The Standard - 2016 June 19 - Sunday

VOL. XXX NO. 127 3 Sections 24 Pages P18 SUNDAY : JUNE 19, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

MORE AGRI OFFICIALS NAMED

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FEUDING MOROS GO FOR CHA-CHA

MILF, MNLF support Duterte’s push for federalism

By John Paolo Bencito

DAVAO CITY—The rival separatist groups Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro National Liberation Front met with President-elect Rodrigo Duterte here late Friday and agreed to “improve” the controversial Bangsamoro Basic Law and support the planned shift to a federal form of government.

MILF Chairman Ebrahim Murad, MILF Vice Chairman Ghazali Jaafar and Abul Khayr

Alonto, leader of the Alonto wing of the Moro National Liberation Front, held a “brother to brother”

meeting with Duterte at the Hotel Elena to discuss the Bangsamoro agenda.

After a two-hour tripartite meeting, Jaafar said the MILF was open to amending controversial items in the BBL which was defeated in both houses of the 16th Congress because of provisions that were deemed to be unconstitutional and more divisive to the people of Mindanao.

“What the President-elect promised is to implement a Bangsamoro government,” MILF Vice

Chairman Ghazali Jaafar told The Standard in an interview.

“The bottomline here is, the MILF and MNLF is working to reach a common approach, common procedures, common solutions to resolve the Bangsamoro issue. We believe, we are positive that this is possible,” Jaafar said.

Alonto, who leads one of three MNLF factions, echoed Jaafar’s optimism and said the federal system being espoused by Duterte can be effective in addressing the con-

cerns of the Bangsamoro people.

“A federal system could very well put in place a government of transparency and accountability, and effectively address the peace and order problems,” Alonto said.

“In this aspect, the MNLF and MILF are united in solidarity with the president-elect.”

Jaafar said both the MILF and the Alonto wing of the MNLF are willing a “convergence” of the peace deals they have reached with the government.

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BROTHER TO BROTHER. Bangsamoro leaders Abul Khayr Alonto of the Moro National Liberation Front (left) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front Chairman Ebrahim Murad (right) wait as MILF Vice Chairman Ghazali Jaafar gives a book to President-elect Rodrigo Duterte after a meeting at the Hotel Elena in Davao City on Friday. GHAZALI JAAFAR PHOTO

GRAPE KING OF PH

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POLL EXEC VOWS TO QUIT OVER LP

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan ELECTIONS Commissioner Christian Robert Lim threatened to resign leadership of the poll body’s Campaign Finance Office on Monday after the controversial extension of the deadline for the submission of statement of campaign expenditures.

“The policy shift is not acceptable,”

Lim told reporters in a text message as he confirmed his resignation over the poll body’s decision to extend the deadline as requested by the Liberal Party and presidential candidate Mar Roxas.

“To grant the request for extension would not only be unfair to other candidates and parties who complied within the prescribed period but also

would be a reversal of the Commission’s own resolution on the matter,” Lim said, clarifying that he remains a senior commissioner of the agency.

Lim said Republic Act 7166 specifically provides that all candidates should submit their SOCE within 30 days after the elections.

Section 14 of RA 7166 states: “Every Next page

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Feuding...

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RESTIVE KANLAON. Mount Kanlaon in Negros island spews ash as it erupted Saturday morning. It is the most active volcano in the Visayas and has erupted 28 times since 1919. PHIVOLCS PHOTO

AFP DENIES COLLUDING WITH ASG KIDNAPPERS

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

THE Armed Forces of the Philippines denied on Saturday allegations that some of its officers are colluding with the Abu Sayyaf Group as claimed

by Jolo, Sulu Mayor Hussin Amin.

The AFP issued a statement on Amin’s allegation as Malacañang said it was unfair to accuse the military of collusion without any proof.

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a radio interview that Amin’s claims are serious and the mayor should present proof of his allegations.

“Our armed forces and police have been at the forefront of the fight against all [kidnappingfor-ransom groups] and the ASG for a long time. We have

Poll...

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candidate and treasurer of the political party shall, within thirty (30) days after the day of the election, file in duplicate with the offices of the Commission the full, true and itemized statement of all contributions and expenditures in connection with the election.

“No person elected to any public offices shall enter upon the duties of his office until he has filed the statement of contributions and expenditures herein required.

“The same prohibition shall apply if the political party which nominated the winning candidate fails to file the statement required herein within the period prescribed by this Act. Lim said the deadline set forth in the law is hard and strict and “the ‘final and non-extendible’ na-

lost so many servicemen in the process. We do not doubt the dedication and commitment of our troops,” AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said.

He said commanders on the ground are in full control of all troops and are focused on their primary mission of getting these criminals and saving the hostages.

“There is also an established system to ensure no spies and traitors are in our ranks. There also exists strong measures to

deal with those found to have violated their oath,” Padilla stressed.

Amin earlier claimed some military officials in Sulu are colluding with the Abu Sayyaf in exchange for a share of the ransom paid by some victims.

The allegations came in the wake of the beheading of Canadian Robert Hall last June 13. Hall was one of the four persons kidnapped in Samal Island last Sept. 21.

A companion, John Ridsdel, was beheaded last April 26 after the Philippine and Canadian government snubbed the bandits’ P300 million ransom demand.

The AFP spokesperson said these accusations can undermine government efforts against these criminals.

“We will hold the one who

ture of the 08 June 2016 deadline has been emphasized in the second paragraph of Section 2, Rule 10 of the Omnibus Rules on Campaign Finance.”

“It is worthy to note that even presidential candidate, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, was able to comply with the submission of her SOCE through her representative on June 8 despite being on medical leave and her confinement in the Intensive Care Unit of the Makati Medical Center a few days before the deadline,” Lim said.

Yet, the commission en banc allowed the extension with Commissioners Rowena Guanzon, Arthur Lim, Al Pareño and Sheriff Abas voting in favor of the request of LP and Roxas.

While Comelec chairman Andres Bautista and Commissioner Luie Guia joined the firm stance of Lim not to extend the filing of SOCE.

released the statement accountable if they can’t substantiate their allegations. Local government officials are at the lead of addressing peace and order in their communities with the police and the AFP as partners,” he added.

Padilla said this cooperation is the cornerstone in coming up with a permanent solution to this perennial problem of lawlessness.

“Local officials should also come up with socioeconomic plans that can help the locals veer away from supporting these crime groups masquerading as Robin Hoods when they share the money received from kidnapping. After all, peace and order is their primary responsibility in their respective provinces,” he pointed out.

But Bautista said that he may not agree to extend the filing of SOCE, he is in favor of accepting their documents as “late filers” and impose penalties instead.

Based on Comelec data, there are 170 candidates who failed to submit their SOCEs and majority of them lost the election race.

For presidential bid, Roxas is the lone candidate who failed to file his SOCE citing “voluminous number of receipts that have to be scanned and attached to the document.”

Three political parties such as Liberal Party; Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino led by winning Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada; and Aksyon failed to file their SOCEs. The incoming speaker of the House of Representatives, PDPLaban secretary-general Davao del Norte Representative-elect Pantaleon Alvarez, said he and his party will challenge the Comelec ruling

The MNLF, then represented by founder Nur Misuari, signed Tripoli Agreement of 1976 and a final peace agreement in 1996 while the the MILF concluded a Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in 2014.

“There is a move among leaders of the Bangsamoro to converge some important details of these two agreements. There are provisions between the two that are almost the same. We’re just checking on the certain provisions that aren’t matched and build a common ground,” Jaafar said.

“The talks between the leaders of the MILF and MNLF continues,” he added.

“We don’t have any objection to the implementation of the federal system but we could help better in the Duterte government if he will implement a Bangsamoro government,” Jaafar said, adding that the MILF remains hopeful the government would implement the BBL. “It’s more practical to implement first a Bangsamoro government because I think a new system of government, which is federal, has to undergo legal processes that includes amending the Philippine constitution,” Jaafar said.

Jaafar said since leaders of the incoming Duterte administration are saying that it may take six years to implement a federal system of government, it may be easier to implement a Bagsamoro government in Moro areas first.

“Our position is that it needs to be fixed in the BBL to reach that common goal. We will enhance and strengthen and enhance the BBL,” he added.

Alonto declined to comment on the MILF’s position that the passage of BBL should come first before the change in the form of government but conceded that the “good things” in the BBL would be retained in the proposal to establish a federal system.

“I don’t want to talk about BBL. I’m talking about a united government,” Alonto said, conceding however that the BBL can serve as a “template” for the envisioned Bangsamoro government.

“We need the BBL and hopefully that will give us the distinct model to be the first state within the Philippine Federation,” Alonto said.

Jaafar, on the othef hand, said Duterte “knew very well” that he needs to pass the BBL under his administration to resolve the ongoing conflict. “[Duterte] will pass the BBL. Because if he will not pass the BBL, you cannot implement the Bangsamoro government. He understands this. He’s a lawyer,” he added.

“The way we look at it, it’s also the priority of the president to resolve the Bangsamoro issue because he is with us, he’s in Mindanao. He’s the mayor of Davao City.”

before the Supreme Court.

The opposition United Nationalist Alliance also decried the Comelec ruling with spokesman Mon Ilagan assailing the Comelec for repeatedly reminding political parties of the June 8 deadline, only to change its mind and let the LP have its way.

“Today, we mourn the passing of the rule of law. Sadly, its final breath was taken away by a democracy-driven institution that is supposed to uphold the highest standard of integrity, impartiality and respect for the rule of law,” he said.

Ilagan said the Comelec has shown its bias for the administration with its granting of the LP request for extension.

Ilagan said the poll body is trying to rationalize the loose principle of vox populi, vox dei as something above the law.

“Comelec may not have noticed,

but they just killed the very rule they have raised. And by frequently bending their own rules, they have shown their true colors. They have made their own rules irrelevant, and what they did to accommodate Roxas and LP was completely out of step,” said Ilagan.

“What seems to be clear by now is the wholesale abandonment of the rule of law. The ‘final and nonextendible deadline’ rule stated in Comelec Resolution No. 9991 was a solid en banc decision only to be abandoned by the en banc itself.

The sweeping disregard of pertinent laws and rules only shows the Comelec’s biases in favor of the Liberal Party,” he added.

Comelec Resolution No. 9991 affirms that late filing of SOCE amounts to a de-facto non-filing of SOCE, which has the effect of forfeiture of elective posts aside from the hefty penalties that they have to pay, said UNA.

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MT. KANLAON ERUPTS, SPEWS ASH 1KM HIGH MOUNT Kanlaon in Negros island shot a huge column of ash into the sky on Saturday, prompting the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology to warn aircraft to stay away.

Kanlaon, a stratovolcano only 30 km from Bacolod City, launched a plume of whitish-grey ash about 1.5 kilometers into the air, said Kenn John Veracruz of the official Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

The civil aviation office issued an advisory, saying “flights operating in the vicinity of the volcano are advised to avoid flying close to the summit as airborne ash from a sudden eruption can be hazardous to aircraft.”

Veracruz said that so far the authorities had not detected any lava rising inside the 2.47-kilometer high volcano but they were checking how far the ash was being scattered by the wind and whether it could affect nearby communities.

“It has been raining in recent days so there was likely water that built up inside the volcano and since the crater is hot, it built up the steam pres-

sure,” causing the eruption of ash, Veracruz, a member of the institute’s volcano monitoring division, told AFP. He added that it was possible the volcano could experience another ash eruption.

The civil defence office said they had not received any reports of damage or people affected from the ashfall but that authorities remain on alert.

The volcano has been restive since 2015 when it had a small, steamdriven explosion on Nov. 23. On Dec. 12, Kanlaon had two low-energy ash eruptions. On Dec. 27, an ash eruption occurred at Kanlaon’s active crater with the eruption plume reaching as high as 1,000 meters.

On March 29, Kanlaon again erupted for 12 minutes, producing a volcanic plume 1,500 meters above the crater and a “booming sound” was heard in some barangays near the volcano.

Kanlaon is the most active volcano in the Visayas and has erupted 28 times since 1919. Eruptions are typically phreatic explosions of smallto-moderate size that produce minor ash falls near the volcano. AFP

LAWMAKER EYES PROBE OF ‘FISHY’ FABELLA ISSUE

By Maricel V. Cruz THE Gabriela Women’s Party wants to determine if the Department of Health purposely allowed the 65-year-old buildings of Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital to deteriorate to make them ripe for closure, eviction and eventual phase-out as claimed by critics.

Incoming Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas said the budget that the Aquino administration allotted for the purpose could have been enough to resolve the building safety issues over the Fabella Hospital compound in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

“The Fabella Memorial Hospital was given paltry budget assigned in 10 years except for its uncharacteristic spike of P1.3 billion in 2014.

There was little fund assigned to the capital outlay, which can be used for the development of the hospital’s facilities,” Brosas said.

“Only 2.9 percent of the total budget or P5.9

million was allocated for capital outlay in 2007, which increased to P10 million in 2010 and P60 million for this year.

There were zero capital outlay funds recorded in 2011, 2013, and 2015 under the Aquino administration,” Brosas said.

“Yet in 2014, it became a whopping P840 million. The Alliance of Health Workers noted that the timing coincided with the invitation to bid for the Infrastructure Project for Fabella Hospital by the DOH inside its compound, so the money was intended not for on-site improvements that the health workers and patients wanted, but for the disruptive transfer plans made,” she added.

Brosas said that apart from the congressional investigation on the matter, the congressional deliberations on the 2017 national budget would be an appropriate venue to resolve the current conflict that pits the staff and clients against the eviction efforts by the hospital directors.

DA OFFICIALS NAMED KIDAPAWAN CITY—After reproving National Irrigation Administration officials for contradicting his free irrigation pledge, incoming Agriculture secretary Emmanuel Piñol announced the agency’s new head as well as other Agriculture officials.

During a farmers’ congress here, Piñol named engineer Cesar Sulaik as the new NIA administrator along with lawyer Ranibai Dilangalen and Bernadette Romulo-Puyat as undersecretaries.

To the delight of the farmers, Piñol vowed to eliminate corruption in the agency and alleviate the lives of poor farmers as the incoming Duterte administration will focus on rice production to cope with the current shortage of 1.8 million

metric tons of rice.

Piñol said the government will provide farmers free rice and corn seeds and fertilizers for two successive cropping seasons.

“This is a start to give you [farmers who suffered the recent El Niño effects] a good chance to improve your lives and the next generation,” Piñol said.

Piñol also announced the appointment of Evelyn Laviña of Davao City as head of the DA-High Value Crop Program, while Pompy Laviña, a businessman from Cagay-

an de Oro City, will oversee the DA’s Entrepreneur Program for Farmers.

In addition, Piñol also named lawyer Jovy Bernabe as head of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. and retired coast guard commodore Eduardo Gongona as head of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

Moreover, Piñol said Hazel Sto. Niño will serve as assistant secretary for special concerns while Ferdinand Piñol, his brother and former M’lang town administrator, will be his executive assistant.

Piñol also introduced engineer Mila Casis of Pigcawayan, North Cotabato, as new DA Region 12 chief who will replace outgoing DA Region 12 Director Amalia Jayag-Datukan.

Piñol said the incom-

ing Agriculture officials were chosen based on their experience, capability and dedication to public service.

On Friday, Piñol slammed NIA officials for questioning president-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s commitment to providing free irrigation to farmers.

“Anybody in government who does not share President Duterte’s vision for the Filipino farmer is free to leave and find another job,” Piñol said on his Facebook page. “I will place a big garbage can in front of my office on July 1.

You can throw in your resignation letters in that trash can and leave.”

Piñol said he was irked by a statement of NIA public affairs manager Pilipina P. Bermudez that free irrigation for farmers

would adversely affect the operations of the agency.

“Free irrigation for the Filipino farmers is a presidential commitment and it is non-negotiable.

To hear a statement from the NIA questioning that commitment is not only irritating but also a manifestation of the malady afflicting people in government—that is the failure to think outside the box to help people,” Piñol said.

“There are people in government who think that they are bigger and higher than the people they are supposed to serve,” Piñol said.

Piñol said he also received a complaint from Regional Director Jun Alviar after the NIA in Region 2 declined to release irrigation water despite repeated requests from the farmers. PNA

MARKETS AND SECURITIES REGULATION DEPARTMENT IN THE MATTER OF THE RIZAL COMMERCIAL BANKING CORPORATION

MSRD Order No. 21 Series of 2016

x------------------------------------------x ORDER WHEREAS, on June 3, 2016, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (“RCBC”) submitted its Definitive Information Statement (“DIS”) and Management Report relative to the scheduled stockholders’ meeting on June 27, 2016.

WHEREAS, the company distributed its DIS on June 6, 2016, however, on June 14, 2016, Mr. Gabriel S. Claudio withdrew from his nomination as independent director citing conflict of interest/DOSRI as a reason due to his other directorship. In his stead, Atty. Adelita Vergel De Dios has been nominated as an independent director thereby necessitating the amendment of RCBC’s DIS. WHEREAS, on June 17, 2016, RCBC filed before the Commission a request to approve the change in the nominees for independent directors in the DIS. WHEREFORE, the company’s request to approve the change in the nominees for independent directors is hereby GRANTED subject to its full compliance of SRC Rule 20.3.3.4.

SO ORDERED EDSA, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines.

June 17, 2016 (sgd.)

VICENTE GRACIANO P. FELIZMENIO, JR. Director

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opinion OPINION

ADELLE chuA CHUA EDITOR

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opinion OPINION

baCK HATE CRIMES CHannEl CAN MAKE IT alEjanDRO ROsaRIO HARDERDElTO HATE

Xi to DU30: Let’s taLk

By Leonid Bershidsky

[ EDI TORI A L ]

Duterte’s DIRE buDget policy CONSEQUENCES

The economic teamofof Rodrigo Duterte is increasIN THE remaining days hisPresident-elect administration, President Benigno Aquino III vetoed borrowings to fund infrastructure projects lowering taxes aing bill—the Comprehensive Nursing Law of 2016—that seeksand to increase the salaries of nurses.policy shift to boost the economy further. The plan inentry-level a major fiscal According to the Palace, Mr. Aquinodeficit rejectedto thepump measure because otherwise implies a much-larger budget prime thedoing economy, a would distort the wage system. There will be dire financial consequences for the policy thatand outgoing government for healthPresident institutions.Benigno Aquino III did not pursue in the lastadditional six years.

“The costs that this salary increase would entail may cause unintended Increased borrowings perdownsizing se is not bad, as longpersonnel as the funds are spent repercussions, such as possible of hospital and consequent increase in health care costs.

This may similarly discourage continued private on infrastructure projects and major social services like education. investments in the health care sector. ” Coupled with reduced taxes, notably personal and corporate income The Palace added that the increase in nurses’ pay is already covered by an executive taxes,issued the higher borrowings will for increase thewant purchasing power of they the order this year.

If public nurses, instance, higher salaries, then publichave andtostimulate demand. would work hard and be rewarded under a performance-based compensation The for higher demand, in turn, will prompt the private sector to expand system government employees.

That theremore wouldinbeproduction dire financialtoconsequences to the system reeks toopower much and invest meet the increased purchasing of thinking Mr. Aquino’s decisioninto to veto bill that would have of the thesame people.

Morebehind money will be pumped the aeconomy, resulting increased the monthly pension of Social Security System pensioners by P2,000. in expanded economic activities.

Giving higher monthly pensions to the system’s older members would run the fund Incoming Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno is aiming for a larger aground, the Palace said. budget gap Aquino’s equivalent to three percent domestic What Mr. apologists neglected to of saythe wasgross that the future ofproduct. the fund would also depend how soundly its managers invested moneyrate and regime on how he defended the on higher borrowings amid the low the interest modestly they rewarded themselves for their work.

It was painful to see the salaries and questioned why the past administration did not pursue the tack. of its executives especially when compared to the measly amount that longtime The Duterte administration hasoldlined members and contributors get in their age. up its immediate priorities that include the faster construction of infrastructure projects, Metro The Alliance of Young Nurse Leaders and Advocates said that thesolving non passage of Manila’s problems and investing in wouldn’t agriculture. the law wastraffic a real letdown to the sector.

And why it be?

Once upon government, a time, nursing however, was hailed as the superstar of allthat career Parents The new must make sure thetracks. borrowing of students were eager to enroll their children in nursing schools because of the policy will not backfire on it. higher borrowings and increased spendhigh demand for nurses in many countries abroad. True enough, countless families ing couldfrom be inflationary and could easily erode the increased benefited sending their nurse daughters or sons to serve in foreign purchaslands. The ing power from loweroftaxes, the Duterte government fails to build country did, too, in terms foreignifexchange remittances. more infrastructure and other projects that it are seeks to fund.

But glut eventually settled and now more nurses finding it difficult to find gainful employment, either here or abroad.

Those who serve here their economic growth, meanwhile, will be in jeopardy if thefind newthat budget expenses going to and from the hospitals they serve are greater than the money they tack pushes inflation higher than the programmed level. The incoming actually earn. They perform their duties anyway. administration keep a fiscal discipline in spite ofathe looser Nurses serve as must the facestill of the country’s health-care system.

Before patient can policy.

Against the backdrop of a sluggish global economy, the incomsee a specialist, he or she most likely first encounters a nurse. Giving nurses the small ing administration, at the endwould of thenot day, should weigh increased budrelief of a higher entry-level salary create distortion.

It would convey the message that society acknowledges, and rewards in some form, the good that they do. get spending against its ability to generate revenues.

A-LISTERSNot FLOCK TO PUTIN’S PRIVATE DAVOS special

By Leonid Bershidsky

lOwDOwn TWO years jOjO ago, a.

President Vladimir PutinROblEs decided to wait out Western attempts to isolate Russia economically and politically. This year’s St. UNSUrprISINgly, the memPetersburg Economic Forum—an bers of the national media are annual event informally known once again Davos—showed in the news these as Russia’s that his patience is gradually paying days.

Now that president-elect off, but business usual still isn’t rodrigo Duterteashas trained his within reach. always-quotable mouth on the Theeveryone lineup atseems the forum wasa press, to have much more impressive than in bad more) in their 2014,experience when (or Western leaders encounters with the so-called and top chief executives stayed Fourth Estate Russia that they away because wassimply toxic must in theventilate. aftermath of the Crimea annexation, or be lasta good year, thing. soon This can only

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after the Minsk peace accord The media the should be able to take suspended fighting in eastern as good as it can give—and we Ukraine. This year, the US ifState must survive as a democracy, we Department again warned American companies should welcome scrutiny against of all attending the gathering our institutions and the because people of “clear risks, both economic who belong to them. andWhen reputational, with Duterte,associated for instance, top-level engagement with a railed against theflouting Catholic government that is the Church, he was even more basemost fundamental principles lessly accusatory and of international rule unrepenof law tantly angry. Themilitarily media, some by intervening in a neighboring ” YetDuterte Exxon of whose country. members Mobil “sons ChiefofExecutive Officer called bitches,” actually Rex Tillerson showed up. had it easy.

So did foreign leaders: United I actually would have let Nations Secretary-General Ban Duterte’s on the press Ki-moon,comments European Commission pass unnoted, if a friend had not President Jean-Claude Juncker, asked old question Prime an Minister Matteoabout Renzithe of

relationship of the media with the rest of the citizenry. Does the media, he asked, deserve special treatment, as if its members beheartening longed to It’s a more privileged class that top Western of citizen? executives and politicians are not giving The underlying issue is the up on Russia, but it’s also clear that Putin hoary one about entitlement. And views their to attend his forum like it or not, manywillingness people seem to think that journalists are actuas a sign of weakness. ally whiny, pampered people who think they’re better than almost everybody else simply because they have press cards.

Italy, former not President Of course, a lot of Nicolas people didn’t deter these foireign Sarkozy of France. The presence dignataries from attending and who thisofview wouldCrimea argue giving Putin’s ego a boost. of thehold leaders occupied that we don’t need the press.

But Reality, of course, is more and Putin’s wealthy friends, who it’s also true that if the press had are under international sanctions, complicated. Juncker made it

I apologize to the rest of the citizenry for the abuses some of our colleagues commit.

a little more humility and injected itself with a big dose of accuracy and fairness, maybe they clear thatbeRussia would remain wouldn’t perceived as entitled subject to sanctions until the SOBs, not just by people in govMinsk deal is fully implemented ernment like Duterte. and that the Crimea annexation Facebook,Renzi this took is what wasOn illegitimate. careI posted in reply to my friend’s to confirm this in his speech, question: too.

On Friday, the European No, we should notthe be treated difUnion reinforced message by extending ferently.

We are not Crimea-related a “special class.” sanctions yearI From myforownanother experience, (harsher eastern Ukraine-related think most of the problems enones probably will be extended countered by media workers start for a shorter period). when they buyPutin into the myth that Although said Friday they are different from ordinary that 40 countries had expressed acitizens. desire to form free-trade zones withThe the Eurasian Union, journalthe bloc most effective isists, notina success—at least for my view, are those now. who Last year, its firstspeak in the let their work forcurrent them, form, trade volumes within it without asking that they be treatdeclined. Kazakhstan’s trade with

Russia, for example, dropped more than aedquarter. differently while they go about their The resolve to maintain the Ukraine(mostly lowly-paid) work. related financial sanctions may be The media exist on the sufferance of weakening in Europe—that’s why figures the citizenry, after all.Renzi And woe such as Juncker and are betide willingthe to journalist whoon thinks that heturf, is no longer talk to Putin his home but that doesn’t mean ready to better work with part of—in thethey’re sense of being than him his terms.

—theonpublic that he serves.

Putin, meanwhile, makes no secret As a member of the community of of wanting just that. “We don’t hold a working (and definitely working-class) grudge,” he told Europeans, reiterating apologize the rest of thea ajournalists, phrase heI used at theto same forum citizenry the abuses of our colyear ago: for “Russia did notsome initiate today’s leagues commit. are just trydiscord, problemsMost and oftheusintroduction of ingsanctions. to make ”an honest living by doing an

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Putin did his best to sound confident about state of the honestthe day’s work, evenRussian on dayseconomy: when the Growth will pick up, Russia has kept its rest of you don’t work. inflation is lower international reserves, please thatArmed many andAlso, capital flightunderstand has dwindled. of those whoeconomic abuse theproposals privilegesfrom that with recent working the media bringsof are not his liberalinadvisers, he talked cutting Russia’s non-oil members budget deficit 50 even legitimate of the by press. percent I kid youwithin not. five years, creating more jobsThat in said, smallI ask, andinmedium businesses all humility: Forgive and making law enforcement agencies us our press passes. weaken their grip on private business. *** These ideas and promises, however, have Speaking of mytimes work, my first asbeen voiced many before, without signment as aeffect reporter was in abysmal Quezon much of an on Russia’s business climate.

City. One day on the beat, I was told

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It’s heartening that top Western executives and politicians arebeing not giving that an interesting case was heard up on Russia, but it’s also clear that in the sala a regional trial court judge Putin viewsof their willingness to attend named Miriam Defensor Santiago. his forum as a sign of weakness.

It’s So notI looked for the hervisitors court and observed the clear what gained by visiting proceedings.

St. Petersburg; they may have merely contributed to Putin’s already bloated After the case was heard, I approached sense of hisofown importance. the clerk court and askedThe if Russian I could regime notjudge thawing, there’s The no interviewis the in herand chambers. retreat from its geopolitical assertiveness clerk asked me to write down my name and or its dogged economic statism. If that of my media outfit on a piece oftopaper, the Western visitors expected see which she would hand judge. they something different in to St.the Petersburg, After a few the clerk returned were naive.

If minutes, they didn’t, they were no more than glorified tourists.

Bloomberg Continued on A11

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THE shocking murder of British parliament member Jo Cox and the Orlando shootings were both hate crimes that defy political labels, whatever the professed motives of the killers. Nobody can predict what will set off a deranged killer and it would be deplorable to tar legitimate political campaigns because ChINESE president Xi Jinping, aside from a killer identified with one cause or another. congratulating president-elect rodrigo But it’s impossible to deny that these Duterte victory, slipped inthe a “let’s killings haveonthehispower to affect both vote message.

It’s not whether or on talk” Britain’s proposed exitknown from the EU and thenot USXi’s presidential election. is not conciliatory tone isViolence related to the justruling morally repugnant, it is uncomfortable. to be issued in three months by the In most societies, people to safety and permanent Court of default Arbitration in The order. hague on the South China Sea territorial On May 6, 2002, Volkert van der Graaf, an dispute.

If Beijing an adverse animal rights activist,ignores shot Pim Fortuyn,decithe sion, it would become an international outleader of a Dutch populist, anti-immigrant law.competing China andin thethat philippines are signatoparty year’s parliamentary ries toscheduled the United on election, forNations May 15.Convention The campaigns fellthe silent Netherlands had a lawinofshock: the SeaThe which has jurisdiction tradition consensual politics, and violence to settleofall maritime boundary disputes. wasn’tXi’s part of the political culture.

Yetserithe softer tone should not be taken election was not canceled (as the Brexit vote ously. It is, as usual, a case of doublespeak shouldn’t be, either: rearguing the issue at andlater deception of which the Chinese are some date wouldn’t do anyone any good). masters. his call for talks with the philipWho stood to benefit from Fortuyn’s pinesHis is difficult to might reconcile with China’s killing? party, one think, and that’s certainly pundits renewedwhat claimDutch that the Spratlyspredicted. and the Butparacels it’s notbelong what tohappened; the List parts Pim China historically.

Fortuyn collected 26 parliamentary seats, of the Spratlys are under the 200-mile exthree fewer than polls predicted at its peak clusive economic zone of the philippines in March 2002. The party did about as well under UNClOS. by after Fortuyn’s deathThe as paracels it would grabbed have done China is also within Vietnam’s 200-mile had he not been killed. Only one party did exclusive economic zone significantly better than theunder polls UNClOS’ suggested —the centristof Christian Democratic Party, definition maritime borders. a symbol oflumpur, stability, on which emerged with Kuala the other hand, pro-a bigger plurality than anyone expected. tested a recent incident off Sarawak when was right thattried bothtoofram thea campaigns aIt Chinese vessel Malaysian in Britain’s EU referendum immediately patrol boat.

This happened even askilling.

China suspended activities following the Cox offers an olive branch to the other claimNobody should seek to benefit politically from ants to parts crime. of the South China such a horrific But that will Sea. not Mastop laysia has vowed a tougher response if the people from drawing their own conclusions.

Indeed, the and the betting incident is market repeatedreaction in Malaysian waters. odds suggest that there is an expectation Filipino fishermen have also been victims thatofaChinese British split fromdiplomacy Europe has become gunboat when they less likely since Cox died. The pound and are shooed away with water cannons when European equities are up. According to data fishing by near Scarborough off the compiled Bloomberg, the Shoal probability of coast of Zambales where they have long Brexit implied by bookmakers’ odds, which making hadbeen risen abovetheir 44 livelihood. percent on Thursday following the release of conducts some polls favoring The United States regular sea “leave, ” now stands at 36 percent. patrol and air surveillance flights near the This could be because it’s more to man-made islands where Chinadifficult has built imagine voting for the camp to which Cox’s military installations. The US presence is murderer may have belonged (a witness to the pressure China.

The the US saysadding he shouted “Britain on first!” though has made clear it would not allow the Chipolice have refrained from speculating about nese toand impede thethe freedom navigation motive) against one inofwhich Cox firmly stood. Morewaters. likely, however, it’s just in international An estimated $5 thattrillion the status quo option is the in commercial cargo passinstinctive annually choice whenvital there’s threat stability. through sea alanes into thesocial South China In Sea. theseBeijing, circumstances, people tend veer however, is strident intosaying away from populist messages, as they did in moremurder. than safeguarding the freedom thethat Fortuyn of navigation, US pivot Asia isTrump aimed That also helpsthe explain whytoDonald to counterbalance a rising China. faces strong headwinds after the Orlando Xi’s It message throughtold-youthe Chishooting. may bereleased his triumphant, so nese reaction thatministry left Americans unimpressed. foreign mentioned the need I think it more however, that relations his calls to put back likely, on track the good forbetween toughness, his hints at a conspiracy theory China and the philippines.Who involving President Barack Obama and his started to strain relations, anyway? China insistence on an immigration ban for Muslims encroached the Most WestAmericans philippinedon’t Sea were the jarringon notes. and claimed that Manila escalated tension want crackdowns and witch hunts. They want Continued Continuedon onA11 A6 Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

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

uN nE E1 3 9, , 22 00 11 66 SFURNI D D AY: AY, Jj U

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opinion OPINION

ADELLE chuA CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

opinion OPINION

baCK HATE CRIMES CHannEl CAN MAKE IT alEjanDRO ROsaRIO HARDERDElTO HATE

Xi to DU30: Let’s taLk

By Leonid Bershidsky

[ EDI TORI A L ]

Duterte’s DIRE buDget policy CONSEQUENCES

The economic teamofof Rodrigo Duterte is increasIN THE remaining days hisPresident-elect administration, President Benigno Aquino III vetoed borrowings to fund infrastructure projects lowering taxes aing bill—the Comprehensive Nursing Law of 2016—that seeksand to increase the salaries of nurses.policy shift to boost the economy further. The plan inentry-level a major fiscal According to the Palace, Mr. Aquinodeficit rejectedto thepump measure because otherwise implies a much-larger budget prime thedoing economy, a would distort the wage system. There will be dire financial consequences for the policy thatand outgoing government for healthPresident institutions.Benigno Aquino III did not pursue in the lastadditional six years.

“The costs that this salary increase would entail may cause unintended Increased borrowings perdownsizing se is not bad, as longpersonnel as the funds are spent repercussions, such as possible of hospital and consequent increase in health care costs.

This may similarly discourage continued private on infrastructure projects and major social services like education. investments in the health care sector. ” Coupled with reduced taxes, notably personal and corporate income The Palace added that the increase in nurses’ pay is already covered by an executive taxes,issued the higher borrowings will for increase thewant purchasing power of they the order this year.

If public nurses, instance, higher salaries, then publichave andtostimulate demand. would work hard and be rewarded under a performance-based compensation The for higher demand, in turn, will prompt the private sector to expand system government employees.

That theremore wouldinbeproduction dire financialtoconsequences to the system reeks toopower much and invest meet the increased purchasing of thinking Mr. Aquino’s decisioninto to veto bill that would have of the thesame people.

Morebehind money will be pumped the aeconomy, resulting increased the monthly pension of Social Security System pensioners by P2,000. in expanded economic activities.

Giving higher monthly pensions to the system’s older members would run the fund Incoming Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno is aiming for a larger aground, the Palace said. budget gap Aquino’s equivalent to three percent domestic What Mr. apologists neglected to of saythe wasgross that the future ofproduct. the fund would also depend how soundly its managers invested moneyrate and regime on how he defended the on higher borrowings amid the low the interest modestly they rewarded themselves for their work.

It was painful to see the salaries and questioned why the past administration did not pursue the tack. of its executives especially when compared to the measly amount that longtime The Duterte administration hasoldlined members and contributors get in their age. up its immediate priorities that include the faster construction of infrastructure projects, Metro The Alliance of Young Nurse Leaders and Advocates said that thesolving non passage of Manila’s problems and investing in wouldn’t agriculture. the law wastraffic a real letdown to the sector.

And why it be?

Once upon government, a time, nursing however, was hailed as the superstar of allthat career Parents The new must make sure thetracks. borrowing of students were eager to enroll their children in nursing schools because of the policy will not backfire on it. higher borrowings and increased spendhigh demand for nurses in many countries abroad. True enough, countless families ing couldfrom be inflationary and could easily erode the increased benefited sending their nurse daughters or sons to serve in foreign purchaslands. The ing power from loweroftaxes, the Duterte government fails to build country did, too, in terms foreignifexchange remittances. more infrastructure and other projects that it are seeks to fund.

But glut eventually settled and now more nurses finding it difficult to find gainful employment, either here or abroad.

Those who serve here their economic growth, meanwhile, will be in jeopardy if thefind newthat budget expenses going to and from the hospitals they serve are greater than the money they tack pushes inflation higher than the programmed level. The incoming actually earn. They perform their duties anyway. administration keep a fiscal discipline in spite ofathe looser Nurses serve as must the facestill of the country’s health-care system.

Before patient can policy.

Against the backdrop of a sluggish global economy, the incomsee a specialist, he or she most likely first encounters a nurse. Giving nurses the small ing administration, at the endwould of thenot day, should weigh increased budrelief of a higher entry-level salary create distortion.

It would convey the message that society acknowledges, and rewards in some form, the good that they do. get spending against its ability to generate revenues.

A-LISTERSNot FLOCK TO PUTIN’S PRIVATE DAVOS special

By Leonid Bershidsky

lOwDOwn TWO years jOjO ago, a.

President Vladimir PutinROblEs decided to wait out Western attempts to isolate Russia economically and politically. This year’s St. UNSUrprISINgly, the memPetersburg Economic Forum—an bers of the national media are annual event informally known once again Davos—showed in the news these as Russia’s that his patience is gradually paying days.

Now that president-elect off, but business usual still isn’t rodrigo Duterteashas trained his within reach. always-quotable mouth on the Theeveryone lineup atseems the forum wasa press, to have much more impressive than in bad more) in their 2014,experience when (or Western leaders encounters with the so-called and top chief executives stayed Fourth Estate Russia that they away because wassimply toxic must in theventilate. aftermath of the Crimea annexation, or be lasta good year, thing. soon This can only

A9 A5

after the Minsk peace accord The media the should be able to take suspended fighting in eastern as good as it can give—and we Ukraine. This year, the US ifState must survive as a democracy, we Department again warned American companies should welcome scrutiny against of all attending the gathering our institutions and the because people of “clear risks, both economic who belong to them. andWhen reputational, with Duterte,associated for instance, top-level engagement with a railed against theflouting Catholic government that is the Church, he was even more basemost fundamental principles lessly accusatory and of international rule unrepenof law tantly angry. Themilitarily media, some by intervening in a neighboring ” YetDuterte Exxon of whose country. members Mobil “sons ChiefofExecutive Officer called bitches,” actually Rex Tillerson showed up. had it easy.

So did foreign leaders: United I actually would have let Nations Secretary-General Ban Duterte’s on the press Ki-moon,comments European Commission pass unnoted, if a friend had not President Jean-Claude Juncker, asked old question Prime an Minister Matteoabout Renzithe of

relationship of the media with the rest of the citizenry. Does the media, he asked, deserve special treatment, as if its members beheartening longed to It’s a more privileged class that top Western of citizen? executives and politicians are not giving The underlying issue is the up on Russia, but it’s also clear that Putin hoary one about entitlement. And views their to attend his forum like it or not, manywillingness people seem to think that journalists are actuas a sign of weakness. ally whiny, pampered people who think they’re better than almost everybody else simply because they have press cards.

Italy, former not President Of course, a lot of Nicolas people didn’t deter these foireign Sarkozy of France. The presence dignataries from attending and who thisofview wouldCrimea argue giving Putin’s ego a boost. of thehold leaders occupied that we don’t need the press.

But Reality, of course, is more and Putin’s wealthy friends, who it’s also true that if the press had are under international sanctions, complicated. Juncker made it

I apologize to the rest of the citizenry for the abuses some of our colleagues commit.

a little more humility and injected itself with a big dose of accuracy and fairness, maybe they clear thatbeRussia would remain wouldn’t perceived as entitled subject to sanctions until the SOBs, not just by people in govMinsk deal is fully implemented ernment like Duterte. and that the Crimea annexation Facebook,Renzi this took is what wasOn illegitimate. careI posted in reply to my friend’s to confirm this in his speech, question: too.

On Friday, the European No, we should notthe be treated difUnion reinforced message by extending ferently.

We are not Crimea-related a “special class.” sanctions yearI From myforownanother experience, (harsher eastern Ukraine-related think most of the problems enones probably will be extended countered by media workers start for a shorter period). when they buyPutin into the myth that Although said Friday they are different from ordinary that 40 countries had expressed acitizens. desire to form free-trade zones withThe the Eurasian Union, journalthe bloc most effective isists, notina success—at least for my view, are those now. who Last year, its firstspeak in the let their work forcurrent them, form, trade volumes within it without asking that they be treatdeclined. Kazakhstan’s trade with

Russia, for example, dropped more than aedquarter. differently while they go about their The resolve to maintain the Ukraine(mostly lowly-paid) work. related financial sanctions may be The media exist on the sufferance of weakening in Europe—that’s why figures the citizenry, after all.Renzi And woe such as Juncker and are betide willingthe to journalist whoon thinks that heturf, is no longer talk to Putin his home but that doesn’t mean ready to better work with part of—in thethey’re sense of being than him his terms.

—theonpublic that he serves.

Putin, meanwhile, makes no secret As a member of the community of of wanting just that. “We don’t hold a working (and definitely working-class) grudge,” he told Europeans, reiterating apologize the rest of thea ajournalists, phrase heI used at theto same forum citizenry the abuses of our colyear ago: for “Russia did notsome initiate today’s leagues commit. are just trydiscord, problemsMost and oftheusintroduction of ingsanctions. to make ”an honest living by doing an

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Putin did his best to sound confident about state of the honestthe day’s work, evenRussian on dayseconomy: when the Growth will pick up, Russia has kept its rest of you don’t work. inflation is lower international reserves, please thatArmed many andAlso, capital flightunderstand has dwindled. of those whoeconomic abuse theproposals privilegesfrom that with recent working the media bringsof are not his liberalinadvisers, he talked cutting Russia’s non-oil members budget deficit 50 even legitimate of the by press. percent I kid youwithin not. five years, creating more jobsThat in said, smallI ask, andinmedium businesses all humility: Forgive and making law enforcement agencies us our press passes. weaken their grip on private business. *** These ideas and promises, however, have Speaking of mytimes work, my first asbeen voiced many before, without signment as aeffect reporter was in abysmal Quezon much of an on Russia’s business climate.

City. One day on the beat, I was told

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It’s heartening that top Western executives and politicians arebeing not giving that an interesting case was heard up on Russia, but it’s also clear that in the sala a regional trial court judge Putin viewsof their willingness to attend named Miriam Defensor Santiago. his forum as a sign of weakness.

It’s So notI looked for the hervisitors court and observed the clear what gained by visiting proceedings.

St. Petersburg; they may have merely contributed to Putin’s already bloated After the case was heard, I approached sense of hisofown importance. the clerk court and askedThe if Russian I could regime notjudge thawing, there’s The no interviewis the in herand chambers. retreat from its geopolitical assertiveness clerk asked me to write down my name and or its dogged economic statism. If that of my media outfit on a piece oftopaper, the Western visitors expected see which she would hand judge. they something different in to St.the Petersburg, After a few the clerk returned were naive.

If minutes, they didn’t, they were no more than glorified tourists.

Bloomberg Continued on A11

MST Management, Inc. Philip G. Romualdez Arnold C. Liong Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Ron Ryan S. Buguis

Chairman President & Chief Executive Officer Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Finance Officer

Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Maan Ilustre Advertising and Marketing Head Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager

THE shocking murder of British parliament member Jo Cox and the Orlando shootings were both hate crimes that defy political labels, whatever the professed motives of the killers. Nobody can predict what will set off a deranged killer and it would be deplorable to tar legitimate political campaigns because ChINESE president Xi Jinping, aside from a killer identified with one cause or another. congratulating president-elect rodrigo But it’s impossible to deny that these Duterte victory, slipped inthe a “let’s killings haveonthehispower to affect both vote message.

It’s not whether or on talk” Britain’s proposed exitknown from the EU and thenot USXi’s presidential election. is not conciliatory tone isViolence related to the justruling morally repugnant, it is uncomfortable. to be issued in three months by the In most societies, people to safety and permanent Court of default Arbitration in The order. hague on the South China Sea territorial On May 6, 2002, Volkert van der Graaf, an dispute.

If Beijing an adverse animal rights activist,ignores shot Pim Fortuyn,decithe sion, it would become an international outleader of a Dutch populist, anti-immigrant law.competing China andin thethat philippines are signatoparty year’s parliamentary ries toscheduled the United on election, forNations May 15.Convention The campaigns fellthe silent Netherlands had a lawinofshock: the SeaThe which has jurisdiction tradition consensual politics, and violence to settleofall maritime boundary disputes. wasn’tXi’s part of the political culture.

Yetserithe softer tone should not be taken election was not canceled (as the Brexit vote ously. It is, as usual, a case of doublespeak shouldn’t be, either: rearguing the issue at andlater deception of which the Chinese are some date wouldn’t do anyone any good). masters. his call for talks with the philipWho stood to benefit from Fortuyn’s pinesHis is difficult to might reconcile with China’s killing? party, one think, and that’s certainly pundits renewedwhat claimDutch that the Spratlyspredicted. and the Butparacels it’s notbelong what tohappened; the List parts Pim China historically.

Fortuyn collected 26 parliamentary seats, of the Spratlys are under the 200-mile exthree fewer than polls predicted at its peak clusive economic zone of the philippines in March 2002. The party did about as well under UNClOS. by after Fortuyn’s deathThe as paracels it would grabbed have done China is also within Vietnam’s 200-mile had he not been killed. Only one party did exclusive economic zone significantly better than theunder polls UNClOS’ suggested —the centristof Christian Democratic Party, definition maritime borders. a symbol oflumpur, stability, on which emerged with Kuala the other hand, pro-a bigger plurality than anyone expected. tested a recent incident off Sarawak when was right thattried bothtoofram thea campaigns aIt Chinese vessel Malaysian in Britain’s EU referendum immediately patrol boat.

This happened even askilling.

China suspended activities following the Cox offers an olive branch to the other claimNobody should seek to benefit politically from ants to parts crime. of the South China such a horrific But that will Sea. not Mastop laysia has vowed a tougher response if the people from drawing their own conclusions.

Indeed, the and the betting incident is market repeatedreaction in Malaysian waters. odds suggest that there is an expectation Filipino fishermen have also been victims thatofaChinese British split fromdiplomacy Europe has become gunboat when they less likely since Cox died. The pound and are shooed away with water cannons when European equities are up. According to data fishing by near Scarborough off the compiled Bloomberg, the Shoal probability of coast of Zambales where they have long Brexit implied by bookmakers’ odds, which making hadbeen risen abovetheir 44 livelihood. percent on Thursday following the release of conducts some polls favoring The United States regular sea “leave, ” now stands at 36 percent. patrol and air surveillance flights near the This could be because it’s more to man-made islands where Chinadifficult has built imagine voting for the camp to which Cox’s military installations. The US presence is murderer may have belonged (a witness to the pressure China.

The the US saysadding he shouted “Britain on first!” though has made clear it would not allow the Chipolice have refrained from speculating about nese toand impede thethe freedom navigation motive) against one inofwhich Cox firmly stood. Morewaters. likely, however, it’s just in international An estimated $5 thattrillion the status quo option is the in commercial cargo passinstinctive annually choice whenvital there’s threat stability. through sea alanes into thesocial South China In Sea. theseBeijing, circumstances, people tend veer however, is strident intosaying away from populist messages, as they did in moremurder. than safeguarding the freedom thethat Fortuyn of navigation, US pivot Asia isTrump aimed That also helpsthe explain whytoDonald to counterbalance a rising China. faces strong headwinds after the Orlando Xi’s It message throughtold-youthe Chishooting. may bereleased his triumphant, so nese reaction thatministry left Americans unimpressed. foreign mentioned the need I think it more however, that relations his calls to put back likely, on track the good forbetween toughness, his hints at a conspiracy theory China and the philippines.Who involving President Barack Obama and his started to strain relations, anyway? China insistence on an immigration ban for Muslims encroached the Most WestAmericans philippinedon’t Sea were the jarringon notes. and claimed that Manila escalated tension want crackdowns and witch hunts. They want Continued Continuedon onA11 A6 Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

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

S U N D AY, J U N E 1 9, 2 0 1 6

A6

OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

THE COLOR OF IRE

By Robert Atanasovski SKOPJE, Macedonia—It’s been some two months since the color protests started here. They began by demonstrations downtown, with protesters whistling and chanting anti-government slogans. At some point, the protesters started to throw eggs and paint-filled balloons at government buildings. And that’s how our “Colorful Revolution” was born.

In the beginning, the protesters’ aim was less than ideal and the paint they threw regularly ended up on my clothes and photo equipment. I washed both about a dozen times before giving up. If you want to get a good photo, you have to be ready for anything, including resembling a moving modern art painting. I have many such wearable works of art now.

The demonstrators launch their attacks on public buildings with several weapons—balloons, waterguns and slingshots being the most popular. Their favorite targets are monuments that have been erected during the 10-year rule of prime minister Nikola Gruevski, who stepped down in January to make way for controversial elections, and whose costly neo-classical makeover of the city has not been appreciated by all. The Victory Arch and the statue of Alexander the Great have taken the brunt of the ire.

The seeds of the protests were sown in February last year, when an opposition leader began releasing recordings that appeared to reveal high-level corruption

A protester in front of the tax authorities building in Skopje.

AFP

and official wiretapping of thousands of Macedonians, including politicians, journalists and businesspeople.

Government denials sparked mass protests on both sides and the EU stepped in to broker a deal. Then President Gjorge Ivanov poured fuel on the fire in April, when he issued a mass pardon to those implicated in the wiretapping scandal, including his ally, the longserving premier Gruevski. That sparked more protests that eventually transformed into the “Colourful Revolution,” with the demonstrators demanding that Ivanov step down and repeal the pardon.

The protesters have been

mostly peaceful. They gather in late afternoons, at a place announced in a Facebook post, which also lists the target for the day. At dusk, they return home.

With time, their aim has become quite good. Every paint balloon or slingshot projectile that reaches its target sets off an ecstatic burst of applause and cheers. Sometimes covering the demonstrations I get the feeling that I’ve stepped into an Angry Birds video game.

A group that has baptized itself “the commandos” has become specialized in striking with water guns filled with paint, with which they have targeted all sorts of walls of the capital.

There is also a group that blocks

Skopje’s main thoroughfares for a half hour midday, creating monstrous traffic jams.

But there are no demonstrations during the weekend. Everybody takes a rest.

The protests have failed to dent the support of the ruling party, which according to surveys still enjoys 30 percent support among the population, compared with 11 percent for the main opposition party.

After two months, the protests seem to be at a standstill. They never attract more than a few thousand people and some believe that the start of the school and university vacation season, at the end of June, could see the end of our color revolt. AFP

HATE... From A5 reassurance that politicians and law enforcement are calmly doing their job. Even if Trump, who has advocated banning Muslims, got a boost from Republican primary voters after the San Bernardino shootings, Americans in general are more responsive to the message of healing and unity that Hillary Clinton tried to send out, than to divisive calls that only increase the sense of instability.

The average person’s brand of patriotism is tied to the notion that one’s country has one’s back. Even France’s least popular president in history, Francois Hollande, saw his ratings increase after the terror attacks last year. It’s not that voters suddenly like him better. They flock to what he stands for —the notion of a state that does its best to protect its citizens and unite them.

Trump still has some time until the presidential election, and the boost Clinton seemed to get from her “establishment” response to Orlando may fade. The Brexit vote, however, is coming in less than a week, and the desire for more stability and social cohesion after a shocking hate crime will still be fresh.

This is not about left or right —politically motivated violence can come from both sides. The lure of the political center is strongest when that violence is let loose and thrust in people’s faces. At heart, even those who feel the appeal of populist messages do not want ruptures in society’s fabric.

The rise of populists on both sides of the Atlantic this year may make it look as though that basic preference for stability is changing.

Don’t bet on it. The desire for social order is a powerful reflex that hate crimes only reinforce.

Bloomberg

THE DANGER OF KILLING ISLAMIC STATE’S CALIPH

By Tobin Harshaw WE’VE seen this movie before, but still don’t know how it ends: According to unconfirmed reports, the so-called caliph of Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed by a US airstrike in Raqqa, Syria.

Similar rumors cropped up at least twice before, in January and October of last year, and both times the news of his death was greatly exaggerated.

As for the latest report, US Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL Brett McGurk said, “We have no reason to believe that Baghdadi’s not still alive, but we have not heard from him since the end of last year.”

Baghdadi’s silence or even death might seem like excellent news for the fight against the jihadists. An accomplished scholar of the Koran, he was named the “commander of believers” globally by Islamic State in 2014, a title not held since the fall of the Ottoman sultan.

But some military strategists and scholars of Islam make a strong argument that the US-led

coalition would be better off if Baghdadi remains alive and in charge.

Consider a 2014 study by Jenna Jordan of the Georgia Institute of Technology on so-called decapitation strikes against major terrorist groups.

On the death of al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, she writes, “decapitation is unlikely to diminish the ability” of al-Qaeda, “rather, it may have counterproductive consequences, emboldening or strengthening the organization.”

She bases her claim on the theory of “organizational resilience,” which may be more familiar to business school graduates than to counterterrorism operatives.

Jordan doesn’t buy the argument that a cohesive group sharing an intense belief in a goal depends on the “charismatic leadership” (to use Max Weber’s phrase) of a single person like bin Laden or Baghdadi. Instead, she sees many clandestine groups as being bureaucracies often impervious to changes at the top. Such organizations “are diversified, have a clear division of administrative responsibilities

and functions, follow rules and procedures, and are thus more likely to withstand the sudden removal of a leader or leaders.”

All of those characteristics apply far more accurately to Islamic State than to the relatively decentralized al-Qaeda.

So if eliminating Baghdadi wouldn’t be a death blow to Islamic State, at least it would count as a victory in the ongoing war, right? Again, there is debate here. At the website War on the Rocks, Haroro Ingram of Australian National University and Craig Whiteside, a combat veteran teaching at the US Naval War College Monterey, argue that “charismatic leadership is an inherently volatile and ephemeral form of leadership.”

The caliph, they worry, could be replaced by a figure with far stronger military and organizational skills.

The authors highlight the history of Islamic State’s dark days after the 2006 death of its ruthless founder, Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the prototypical charismatic leader. While Zarqawi’s guerilla war on US troops made what was then called al-Qaeda in Iraq the

most feared faction in the Iraqi insurgency, his eagerness to kill fellow Muslims raised the ire of not just the nation’s Shiite majority but also fellow Sunni radicals, including the al-Qaeda leadership. He was succeeded by Abu Omar alBaghdadi (no relation to the current caliph) who lacked Zarqawi’s battlefield bravado but was a skilled manager who took the long view. He mended fences with other jihadist groups and retooled the group to take advantage of the eventual withdrawal of US forces.

Thus not only is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi replaceable, his successor could pose an even bigger threat, especially if he chose not to declare himself caliph of the Muslim world.

That would open the possibility of Islamic State mending fences with other Sunni terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda and its Syrian affiliate the Al Nusra Front, which is emerging as the most potent military force in that nation’s civil war.

So what’s the alternative to decapitation? The best way to cripple a terrorist

group may be to take out its “middle managers.” In an article for the journal Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Peter Neumann, Ryan Evans (who founded War on the Rocks) and Raffaello Pantucci argue that the figures found on the org chart between the leadership elites and the field troops are the “connective tissue” that holds the organization together. Indeed, the French scholar Mathieu Guidere says that the US-led coalition has made a priority of killing “technical cadres and the mid-level commanders who, though they don’t take the decisions, execute them…

Without them, nothing could be done on the ground.”

With Islamic State forces on the rocks in both Fallujah, Iraq, and their capital of Raqqa, Baghdadi’s grand strategy appears increasingly flawed. Instead of targeting him and rolling the dice on his replacement, the US should perhaps allow him to become, as Ingram and Whiteside put it, a “caliph without a caliphate.”

Bloomberg

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warring families reconcile COTABATO CITY—A long-standing family feud that has been causing misery among Maguindanao residents has been settled, officials said on Saturday.

Through the Maguindanao Task Force for Reconciliation and Unification, two Moro families agreed to bury the hatchet and live harmoniously in the town of Sultan sa Barongis.

Engineer Abdulrakman Asim, task force technical working group member, said the elders of the families Felmin and Emran signed a peace covenant where they agreed not to use violence in settling dispute.

Both families have relatives and family members who belonged to the 105th base command of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The conflict between the two families started when two of the members of Felmin family were killed by members of Emran family. The Felmin family tried to retaliate triggering massive evacuation among residents in remote Sultan sa Barongis village.

Asim said the Emran family agreed to pay blood money to Felmin clan upon intervention by the task force.

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Toto Mangudadatu helped in providing the blood money so the family will cease from using violence that has also affected non-family member and residents of the village.

The blood money costs P600,000.

To date, the clan wars, locally known as “rido,” that the task force has resolved reached 50.

Asim said the reconciliation of warring families through peaceful settlement agreeable to all parties was among the top eight-point agenda of the provincial government. PNA

four people arrested for drugs at wtc party

By Joel E. Zurbano

Lawmen arrested four individuals caught in possession of ecstasy and drug paraphernalia during a party event at the world Trade Center in Pasay City Saturday morning.

FATHER’S DAY SCENE. with tender, loving care, a father teaches his son how to ride his bike within the university of the philippines campus in Diliman, Quezon city. MANNY PALMERO

First to be arrested was Marc Dexter Chua, 28, of 23-N Arfel Danville Subdivision, Barangay Culiat, Quezon City. He was attending the Innovation White Party at the World Trade Center along Gil Puyat Avenue around 12 a.m. when the authorities found one tablet of ecstasy in his possession.

Minutes later, two other partygoers— Leah Reyes, 31, of 2 Apple Street, Dividend Homes, Taytay, Rizal, and Shelumiel Calica, 18, student and resident of 228 Savio Street, Mayapa, Calamba City—were also placed under police custody.

Reyes was arrested for possession of a tablet of ecstasy while an improvised pipe with traces of marijuana leaves was recovered from Calica.

Around 3:30 a.m., 28-year- old Nicolo Franco was arrested at the event’s entrance gate while in possession of a green capsule and a plastic box containing 11 tablets, also believed to be prohibited party drugs.

The four individuals are now detained at the Southern Police District-Anti-Illegal Drugs Division Office in Taguig City and will be charged with violation of the Republic Act 9165, known as the Dangerous Drugs Act. SPD spokesperson Jenny Tecson said the arrest is in line with the National Capital Region Police Office’s aggressive implementation of its campaign against illegal drugs, criminal elements and crime syndicates.

She said no untoward incident happened during the party, except for the arrest of the four individuals who were in possession of illegal drugs.

“The arrest at the World Trade Center is the result of our comprehensive security plan implemented during special events and occasions,” said Tecson.

Tecson said the event organizers and bouncers fully cooperated with the police operatives in close coordination with personnel from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. She added a team from the SPD’s K-9 unit was also involved in the security.

solon gets tough on male prostitution

By Maricel V. Cruz

gREENiNg LAguSNiLAD. manila’s version of Babylon’s hanging garden gets spruced up on saturday, June 18. DANNY PATA

A LAWMAKER on Saturday urged Congress to enact a law that will penalize male prostitution.

Outgoing Bacolod City Rep. Evelio R. Leonardia said that under the law, prostitutes only refer to “women who for money or profit, habitually indulge in sexual intercourse or lascivious conduct.”

The incoming mayor of the city said the definition unequivocally limits the term prostitute to women without providing a corresponding penalty for men who commit similar violation of the law.

Leonardia, author of House Bill 6500 or the measure seek-

ing to amend Act 3815 to include male prostitutes in penalizing prostitution, stressed it is embodied in the Constitution that the State recognizes the role of women in nation building and shall ensure the fundamental equality before the law of men and women.

“The equal protection of the law and indiscrimination regardless of one’s gender must be upheld as it is a guaranteed right under our Bill of Rights,” he said.

Leonardia said it is high time to consider that morality and chastity is a quality each citizen must possess and protect to gain respect as an individual.

The bill amends Article 202

of the Revised Penal Code to read as follows: Article 202 Prostitutes; penalty—For the purposes of this article, men or women who, for money or profit, habitually indulge in sexual intercourse or lasciviousness conduct, are deemed to be prostitutes.

Leonardia, in his proposal, said any person found guilty of any of the offenses covered by this article shall be punished by arresto menor or a fine not exceeding P200 and in case of recidivism, by arresto mayor in its medium period to prision correccional in its minimum period or a fine ranging from P200 to P2,000, or both, upon discretion of the court.

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NEWS editorial@thestandard.com.ph

ALIEN AMNESTY UP FOR EXTENSION

By Vito Barcelo

ECOWASTE WARNS OF COSMETICS’ SIDE EFFECTS ON MEN

PLANS are afoot for the Bureau of Immigration to extend the restamping of visas of foreign nationals who want to maintain the privileges of the amnesty program under Republic Act No. 7919, after only less than 2,000 of the more than 15,000 foreigners living the country availed of the program.

By Joel E. Zurbano AS THE nation celebrates Fa-

ther’s Day, the Ecowaste Coalition advised male adults to be extra careful in buying cosmetics because some of these products have adverse effects on men’s sexual and reproductive health.

Ecowaste issued the warning after US-based advocacy groups revealed that some cosmetics marketed to men and teenage boys like body spray and cologne, shaving cream, aftershave and hair products may contain undisclosed chemicals of concern.

“The safety of cosmetics is not only a women’s issue as men and boys nowadays use a variety of cosmetics and personal care products, making them just as vulnerable to ingredients that can possibly harm their reproductive health and fertility,” said Ecowaste Project Protect coordinator Thony Dizon.

He said one of these ingredients of concern is ‘fragrance’ which may contain endocrine disrupting chemicals such as phthalates.

“As fragrance ingredients are seldom fully listed on the label, consumers should seek out fragrance-free products as a precaution against phthalate exposure.

Take it easy on fragrance-laced cosmetics,” said Dizon.

Some of the reproductive health issues associated with exposure to phthalates include poor semen quality, decreased sperm counts, infertility, altered hormone levels and testicular and prostate cancer.

“Although it’s just one little word on the ingredient label, ‘fragrance’ can contain dozens, even hundreds of chemicals, including hormone-disrupting phthalates and synthetic musks,” warned the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a project of the San Francisco-based Breast Cancer Fund.

RIZAL’S 155th. A vest worn by Dr. Jose Rizal when he was a child gets dusted off and cleaned by Ryan Tan, a guide at the Museo ni Rizal Shrine in Fort Santiago, Manila on Saturday June 18. The country celebrates Rizal’s 155th birthday anniversary today, June 19, 2016. DANNY PATA

SENATOR PUSHES FOR K-12 OVERSIGHT PANEL CREATION

By Maricel V. Cruz

EVICTION. Iglesia Ni Cristo spokesperson Edwil Zabala (left) shows

a document regarding the court’s decision on a petition filed by the INC against the illegal settlers of No. 36 Tandang Sora in Quezon City. In a six- page decision dated May 26, 2016, Presiding Judge Anne Perpetual S. Rivera-Sia ordered the defendants, expelled members of the INC, to ‘immediately vacate’ the INC property. MANNY PALMERO

SENATOR-ELECT Sherwin Gatchalian on Saturday urged the incoming congressional leadership to give priority to the convening of the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on the K-12 Program when the 17th Congress opens on July 25.

Gatchalian, outgoing Valenzuela City representative, made the proposal in response to mounting tensions between the government and civil society groups concerning the ongoing full implementation of K-12 or additional two years in the basic education.

Gatchalian pointed out that Section 13 of Republic Act No. 10533, popularly known as the K-12 Law, provides for the creation of a Joint Oversight Committee to “oversee, monitor, and evaluate the implementation” of the law.

“The legislative branch of gov-

ernment must step in to fulfill its critical oversight function as mandated by the K-12 Law. We need to objectively assess the facts on-theground in order to craft legislation and recommend executive actions which will address K-12’s shortcomings,” Gatchalian, a member of the House committee on basic education and culture in the 16th Congress, said.

Gatchalian proposed that the K-12 Oversight committee shall investigate the effect of full K-12 implementation on high school dropout rates. The Department of Education has reported that around 1.1 million students have enrolled in grade 11 for the 2016-2017 school year, while an estimated 1.5 million students finished grade 10 last year, leaving the status of 400,000 unaccounted-for students in question.

The restamping program expired on June 15, 2016, and only 1,080 foreign nationals tapped the restamping or the alien integration act visa.

Alien Registration Division chief Danilo Almeda said he will recommend to the Board of Commissioners, Commissioner Ronaldo Geron and Associate Commissioner Abdullah Mangotara, an extension of the program by another three months.

Almeda said the extension is necessary so that affected foreigners can travel out of the country and comply with their annual report requirement.

“I will forward my recommendations to board this week,” Almeda said.

Based on BI records from March 7, 2016 to June 17, 2016, 683 foreigners from Asian countries and another 397, mostly Indian nationals availed restamping.

Almeda said, that a final extension of another three months or until September 2016 to allow the additional filing of restamping applications would be enough to give ample time for foreigners to avail the program or face deportation.

“We are also thinking of imposing a higher penalties, aside from the P3,010 stamping fees,” he added.

Almeda stressed that the affected aliens were also unable to take part in the recent annual reporting of BI-registered aliens as they did not have valid ACR ICards.

Geron said he was also planning to rid the bureau of other unnecessary policies and regulations that inconvenience foreigners as it will not help the government achieve its goal of attracting more foreign tourists and businessmen into the country.

He said the BI should liberalize its rules towards RA 7919 visa holders as they have been permanent residents of the country for two decades and have thus assimilated or integrated themselves into the mainstream of Philippine society.

Republic Act 7919 seeks to grant legal status to foreign nationals and their dependents illegally staying and who have entered the country prior to June 30, 1992.

SUNDAY: JUNE 19, 2016

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

BUSINESS

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Tourists pick grapes from the vineyard of Lomboy Farms in La Union.

PHILIPPINE GRAPE KING

By Alena Mae S. Flores

WHAT started as a hobby of a government agriculturist in the 1970s has turned into a successful and rewarding business and now provides a sweet surprise to local and foreign tourists in Urayong, Bauang, La Union.

Avelino Lomboy, manager and founder of Lomboy Farms in La Union, planted 20 grape cuttings procured from Cebu as a hobby in 1972.

After two years of research and experimentation, Lomboy, a provincial agriculturist, was able to harvest 11 grape bunches which he donated to the Bauang town fiesta.

“To be a trailblazer in unchartered territories was such a strong driving force to start the grape business. A whole industry was built from a simple hope and vision, toughened by hardships and

trials at a tender age,” Lomboy says.

Lomboy stopped his piggery business when the grape farm expanded. He resigned from his government post and concentrated on grape culture.

His hard work and perseverance paid off, as his farm bested all other grape producing provinces nationwide, earning him the moniker “Philippine grape king.”

Lomboy’s grape venture, cultivated through hardwork and research, has served as an inspiration to other farmers who have followed in his footsteps.

Lomboy says many grape varieties actually adapt to Philippine weather conditions. He says among the varieties cultivated at Lomboy Farms, the most adaptable are Cardinal, Ribier, White Malaga and Brazilian Hybrid.

In the late 1980s, Lomboy also engaged in guapple production brought about by the changes in government policies that liberalized the importation of fruits.

Lomboy, through his research, pioneered the “drawfing” culture of the guapple tree. Many farmers also adopted and benefited from the method.

Later on, Lomboy Farms diversified into other high-value commercial crops such as mango, banana, dragon fruit and papaya.

The farm employs inter and multi-cropping techniques to improve land utilization, practices

and sustainable farming methods.

Lomboy Farms also provides valueadded services such as farm tours with fruit picking activities, farm immersions, lectures and farm demos.

Lomboy believes that urbanization and dwindling arable land and natural resources and sinking profits have forced farmers to seek alternative approaches for maintaining profitable enterprises such as agri-tourism or farm tourism.

The decision to venture into “agri-tourism” and seek formal accreditation from the Tourism Department was founded basically

by Lomboy’s desire to improve the local grape and farming industry.

Lomboy Farms is now a landmark and a top tourist destination in Region 1. It also serves as a training ground and demo farm for government agencies and individuals who desire to venture into grape and guapple production.

BO’S COFFEE FOUNDER CITED AS HIGH-IMPACT ENTREPRENEUR STEVE Benitez, founder of Bo’s Coffee, the leading Philippine specialty coffee chain, was selected as a high-impact entrepreneur

by Endeavor during its 64th International Selection Panel held in Madrid, Spain in May 2016.

Benitez established Bo’s Coffee in 1996 with a small kiosk in Cebu City, before the concept of specialty coffee reached the Philippines. Bo’s Coffee is the leading homegrown specialty coffee chain in the Philippines with 75 stores nationwide.

Endeavor is a global nonprofit that supports high-impact entrepreneurs to create and sustain a robust ecosystem

of entrepreneurship.

Endeavor’s selection process features a series of rigorous interviews, which focused on the business and growth strategy, by Philippine and global mentors.

Steve was selected as an Endeavor Entrepreneur because of his passion in sustainability and supporting local communities, as well as his ability to spot trends and execute business strategy. After selection, Endeavor Entrepreneurs have access to global and local business mentors, professional services, and capital to help them successfully scale their business.

“As a high-impact entrepreneur, Steve convinced panelists

of his ability to build a successful business, but just as importantly, he has also supported and mentored other entrepreneurs to grow their own businesses.”

Manny Ayala, managing director of Endeavor Philippines said.

Steve grew the business to 75 with 500 employees in 2015, and the company is planning on at least doubling in size by 2020.

More importantly, Bo’s Coffee sets an example in the Philippine retail industry through the company’s partnership with social entrepreneurs who care deeply about sustainability and the local communities they work with.

Bo’s Coffee branches provides

these entrepreneurs with a nationwide distribution channel.

As a result, Bo’s Coffee empowers other entrepreneurs and companies to grow with them.

“Endeavor’s selection process allowed me to act on feedback shared by global and local mentors to scale the business. Moreover, Endeavor’s mission of supporting an ecosystem of entrepreneurs aligns with my own personal goals of using business not only to do well but also to do good,” Benitez said.

Steve started his appreciation for coffee as a law student when he realized that he would rather trade the life of a barrister with that of a barista. After an educa-

tional trip to a coffee trade show in the United States, Steve decided to put up his own kiosk with only P150,000. Under Steve’s leadership, Bo’s Coffee grew to be the largest specialty coffee store in Visayas and Mindanao.

“Bo’s Coffee is well-positioned for growth with plans to expand distribution in Luzon and Metro Manila. Further, Bo’s Coffee will push their message of supporting local communities and sustainability as the Philippines’ best homegrown brew. Endeavor is excited to provide strategic mentoring and support to Steve to accelerate the company’s impressive growth story,” Ayala said.

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BPO AGENTS TO KEEP JOBS DESPITE THE RISE OF ROBOTS

AN EXECUTIVE of one of the largest business process outsourcing groups in the Philippines sees an increasing use of artificial intelligence, machines and robots by businesses this year, but he says customer support professionals are here to stay.

Virtual assistants with AI capability such as iPhone’s Siri, Android’s Google Now, Microsoft’s Cortana and Amazon’s Echo (Alexa) are not likely to replace BPO professionals anytime soon, according to John Paul Palpallatoc, a senior executive at Accenture.

This statement provides reassurance to the 373,000 people employed by Accenture across 120 countries, including 45,000 in the Philippines. Accenture operates 23 facilities in the Philippines, including 18 in Metro Manila, four in Cebu and one in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte. It is considered the largest third-party non-voice provider in the Philippine BPO industry and a hall of fame awardee as an outstanding employer.

“Robots may displace people in the sense they are doing some menial tasks, but people will be doing the high level tasks in customer engagement. It is not really a replacement, but an addition, complementary of the tasks that we have,” says Palpallatoc.

Palpallatoc is the managing director and digital group lead at Accenture, which he has served for more than 27 years. Accenture, a US-based company which established its presence in the Philippines as early as 1985, is a leading global professional services organization, which provides services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Its clients include 89 of the Fortune Global 100 and more than three-quarters of the Fortune Global 500.

Palpallatoc has a crucial role as the global delivery network mobility capability lead. As head of Accenture’s digital group, he has seen rapid changes in technology over the past few years. “The acceleration and speed of technology changes are becoming more rapid. Some of the companies are having a digital culture shock, because there are a lot of changes that are happening at this time.

You talk about mobile apps, internet of things, digital, cloud, security and other things,” he says in a news briefing at Accenture’s facility at Robinsons Cybergate Tower 1 in Mandaluyong City.

Accenture presented its “Technology Vision 2016” report, based on interviews with 3,100 business leaders and IT executives around the world. “The theme this year is ‘people first’. We believe that companies and enterprises that put people as prime factor in this digital age will be the one that will be winning,” says Palpallatoc.

He says among the latest technologies are cloud, internet of

Accenture managing director for digital group John Paul Palpallatoc things and smart machines. “Another thing we are seeing is artificial intelligence. In the US alone, the use of artificial intelligence has increased 20 fold,” he says.

“In 2013, we have seen the impact of digital in business. Every business is a digital business. In that particular year, we have seen startups disrupting a lot of companies. Startups like Google, Apple, Facebook are disrupting,” says Palpallatoc.

“In 2014, a lot of companies were using digital to disrupt their own industries as well. From digitally disrupted, they became digital disrupter. In 2015, we said change was stretching boundaries, moving from ‘me economy or my company only’ to digital ecosystem or ‘we economy’,” he says.

“In 2016, we are focusing more on people as well,” he says. “Based on the research we have done, we believe that the enterprises and the companies that focus on people and enable them to make use the digital wave will be successful.”

The Accenture report shows that about 33 percent of people surveyed are seeing the impact of digital technologies already.

About 86 percent of those sur-

veyed also mention that the speed and the pace of technology changes are going to accelerate more in the next three years.

Palpallatoc says Accenture believes that five technology trends will impact companies and enterprises in the next three to five years. These five trends are intelligent automation, liquid workforce, platform economy, predictable disruption and digital trust.

He says companies now have new recruits, in the forms of robots, machines and artificial intelligence. “Powered by artificial intelligence, powered by robotics, powered by augmented reality, leaders will embrace automation.

They will use the capacity, capability of machines to do that we are doing as humans,” he says.

The Accenture survey reveals that 70 percent of respondents acknowledge increased AI-related technology investments compared to two years ago, while 55 percent plan on using machine learning and embedded AI solutions.

Palpallatoc says a restaurant in Singapore now uses drones to bring food and dishes in and out of the kitchen, so that waiters can focus more on customer engage-

ment. In Japan, Bank of TokyoMitsubishi UFJ uses robots as receptionists.

He says Accenture itself has launched myWizard as a virtual assistant. “These artificial avatars are helping us in managing our projects,” he says.

Palpallatoc says artificial intelligence is becoming a major area of interest among businesses. “Most companies are investing in artificial intelligence right now,” he says.

The next trend is liquid workforce, which refers to flexible and adaptable employees. By exploiting technology to enable workforce transformation, leading companies will create highly adaptable and change-ready environments that are able to meet today’s dynamic digital demands, he says.

He says Accenture invests heavily in training and developing talents. Palpallatoc says in terms of non-voice services, Accenture is the largest BPO company in the Philippines. “We invest heavily in terms of having IT skills, new technology. We spend approximately $800 million annually in terms of training,” he says.

Another trend is platform economy, which refers to the rise of platform-based business models such as the likes of Grab, Wunder, Uber and Lazada in the Philippines. “Platform is a way for companies to get more growth and innovation,” he says.

About 81 percent of the survey respondents agree that platformbased business models will become part of their organization’s core growth strategy within three years.

Meanwhile, predictable disruption refers to the foundation for the next wave of disruption.

Companies are already significantly or moderately experiencing ecosystem disruption, with 81 percent of survey respondents indicating that they are seeing this in their industry.

Palpallatoc says the fifth trend is digital trust, which is a cornerstone of the digital economy. He says businesses must focus on digital ethics as a core strategy.

“In summary, the companies that focus on people first as the approach will become the leader of the industry. The reason why this is important is because companies are now having a digital culture shock given the amount of changes that we are seeing. That is the reason why digital and people should work together,” he says.

Palpallatoc says AI, machines or robots are designed as tools to help people become more effective in their jobs, and not to replace them.

“We should look at technology as complementary and additional helper for us to enable our people.

It is people first,” he says.

He says no Accenture employee has lost his or her job to AI, robots or machines so far. However, he says to thrive in this new age, people need to change or rotate to different skills. “You need to be adaptable and learn new technology,” he says.

“My point is every business is a digital business. Businesses need to have a website, a mobile application to be present. If you are not going digital, I am pretty sure your competitor will be adopting digital technology. Technology pace is getting quicker. If you don’t innovate, you probably know what happened to Nokia and Kodak. They were disrupted because they were not innovating,” he says.

In the BPO sector, “we need to evolve to serve our clients,” says Palpallatoc. “What we need as a country is to be ready and be prepared for right skills. We need to rotate to new technologies—mobile apps, analytics, artificial intelligence, etc.”

He says companies that equip employees, partners and consumers with new skills can fully capitalize on innovations. Companies that embrace digital technology can empower their workforce to continuously learn new skills to do more with technology and generate bigger and better business results.

Palpallatoc says these changes are already happening and will become more pervasive in the coming years. “The technology vision is not a revolution; it is an evolution,” he says. Roderick T. dela Cruz

SUNDAY: JUNE 19, 2016

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PHILIPPINEBASED on-demand delivery app company Mober is keen on expanding its presence by servicing more local vendors with its business-tobusiness solutions.

The company has recently participated in the Rise Conference in Hong Kong, in a bid to attract more capital, where it was warmly received by investors and got positive feedback.

Mober’s founder and chief executive Dennis Ng says he was heartened by the strong reception for the company’s pitch at the conference, which was attended by startups from all over Asia, as well as potential investors.

“We attended Rise Conference to create awareness for Mober and at the same time the main purpose is to meet venture capitalists to raise funds so we can aggressively expand the Mober operations,” Ng says.

He says at least five VCs expressed keen interest in Mober, and asked for further details on the product. Ng is hopeful of securing additional financing from them, soon.

“It may not be unique in Indonesia, Singapore or Hong Kong, but when they heard it’s the only one in the Philippines, their tone changed,” he says.

Ng says as a pioneer in the ondemand delivery app services in the Philippines, Mober believes the market is ripe for further expansion, as there is still huge latent demand.

“The PH market is so huge and local investors don’t see it yet.

Like for Mober we are the first on-demand delivery app and the market is humongous with 15,000 underutilized vans and 900,000 SMEs, and 100-million popula-

PHILIPPINE-MADE MOBILE APP MAKES WAVES IN HONG KONG

Mober chief executive Dennis Ng

tion. That’s a huge market,” he says.

Mober believes its app has the potential to change the logistic scenario in the Phil-

ippines. It is now working on partnerships with local vendors, SMEs and other e-commerce platforms to expand the service.

Mober is the Philippines’ first and only on-demand delivery app, mobile and web app focused on B2B like appliance stores, furniture stores, SMEs and e-com-

merce.

It started operations in December 2015 and has steadily expanded its services in the local market.

MONSANTO APPOINTS FILIPINO WOMAN AS CEO MONSANTO Company announced the appointment of Rachel Lomibao as country commercial lead for the Philippines, making her the first Filipino woman to hold the highest executive office in Monsanto Philippines.

Lomibao’s appointment reflects Monsanto’s commitment to develop in-country talent to take on leadership roles. As an equal opportunity employer, Monsanto values diversity and inclusiveness in its workforce.

“This appointment is seen by many as a big win for women in the agriculture industry, which is traditionally dominated by men,” said Chat Ocampo, Monsanto Philippines’ corporate engagement lead.

“As a leader in agricultural biotechnology, Monsanto through its example is paving the way for highly capable women to occupy leadership positions,” she said.

Lomibao joined Monsanto Philippines in 2012 as marketing lead before assuming the

This appointment is seen by many as a big win for women in the agriculture industry, which is traditionally dominated by men.

position of national sales lead in 2014. Both roles provided her with a critical understanding of Monsanto business, customers and products in the Philippines, and strengthened her leadership competencies for the country lead role.

Prior to joining Monsanto, Lomibao worked at Pioneer Hi-Bred Philippines

and at DuPont Crop Protection in sales and marketing.

With her extensive knowledge of the agriculture sector and ten years of experience in both the corn and crop protection industries, she is committed to helping Filipino farmers increase productivity and uplift their lives through companies like Monsanto.

“Rachel has already proven that she has strong leadership skills as well as excellent business and technical skills,” said Ocampo. “All of us at Monsanto are confident that she will be able to steer our organization to achieve even greater heights.”

Lomibao holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts from the University of Philippines and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business, Regis Program, where she earned the gold medal for academic excellence.

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world

UN: aid to peace efforts slow

Of the 46 countries that pledged to provide resources to maintain United Nations (UN) peace operations, 14 have failed completely or only partially kept their promises.

one on one. Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with United Nations Secretary General

Ban Ki-moon on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2016) at the Konstantin (Konstantinovsky) Palace outside Saint Petersburg on Thursday. AFP

Purchase of 15 Units Container Van GOODS 100-16-06-032 1.

2.

3.

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The Local Government of Dinalupihan, through General Fund (Capital Outlay)2016 Budget intends to apply the sum of Three Million Five Hundred Seventy Seven Thousand Pesos (Php3,577,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Purchase of 15 Units Container Van. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

The Local Government of Dinalupihan now invites bids for Purchase of 15 Units Container Van. Delivery of the goods is required on August 22, 2016.

Bidders should have completed, within two (2) from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project equivalent to at least fifty percent (50%) of the ABC. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

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

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

In a United States-led initiative organized at a summit in September, dozens of countries vowed to contribute more than 40,000 soldiers and resources, including helicopters and field hospitals, to strengthen the UN’s 16 global missions.

According to a count obtained

by AFP, Azerbaijan, Brazil, China, Colombia, Georgia, Norway, Spain, Uganda and Vietnam are among those who have yet to uphold their commitments.

“There is significant progress, but we want all the countries to follow through as soon as possible,” a US diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity, stressing that only two thirds of the contributions are in progress or registered.

The US finances about 30 percent of the UN’s $8 billion annual peacekeeping budget.

The US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joe Dunford and the British Vice Chief of the Defense Staff Gordon Messenger attended a closed meeting at UN headquarters

to assess progress. A follow-up ministerial meeting is scheduled for early September in London.

Some countries have already deployed additional troops to Mali, like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, as well as Darfur, where China has sent peacekeeping forces.

Beijing promised the UN no less than 8,000 soldiers, a quota not yet met. “But no one doubts that this commitment will be upheld,” said one diplomat.

Spain had promised soldiers, helicopters and reconnaissance equipment to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), but withdrew that pledge because the UN has yet to grant the Spanish control of that mission.

“We made it very clear that our offer was contingent” on commanding the force, said Spanish Ambassador Roman Oyarzun Marchesi.

The UN plans to use the contributions to create a permanent force of some 15,000 peacekeepers capable of rapid deployment, ideally by the end of the year. AFP

Livelihood Recovery Program for Farmers Affected by Typhoon Lando GOODS 100-16-06-034 1. The Local Government of Dinalupihan, through General Fund 2016 Budget intends to apply the sum of Two Million Nine Hundred Twelve Thousand Eight Hundred Ninety Pesos (Php2,912,890.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Livelihood Recovery Program for Farmers Affected by Typhoon Lando. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2. The Local Government of Dinalupihan now invites bids for Livelihood Recovery Program for Farmers Affected by Typhoon Lando. Delivery of the goods is required on July 25, 2016. Bidders should have completed, within two (2) from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project equivalent to at least fifty percent (50%) of the ABC. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

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

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

5.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the Bids and Awards Committee and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hours at eight o’clock in the morning to five o’clock in the afternoon.

6.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders on June 14-21, 2016 from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Five Thousand Pesos (Php 5,000.00).

6. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders on June 14-21, 2016 from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Five Thousand Pesos (Php 5,000.00).

7.

Pre-bid conference will be on June 20, 2016 at 9:00 AM at BAC Office 2nd Floor Municipal Bldg, Dinalupihan, Bataan.

7. Pre Bid Conference will be on June 20, 2016 at 2:30PM at BAC Office 2nd Floor Municipal Bldg, Dinalupihan, Bataan.

8.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before June 28, 2016 at 9:00 AM. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

8. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before June 28, 2016 at 2:30PM. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be on June 28, 2016 at 9:00 AM at BAC Office 2nd Floor Municipal Bldg, Dinalupihan, Bataan. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below.

Late bids shall not be accepted.

Bid opening shall be on June 28, 2016 at 2:30PM at BAC Office 2nd Floor Municipal Bldg, Dinalupihan, Bataan. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below.

Late bids shall not be accepted.

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

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

9.

5. Interested bidders may obtain further information from the Bids and Awards Committee and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hours at eight o’clock in the morning to five o’clock in the afternoon.

For further information, please refer to:

For further information, please refer to:

(SGD) AMELITA E. PEÑAFLOR BAC Chairman San Ramon, Dinalupihan, Bataan

(SGD) AMELITA E. PEÑAFLOR BAC Chairman San Ramon, Dinalupihan, Bataan

(SGD) ARCELI SAMSON BAC Secretariat San Ramon, Dinalupihan, Bataan

(SGD) ARCELI SAMSON BAC Secretariat San Ramon, Dinalupihan, Bataan

( TS- J U N E 19 , 2 0 1 6 )

(T S-J U N E 19 , 2016 )

Canada legalizes assisted suicide CANADA’S Senate voted Friday to pass legislation allowing the terminally ill to end their life with a doctor’s assistance, clearing the final hurdle for the bill to become law after a clash between the upper and lower houses.

Senators approved Bill C-14 in a vote of 44 to 28, giving in to pressure

by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government, which controls the House of Commons.

It now only requires royal ascent by the governor general, which is largely a formality.

The bill sets out new rules for consenting adults with serious health problems to end their suffering, coming one year after the Supreme Court struck down a prohibition against doctorassisted suicide.

The government had been given until June 6 to draft the legislation.

The protocols it put forward—including the main sticking point of restricting assisted dying rights to terminally ill patients—were much less comprehensive than proposals by a parliamentary special committee formed to study the hugely controversial issue and supported by the Senate. AFP

S U N D AY : j U N e 1 9, 2 0 1 6

B5

WORLD editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Obama, arab prince firm up uS-Saudi tieS

true colors. Runners of the Shanghai Pride Run make signs with their fingers while wearing rainbow shoelaces at the start of the race in Shanghai on Saturday. The LGBT festival, Shanghai PRIDE 2016, which celebrates diversity in the Chinese city under this year’s theme ‘i am me,’ kicked-off with a fun run and will last from June 17 to 26. AFP

palestiNe, egypt begiN mariNe border talks The Palestinians have begun talks with egypt on setting out the maritime borders of their hoped for future state and the resources they can extract from the sea, their UN ambassador to the United Nations said Friday.

The goal is to establish an exclusive economic zone off the coast of the Gaza Strip under the Un Convention on the Law of the Sea, said ambassador ryad Mansour.

The Palestinians became party to this and other Un treaties and agencies when they gained observer status at the United nations in november 2012. the talks with egypt are at the preliminary stage, having begun recently with egypt at the foreign minis-

ter level and then continued at the expert level, the ambassador said.

The Palestinian Authority has consulted “top lawyers in the field” to prepare its case and train its officials in the workings of maritime law, he added.

The Palestinian strategy is to reach agreements with two of its neighbors in the Mediterranean -- first egypt and then Cyprus -- to define exclusive economic zones with respect to them, and then con-

sult with lawyers as to what its potential borders with israel could be. experts will then take an inventory of the natural resources claimed by the Palestinians and, and they will file their eeZ with the Un convention on the law of the sea. it is a way to save time for future generations, said Mansour.

The Palestinians want to move as quickly as possible but these proceedings could take years, he added.

“For us the fact that we are a state, that our land is under occupation, and that we are joining conventions and treaties, means that we cannot run away from the responsibilities that these treaties and conventions require from us,”

Mansour said. “it is our right to declare our exclusive economic zone,” he said.

An eZZ is an area of the sea over which a country has special rights to explore for and use resources.

An eeZ general extends out 200 miles (370 km) from a country’s coast, while a nation’s territorial waters only extend 12 miles out.

But in the Mediterranean they overlap and need to be negotiated. neither israel nor the United States have ratified the Un convention on the sea. israel has established its eeZ with respect to Cyprus through bilateral ties, but has failed to reach an agreement with Lebanon. AFP

US PreSident Barack Obama hosted youthful Saudi Arabian Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House Friday, underscoring his guest’s meteoric rise and increasingly pivotal role in managing strained US-Saudi ties.

The 30-year-old deputy crown prince—who has become the driving force behind economic reform and a more activist Saudi foreign policy —swept into the West Wing with a band of aides for hour-long talks.

Mohammed bin Salman is the King’s son and the country’s defense minister, but he has met the very biggest of Washington’s big hitters during a week-long visit.

He held talks with the CiA director, the secretaries of state, defense, treasury, commerce and energy as well as leading members of Congress.

Prince Mohammed’s meeting with Obama took place in the Oval Office—a rare honor for a non-head of state, one not afforded to the dalai Lama earlier in the week.

“The meetings were very, very positive. i believe there was a commonality in terms of visions and views,” said Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.

Little is certain about the inner workings of the House of Saud, but the prince’s high public profile has led many to speculate that he is the power behind his father’s throne and could leapfrog designated successor Crown Prince Mohammed bin nayef to become the next regent.

“He is notionally number three in the hierarchy, but effectively he’s number one,” said Simon Henderson of the

Washington institute, a think tank focused on the Middle east.

“The King prefers his son and wants his son to be king,” said Henderson.

For the White House, Mohammed bin Salman is a relative unknown, while Mohammed bin nayef has been the go-to royal on counterterrorism for years.

Gregory Gause of texas A&M University said Prince Mohammed’s visit was “an effort by him to be recognized.”

The meeting came amid strained ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia over iran, the war in Yemen and the seemingly imminent release of a US dossier about Saudi Arabian links to the September 11, 2001 attacks.

High on the agenda was Prince Mohammed’s efforts to overhaul Saudi Arabia’s state-dominated and oil-dependent economy, bringing in the private sector and creating jobs for the country’s young population.

“Given their huge investment in education over the last decade, if they are not able to move away from a state-run economy and develop a private sector, you are not going to have the jobs that young people need,” said former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia James Smith.

Amid disagreements over the US nuclear deal with iran, economic reform appears to be a much-needed issue that could bring riyadh and Washington together.

Obama’s White House has repeatedly argued that Saudi Arabia’s most pressing security task is internal reform to put the autocratic state on a more stable and sustainable footing. AFP

pOpe franciS welcOmeS mOre Syrian refugeeS POPe Francis has welcomed nine more Syrian asylum-seekers to rome, two months after he flew another group back from Greece aboard his personal plane, the Vatican said Thursday.

The latest group had also been living in a transit camp on the Greek island of Lesbos after making the perilous sea crossing from turkey.

“A second group of nine refugees arrived in rome yesterday (Wednesday),” a Vatican statement said.

“The refugees, six adults and three children, are all Syrian citizens who were

in the Kara tepe refugee camp,” it added.

The pope in April brushed off criticism over the earlier group saying, “i didn’t make a choice between Christians and Muslims. All refugees are children of God.” They were selected by officials on the grounds that their paperwork was sufficiently in order to secure rapid agreement on their transfer from the Greek and italian governments. the three families have since settled into life in rome and started to learn italian.

Over 1.1 million people have crossed clandestinely from turkey to Greece

since the start of 2015, with hundreds drowning en route. Many of them are Syrians, fleeing the horrors of the country’s war.

Arrivals in Greece have drastically fallen over the past weeks after turkey agreed to take back anyone denied asylum in return for billions in eU cash and other concessions. Human rights groups have criticised the arrangement.

Pope Francis has previously condemned Western society for its indifference to refugees, making the cause of migrants trying to reach europe one of the defining themes of his papacy. AFP

reFreshment. displaced iraqis line up waiting to receive drinks and snacks upon their arrival at a safe zone on friday in amiriyiah al-fallujah, after iraqi government forces evacuated civilians from the city of fallujah due to their ongoing military operation to retake the city from the islamic State group. AFP

Republic of the Philippines ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City MILLENNIUM ENERGY INC. (MEI) Petitioner -versus-

ERCCASENO.2016-002DR

MANILA ELECTRIC COMPANY (MERALCO) Respondent. x---------------------------------------------x NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: Notice is hereby given that on 10 May 2016, Petitioner Millennium Energy Inc. (MEl) filed a “Petition for Dispute Resolution with Application for Interim Relief ‘ dated 6 May 2016 against the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) to seek relief from the payment of distribution wheeling charges pursuant to their Distribution Wheeling Service Agreement which was effective from 15 March 2015 to 25 March 2016 on the following grounds: 1.

that MEl suffered serious financial losses in in the rehabilitation and operation of the Navotas Gas Turbine Power Plant (NGTPP); and

2.

that the total amount of ilistributibn charges paid to MERALCO by MEl already exceeds the cost of the interconnection facilities that were installed by MERALCO in order for MEl to have access to the former’s distribution system.

In support of MEl’s position, the following were alleged: I. PARTIES 1.01.

Millennium Energy Inc. (“’MEI”’, for brevity) is a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the Philippines with principal office address at 3204-B, East Tower, Philippine Stock Exchange Center, Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

1.02.

Manila Electric Company (“MERALCO”, for brevity) is a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the Philippines with principal office address at Lopez Building, Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City.

2.13.

On 29 July 2015, MERALCO and MEl entered into an Interconnection Agreement (“IA”) pursuant to the DAS that was undertaken by MERALCO which contains the distribution assets and costs necessary to accommodate the connection of the MGTPP and the Navotas switch yard to MERALCO’s distribution system. It was agreed upon that the IA will be effective retroactively on 15 March 2015. A copy of the Interconnection Agreement is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex “G”.

2.14.

Thereafter, on 26 August 2015, MEl and MERALCO entered into a Distribution Wheeling Services Agreement (“DWSA”).

As stipulated in the DWSA the same will be effective from 15 March 2015 to 25 March 2016. A copy ofthe DWSA is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex “H”.

2.15.

Since the effectivity of the DWSA on 15 March 2015, MEl has been paying MERALCO Distribution Wheeling Charges ranging frolll Twelve Million Pesos (P12,000,000) to Fifteen Million Pesos (P15,000,000), which is computed based on the minimum billing demand or the actual highest demand registration within a billing month, whichever is higher.

2.15.1. MEl also deposited with MERALCO a Bill Deposit in the amount of P5,821,365.00, a copy of which is hereto attached as Annex “I”.

2.1 6. As of 30 November 2015, MEl had already paid the total amount of Ninety Two Million One Hundred Six Thousand Fifty Three Pesos and 34/100 (P92,106,053.34) VAT inclusive by way of Distribution Wheeling Charges as billed by MERALCO pursuant to the DWSA. Copies of MEl’s MERALCO billings from 15 March 2015 to October 2015 and the corresponding receipts of payment are hereto attached and made integral part hereof as Annexes “J “ and “J1”, “K” and “K1”, “L” and “L-1”, “M” and “M-1”, “N” , “O” and “O-1”; “P” and “P-1”, “Q” and “Q-1”.

2.17.

This is in addition to the substantial costs in the total amount of Forty Nine Million Three Hundred fifty Five Thousand Thirty One Pesos and 50/100 (P49.355.031.50) that MEl had shouldered and advanced. in order to expedite the interconnection activities such as construction of the pedestal, foundation, metering facilities, telecommunication and tele-protection, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition / Remote Terminal Unit [SCADA/ RTU”] equipment, among others. 2 Copies of the receipts for these costs are hereto collectively attached and made integral parts hereof as Annex “R”.

2.18.

Subsequently, through a letter dated 11 December 2015, a copy of which is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex “S”, MEl formally asked MERALCO for the discontinuance of its Distribution Wheeling Charges payments citing the following reasons: a.

II. STATEMENT OF THE FACTS AND OF THE CASE 2.01.

On 3 February 2011, MEl acquired from the Navotas City the Navotas Gas Turbine Power Plant (“NGTPP”)1 which is composed of the non-operational 1X100 MW Gas Turbine (“GT”) unit and 3X70 MW GTs. The GTs, which were previously called as Navotas I and II respectively, are now known after the mentioned acquisition as the Millennium Gas Turbine Power Plant (“MGTPP”).

2.02.

Prior to MEl’s acquisition of the MGTPP and while the same was still being managed and operated by the National Power Corporation (“NPC”), the NGTPP was previously connected to the Malabon and Grace Park 115kv sub-transmission/distribution lines of MERALCO and that its generation output was dedicated and/ or directly delivered to MERALCO through the latter’s previously Bilateral Contract Quantity (“BCQ”) with NPC. 2.03.

In the year 2014, despite the huge amount of funds necessary to rehabilitate and to make the MGTPP operational, MEl responded to the Department of Energy’s (‘DOE”) call for additional capacity in anticipation of the power shortage for the year 2015, by pursuing the activities required for the rehabilitation of the MGTPP or Navotas plant.

2.04.

In relation to MEl’s response to the DOE’s call, on 3 September 2014, a Distribution Impact Study (“DIS”) was undertaken by MERALCO, as per request of MEl in compliance with the requirements for the rehabilitation, re-commissioning, and re-connection of the MGTPP to the Malabon and Grace Park 115kV sub-transmission line/distribution lines of MERALCO. 2.05.

Thereafter, on 11 September 2014, MEl wrote a letter to the DOE, formalizing its intention, as signified in the previous meeting to help the DOE with regard to the Emergency Power Situation in Luzon, by rehabilitating and commissioning its 1X100 MW GT MGTPP-Navotas Power Plant. A copy of the said letter is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex“A”.

2.06.

On 24 November 2014, a Distribution Asset Study (DAS) was undertaken by MERALCO in compliance with the requirements for the rehabilitation, re-commissioning and reconnection of the power plant to the Malabon and Grace Park 115kV sub-transmission line/distribution lines of MERALCO. This has been pursued by MERALCO after it has released the DAS it has conducted for MEl. 2.07.

Under the DAS, MERALCO will incur an estimated Twenty Six Million Six Hundred Thirty Three Thousand Three Hundred Fourteen and 9/100 Pesos (P26,633,314.09) to provide all the interconnection facilities it needs with respect to the MGTPP (for brevity to be referred herein as “26M Interconnection Cost”). A copy of the pertinent portion of the DAS is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex “B”.

2.08. On 29 December 2014, a Memorandum of Agreement (“MOA”) was executed between the DOE & the MEl, regarding the “establishment of trust accounts for accrued financial benefits from the commercial operations of the 1 x 100 MW GT Power Plant” A copy of the MOA is hereof attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex “C”.

2.09 On 22 January 2015, the DOE issued a Certificate of Endorsement No. 2015-01-004 in favor of MEl, consistent with the DOE Power Development Plan (“PDP”) as per EPIRA (the “Electric Power Industry Reform Act”). A copy ofthe said certificate is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex “D”.

2.10.

On 30 March 2015, the MGTPP through its Operations and Management (“O&M”) provider completed the series of pre and post -Synchronization tests as required by the Philippine Grid Committee (UPGC”). The reports of said tests were submitted to NGCP for the MGTPP’s accreditation and certification.

2.11.

On 11 May 2015, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) issued to MEl a Certificate of Compliance No. 15-05-M 00010L for its Navotas I GT with a rated capacity of 100 MW and dependable capacity of 85MW. A copy of the said Certificate of Compliance is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex “E”. ‘ 2.12.

On May 12, 2015, NGCP recognized and certified MGTPP as a “Fast Start Capable” unit after it has successfully synchronized to the grid in less than fifteen (15) minutes. A copy of the said certification is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex “F”.

b.

MERALCO has already recouped more than.its P26 Million Interconnection Costs as early as 30 November 2015 or the time MEl has already paid the amount of P92,106,053.34 by way of Distribution Wheeling Charges; The continued payment of Distribution Wheeling Charges will result to higher electricity cost that will impose additional burden to the consumer public who wilI be made to shoulder such cost.

2.19.

MEl discussed the same matters with MERALCO during a meeting for tl,at purpose on 21 December 2015 and added that-a.

b.

Due to MEl ‘s very tight and precarious current financial condition, it can no longer continue paying the Distribution Wheeling Charges for the month of November 2015 which was due on 11 December 2015, a copy of MERALCO’s November billing statement to MEl is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex “T”. Neither can it sustain the payment thereof for the remainder of the contract period until its expiration on March 25, 2016. This is by reason of the fact that the MGTPP was barely called to generate electricity during the nine (9) months of its initial operations or from March 2015 to December 2015.

The chances of running in the coming months until the DWSA expiration on March 25. 2016 is almost, if not, totally nil, as the incremental demand for electricity as foreseen by the DOE in the latter part of 2014, was adequately and timely matched by the corresponding increase in the supply of electricity mostly coming from renewable energy and base.load plants.

2.20.

In its letter dated 22 December 2015, a copy of which is hereto attached alld made an integral part hereof as Annex “U”, MERALCO made a counter -proposal to MEl’s request for the waiver of the Distribution Wheeling Charges relayed as follows: a.

Re-billing of the November 2015 bill, with the modification on the computation of demand charges to supersede the previously issued bill, from P9,078,710.36 to P3,399,735.82, which is a reduction by 62.5%.

b.

For future bills from December 2015 to February 2016 (end of contract), the billing demand shall be computed based on the average weekly actual peak demand or ‘Guaranteed Minimum Billing Demand (“GMBD”), whichever is higher.

2.21.

In its letter dated 12 January 2016, MEl replied that it could really no longer continuously pay the Distribution Wheeling Charges for export power based on the reasons it had earlier pointed out. A copy of this letter is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex “V”.

2.22.

Thereafter, on 18 March 2016, MEl sent a Letter to MERALCO (received on the same day) that it was no longer renewing their DWSA which was set to expire on 25 March 2016. A copy of the said letter is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex “W”.

2.23.

Consequently. in view of the expiration and non-renewal of its DWSA with MERALCO, MEl, through its letter dated 23 March 2016, notified and requested the Philippine Electricity Market Corporation (PEMC) for the cessa tion of its registration as a Trading Participant in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) effective 26 March 2016 at 0000H. A copy ofthe said letter is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex X”.

2.23.1. In its letter dated 30 March 2016, a copy of which is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex “Y”, the PEMC confirmed the “cessation of WESM membership of MEl as Direct WESM Member and Trading Participant (Generator Category) effective 1 April 2016”.

2.24.

Too, MEl received --as copy-furnished --the e-mail of MERALCO also notifying the WESM of the termination of the DWSA between them effective 25 March 2016, a copy of which is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex “Z”.

2.25. On 29 March 2016, MEl wrote MERALCO requesting a meeting between their duly designated representatives pursuant to the dispute resolution procedure provided in their DWSA. A copy of the said letter, which was received by MERALCO on 30 March 2016, is hereto attached and made an,integral part hereofas Annex “AA”.

2.25.1. According to Article XI, Section 11.2 of the DWSA, the parties had thirty (30) days from receipt of the written notice of a dispute to be resolved within which to “make every commercially reasonable effort to resolve” the same -or until 29 April 2016 as MERALCO, as abovestated, received MEl notice on 30 March’ 2016.

2.25.2.

Attached as Annexes “BB” to “EE” are copies of the rest of MERALCO’s billing statements to MEl for distribution wheeling charges from December

2015 to 25 March 2016 when the DWSA expired.

2.25.3. The total of the Distribution Wheeling charges from November 2015 to March 2016 amounted to P34,501,920.04. Subtracting the Bill Deposit of P5,821,365.00, left a balance of P28,680,555.04.

2.26.

MEl and MERALCO, through their respective representatives met on 30 March 2016 where MERALCO gave MEl a letter averring. among others. that it could not waive payment of the distribution wheeling charges as this will purportedly lead “to a discriminatory practice, but more importantly, to crosssubsidies, which is expressly prohibited under Republic Act No. 9136 (EPlRA).” A copy of this letter is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex “FF”.

2.27.

In view of the positions of both parties, no settlement was reached. And on 21 April 2016, MERALCO sent MEl an email for the collection and payment of the Distribution Wheeling Charges in the lolal amount of P34,501,920.04, a copy of which is hereto attached and made all integral part hereof as Annex “GG”. Hence, as provided in the DWSA, MEI is now submitting this dispute to the Honorable Commission for resolution as stipulated in Article XI, Section 11.2, thus: “11.2 Any dispute arising out of or in connection with or relating to this Agreement (including any breach or alleged breach of this Agreement) shall be resolved in accordance with the following procedure: Each Party shall notify the other Party or its designated representative(s) for this purpose who will meet at a mutually agreed time and place to discuss and make every commercially , reasonable effort to resolve sllch dispute with in (30) calendar days of receipt by any Party of written notice of a dispute to be resolved. If the Parties’ representatives fail to resolve the dispute within such 30-day period, then the dispute shall be submitted to the jurisdiction of the ERC. In case such dispute does not fall within the jurisdiction of the ERC, the Parties agree that the venue for such dispute or action shall lie exclusively in the City of Pasig.”

III. ISSUES 3.01.

Whether or not MEl should still be held liable for remaining distribution wheeling charges of MERALCO or that the same should already be waived.

3.02.

Whether or not MERALCO had already over-recovered from the payments made by MEl and if so whether or not MERALCO should make the proper’ refunds to MEl as may be justified by the circumstances.

3.03.

Whether or not the distribution wheeling charges, rules and rates should be revisited to take into account the peculiarities of embedded generators.

IV. DISCUSSION MEl’s payment of more than P92 Million (VAT inclusive) to MERALCO for distribution wheeling charges was more than sufficient to recover its cost in connecting the Navotas plant and earn reasonable rate of return.

4.01.

Section 43 of R.A. No. 9136, otherwise known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) provides that the distribution wheeling rates, among other rates, “must be such as to allow the recovery of just and reasonable costs and a reasonable return on rate base (RORB) to enable the entity to operate viably.”

4.02.

In the case of MEl, as of 30 November 2015, it had paid MERALCO the total amount of P92,106,053.34 (VAT inclusive) or P82,861,265.29 (VAT exclusive) for distribution wheeling charges. Clearly, therefore, MERALCO had already recouped in full its P26,633,314.00 share in the costs under the DAS for the interconnection project of the Navotas plant to its distribution system. Add to this, MEl’s share to the tune of almost P50 Million for the project.

4.03.

Aside from fully recouping its costs, embedded generators (such as MEl’s Navotas plant) provide many -benefits to distribution utilities (such as MERALCO): “5.3 BENEFITS EMBEDDED GENERATORS PROVIDE TO THE SYSTEM In general, the distribution of generation throughout the network will provide an enhanced voltage profile compared to the situation where there are only a few large generating centres. This will inherently reduce losses and reduce the requirement for additional voltage control devices.

Hence embedded generation, by virtue of being distributed at load locations, can improve system security by reducing the reliance on large generation centres, reduce network loading and provide local voltage support. Embedded generators may also assist system restart in some cases,” 3 4.04.

As to recovery of a reasonable rate on return base, as shown in MEl’s computation, a copy of which is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex“HH”, MEl has already paid MERALCO an amount which is almost eighteen (18) times more than what the said company should have received under the Return on Rate Base (RORB) formula for recovery of its capital investment based on a one (1) year period of operation.

4.05.

Moreover, the distribution wheeling charges MEl had paid from March 2015 to October 2015 in the amount of more than P82 Million, VAT exclusive, is more than enough to cover the amount that MERALCO can receive for a fifteen (15) year period of operation, i.e. P67.36 Million-applying the RORB formula with an estimated fifteen (15) years project duration.

4.06.

Notably, under the Performance Based Regulation, which is the methodology adopted by the ERC, the principles of reasonable costs and reasonable returns as laid down in the EPIRA is upheld. The Amended Distribution Services and Open Access Rules (DSOAR) - in relation to the Rules for Setting Distribution Wheeling Rates (RDWR), provide: 5.3 DISTRIBUTION UTILITIES OPERTING UNDER THE RDWR 5.3.1 GENERAL The focus of these provisions is primarily rate design under the RDWR; that is, the allocation of revenue requirements to Customer Segments and the conversion of the revenue requirement for a particular Customer Segment into various rate elements paid monthly by the customers within that customer segment.

The RDWR provides flexibility to expeditiously adjust rates between Regulatory Resets subject to a maximum average price (“MAP”). The MAP is a company-wide measure without much constraint on individual rate elements. The intent in granting such flexibility is to promote efficient DU operations; however, the Commission also intends to ensure that use of such flexibility adheres to the policies set forth in the EPIRA. Specifically, all DUs shall only charge rates that reflect the cost-based unbundled structure set forth in the UFR. At no time may costs or revenues

that should be recovered from one unbundled function be shifted onto other unbundled functions. The rate design shall be free of inter-class subsidies. That is, costs or revenues that should be recovered from one customer segment shall not intentionally be shifted onto other customer segments. The Side Constraints set forth in 5.17 of the RDWR shall not be used to justify the shifting of revenues from one customer segment to other customer segments.

The RDWR applies only to privately owned Distribution Utilities that have commenced the Regulatory Reset Process and are therefore defined as Regulated Entities in terms of the RDWR. It determines the manner in which the maximum electricity distribution wheeling rates for providing Regulated Distribution Services may be charged by Regulated Entities and the Performance Incentive Scheme to be implemented under PBR. The RDWR describes a form of, Performance Based Regulation (PBR) for Regulated Distribution Services. Fundamentally, it sets a cap on the maximum average rates for providing distributing wheeling services. This price cap is set for each Regulated Entity to allow them to recover efficient expenditure only and provide an appropriate return to investors in the Regulated Distribution Systems.

In addition, built-in incentives exist to further improve the efficiency of operating and capital expenditures, as well as network and service performance levels.

Regulation occurs in four-year periods and the annual average price-caps are set in accordance with the actual Philippines consumer price index (CPI) and Philippine Peso/US dollar exchange rate experienced over the Regulatory Period, modified by an efficiency factor (X-factor) that is determined in terms of the RDWR. This is a variant of the “CPI-X” form of regulation.” (Emphasis supplied) 4.07.

Thus, in light of all the foregoing, the waiver of the remaining balance of distribution wheeling fees still being charged to MEl is clearly warranted as its previous payments has already more than complied with what the EPIRA mandates. It should no longer be held liable thereto.

4.08.

Indeed, to make MEl continue paying the distribution wheeling charges is what would go against the EPIRA with its express condition of, and emphasis on, the reasonableness of the costs and returns of the distribution utility.

To compel MEl to pay the remaining distribution wheeling charges in the huge amount of P34,501,920.04 will hasten the company’s financial hemorrhage and threaten its business survival.

5.01.

MEl fast-tracked the revival and rehabilitation of the Navotas plant (MGTPP) upon the DOE’s urgent plea in 2014 to ensure that there will be enough electricity for the coming year 2015, particularly during its summer months where demand was anticipated to spike and traditionally does spike-and therefore prevent costly power interruptions due to supply lack.

5.02.

But in heeding the government’s call, MEl not only had to incur, in addition to rehabilitation costs, almost P50 Million to fix the Navotas plant, it had to pay distribution wheeling charges to MERALCO to be able to export the energy the plant generates using the latter’s distribution facilities.

5.03.

Before entering into the Distribution Wheeling Service Agreement (DWSA), however, MEl had already aired, and communicated to MERALCO, its concerns regarding the distribution wheeling charges in its letter dated 18 February 2015, a copy of which is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex “H”: “1) On the required payment of a Bill DepositMEl is requesting for a waiver on the payment of the (security) bill deposit, equivalent to ‘1 month estimated billing for all DWS charges’, computed by Meralco in the amount PhP20MM, more or less, based on a projected plant capacity factor of 25%· Firstly, the projected capacity factor of 25% may be quite optimistic and unrealistic, because’ the Millennium Gas Turbine Power Plant (MGTPP) is a peaking plant, not a base load plant, and as such, it will most probably be operating only during the peak hours of the current year’s anticipated critical period and the succeeding summer months/ dry season thereafter, clearly not on a 24/ 7 period. Hence, it will be impossible to reach such a high capacity factor of 25%.

Secondly, the required bill deposit is simply too difficult for the MEI to shoulder, considering many costs and expenses it has already shouldered pursuant to the MGTPP rehabilitation project, in line with its commitment to the Department of Energy (DOE) to help provide additional capacity for the coming dry season, where power supply is projected to be precariously tight.

If total waiver of the bill deposit payment is not possible, then at the very least, a mitigation of the total amount of the 1-time bill deposit is requested, so that said amount may be used may be used for other equally important purposes for the completion and commissioning of the MGTPP project.

2) On the payment of the Guaranteed Minimum Billing Demand (GMBD) and other wheeling charges and fees The MEl is likewise requesting for the waiver of the wheeling charges, most especially the GMBD, for the same reasons as stated in Item 1. Indeed, the payment of such charges can possibly lead to higher electricity costs at the expense of the end user/ general public who will be made to eventually shoulder the burden of paying the same. Certainly, both parties do not want a backlash from the general public because of this matter.

Again, if total waiver is not possible, then the MEl is requesting for a mitigation of payment of the GMBD to a more reasonable amount or level, especialiy during the critical period so as to give the MEl a reprieve from payment of the same. Moreover, during the months where the MGTPP will most likely not run because of low demand for electricity, the payment of the GMBD should be totally dispensed with.”

5.04.

And even though adjustments were made, MEl’s apprehensions remained. However, with the hot summer months fast approaching and impelled by public interest and the DOE’s encouragement, MEl signed the DWSA despite its misgiving. It had hardly a choice considering the Navotas plant is an embedded generator within the franchise area of MERALCO and therefore had to go through its distribution facilities in order to export its generated energy.

5.05. But throughout the term of the DWSA. the Navotas plant was called to run or dispatch energy only a few times -leading to a very low capacity factor of 1.58% in 2015 and 0.28% in the first quarter of 2016.

5.06.

Nonetheless, MEl diligently and in utmost good faith tried to pay MERALCO’s distribution wheeling charges even when it was losing --and did so until it could really no longer afford to do so.

5.07. During the ten-month commercial operations of MGTPP, particularly for the period from 26 May 2015 to 25 March 2016,

total revenues from sale of power to WESM amounted to One Hundred Thirty One Million One Hundred Fifty Six Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety Five and 52/100 Pesos (P131,156,995,52) while direct generation costs (including distribution wheeling charges, among others) totaled Three Hundred Eighty Foul’ Million Four Hundred Seventy Nine Thousand Five Hundred Sixty Two and 4/100 Pesos (P384,479,562,04). Hence, gross loss amounted to Two Hundred Fifty Three Million Three Hundred Twenty Two Thousand Five Hundred Sixty Six and 52/ 100 (P253,322,566.52). A copy of the statement of gross loss is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex “JJ”.

transmission substation down the line to the distribution network of Meralco franchise area, it makes corresponding dispatches that in reality were unnecessary.

7.07.

Therefore, there is a need to revisit the Market Network Model integrating the whole Meralco Network model in the WESM system in order to reflect the correct constraint or congestion in the market and eventually the corresponding market price.

End Note: Leveling the playing-fieldhence, the call for the ERC’s intervention.

5.08.

The foregoing notwithstanding, as MEl had repeatedly pointed out, its payments already covered what MERALCO has spent for this project including reasonable rate of return.

8.01.

MEl does not deny signing the DWSA --which was necessary for it to heed the government’s urgent plea for more energy mindful as it was to prevent a repeat of the November and December 2013 price hike debacle.

5.09.

Consequently, with the substantial payments of MEl, being enough for MERALCO to recover its cost and even earn revenue -compounded by the serious financial losses suffered by MEl to the point of threatening its viability as a business the remaining distribution wheeling charges should justifiably be waived.

8.02.

The emergency passed, MEl was not used that much during the so-called emergency yet it remained stuck with the DWSA and all the financial btu’dens that it entailed.

Waiver of the remaining distribution wheeling charges imposed on MEl does not amount to discrimination; neither would it result in cross-subsidization.

8.03.

Thus, the call for the Honorable Commission’s intervention in order to achieve a level playing field -one that takes into account the consumer gets the best possible service at the cheapest cost possible but without driving the generators into bankruptcy -it cannot be denied they have to make money to continue operating, and as they look forward likewise to be of better service and earn a little more for projected capital expense for continuity and to maintain its relevance in the energy sector.

6.01.

MERALCO alleged that it could not waive payment of distribution wheeling charges because to do so would supposedly lead to cross-subsidies, which is prohibited under the EPIRA. “Inter-Class Cross Subsidy” is defined as “an amount charged by distribution utilities to industrial and commercial end-users as well as to other subsidizing customer sector’s in order to reduce electricity rates of other customer sectors such as the residential end-users, hospitals and streetlights”.4

V. APPLICATION FOR INTERlM RELIEF 9.01.

MEl’s Navotas plant or MGITP is a certified Fast-Start Capable Unit.5 However, MEl is not financially able’ to deliver its. embedded plant capacity to the WESM through MERALCO’s distribution system, with all the concomitant financial impositions that this entails.

6.02.

MEl, however, asserts that since MERALCO has recouped its costs and earned revenue from the payments already made

by MEl for distribution wheeling services, there could not be any cross-subsidization in this instance as there would be nothing to subsidize.

9.02.

MEl, therefore, most respectfully applies and moves for interim relief preventing Meralco from cutting off MEl’s Navotas plant or MGTPP from its system and allowing the said plant to export its energy using MERALCO’s distribution system pending resolution of this dispute in the event the MGTPP is called upon to run or be dispatched to help address or resolve any shortage in the supply of electricity. However, to make MEl viable, it must not be charged distribution wheeling fees because even if dispatched it cannot afford the wheeling charges, much so if not dispatched at all.

6.03.

The computation for the distribution wheeling charge is based on maximum average price which is defined as annual revenue requirement (ARR) over energy delivered. Since the investment cost of MERALCO has already been paid, it will not be included in the list of assets in the ARR to be recovered. And, therefore, without an asset to be recovered there is no basis to recover from other MERALCO customers if MERALCO waives payment of tbe remainder of the distribution wheeling charges of MEl.

9.03.

Indeed, MERALCO has said that it has not cut off the MGTPP from its distribution system but there is nothing final there -as it could do so at any time, especially considering that the parties had not been able to resolve their dispute on the subject distribution wheeling charges.

6.04. Too, granting the waiver of the distribution wheeling charges will not lead to discrimination. To illustrate, although also an embedded generator within the MERALCO franchise, Therma Mobile Inc. (TMO) cannot be deemed similarly situated with MEl because TMO has a power supply agreement with MERALCO while MEl does not. As provided in the Amended DSOAR:

9.04.

In applying for this, MEl is not thinking of self-interest.

The core interest here is the public’s. With MEl’s connection to MERALCO’s system intact, this will allow the MGTPP to be on standby and be available to supply when the public demand requires it or when needed to augment power supply, such as, or especially, in instances of national significance or during critical periods.

“1.5 NONDISCRIMINATION All DUs shall make available upon reasonable request all regulated services at rates, terms and conditions that a,’e duly approved by the ERC and shall not unjustly or unreasonably discriminate in the rates, terms, and conditions of service to similarly situated customers. xxx xxx xxx” (Emphasis supplied)

9.05.

This is demonstrated in DOE Department Circular No. DC 2016-01-0001 entitled “Creating A Power Task Force Election 2016 to Ensure Adequate and Reliable Electric Power Supply Before, During and After the May 9,2016 National and Local Elections” which provides in its Whereas Clauses that the DOE, as part of its mandate “deems it necessary to adopt measure to ensure provision of stable and continuous supply of power during the national and local elections starting from May 2, 2016 until the termination or conclusion of the canvassing of votes and the proclamation of the winning candidates”. The DOE specifically tasked Distribution Utilities to “ensure availability and reliability of embedded generators within their franchise area, if any” (Section 3, DUs, par. 6). A copy of the said DOE Circular is hereto attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex ”KK”.

6.05.

Stated differently, the similarity between MEl and TMO as embedded generators require that they be treated the same way. If TMO does not pay wheeling charges, neither should MEl. Indeed, MEl and TMO are dissimilar in another light TMO has a contract, it was able to make projections on its costs versus its income and tbe fact that MEl does not have a supply contract put it in gross and unreasonable disadvantage that it is easy to conclude there is greater reason to dispense with MEl’s wheeling charges.

6.06.

Hence, neither cross-subsidization nor discrimination applies in MEl’s particular case and are not hindrances to the waiver of the remainder of the distribution wheeling fees charged.

9.06.

Attached hereto and made an integral part hereof as Annex “LL” is the supporting Affidavit of Antonio O. Mercado, the Tariff and Regulatory Manager of MEl.

Revisit the rules, rates and charges of distribution wheeling services taking into consideration the peculiarities of embedded generators.

PRAYER

7.01.

MERALCO insisted that the amount of distribution wheeling charges it has imposed on MEl are ERC-approved and are what is charged on all embedded generators using its distribution system to export and sell its power in the WESM .

WHEREFORE, petitioner, MILLENNIUM ENERGY INC., respectfully prays that the Honorable Commission render judgment:

7.02.

But there lies the problem. The embedded generators are taken as a single class -and all of them seemingly similarlysituated. However, it is undeniable that different generators or power plants have different peculiarities: peaking plants, base load plants, renewable energy plants, oilbased plants, coal plants, plants with power supply agreements and those which sell wholly in the WESM, among others. And the Honorable Commission had come out with issuances that took cognizance of these differences such as exemptions of renewable energy generators from distribution wheeling charges and additional compensation for oil-based plants under the secondary price cap rules.

7.03.

To reiterate, TMO and MEl may seem similarly situated but, in fact, they are not because MEl does not have a power supply contract with MERALCO unlike TMO. 7.04.

Given this milieu, and as exemplified by MEl’s case, there is a necessity for revisiting the charges for distribution wheeling services and the rules and rates for setting distribution wheeling charges for emhedded generators especially considering that the distribution wheeling rates that took effect starting 1 July 2015 were only provisional [ERC Case No. 2015-112 RC filed by MERALCO entitled “In the Matter of the Application for Approval of: (A) An Interim Average Rate; and (B) Translation of the Interim Average Rate Into Distribution Rates for its Various Customer Classes, With Prayer for the Issuance of a Provisional Authority)”]. Similarly, ERC CASE NO. 2014-029 RC entitled “In the Matter of the Application for Approval of: (A) Maximum Average P”ice (MAP)for the Regulatory Year 2015 (RY 2015); and (B) Translation of the MAP for RY 2015 Into Distribution Rates for its Various Customer Classes, With Prayer for Provisional Authority”, on which the distribution wheeling rates from March 2015 to June 2015 were based, were likewise provisional only.

7.05.

Moreover, one of the problems that MEI/MGTPP has, with its connection with Meralco distribution grid is the prevalent order of dispatches which were paid with lower market price than its offered prices due to issuance of Pricing Error Notice (PEN), or Price Substitution Methodology (PSM) or Market Re Run (MRR) by the WESM. Usually, the issuances of PEN, or PSM, and MRR are attributed to artificial congestions/ constraints in the Meralco grid which are not included or integrated in the market dispatch optimization model of WESM. Upon calculating the unconstrained or uncongested network the market price was corrected or substituted and resulted to lower market price compared to the operating costs of MGTPP. For example, on May 26,2015 interval1100H, the MGTPP was dispatcbed at 11.57MW but it was tagged as Pricing Error Notice (PEN) with the price P / MWh 800,000.00 but after correction in the Final Settlement Data the nodal price was P/ MWh 5,593.12. Likewise another example for the delivery day of June 26, 2015 at interval 1000H, the MGTPP was dispatched at 67.97 MW and it was tagged again as PEN at the price of P/ MvVh 712,783.13 and later corrected after issuance of Final Settlement, the nodal price was P /MWh 5,925.04.

7.06.

These price corrections result from congestion in MERALCO franchise area wherein there is a localized contingency constraint on Zapote transformer & Balintawak transformer.

This congestion is invisible from the SO (System Operator) and because the SO does not see the congestion at the bottom of the

A.

Granting MEl’s application for interim relief preventing Meralco from cutting off MEl’s Millennium Gas Turbine Power Plant (MGTPP) from its distribution system and allowing the said Plant to export its energy using MERALCO’s distribution system pending resolution of this dispute in the event the MGTPP is called upon to run or dispatched to help address or resolve any shortage in the supply of electricity, without being charged distribution wheeling fees;

B.

Declaring MEl not liable for the unpaid billings amounting to P34,501,920.04 and ordering MERALCO to make the proper refunds to MEl as may be justified by the circumstances.

C.

Fixing distribution wheeling charges that take into account the peculiarities of the embedded generators, grouping them together as may be warranted by circumstances.

Other relief just and equitable under the premises are likewise prayed for.

The Commission has set the Petition for evidentiary hearing on the Application for Interim Relief on 1 July 2016 (Friday) at ten o’clock in the morning (10:00 a.m.) at the ERC Hearing 15th Room, Floor, Pacific Center Building, San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City.

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the proceeding may become a party by fili ng, 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 o( 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 tile 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 Petition or comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before the conclusion of the Parties’ presentation of evidence. No particular form of opposition or comment is required, but the document, letter or writing should contain the name and address of sllch person and a concise statement of the opposition or comment and the grounds relied upon.

WITNESS, the Honorable Chairman, JOSE VICENTE B. SALAZAR, and the Honorable Commissioners, ALFREDO J. NON, GLORIA VICTORIA C. YAP-TARUC, JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGPALE-ASIRIT, and GERONIMO D. STA. ANA, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 18th day of May 2016 in Pasig City.

ATTY. NATHAN J. MARASIGAN Chief of Staff Office of the Chairman and CEO 1 2 3 4 5

Formerly known as “HOPEWELL Power Plant”.

Please see Annex “B”.

Frontier Economics, “Review of the treatment of embedded generation, Report Prepared for the Energy Market Authority and the Economic Development Board”, July 2006. p. 13.

R.A. No. 9136 (EPIRA), Chapter l. Section ... (cc).

Annex “F” (TS-JUNE 19, 2016)

B8

S U N D AY : J U N E 1 9, 2 0 1 6

RIERA U. MALLARI EDITOR sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS

AIRA MEDRANO

GIRL POWER IN VIOS CUP

Aira Medrano paces the field.

Text and photos by Ramon D. Boado

O

NCE in a while, a female driving champ captures the imagination of the racing scene.

Alexandra Romaine C. Medrano is that lady champ.

In the tradition of female speedsters such as Michele Bumgarner and Gaby dela Merced, Medrano burst into big-time racing with a virtuoso performance during the final race of the Promotional Class of the 2016 Vios Cup 3’s Round 2.

“Winning in a race is surreal,” said 19-year-old Medrano, who goes by the nickname Aira. “In motorsports racing, the level of nervousness and excitement at the same time is so intense that sometimes, I just hear my own heartbeat. Even though motorsports is a dangerous sport, I still like to take the risk and be part of the action.

Whenever I put on my helmet and get inside the car, the feeling is always sublime. My favorite part in racing is winning and finishing the race in one piece.”

Sports is an integral part of the life of this architecture student from the College of St. Benilde.

She used to be a varsity swimmer and a karter, a 2009 champion at that in the Cadet Babyrok Class and a 2010 1st runner-up in the Mini Rok Class. She then tried to remove the sporting lifestyle she was accustomed to when she entered college, but to no avail.

“When I got into college I

stopped doing both sports and tried to focus on studying. I realized if I will get back to swimming, it will be hard for me because of the early morning trainings and sleepless nights because of my course. Then Vios Cup happened,” Medrano said. “My father influenced me to join motorsports ever since my karting days. Then, I told my parents that I want to join the Vios Cup because I miss racing.”

So far, it was the right decision.

During the final heat of the Vios Cup’s Round 2 in Filinvest recently, Medrado, carrying the banner of Toyota Alabang Racing Team, stunned Round 1 champ Mark Martinez, who was also the overall points’ leader in the Promotional Class. At the same time, she also beat Cebu Racing Team’s Bobby Pangilinan.

During the race, Medrano simply stuck behind Martinez for majority of the race.

When she saw an opening in the last four laps, Medrano deftly steered her racing machine to the lead and kept it all the way to the finish, winning impressively by a margin of four cars.

“Racing really improves and builds up my character as a person. Through racing, I taught myself to fight and be stronger and to conquer my fears, because in racing. it’s a

matter of life and death. Racing boosts up my confidence and self-esteem that even though I’m a girl, I still have to believe in myself that I can do anything. Discipline and focus in racing is very important because you have to communicate with your car not just to yourself. Sportsmanship, because win or lose you have to accept it. I learn from my mistakes and move on, I take it as a lesson. Errors and mistakes are all right even in life,” said Medrano, who incidentally, idolizes both Bumgarner and Dela Merced.

“There are two women that I idolize in motorsports racing.

Ever since I started karting, Michelle Bumgarner became my inspiration. It is because when I was still in fun karts and not yet competing, my father introduced to me that there is a lady driver in the Philippines. Then, I heard of Gaby Dela Merced and she really rocks because of the way she slays her other male competitors and from that moment I told myself that I want to be like her in the future.”

Medrano may be an intense competitor at the racecourse, but off it, she is still the typical teenager, the girl next door who is the crush of young neighborhood boys.

“I’m optimistic and a happy go lucky person,” said Medrano, who loves reading books, watching movies and TV series, swimming, synchronized swimming, collecting and solving Rubik’s Cube.

With her recent Vios Cup conquest, Medrano said she has to learn to manage her time.

Aira Medrano dedicates her win to father Larry on Father’s Day.

‘Dedication in this sport is important because you have to do what you love and love what you do.’

“Balancing school and racing is quite hard especially that I’m in college now and the course that I’m currently taking. Sometimes, I have to be absent in my classes just for our training, but I make sure that I do my homework or plates before I go out at the race track. I even think it’s an

advantage for me because I get to finish my schoolworks earlier and it lets me push myself to study more, so for my reward I get to practice.

One month at least is our preparation for our races.”

Like many speedsters and champs before her, Medrano’s dream is to become a

Formula 1 driver someday.

“In formula racing, you’re much more direct or connected with the car and it has more thrill. But one step at a time because I’m already living my dream. I’m not really sure what will happen to me in the future as a motorsports athlete,” she said.

For now, she wants “to train more with my team because I still have a lot to learn from them and have a connection with my car. I want to stop the gender discrimination and to prove that women can drive and also race. I also want to influence and be an inspiration to others. Dedication in this sport is important because you have to do what you love and love what you do, and that also applies in my studies. I learned that one mistake can make a huge difference.”

S U N D AY : J U N E 1 9, 2 0 1 6

TATUM ANCHETA EDITOR

BING PAREL

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

BERNADETTE LUNAS WRITER

life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

S U NDAY L IF E

LIFE

C1

DOTING DADS HOW YOUNG FATHERS ARE TRAVERSING THE JOURNEY OF FATHERHOOD

T

here are only a few jobs in this world that are more difficult than the full-time position of being a father. As the “man of the house,” dads are expected to provide for the family while making sure that they take the lead in shaping their kids into becoming the best individuals they can possibly be.

The Standard Life talks to five young dads about their parenting styles to find out how this young generation of fathers are raising a new generation of children.

RJ LEDESMA'S SUIT BY ZARA MEN MARS MIRANDA'S DENIM TOP AND BOMBER JACKET BY ZARA MEN

Continued on C2

C2

S U N D AY : J U N E 1 9, 2 0 1 6

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

DOTING DADS...

was in love with the Church. I think the best that he gave me was to also make me feel the love for our Church as well.

In these different communities, I’m also involved so it helps me as a parent, as a husband, as a son, as a brother, I think that’s very important.

From C1

RJ LEDESMA, 42 Entrepreneur, events host and TV presenter Fortune, 7; R3, 4, and soon-to-be born son Lorenzo What three words best describe you as a father?

I think the first one is doting father.

I like to be there for them for whatever activities they have. The reason I like being an entrepreneur is that it gives me a chance to go to activities which you normally don’t go to if you were a night father.

The next one is I’m a fun dad who can still get along with them, understand what they think and be with them to enjoy.

For the last one, I’d like to think that I’m a dad who inspires them, who knows the difference between saying, “You have to be the best” and “I want you to be the best that you can be.”

What’s the first thought that crossed your mind when you first saw your child?

I was there in the delivery room, and I remember tears of joy coming out of my face and then saying, “Look, she’s kulot!”

It’s an instant connection when you see your first child. You know she can’t see you but you’re looking deeply into the pools that are her eyes and I remember writing a column about this one and said that if you learn to love your wife infinitely, you’ll never know that infinity can be doubled when you see the birth of your child.

GP REYES, 41 Creative director and bar owner Olivia, one year and two months What three words best describe you as a father?

Awesome, devoted and doting.

What’s the first thing that came to your mind when you saw your child?

For me, it was a miracle. When I cradled Olivia in my arms for the first time, it was really when I stared at her, it was like staring at the eyes of God because for me, it made me closer to God. I’m not really a very very religious person, in fact I can be an asshole most of the time, but I think for the first time in my life, I realized that this couldn’t be of my own doing. It made me realize that there’s a higher power somewhere, and that higher power is the reason why we have this child.

What’s the best part of being a father?

I think the best part of being a father is being part of all (the children’s) lives. When they need you, you’re there, being present for them, being there for their good times or their bad times and knowing that they will rely on you and they will talk to you.

They want your opinion when you see them grow. I think that’s the best part.

Who’s your role model when it comes to fatherhood?

I guess the best one would be my dad, seeing how he raised us. You kind of find that balance between the values you set for your own family from what you’ve learned from your respective family. You raise them based on what you think is best for yours and I think so it’s a bit of from my dad, from her dad, from my parents, what you

What’s the best part of being a father?

The most challenging?

The best part of being a father is everything. I mean, it’s made me a better person; it’s made me a more patient person.

I think having a daughter is different from having a son. Being a former bad boy and a club owner, we have a certain kind of lifestyle that we’ve lived for a long time. If I had a son, I would probably pass on the bad boy traits that I know. But me having a daughter kind of made me realize that okay, take a step back. Like when I look at a girl now in a club, I think, “Oh, that could be my daughter.”

The challenging things would probably come when she’s of age and I have to bring out my shotgun and wait for the boys to come out, because I know how boys think, so I’ve gotten the proper ninongs, all the ninongs that I’ve gotten from Louie Ysmael to Manolet Dario, the people that I got as ninongs will

watch on TV, what you read and you see, all the good examples for the kids.

What’s the best lesson you learned from your dad?

It’s discipline. I guess from my dad, I really learned many things. He was a very disciplinarian dad and was also an encouraging dad at the same time. What I am right now is a result of how he was like raising me through the combination of being very strict and at the same time being very encouraging for the things which I did, like public speaking and writing, which he encouraged. I wouldn’t be the multi-tasking man I am right now if he wasn’t there.

I think I also learned from him to be a God-fearing person. He was a very good example to me growing of a man who

make sure to back me up with the boys when they start knocking on the door.

Who’s your role model when it comes to fatherhood?

I wasn’t fortunate enough to have a good father. They can say that my dad was a dick.

My parents separated about 15 years ago, so the best role model that I have was really my mom. On this Father’s Day, I’d like to wish my mom a happy Father’s Day because she was the best father to us. We were six kids and I was the oldest of the six kids. And my mom pretty much single-handedly raised us, so I think that she would be the best role model for me.

What’s the best lesson you learned from your dad – or in this case, your mom?

From my mom, I learned patience, working hard, and devoting yourself completely to one’s children. My mom was so selfless that she had to forego her happiness and her own dreams to raise us all. So basically, she had so many dreams but she had to stick it out with my father until my last brother graduated from high school.

Do you have any resentment towards your father?

Yes, obviously I do. I think my father wasn’t really a good dad; he was verbally abusive, not physically abusive, to my mother. He was gone most of the time and they weren’t really a good couple together.

Basically, my mother decided to stay with him because of the kids, and then after that, she was the one who really raised us and then after they separated, me and my other brother, the one next to me, raised the other ones. So we were kind of fathers already, so it was a good exercise for me throughout the years, because it helped me learn how to be a dad.

What’s the lesson you learned from your parents that you want to impart to your kids?

I think it’s more of the value of things.

We were never really given stuff, and we

What lessons did you learn from your parents that you also wish to impart to your kids?

You pick up the best that they have to give you and there are things that you learn later on like business, finance, raising kids.

You can agree or not agree with them but it’s good that they give you that space so that you could also discern for yourself.

There are things I might not agree with regard to how I was raised, but the more important thing is if you were raised in an atmosphere of love, compassion, forgiveness and understanding. Now that you are a parent you have the same perspective of saying, “Ah, that’s why I was raised this way.” Each child is different, and I’m realizing that now. It’s only now that I get to appreciate what an effort my parents made. I’m just as human as them and they are just human as me, they make mistakes, too. Raising the kids, they were just like me. We can’t fail them for that when they tried their best.

How are bonding moments spent?

I do a fair amount of travelling because of my hosting or other types of work and I like to bring the whole family with me. I make it a point so that we form great moments with the kids. As much as possible I try to take them out for movie dates, pizza dates or we take them to amusement parks, all these things.

had to work for it. It was also a function of how things were, family-wise. The only thing that my mom could ever give me was my education. Everything else, I had to work for on my own. She taught me the value of earning things through merit and not through just waiting for your lolo to die to inherit something. So I think that’s something that I’ll teach Olivia.

And the one thing that my mother taught me was that there’s no limit to what you can achieve once you put your mind to it.

How are bonding moments spent?

I sleep at 5:00 a.m. everyday. That’s really my schedule no matter what, whether I’m in the club or whatever.

Then I wake up at 1:00 p.m. then go to the office at 3:00 p.m., and then I stay in the office until 8:00 p.m. So what happens is, at 5 o’clock, I fall asleep and then at 6 o’clock Olivia wakes up. So for one hour, I sleep then I wake up and for about an hour she talks.

So I wake up and I play with her, so that’s my bonding moment with her. Then she goes downstairs, she eats breakfast, watches TV, and then I go back to sleep until 1:00 p.m.

Then I play with her again around lunchtime so that’s my bonding moment and then after that I go to work. When I get home, usually she’s already asleep.

Most of the times that we really bond, like truly bond – is when we travel, which we do quite a lot.

Any funny or memorable anecdote about being a father?

A funny anecdote is that I really refuse to change diapers. I’ve only done it once.

There’s one time where Andi was fixing the bath, and I was holding Olivia and then she took a crap all over me, so that’s funny anecdote. So that’s my karma for not wanting to change diapers.

Continued on C3

S U N D AY : J U N E 1 9, 2 0 1 6

C3

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

DOTING DADS...

From C2

@LIFEatStandard

HIDEO MURAOKA, 28 Model Daniela, 5 What three words best describe you as a father?

Communication, friendship, fun What’s the first thing that came to your mind when you saw your child?

When I saw Daniela, I only realized that I was a father when I saw her coming out, not when Fatima was pregnant. At that moment a mixture of feelings came to me – happiness, but also the weight of responsibility.

MARS MIRANDA, 38 Professional DJ Dylan, 12 and Adrianna, 2 What are the three words that best describe you as a father?

Learning something new.

What thought crossed your mind when you first saw your child?

The first time was we weren’t that prepared. So it’s like, what’s next? How do you – I mean, it just became real.

That’s what came into mind, like what do I do now? It’s like a commitment that’s forever, which lasts through the rest of your life. What do I do now? (I was 26 then.) For Adrianna, we were already prepared. We were happy to have her. We were prepared, we already knew what to expect. Adrianna is Nicole’s first, but me, I already knew what to expect more or less (because) I went through it already (with Dylan) so okay na. I was ready na.

What’s the best part of being a father?

What’s the most challenging?

The best part is the days spent at home just hanging out with them, just playing with them, having time for them. The challenging part is balancing work and

values as a foundation. I am a curious person, and I read a lot about the topics I like especially on personal development. I love the books of Brian Tracy, Jim Rohn, Darren Hardy and Ruben Alves (Brazilian poet, author and educator), and many others. I love feeding my mind with great content that I can use to impact my life and those around me.

What’s the best lesson you learned from your dad?

The best lesson that I learned from my father is that to be a real father, one must care about other people – and this represents one of life’s greatest values.

What’s the best part of being a father? What’s the most challenging?

The best part of being a father is that it pushes me to become a better person everyday. There is no greater leadership challenge than being a parent... And the most challenging aspect is time management between work, family and personal life. I believe the family and love must be cultivated like a garden, and time, effort, imagination and creativity must be summoned constantly to keep any relationship growing. For me love is expressed in actions and action is equal time spending together.

What lessons did your parents teach you that you wish to impart to your children?

Being a parent is very challenging and we all make mistakes. I read in many book that the best gift you can give your kids is to build (their) self-confidence and great self-esteem. This is my purpose as a father…

Everything else falls into place once I build great selfesteem in my daughter and work continuously on my personal growth. Kids do what they see, not what they hear. There for my personal growth is part of being a great daddy.

Aside from your own father, who is your role model when it comes to fatherhood?

I was raised by my grandmother but my father is a great man. He did the best he could to instill good

How are bonding moments spent with your kids?

I spend bonding time with my kid daily, because I believe that love and relationships take time, effort, love and imagination.

family time, providing as much as you can but at the same time it takes up your time. So it’s like (trying to) balance between doing stuff for them and being with them.

Who’s your role model when it comes to fatherhood?

My mom, because my dad passed away at an early age so mom tried to be both. I was nine when my dad passed away.

What’s the best lesson you learned from your dad?

I guess it’s to do everything for your family, do whatever needs to be done.

What lessons did you learn from your parents that you wish to impart to your child?

Growing up, my grandparents and my parents had a steady set of friends that they kept close. They just kept a group of friends that was like a support group – people that they trust like family, so that if something happened to them, these people will always be there for the family they would leave behind. I (had also) kept with one small set of friends throughout my entire life. I’d like my kids to choose their friends and make sure these friends will be there forever, for the rest of their lives.

How are bonding moments spent?

We do everything together. During the day (when) we don’t really have anything, we do breakfast, lunch,

What lesson did you learn from your parents that you wish to impart to your children?

I’ve always believed that life is a constant journey of learning and relearning.

To succeed, one should always keep focus; be optimistic; stay persistent and be patient.

GERWYN SEE, 36 Social Entrepreneur Miguel Antonio, 10; Rafael Alfonso, 6 and Francisco Efraim, 5 What three words best describe you as a father?

Cool, disciplinarian, superhero What’s the first thing that came to your mind when you saw your child?

It was so surreal. Seeing each of my boys for the very first time were experiences I just cannot quite explain.

I felt so overjoyed, lucky, and blessed.

I’ve always wanted a son, and now God gave me three of them. I suppose I’m just lucky.

What’s the best part of being a father?

The most challenging aspect?

The best part of being a dad is when you see in your boys’ eyes how proud they are to have you as their father. But the most challenging, I would say, is every time I would need to go against their will in my desire to teach them values of discipline and prudence. It breaks my heart whenever I break theirs.

dinner together. We do groceries together, we nap together. So it’s a lot of these, so there’s more bonding time than time away.

Aside from your own father, who is your role model when it comes to fatherhood?

I’m lucky to have two great father figures in my life. First is my father who taught me the value of simplicity and the practice of reasonable judgment. This has always been part of the fundamental

principles in which I stand by.

And there’s my father-in-law who laid the foundations for my enterprising mind. He shared with me essential values on family and entrepreneurship.

These are lessons that I share with my own kids.

How are bonding moments spent?

We love to travel as a family, and we love to frequent various beach destinations. The kids really enjoy this. But whether it be traveling, or just spending the weekends outdoors, or even catching up over movie dates, I always see to it that I take time to do things that they enjoy. I believe this makes each moment more memorable for them.

With three boys around, competition for parental attention can get so intense. This is why we have this rule that my wife, Sheryl, and I practice: We always see to it that, every now and then, we give each of the boys some dedicated time with us where he can enjoy our undivided attention. These include enjoying Sunday brunches, leisure time at the club, or even short travels. What’s important is the time spent to talk and trade stories, to get to know and understand each other better.

INTERVIEW BY BERNADETTE LUNAS / PHOTOS BY STAR SABROSO / CREATIVE DIRECTION BY TATUM ANCHETA / STYLING BY KIM BARIK / MAKEUP BY KAY ARIAS / HAIR BY KENNETH JAYAN AND MARY JANE AGATON OF CREATIONS BY LOURD RAMOS SALON / SHOT ON LOCATION AT NEW WORLD WORLD HOTEL MAKATI

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7:33 PM

SUNDAY : J UNE 19, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

C5

Powerhouse comedians in GMA-7’s newest sitcom

H

ome to the best family sitcoms in the country, GMA Network launches its newest comedy series Hay Bahay!, which premieres tonight.

Hay Bahay! shows the daily life of a typical Filipino family. It stars Philippine showbiz’s biggest names in comedy and 47th Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation (GMMSF) Box Office King and Queen Bossing Vic Sotto and Aiai delas Alas.

The series also marks Kristine Hermosa’s much-awaited TV comeback as she takes the role of Batch, the loving wife of Yoyo, played by her

“Hay Bahay!” cast members: (from left) Wally Bayola, AiAi delas Alas, Kristine Hermosa, Oyo Boy Sotto, Vic Sotto and Jose Manalo

“Hay Bahay!” stars AiAi delas Alas (left) and Vic Sotto (right)

real-life beau Oyo Sotto. In the story, the newlyweds Batch and Yoyo purchase a wellfurnished house with three huge bedrooms and a spacious living room situated in a prime location at a very low price. However, the house was sold relatively cheap because the people who built it mistakenly had just one toilet in the entire house.

The couple did not regret their impulsive decision of purchasing the house since it is near transportation facilities and nested in a safe neighborhood. They plan to renovate their property and realize the need to rent out the two vacant rooms to save up, finish paying their loan, and proceed with the renovation.

First to move in a tenant is food-blogger and bachelor, Vio (Vic Sotto), who is excessively obsessed with cleanliness, followed by the painfully sloppy and untidy events coordinator Lav (Ai-Ai delas Alas). With their opposite personalities, the two develop an unfriendly relationship and they

Father’s Day with ‘Padre De Familia’ via KBO on ABS-CBN TVplus A movie date at home with dad and the entire family is the perfect way to celebrate Father’s Day today as ABS-CBN TVplus airs Padre de Familia, a moving story about fatherhood.

Families can catch the story of Aida (Nora Aunor) and son Noel (Coco Martin) as they take on the role and responsibility of a father who disappears as he set out to work overseas.

For only P30, the entire family can catch Padre de Familia as well as other movies like She’s Dating The Gangster, Beauty In A Bottle, and the Hollywood film Passengers.

The movie screening on KBO this week also includes a catch-up marathon of Dolce Amore.

To enjoy a movie bonding with the family this weekend, load P30 on your ABSCBNmobile prepaid SIM and use it to register by texting KBO30 <SPACE> JUNE18 <SPACE> TVplus box ID to 2131.

To know the seven-character box ID, press the INFO button of the TVplus remote control. Once a text confirmation is received, press SCAN on the TVplus remote control to activate KBO on the ABSCBN TVplus’ 7th channel. For remote controls without a SCAN button, press the MAIL button. KBO logo will be displayed on the 7th channel after scanning.

Nora Aunor (center) and Coco Martin (below her) in “Padre de Pamilia”

Celebrate Father’s Day and show dad that you love him only with the Kapamilya Box Office of ABS-CBN TVplus. For more information on weekly movie line-up,

visit tvplus.abs-cbn.com and follow ABSCBN TVplus on Facebook.

For inquiries, text KBO <SPACE> HELP to 23661.

eventually plot strategies to throw each other out of the house.

Helping Vio to piss off Lav is his cousin Mael (Jose Manalo), a TNT (tago ng tago) overseas but had been deported back to the Philippines. He assists Vio in cooking for his food blog. Lav has a half-brother and aspiring comedian, Sikat (Wally Bayola) who colludes with her in challenging Vio’s attacks. Meanwhile, Nenuca (Ruby Rodriguez), Batch’s meddling mother adds to the household problems rather than offering solutions. She joins the riot once she learns that her daughter is pregnant.

What will happen in a house full of clashing personalities? Who wins among the tenants? Will Yoyo and Batch achieve peace and order in their warm and accommodating, but lacking house?

Written and directed by Bibeth Orteza, the wackiest sitcom on GMA, Hay Bahay! debuts tonight after 24 Oras Weekend only on GMA.

‘Fête de la Musique’ in Manila The Alliance Française de Manille, the Embassy of France to the Philippines, the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines, in partnership with B-Side Productions, present the 22nd Edition of the Fête de la Musique in Manila.

The music festival opened simultaneously yesterday at both the A-Venue Mall Parking Lot and the Greenbelt 3 Parking Lot. The celebration will continue on its second day on June 23, 2016 at the Puerta Real Gardens in Intramuros.

Joining these main stages are over 20 pocket venues around the metro which will cater to all musical genres for a complete musical experience.

This year, the festival is headlined by the Philippines’ finest bands and musicians such as Up Dharma Down, Kjwan, Pupil, Imago, Yolanda Moon, Bituin Escalante, Kat Agarrado (of Sinosikat), Gabby Alipe (of Urbandub), and many more.

Also joining us for this celebration is French singer, composer, and YoutTube sensation, Nathan Zanagar.

For 22 years now, Fête de la Musique in Manila has been showcasing the best that the Philippine music scene has to offer, in the spirit of the French ideals of liberty, equality, and brotherhood.

C6

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S UNDAY : J UNE 19, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

VIVA LAUNCHES CELESTIAL MOVIES PINOY

f you look at the growing pay TV landscape, you will see that there is a strong demand for movie channels, particularly those that have been localized or sub-titled. Creating this demand is the acceptance of movies from different countries not only Hollywood, bringing down culture and language barriers.

To address this, Viva Communications, Inc. (VCI), in partnership with Celestial Tiger Entertainment, launched Celestial Movies Pinoy (CMP), a 24hour pay TV channel featuring Chinese films dubbed in Tagalog.

VCI President and COO Vicente del Rosario III notes the success of the earlier launched Tagalized Movie Channel (October 2014), which also airs foreign films dubbed in Tagalog, “as a testament to a demand for Tagalized content.”

Celestial Movies Pinoy showcases the biggest blockbusters and the biggest stars in Asia. It combines the well-loved classics from past decades with their signature martial arts and fight sequences and the latest hit movies. CMP covers all film genres as well, from drama to romcom, action to thrillers – there’s something for every movie lover on the channel.

Airing this month is a great line-up – Somewhere Only We Know (2015) starring Kris Wu, who has already filmed nine movies in just two years, Blind

Kris Wu , star of Chinese romantic drama “Somewhere Only We Know”

Fan Bing Bing in a scene from the a Chinese wuxia-fantasy 3D film

Huang Xiaoming in “The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom”

Detective (2013) starring Andy Lau, My Lucky Star (2013) starring Zhang Zi Yi, and White-Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom (2014) starring the multi-awarded actress Fan Bing Bing who joins costar Huang Xiaoming (Zhuo Yihang) since their 2010 movie.

“Now that I have worked closely with him, I can declare he is my model actor...

Through his eyes, I can hear him telling me to jiayou [do your best],” she said.

Huang Xiaoming, on the other hand, was impressed with her devotion to the role. “She had to film a scene where water was poured onto her. Although it was winter and she was wearing thin clothing, she tolerated the cold.”

Celestial Movies Pinoy can be seen on channel 12 on Cignal and will soon be available across pay TV stations nationwide.

Action-packed Father’s Day entertainment via Sky Select Surprise dad with an entire month’s access to a special selection of awesome and actionpacked channels available via SKY Select, SKY’s value added service, for a special Father’s Day celebration.

SKY Select gives the power to choose more channels from a wide range of options to add to a basic SKYcable and Destiny Cable digital subscription plan – whether it’s movies, sports, kiddie shows, learning, lifestyle, music, news, and even Asian programming.

Dads are in for a great treat as SKY Select offers a variety of

channels that focus on sports, outdoor adventures, and movies for as low as P20 every month.

A must-have is the NBA Premium TV to get front row access to the much-awaited showdown between the Golden State warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA finals.

Guaranteed to give dad a thrilling time are sports channels in his selection including the Fox Sports Pack, the world’s biggest sports network to catch the opening games of the Wimbledon starting June 28 and the US Open USGA until June 20.

Setanta Sports also lets dad catch sports tournaments from

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ANSWER PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Waistcoats 6 Tehran tongue 11 Touch base (2 wds.)

16 Hockey feint 20 Coupon of yore (2 wds.)

21 On — — (hot) 22 Minneapolis exurb 23 From the U.S. 24 Bright star 25 Hiker’s jacket?

27 Tubular pasta 28 Laird’s accent 29 Mensa qualifier (2 wds.)

31 Et — (and others) 32 Flannel items 34 Amo, amas, — 35 Party attender 36 River in Belgium 37 Lots of spirit 38 Put back to zero 40 “C’— la vie!”

41 42 46 48 49 50 51 54 55 56 57 58 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71

Mover and shaker Coming to light Rosie’s fastener Chock-a-block Rock band Pink — Burnish Crone Soviet streaker Bumpkin Fiberglass bundles Cha-cha’s home Spain and Portugal Bronze coin Toy soldier (2 wds.)

Zenith opposite Well-known Barbecue favorite Poe’s middle name Crazes Kind of brake So-so grades Puffs along Gem surface Nth deg.

72 73 74 75 78 80 81 82 83 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 102 104 105 106 110 111 112 114 115 118 119 120 121 122 125 127 128 129 130 131 132

Chili ingredient Fit to be tied Kind of bait or bird Ben & Jerry rival Loaf ends “Sun King” Ibn — As to (2 wds.)

Frozen dessert Mosquito, often Guitarist — Atkins Stalks, with “on” Check for typos Trouser feature Lowly laborer Roughhouse Make — — for it Physics particles Mince Kind of instinct Part of GPS Outfit Inventor of Sudoku Makes bales Brindled cat Made lovelier Raucous laughs Hey, —! You there!

Mongol tents Swelter Wine’s bouquet Floor models “High Hopes” lyricist Gauguin’s island Lama or friar Hair color Tune for a diva Ogled Shrewd one (2 wds.)

Choosing Nobelist — Wiesel Degrade Lure Fake bullets Rover’s planet More prudent

around the world like The National Rugby League (NRL), the top league of professional rugby league clubs in Australasia.

SKY Select is also filled with channels for the movie buff dad like Fox Action Movies that showcases the biggest, most popular, and most iconic action features worldwide. Must catch movies in Fox include Nicolas Cage starrers National Treasure, its sequel National Treasure Book of Secrets, The Rover starring Guy Pierce and Robert Pattinson, and Meeting Evil starring Luke Wilson and Samuel L. Jackson.

Big adventures also come in

SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 2016 133 Dotted fabric 134 Grammy winners DOWN 1 Remote button 2 Perks 3 Ignition switch 4 Anjou “you” 5 Bit of holly 6 Most greasy 7 Citizen’s — 8 Facetious tribute 9 Sheath feature 10 Wis. neighbor 11 Money handler 12 Robin of balladry 13 Great Sphinx locale 14 Pierre’s single 15 Curly leaf and flat leaf 16 Stunning 17 Qatar ruler 18 Etta — of the comics 19 Golden Apple tosser 20 Kiddie-lit elephant 26 City on the Rhine 30 “Caine” captain 33 Strict 36 Egg portion 37 Wax theatrical 39 Meek 41 Kind of tape 42 Entertainer — John 43 Prof’s attribute 44 Ancient Nile kingdom 45 Ski lifts (hyph.)

47 Itinerary word 48 Stool pigeon 49 Don’s colorful sashes 51 Krishna devotee 52 Seething 53 Reaches (2 wds.)

55 The lady’s 56 Hull’s bottom 57 Sugar source 59 — room (den) 60 “Fargo” director

61 62 64 65 66 68 69 70 72 73 74 76 77 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 89 90 91 93 94 95 98 99 100 101 103 104 105 107 108 109 111 112 113 115 116 117 118 119 123 124 126

Floods the market Chemist’s salt Moppet’s ammo Win by — — Damsel Stonehenge builder Vinegar bottle Comme il — Red meat Greek vowels City near Granada With caustic humor Sycophant’s replies Black, in verse Mortgages Hit the malls Capone foe Fifth wheel Utah’s Sen. Hatch Light-headed?

Business VIPs Save (2 wds.)

Thick soup — ed.

Movie popcorn size Plaid wool jacket Soap unit Magda or Eva Pesky bug Strapping Uproars Cancun’s peninsula Tolerates Over there Dances to jazz — to go (eager) Reflects on Glitches Dogie stopper Cathedrals in Italy Haughty types Crawl with “The Mammoth Hunters” heroine Whodunit suspect Exec. degrees Quite — — — -Wan Kenobi Ave. crossers Arafat’s org.

different packages in SKY Select with KIX, where dad can get his fix of high-octane programs including blockbuster action movies, hit action series, cutting-edge reality shows and sports, and first and exclusive fights such as Bellator MMA, WSOF, and ROAD FC every Monday night.

DMAX meanwhile, brings dad to wild adventures. Turbo-charged rides and the adventures in the great outdoors are some of the must-sees.

There’s Railroad Alaska that takes viewers to treacherous Alaskan railroad trips, while Iron Resurrection gives ideas for restorations for motorcycles, cars, and boats.

SKY Select also brings the best of entertainment to dads through RTL CBS Extreme that houses top-rating shows like Kingdom and the Terry Crews-hosted show, World’s Funniest Fails.

For dads who love to have a laugh-out-loud time, SKY Select’s Comedy Central is set to make dad have fits of laughter as it showcases a special Father’s Day stand-up show.

Celebrate Father’s Day at home all month long with SKY Select.

To know more about how to give dad the best time of his life, just click the SKY Select button at mysky.com.ph.

S UNDAY : J UNE 19, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

C7

Miggs Cuaderno in ‘Alamat’ season finale

A

ward-winning Kapuso child star Miggs Cuaderno topbills the final episode of Alamat tonight.

In “Alamat ng Matsing”, Miggs lends his voice to the character Atoy. Atoy and his brothers Buboy and Cocoy spend the whole day playing games, hanging from one tree to another, and pestering other people. The three brothers are very naughty that their father, Tatay Paden, is on the brink of giving up disciplining them.

How bad is their prank this time that the Forest Fairy would punish them?

Through his movies and shows such as Destiny Rose and Poor Señorita, Miggs has proven his mettle in acting. This is not the first time he is lending his voice to an animated series as his was also the voice of Keita on Yo-Kai Watch anime series on GMA. Joining Miggs is comedian John Feir who is this week’s “Narrator”. John will also have a song and dance number directed at the mischievous kids.

Alamat’s “Alamat ng Matsing” is written

by Danzen Santos-Katanyag 5:15 p.m. tonight on GMA.

Child star Miggs Cuaderno

“Alamat ng Matsing” is the fantasy show’s season finale

Comedian John Feir in a scene from “Alamat ng Matsing”

What’s up ‘I-Bilib’ gang?

Join Chris Tiu, James and Roadfill Ng Moymoy Palaboy and Bianca Umali in another fun-filled episode of I-Bilib this morning.

Can light travel from one building to the other? That’s what Discover Science will show

the audience in the experiment “Bring Light to Darknerss.”

Can fire travel through a hose?

That’s what the I-Bilib gang will prove to us all in the Propane Pop Gun Experiment.

Can juice be reverted to water? Find out in the Magic Wa-

ter Experiment.

Also, watch out for the oneof-a-kind Pencil Sculpture in Huling Hirit with Gab Tuazon.

The audience can learn so much from the no. 1 educational TV program I-Bilib only on GMA-7.

MTRCB Chair Eugenio Villareal (left) and ERC CEO Jose Vicente Salazar (right)

MTRCB and ERC ink partnership

I-Bilibers Chris Tiu, Mommoy Palabaoy and Gab Tuazon

More ways of winning in GMA’s Kapuso Milyonaryo 2016 Winning has never been easier as GMA Network combines its longrunning proof-of-purchase (POP) promo with the new and improved Kapuso Milyonaryo mobile app, giving Kapuso viewers more chances to bring home big prizes.

Following the launch of Kapuso Milyonaryo (KM) 2016, a different set of winners will also be drawn for the KM mobile app promo based on digital entries and, for the first time, from the POP entries submitted from all over the country.

To join the mobile app promo using POP entries, simply write down your name, age, address, contact details, signature, and confirmation code (which will be sent via text and email upon registration in

the mobile app) on a piece of paper and enclose it in a white envelope together with the required POP. Then, at the back of the envelope write Kapuso Milyonaryo Mobile App, brand attached, and area (Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, or NCR).

Entries may be dropped into designated drop boxes located at participating Mercury Drugstore outlets and all GMA stations nationwide. Submission of entries is until Aug 8.

Participants can be among seven weekly winners of P3,000, a weekly winner of P10,000, or the solo winner of P300,000 in the grand draw.

They can also submit digital entries by playing the rhythm action game in the Kapuso Milyonaryo mobile app. Here, players must help

Tobz get across the playground and over obstacles while collecting digital entries to be one of five daily winners of cell phone load.

With its updated look and gameplay, the app is now available for download on Google Play Store for Android devices and App Store for iOS devices for free.

Kapuso Milyonaryo Mobile App Promo 2016 participating sponsors are Zonrox Bleach, Porksavor® All-In-One Seasoning Mix, Del Fabric Softener, Tang, Eden, Oreo, Sunsilk, Creamsilk, and Funky Potato Snacks.

For more details, visit the official Kapuso Milyonaryo Facebook Page or the Kapuso Milyonaryo website at www.gmanetwork.com/KapusoMilyonaryo.

The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) and Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) signed on June 14 a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that seals their cooperation to further educate the electricity consumers on the new developments and trends in the electric power industry.

Under the MOU, the MTRCB and the ERC agreed to: (1) Develop and conduct cooperative activities and support any and all efforts, initiatives and activities relating to public information and education campaign aimed at raising public awareness on the importance and proper discernment of the different classification ratings for movies and television programs, as well as the dynamics of film and media literacy, and of audience empowerment vis-àvis the promotion of consumer interests; and (2) Engage movie and television industry stakeholders, such as but not limited to, cinema operators, television networks and cable operators to afford ERC’s information-education-communication campaign materials to raise public awareness on the proper use of electric power and energy conservation and safety measures.

MTRCB Chairman Eugenio H. Villareal is looking forward to this new partnership in empow-

ering the audience particularly in the promotion and protection of electricity consumer interests in the midst of the reformation of the electric power industry, including the matters of environment protection and public safety measures.

ERC Chairperson Jose Vicente B. Salazar said, “The partnership aims to help the Filipino consumers empower themselves through the acquisition of knowledge about the dynamics of the electric power industry, the roles of the generating companies, transmission companies, distribution utilities and retail electricity suppliers and their rights as customers.”

MTRCB is the national agency mandated to supervise and regulate the public exhibition of motion pictures, television programs, and publicity materials under a regulatory framework guided by the constitutional norms of respect to the dignity of the person together with utmost respect and protection for vulnerable sector of society such as women, children, Persons With Disabilities (PWD) and senior citizens, among others.

The ERC, on the other hand, is the national agency tasked with the regulation of the electric power industry, including the undertaking of public information campaigns on the proper use of electric power and energy conservation and safety measures.

S UNDAY : J UNE 19, 2016

C8

ISAH V. RED EDITOR NICKIE WANG WRITER

isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

“Man of the hour” Ian Veneracion (second from left) with GSMI executives during the Primera Light Brandy contract signing

Ian Veneracion takes fatherhood seriously ognized for its high quality and taste by the Monde Selection International Quality Institute, the distinguished authority of quality in the food and beverages industry worldwide.

Primera Light Brandy is a quality product of Ginebra San Miguel Inc. For more on Primera Light Brandy, like the official Facebook fanpage www.facebook.com/primeralightbrandy or log on to www.ginebrasanmiguel.com.

fine imported ingredients and exquisitely blended with Solera Gran Reserva Brandy concentrate from Spain. The breakthrough Premium Smooth Blend process gives Primera Light Brandy that distinctly flavorful aroma, well-balanced character, and exceptional taste for that “Tamang Swabe, Swabeng Tama”.

Primera Light Brandy was recently rec-

This week in Single/Single, find out the secrets your favorite barkada are keeping as they “tell all” and open up to a new character on the show.

Joee, played by Shaina Magdayao, finds herself confessing how she really feels about Steve, played by JC Santos. It seems like the sparks of their romance are slowly fading as she avoids spending time with him and more on work. What truths will Joee reveal?

Cherie Gil’s character, Bianca, on the other hand, feels neglected by his son Joey, played by Matteo Guidicelli. Now that Joey is bent on being a successful entrepreneur, he devotes all his time and effort to the opening of his business venture, Bistro Biajo. Despite being business partners, their mother and son bonding have boiled down to discus-

sions about bottom lines and the tasks they need to do for the launch of their bistro. What does a mom do when her son ignores her? She shares all her woes to the new guy.

In the previous episodes, we saw Anna Luna’s character, Ranee, get swept off her feet by Randy, the hunk she met at Mama Yo’s Salon. While he appears to be interested in her, why is Mr. Prince Charming not making any concrete moves? Ranee drinks and rants and lashes out all the questions that are driving her crazy. Will Randy be the one who will finally fulfill her dreams? Is she just setting herself up for disappointment? All these she asks to the new guy by the bar.

Even the boys – Steve, Dwight, including Benny and Mama Yo – seem to naturally gravitate to this man and just pour out their innermost thoughts and feelings.

Watch and eavesdrop tonight to find out the dilemmas they are going through and finally, meet the new guy.

Single/Single, the award-winning series of PhilStarTV and Cinema One, airs every Sunday, 10 p.m. on Cinema One with replays every Wednesday 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday.

Previous episodes can also be viewed on philstartv.com.

For more updates, visit facebook.com/ SingleSingleC1 and @SingleSingleC1 on Twitter and Instagram.

Shaina Magdayao

Matteo Guidicelli

Cherie Gil

ISAH V. RED

O

n screen, handsome actor Ian Veneracion appears like the easygoing type. But, in real life, he is very much a responsible husband to Pam (nee Gallardo) and ideal father to their three kids.

He says he plays the roles he is given in all the drama series he had starred in, particularly Pangako Sa ‘Yo with Jodi Sta. Maria with whom tabloids had tried to link him with.

He simply laughs about it when you ask him and gives you that look that many women find disarming and gives them the urge to throw themselves into his arms.

Recently, we met the actor at a press presentation at the San Miguel Corporation head office.

Ginebra San Miguel Inc. (GSMI) introduced Veneracion as the “man of the hour” being the newest endorser of its liquor brand Primera Light Brandy.

In a grand press launch and contract signing, the multi-talented actor was welcomed to the GSMI family by its President Bernard Marquez, Group Brand Manager Paul Camello, and Brand Manager Henry Simon.

Veneracion who won the hearts of man after starring in a hit primetime teleserye and movie, relates that being “swabe” is important when dealing with both his work and personal life.

“After a ‘tamang swabe’ day of shooting or taping, I just want to relax and drink something smooth. So when I’m with friends we usually just open a bottle of Primera Light Brandy,” says Ian, who finally found the smoothness that he had been looking for in a brandy. “Primera Light Brandy is smoother than other brands, and I love how it tastes,” he adds.

Primera Light Brandy is a unique brandy liqueur masterpiece made from

‘Single/Single’ barkada tells all in episode 6

GSMI brand ambassador Ian Veneracion