Plant Expansion) amounting to One Hundred Million Pesos (PhP100,000,000.00) and the remaining amount shall be taken from its Cash Working Capital; DESCRIPTION OF THE 2015 PROJECTS A.

Construction of New 69 kV Sub­transmission Line (N­1 Provisions) The proposed project line will traverse an estimated length of 10.6 kms from Bitas Substation passing through Emilio Vergara Highway up to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) Nueva Ecija­Aurora Substation. The project provides CELCOR with N­1 capability in case of system contingency.

PROJECT CODE PROJECT TYPE PROJECT CODE PROJECT CATEGORY

: : : :

PROJECT DURATION PROJECT TYPE CLASSIFICATION PROJECT FINANCING PLAN

: : :

PROJECT COST B.

:

TL­001 Reliability First Priority Subtransmission Development 2015­2018 New Assets Retained Earning­ Appropriated for Plant Expansion/Cash Working Capital PhP52,689,711.30

Relocation and Rehabilitation of 69 kV and 13.8/0.23 kV Lines and Poles Based on the Memorandum of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the main road of Maharlika Highway (from Sta. Rosa­Cabanatuan boundary up to Cabanatuan­Talavera boundary), will be widened from 16 mts to 20 mts, while secondary road, Cabanatuan­Papaya Road, will be widened to a standard 15 mts, thus, affecting CELCOR’s existing poles located in the area.

The improvement of drainage and installation of stone masonry along Nueva Ecija­Aurora road are also­included. A total of 344 poles, specifically 67 sub­transmission poles and 277 primary and secondary poles are affected by it.

: : :

PROJECT DURATION PROJECT TYPE CLASSIFICATION PROJECT FINANCING PLAN

: : :

PROJECT COST

:

Contingency First Priority Subtransmission/ Primary Distribution Project 2015­2018 New Assets Retained Earning­ Appropriated for Plant Expansion/Cash Working Capital PhP28,065,312.43

Installation of Cable Tray and Support (Primary line bridge attach)

PROJECT CODE PROJECT TYPE PROJECT CODE PROJECT CATEGORY

: : : :

PROJECT DURATION PROJECT TYPE CLASSIFICATION

: :

PROJECT FINANCING PLAN

:

PROJECT COST

:

TL­003 Capacity First Priority Primary, Distribution Project 2015­2016 New Assets

Restoration of century­old building into a new two­storey office building and construction of wing extension

i. Project Purpose CELCOR is confronted with aging office facilities that are inadequate, even with significant renovation, to support its strategic plans and programs for the promotion of customer satisfaction. It proposes to restore its century­old building into a new two­storey office building and construction of wing extension.

This project will benefit the following: the company ­The proposed modern building shall be the new face of the company, a reflection of innovative services and commitment to its customers; the employees ­the new building for employees will provide a convenient, stimulating and dynamic working environment that will definitely enhance their efficiency.

It will also boost their morale and improve their productivity in the workplace. Also, the proposed office building will improve the workflow within the office considering that at present, the various departments are scattered in different areas and some are even do not have enough space to accommodate its staff; the valued customers/consumers ­the cutting­edge facilities of the building will create an impact to the consumers especially those who frequently visit the office. It shall give tbe clients a new customer service experience which promotes a much more guaranteed customer service satisfaction. The modern building will reduce safety risks to all concerned parties since the new structure will introduce modern safety features.

These valuable benefits to the whole company and its treasured customers are vital in enhancing its goodwill and improving its performance as a distribution utility.

12.

Retained Earning Appropriated for Plant expansion/Cash Working Capital PhP9,283,456.00

PROJECT CATEGORY PROJECT DURATION PROJECT TYPE CLASSIFICATION PROJECT FINANCING PLAN

: : : :

PROJECT COST

:

Non­network requirement 2015­2016 New Assets Retained Earning Appropriated for Plant expansion/ Cash Working Capital PhP25,831,605·16

The proposed capital projects of CELCOR aim to comply with the requirements under the existing ERC Rules and Procedure with respect to safety, reliability, capacity, quality and growth of the distribution system, as stated in CELCOR’s Distribution Development Plan (DDP), particularly: .

A.

a. Options/ Alternatives considered in lieu ofthe proposed projects; b. 5­year forecast and historical planning data; c. Technical Analysis; d. Economic Analysis; e. Conceptual Engineering Design and Drawings; f. Project Cost Estimates; g. Project Financing Plan; h. Proposed Gantt Chart Schedule; i. Board Resolution approving the proposed CAPEX; and j. Sworn Statements executed by Engr. Rommel Hemal attesting to the fact that CELCOR’s application is consistent with its (DDP). , 13.

The area has a spark growth for subdivisions and has ideal locations for livestock production such as poultry and piggery business. It is also being developed as a location for medium­sized industrial processing businesses such as concrete aggregate business and medium­sized stone crusher complex. Its proposed project will be utilized to serve the future expansion plan in the event that the expected growth in the said area will materialize. ii. Impact if Project Not Implemented The existing 69 kV sub­transmission line is being fed on a single bus scheme. It is not flexible to provide continuous power in case of loss or failure. The only option is thru FCVC generating station connected through a step up transformer of 25 MVA capac’ity to the end of the 69 kV line at Bitas Substation. The normally open interconnections at 13.8 kV network level provide a partial N­1 capability between substations. However, the power plant has insufficient capacity to fully supply CELCOR’s demand during contingency.

14.

Based on the guidelines, a new design will be used since the area is now populated with commercial buildings. The design will address the clearance tolerance between structure and live lines, thus eliminating the exposure of live lines relative to the building structures.

Its 69 kV lines was constructed more than 18 years ago and consisted of creosoted wooden poles. The expected life service is estimated at 20 years based on the Valuation Hand book of the Commission. It could no longer use the old wooded creosoted poles for relocation and rehabilitation because it is already near the standard service life. By using the new steel and concrete poles will address the following: a) safety clearance between live lines and structure; and b) the safe and reliable steel and concrete poles will support its lines. ii. Impact if Project Not Implemented The project should be undertaken simultaneously with the ongoing road widening projects of the DPWH since pole relocation causes interruption. If this will not be implemented, the future cost and reliability will be a factor. The correction of construction should comply with the required clearances between structures and power lines and has to be undertaken to ensure the safety and reliability.

C. Installation of Cable Tray and Support (Primary line bridge attach) i. Project Purpose In ERC Case No. 2009­043 RC dated March 8, 2010, the Commission approved the installation of the power cable underneath the Cesar Vergara Bridge (Project code BB­006 Extension of primary lines along Gen. Tinio Avenue to Cinco­Cinco under cash flow program for 2014). However, the project did not materialize due to several factors that were observed during the implementation.

The hole provision for power cable is small. Thus, the factor of undue stress during the pulling procedure was considered due to the tight space for the cable. As the length of the pulled wire increases, the weight of the cable becomes heavier.

Pulling the wire under the condition without any provision for space will result to cable tightening. Thus, the problem of undue stress will be a concern. It will compromise the insulation capability of the cable to insulate the live wires from the outer diameter of the power cable and worst condition scenario will be the breakage of the power cable during the pulling process.

In order to ensure the safe operation of the said cable, it proposes the use of cable trays in order to support the cable along the bridge. The condition where the cable will experience undue stress during the pulling procedure will be eliminated. Inspection and management program can be performed regularly because it will be installed at the edge of the bridge where access to the cable can be made without compromising the safety of personnel. ii. Impact if Project Not Implemented All possible options were considered for the project such as utilizing the existing manhole (designed for utility line) which was taken into consideration

CELCOR replead all the allegations in support of the prayer for the immediate issuance of provisional authority to implement its additional capital expenditures for 2014.

The following are the estimated duration of the proposed . capital projects: DURATION OF THE PROJECT

PROJECT NAME Construction of New 69 kV sub­transmission line

7 months

Relocation and Rehabilitation of 69 kV and 13.8/0.23 kV lines and poles

2 years and 7 months

Installation of Cable tray

5 months and 3 weeks

Restoration of CELCOR’s century old building into a new 2­storey office building and construction of wing extension

15.

1 year and 4 months

As of to­date, CELCOR will need at least three and a half (3.5) years to complete the aforementioned capital projects.

Thus, with the grant of a provisional authority, it would be able to immediately proceed with the project to meet its customer’s requirements;

COMPLIANCE WITH THE PRE-FILING REQUIREMENTS 16.

CELCOR has furnished the local legislative body of the City of Cabanatuan with copy of its application and its annexes.

The copy of the Certification issued by the aforementioned legislative body attesting to the fact of service and its annexes is attached to the application and marked as Annexes “D”;

17.

CELCOR had also caused the publication of the application in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines. The copies of the Affidavit of Publication and the newspaper issue where the said application was published are attached to the application and marked as Annexes “E” and “F”, respectively; and

18.

CELCOR prays that the Commission:

Relocation and Rehabilitation of 69 kV and 13.8/0.23 kV Lines and Poles

i. Project Purpose The project is being implemented based on the guidelines issued

by DPWH. CELCOR is thus constrained to undertake the relocation of its poles and lines to be affected by the road widening projects. However, simultaneously with its compliance with DPWH rules and regulations, the right of way clearances under existing laws, rules and regulations will be observed to minimize accidents as well as to ensure smooth flow of traffic in the area.

Public interest and welfare demand the immediate approval of the application;

ALLEGATION IN SUPPORT OF THE PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY

Construction of New 69 kV Sub­transmission Line (N­1 Provisions)

i. Project Purpose The new 69 kV Sub­transmission Line will be utilized as a redundant asset serving as a reserved lines in case the other lines along Maharlika Highway undergoes maintenance, subjected to fault or sustains damage due to fortuitous events and other causes. As an asset reserved for future use­under the lO­year development program, a new substation will be proposed in the area covering the eastern side of the city consisting several barangays from Bangad, Camp Tinio, Kalikid, Patalac up to adjacent barangays of Cabu and Macatbong.

Section 3.5 of the Commission’s Resolution No. 26, Series of 2009, which provides that there are expenditure projects that may occur at any given period which may be resulting from unexpected significant new load that will be connected to the Distribution System. A Regulated Utility shall file a formal application prior to the start of implementation of such project and shall be supported by documents similar to the usual requirements of network asset capital expenditures.

In support of the application and in compliance with the filing requirements of the Commission, CELCOR submitted, as Annex “B”, the following documents:

Restoration of century­old building into a new two­storey office building and construction of wing extension

JUSTIFICATION OF THE PROPOSED PROJECTS

B. PROJECTS

PROJECT TYPE PROJECT RANK PROJECT CATEGORY

D.

Presently, its employees are housed in a three­decade old building which was originally designed and used as a parking building of its service vehicles. It is currently being utilized to cater its valued clienteles.

“Those projects that are needed to serve forecasted future loads and to maintain good electric service to existing and future customers satisfying the utility’s technical criteria for capacity, reliability, quality and safety.”

6.

TL­002 PL­001 PL­002 PL­003 PL­004 PL­005 PL­006 PL­007 PL­008 PL­009 PL­010

This project covers the laying of power cables at Cesar Vergara Bridge complementing the approved capital expenditure for RY 2014, extension of primary line from Gen. Tinio Avenue to Brgy. Cinco­ Cinco. The hot dipped galvanized cable tray will be constructed at the edge of the bridge that will connect lines from Gen. Tinio Avenue­ Cesar Vergara Bridge to the entry point of the line extension going to Brgy. Cinco­Cinco.

COSTS OF THE PROPOSED CAPITAL PROJECTS 3.

Project ID

during the post construction period of the bridge, installation of overhead structure under the bridge which requires acquisition of land and much taller poles in a flood prone area or overhead structure at the bridge girder which all proved to be non­viable, the only plausible engineering solution is to install the primary line at the edge of the bridge using a cable tray to link the RY 201 approved capital project from which it will extend a primary line along a 8 km Felipe Vergara Highway.

a) Issue, immediately upon filing of the application, a provisional authority for the approval of the implementation of its capital expenditure projects; b) Approve, after notice and hearing, the application and render judgment making provisional approval permanent; and c) Include in the next regulatory period rate calculations and/or rate case application the aforementioned projects as a deferred amount.

The Commission has set the application for jurisdictional hearing, expository presentation, pre­trial conference and evidentiary hearing on June 3, 2016 (Friday) at ten o’clock in the morning (10:00 A.M.) at the campus of Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST) located at Maharlika Highway, Brgy. Sumacab Este, Cabanatuan City.

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the proceeding may become a party by filing, at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements in the ERC’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, a verified petition with the Commission giving the docket number and title of the proceeding and stating: (1) the petitioner’s name and address; (2) the nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding, and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and (3) a statement of the relief desired.

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the proceeding may file their opposition to the application or comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before the applicant concludes the presentation of its evidence. No particular form of opposition or comment is required, but the document, letter or writing should contain the name and address of such person and a concise statement of the opposition or comment and the grounds relied upon.

All such persons who may wish to have a copy of the application may request the applicant that they be furnished with the same, prior to the date of the initial hearing. The applicant is hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the application and its attachments, subject to reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during standard office hours.

WITNESS, the Honorable Chairman, JOSE VICENTE B. SALAZAR, and the Honorable Commissioners, ALFREDO J. NON, GLORIA VICTORIA C. YAP-TARDC, JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGPALE-ASIRIT, and GERONIMO D. STA. ANA, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 7th d ay o f J a n u a r y, 2 016 a t P a s i g C i t y.

ATTY. NATHAN J. MARASIGAN Chief of Staff Office of the Chairman and CEO ( T S ­ M AY 10 /17, 2 016)

T UE S DAY : M AY 1 0 , 2 0 1 6

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Compton: Alaska not sharp enough in finals

By Jeric Lopez

CURRENTLY staring at a 0-2 hole in the best-of-seven finals of the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association, Alaska is certainly in a stage wherein it needs to sort things out to salvage its chances.

Through two games in the against a tough and confident Game Tomorrow (Finals, Game 3 - Smart finale, Aces coach Alex CompRain or Shine squad.

Araneta Coliseum) ton doesn’t feel that his team is Compton said that the Aces 7 p.m. - Alaska vs. Rain or Shine playing up to par. need to show their true charHence, Alaska is down, 0-2, acter to finally be able to notch to Rain or Shine and needs to gather itself a much needed victory. sooner than later.

“Our general team character is one of “We haven’t played smart enough and we great resolve. We got to go out and show haven’t played hard enough yet to win,” ad- that to earn a win.” mitted Compton.

Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao added a The mild-mannered coach conceded that specific factor why Rain or Shine is ahead he feels his team’s usual sharpness still isn’t and Alaska isn’t at par at this point. there in the series.

Guiao pointed out that Alaska superstar “We gotta earn it with a lot more pre- Calvin Abueva, who is the frontrunner for cision. That’s for sure,” added Compton. the Best Player of the Conference Award, “We’re just not sharp enough.” isn’t himself so far in the finals.

With Game 3 on the horizon tomor“Calvin hasn’t played his usual game row, Alaska is facing a must-win situation the last two games and that is a big

factor,” said Guiao.

On Sunday, Paul Lee knocked down the game-winning shot at the buzzer to lift Rain or Shine to a thrilling 105-103 squeaker over Alaska.

With the game tied at 103-all with 27 seconds left, the Elasto Painters went to Lee and he dished out to an open Beau Belga, who missed a triple from the left corner.

But Lee saved the day for Rain or Shine as he grabbed the offensive rebound after Belga’s miss with around three seconds left and he immediately jacked up a mediumrange elbow jumper which he drained to give the Painters the victory in this game of spurts.

“Nag-focus lang ako sa last play. Pagtingin ko sa clock, may 2 seconds pa so itinira ko and pumasok,” said Lee. “Tulong-tulong lang kami and stick sa gameplan kaya we got the win.”

Game 2 is scheduled Wednesday night, also at the Big Dome, with Rain or Shine shooting for an even more commanding 3-0 series lead.

Alaska’s Sonny Thoss tries to bulldoze his way against the defense of Beau Belga of Rain or Shine in a PBA Commissioner’s Cup game won by the Painters, 105-103.

A15 LOTTO RESULTS 6/55 00-00-00-00-00-00 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 4 DIGITS 0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

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Rain or Shine is Batang PBA jr champion RAIN or Shine saw a 15-point second quarter lead razed down, but hung on to beat Globalport, 67-65, Sunday and capture the 2016 Under ArmourBatang Philippine Basketball Association championship at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The final game between the tournament’s most dominant teams went down the wire after the Batang Pier rallied from a 44-29 deficit just before halftime to turn the potential rout into a cliffhanger.

The Star Hotshots, meantime, salvaged some pride by edging the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 49-48, for third place, fighting back from double-digit deficits in the third quarter and from 40-33 going to the last 10 minutes.

Phoenix led, 32-20, after two quarters, but couldn’t protect the advantage in the face Star’s torrid assault in the fourth quarter.

Scores: STAR (49)—Sison 13, Paguiligan 12, Pangillinan 10, Ganotisi 6, Jimenea 4, Vargas 2, Velasco 2, Galotera 0, Sonzua 0, Chua 0, Santos 0, Mendoza 0, Soriano 0, Alarcon 0, Amora 0.

PHOENIX (48)—Nobleza 11, Olivar 8, Ramirez 7, Aseron 5, Reguera 5, Patawaran 4, Tablizo 3, Ramilo 2, Santos 2, Reyes 1, Sison 0, Tonido 0, Magtibay 0, Retis 0, Rodriguez 0.

Quarters: 10-16; 20-32; 33-40; 49-48 Second Game: RAIN OR SHINE (67)—Durante 17, Vergara 14, Chua 12, Garcia 7, Nadurata 5, Cosme 3, Francia 3, Isidro 2, Masiglat 2, Fabe 2, Evangelista 0, Thai 0, Liwanag 0, Lopez 0, Vendero 0.

GLOBALPORT (65)—Espina 13, Lu 11, Tupaz 9, Santos 9, Dagdagan 6, J. LLegaspi 5, Alas 5, Dacanay 3, Fullo 2, Alforte 2, G. Legaspi 0, Javier 0, Tan 0, Arejola 0, Favis 0, Sta. Maria 0.

Quarters: 20-21; 44-31; 49-46; 67-65

Adamson, Letran-A, NU prevail ADAMSON University, Letran-A and National University struck again Thursday, posting significant wins in the 22nd Fr, Martin Cup Summer Basketball Tournament at the St. Placid gymnasium of the Arellano University campus in Legarda, Manila.

Fil-American recruit Jerick Ahanmisi and Papi Sarr showed the way for the Falcons, with 12 points apiece for the Adamson Soaring Falcons as they turned back the Centro Escolar University-A Scorpions, 93-72.

The Soaring Falcons ended their eliminations with five wins and a loss, giving them a chance to earn one of four

quarterfinal seats in Group A, according to commissioner Robert de la Rosa.

Rey Nambatac struck with 19 points for reigning NCAA champion Knights, who won over finals rival San Beda Red Lions, 74-69.

JP Calvo and Kier Quinto added 16 and 14 points for the Jeff Napa-coached Knights, who stayed unbeaten after four games in Group B. Eugene Toba led with 24 points for the Red Lions, who moved to second with their 3-2 win-loss record.

Meanwhile, the reigning UAAP junior champion NU Bullpups drew double-digit outputs from three teammates

as they swamped the San Sebastian Staglets, 81-35, in the junior division.

Neil Tolentino, Michael Malonzo and Joshua Calleja banged in 12 points apiece for the Bullpups, who marched to their fifth straight win in Group B. This put the Chico Manabatcoached Bullpups closer to one of two semifinal slots in their bracket. They need to win their last three games to complete a sweep.

It was their second straight win for the week after the Bullpups earlier subdued Manila Patriotic School, 87-62, with Malonzo showing the way with 20 points.

P0 M

Falcons’ cager Papi Sarr goes for a basket past a Centro Escolar defender.

T U E S DAY : M AY 1 0 , 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

Cavs sweep Hawks; Thunder tie Spurs

Kevin Love (left) of the Cleveland Cavaliers beats Dennis Schrodeof the Atlanta Hawks for the rebound in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. AFP

LOS ANGELES—The Cleveland Cavaliers punched their ticket to the NBA Eastern Conference finals on Sunday, holding off a desperate Hawks team 100-99 in Atlanta to complete a sweep of their second-round playoff series.

Kevin Love scored 27 points and tied his careerhigh with eight three-pointers to help Cleveland wrap up the 4-0 series victory.

The Cavs, who fell to the Golden State Warriors in last year’s NBA Finals, will play either Toronto or Miami for a chance to return to the championship series.

Kyrie Irving scored 21 points and handed out eight assists. James added 21 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists—and came up big defensively on Atlanta’s

final possession.

The Cavaliers were up 100-99 with 10 seconds to play when James tied up Atlanta’s German point guard Dennis Schroder on a drive inside the paint.

James won the ensuing jump ball as Cleveland held on for the win.

Once again Cleveland were on fire from threepoint range. They hit 16 three-pointers on Sunday, 10 in the first half, taking their tally for the final three games of the series to 62.

Mayweather may fight McGregor TURN TO A12

“We’re in a great rhythm right now,” James said. “We know where everyone is on the floor and exactly where we should be.”

Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said the team was hitting its stride at the right time.

“The last three or four weeks of the season we really started playing good basketball on both ends of the court, and it’s carried over,” he said. “Team’s playing well right now.”

Schroder, who finished with 21 points, led a balanced Hawks attack, with five Atlanta players scoring in double figures.

The Hawks led by as many as 12 in the second quarter, but they couldn’t hold off the eventual onslaught and the Cavs can now catch their breath as

Miami and Toronto battle on in a series in which the Raptors lead 2-1.

Durant lifts Thunder In Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant tied a playoff career high with 41 points to lead the Thunder to a 111-97 victory over the San Antonio Spurs that knotted their Western Conference second-round series at two games apiece.

Down by four after three quarters, Oklahoma City outscored the Spurs 34-16 in the fourth quarter.

“They out-toughed us,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who pointed to the Thunder’s 40-34 advantage in rebounding as well as a solid contribution from the Thunder’s role players in backing up Durant.

“They deserve credit,” Popovich said. “They out-played

Compton: Aces not sharp enough TURN TO A15

us in the fourth quarter.”

Durant connected on 14 of 25 shots from the field and 10 of 13 from the freethrow line.

“I just try to be consistent in what I do,” he said. “I know that at any given moment, I can go off and hit a few shots. I just try and stay with it and play as hard as I can on both ends of the floor and leave it all out there and live with the results.”

Russell Westbrook added 14 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds, while Steven Adams chipped in 16 points and 11 rebounds and Dion Waiters came off the bench to score 17 points.

Oklahoma City were up by four when Durant scored four straight points to stretch the lead to 105-97 with 2:04 to play. AFP

Platini appeal denied PARIS—Michel Platini said Monday he will resign as UEFA president after his appeal against a six-year ban from football activities failed.

The Frenchman said he would resign to pursue the case over a suspect $2 million payment in Swiss courts in a bid to clear his name.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected the appeal saying it was not convinced about the “legitimacy” of the payment ordered by ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

It did cut the ban to four years and reduced a fine from 80,000 Swiss francs ($80,000) to 60,000 Swiss francs.

“I note today’s decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport but I consider it a profound injustice,” Platini said in a statement.

“This decision inflicts a suspension for which the length stops me, de facto, and by luck, from being a candidate in the next FIFA presidential election,” he added.

“As agreed with the national associations, I resign as president of UEFA to pursue my fight before the Swiss courts to prove my probity in this case. AFP

TUESDAY: MAY 10, 2016

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

B1

Pepsi awards.

Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. wins big at the 2016 7-Eleven Supplier’s Excellence Awards for innovation, brand activation partnership and the Cliqq every day rewards program. Shown during the awarding ceremony are (from left) Philippine Seven Corp. vice president for supply chain Richard Lee, PCPPI trade marketing senior manager Rodel Melendres, PepsiCo key account manager Randy Aguirre, PepsiCo country manager Maricelle Narciso, PCPPI senior manager for modern trade Gian Carlo Enriquez, PCPPI senior key account manager Vanch David, PCPPI key account manager Kriselle Antonio, PCPPI assistant vice president and general manager Marvyn Taningco and PSC chairman Jose Pardo.

Govt studying interim rail hub

By Darwin G. Amojelar

THE Transportation Department said it is studying a proposal by Light Rail Manila Corp. to build an interim station between SM City North Edsa and Trinoma mall to connect the overhead mass rail systems in Quezon City.

“It looks good. The stakeholders already discussed it, but more work needs to be done,” Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya told reporters.

LRMC, which won the contract for the Light Rail Transit Line 1 Cavite extension project, including the design of the common station near Trinoma, currently operates LRT Line 1.

LRMC, a joint venture between Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp., proposed an interim station connecting LRT Line 1, Metro Rail Transit

Line 3 and MRT 7.

“The idea is to have just one station that will be ideal for us and for everyone because all the lines will just meet in that station. It has to be within that triangle of Trinoma and SM,” MPIC president and chief executive Jose Ma. Lim said.

Lim said if the proposed interim station concept became acceptable, it could later become a part of the permanent station.

The Transportation Department, SM Prime Holdings Inc., San Miguel Corp., the proponent of MRT 7 have yet to resolve a

conflict over the location of a common station for the overheard train systems.

SM Prime earlier secured a Supreme Court stay order, barring the department from transferring the location of the common station to Trinoma mall of Ayala Land Inc. To resolve the conflict with the SM Group, the Transportation Department proposed building two common stations, one near SM North Edsa and the other beside Trinoma Mall.

The Transportation Department decided to relocate the common station to Trinoma from SM North, saying the government could save P1 billion from the transfer.

Under an earlier agreement between SM Prime and state-run Light Rail Transit Authority, the common station would be situated beside SM North Edsa. SM Prime already paid

Phinma drops hospital partnership with MPIC

By Jenniffer B. Austria HOLDING company Phinma Corp. dropped a plan to team up with Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings Inc. to modernize a 100-bed training hospital in Cebu.

Phinma president Ramon del Rosario Jr. said in a recent interview the company decided to develop the Sacred Heart Hospital on its own. Sacred Heart Hospital is owned by Southwestern University, which was acquired by Phinma last year.

“We had a rethink because we decided that we really want to strengthen our medical programs in Southwestern University.

It is very critical for our success as a medical science school to have a hospital that we fully control,” Del Rosario said.

“So we decided to hold on to it and run it ourselves for the time being but that does not closes the door for partnering with others in the future. But for now, we

want to take our time to study it and understand it better,” he said.

The hospital group of Metro Pacific said in November 2015 that it was approached by Phinma group, which acquired a majority stake in SWU, to help with the development of a master plan and a five-year business plan for Sacred Heart Hospital.

Meanwhile, Metro Pacific told the stock exchange it was in talks for the possible acquisition of a controlling interest in Marikina Valley Medical Center. The company said no definitive agreement had been signed yet.

The hospital group of Metro Pacific had 11 hospitals with 2,700 beds throughout the country as of end-march 2016. These included six hospitals in Metro Manila, including Makati Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Asian Hospital, De Los

Santos Medical Center and Manila Doctors Hospital.

It also operates five hospitals around the country, including Davao Doctors Hospital, Riverside Medical Center in Bacolod, Central Luzon Doctors Hospital in Tarlac, West Metro Medical Center in Zamboanga and Sacred Heart Hospital of Malolos in Bulacan.

It also invested in a mall-based diagnostic and surgical center MegaClinic in SM Megamall, and has indirect ownership in two healthcare colleges, Davao Doctors College and Riverside College Inc. in Bacolod.

Core net income of the hospital group rose 39 percent to P408 million in the first quarter, as a result of increasing patient revenues, higher enrollees, gains from completed capital expenditure programs, lower interest costs and savings from group synergy projects.

the government P200 million for the naming rights for the proposed station.

MPIC chairman Manuel Pangilinan earlier said the best solution to resolve the issue on common station was to build it somewhere between SM North Edsa and Trinoma.

Pangilinan said the two common stations for MRT Line 3, LRT Line 1 and the proposed MRT Line 7 would be inefficient.

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BUSINESS

PH ranks 8th best medical destination

Del Monte reduces shares sale to $150m

THE Philippines ranked eighth among the top medical tourism destinations in the world in 2015, ahead of countries such as Japan and France, according to a list compiled by the International Healthcare Research Center and the Medical Tourism Association.

Canada emerged as the top medical tourism destination worldwide in the MTA index, as it provides the most suitable economical, secure and cultural environment and an acceptable healthcare cost.

The UK and Israel came second and third, respectively. Singapore ranked fourth, ahead of Costa Rica which placed at fifth, Italy at sixth and Germany at seventh place.

MTA is a global non-profit association for medical tourism and international patient industry which represents healthcare providers, governments, insurance companies, employers and other buyers of healthcare.

Philippine clients for medical tourism come from East Asia, Sri Lanka, the Pacific Islands (Guam, Palau, Marshall Islands and Micronesia), Australia, North and South America, Europe and the United Kingdom and the Gulf States.

Filipinos working overseas also prefer to have their medical procedures done in the Philippines.

The Tourism, Health and Trade Departments are in constant coordination to promote Philippine medical tourism via a joint program.

About 80,000 to 250,000 clients flock to the Philippines yearly for various medical procedures and treatments. Othel V. Campos

Another Asian bank to build PH branch

TUESDAY: MAY 10, 2016

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

By Jenniffer B. Austria

FRUIT grower and canner Del Monte Pacific Ltd. reduced the size of its planned preferred shares offering to $150 million from an initial $360 million.

Del Monte said in a registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission it would offer 15 million preferred shares at $10 per share, which would raise $150 million in proceeds.

Another 10 million preferred shares were set aside for oversubscription which could potentially generate another $100 million in fresh capital if exercised and could boost total proceeds to $250 million.

Meanwhile, Del Monte also placed under shelf registration 11 million preferred shares which it

planned to issue within a period of three years from the effective date of the registration statement.

“However, in case the oversubscription option is partly exercised or not exercised at all during the offer period for the initial offer, the offer shares under shelf registration will be automatically increased to such number of oversubscription shares that will not be taken up or exercised,” Del Monte said.

Del Monte’s preferred shares will be listed under the main board of the Philippine Stock Exchange.

Proceeds from the fund raising activity will be used to refinance its $350-million loan with BDO Unibank Inc. BDO Capital and Investments Corp. is the issue manager and lead underwriter for the offering.

Other participating underwriters are BPI Capital Corp., China Bank, PNB Capital and RCBC Capital Corp.

Del Monte, based on earlier registration statement filed with

the SEC, earlier planned to issue up to 36 million preferred shares at $10 per share with $360 million.

The fruit grower earlier reported that its nine-month net income ending January 2016 hit $41.9 million, a turnaround from $23.9-million net loss recorded in the same period last year.

Nine-month revenues rose 6 percent to $1.7 billion on higher sales from the US, the Philippines and S&W Asia.

DMPL said US subsidiary Del Monte Foods, which accounted for 80 percent of group sales, generated revenue of $1.4 billion, up 8 percent from a prior year period.

The Philippine market also delivered good results with sales up 7 percent, driven by expanded penetration and increased consumption for its juices, tomatobased sauces and packaged pineapple products while sales of the S&W branded business in Asia and the Middle East grew 16 percent on higher sales from both the fresh and packaged segments.

ANOTHER Asian bank expressed interest to set up shop in the Philippines, bringing to three the number of foreign banks this year whose applications are currently evaluated by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

“Three applications filed are under evaluation. The third [was] filed a few weeks ago,” Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said in a text message. He did not identity the foreign lender.

The Monetary Board reveals the name of the foreign bank whose application was approved only after the applicant already disclosed the approval in its home country. Most of the previous applicants approved by the board were listed companies.

Espenilla said earlier foreign banks continued to see the Philippines as an ideal expansion site despite the $81-million money laundering scam that rocked the domestic banking industry in February.

Prior to the third foreign bank, Espenilla said the previous two applications were pending because of the issues “that they need to iron out.”

In 2015, six applications were approved by the Monetary Board.

These were from the United Overseas Bank Ltd. of Singapore, Yuanta Commercial Bank Co. Ltd. of Taiwan, Industrial Bank of Korea, Shinhan Bank of Korea, the Japan-based Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., and the Taiwan-based Cathay United Bank. Julito G. Rada

BCDA’s dividend increases 25% to P4b THE Bases Conversion and Development Authority remitted P4 billion to the Treasury from its 2015 operations.

BCDA said the amount represented a 25-percent increase from P3.2 billion it remitted in 2014.

The remittance comprised the national government’s dividends share, the share of government beneficiary agencies from BCDA’s asset disposition proceeds and payment of other obligations to the national government.

BCDA president and chief executive Arnel Paciano Casanova said the latest remittance to the Bureau of Treasury highlighted the solid and consistent financial performance of the agency in generating billions for the government.

“The increase was due to successful business ventures, resolution of some problematic accounts with the private sector, more efficient collection and management of contracts, as well as good financial housekeeping. In effect, it’s good governance translating to good economics,” he said.

BCDA said since the start of the Aquino administration in 2010, the agency managed to be part of the so-called “Billionaires’ Club” or the top government-owned and -controlled corporations that remitted P1 billion or more to the national treasury.

The agency consistently remitted over P2 billion yearly to the Treasury. It remitted P2.112 billion for year 2010, P2.317 billion for 2011, P2.738 billion for 2012, P2.207 billion for 2013, P3.202 billion for 2014 and P4 billion for 2015. Othel V. Campos

ILO director. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz presents a Philippine design and architecture coffee table book as a welcome token to the newly appointed International Labor Organization Manila director Khalid Hassan at the Office of the Secretary in Intramuros, Manila.

GSIS sees stock index climbing to 7,700

By Gabrielle H. Binaday THE Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, is expected to climb to 7,700-point level by the end of 2016, boosted by this year’s national elections and strong macroeconomic fundamentals, staterun Government Services Insurance System said Monday.

“This being an election year will be an added boost from election spending. We think that an index target for the yearend somewhere around 7,700 is probably not an unrealistic target,” GSIS president and general manager Robert Vergara said.

Vergara said while PSEi dropped to as low as 6,100 in the

beginning of the year, the bellwether could still hit the 7,700 level by yearend, amid calm external environment.

“While it might look unrealistic when we were on our knees at 6,100 not too long ago, now where we are, and with the relative calm in the external environment, I think the Federal Reserve having clarified that it would be slow in its normalization process for interest rates...it is not an unrealistic goal,” he said.

Vergara said the European Central Bank agreed to continue to follow a loose monetary policy to try to get economies and inflation going.

“As well as China stabilizing somewhat and oil prices looking like they’re also finding a stable

level between 35 and 40, despite the failure of Doha this weekend, means that we have a much better external environment, so the relative strength of the Philippines in the region as probably the second strongest economy in terms of growth should continue to support what looks like a high PE valuations,” he said.

Meanwhile, GSIS said it still aimed to increase its equity investments up to 25 percent in the medium-term.

Vergara said while the fund was not able to reach the 25-percent equity weight goal for 2015, it ended the year with 18 percent of its equity investments, following no additional holdings as general equity values dropped.

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MPIC eyes Asean expressway

By Darwin G. Amojelar

METRO Pacific Investments Corp. plans to acquire and operate at least one expressway in Southeast Asia this year.

Inventors cooperative.

Cooperative Development Authority chairman Orlando Ravanera (left) administers the oath-taking of the new set of officers of the Filipino Inventors Society Producers Cooperative. The new officers are (from second left) FISPC president Francisco Pagayon, chairman Rolando Gonzalo, vice chairman Lito de Leon Jr., directors Michael Hortaleza, Eduardo Evangelista, Raymond Mark Doran, Dennis Abella, Francis Garcia, Davis Pagayon, Joven Parsram, assistant general manager Dennis Pagayon, board secretary Teodorico Castañeda and treasurer Cherryl Pagayon.

Politics may affect credit rating, says S&P POLITICAL developments may weaken the country’s credit rating, debt watcher Standard & Poor’s said Monday.

S&P Global Ratings said in a report titled ‘Sovereign Risk in Southeast Asia Pivots on Politics’ that shifts in political forces in a few Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, might undermine support for sovereign creditworthiness.

S&P currently assigns the Philippines a rating of “BBB,” which is a notch above the minimum investment grade, with a

‘stable’ outlook.

The debt watcher said while most parts of Southeast Asia had stable sovereign credit trends despite the global economic uncertainties in recent years, these could only continue if political and policy stability existed.

“Domestic developments in a few Southeast Asian countries could have implications for the sovereigns’ credit trends,” said S&P Global Ratings analyst Kim Eng Tan. “In some scenarios, their

credit support may weaken or an existing positive trend may halt,” she said.

S&P said the key question in the Philippines was whether political stability would continue after the presidential election. A return of political confrontations could weaken the improving trend for sovereign credit metrics, it said.

It said in Malaysia, the 1MDB saga dominated political discussions in the country for more than a year, but what loomed larger was the threat

to Malaysian political stability-making the company an important development for the government’s credit standing.

In Thailand, the main uncertainty is when political normalization will happen to allow policymakers to focus on issues that affect the long-term growth potential of the economy, it said.

“The current Thai government is pushing to adopt a new constitution that critics said would lead to unstable elected governments and weaken democracy,” Tan said.

“We are already in Thailand and Vietnam, so we are looking at one or two other projects outside Vietnam and Thailand,” MPIC chairman Manuel Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan said the company was looking at tollways in Malaysia and Indonesia with potential for expansion.

“I hope [we can acquire] at least one or two more this year,” Pangilinan said.

MPIC has a 29.45-percent stake in Don Muang Tollway Public Company Limited, a major toll road operator in Bangkok, Thailand.

The concession for DMT runs until 2034 for the operation of a 21.9-kilometer sixlane elevated toll road from central Bangkok to Don Muang International Airport and further to the National Monument, north of Bangkok in Thailand.

MPIC through Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. owns a 44.9-percent interest in CII Bridges and Roads, which has various road and bridge projects in and around Ho Chi Minh City.

Its current portfolio includes 68.1 kilometers of roads used by 47,000 vehicles per day and roads under pre- or on-going construction covering a total of 53 kilometers.

MPIC Group operates the North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway.

MPIC’s subsidiary MPCala secured a contract from the Public Works Department to finance, design, construct, operate and maintain a four-lane, 47-kilometer closed-system toll expressway connecting Cavitex and South Luzon Expressway.

The P35.4-billion expressway will start from Cavitex in Kawit, Cavite and end at the SLEx-Mamplasan Interchange in Biñan, Laguna.

MPTC also received a notice of award from both the city of Cebu and the municipality of Cordova for the financing, design, construction, implementation, operation and maintenance of an 8.3 kilometer toll road known as the Cebu-Cordova Bridge p0roject, linking the island of Mactan to mainland Cebu through the Municipality of Cordova.

The game changer that didn’t come into play BARRING a major turnaround in voter sentiment as reported by the opinion survey organizations, Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte appears headed for victory in the race for the presidency of the Philippines. Arguably the most regrettable fact in the entire electoral exercise is the failure of Antonio Trillanes IV’s expose against the mayor to achieve general publicity.

During the last week of the campaign period, Senator Trillanes informed a shocked nation that he had received documents purportedly attesting to Rodrigo Duterte being the owner, together with his daughter Sara, of accounts with a Pasig City branch of BPI (Bank of the Philippine Islands) that have given rise to P2.4 billion of transactions. These accounts were not reported in the mayor’s 2014 and 2015 SAL-N (statement of assets, liabilities and net worth), the senator charged.

The failure made Rodrigo Duterte open to criminal and administrative sanctions, Trillanes said.

Did the 55 million voters get to hear or read about Senator Trillanes’s shocking allegations before yesterday morning, when they trooped to the polling stations to cast their all-important votes for presidency?

The nation will not know until the votes are counted and tabulated. I’d like to think that after several days of discussion in the traditional media – the press, TV and radio – and the social media, most of the voters would have become aware of the Duterte bank accounts issue. But that might be excessive optimism on my part. We will know for certain in the next few days.

The weightier question to ask is, would it have made a difference to the voters’ sentiment if they got to hear early enough that Duterte is, as alleged, not the honest, living-simply public official he has claimed to be and that he is, instead, a deceitful and corrupt CEO of a major Philippine city. Would it? I strongly believe so. I believe that the voters would have reacted adversely to the Trillanes expose and switched their vote to someone of proven

probity and discernible morality.

Duterte’s entire campaign had been premised on his being a relentless pursuer of criminals, a merciless “punisher” of people guilty of criminal activity. Now – if the BPI accounts are found to be existent – he would be just another criminal garbed in local executive’s robes. The Duterte mystique would have been the game-changer.

But the game-changer may not have come in to play.

Even if the BPI accounts are found to involve amounts that are nowhere near the figures that Senator Trillanes has mentioned – P241 million worth of deposits and P2.2 billion worth of transactions – Rodrigo Duterte apparently is already in violation of the SALN law. He had admitted to having peso accounts with low five figures’ worth of deposits and a dollar account with $5,000 (around P240,000) in it.

The Sandiganbayan will convict public officials for SALN-law violations involving lesser amounts.

Despite Trillanes’ threats and offers to resign Davao City’s mayor has refused to fully and unequivocally waive his right to the privacy of his banking transactions.

The so-called waiver that Duterte’s lawyer has been bandying about has been so worded that BPI has not been allowed to make public the entire history of its client’s deposit accounts. The presentation of an ending balance inexorably raises the question, how was the ending balance arrived at? What transactions caused the ending balance to settle at a certain figure?

The mayor and his counsel won’t let the nation have answers to these questions.

Will the eventual disclosure of the history of his bank accounts make a difference to Rodrigo Duterte’s public standing during the period between Congress’s proclamation of the new president and the new national leader’s taking of his oath of office? Of course it will, for it will mean that the new president was elected on the basis of false pretenses and undisclosed criminal behavior.

If Duterte is able to take his oath of office, a new ballgame will open up. That’s the ballgame of impeachment, given that the period of non-prosecutability will have set in. Senator Trillanes can be counted on to throw the first pitch in that ballgame.

B4 Meralco asked to fix power dispute

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Energy Department ordered Millennium Energy Inc. and Manila Electric Co. to make 100 megawatts of power supply from the Navotas diesel-fired power plant available when required by the grid.

Energy Undersecretary Mylene Capongcol told reporters Energy Secretary Zenaida Monsada asked Millennium and Meralco in a letter to ensure the availability of power when needed by the power grid.

“Secretary Monsada sent a letter to them last Friday,” Capongcol said.n “The plant is on shutdown mode but it’s a fast start so it could immediately run if it is required to do so,” the official said.

Monsada earlier said she would sit down with Meralco and Millennium to resolve their dispute and allow the generation of 100 megawatts of capacity from the Navotas plant.

Monsada also wanted the Navotas diesel plant to provide additional capacity to during the election period.

“We will talk with them.

The Millennium capacity will bring in additional [supply] comfort if it can be resolved,” Monsada said.

Meralco president Oscar Reyes said the company wanted to “find something that works for both parties.”

“We can sit down directly with them [Millennium]...

We’ll try to see if we can enter into some kind of viable arrangement with Millennium,” he said.

ERC chairman Jose Vicente Salazar said Millennium’s dispute with Meralco revolved around the distribution wheeling services agreement on the diesel plant at the Navotas Fish Port Complex in Navotas City.

“The commission met with Millennium because they have a problem with Meralco, specifically their DWSA with Meralco,” Salazar told reporters.

Salazar said Millennium decided to stop supplying its capacity to the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market after incurring losses due to the exorbitant wheeling charges being charged

by Meralco.

WESM, the trading floor of electricity, is operated by Philippine Electricity Market Corp.

“Millennium is embedded to Meralco so it is being charged the wheeling charges... This is one thing that is crucial with the agreement. Millennium will have to pay Meralco despite the fact that it is not earning from the market. It is like the highway that even if you don’t use it you pay for it and it is based on the capacity that you can actually offer to the market,” Salazar said.

PH markets to face volatility after polls

By Ian Sayson

MONDAY vote in the Philippines will end the uncertainty of who will succeed President Benigno Aquino III, but it may not bring calm to a market coming off its worst week since January.

“The market will be on a very high level of elevated volatility,” Bede Lovell Gomez, vice president and trust officer of First Metro Investment Corp., said in Manila.

“The next questions that markets would like addressed are what are your plans, issues you want addressed and the people who will run the government. That’s the next overhang.”

Philippine shares have tumbled more than 5 percent from a March high when the Southeast Asian nation entered a bull market, erasing most of its gains for 2016. A controversial city mayor with little economic experience who promised a “bloody war” on crime has led the election race, rattling investors concerned about his ability to steer an economy that’s recorded an average six-year growth of 6.2 percent, the fastest since the 1970s.

International investors unloaded $34 million from local stocks in April, after adding $204 million to their holdings in March, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index sank 2.3 percent last week while a measure of 10-day volatility reached a one-month high. The stock gauge slid below its 200-day moving average for the first time since August on Thursday.

Philippine sovereign bonds stalled in May, after rallying 6 percent in the last five months, while

the peso has weakened more than 2 percent in the past three weeks.

“It’s important that the next administration defines the programs clearly in order to reduce or make the public more realistic with their expectations,” said Fritz Ocampo, chief investment officer of BDO Unibank Inc., the nation’s largest money manager with $20 billion in assets under management. “A lot of hype and promises were made during the campaign.” Ocampo says he is holding cash and has been picking up shares which have dropped excessively.

Polling stations opened at 6 a.m. local time and are due to close at 5 p.m. Andres Bautista, chairman of the Commission on Elections, told GMA News it will extend hours in some areas where delays were reported for various reasons, including malfunctioning voting machines. The commission expects turnout this year to exceed the 75 percent recorded in 2010.

There are 54.4 million registered voters, with 45 percent of those in the 18-to-34-age bracket.

Rodrigo Duterte has been mayor of Davao City on the southern island of Mindanao for two decades, where his strongman swagger and endorsement of the execution of criminals earned him the nicknames “Duterte Harry” and “The Punisher.” He’s been likened to US presidential candidate Donald Trump, using populist rheto-

DUTERTE

ric to reach Filipinos who feel the mainstream political parties are out of touch.

If Duterte wins, “we will have to wait until we hear what he wants to do, how he will do it and who will be the people in the cabinet,” said Gomez. “What has been heard by the market so far are all motherhood statements. Markets would like to know something more detailed.”

Opinion Polls Duterte has a commanding lead among five contenders that include Mar Roxas, a former interior secretary who lost a vice presidential bid as Aquino’s running mate in 2010. Roxas is favored by business and investors to be the next head of state as he is expected to continue the programs and reforms of government. The latest survey by Pulse Asia put his rating at 22 percent, behind Duterte’s 33 percent.

Grace Poe, who is serving the first half of her six-year term as senator and also favored by business groups to continue Aquino’s legacy, is at third with a 21 percent rating. Vice President Jejomar Binay, who helped build the Makati financial district as mayor, is at fourth with 17 percent.

Should Duterte or Binay emerge as the victor, “we could

see the stock index extending a fall below 7,000 and test its support at 6,800,” said John Padilla, who helps manage the equivalent of about $7.84 billion at Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. Stocks should rebound at 6,800 since the nation’s economic fundamentals and growth prospects remain intact. A victory by either Roxas or Poe could fuel a “euphoria” rally to 7,600 in three months, he said.

Tall Order Aquino has delivered one of the fastest economic growth rates in the world and created almost four million jobs in his six-year term as he boosted government spending to a record. Analysts’ forecasts indicate real GDP will maintain its annual growth rate of 5.8 percent to 5.9 percent, with consumer prices increasing moderately over the next three years.

The Philippine Stock Exchange measure has rallied an average of 26 percent in the 12 months after electing a new president in each of the past four presidential polls that the nation has held since the ousting of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Investors said it may be a tall order to duplicate those historical returns as stocks remain among the most expensive in Asia and there are scant details on economic plans. Concerns of higher US interest rates and a sharp slowdown in China may also cap any rallies.

Philippine equities are trading at 17 times the 12-month projected earnings, compared with 12.4 for the MSCI Asia Pacific Index.

“It may be difficult for the market to repeat its historical performance,” said Gomez. “Valuations are high and vulnerable to external and domestic shocks.” Bloomberg

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Oil prices near $46 a barrel Crude rose as expanding Canadian wildfires knocked out about 1 million barrels a day of production, outweighing the new Saudi Arabian oil minister’s pledge to maintain the country’s policy of near-record output.

Futures increased as much as 2.9 percent in New York and 2.5 percent in London. The blaze has led to cuts equivalent to about 40 percent of Canada’s oilsands production, based on IHS Energy estimates. Ali al-Naimi will be succeeded

by Saudi Arabian Oil Co. chairman Khalid Al-Falih, an ally of Prince Moham-

med bin Salman, who has backed the nation’s policy of prioritizing market share over prices and insisted any output freeze must involve Iran.

Oil has rebounded after slumping to the lowest level since 2003 earlier this year amid signs the global oversupply will ease as US output declines. While

American production has dropped, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries has boosted supply to more than 33 million barrels a day, underpinned by gains from Iran and Iraq.

“The market is taking a cautious approach to the Canadian fires and keeping the price a little higher given it’s in the vicinity of the main producing region,” said David Lennox, an analyst at Fat Prophets in Sydney. “There is no doubt the Saudi policy is working, we’re seeing declines in US production. The stockpile situation will probably keep any rally from being substantive.”

West Texas Intermediate for June delivery gained as much as $1.28 to $45.94 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $45.43 at 2:52 p.m. Hong Kong time. The contract advanced 34 cents to close at $44.66 on Friday. Total volume traded was more than double the 100-day average.

Brent for July settlement rose as much as $1.11 to $46.48 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The contract increased 36 cents to $45.37 on Friday. The global benchmark crude was at a discount of 7 cents to WTI for July.

Canadian oil-sands pro-

ducers Suncor Energy Inc, the country’s biggest energy company, Phillips 66 and Statoil ASA have declared force majeure—a provision protecting companies from liability for contracts that go unfulfilled for reasons beyond their control—on supplies from the region.

While the fire approached Suncor’s operations, there was no damage as firefighters held the blaze southwest of the area and the company said it has begun planning the restart of production. Current weather conditions and forecasts show the fire moving east, away from the site, Suncor said. Cnooc Ltd.’s Nexen

operations to the south of Fort McMurray have suffered “minor” damage, said Chad Morrison, a wildfire manager for the Alberta government.

Non-Opec supply is poised to slip by about 700,000 barrels a day this year, while global demand is forecast to rise by about 1.2 million barrels daily, according to the International Energy Agency. AlFalih, speaking in January at the World Economic Forum in Davos, indicated that the country plans to act vigorously to defend its market share and exports as the market re-balances.

Bloomberg

Opec bids farewell to Saudi’s oil chief

By Nayla Razzouk, Wael Mahdi and Javier Blas Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi, the architect of the 2014 switch in Opec policy that’s since roiled the energy market, companies and entire economies from Mexico to Nigeria, is leaving his post.

An 80-year-old who rose from modest Bedouin roots, al-Naimi headed the ministry for almost 21 years, steering the world’s largest crude exporter through wild price swings, regional wars, technological progress and the rise of climate change as a key policy concern.

“During my seven decades in the industry, I’ve seen oil at under $2 a barrel and $147, and much volatility in between,” al-Naimi told a gathering of the who’s who of the American oil industry in February in Houston. “I’ve witnessed gluts and scarcity. I’ve seen multiple booms and busts.”

The departure of al-Naimi, who for years could move markets just by uttering a few words, is the latest sign of how the country’s young Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is stamping his authority over oil policy. Khalid Al-Falih, chairman of Saudi Arabian Oil Co., the stateowned producer, will replace him as minister of energy, industry and mineral resources.

Al-Falih is known to be close to King Salman and to Prince Mohammed.

“Khalid has been integral to the current oil policy of Saudi Arabia and has worked very closely with the deputy crown prince,” said Jason Bordoff, director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University in New York and a former White House oil official.

Oil Policy While al-Naimi enjoyed a relatively free hand to implement oil policy under King Fahd and King Abdullah, his room for maneuver seemed to have narrowed since last

year’s accession to power by King Salman and the growing influence of his 30-something son, Prince Mohammed.

At the April 17 meeting in Doha where producers discussed a possible production freeze to shore up prices, alNaimi lacked authority to complete a deal, according to his Russian and Venezuelan counterparts. The view of Prince Mohammed, who had insisted that no accord was possible without Iran, eventually prevailed and the talks collapsed.

Almost 18 months before, it was al-Naimi who pushed the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to leave output unchanged.

Rather than cut back to sustain prices near $100 a barrel, al-Naimi’s plan squeezed higher-cost producers, particularly US shale-oil drillers.

The strategy is showing signs of success: the number of active US oil drilling rigs has dwindled by a record amount, shale production is falling and companies of all sizes, including Exxon Mobil Corp., are cutting investment. But Saudi Arabia itself has paid a great price, with foreign-exchange reserves plummeting and economic growth slowing.

Savvy Minister The approach has also left Opec in tatters, pitting wealthy Gulf Arab countries, including Kuwait and Qatar, against cash-strapped nations like Venezuela and Nigeria.

The 13-member group, once a mighty organization capable of roiling the global economy by keeping oil prices high, seems to have become largely ineffective.

Al-Naimi presided over a golden oil age for Saudi Arabia and Opec. The group’s oil revenue soared almost 10-fold during his tenure to $1 trillion in 2014, according to the US Energy Information Administration. He was also an astute

Sudanese Oil Minister Ahmed Mohamed al-Karuri (left) and Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi (right) arrive for a press conference following a meeting in Khartoum on May 4, 2016. diplomat, and with the support of his long-time No. 2, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman—an older half-brother of the deputy crown prince—al-Naimi bridged differences with Iran and Venezuela in the late 1990s, orchestrating a series of production cuts that lifted oil prices, eventually sending them above $100 a barrel.

Morning Jogs Whenever Opec gathered at its Vienna headquarters, alNaimi drew the biggest swarm of journalists.

Reporters tagged along each day at dawn for his habitual jog, or in later years, speed-walk, along the Austrian capital’s downtown Ring Road. A few words from him during those walks could move oil markets and more, swaying currencies and Wall Street.

“When he talks, everybody in the market is listening because he has a track record of delivering on any promise,” said Noe Van Hulst, the former secretary general of the Riyadh-based International Energy Forum. “He is the most credible voice within Opec and in the market.”

Al-Naimi has said he’d like to devote more time to his other job, chairman of the science and technology university in Saudi Arabia, an institute that studies and prepares for a posthydrocarbon world. He was also appointed adviser to the royal court on Saturday.

Humble Origins “The problem is the harmful emissions we get from burning coal, oil and gas” he said on Feb. 23 in Houston.

“The solution is to work on technology that minimizes and ultimately eradicates harmful emissions. Some don’t accept this view, but I have faith in technology.”

From humble origins in the Saudi desert, al-Naimi went on to become one of the most influential voices in global energy policy and markets.

His parents were divorced before he was born, and he lived with his mother’s tribe, taking care of little lambs. After the death of his brother, he took over his job at age 11 as an office boy for Arabian American Oil Co., the forerunner of Saudi Aramco. The company, owned at the time by Ameri-

can corporations, sent him back to school, first in the kingdom, then to Lebanon and later for graduate studies in geology at Lehigh University and Stanford University in the US. At Aramco, he climbed through the ranks to help the company expand beyond producing raw crude and into processing oil overseas and distributing refined products.

He was promoted to president in 1984, the first Saudi to hold the post, and was named chief executive officer four years later. The government selected him to lead the ministry in August 1995.

Avid Fisherman Outside the world of oil, his passions include his grandchildren and fishing. In 2009, he told the US ambassador in Riyadh that “he found out he had been named Petroleum Minister while fly-fishing in Alaska,” according to a diplomatic cable made public by WikiLeaks.

For most of his tenure, al-Naimi advocated keeping crude prices at levels acceptable to the US and

other importers. He often disagreed with counterparts from Iran and Venezuela, who sought higher prices by limiting supply. He worried that strategy would choke off demand.

As oil began falling in the summer of 2014, al-Naimi had an unsettling flashback to three decades earlier, when Saudi Arabia was the industry’s so-called swing producer, adjusting its own output to defend world prices. His predecessor, Ahmad Zaki Yamani, decided in 1983 to push Opec to cut back as producers outside the group pumped more. That, Yamani theorized, would increase prices.

The results were catastrophic: Oil collapsed to $7.90 a barrel from about $40 as non-Opec supplies expanded. Saudi production dropped by almost two-thirds in 1985, to 3.6 million barrels a day from 10.3 million in 1980.

It was a lesson that shaped al-Naimi’s response to the more recent collapse in crude prices, triggered by the surge in US output. Bloomberg

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Tokyo stocks up; Shanghai declines HONG KONG—Shanghai stocks tumbled almost three percent Monday on another disappointing Chinese trade report, but Tokyo was boosted by a weaker yen after US jobs data reinforced expectations for more interest rate hikes this year.

Beijing at the weekend released figures showing exports fell almost two percent last month while imports plunged nearly 11 percent, stoking fresh fears about the state of the world’s number two economy.

The figures were a disappointment after a March report showing a surge in overseas shipments had raised hopes that a growth slowdown in China was finally bottoming out.

Shanghai closed 2.8 percent down, extending a similar loss Friday.

Fears about China’s growing debt bubble were back on the agenda, as the leadership’s official mouthpiece newspaper said Monday the country must bring an end to credit-driven growth to avoid a financial crisis.

The People’s Daily article, which comes as leaders struggle to cap rising bad loans and other risks, could be a signal that Beijing is to rein in monetary stimulus efforts, analysts said.

Among other markets, Seoul was 0.5 percent lower, but Sydney reversed early losses to gain 0.5 percent. Hong Kong ended up 0.2 percent.

Tokyo closed 0.7 percent higher as exporters were boosted by a dip in the yen against the dollar.

Japanese officials Monday kept up their war of words in the hope of taming the surging currency, with Finance Minister Taro Aso telling parliament that “wide fluctuations and rapid movements are not desirable.” AFP

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Lawyers shout slogans during a demonstration against the latest reform measures demanded by Greece’s creditors, in front of the Greek parliament building, in Athens on May 8, 2016.

Greece finally OKs unpopular reforms

By Helene Colliopoulou

ATHENS, Greece—Greek lawmakers adopted a controversial package of pension cuts and tax hikes as eurozone finance ministers geared up for an emergency meeting Monday to hammer out fresh reforms for Athens to stave off another eurozone crisis.

The ministers are expected to complete a long-stalled first review of Greece’s massive EU-IMF bailout and discuss new debt relief measures at the crunch meeting in Brussels, which follows mass public opposition to the newly adopted measures in the cash-strapped country.

The talks have already suffered months of delays and Greece wants to wrap them up as quickly as possible so that it can unlock the next tranche of its 86-billioneuro ($95 billion) bailout—the third for the debt-laden country since 2010—ahead of a huge Eu-

ropean Central Bank payment due in July.

In its official agenda the ministers from the 19 countries that use the euro—the Eurogroup—said they would discuss the “progress achieved” by Greek and creditor officials in recent days on the reforms, “with a view to conclude them as soon as possible.”

It added that it would “also discuss possible debt relief measures aiming at ensuring that Greece’s gross financing needs remain at a sustainable level, with a view to reach a political agreement.”

The meeting follows days of

protests in Greece, where tens of thousands took to the streets to slam the unpopular reforms adopted Sunday.

The measures were passed thanks to the Syriza-led government’s slim majority in the 300seat parliament, with the 153 MPs of the far-left Syriza and the Independent Greeks coalition voting in favor of the measures.

As expected all the opposition parties voted against the bill, which will reduce Greece’s highest pension payouts, merge several pension funds, increase contributions and raise taxes for those on medium and high incomes.

In the run-up to the parliamentary debate, angry unions staged a general strike that paralyzed public transport for a third straight day Sunday, while some 26,000 people took to the streets of Athens and Greece’s second city Thessaloniki in protest at the pensions and tax overhaul.

Brief clashes erupted outside the parliament in Athens ahead of the vote, with youths throwing Molotov cocktails and flares at riot police who responded with volleys of tear gas, AFP reporters saw.

Numbers were, however, significantly down on February protests when 40,000 people marched in Athens alone.

“People are tired and disappointed by the leftist government in power... the rallies have not had the scale we had expected,” said Maria, a private sector employee in her fifties who claims to be owed 30,000 euros ($34,000) in back pay from her employer.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who has said reform is needed to prevent the pension system collapsing in a few years, defended the changes in parliament earlier Sunday, which are part of the government’s pledge to achieve 5.4 billion euros in spending cuts by 2018. AFP

Top China paper warns of crisis risk over debt BEIJING, China—China must turn off the taps of credit-driven growth to avoid a financial system crisis in the face of rising bad loans and other risks, the Communist Party’s official mouthpiece newspaper said Monday, citing an unnamed “authoritative” source.

The prominent article, in question-and-answer format, started on the front of the broadsheet paper and took up the entirety of page two.

China’s Communist authorities are trying to retool the economy away from the investment- and export-led growth of the past to

one more led by consumer demand, and reform lumbering, loss-making state-owned enterprises to make the sector more efficient.

But the transition is proving bumpy, raising fears of a hard landing, and global markets have been alarmed by slowing expansion in the world’s second-largest economy.

Attempts to address the slowdown in the first quarter of this year—when growth slid to 6.7 percent—were largely driven by investment, the People’s Daily quoted the source as saying, put-

ting more financial pressure on some local governments.

Analysts said the comments could be a signal that Beijing is to rein in monetary stimulus efforts.

“A tree cannot grow in the air,” said the source, arguing against raising debt further.

“Further leverage must not be added to push up growth, nor does it need to be,” the interviewee added, warning of a possible crisis as high debts “will definitely bring about high risks.”

“A system financial crisis could be triggered if no good controls are implemented, leading the

economy to contract and even household savings to evaporate.”

It is the third time in less than a year that the People’s Daily has cited “an authoritative person” to discuss top-level economic policies.

Chinese news portal Sina has previously said that such an “authoritative source” in similar People’s Daily articles could be a high-ranking government official, such as the head of the top economic planning agency the National Development and Reform Commission, or a respected scholar who participated in major economic policymaking. AFP

T U E S D AY : M AY 1 0 , 2 0 1 6

WORLD

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

B7

Impeachment week in Brazil BRASILIA—Brazil faces one of the most dramatic weeks in its recent history with senators expected to suspend President Dilma Rousseff and open an impeachment trial against her.

Rescue operation. Rescuers search for survivors at the site of a landslide in Taining County in China’s Fujian province on May 9.

The landslide has killed 22 and left 17 still missing, state media said on May 9, after it engulfed workers at a construction site. AFP

Astronomers ready for planetary alignment PARIS—Astronomers on Monday were preparing for one of the highlights of the skywatchers’ year, when the Sun, Mercury and Earth all line up—a phenomenon that happens just a dozen or so times per century.

Mercury will be seen through telescopes as a black dot inching over the face of our star, providing a celestial spectacle—weather permitting—that will last seven and a half hours.

“At the start, Mercury will look as if it is nibbling at the edge of the Sun, and then it will very slowly cross its surface

and leave the other side,” said Pascal Descamps of the Paris Observatory.

“It’s something rare, because it requires the Sun, Mercury and Earth to be in almost perfect alignment.”

The smallest recognized planet in the Solar System, Mercury completes an orbit every 88 days, and passes between the Earth and the Sun every 116 days.

But its orbit is tilted in relation to Earth’s, which means it usually appears—from our perspective—to pass above or below the Sun.

Thirteen times each century, however, the two orbits align such that even amateur astronomers can see the tiny planet tens of millions of kilometers away.

According to Britain’s Royal Astronomical Society, most of Western Europe, the western parts of North and West Africa, eastern North America, and most of South America will be able to view the entire transit, which will last from 1112 GMT to 1842 GMT. The rest of north and south America, the eastern Pacific, the remainder of Africa and most of Asia, will see parts of the event.

Envoy urges concessions to save Yemen peace talks KUWAIT CITY—The UN special envoy to Yemen on Monday urged the country’s warring parties to make concessions to save the peace talks aimed at ending a devastating 13-month war.

The appeal by Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed came after face-to-face talks broke off with the government delegation complaining of a lack of progress and the Iranbacked Huthi rebels protesting about air raids by the Saudi-led Arab coalition.

After holding several separate meetings with each delegation, Ould Cheikh Ahmed called on the two sides to “make concessions in order to strike a comprehensive peaceful so-

lution” to end Yemen’s deadly conflict.

“The participants in the Kuwait negotiations must reflect the aspirations of the Yemeni people. I am confident that Yemenis want an end to the conflict,” he said in a statement.

All direct meetings scheduled for Sunday were called off, but the UN envoy said new talks are scheduled for Monday and appealed for cooperation.

The two delegations also met with Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Sabah and ambassadors of the 18 mostly Western countries backing the talks in a bid to bring the Yemeni foes back to the negotiating table.

Yemen’s foreign min-

ister said the talks which began on April 21 made no headway.

“For the sake of peace, we have accepted all proposals submitted to us in order to progress,” said Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi, who heads the government delegation.

“But after three weeks, we have nothing in our hands because the other party backed down on its commitments,” Mikhlafi wrote on Twitter.

The rebels issued a strong protest to the UN envoy over alleged air raids Sunday by Saudiled Arab coalition that they said left several people dead, according to a source close to their delegation.

There was no immediate confirmation of the reported air strikes. AFP

Observers in east and southeast Asia and Australasia, however, will miss out entirely.

The closest planet to the Sun and a third the size of Earth, Mercury is one of the Solar System’s curiosities.

It is one of the four rocky planets of the inner Solar System but has no atmosphere and its metallic body is scarred by collisions from space rocks.

Daytime on Mercury is six times hotter than the hottest place on Earth, and nighttime can be more than twice as cold as the coldest place on our planet. AFP

ERRORS & OMISSIONS

In Classified Ads section must be brought to our attention the very day the advertisement is published. We will not be responsible for any incorrect ads not reported to us immediately.

Notice of Loss Stock Certificate

Notice is hereby given that Vantage Equities, Inc. Stock Cert. No. 39088 for 1,000,000 shares, with par value of P1.00, issued to Harley Sy was lost. If no contest is received, a new stock cert. will be issued. ( T S - A P R . 2 6 , M AY 3 & 10 , 2 016

HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD Expanded National Capital Region Field Office 2 Floor, HLURB Building, Kalayaan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City nd

N O T I C E Notice is hereby given that CITYLAND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (owner/developer) have filed with this Board a sworn registration statement for the sale of units at PINES PEAK (TOWER 2) located at Union St. corner Pines Sts., Brgy. Barangka Ilaya, Mandaluyong City specifically described as Lot 1 (LRA) Psd-E-2013000953 covered by TCT No. 008-2014000326 with a total area of 2,267.21 square meters.

All papers relative thereto shall upon request and payment of processing fee, be available for inspection during business hours by any person having legal interest thereon.

Absent any legal impediment, the above-cited project is deemed registered and a certificate, in evidence thereof, shall forthwith be issued after five (5) days from the last day of publication.

Quezon City, Metro Manila, (sgd) ALFREDO GIL M. TAN II Regional Director

The political crisis comes on top of one of the deepest recessions in decades in Latin America’s biggest economy, just three months before it hosts the Olympic Games in Rio from August 5 to 21.

Senators gather on Wednesday to discuss whether to launch impeachment hearings against Rousseff over allegations that she covered up shortfalls in the public accounts while running for reelection.

Around 50 of the 81 senators have said they will vote in favor of an impeachment trial, well over the simple majority needed to launch the process. The vote is expected on Thursday.

Rousseff will then be suspended for six months while the trial in the Senate runs its course, before a definitive vote on whether to remove her from office for good.

The affair has heightened tensions in the country which has been shaken by a separate corruption scandal involving state oil company Petrobras that has implicated numerous politicians including allies and enemies of Rousseff.

Ministers are reportedly clearing their desks in government offices in the capital Brasilia, where the legislature is currently suspended pending the impeachment proceedings.

Rousseff, 68, has branded the drive to get rid of her a “coup” by “traitors” such as Vice President Michel Temer, 75, who will take over as head of state if she is suspended.

“This is an indirect election disguised as impeachment. The usurpers of power, who unfortunately include the vice president, are complicit in an extremely serious procedure,” she said on Friday.

In further declarations on Saturday, she called for full elections.

“If they want to pass political judgment on my government, they should turn to the Brazilian people, not to impeachment.”

Temer is the center-right former coalition partner of Rousseff, herself a leftist former guerrilla member who was tortured under Brazil’s dictatorship in the 1970s.

He has begun preparing an interim government, planning tough emergency economic measures such as budget cuts and pensions and labor reforms. AFP REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION REGIONAL TRIAL COURT BRANCH 209, MANDALUYONG CITY IN THE MATTER OF THE ADOPTION OF MINOR ZYRELL FAITH CALUCIN GILTENDEZ SP. PROC. NO. MC15-9780 SPOUSES LASZLO KISS AND ANA MARIE CALUCIN KISS Petitioners. x------------------------------------------x

ORDER This is a verified Petition for Adoption of minor ZYRELL FAITH CALUCIN GILTENDEZ praying that after due notice, publication and hearing, judgment be rendered declaring the minor Zyrell Faith Calucin Giltendez as the legitimate child of herein petitioners, with all the rights and privileges of a legitimate child under the law and thereafter she shall be known as ZYRELL FAITH CALUCIN KISS. Petitioner-husband is a citizen of Slovak Republic while petitioner-wife is a Filipino citizen and presently residing at No. 788 Hongxu Road, Bldg. 38 Room 201, Shanghai, 201103 P.R. China but while in the Philippines they stay at No. 161 Block 40 Barangay Addition Hills, Welfareville, Mandaluyong City. Petitioners were married on August 30, 2013 in the City Hall Marriage Registry, Hongkong. They have one child, Aladar David Calucin Kiss who was born in Shanghai, China on December 30, 2012. Petitioners desire to adopt Zyrell Faith Calucin Giltendez an illegitimate daughter of petitioner-wife with Ranilo Bulactin Giltendez whose present whereabouts are unknown. The adoptee has been under the custody of the petitioner-wife since birth and the petitioner-husband on the other hand, had taken the role of a father to the child, treating and giving her all the paternal care and support that she need since his marriage to the latter’s birth mother in 2012.

Petitioners are in a position to continue supporting and caring for all the needs of the child herein sought to be adopted. Petitioners have attended the Pre-Adoption Counseling held at the Department of Social Welfare and Development National Capital Region. Petitioners are more than sixteen (16) years older that the adoptees, in full and civil capacity and legal rights, are of good moral character and have not been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude. They are physically, emotionally and financially capable of caring for the child to be adopted and possess all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications to adopt as provided by the law.

WHEREFORE, finding the Petition to be sufficient in form and substance, notice is hereby given that the instant case shall be set for Preliminary Conference before the Branch Clerk of Court on 28 June 2016 at 1:30 o’clock in the afternoon at the Regional Trial Court, Branch 209, Hall of Justice, Maysilo Circle, Mandaluyong City, at which date, time and place mentioned, all interested persons who may be affected thereby are hereby directed to appear and show cause, if any as to why said Petition should not be granted.

Pre-trial is set on 15 August 2016 at 8:30 o’clock in the morning.

Let this Order be published in The Standard, a newspaper of general circulation chosen by raffle, once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks.

Copy furnished this Order the Office of the Solicitor General, the Civil Registrar General, Quezon City, and the Court Social Worker who is hereby ordered to conduct the necessary case study report and file with this Court her report at least three (3) days before the hearing.

07 March 2016, Mandaluyong City, Philippines.

Copy furnished: Office of the City Prosecutor 3/F Hall of Justice, Mandaluyong City Office of the Clerk of Court Regional Trial Court Mandaluyong City

(TS-MAY 3 & 10, 2016)

(TS-May 10,17 & 24, 2016)

(Sgd.) MONIQUE A. QUISUMBING-IGNACIO Presiding Judge Office of the Court Social Worker OCC-Regional Trial Court Mandaluyong City Office of the Solicitor-General 134 Amorsolo Street, Legaspi Village Mandaluyong City

Office of the City Civil Registrar General National Statistics Office, Quezon City Atty. Elizabeth A. Andres Counsel for the Petitioners 2nd& 3rd Floors, EAA Bldg., No. 6, Road 3, Project 6, Quezon City

T U E S D AY : M AY 1 0 , 2 0 1 6

B8 North Korea detains and then expels BBC reporter SEOUL—A BBC reporter in North Korea was detained, interrogated for eight hours and eventually expelled over his reporting in the run-up to a rare ruling party congress, the British broadcaster said Monday.

Foreign reporters invited to cover specific events in North Korea are subjected to very tight restrictions, regarding access and movement.

Many journalists have found themselves prevented from returning to the country because their previous coverage was deemed “inaccurate” or “disrespectful”— but detaining and then expelling a reporter while still in the country is extremely rare.

The BBC reporter, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, was about to board a plane departing Pyongyang airport with two other BBC staff on Friday when he was stopped and taken into detention, the BBC said.

He was then questioned for around eight hours, apparently over one of his reports that questioned the authenticity of a hospital his team was visiting.

“He was taken to a hotel and interrogated by the security bureau here in Pyongyang before being made to sign a statement and then released” on Saturday morning, said John Sudworth, another BBC reporter covering the congress in the North Korean capital.

Sudworth said the BBC had sought to keep the detention and expulsion order quiet out of concern for Wingfield-Hayes’ safety, and that of the two other members of his team, who had refused to leave on Friday after he was detained.

However, the news broke following a press conference early Monday by an official with the North’s National Peace Committee.

The official criticized WingfieldHayes for “speaking very ill of the system and the leadership of the country.”

“We are never going to allow him back into the country for any reporting,” he added.

The three-person BBC team was taken to the airport on Monday.

“They were certainly very shaken,” Sudworth said, adding that Wingfield-Hayes had suddenly found himself “under a huge amount of pressure.” AFP

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD Weather aids firemen battling Canada blaze FORT MCMURRAY—Authorities battling a forest fire in Canada looked to Mother Nature for more help Monday, as cooling temperatures and rain slowed the spread of the blaze that had forced the evacuation of an entire city.

Performance. Singer Toni Braxton peforms at Artist Spotlight: Toni Braxton With Andra Day, 2016 Grammy Park at Kings Theater on May 8, 2016, in Brooklyn, New York City. AFP

There was more good news too, with the amount of land charred less than originally feared and the last of the 25,000 people trapped north of Fort McMurray in Alberta province safely evacuated in road convoys through the ruined oil city.

Oil facilities had escaped major damage, officials said, and there have been no fatalities directly linked to the blaze.

Alberta premier Rachel Notley and other officials said the fires raging for days around Fort McMurray were moving “much, much more slowly” thanks to a bit of rain and cooler temperatures.

Authorities had worried the fire could spread east to Saskatchewan province, but Notley said that had not happened yet.

The fire’s eastern edge was 40 kilometers from Saskatchewan and the estimates of the area destroyed were lowered from 2,000 square kilometers to about 1,600 square kilometers.

The ruthless blaze, fanned by high winds and fueled by tinder-dry conditions, devastated Fort McMurray and the region around it. The city was home to 100,000 until it was evacuated last week as flames burned homes to the ground amid scenes of panic and mass exodus.

Chad Morrison, senior wildfire manager for Alberta, said Sunday that favorable weather conditions and the hard work of about 500 firefighters had contained most fire lines in Fort McMurray.

The threat to oil-sand mines north of the city had also diminished, at least for now, he said.

Morrison said fire lines had moved away from the work sites of Nexen, a unit of the Chinese group CNOOC, after inflicting only minor damage.

Work sites of the Suncor petroleum group, which suspended operations in the area, had also been spared.

The company said Sunday it had moved 10,000 people including employees, their families and local residents to safety.

Morrison said firefighters hoped the rain and cooler temperatures predicted for Monday and winds from the west, gusting up to 60 kilometers per hour, would keep the flames away from the petroleum work camps in coming days. AFP

Japanese vagina artist convicted in obscenity case TOKYO—A Japanese artist who makes objects shaped like her vagina was convicted Monday after a high-profile obscenity trial, in a decision likely to reignite accusations of heavy-handed censorship The Tokyo District Court slapped Megumi Igarashi with a 400,000- yen ($3,700) fine, but the penalty was half what the prosecutors had demanded as she was also

cleared of one of several charges.

Igarashi was arrested two years ago for trying to raise funds online to pay for the construction of a kayak by disseminating a coded 3D image of her genitals that would allow users to make copies.

While Japan has a multi-billion-dollar pornography industry, actual depictions of genitalia are banned and the artist was charged

in July 2014.

Igarashi, who calls herself Rokude Nashiko—slang that loosely translates as “reprobate child”—was released days later following a legal appeal and after thousands of people signed a petition demanding her freedom.

But several months on, Tokyo police arrested her again for distributing “obscene” items—displaying decorated plaster figures

molded in the shape of her genitals and sending and selling CDROMs containing the computer code.

On Monday, the court convicted Igarashi for distributing material that was deemed obscene.

Igarashi and her supporters scoffed at the fact her genitals were the focus of a court case.

“I am innocent because neither the data for female genitals nor

my art works shaped like female genitals are obscene,” she told the court last year.

The prosecutors, who did not ask for jail time, had called for Igarashi to be fined 800,000 yen.

Japan’s prolific pornography industry caters to all imaginable tastes, but tough obscenity laws ban the showing of actual genitalia, which normally appear pixellated or blacked out. AFP

tuesday : m ay 10, 2016

C1

tatum aNCHeta EDITOR

BING PaReL

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

BeRNadet te LuNas WRITER

life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFeatstandard

a Rts, Cu Lt u Re & t eCH

LIFE

DuSIT HOSpITAlITy MAnAgEMEnT COllEgE SOOn TO OpEn In METRO MAnIlA

t

he Dusit Thani group has reached a long history in the hospitality industry dating back to 1948 when Thanpuying Chanut Piyaoui founded the first small Thai branded hotel in Thailand. Fast forward to 2016, the group now has 29 hotels across Asia, Middle East and Africa with more than 40 projects under development in 21 countries.

As they gear up for their soon-tobe-launched dusitD2 (a contemporary diffusion hotel line of Dusit International) in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, they’re also setting up the Dusit Hospitality Management College (DHMC), a worldclass hospitality management institution set to elevate the Asian hospitality industry.

In collaboration with Switzerland’s École hôtelière de Lausanne and France’s Institut Paul Bocuse, DHMC is ready to change the hospitality industry landscape. The partnership brings forth an institution with excellent education coming from École hôtelière de Lausanne’s years of experience as the first hospitality management school in the world, along with the Institut Paul Bocuse’s approach of combining tradition and innovation using the French art of cuisine and Dusit International’s worldclass hospitality delivered with the iconic touches of Thailand’s artistry.

According to Khun Suphajee Suthumpun, group CEO of Dusit International, DHMC aims to uphold the vision of their founder since the opening of Dusit Thani College in 1993. The college was established not only to promote to the world the best of gracious Thai hospitality but to educate the youth so that they can have careers in the hospitality industry.

“Like our hotel business, we aim to expand our hotel footprint to the world. We also intend to grow our education mission internationally as well,” says Suthumpun.

With the growth of Philippine tourism, the influx of tourists in the country will significantly affect not only our resources but quality in our business sectors in order to meet the demand of a huge number of visitors. Projects such as the opening of DHMC are

From left: Guglielmo Brentel, president of the École hôtelière de Lausanne Group; Khun Chanin Donavanik, vice chairman and chairman of the Executive Committee of Dusit International; Khun Suphajee Suthumpun, group CEO of Dusit International; Evelyn Singson, president and vice chairman of the Philippine Hoteliers Inc.; Hervé Fleury, executive vice chairman of the Board of Institut Paul Bocuse; and Ron Hilvert, managing director of Dusit Hospitality Management College and dusitD2 The Fort, Manila

A toast to the future of the hospitality industry DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez

The perspective of dusitD2 The Fort, Manila

From left: Ron Hilvert, Evelyn Singson and Khun Suphajee Suthumpun

highly supported by the government to help develop a culture of excellence.

“The DHMC will provide a stimulus for our ascent to higher and more formal standards for hospitality management from two important sources – the pedigree and spirit of the highly regarded Dusit brand and second, a core of respected local and foreign faculty coming from the hotel industry and the academe,” says Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez in his speech during the launch of DHMC.

The school will be located at the Mini Parkway in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig and will be fully integrated in the soon-tobe-launched dusitD2 hotel so students will be able to train at the international hotel.

“Filipinos are known to be one of the most hospitable and talented people in the world and we want to bring them a school that meets global standards,” says Ron Hilvert, managing director of the college.

“A collaboration of this magnitude can change the hospitality industry.”

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tuESday : m ay 10, 2016

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

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

ExhibiTS Disfigure ArtistSpace, Ayala Museum, Makati City Ongoing until May 16

Light in the Darkness Yuchengco Museum, Makati City Ongoing until June 18

Disfigure refers to the act of bringing damage to quality or appearance, or transforming something into a less desirable condition. Visual artist Johanna Helmuth appropriates this word as the overarching theme of her new works that explore how self, social life and relationships are marred by factors that taint their ideal function.

In her first solo show, Helmuth’s paintings on display – executed in her characteristic muted palette and highly textured surfaces – show haunting figures of dominance and subordination, apathy, suffering, contempt and distrust, weakening of the family and other social bonds, and the self-succumbing to the pressures of living up to social standards.

For the first edition of Yuchengco Museum’s exhibition series dubbed “Choices: Collections of the Personal exhibitions” – which will showcase rarely seen artworks from the private collections of esteemed art collectors, artists and creative personalities –it features the works of Filipino artist Danilo Arriola.

Currently on display are Arriola’s paintings and drawings from his collection and his first patron, Architect Dan Lichauco’s collection. The painter and his collector both pursued architecture at the University of Santo Tomas and both share the love for classical images. Arriola’s distinct style is painting everyday images using a chiaroscuro technique that creates intense light and shadows on the subjects. Lichauco has been collecting Arriola’s work since the latter was a student at UST.

Contact the gallery coordinator at (02) 759-8288 or email artistspace@ayalafoundation.org for more details on this show.

For more information on this show, call (02) 889-1234 or visit www.yuchengcomuseum.org.

Finale 33rd Anniversary Show Finale Art File, Makati City Ongoing until May 28

ForeWorld B-Side at The Collective, Makati City May 13

Eighteen contemporary visual artists come together to showcase their current series of artwork in celebration of the 33rd anniversary of Finale Art File gallery.

From a section of the Finale Boutique at the Atrium building in Makati City, specializing in the sale of works on paper, Finale has moved and evolved several times since the early 1980s. Over the years, the art gallery has represented modern Filipino artists such as Ang Kiukok, Romulo Olazo, Malang and Cesar Legaspi, among others.

It continues to hold regular solo and group exhibition supporting both established and emerging artists.

And for its anniversary show, Finale highlights the diverse range of recent works produced by its current roster of contemporary artists: Amy Aragon, Annie Cabigting, Lyra Garcellano, Wire Tuazon, Keiye Miranda, Robert Langenegger, Redd Nacpil, Ian Quirante, Carlo Gabuco, Bembol Dela Cruz, Ranelle Dial, Liv Vinluan,

At a time when the changes in our planet due to its old age and the collective damage inflicted by its inhabitants are becoming more apparent, concerned citizens are working together to ensure that the next generations can still enjoy its wonders.

The Voice Within and The Daily You join forces to present this fair that features spoken word, music and gallery that aims to raise awareness on the current state of the environment.

White Wall Poetry will take over the stage for their spoken word performance.

Music is courtesy of former Imago vocalist Aia de Leon, Paula Alcasid and OTM band. The Standard Life photographer Star Sabroso, together with Kay Moran and Marvin De Guia, will exhibit their chosen works.

Paulo Vinluan, Jeona Zoleta, Carlo Villafuerte, Catalina Africa, Nikki Ocean and Kim Oliveros.

Visit www.finaleartfile.com to know more about this ongoing exhibition.

Tickets for the one-night fair are priced at P200 (inclusive of one bottle of beer). Proceeds will go to ATD Fourth World Philippines. Visit ForeWorld PH on Facebook for inquiries and more details on this event.

fiLmS Macbeth Cinema 3, Greenbelt 3, Makati City May 10, 6:30 p.m.

The Cultural Center of the Philippines closes the 3rd season of its Met Opera in HD with the showing of Met Opera’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth.

Written by William Shakespeare, this tragedy chronicles the story of Scottish general Macbeth who receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that he will one day become King of Scotland.

Russian soprano Anna Netrebeko sings her first North American performance of the charismatic villainess in Verdi’s production, and completing the starry

cast are Željko Lučić as Macbeth, Joseph Calleja as Macduff and René Pape as Banquo. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi conducts the show.

As an added feature, backstage tours and interviews with the performers and artistic staff will be shown during the intermission.

For more information, call Greenbelt 3 cinemas Customer Service Hotline at (02) 757-7883 or CCP Sales and Promotions at (02) 832-3706 or e-mail ccpsalesandpromo@gmail.com.

tuESday : m ay 10, 2016

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

t Ec H ta L k

NEW productS For proLoNgEd battEry uSE

S

mall functional gadgets like flashlights and other portable lights are household must-haves. And with today’s modern gadgets, it has become increasingly important for batteries to be more energy efficient with lifespans that last for a prolonged period of time.

Leading battery companies have been innovating their products in terms of efficiency, and some are even cross producing products with suitable battery usage. Here are two of our favorite items that could soon be flying off the shelves in your nearest convenience or hardware stores.

Eveready ONE LED Light

The flashlight is one of the most useful gadgets man has ever invented.

Almost all households own a flashlight for emergency use but most are not battery efficient and do not have a longer bulb life. Outdoor activities like hiking or going on trails usually requires longer use of a flashlight, and longer means more battery life for lengthier usage.

Eveready Philippines recently launched its Eveready ONE LED Light, a smart and handy lighting product that offers more value for money in every use and may be one of the best household investments compared to other lighting options. The price is very affordable at only P149 and is available at True Value, Handyman and in select Mini Stop stores. The flashlight only requires two AA batteries to operate so users have more control over battery usage. Though the flashlight can function with only two AA batteries, it has a compartment for

four AA batteries that when used, can extend the runtime of the gadget from 45 to 95 hours. The Eveready ONE LED Light also has 20 lumens of bright light, making it 60 percent brighter than the current LED ONE. The best part is, its high-end LED technology offers efficient energy without need of replacement in the future.

“We know how useful it is to have a highperforming battery round-the-clock, but sometimes, the limitation always comes with the availability of batteries,” says Martin Luis Valenzuela, brand activation manager of Eveready Philippines. “Now, with the ONE LED Light in place, we can assure every Filipino family that they can enjoy high-quality light while saving on battery use.”

For more details about the new Eveready ONE LED Light, visit www.eveready.com.ph/Eveready2/Home.aspx or follow EvereadyPH on Facebook for updates and promos.

Energizer Vision HD headlight

You friendly Energizer bunny has just announced a new range of innovative headlights that boast of powerful LEDs, a patented digital focus and dimming technology for an enhanced user experience. Useful and stylish as well, Energizer Vision HD headlight is a new range of hands-free lightweight headlights that include four different models that carry a unique optic design and advanced LED technology, with non-slip strap that is available in contemporary colors.

Best used for hiking, night trail runs, or construction work, this new headlight features shatter-proof lenses, is waterresistant and has a handy pivoting function that allows users to control the beam direction – perfect for any activity that requires hands-free maneuverability for indoor and outdoor activities.

The headlight can be used for 50 hours in low mode and its illumination offers three unique modes: Spot for concentrated light, flood for wide illumination, and combined for full lighting output. It produces 150 lumens of light and has a smart-dimming feature when the condition of light changes in the environment – a feature that provides users with maximum run time for more efficiency.

“Our new line of innovative headlights offers a unique combination of brightness, performance and mobility, perfect for all types of activities particularly those that require two hands,” says Michelle Atkinson, Energizer’s global chief marketing officer. “Whether delivering

a constant source of light for a do-ityourself project or focusing on the hiking trail ahead, each headlight has been uniquely designed to meet the demands of consumers.”

The product comes with complementary Energizer MAX AAA batteries that power up the headlight and can be left in storage for up to 10 years if not used. These batteries are also protected against leaks for up to two years after use.

This new and innovative line of Energizer lights will be available soon in select hardware stores.

For more information, visit the website at http://www.energizer.com. ph/Energizerv2/home.aspx or follow energizerPH on Facebook.

Never miss an appointment with the new version of Waze 4.3 Nowadays, almost anyone who drives can’t live without Waze. Whether just heading for the latest restaurant or looking for a friend’s house, people have become so reliant on Waze that the phrase “turn right” or “turn left” have given many LSS – and it’s not even a song.

With Waze 4.3, there’s even more reason now for drivers to become more inseparable with this app. Now available for download for iOS users, the new update includes Planned Drives, a new function that lets users plan out their trips even days ahead.

Think of it as a Waze secretary where all one has to do is enter the date and time needed to be at a certain destination and it will recommend the best time to leave so as not to miss an appointment.

Better than a calendar, Planned Drives sets reminders as the days get closer to a trip with an updated departure time based on real-time road conditions.

Having this function makes it easier to manage time and schedule to avoid traffic. If that’s not cool enough, Planned Drives also offers a recommendation graph illustrating traffic peaks by hour for the next seven days! For a better

experience, users may allow Waze to access their Calendar or Facebook so appointments and Facebook Events automatically become Planned Drives.

So if you do get held up in traffic, you’re the problem, not the road.

This smart technology from Waze is based on smart algorithms, aggregated traffic history and predictive analysis. Waze continues to be at the forefront of innovation to create solutions for drivers and even commuters.

Currently, the app is available in nearly 160

countries and 45 languages, and houses the world’s largest community of drivers.

Download Waze app on www.waze.com. The latest version of the app is available for iOs users.

tuESday : m ay 10, 2016

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

Sagayan festival dancers of Datu Piang, Maguindanao

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@LIFEatStandard

Hambujan dancers of Dolores, Quezon for the Niyogyugan festival

Catbalogan wins aliwan Fiesta For seCond year in a row

ne of the most popular festivals that celebrates the richness and diversity of Philippine culture is Aliwan Fiesta that showcases the best of local festivals in regions all over the country. Started in 2003, Aliwan – which can be translated as entertainment – has since developed a reputation as the “mother of all festivals,” drawing thousands of spectators and tourists who revel in the merriment highlighted by participants garbed in glittering and creatively designed costumes. Aside from a street dancing competition, the festival is made more colorful

by a float parade as well as a musical showcase.

For the second time in a row, Catbalogan City bested other regional representatives in the street dance competition of the recently concluded three-day 2016 Aliwan Fiesta held at the CCP Complex in Pasay City.

Tribu Katbalaugan of the city’s Manaragat festival took home the top prize of one million pesos as it asserted its supremacy over the other contestants including the come-backing crowd drawer Iloilo Dinagyang Festival. Tribu Katbalaugan also took home special awards for Best Costume and Best Music.

Sinulog Festival's Cynthia Thomalla as 2016 Reyna ng Aliwan

The Ilonggos, represented by Tribu Salognon of Jaro National High School, placed second.

Meantime, students from the Dr. Bernabe de la Fuente Sr. National High School in Upi, Maguindanao essayed the Ted’urays’ Meguyaya Festival to take third place. Fourth overall was Datu Piang, Maguindanao’s delineation of the Sagayan Festival while the Hambujan Dancers of Dolores, Quezon (who were competing for the very first time) on behalf of the Niyogyugan Festival landed fifth.

Rounding up the runnersup were the Anilag Festival of Laguna; the Boling-Boling Festival of Catanauan, Quezon; and the Panagbenga Flower Festival of Baguio which was given the Best Folkloric Performance award.

In the float design competition, Cebu’s International Pharmaceuticals Inc. won the top plum for its rendering of the Sinulog. Damak of Cotabato City came in second while the Sagayan Festival copped third place.

In the Search for Reyna ng Aliwan, Sinulog Festival Queen Cynthia Thomalla emerged as the queen of the festival, recapturing the crown for Cebu when she bested 15 other lovely candidates. Andrea Fe Gomez of Baguio’s Panagbenga was first runner up, while sharing second runner-up honors were Lou Dominique Piczon of Catbalogan City’s Manaragat Festival, Darlene Joy Tabuga for the Pintados de Passi Festival of Iloilo, and Airish Yamamoto for the Anilag Festival of Laguna.

Thomalla was likewise named Most Photogenic and also won Best in Swimsuit, Best in Evening Gown, and Best in Festival Costume awards. Gomez received the award for Miss Unique Smile while Tabuga was selected by her fellow candidates as Miss Friendship.

To know more about Aliwan Festival, visit www.aliwanfiesta.com.ph.

Sinulog float

Meguyaya festival dancers from Upi, Maguindanao

Boling-boling of Catanauan, Quezon

Pinsao National High school for the Panagbenga

t uES DAy : m Ay 10, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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NIchOlas hOulT aND KRIsTEN sTEwaRT fall IN lOvE

I

n the romantic science fiction drama Equals, Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult play star-crossed lovers being watched closely by a Big Brother in a future where emotions are disabled to achieve a peaceful society.

Produced by Ridley Scott’s production house, Scott Free and directed by Drake Doremus, Equal is an emotionally and visually arresting film from a screenplay

by Nathan Parker based on a story idea from Doremus.

Equals is a nuanced, slow-burning love story, the film is set in a futuristic utopia where emotions have been genetically suppressed in an effort to protect society from the war and strife that has destroyed previous generations. On occasion, the suppression fails and emotions emerge in individuals – the Collective dubs this illness Switched On Syndrome, or SOS. As society is increasingly threatened by this health

crisis, all SOS sufferers are heavily medicated or sent to the Den, a corrective facility from which no one returns.

Stewart and Hoult are Nia and Silas who encounter each other as colleagues at the science journal, Atmos. As Silas begins to experience the onset of SOS and his own awakening emotions, he finds himself inextricably drawn to Nia, who is hiding her own SOS. The longer they attempt to suppress their palpable connection, the more the tension fans the flames of their attraction. But with this newfound pleasure of intimacy, comes the threat of discovery and consignment to the Den. With the support of a group of like-minded SOS patients, they realize escape is their only option.

While Doremus and Parker worked on the story and script night and day, producer Micahel A. Pruss and Scott Free strove to assemble the players necessary to push it into production. With the

In the futuristic drama, Stewart and Hoult’s characters live in a society where emotions are genetically eliminated

star-crossed lovers. Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult in the romantic science fiction drama “Equals”

English actor Nicholas Hoult

Hollywood star Kristen Stewart

blessing of Scott Free production chief Michael Schaefer, the project attracted a group of heavyweight backers and the project’s journey to principal photography gathered momentum. Putting the project in front of Ridley Scott played a pivotal role in getting Equals made.

Pruss says, “Having Ridley Scott as a producer on the film and as someone who is going to present the film, was not just crucial, but very inspiring for us all. Obviously Ridley is someone who knows a thing or two about science fiction and I think you can really feel his imprint on the film.”

Equal also completes Drake Doremus’ trilogy of films about love, also comprised of the Sundance winning Like Crazy (2011) and Breathe In (2013). Equals began its journey to the screen with a question that Doremus posed to producer, Michael Pruss, “What will love look like in the fu-

ture… do you think we could potentially evolve away from the thing that makes us most human?”

Doremus and Parker instantly clicked and began brainstorming the question and the myriad of ideas it conjured, before landing on the idea of a society where humans are genetically modified to be absent of feeling for the betterment of society. In developing the story, Parker strove to examine not just the positive aspects of love, but also the pain and agony that accompanies caring deeply for another person. “We wanted these two characters, once they discover love, for it to feel like it was a curse,” Parker says. “They don’t want it, they want to run away from it, but are drawn back together because they can’t resist it.”

Equal opens May 11 in theatres from Pioneer Films. Check out the film’s trailer here: https://youtu.be/cDuPxOZUTbg

Interview with ‘the Surprise’s’ mike Van Diem Mike Van Diem returns with The Surprise. Here is the excerpt from an interview with the director.

Winning an Academy Award for your debut film and taking so long to make a next one. Fear of failure?

No, not as far as I know. I got many offers from Hollywood. The first few years after winning the Academy Award I was asked to

come to Los Angeles many times. Looking back on it, it’s not that surprising. You win an Academy Award because you’ve made a special, original and authentic film and Hollywood isn’t that interested in those films.

It’s like receiving a Michelin Star and being asked to grill burgers.

After Character you didn’t expect you to write and direct a romantic comedy, right?

“the Surprise” follows the story of an eccentric multimillionaire who signs an agreement to have his life terminated. While selecting his coffin he meets a young woman who has signed up for the same arrangement

Perhaps not in that order, but The Surprise and Character have more in common than you might think. Not only thematically, but also when you look at the design: again quite grand, real cinema, while the story is again timeless and universal Casting actor Jeroen van Koningsbrugge as the main character, who is ultimately funny but also dead serious, is quite remarkable. Why him?

While writing the script some aspects of Jeroen’s role reminded me of Peter Sellers in Being There and Jim Carrey in The Truman Show. Not only the eccentricity of the character, but also the tragic loneliness combined with a very friendly, almost childlike openness How did you cast Georgina Verbaan?

That wasn’t so hard. There are very few good female comedians in the Netherlands and even less that could play a female lead.

For the role of Anne we only invited a handful of actresses.

And Jan Decleir?

Jan wasn’t supposed to be in The Surprise. Jeroen plays a multimillionaire with an enormous estate and initially I had written the part of a butler in the story, the only person Jacob could talk to.

I started casting but couldn’t find an actor with the charisma to make the role of the butler work. Jan has the charisma, but isn’t the butler type of guy. So I rewrote

mike Van Diem shows off his Oscar statuette

the part of the butler and made him a gardener, which suited Jan better. Jan and Jeroen immediately connected during the first read of the script and their chemistry is visible on screen. Jan also connected so well with Georgina. Jan really enjoyed making this film and we surely enjoyed working with him.

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t uES DAy : m Ay 10, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

‘SInglE/SInglE’ SEASon 2 SIzzlES In BoRACAy

S

ingle/Single, an awardwinning series aired on Cinema One in partnership with PhilStar TV, recently kicked off its second season at the Cinema One Open Air Cinema at Sur Resort, Boracay.

Following a successful season last year, Single/Single will have another 14 –episode season tackling the theme of adulthood and revolving around millennial issues.

Starring Matteo Guidicelli as Joey and Shaina Magdayao as Joee, the

“Singe/Single” lead stars matteo guidicelli and Shaina magdayao with program host Enchong Dee

Calayans in Cebu Cebu’s health consciousness has vastly evolved over the past decade, with the surge of holistic fitness and wellness services such as yoga, meditation and natural therapies. The sector, represented by private-public sector coalition Cebu Health and Wellness Council (CHWC), has also been receiving support from the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), who have worked together to bolster Cebu as the medical tourism destination of the Philippines.

These developments in Cebu have inspired the formidable tandem of Drs. Manny and Pie Calayan to bring their breakthrough brand of wholistic dermatology and cosmetic surgery to the thriving health and wellness sector.

This coming July, Manny and Pie Calayan Clinic opens its doors in Cebu by way of its newest branch located at the 3rd floor of SM Seaside Mall’s Seaview Wing, SRP Road, Cebu City.

Clients can now experience the same personalized and caring treatment that have endeared the doctor couple to their patients, both in Metro Manila and in other parts of the country.

Despite having established their Calayan Surgicentre brand for the past years, the couple decided to change their brand name to Manny and Pie Calayan Clinic to distinguish themselves from the proliferation of unauthorized clinics operating under the Calayan brand.

“We’ve gained global expertise and valuable experience from our US stint and this enables us to bring our practice to a whole new level, and make these available to Filipinos,” says Dr. Manny Calayan.

Dr. Pie Calayan, a vegan, yoga practitioner and advocate of alternative treatments, has infused a holistic approach into their practice, providing patients with care that goes beyond physical procedures and addresses their entire sense of well-being – body, mind and psyche.

“It’s no longer just about looking good on the outside, but also feeling good on the inside,” she shares. “For instance, when patients come to me for acne treatments, we don’t just address the obvious symptoms. We unravel every factor that could be causing their breakouts—dietary, environmental, even spiritual—and aid our patients in addressing these root causes.”

cROsswORD puzzlE

answer PreVIOUs PUZZLe

ACROSS 1 Jazz genre 6 Like most radios 10 Ms. Moore of films 14 All kidding — 15 Make hay 16 Not think of 17 More feasible 18 In a risky situation (3 wds.)

20 21 23 24 25 26 29 34 35 36

Clasp tightly “La Peste” author Advise against Rum-soaked cake Winter malady Becomes frayed Move mentally Platitude Overpraised You don’t say!

37 Wire thicknesses 38 Raised, as prices 39 Planets or moons 40 Ali stung like one 41 Flood barrier 42 Welcome 43 Stares down 45 Paltry 46 Satisfy curiosity 47 Deal in 48 Auspices 51 Showy lily 53 Relay segment 56 Fossil beetle 58 Frat letter 60 Look like a wolf 61 — meridiem 62 Girder (hyph.)

63 Spore producer 64 Courteous chap 65 Like Thor DOWN 1 Blowout 2 Hairy twin 3 Bob’s road buddy 4 Keats opus 5 White sale tag 6 Coffee emanation 7 Waiter’s offering 8 Blubber and suet 9 Radar meas.

10 Gift-wrapped (hyph.)

11 Radiate

The same approach is also employed with patients undergoing Dr. Manny’s cosmetic procedures.

“We provide them with recommendations on how they can maintain their post-surgical figures for long-lasting and sustainable results,” adds Dr. Pie. After 20 successful years in the business, Drs. Manny and Pie still continue to provide personalized dermatological and surgical service to their patients.

“Pie and I are definitely very hands-on with our approach.

We conduct consultations directly with clients, and are easily reachable for any questions.

Whether in the Visayas, Davao or Manila, we want to make sure that the Manny and Pie Calayan brand of care is provided to every patient,” he stresses.

Dr. Manny affirms the importance of relationship building and gaining the trust of every patient.

“Our patients come to us hoping to find a better option, improve their life…and I do empathize whatever are their reasons. We are here to help them step by step in their personal journey.”

In keeping with this personal commitment, the power couple, also widely renowned as “celebrity doctors to the stars,” continue

TuESDAY, MAY 10, 2016

12 Hacker’s pets?

13 Anatomical passage 19 Loafed around 22 Pecs neighbor 24 Seeks alms 25 Went on the lam 26 Stallone role 27 Parting-word 28 Jeeves type 29 Small fries 30 D’Artagnan prop 31 Fairy-tale heavies 32 Buck the system 33 Fractious 35 Comb manufacturer 38 Aw, shucks!

39 Spoken 41 Dogie stopper 42 Quivering dessert 44 Conked out 45 “Mad Max” Gibson 47 Hard rain?

48 Fermi split it 49 Thus 50 Fish lung 51 Movie theater 52 Envelope abbr.

53 Smirk’s kin 54 Depot info 55 It may be afoot 57 Doggie — 59 Cable option

witty take of Single/Single on millennial dilemmas marked the series as a show for young adults and their coming of age.

Written by Palanca winner Lilit Reyes and directed by internationally recognized filmmaker Pepe Diokno, Single/Single won the Silver Anvil Awards last year – an award given to public relation programs that meet high standards in their category – for its helpful financial advises subtly intertwined in the script.

Season 2 will definitely be more exciting as the main characters continue their journey, find out how they will grow as people and how they will grow their careers.

Watch out for Single/Single Season 2 starting May 15 on Cinema One. It will air every Sunday at 10 p.m. with replays at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

For more updates, visit facebook.com/singlesinglec1 and @SingleSingleC1 on Twitter and Instagram.

manny and Pie Calayan with host/actress Iya Villana

the Calayans with mother and daughter tandem Pilita Corales and Jackie lou Blanco

to maintain the trust and confidence of their growing multi-generational clientele.

After the Cebu launch, the

couple are looking forward to expanding further south when they inaugurate their branch at SM Lanang in Davao City in November.

t uES DAy : m Ay 10, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

Sexy cook. Jennylyn mercado hosts a cooking show

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JEnnylyn mERCADo GIVES ‘wAIS’ tIPS In GmA nEwS tV’S ‘DISHKARtE of tHE DAy’

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oday, sit back and relax while planning your menu of the day as GMA News TV and CDO Foodsphere, Inc. bring to Filipino homes the newest cooking show Dishkarte of the Day. Hosted by award-winning Kapuso actress and celebrity mom Jennylyn Mercado, Dishkarte of the Day is both engaging and informative as it features different recipes using CDO Karne Norte as well as wais kitchen tips

perfect for all moms.

Jennylyn shares that through her latest cooking show, she gets to share new and budget-friendly recipes she can also prepare for Jazz, her 7-year-old son.

“Dito, marami akong bagong recipes. Since pihikan si Jazz, yung mga nalalaman ko, ina-apply ko sa bahay. Kahit busy ang sched ko ay nakakapagluto ako ng healthy and easy-to-prepare food for Jazz. May natututunan din ako na useful kitchen tips mula sa mga

guests,” Jen cheerfully said.

Aside from her celebrity guests, joining Jennlyn as her co-host for the show is Kapuso comedian Betong Sumaya. She adds that hosting this program is a breeze because she is accompanied by her funny co-host.

“Bukod sa tips and recipes na pwede nilang magamit sa cooking or sa kitchen, nakakatuwa rin kasi may co-host ako dito. May acting na kasama kaya masaya at mag-eenjoy ang mga viewers,” she said.

Under the direction of Noel Anonuevo, catch Dishkarte of the Day Mondays to Fridays at 8:20-8:30 am, 3:00-3:10 pm and 7:00-7:10pm; on Saturdays at 8:20-8:30 am, 3:00-3:10 pm and 4:50-5:00pm; and on Sundays at 12:25-12:55pm, 4:50 to 5:00 pm and 5:40-5:50pm on GMA News TV. Follow the latest updates about Dishkarte of the Day on the official Facebook page facebook. com/gmadishkarteoftheday.

Alodia Gosiengfiao Viva happy with ‘this time’s’ fights Acne with Belo box-office results

Internationally known Cosplayer and model Alodia Gosiengfiao may find herself in the limelight, but like any other young person, acne problem is a struggle she also deals with. These are moments when the pretty celebrity “gets real” seeing those pimples and occasional acne getting the better of her beautiful skin.

Alodia is but one of the many young people whom Dr. Vicki Belo and her clinic, the Belo Medical Group (BMG) has been helping. It’s no secret that Dr. Belo’s personal fight against acne as a young girl was what drove her, when she became a doctor, to research and leave no stone unturned in finding a lasting solution to this acne problem that has been plaguing the youth.

Today, more than 26 years after BMG has been founded, Dr. Belo holds the distinction of having the most advanced and complete line of treatment for acne and acne scars from products, to facials and peels, to laser light therapy to RF treatments.

This is the expertise that sets BMG apart from its competitors.

So, when BMG says they know how to fight acne and acne scars, believe that they know how to win

it via the clinic’s Customized Belo Acne Program. And that cannot be found anywhere else. BMG has come up with a Customized Belo Acne Program that can deal with moderate to severe acne problems where over-the-counter medications almost always prove futile.

Dr. Belo has been helping Alodia in this area. She explains that “effective management of acne requires a combination of treatments.” She says, “Our customized acne treatment program will have the patient undergo assessment from our expert doctors first, and then products and services can be combined to tailor-fit the needs of the patient depending on the severity of acne problem. We can promise clear skin in only 8-12 weeks and you can say goodbye to those ugly, bumpy and painful acne.”

Alodia only has good words for Dr. Belo and her clinic for the wonderful job they have been doing on her now flawless complexion and maintaining it.

The fight against acne and acne scars is a problem not just for ordinary young people and Alodia and BMG know this. This summer, let the match begin and be part of the winning team of Alodia and BMG.

Viva Films is very happy that the James Reid and Nadine Lustre starrer This Time is becoming a monster hit. It is now the talk of the town.

The production crew, including the members of the cast, said that all their efforts in making the movie appealing to the fans were not for naught.

JaDine and the rest of the cast like Freddie Webb, Nova Villa, Candy Pangilinan, Al Tantay, Ronnie Lazaro, Bret Jackson are trending topics in social media.

Those who have seen the film have given it tow thumbs up for the competent direction of Nuel Naval from a screenplay by Mel del Rosario.

The members of the Cinema Evaluation Board also gave it A grade even calling it “an undeniable gem.”

Blockbuster. JaDine film “this time” rakes in P15 million on opening day

Viva Films in a statement to the media said, “This Time grossed P15M yesterday (May 4) exceeding all expectations. This is Jadine’s highest opening day gross. More than doubling their last one. We expect the film’s box office to sizzle even more

“Superstore” is an American single-camera sitcom television series follows a group of employees working at a fictional big-box store

during this weekend given that the movie has been rated G for the entire family. Also, (it) helps that we got Graded A assuring all viewers of the film’s excellent quality. Ito rin daw ay isang remarkable romance movie that is entertaining at every turn.”

“Crowded” is another multi-camera sitcom recorded in front of a live studio audience

Sony premieres 2 new shows

Cosplayer Alodia Gosiengfiao wins battle against acne

Sony Channel, the home of Hollywood’s entertainment, has added two new comedy shows for this merry month of May: Crowded and Superstore.

Crowded premiered 8:30 p.m. last night.

Taking its place alongside comedy series Dr. Ken on ROFLing Sunday nights, Crowded follows married couple Mike and Martina Moore who are excited to settle into their new life as empty-nesters. But not all goes to plan and chaos ensues as their two daughters unexpectedly return home to figure out their lives and Mike’s parents decide to stay with them instead of moving to Florida.

Crowded is produced by Hazy Mills Productions, Sam Jen Productions, and Universal Television.

The show stars Patrick Warburton as Mike Moore, Carrie Preston as Martina Moore, Miranda Cosgrove as Shea Moore, and Mia Serafino as Stella Moore. Stacy Keach plays Mike’s father Bob while Carlease Burke plays Mike’s mother Alice.

Superstore premieres 8 p.m.

May 22. It stars America Ferrera and is a laugh-out-loud (LOL) comedy about the lives of employees of a big box store called Cloud 9 in St. Louis, Missouri.

From interns to long-term managers, each employee’s life

and background play a crucial role in their characters and add a kaleidoscope of color to the challenges of dealing with the unpredictable world of retail.

Superstore was created by Justin Spitzer and produced by Spitzer Holding Company, The District, and Universal Television.

The show stars America Ferrera who played Betty in the famous comedy Ugly Betty. Also starring are Ben Feldman, Lauren Ash, Colton Dunn, Nichole Bloom, and Mark McKinney.

Sony Channel is seen on SKYCable Channel 35, Cignal Digital TV Channel 60, Destiny Cable Channel 62, Cable Link Channel 39.

t uES DAy : m Ay 10, 2016

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR NICKIE WANG WRITER

isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

ABS-CBN is once again named the Best tV Station of the year at the 24th KBP Golden Dove Awards

DZMM WIns BEsT AM RADIO sTATIOn clude Tapatan ni Tunying anchor Anthony Taberna (Best TV Public Affairs Program Host, My Puhunan host Karen Davila (Best Public Service Program Host), and actors Coco Martin (Best TV Actor for ISAH V. RED Drama) and Jodi Sta. Maria (Best TV Actress for Drama).

BS-CBN won the Best TV Station DZMM Radyo Patrol 630 was also recin the 24th Golden Dove Awards of ognized as the Best AM Radio Station, ridthe Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ing on the successes of the station’s various ng Pilipinas (KBP) held on April 29 programs such as SOCO sa DZMM (Best at the Star Theater, bringing its total num- Radio Public Affairs Program), Radyo Paber of Best TV Station awards to seven in trol Alas Dose (Best Radio News Program), the first quarter of DYAB Radyo Patrol 2016. It won a total Balita sa Alas Dose of 22 trophies, 17 (Best Newscast for from the TV categoProvincial), Aksyon ry and five from the KBP is the premier Ngayon (Best Public radio category.

Service Program), broadcast media Leading the indi“Sakto” (Best Variety vidual winners from Program), “Maalaala organization in the ABS-CBN is DZMM Kaya” (Best Dracountry composed of Mo anchor Louie Tabing ma Program), and of the popular radio owners and operators Kapamilya Konek program on agricul(Best Magazine Proof radio and TV ture Sa Kabukiran, gram). The comwho was honored pany’s FM station, stations. It aims to with the prestigious MOR 101.9, on the elevate professional other hand, grabbed Ka Doroy Broadcaster of the Year award and ethical standards, the Best Drama Progiven to broadcast gram for Radio in and promote social professionals that Manila (Dear MOR have shown “exem101.9 For Life). responsibility in plary performance in ABS-CBN’s Thank both their work and Philippine broadcasting You For the Love personal conduct.”

Kapamilya! station Tabing also joins a ID was the Best TV prestigious list of Station Promotional the Ka Doroy award Material. winners from ABS-CBN that includes Tina ABS-CBN Regional also added to the total Monzon-Palma (2002) Korina Sanchez haul of the company during the awards night, (2008), Ces Drilon (2010), Noli De Castro with two of their own, as ABS-CBN Bacolod (2011), and Ted Failon (2013). bagged the Best TV Station for Provincial In the TV category, wildly popular TV while TV Patrol Socksargen and Agri Tayo drama On The Wings of Love bagged the (ABS-CBN Bacolod) took home Best TV Best Drama Program for TV to lead award- Newscast for Provincial and Best TV Public ees like the long-running kiddie comedy Service Program for provincial, respectively. show Goin’ Bulilit (Best Comedy Program), KBP is the premier broadcast media Wansapanataym (Best Children’s TV Pro- organization in the country composed of gram), The Voice Kids (Best Variety Pro- owners and operators of radio and TV stagram), Home Sweetie Home (Best Comedy tions. It aims to elevate professional and Program), Matanglawin (Best Science and ethical standards, and promote social reTechnology Program), Tapatan ni Tuny- sponsibility in Philippine broadcasting. ing (Best Public Affairs Program for TV in The Golden Dove Awards is KBP’s way Manila), and ASAP (Best Variety Program of recognizing excellence in broadcasting for TV). TV personalities who won in- in the land.

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DZmm, led by station manager marah Faner-Capuyan, accepts award for the Am Station of the year award at the 24th KBP Golden Dove Awards

ABS-CBN Bacolod wins the Best tV Station of the year for Provincial

ABS-CBN head for Dtt and ABS-CBNmobile Chinkee Alcedo recieves the award for Best tV Station of the year

Anthony taberna receives the trophy for Best tV Public Affairs Program Host

Coco martin is the Best tV Actor for Drama