The Standard - 2016 June 28 - Tuesday

VOL. XXX NO. 136 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 TUESDAY : JUNE 28, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Guns to go quiet by August

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PROVE YOURSELF, POLL CHIEF TOLD

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

THREE elections commissioners said Monday they will no longer participate in operational preparations for the October barangay elections, after criticizing Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista for his “ failure of leadership.”

“We don’t want to take part in the operational aspect of the barangay elections anymore,” said

Commissioner Rowena Guanzon, one of six commissioners who issued a memo to Bautista last week

that raised 15 issues against him.

Guanzon said they wanted to give Bautista free rein in running the October elections and allow him to prove his capabilities.

“It’s about time Chairman Bautista runs an election,” she said.

She and two other commissioners—Christian Robert Lim and Luie Guia—agreed to sit out the operational aspects of the upcoming polls, and join only the administrative activities as part of the en banc.

“Of course we will participate in the en banc if there are any actions needed,” Guanzon said.

Bautista said he would have to verify the decision of the three commissioners at Tuesday’s en banc meeting.

“If that is really their position, we will see. But that is unfortunate,” Bautista said.

Bautista on Monday said he would not resign despite the scathing criticism from his colleagues

in the en banc.

He said he could find no reason to quit after the successful conduct of the national and local elections in May. “I am not thinking of leaving my post... at all because I did not do anything wrong. The past election is a clear proof that the Comelec can hold an orderly, successful, and peaceful election,” said Bautista, who just arrived from a vacation in Japan.

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President-elect Rodrigo Duterte delivers a speech before city hall employees in Davao City, three days before taking oath as president. Duterte criticized ‘stupid’ human rights campaigners, as he defended his imminent war on crime and emphasized that the death penalty was for retribution. AFP

Tugade: ‘Kick me out if I fail’

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Rody: PNoy’s straight path was crooked

By John Paolo Bencito PRESIDENT-ELECT Rodrigo Duterte tore into outgoing President Benigno Aquino III Monday, saying that rampant corruption in his administration had turned his straight path crooked.

“Why is the straight path never straight?” Duterte told his supporters in Davao City, addressing them as mayor

for the last time at a flag ceremony at city hall. “It’s supposed to be straight, right?”

Duterte also bristled at Aquino’s suggestions that he had dictatorial tendencies.

“Sometimes I can be harsh, but I was never a despot to anybody,” said Duterte, who has been criticized by the United Nations and human rights and religious groups for his plan to revive the death penalty and allegations that he was linked to

summary executions as mayor of Davao.

“My government is for the helpless, the hopeless and the defenseless,” Duterte said. “Those are the words of my father. I just borrowed them from him.”

He added that corruption was so prevalent during the Aquino administration that officials routinely used government resources to advance their own political Next page interests.

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Rody: ...

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An informant receives over P2 million in cash rewards from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency on Monday under the agency’s Operation Private Eye (OPE), a reward and incentive scheme designed to encourage private citizens to report any suspected illegal drug activities in their community. Photo shows PDEA Director-General Arturo G. Cacdac with the informant at the PDEA headquarters in Quezon City. MANNY PALMERO

Duterte: Nation on brink of becoming narco-state “If drugs will not be solved in time, the next elections will be about narco-politics,” Duterte said during a flag-raising ceremony at city hall Monday. “We will be like Mexico...[where] a female mayor took her oath of office in the morning and in the afternoon, she was dead. I will not allow my country

to degenerate into that kind [of a situation].”

Duterte, who was mayor of Davao City for 25 years, said many local executives were involved in drugs.

“There are a lot of local executives who won in the recent election whose money came from

drugs,” he said. “They never really bothered to join a political party.

They just went ahead and ran because they had the money.”

Those mayors would never get the chance to choose their own chiefs of police, he added.

Last week, incoming national police chief Gen. Ronald dela Rosa said there were mayors from the neighboring cities and provinces of Davao who are on the list of the 35 local executives who are into drugs.

He said they will treat narcopoliticians like ordinary criminals.

Earlier, Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu submitted his own list of politicians in his prov-

Prove...

“I am a bit saddened because we have just successfully conducted the elections, where it appears that the public perception towards us went up,” Bautista said Monday.

“Now, with this, it creates some doubts [among] our people.”

But Guanzon said they only held back their concerns and grievances until after the elections.

She also said it took them more than a month to raise these concerns because Bautista continuously refused to deal with them before the May 9 elections.

“It’s been months… We really think that Chairman Bautista could have solved many problems, but he did not,” Guanzon said.

Bautista said he would deal with those concerns at Tuesday’s en banc meeting.

“What I want is a meeting that is conducted in a professional manner. As I said, we should have respect and courtesy to one another.

Even if we don’t agree in certain

issues, it should not lead to shouting and scolding. We can disagree without being disagreeable,” Bautista said.

Guanzon said they have long wanted to meet with Bautista but he refused to face them.

“I don’t understand why he cannot meet with us. He is our chairman. How can he lead these commissioners [if we don’t meet]?”

Guanzon said.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will deliberate on a petition that seeks to void the Comelec decision to extend the deadline for the filing of statements of contributions and expenditures (SOCE) upon the request of the Liberal Party.

A Court insider said the petition filed last week by retired Army Col. Justino Padiernos of the People’s Freedom Party and lawyer Manuelito Luna of 1-Abilidad party-list is included in the agenda of the justices in their regular session today.

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera

DAVAO CITY—If the drug problem is not suppressed in the next few years, the 2022 presidential election will be all about narco-politics, President-elect Rodrigo Duterte warned Monday.

From A1

Over the weekend, Guanzon criticized Bautista for leaving without designating an officer in charge.

But Bautista continue to shrug off the criticism.

“Every public servant cannot be onion-skinned. They need to be able to accept criticisms that come with the job. At the same time, we should not have a gecko-like grip to our positions. If we believe we are still effective in what we do, then we should continue serving the people,” Bautista said.

The memo from Christian Robert Lim, Arthur Lim, Guia, Guanzon, Sheriff Abas and Al Parreño leaked last week raised 15 issues against Bautista, including the late payment of public school teachers who served as board of election inspectors during the last elections.

ince that are allegedly involved in illegal drugs, after he was accused of the same offense.

Mangudadatu vowed to help Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs after he submitted his list.

Also on Monday, the communist New People’s Army will continue its operations against drug lords even if peace talks with the government resume, National Democratic Front spokesman Fidel Agcaoili said.

“The NPA has already said that they support the advocacy of Digong [Duterte] to run after the drug lords and the NPA will support him,” Agcaoili said.

The petitioners have asked the Court to issue a status quo order that would set the deadline back to June 8.

The petitioners asserted that the 30-day deadline was set under Republic Act 7166 or Synchronized Local and National Elections and Electoral Reforms Act, and that the poll body “is constitutionally and statutorily mandated to enforce and administer all election laws and regulations relative to the conduct of an election, plebiscite, initiative, referendum and recall.”

They said the extension approved by the Comelec was tantamount “to an impermissible amendment of Section 14 of R.A. 7166,” which prohibits winning candidates of a political party that would fail to meet the deadline set by law to assume their respective posts.

The petitioners said the Comelec decision was unfair and set a bad precedent. With Rey E. Requejo

In contrast, Duterte said, he never used his position for personal gain.

Unlike his predecessor, Duterte said that he would not want his Cabinet members to run for office after his six years as president.

“I told my Cabinet members: Do not launch a campaign here in the office. If you have plans to whatever, do not do it here in my Cabinet,” he said.

Aquino actively campaigned for former Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, who ran for president but lost.

Duterte said he wanted to avoid the practice of officials using government resources to build a name for themselves.

“I don’t want my Cabinet secretaries to run because [they] will just use the public funds, the time and the effort of the government just to campaign to win,” he said.

Liberal Party candidates were accused of using government resources during the campaign for the May 9 elections.

Duterte also said he would stop crime and corruption in his administration.

“It has to stop. I am hellbent in stopping corruption.

I really do not want it. That is what you need to remember because you’ll never get any help from me if you face [corruption] cases,” he added.

“There will be no corruption. If you are a Cabinet secretary and you are corrupt, I will just whisper, please go,” he said.

Aquino, in a speech before graduates of the Ateneo de Manila University on Saturday, chided Duterte without naming him.

“The dictatorship is over, but we cannot stop being involved in social issues,” Aquino said in Filipino. “According to Liberation Theology, if you do not fight an oppressive structure, you are supporting it.”

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. later denied that Aquino was referring to Duterte.

Duterte’s son, Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, said it was Aquino who turned the country into a dictatorship.

“Remember he is an oligarch. He and his kin ran this country like it’s theirs at the expense of the marginalized and the poor. They ran it like dictators in the shadows of democracy,” the younger Duterte said on his Facebook page.

“Will the next six years be a dictatorship? Yes. A dictatorship by the people, the ordinary Filipinos. The oppressed.

We will seize this country back from the oligarchs, the powerful few. It is time. It is our time,” he added.

Aquino, who said during the campaign period that he would oppose the looming dictatorship under Duterte, is scheduled to step down at noon of June 30. With F. Pearl A. Gajunera

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Tugade vows to solve gridlock INCOMING Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade on Monday urged President-elect Rodrigo Duterte to kick him out of office if he fails to solve Metro Manila’s traffic gridlock.

On display. This 81-year-old oil painting of National Artist Fernando Amorsolo is being shown to the public for the first time since 1935, when sculptor Anastacio Caedo acquired it directly from Amorsolo himself and then was bought by a private collector. The painting of a group planting rice is now on display at the Galeria De las Islas, Silahis Center, in Intramuros, Manila. DANNY PATA

Duterte bats for 3-child program A THREE-CHILD rule is needed to improve economic growth, President-elect Rodrigo Duterte told his constituents Monday during his last flag-raising ceremony as mayor of Davao City.

He vowed to install a familyplanning program in the country.

“I will reinstall the program of family planning. Three [children and no more]—that would be good.

Social workers must be proactive,” Duterte said.

He earlier admitted that his proposal for a three-child policy was merely a “suggestion” since he could not force people to heed it.

“No, I cannot force people to follow.

We are just suggesting that you are in good hands if you limit the number of your children,” Duterte said.

He said he was pushing for a “rapid and sustained implementation” of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act even if 80 percent of the Filipinos are Catholic and that religion opposes abortion and contraception.

“Better shape up. The Church should shut up. We’re at war,” said Duterte whose views on family planning are contrary to the Church’s views.

His senior economic advisers say an increased push for reproductive health services give them access to condoms and pills and sex education in schools.

Duterte says his stance on family planning, on the death penalty and corruption would improve the country’s economy and encourage investors to come in. John Paolo Bencito

Lawmaker pledges FOI approval THE principal author of the Freedom of Information bill on Monday vowed to fight hard to get it approved in the 17th Congress, which convenes next month.

Ifugao Rep. Teddy Brawner Baguilat said he was optimistic the Duterte administration would support the bill as Duterte was also advocating a fight against graft and corruption in government.

The FOI bill is among several controversial measures that is scheduled to be filed in the House of Representatives in July.

“I am glad that President-elect Rodrigo Duterte himself saw the importance of having FOI, even saying that he will issue an Executive Order as soon as he assumes office so that citizens will

have access to government information,” Baguilat said.

“But having an actual FOI law will carry more weight than an executive order, thus his [Duterte’s] commitment to continue his unfinished work in the 17th Congress.”

The FOI bill seeks to enforce the citizens’ right to information on matters of public concern. It also seeks to implement the state policy of full public disclosure of all its transactions involving public interest as defined by the Constitution.

The passage of the FOI bill, Baguilat said, would help institutionalize transparency and accountability in the government since the citizens will have access

to information to make sure, for example, that taxpayer money is being spent as budgeted.

He said the FOI bill seeks to make it easier for the public to gain access to public documents, especially those on the bidding of government projects and the allocation of government spending. That would mean greater transparency in government affairs.

“There have been numerous attempts to pass an FOI bill and Congress came close to passing such a measure during the Aquino administration, but the House of Representatives and the Senate have failed to come together on a unified version,” Baguilat said.

Maricel V. Cruz

“If I fail after two years, you kick me out because I’m useless,” Tugade told ABS-CBN. He says his priorities include eradicating corruption within his department, prohibiting tardiness and glum demeanor.

Duterte on Saturday admitted he could not solve the long-festering traffic problems in Metro Manila unless Congress gave him emergency powers.

Tugade said he would be asking Congress to give Duterte emergency powers. He would also be continuing the Aquino administration’s program to phase out old public utility vehicles.

He would give priority to easing the congestion at the airports, installing Wi-Fi routers at the sea ports and creating a printing office for driver’s licenses and vehicle plates.

He would also be studying buying cable cars and doubledecker buses, the continuation of the bus rapid transit program and the modernization of the rail system.

He would also be drafting a 30-year transportation road map.

The proposed emergency powers for Duterte include favoring direct contracting over public biddings for transportation-related projects, opening private subdivision roads to traffic, and removing transport terminals and public markets on busy highways.

Several lawmakers have expressed support for such emergency powers but underscored the need to study how much of those Duterte should have and for how long.

John Paolo Bencito

Celebration. Couples kiss as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community took part in a ‘Rite of Holy Union’ in Manila on June 26, 2016, that coincided with the Gay Pride celebrations the day before. The Philippines has a vibrant gay scene despite a macho culture and opposition from the Roman Catholic Church, but there are no anti-discrimination laws in the country and same-sex relationships are not officially recognized. AFP

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China ‘very concerned’ over Hague decision

By Vito Barcelo

Silencing the guns. Designated government negotiator and incoming Labor secretary Silvestre Bello (right) announces a change in the scheduled ceasefire with the communist insurgents during the weekly forum of the Samahang Plaridel at the Manila Hotel. Also at the forum was congressmanelect Harry Roque of the Kabayan party-list. EY ACASIO

‘Guns quiet by August’

By John Paolo Bencito

THE government and the communist National Democratic Front have postponed an envisioned ceasefire even before President-elect Rodrigo Duterte delivers his first State of the Nation Address to Congress, but only for a week or so, chief government peace negotiator Silvestre Bello said Monday.

“We will resume in July then immediately after resumption, we will declare a ceasefire,” Bello said. “Early August, we hope there will be a bilateral ceasefire between the two sides.”

“We have an agreement that upon the formal resumption of peace negotiations, there will be a bilateral ceasefire. That is what’s important

in the peace talks, the declaration of ceasefire between the government and the [Communist Party of the Philippines and New People’s Army],” he added.

Bello reiterated that the incoming Duterte administration is committed to concluding a peace agreement with the communists in nine to 12

months and finally end the 40-year communist insurgency, one of the longest-running communists rebellions in the world.

“The killings will stop. The troubles will stop. There will be peace in our country for as long as we continue talking until we finally achieve Filipinos’ dream of lasting peace,” Bello said.

Bello did not explain why they changed the scheduled ceasefire which was initially envisioned to start before Duterte’s Sona on July 25, but he earlier said both peace panels plan to hold simultaneous negotiations on the remaining issues.

“To be able to fast-track the process, we will continue with a new track that is simultaneous [with] talks on the three remaining issues…

Caser [Comprehensive Agreement

on Social and Economic Reforms], the PCR [political and constitutional reforms] and end of hostilities and disposition of forces,” Bello said.

He said they plan to hasten the talks by increasing the number of negotiators for each side from four to seven.

Bello said that the incoming administration will use the Arroyo administration draft of the Caser, which includes issues of genuine land reform and national industrialization.

Among those being eyed for the government panel are former Pangasinan congressman Hernani Braganza, former Comelec commissioner Rene Sarmiento, and indigenous peoples’ representative Noel Pellongco from Cebu. Women will also be represented in the talks, Bello said.

CHINA is “very much concerned” over the impending decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration on the territorial case filed by the Philippines which is expected to be released this year, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday.

The DFA released the statement amid economic analyses that the slowdown of the Chinese economy may propel Southeast Asian nations to be drivers of growth in the region.

“In our analysis, China is very much concerned over the legal fray because [China] is discrediting the arbitration process from the start. It also boasts that many nations support its claim,” said Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Charles Jose.

Jose said that while China repeatedly insists that it will not respect the international court decision, the world’s second largest economic giant appeared to be concerned with the decision because it would affect their international standing and image.

“The Philippine government is guardedly optimistic of the forthcoming ruling which may be issued in the next few weeks,” Jose said. “We are optimistic for a favorable ruling because the nine-dash claim of China has no basis under the international law.”

Meanwhile, economic analysts in region surmised that the slowdown of the Chinese economy may have a bigger impact on Southeast Asia that the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union because many nations in the region are reliant on trade with China for growth.

But while many are feeling the impact of that slowdown, the region’s growing middle class is helping to act as a buffer.

Farmers deny cash demand

By Sandy Araneta THE farmers’ group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and the claimants movement Coco Levy Funds Ibalik sa Amin (Claim) urged incoming Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol on Monday to review the groups’ sevenpoint proposal for the disposition of the multi-billion coconut levy funds.

The two groups clarified that “small coconut farmers are not demanding P20,000 cash” in response to reports that Piñol is “not in favor of the P20,000 per coconut farmer cash distribution of the coco levy funds and in support of the use of the funds for social benefits.”

“Small coconut farmers are not demanding P20,000. They are demanding the cash distribution of the coco levy money through social benefits, includ-

ing but not limited to pension benefits, medical and hospitalization benefits, maternity benefits, and educational assistance including scholarships, among others,” said KMP secretary-general Antonio Flores.

“In fact, the demands for social benefits are in harmony with incoming Agriculture Secretary Piñol’s idea,” Flores said.

“The P20,000 cash per coconut farmer is a pigment of the corrupt imagination of a [returning] senator who is hell-bent in pushing the privatization of small coconut farmers’ money,” said Arvin Borromeo, Claim’s Quezon coordinator referring to senator-elect Francis Pangilinan’s who said that “if the P72 billion in the national treasury would be distributed outright to 3 million coconut farmers, each farmer would get only around P20,000.”

The struggle continues. A worker-member of the Kilusang Mayo Uno [May One Movement] holds up a placard declaring the group’s demand for a daily minimum wage of P750 and a total end to contractualization. DANNY PATA

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Chief justice presides over star-studded swear-in rites

By Rey E. Requejo

Oathtaking. Supreme Court Associate Justice Diosdado M. Peralta administers the oath of office to incoming Makati Mayor Abigail S. Binay

in the presence of Vice President Jejomar C. Binay at the Coconut Palace Monday. Also in the photo are Senator Nancy S. Binay, former Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay, Dr. Elenita Binay, Anne Binay-Alcantara, incoming Makati 2nd District Representative Luis Campos, Mayor Binay’s daughter Martina Campos, and lawyer Claro F. Certeza.

PPCRV admits: Errors marred quick count

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting on Monday admitted to having errors during its conduct of quick count of the results of the May 9 polls, wherein it used as basis the Commission on elections’ Transparency Server.

PPCRV Communications and Media Director Ana de Villa Singson admitted that there were indeed “issues” that surfaced during their conduct of the quick count, specifically in the party-list race.

“Our screens are networked.

There was a networking connectivity issue rather than the data.

The data was always correct. it’s just the connectivity issue that is why the ones projected on the screen were wrong,” Singson said in an interview.

Singson made the admission following a complaint filed before the PPCRV by the Confederation of Non-Stock Savings and Loan Associations inc. party-list seeking an explanation about the discrepancy in the votes it received. in its letter-complaint, Consla noted how the PPCRV Quick Count, which was sourced from the Transparency Server, showed on May 9 that they already have 342,513 votes.

The next day, the party-list

group noted that the PPCRV tally showed they already have 523,753 votes at 11 a.m. and 555,896 votes by 12 noon to occupy Rank #14 in the tally.

The results were posted in the Twitter feed of the PCCRV which became the basis of the complaint by Consla. earlier, a candidate for Buhay party-list group has executed an affidavit attesting to the discrepancy on the votes garneted by Consla. in his sworn affidavit that he voluntarily executed, Arnold Arriola of Buhay confirmed that on or about 10:40 p.m. on May 9, 2016, he was able to take photographs of the partial and unofficial votes for party-list groups generated by the PPCRV Quick Count.

Arriola’s photos show Consla garnered 342,513 votes from

68,626 clustered precincts.

The same photo also shows that Consla ranked number 17 among 115 contending partylist organizations with the stage of completion of transmissions stated to be at 74.18 percent. from thereon, Consla partylist garnered more votes as the Quick Count progressed. however, Consla questioned how Comelec’s own canvassing results showed that they only garnered a total of 213,814 votes.

Singson did not discount the possibility of the PPCRV having projected the wrong screen shot is not being ruled out.

“That is the problem with having a lot of volunteers. Sometimes, they show you a lot of screens and, we can’t control it, but in the Central Server, we were able to show the wrong screen,” Singson explained.

Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno on Monday sworn in comebacking Senator francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and outgoing Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos, a former actress, as congresswoman of the lone district of Lipa City. it was indeed a star-studded day for the Supreme Court as Sharon Cuneta, megastar to her movie-TV fans, joined in his husband’s oathtaking before Sereno as senator for the incoming 17th Congress.

They were accompanied by another actress KC Concepcion, Cuneta’s daughter, during the ceremony held at the SC dignitaries’ lounge.

Pangilinan placed eighth during the May 9 elections after garnering 15,955,949 votes.

Pangilinan was elected senator first in 2001 and served until 2013. After his term, he was appointed chairman of Presidential Assistant for food Security and Agricultural Modernization by President Benigno Aquino.

Santos was next to arrive at the SC for her oath-taking as elected congresswoman of the lone district of Lipa, Batangas where she has previously served both as mayor and governor.

She was joined by husband Ralph Recto, who also later on took his oath of office before the Chief Justice, and their son Ryan Christian.

SC employees took the opportunity to pose for souvenir photos with Cuneta and Santos.

Meanwhile, Sereno will not administer the oath of office on incoming President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, June 30.

Just like his predecessor, Duterte veered away from the tradition of the President taking oath of office before the chief justice as he chose his San Beda law school fraternity brother Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes to administer his oath instead. in 2010, outgoing President Aquino also chose not to take his oath before the late former Chief Justice Renato Corona after questioning the latter’s “midnight appointment” by the previous administration.

De Lima, Pacquiao no-show at Senate neophytes’ briefing

By Macon Araneta SeNATORS-eLeCT Leila de Lima and Manny Pacquiao were absent from Monday’s Senate orientation for incoming lawmakers.

Only three senators-elect Joel Villanueva, Sherwin Gatchalian and Risa hontiveros appeared in the briefing conducted by the Senate Secretariat.

De Lima said she was already briefed ahead of his colleagues. She said a Senate official already briefed her “one-on-one” since she had a conflict of schedule on the date of the orientation.

De Lima and Pacquiao sent a team headed by their chiefs of staff to attend the orientation seminar on their behalf.

except for De Lima who served as justice secretary before joining politics and running for senators, the four other neophyte members of the Senate were former congressmen.

The neophyte senators and their staff were briefed about the legislative work in the chamber, including maintenance, security and their salaries.

The incoming senators were thankful for the conduct of orientation.

Senate Secretary-General Oscar Yabes said those who spoke in the orientation were from the secretariat, sergeant-atarms and legislative services offices.

Senators were expected to file their proposed measures on June 30, but the filing will be based on the seniority of senators.

Greetings from Japan. The Japan-Philippines Parliamentarians Friendship League, which had learned of Vice President-elect Leni Robredo’s presence in Japan, extended their personal felicitations on her election and forthcoming assumption of office and through her to relay their greetings to the incoming Duterte administration. The Vice President-elect is shown with Minister Kotsunobu Katu.

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A6 PNoy OKs laws on NBI, centenarians

By Sandy Araneta PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III has signed into law four measures, including a law that grants a P100,000 cash incentives and additional benefits and privileges to each Filipino centenarian, a week before he bows out of office.

Also included in the newly enacted laws is the NBI Reorganization and Modernization Act (RA 10867), said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. Coloma said the Centenarians Act does not carry the provision about the 75 percent VAT exemption which was the objectionable feature of the enrolled bill when it was first submitted to the president and vetoed in the 15th Congress.

Republic Act 10868 was approved by Aquino last June 23, said Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, the measure’s primary proponent in the House of Representatives.

Under RA 10868, all Filipinos who reach the age of 100 will receive a letter of felicitation from the president of the Philippines and a P100,000 cash gift, whether they are residing in the Philippines or abroad.

They will also be awarded with a plaque of recognition and additional cash gift from their respective city or municipal governments during the National Respect for Centenarians Day, which is set on Sept. 25 of every year.

Lagman said an estimated 3,500 Filipinos aged 100 and older will benefit from the enactment of the Centenarian Act. Lagman said he is grateful for Aquino for signing the bill into law before he steps down on June 30.

“Just in the nick of time! I must say it was really a long wait but it was well worth the wait,” he said. “[On] behalf of all the co-authors of the Centenarians Act, I would like to thank our President for giving it the green light at last,” the lawmaker added.

General’s wife and daughter killed in fire THE wife and daughter of retired police general Ismael Rafanan died in a 30-minute fire that razed their house at an upscale village in Quezon City on Monday.

The fatalities were Marilyn Rafanan, 67, and Stara Rafanan, 27, said Colonel Jesus Fernandez, fire marshall of the Quezon City’s Bureau of Fire Protection.

The young Rafanan apparently hid inside the comfort room where she was found dead. The bureau ruled out arson and said an electrical short circuit caused the fire.

Rafanan, former PNP Intelligence Group head, was in Pangasinan when the fire broke out. He arrive at the scene around 11 a.m., firemen said. Rio Araja

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COA disallows perks for Nayon consultants

By Rio N. Araja

THE Commission on Audit has questioned the hiring of a number of consultants of the state-run Nayong Filipino Foundation in 2015 in alleged violation of Civil Service Commission rules and regulations.

The Commission said the consultants “performed regular functions which do not require expertise in a particular area of specialization and were allowed to perform supervisory functions.”

Several of the consultants had been given additional allowances and benefits not stipulated in their

contracts, it added.

The foundation hired 12 consultants to render services as technical advisers in the fields of human resource, marketing and communications, branding and lead design and business development last year.

The audit team pointed out that consultants

for marketing and human resources were performing regular functions that did not require expertise in a particular area of specialization and were allowed to perform supervisory function.

“The services of the consultants were renewed continually upon expiration of their contracts instead of being hired for a limited period to perform specific activities or services with expected outputs. We noted, however, that NPF can hire a regular employee for the vacant HR plantilla position, instead of continually hiring a consultant,” the Commission’s report.

One of the consultants

was even allowed the use of a service vehicle to and from the residence to the foundation’s office and a cell phone load allowance, while some were allowed to reimburse meals, parking fees and other miscellaneous expenses.

“We have also noted that NPF is already paying the Office of the Corporate Government Counsel P15,000 a month for legal services. Hence, the hiring of consultant for legal services may no longer be necessary,” the auditors said.

The NPF spent P1.588 million for consultancy services that exceeded the approved corporate op-

erating budget of P1.380 million.

State auditors recommended to the foundation to comply with the rules and stop the practice of paying the consultants’ allowances and benefits not stipulated in their contracts.

The foundation, however, said the current plantilla and organization structure of NPF was outdated and did not provide regular roles for the functions required by its work and business.

“Thus, the services of competent personnel were engaged either through a consultancy or service agreement,” it added.

Demolition team. Police Special Weapon and Tactics swoop down on a squatters’ area to drive away protesters and demolish illegal shanties in Barangay 8 in Caloocan City on Monday. ANDREW RABULAN

Pagcor chief leads guests at Parañaque book launch

2 died here. Smoke billows from the burning house of retired police general Ismael Rafanan whose wife and daughter died in the 30-minute fire that gutted their residence at Capitol Hills in Quezon City. REVOLI CORTEZ

INCOMING Pagcor chair Andrea Domingo leads the crowd as guest of honor and speaker at the unveiling of Parañaque’s landmark coffee table book titled “Parañaque: From a Pueblo to a Mega City by the Bay” set to be launched today, June 28, 2016 at the Grand Ballroom of the Solaire Resort and Casino along Aseana Avenue, Parañaque City.

This was announced by Parañaque City Mayor Edwin L. Olivarez who describes the landmark book published by Media Touchstone Ventures Inc. and authored by veteran writer Melandrew T. Velasco as “a fitting celebration of our rich history and heroic past, cultural heritage and traditions, our religiosity and dynamism as a people and as a city.”

Expected to attend the milestone event are former President Fidel V.

Ramos, incoming National Security Adviser General Hermogenes Cendaña Esperon Jr., former Chief of Staff of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte Patmei Ruivivar, and ambassadors from Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Corporate sponsors for the Parañaque coffee table book include Generika Drugstore, MacroAsia Corp., Pagcor, Solaire Resort and Casino, Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc., S&R Membership Shopping, Columbia Airfreight Complex Corp., Toger Resort, Leisure and Entertainment, PCCI-Parañaque, MIASCOR Logistics, PLDT, Maynilad, BF Parañaque Entrepreneurs & Business Club Inc., Mitsubishi Motors Corp. Philippines, Meralco, City of Dreams, Aseana City, Ayala Malls, Azure Urban Resort Residences, SM and San Miguel Corp.

t u e s d ay : j u n e 2 8 , 2 0 1 6

A7

news

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Albay exec snags Quezon award LEGAZPI CITY—The Department of Health has given the Manuel L. Quezon Award on the governor of Albay for the province’s successful health programs.

Outgoing Gov. Joey Salceda was recognized for having devoted “time, and untiring effort and commitment towards achieving a tuberculosis-free country.” The award is named after Commonwealth President Manuel Quezon who succumbed to tuberculosis overseas during World War II. The governor said several factors helped his province get the distinction: an all-out effort of a unified community; the passion of a well-trained cadre of health professionals; the engagement of foreign aid agencies; and an enabling context—a growing economy and an enlightened citizenry such that of Albay.

The poverty rate in Albay dropped from 33 percent to 25 percent in the past nine years.

Four other health officials, led by Albay provincial health officer Nathaniel B. Rempillo, received the Bayani ng Kalusugan Award for their efforts in related programs aimed at bringing the country “closer to Universal Health care, through excellence in work, commitment and innovation and leadership.”

The three other recipients were Dr. Antonio Ludovice, Gay Gloria Bracia and Gilda Moyo. Rempillo has been a prime mover of multi-awarded Team Albay, the province’s emergency response team.

Zambo crop production drops 10% from El Niño ZAMBOANGA CITY—The City Agriculture Office has reported that crop production has declined by at least 10 percent due to the prolonged drought brought about by the El Niño phenomenon the country has experienced the past months.

City Agriculturist Diosdado Palacat said the El Niño phenomenon has affected 3,000 farmers and damaged 1,500 hectares of vegetables, rice and corn worth

P23 million.

The country started experiencing El Niño in the latter part of 2015. The weather phenomenon has intensified earlier this year

and has greatly affected the agriculture sector.

The official added that rice production from January to May this year has declined by 3,949.4 metric tons to 5,726.8 MT from 9,676.2 MT during the same period last year.

He said the corn yield from January to May this year dropped by 3,532.95 MT to 1,707.75 MT from 5,240.7 MT of the same period last year.

The vegetable production fell by 860.63 MT from 6,171.31 MT for January to May last year to 5,310.68 MT for the same period this year.

Palacat said the farmers have started to plant with the onset of the rainy seasons.

He said the city government has provided seedlings which include corn, rice, and vegetables and farm inputs to the farmers. PNA

Land reform. Farmers belonging to Bugho Farmers Association in Barangay Maticaa, Ormoc City in Leyte finally received their Certificate of Land Ownership Award after a 17-year struggle. MEL CASPE

‘Boat owners should pay for shoal damage’

Ramadan. Muslim women walk on the grounds outside the Pink Mosque in Datu Saudi Ampatuan in Maguindanao. AFP

THE owners of a bulk carrier that razed through more than two hectares of protected reef off Daanbantayan town in Cebu should compensate for the environmental damage.

An environment advocacy group raised this concern yesterday as it disclosed that appropriate charges are being prepared against the owners of MV Belle Rose that ran aground last week at Monad Shoal off Daanbantayan, wreaking havoc on more than two hectares of corals in the protected marine area.

Anna Oposa, co-founder and executive director of the Save Philippine Seas movement, said the provincial government of Cebu is poised to level charges against the Belle Rose owners.

Oposa said an inter-agency task force is currently preparing the case, particularly assessment of the damage to the shoal, widely known

as a popular tourist destination and scuba diving haven.

She stressed that Belle Rose had to be pressured to pay for the damage and the cost of rehabilitating the marine resource property.

The Panamanian registered vessel reportedly owned by a Japanese firm was weighed down with some 48,000 tons of clinker used for cement production when it bulldozed through Monad Shoal before running aground last June 13, leaving a swath of destruction at the reef around Malaspacua Island.

Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office Chief Baltazar Tribunalo Jr. said marine biologists from the University of San Carlos and non-government organizations were also helping in the investigation to determine the extent of damage on the corals and other marine life in the area.

T u E S D AY : J u N E 2 8 , 2 0 1 6

A8

opinion

ADELLE chuA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

opinion

EAGLE EYES TONY LA VIÑA

From AguinAldo to mAcApAgAl

[ EDI TORI A L ]

Heard it all before thE next secretary of transportation and communications, Arthur tugade, has dared the public to kick him out of office if he is not able to accomplish anything in two years. tugade said he intends to overhaul the work attitude of the department’s employees, eradicate corruption in the agency, continue the phaseout of old public utility vehicles, ease airport congestion, and improve the distribution of vehicle plates and driver’s licenses, among others.

At the end of his term, he says he should be able to present a 30-year transportation road map. this same incoming official also supports the granting of emergency powers to President-elect Rodrigo Duterte—who will assume office in two days—to solve the worsening traffic problem in Metro Manila.

Given this long list, we find it superfluous that tugade would say he would dare others to remove him for being useless if he fails to show results within two years. the public cannot be blamed for being suspicious of such pronouncements.

We remember the day when President Benigno Aquino III said he would have himself run over by a train if the extension of line 1 of the light Rail transit, from Baclaran to Bacoor, Cavite is not completed by 2015.

In fact, he would take current transportation chief Joseph Emilio Abaya, with him.

But it is Mr. Aquino’s second-to-the-last full day in office. Not one inch of the rail extension has been built, and both the colossally incompetent Abaya and his boss have never said anything about that dare.

Recall, too, the many revocable, or courtesy, resignations offered by various officials at several points during the Aquino administration. “offering to resign” has become fashionable, primarily because the appointing authority is almost always expected to reject the offer. “So-andso continues to enjoy the confidence of the chief executive,” has become a common response.

Mr. tugade and all other incoming officials who wish to be taken seriously should stay away from this habit. If they do not think they can do their jobs, they should not accept them in the first place. If they do, and yet fail after trying as hard as humanly possible, they should not announce that they will quit. they should just do so, their heads bowed in shame.

digong and brexit LOwDOwN jOjO A. RObLES WhAt does our very own Digong Duterte have to do with Brexit, the recent decision of the people of the United Kingdom, to leave the European Community?

A lot, I think.

I watched President-elect Rodrigo Duterte deliver his hour-long, profanity-laced valedictory to his original constituents, the people of

Davao City, yesterday. And I could not help but conclude that while the people may not always be right, their will becomes law in a democratic society if enough of them want something badly enough.

It’s the same with Brexit.

When the people of the UK shocked their so-called betters by deciding to leave the European community, the pound took a beating and markets tumbled—but there is simply no denying or reversing the will of the people.

Elites everywhere, including those in the media (who

are mostly in the elite’s employ), have always made it their business to tell the rest of us what we should think, say and do. And because of the pervasiveness of the influence of the ruling classes and the silence of majority who do not belong to them, elites sometimes are able to convince themselves of the inevitability of their own belief systems.

But democratic politics is the great leveler of economic classes. the noise emanating from the elite has time and again been proven to be a false indicator of the senti-

A9

The people have had enough of the elites who always seem to know what’s best for them, even if they never seem to deliver.

ments of the majority.

What happened in the UK last week already took place last May 9 in the Philippines.

And it will happen again, as long as people are allowed to chart their own destiny, as opposed to following the dictates of the status quo-loving elites.

Conventional political wisdom, for instance, held that someone like Duterte was, at best, a local phenomenon that would not travel well outside of Davao City. The job of the president of the republic required someone schooled in the politics of Manila, where the seat of government and the national pulse beats it loudest and truest, it said.

But the “Remain” voters, it must be noted, were also concentrated in the london area. What City politicians and businessmen thought was the will of the voters was actually just the economic elites talking to themselves, an incestuous clamor to stay in the European Union that did not reverberate in an English countryside scared to death of an incoming wave of immigrants and of losing their jobs and safety nets.

In the same manner that UK

pollsters thought that the Brexit call would be defeated in a close contest were proven wrong, Manila-based politicians and their highly-paid advisers did not figure on the rest of the country voting in droves for someone who had next to no connections with politics in the nation’s capital. Digong Duterte represented the rest of the country against the elites who have ruled us for so long—and up to now, the political and economic elites in Ma-

The Standard Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 832-5554, 8325556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial), 832-5546, (Advertising), 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www.thestandard.com.ph; E-mail: contact@thestandard.com.ph

ONLINE

can be accessed at: thestandard.com.ph

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

nila still cannot get over the loss. *** there is, of course, no better representative of the Manila-based political and economic elites than the outgoing president, Noynoy Aquino. Aquino was the offspring of the old-rich haciendero class of landowners and generations of prominent national politicians, including a president, and he was always proud of his pedigree.

Continued on A11

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

to CElEBRAtE the forthcoming inauguration this thursday of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, I enlisted the help of my son Eman to identify and, in the case of Aguinaldo, to translate lines from inaugural speeches that might be interesting or are still relevant today. I do not make a judgment on the presidents who delivered these speeches. history has taken care of that.

From Emilio Aguinaldo, in 1899, upon adoption of the Malolos Constitution and his assumption of the presidency under that constitution: “We are no longer insurgents, we are no longer revolutionaries. that is to say, from now on, we are republicans, men of law with whom all other nations can unite with, through mutual respect and reciprocal affection. thus, we do not need anything else to be recognized and admitted as a free and independent nation.”

From Manuel L. Quezon (1935): “In the enormous task of fully preparing ourselves for independence we shall be beset with serious difficulties, but we will resolutely march forward. I appeal to your patriotism and summon your nobility of heart so that we may, united in the common endeavor, once more dedicate ourselves to the realization of our national destiny. I face the future with hope and fortitude, certain that God never abandons a people who ever follows his unerring and guiding hand. May he give me light, strength, and courage evermore that I may not falter in the hour of service to my people!”

From Jose P. Laurel (1943): “God helping us, we shall march with steady, resolute steps forward, without doubts, vacillation, or fear. there shall be no tarrying on the way, no desertion from the ranks, no stragglers left behind. together we shall work, work hard, work still harder, work with all our might, and work as we have never worked before.

Every drop, every trickle of individual effort shall be grooved into a single channel of common endeavor until they grow into a flowing stream, a rushing cataract, a roaring torrent, a raging flood, hurdling all difficulties and demolishing all barriers in the way of our single purpose and common determination to make our independence stable, lasting and real.”

Sergio Osmeña (1944): “the Filipino people, with their wisdom Continued on A11

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

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

T u E S D AY : J u N E 2 8 , 2 0 1 6

A8

opinion

ADELLE chuA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

opinion

EAGLE EYES TONY LA VIÑA

From AguinAldo to mAcApAgAl

[ EDI TORI A L ]

Heard it all before thE next secretary of transportation and communications, Arthur tugade, has dared the public to kick him out of office if he is not able to accomplish anything in two years. tugade said he intends to overhaul the work attitude of the department’s employees, eradicate corruption in the agency, continue the phaseout of old public utility vehicles, ease airport congestion, and improve the distribution of vehicle plates and driver’s licenses, among others.

At the end of his term, he says he should be able to present a 30-year transportation road map. this same incoming official also supports the granting of emergency powers to President-elect Rodrigo Duterte—who will assume office in two days—to solve the worsening traffic problem in Metro Manila.

Given this long list, we find it superfluous that tugade would say he would dare others to remove him for being useless if he fails to show results within two years. the public cannot be blamed for being suspicious of such pronouncements.

We remember the day when President Benigno Aquino III said he would have himself run over by a train if the extension of line 1 of the light Rail transit, from Baclaran to Bacoor, Cavite is not completed by 2015.

In fact, he would take current transportation chief Joseph Emilio Abaya, with him.

But it is Mr. Aquino’s second-to-the-last full day in office. Not one inch of the rail extension has been built, and both the colossally incompetent Abaya and his boss have never said anything about that dare.

Recall, too, the many revocable, or courtesy, resignations offered by various officials at several points during the Aquino administration. “offering to resign” has become fashionable, primarily because the appointing authority is almost always expected to reject the offer. “So-andso continues to enjoy the confidence of the chief executive,” has become a common response.

Mr. tugade and all other incoming officials who wish to be taken seriously should stay away from this habit. If they do not think they can do their jobs, they should not accept them in the first place. If they do, and yet fail after trying as hard as humanly possible, they should not announce that they will quit. they should just do so, their heads bowed in shame.

digong and brexit LOwDOwN jOjO A. RObLES WhAt does our very own Digong Duterte have to do with Brexit, the recent decision of the people of the United Kingdom, to leave the European Community?

A lot, I think.

I watched President-elect Rodrigo Duterte deliver his hour-long, profanity-laced valedictory to his original constituents, the people of

Davao City, yesterday. And I could not help but conclude that while the people may not always be right, their will becomes law in a democratic society if enough of them want something badly enough.

It’s the same with Brexit.

When the people of the UK shocked their so-called betters by deciding to leave the European community, the pound took a beating and markets tumbled—but there is simply no denying or reversing the will of the people.

Elites everywhere, including those in the media (who

are mostly in the elite’s employ), have always made it their business to tell the rest of us what we should think, say and do. And because of the pervasiveness of the influence of the ruling classes and the silence of majority who do not belong to them, elites sometimes are able to convince themselves of the inevitability of their own belief systems.

But democratic politics is the great leveler of economic classes. the noise emanating from the elite has time and again been proven to be a false indicator of the senti-

A9

The people have had enough of the elites who always seem to know what’s best for them, even if they never seem to deliver.

ments of the majority.

What happened in the UK last week already took place last May 9 in the Philippines.

And it will happen again, as long as people are allowed to chart their own destiny, as opposed to following the dictates of the status quo-loving elites.

Conventional political wisdom, for instance, held that someone like Duterte was, at best, a local phenomenon that would not travel well outside of Davao City. The job of the president of the republic required someone schooled in the politics of Manila, where the seat of government and the national pulse beats it loudest and truest, it said.

But the “Remain” voters, it must be noted, were also concentrated in the london area. What City politicians and businessmen thought was the will of the voters was actually just the economic elites talking to themselves, an incestuous clamor to stay in the European Union that did not reverberate in an English countryside scared to death of an incoming wave of immigrants and of losing their jobs and safety nets.

In the same manner that UK

pollsters thought that the Brexit call would be defeated in a close contest were proven wrong, Manila-based politicians and their highly-paid advisers did not figure on the rest of the country voting in droves for someone who had next to no connections with politics in the nation’s capital. Digong Duterte represented the rest of the country against the elites who have ruled us for so long—and up to now, the political and economic elites in Ma-

The Standard Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 832-5554, 8325556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial), 832-5546, (Advertising), 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www.thestandard.com.ph; E-mail: contact@thestandard.com.ph

ONLINE

can be accessed at: thestandard.com.ph

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

nila still cannot get over the loss. *** there is, of course, no better representative of the Manila-based political and economic elites than the outgoing president, Noynoy Aquino. Aquino was the offspring of the old-rich haciendero class of landowners and generations of prominent national politicians, including a president, and he was always proud of his pedigree.

Continued on A11

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

to CElEBRAtE the forthcoming inauguration this thursday of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, I enlisted the help of my son Eman to identify and, in the case of Aguinaldo, to translate lines from inaugural speeches that might be interesting or are still relevant today. I do not make a judgment on the presidents who delivered these speeches. history has taken care of that.

From Emilio Aguinaldo, in 1899, upon adoption of the Malolos Constitution and his assumption of the presidency under that constitution: “We are no longer insurgents, we are no longer revolutionaries. that is to say, from now on, we are republicans, men of law with whom all other nations can unite with, through mutual respect and reciprocal affection. thus, we do not need anything else to be recognized and admitted as a free and independent nation.”

From Manuel L. Quezon (1935): “In the enormous task of fully preparing ourselves for independence we shall be beset with serious difficulties, but we will resolutely march forward. I appeal to your patriotism and summon your nobility of heart so that we may, united in the common endeavor, once more dedicate ourselves to the realization of our national destiny. I face the future with hope and fortitude, certain that God never abandons a people who ever follows his unerring and guiding hand. May he give me light, strength, and courage evermore that I may not falter in the hour of service to my people!”

From Jose P. Laurel (1943): “God helping us, we shall march with steady, resolute steps forward, without doubts, vacillation, or fear. there shall be no tarrying on the way, no desertion from the ranks, no stragglers left behind. together we shall work, work hard, work still harder, work with all our might, and work as we have never worked before.

Every drop, every trickle of individual effort shall be grooved into a single channel of common endeavor until they grow into a flowing stream, a rushing cataract, a roaring torrent, a raging flood, hurdling all difficulties and demolishing all barriers in the way of our single purpose and common determination to make our independence stable, lasting and real.”

Sergio Osmeña (1944): “the Filipino people, with their wisdom Continued on A11

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

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

T U E S D AY : J U N E 2 8 , 2 0 1 6

A10

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

i aSk again: Will he?

TO THE pOInT EmIL p. juRADO Less than three days from today, Bs Aquino will be history. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte will be sworn in as the country’s new president.

Duterte has many challenges to face in the next six years. We can expect him to hit the ground running. The people have high expectations of him—too high.

Can he deliver in the first 100 days?

For instance, Duterte wants to eradicate criminality, illegal drugs and corruption in three to six months. Many say it is not doable unless he proclaims martial law or a revolutionary government. He will become a dictator. so, will he or won’t he?

To achieve his goal, Duterte wants the death penalty restored —to be more effective, death by hanging. Rapists and drug lords will be hanged twice.

But wishing and doing are two different things. Congress first has to reimpose the death penalty, which is easier said than done.

The Catholic Church is vehemently against it, and the Church has many adherents in Congress.

Duterte may have control of the House of Representatives with incoming speaker Bebot Alvarez as his pointman. In the senate, however, it would be a different story since it is composed of 24 independent republics. even the incoming chief of the Philippine National Police has expressed doubts about achieving the target within six months.

And then there is the problem of the Abu sayyaf terror group.

The Abus have links to the dreaded IsIs. so will Duterte invade sulu to fight the Abu sayyaf? even now, the Armed Forces of the Philippines is trying hard to decimate them.

Mr. Duterte also says he would kill drug users/addicts. He does not seem to realize that they are the victims, not the culprits.

In carrying out his crusade against drugs, he has to depend on police intelligence to identify pushers. This will likely be a problem, as members of the police themselves are in cahoots with drug lords and traffickers. *** Duterte also wants Congress to grant him emergency powers to solve Metro Manila’s traffic crisis.

By what means, we still don’t know. There have been many proposals, but it appears the solutions we need are drastic ones.

The incoming president should remember that we are still living in a democracy where the rule of law and due process are observed and where human and civil rights are sacrosanct.

As for corruption, which Duterte also wants to eradicate in six months, I don’t believe it can be done for so long as people in government remain human beings. Corruption can only minimized. My gulay, even in Communist China and Vietnam where those found guilty of corruption are executed, corruption remains.

To make good on his promises, Duterte must declare martial law or a revolutionary government.

sixteen million people voted for Duterte because they are sick and tired of an incompetent and do-nothing administration under Bs Aquino. They expect real change. But all the things Duterte promised cannot be fully realized unless he resorts to martial law and institutes a revolutionary government.

This is why I keep asking: Will he or won’t he? *** Duterte scored a “10” by having a two-day dialogue with the business community in Davao City. Business organizations presented their 10-point agenda for economic development. every incoming president must listen to what business and industry wants. still, the high expectations of the business community was dampened with the appointment of Lopez clan and ABs-CBN heiress Gina Lopez, a professed anti-mining advocate. she has gone all-out against any form of mining, especially the open-pit kind. Lopez is also against coalfired power plants, which means that coal mines in the Philippines will have to go.

The problem is that many of the power plants in the country are coal-fired.

Time To revamp The SSS CoMPAReD to the private sector, workers in the government bureaucracy are paid very small salaries.

Analysts say that this is why there is unmitigated corruption in government. Their suggestion: make the compensation of civil servants at par with their counterparts in the private sector, or at least make their compensation sufficient enough for them to live fairly decent lives.

That is, of course, easier said than done, because salaries of civil servants involve government funds. experts also contend that the low compensation given to civil servants discourages bright people from joining the civil service, thus depriving the government of their expertise.

In the years following February 1986, government agencies headed by officials close to either the president or congressional leaders got large budgets which, in turn, translated to high salaries for their top officials. often, the allowances were larger than the salaries. state agencies which did not have the right connections got a small piece of the national budget.

As a result, some government officials got large salaries and allowances while others did not.

To address that inequity, Congress eventually enacted the salary standardization law, which mandated that government employees shall be compensated on the basis of fixed salary grades. Under this law, the salary of a government employee is based on his salary grade, and not on how much money his agency has.

At first, the arrangement worked fine, until some top government officials started exempting favored line agencies from the salary standardization law. soon thereafter, many agencies got exemptions from the law. Worse, the exemptions allowed the agencies concerned to give their officials very large allowances. This arrangement continued well into the administration of President Benigno Aquino III. Attention is invited to the social

security system, the state agency in charge of welfare and pension funds for employees in the private sector. employees covered by the sss are entitled to financial assistance for medical needs, and retirement benefits, to name a few. since only private-sector employees who are members of the sss are entitled to coverage, employers are urged to register their employees with the system. The arrangement calls for the employer and the employee to make separate monthly contributions to the sss, with the government providing its own share of monthly contributions. By the time the employee concerned retires, he will be entitled to a retirement package from the sss in an amount higher than what has been contributed.

To be able to make such payments, the sss is allowed to invest a percentage of the contributions.

The rest must be retained in a government bank as trust funds. Profits and interest earned are held in trust by the sss for its beneficiaries.

Under the law, an employer who fails to make a monthly contribution is liable for criminal prosecution. since sss officials are government employees, their compensation must come from the government, in the same way other government employees are compensated. That is pure theory.

Truth to tell, sss officials draw salaries and allowances far higher than those of other bureaucrats.

The news media recently reported that sss president and chief executive officer emilio de Quiroz Jr. drew a salary of P6.8 million and huge allowances for 2014. That sum is much higher than the official compensation given to the president of the Philippines.

How come the sss chief draws a salary and receives allowances in such a huge amount, when other government employees don’t?

The excuse tendered by the sss is that unless the compensation of its top officials can compete with salaries offered by big corporations in Metropolitan Manila, the sss will be unable to attract bright and competent managers and administrators.

If that is so, then how come the professors of the University of the Philippines system, who are admit-

tedly the best and the brightest in their respective fields, are not given the same level of compensation?

Why is it that the UP president, the main man in the UP hierarchy, receives compensation far less than what the sss chief gets?

It also appears that members of the sss board and top sss administrative officials are also among the highest compensated government officials in the country. one sss board member is known to be very close to Mar Roxas of the proadministration Liberal Party.

Is the extraordinarily large compensation given to the sss president and board directors warranted?

Prior to the May 9 elections, President Benigno Aquino III vetoed a proposed law which would have increased the benefits of sss members. The excuse given: The sss does not have enough funds for the increase. However, a group of civic-minded congressmen led

by Neri Colmenares revealed that the lack of funds is attributable to many reasons, including the dismal and unexplained failure of the sss to collect unpaid contributions.

The failure to collect unpaid contributions is plain incompetence on the part of the sss top management. employees who do not pay their share of contributions can be charged in criminal proceedings, without too much expense for the sss. The public prosecutor, who does not need to be paid by the sss, can handle the case.

Actually, if the sss enforced the law as it should have done so in the first place, then there would have been enough funds to possibly prevent the veto of the proposed law which would have increased the benefits of sss members.

Also, the sss seems keen on selling some of its assets, ostensibly to raise funds. If the sss needs funds, doesn’t the large compensation its officials receive stand out like a sore thumb? since President-elect Rodrigo Duterte intends to clean up the bureaucracy, and he should, he ought to revamp the sss. Duterte must act fast because critics reveal that there is an ongoing move to increase the annual salary of the sss president by half a million pesos.

Indonesia now bans the shipment of coal to the Philippines because of the Abu sayyaf problem. santa Banana, where will the coal-fired power plants get their coal? We may have to see a resurgence of blackouts in the Luzon grid if Gina Lopez has her way.

I don’t know how Duterte, an advocate of responsible mining, can tell Lopez to hold her horses against mining. This is why I think she may have to resign sooner than expected as secretary of the environment and natural resources.

If he resigns, she won’t be missed. All I can say is “good riddance.”

There are some members of the Cabinet who can ably guide him: Finance’s Carlos Domin-

guez, Budget and Management’s Ben Diokno, education’s Leonor Briones, Peace’s Jess Dureza, Labor’s silvestre Bello and Foreign Affairs’ Jun Yasay. *** First, six Commission on elections commissioners described Chairman Andres Bautista’s stint as “failed leadership.” This is for his many shortcomings in the agency, like delayed payment of salaries of election workers.

Now we hear that Bautista has gone to Japan without naming an acting chairman and without resolving many other cases at the Comelec.

I don’t know what has been happening with Bautista. When he was chairman of the Presidential Commission on Good

Government, he did his job with flying colors. This made me support him when he was appointed chairman of the Comelec.

But with all the things happening at the Comelec, I am changing my mind about Andy Bautista.

I cannot understand why Bautista left for Japan without authority from the rest of the commissioners, and without naming an acting chairman to attend to things in his absence. Bautista knows there are many pending matters at the Comelec. since the Comelec chairman is a constitutional official, he can only be removed by impeachment. It’s not that I am recommending his impeachment. still, that sounds like a solution to the mess at the poll body.

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA

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OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

Markets were rational, but uk voters weren’t

by Matthew a. winkler It was 22 years ago this month when the United states was preparing for combat. North Korea’s expanding nuclear weapons program prompted President Bill Clinton to order reinforcements.

The administration was lining up votes in the United Nations security Council to impose economic penalties on the Pyongyang government, which repeatedly denounced sanctions as a “declaration of war.” any investors could see what was coming. Right? so how did markets correctly anticipate that this runup to war would not lead to war? How did they foresee the outcomes of the Quebec sovereignty referendum of 1995, the euro crisis of 2010, the Us debt ceiling crisis of 2011, scotland’s vote on independence in 2014 and the Greek debt crisis of 2015? Or, if all that was so easy, how did markets fail to discern the probability of Britain voting last week to leave the EU? This time was different. Unlike their elected officials, too many voters proved too proud to be rational. as much as an hour after the polls closed on Thursday, the pound had rallied to 1.50 from 1.48, consistent with the widespread expectation that the British people would accept the consensus view of domestic and international prime ministers

and presidents, finance ministers, business leaders and economists and vote to remain in the EU. They expected the UK to support this outcome because it was the best outcome for the UK. That was their mistake. when the “leave” votes appeared to exceed “remain,” markets lurched and wiped out billions of pounds, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. a lurch like that confirms that investors were surprised. sterling plummeted a record 8.05 percent to a 31-year low.

The North Korea episode is among dozens of momentous events during the past 35 years when markets successfully calculated the odds of democratic governments finding a way to pursue peace and stability. seoul’s KOsPI Index plunged prior to President Clinton’s escalated military preparedness on June 16 and rallied days before a diplomatic agreement was reached, outperforming the rest of asia in 1994. Measured in Us dollars, south Korea’s return was even greater, reflecting the strength of the won against all currencies.

The same prescience (or rationality) showed during Greece’s last year. Doubts about the viability of the EU, the euro and Greece had persisted since the financial crisis 2007-8. The euro had declined about 13 percent against

the dollar through the first five months of 2010, and predictions were widespread that the 16 countries sharing the euro were destined to fail as an economic entity, with breakup inevitable.

By May 2012, the benchmark 10year Greek bond was paying the equivalent of 30 cents on the dollar amid predictions the government would default.

Markets, which aren’t ideological but do provide a daily reference of relative value, weren’t buying it.

The euro gained 9.4 percent in the second half of 2010 and advanced another 11.9 percent through 2015 when 19 countries accepted it as their national store of value. Last year, when another Greek government was back in the headlines reportedly on the verge of default and soon to exit the euro, the investor George soros said Greece was going down the drain. During this time the yield on the benchmark Greek bond never got close to its 2012 low yield of 30 percent, instead fluctuating between 7 percent and 18 percent. Greek debt, protected by the shared European currency, proved to be the best investment globally from July through the end of 2015, Bloomberg data show.

Markets tend toward rationality even when elected officials are the ones threatening rash action.

Throughout July 2011, the Republican-led Congress refused to raise

the Us debt ceiling, putting the country on the brink of default.

Investors were correct in assuming these lawmakers wouldn’t deliver on their threat; the yield declined to 2.56 percent from 2.65 percent that month before dropping to 2.34 percent one year later. since June 2011, investors received a total return of 18.7 percent from Us treasury securities, when global sovereign debt delivered 7.1 percent, German bunds 1.8 percent and investment-grade corporate bonds 14.3 percent. Markets interpreted the Quebec referendum of 1995 and the similar one in scotland no differently, anticipating outcomes that were rational.

But Britons’ vote to leave the EU is unlike any other event in modern times. Investors didn’t imagine a majority of voters choosing a result that proved unprecedented in its immediate and devastating impact on the British pound. The scope of this misjudgment, derived from a combination of complacency and wishful thinking, was revealed in minutes. while sterling suffered its biggest one-day decline since 1980 on June 24, the 8.05 percent loss was almost twice that of sept. 16, 1992, the so-called Black wednesday, when the Conservative government was forced to withdraw the pound from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism against a tide of speculation

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But aquino’s faux folksy glibness was eventually betrayed by his uncaring attitude and action when it came to stuff that really mattered to ordinary Filipinos, unmasking him as one of “them.” and after aquino, during the last half of his term, was exposed as just another elitist do-nothing place-holder in a position that could actually do good for the majority, his fate—and the fate of his anointed—was practically sealed. when aquino picked yet another member of the ruling class, Mar Roxas, to be his champion in the elections last month, the people decided they wanted someone else. First, they toyed with the idea of having Jejomar Binay replace the Feckless One, then they discovered Grace Poe; neither really fit the bill, until Rodrigo Duterte came along and inflamed the populace.

Here was a man almost everyone could relate to, with his plaid shirts and his vulgar, saksak-sinagol trilingualism. Here was a man who felt as they did about crime, corruption and every other problem that they came face-to-face with on a daily basis, someone who was one of them. the people had found a politician who has always kept in touch with the people and who has unerringly told them what they wanted to hear and given them what they wanted. and now, in a couple of days, Duterte is taking his foul-mouthed act out of Davao and onto the nationwide stage, becoming mayor of the adoring masses of the entire country who voted him into the presidency.

No one knows if Duterte will bring this country to a corruption- and crime-free Promised Land like he has always said he would. at this point, as with Brexit, what we only know is that the people have chosen uncertainly—and hope for change—over business and politics as usual.

The other thing is that, in both elections, the people have had enough of the elites who always seem to know what’s best for them, even if they never seem to deliver anything except what’s best for the elites themselves. and they did so all by themselves, for good or for ill.

in peace and gallantry in war, have established their right to take place in the family of nations as a full and sovereign member. we cannot renounce this right nor its obligations and responsibilities. we shall, as a free and self-respecting nation, fulfill our duties not only to ourselves but also to the entire freedom-loving world by participating in the establishment and preservation of a just peace for the benefit of mankind.”

Manuel Roxas (1946): “Charity and understanding must replace bitterness and anger. we cannot afford to cherish old feuds or old divisions. For the many tasks of national reconstruction, we need the thousand talents of all our people—men and women alike. the recent elections are past. Likewise the strife of war is over.

Bitterness engendered by these events must be forgotten and healed.”

Elpidio Quirino (1949): “My countrymen, you elected me because you want me to serve the country well. Help me always to do so.

Give me your light when my way is dark. Give me strength when you see me weaken. Give me courage always to do the right thing. Help me build for our people a new reputation for honesty and fair dealing. Help me establish a new integrity on our thinking, in our words, in our deeds. Let us be men, as the best of our breed have tried to be. Let us be true to ourselves so that we cannot be false to any man or any people. then we can know the right thing, and I, as your servant, can do the right thing for all the world to judge.”

Ramon Magsaysay (1953): “accordingly, I pledge my administration to your service. I pledge that we shall extend the protection of the law to everyone, fairly and impartially—to the rich and the poor, the learned and the unlettered recognizing no party but the nation, no family but the great family of our race, no interest save the common welfare. the Bill of Rights shall be for me and the members of my administration, a bill of duties. we shall be guardians of the free-

led by soros. The toll of Thursday’s vote on the pound was more than double any of the eight worst days since 1981, and its almost 13 percent reversal in less than a week dwarfed any of the previous currency debacles, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Britons’ decision and the Korean crisis are bookends two decades apart during which financial markets proved most reliable as leading indicators. as the polls opened Thursday, the pound was the surest reflection of confidence that Britain would decide to remain within the EU. sterling was the No. 2 best-performing currency among 31 actively traded currencies this year and its volatility had diminished the most of any currency from being the most treacherous a week earlier, according to Bloomberg data.

Investors still are in shock. Capitalism and free trade, which are inextricably linked to democracy in meeting the 21st-century challenges of globalization, urbanization and climate change, are under siege in Europe, the center from which international trade and markets illuminated the world. The words of Britain’s Foreign secretary sir Edward Gray, spoken more than a century ago amid world war I, ring true today: “The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.” bloomberg

dom and dignity of the individual. More than this, we shall strive to give meaning and substance to the liberties guaranteed by our Constitution—by helping our citizens to attain the economic well-being so essential to the enjoyment of civil and political rights.”

Carlos P. Garcia (1957): “But with all our preoccupation with the national well-being, we cannot afford to neglect the moral and spiritual aspects of our national life. together with the increasing material abundance, we need to strengthen our moral fiber. Our spiritual virtues must be constantly fortified. a nation does not live by bread alone, and no profit is gained in strengthening its economy if in doing so it loses its soul. the ruins of once mighty empires now buried under the dust of oblivion constantly remind us that material progress, unless based on a foundation of morality, eventually destroys itself.”

Diosdado Macapagal (1961): “It is incorrect to say that we are out to solve all the problems of the nation. No president can do that. Nationbuilding is an exacting and endless endeavor. No president can build the whole edifice of a nation. all that he is called upon to do, is to add a fine stone to that edifice, so that those who shall come after him may add other fine stones that will go for a strong and enduring structure. I stress anew that the stone that we are assigned to contribute to the edifice of a greater Philippines is, first, to attend to such short-range problems as sufficiency in the staple food of the people, and more employment, and second, to undertake a long-range task of moral renaissance and the implementation of a socioeconomic blueprint which, although not immediately achieving prosperity, will lead to that prosperity for all our people.”

In my saturday column, I will quote from the Marcos, Cory aquino, Ramos, Estrada, Noynoy aquino, and Duterte speeches.

Facebook: tonylavs5 or Dean Tony La Viña Twitter: tonylavs

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t ue s day : J un e 2 8 , 2 0 1 6

sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

Argentina falls; Messi retires Blu Girls join world-class tilts THE RP Blu Girls, who are aiming to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, get the chance to measure themselves up against the best of the world when they compete in back-to-back international softball tournaments namely the World Cup to be held on July 5 to 10 in Oklahoma City, USA and the World Women’s Softball Championships on July 15 to 24 in Surrey, Canada.

“This is a perfect start for our 4-year plan for our RP Blu Girls to compete and contend in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. These coming tournaments will show us where we stand and what improvements need to be done in the next four years. There’s no other way to become one of the world’s best but to compete against them.

I’m confident our girls will give everyone a run for their money. I’ve always believed that softball is a sport that we can excel in in the international arena so I’m going all out with my support to the team and the sport,” said newly re-elected Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines President Jean Henri Lhuillier.

The RP Blu Girls will compete against 2 teams from the USA, world no. 1 Japan, China, Mexico, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Venezuela in the World Cup. Meanwhile, aside from the Philippines, other teams vying for the championships in the Women’s World Softball Championships are Italy, Puerto Rico, Austria, Venezuela, Czech Republic, Peru, India, Chinese Taipei, Mexico, USA, Switzerland, Ireland, Cuba, China, Netherlands, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, France, Serbia, Uganda, Greece, Israel, Guatemala, Pakistan, Great Britain, Ecuador and Kenya.

“Our girls have undergone rigorous training and they are raring to compete with the world’s best. They have defeated men’s club teams in our recent training matches. We also have new Fil-Am recruits, who I believe make the team stronger. I have high hopes for the team,” added Lhuillier.

The RP Blu Girls is a perennial champion of Southeast Asia and is one of the top teams in Asia.

Their international stints are made possible thru the sponsorship of Cebuana Lhuillier.

EAST RUTHERFORD —Lionel Messi sensationally announced his retirement from international football here Sunday after Argentina crashed to an upset defeat against Chile in the final of the Copa America.

Lionel Messi of Argentina looks dejected against Chile during the Copa America Centenario Championship match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Chile defeated Argentina 4-2 in penalty kicks. AFP

Woods says he might not play again this year

Billy Hurley III receives his trophy from Tiger Woods after the Quicken Loans National at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. AFP

BETHESDA—Tiger Woods said Sunday he might not return to competitive golf this year following back surgery nine months ago, but he’s counting on the wait being worthwhile by producing impressive form.

The 14-time major champion updated his recovery status after Sunday’s final round of the US PGA National at Congressional Country Club, which benefits his charity foundation.

“I’m trying to get back as fast as I can,” Woods said.

“It’s frustrating not being able to play, especially at my own event. I miss being out here.”

Asked if there was a chance he might not play again this year, Woods said, “I don’t know. I want to play. I don’t know if I will. But I am trying to... I’m working my tail off.”

The British Open is only three weeks away and the year’s final major, the PGA Championship, is less than five weeks away.

Woods never mentions a specific event when asked

about a comeback timetable and he has admitted downplaying his status in comments about past injuries.

But he talks time and again about having learned from past attempts to return too quickly from injury and setbacks he has suffered as a result.

“I would like to say next week.

But I can’t,” Woods said. “It’s not fun. It’s a tough road. I know I’m getting better. I’m progressing, but still I’m just not quite ready to be out here.

“I can play with these guys.

I know I still can. I just need to get healthy enough where I can do it on a regular basis.”

That, Woods said, requires getting into golf shape. That means even though he is playing 18 holes now on consecutive days, he must be able to handle all the stresses of tournament play over 72 holes.

“I still need to be golf fit, hit ball after ball to have my golf muscles back,” Woods said.

“I am playing, just I need more time, I still need to get to get stronger, need to recover faster. Unfortunately it will take time.

The heartbroken Barcelona superstar was distraught after missing a spot-kick as Chile snatched victory in a penalty shoot-out -- Messi’s fourth straight defeat in a major final while representing Argentina.

“For me the national team is over,” the crestfallen 29-year-old told reporters.

“I’ve done all I can, I’ve been in four finals and it hurts not to be a champion.

“It’s a hard moment for me and the team, and it’s difficult to say, but it’s over with the Argentina team.”

Messi’s dramatic announcement followed Argentina’s third loss in a major final since 2014.

They were beaten 1-0

by Germany in the final of the World Cup in 2014 and lost on penalties, also to Chile, in the final of the 2015 Copa America.

Messi also tasted defeat with Argentina in the final of the 2007 Copa America.

Despite a glittering career that has seen him be named FIFA World Player of the Year on no fewer than five occasions, Messi has faced persistent sniping from critics in Argentina.

Yet he received support on Sunday from Chile’s victorious Argentine coach Juan Antonio Pizzi, who maintained that Messi deserves to be regarded as the best ever.

“As well as an admiration for Messi, I’m driven very much by his numbers,” Pizzi said of Messi’s record-breaking career.

“I know what it means to value certain numbers and Messi’s numbers are unmatched, and I don’t think they will ever be matched because it’s impossible for a player to find the things that Messi finds.”

But while universally regarded as one of the greatest footballers ever, he has regularly been targeted for his inability to land a major title in the colors of Argentina.

Messi’s failure to match the achievements of Diego Maradona, who single-handedly carried the team to victory in the 1986 World Cup, has often been held against him. AFP

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sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

lloilo hosts PH duathlon tourney in September THE City of Iloilo is all set to welcome hundreds of multisport athletes, runners and cyclists from around the nation as it hosts the Philippine Duathlon Championships 2016: Race for the Iloilo River on Sept. 17.

The City Government of Iloilo, headed by Mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog, agreed to cooperate with the Triathlon Association of the Philippines in jointly organizing the prestigious run-bike-run event, which in turn will emphasize efforts of cleaning and redeveloping the Iloilo River for future generations.

Supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, the event will be composed of Standard Distance (10 Km run – 40 Km bike – 5 Km run) and Sprint Distance (5 Km run – 20 Km bike – 2.5 Km run) courses and the start/finish line will be located at the promenade of the Iloilo River which will give both participants and spectators a clear view of the river.

Iloilo City Vice Mayor Jose Espinosa assured participants of different age groups that while the race will be competitive, the local atmosphere will still be friendly due to the warm welcome Iloilo residents are known for.

At stake for the winners are attractive prizes in both cash and in kind.

Adding depth to the competitive nature of the event is the participation of the national duathlon team, with members like Mirasol Abad, Miscele Gilbuena, Bigboy Estevez and John Chicano to name some.

Registration will begin on July 1, with entry fees set at P1,000 for the Sprint Distance and P1,500 for the Standard Distance.

Interested parties are welcome to contact the TRAP at 710-8259, 3996598, 0921-9954764, 09156394233, 0917-5776070 or send email to rreyes_upm@yahoo.com.

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Wimby history on line LONDON—World number one Novak Djokovic and 17-time major winner Roger Federer get Wimbledon under way on Monday with history beckoning for the two Grand Slam A-listers.

Top seed Djokovic is halfway to the first calendar Grand Slam since 1969 after ending his agonising wait for a maiden French Open crown earlier this month.

The 29-year-old defending champion currently holds all four majors and if he wins a third successive Wimbledon title and fourth in all, he will become just the second man in history to win five successive Slams.

Only Don Budge, who won six straight from 1937 Wimbledon to the 1938 US Championships, has achieved the feat.

Djokovic is such a hot favourite to triumph on July

10 that women’s champion Serena Williams is already tipping the Serb for more greatness.

“I think he’ll get it easy,” said the American who will begin her bid for an Open era record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam on Tuesday.

Djokovic has won six of the last eight Grand Slams, taking him to a career tally of 12 -- within two of Rafael Nadal’s mark and five behind Federer’s record.

Djokovic takes on British wild card James Ward in the opening match on Centre Court.

Ward, the 29-year-old son of a London taxi driver, is

ranked at 177 in the world and made the third round last year with Australian coach Darren Tandy.

But Tandy was diagnosed with cancer of the colon later in the year and died on Christmas Eve. “It’s been a tough time. Obviously the end of last year was very difficult,” Ward told the Press Association.

“He was my tennis coach so every time I play tennis it reminds me of him.”

Federer, whose last major triumph was at Wimbledon in 2012 when he won his seventh title at the All England Club, begins against Argentina’s world number 51 Guido Pella.

Federer, 34, has been runnerup to Djokovic for the last two years and is attempting to become the oldest ever Wimbledon champion in modern times.

But the Swiss has been dogged by knee and back problems this year and his injury-enforced withdrawal from the French

Open ended his streak of 65 successive Grand Slam appearances stretching back to 1999.

He has since suffered semi-final losses on grass at Stuttgart and Halle, the last of which against Alexander Zverev was his first against a teenager in 10 years.

Federer’s failure to win a title in 2016 means he will enter Wimbledon on his longest trophy drought since 2000.

“Clearly I’m not thinking of the title right away,” said the Swiss when asked to assess his chances.

“Novak or Andy (Murray) are the big favourites.”

Pella, 26, was forced to retire from his first round match on his Wimbledon debut in 2013 while he fell in qualifying last year.

The Centre Court programme also sees women’s second seed and French Open champion Garbine Muguruza taking on Camila Giorgi, the world number 68 from Italy. AFP

Guarde, Velez post Kudarat twin-kills

Carlyn Bless Guarde (center) and John David Velez hold their trophies as they pose with Philta Region 12 vice president Dr. Julian Galinato after scoring a pair of ‘doubles’ in the PPS-PEPP Sultan Kudarat leg yesterday.

CARLYN Bless Guarde and John David Velez hacked out a pair of double victories to match local aces Vince Tugade and April Minette Bentillo’s feats in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala Sultan Kudarat regional age-group tennis tournament at the Isulan Capitol Tennis Club yesterday.

Guarde held off Danna Abad, 6-4, 6-3, to capture the girls’ 16-and-under crown then the local favorite upended Davao’s top player Patricia Velez in a thrilling decider, 6-2, 2-6, 10-4, to snare the 18-U diadem and complete a two-title romp in the Group 2 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop with Sla-

zenger as presentor.

John David Velez, on the other hand, dominated the boys’ side, beating Jay Balaoing, 6-2, 6-0, in the 12-U finals before the rising Davao star trounced Earl Casal, 6-1, 6-3, to nail the 14-U plum in the five-day tournament sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association headed by president and Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez and backed by Asiatraders Corp., exclusively distributor of Slazenger, the official ball and hosted by Gov. Pax Mangudadatu.

Tugade also made the local crowd proud as he toppled top seed Janus Ringia, 6-3, 6-3, to bag the boys’ 16-U title then overpowered John

Sonsona, 6-2, 6-2, to rule the centerpiece 18-U division of the tournament which also served as part of Gov. Pax Mangudadatu’s birthday celebrations that featured the Open men’s singles and doubles and various age-group divisions.

“The regular staging of this nationwide circuit continues to produce different results week-in and week-out, further leveling the playing field with the fancied players no longer dominant as they used to, particularly against the local talents,” said Palawan Pawnshop president and CEO Bobby Castro.

Bentillo, meanwhile, scored a 6-1, 3-1 (ret.) win over Tenielle Madis to bag the

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Ikeda scrambles for a 72, leads by 3 DASMARIÑAS, Cavite—Chihiro Ikeda stumbled with a late bogey that stymied her charge coming out of an hour-long rain delay but her even-par 72 still put her three strokes clear of Heidi Chua at the start of the ICTSI Orchard Golf Championship at the Orchard Golf and Country Club’s Player course here yesterday.

Ikeda, the former amateur hotshot seeking to end a long search for a maiden victory on the ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour, blew a one-under start at the front with back-to-back bogeys from No. 10. But the former SEA Games individual gold medalist settled down during the break after the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tour- Ikeda naments, Inc. suspended play due to heavy rain.

Ikeda birdied No. 13 at the resumption then holed out with another six-footer for birdie on No. 15 to regain control only to drop a shot on the tough par-4 17th after missing the green and flubbing a sevenfooter for par for a 35-37.

Chua, meanwhile, birdied the last hole to card a 75 to emerge the surprise solo second placer in the strongest start so far by the former Phl Ladies Open winner in the circuit sponsored by ICTSI. Chua, who has had so-so finishes in an on-and-off campaign in the country’s premier tour backed by Custom Clubmakers, adidas, KZG, Sharp, Summit Mineral Water, Srixon, Champion, TaylorMade and Pacsports, looked headed

for another disastrous start with a 39 and dropped another stroke on No. 15 and fell farther back. But she birdied the 16th, bogeyed the next but holed out with another birdie to move up to second as erstwhile pursuer Jayvie Agojo wavered at the resumption and fumbled with five straight bogeys from No 13.

Agojo, a teammate of Ikeda in a number of national teams, wound up with a 78 as the former Philippine Ladies Open champion and 2014 LPGT Riviera leg winner slipped to joint eighth with last year’s Sherwood leg winner Sarah Ababa and amateur Chanelle Avaricio.

The amateurs, led by Daniella Uy and Marvi Monsalve, actually crowded the compact pro field in the early going but reeled back as the going got tough at the tight par-72 layout after the rain delay.

Uy bogeyed two of the last four and ended up with a 76 for joint third with Felicia Medalla from Wack Wack, who birdied two of the last three to finish with a 36-40, while Monsalve checked a backside skid with a last-hole birdie for a 39-37.

Mamba Mentality. Over 30 top runners from the Nike Run Club were surprised by Kobe Bryant after they finished a 10K run; he “welcomed” them with more intense training and physical challenges as part of his Mamba Mentality approach. The Manila leg of the Mamba Mentality Tour 2016 kicked off Saturday as Bryant inspired Filipinos with his philosophy of chasing perfection in every aspect of life, on and off court. At the Mamba Mentality Night held at SMART Araneta Coliseum, over 9,210 fans of the Black Mamba turned up and lit up the iconic stadium and paid tribute to the Black Mamba’s career.

Republic of the Philippine

CITY OF NAGA BIDS & AWARDS COMMITTEE

Invitation to Bid for the Rehabilitation of Naga City Abattoir at Bgy. Del Rosario, Naga City The Naga City Government, through the Market and Slaughterhouse Account of Naga City Abattoir (NCA), intends to apply the sum of SEVEN MILLION EIGHT HUNDRED THIRTEEN THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED (P 7,813,700.00) PESOS, being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) for the Rehabilitation of Naga City Abattoir at Bgy. Del Rosario, Naga City, with Contract Reference Number: 004998-2016-01.

A Sure Bet for Progress in Gaming, Entertainment and Nation Building INVITATION TO BID FOR THE SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF FIVE (5) LOTS VARIOUS BEVERAGES UNDER ITB NO. PB16-062COR-06 (REBIDDING) The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is inviting all interested bidders in its forthcoming Rebidding for the Supply and Delivery of Five (5) Lots Various Beverages under ITB No. PB16-062COR-06.

Brief Description

Lot 1 : Supply and Delivery of Chocolate Drink Lot 2 : Supply and Delivery of Instant Coffee Lot 3 : Supply and Delivery of Artificial Sweetener Lot 4 : Supply and Delivery of Plain Tea Lot 5 : Supply and Delivery of Green Tea

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)

The total ABC is in the amount of Seven Million Four Hundred Fifteen Thousand Two Hundred FiftyOne Pesos (PhP7,415,251.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero Rated Transaction.

The ABC for each lot is as follows: Lot 1 (Supply and Delivery of Chocolate Drink) – Two Million Fifty-Six Thousand Seven Hundred Thirty-One Pesos (PhP2,056,731.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero-Rated Transaction Lot 2 (Supply and Delivery of Instant Coffee) – Four Million Seven Hundred Forty-Seven Thousand Three Hundred Fifty-Five Pesos (PhP4,747,355.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero-Rated Transaction Lot 3 (Supply and Delivery of Artificial Sweetener) – Thirty Thousand Six Hundred Seventy-Five Pesos (Php30,675.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero-Rated Transaction Lot 4 (Supply and Delivery of Plain Tea) – Two Hundred Forty-One Thousand Eight Hundred FortyTwo Pesos (PhP241,842.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero-Rated Transaction Lot 5 (Supply and Delivery of Green Tea) – Three Hundred Thirty-Eight Thousand Six Hundred FortyEight Pesos (Php338,648.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero-Rated Transaction

Delivery Schedule

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

Source of Funds

Internally Funded

Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

The Naga City Government now invites bids for the Rehabilitation of Naga City Abattoir at Bgy. Del Rosario, Naga City, with Contract Reference Number: 004947-2016-01. Completion of the Works is required within 120 calendar days. Bidders should have completed, within five (5) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project.

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

Interested contractors must be accredited by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) as Meat Establishment Equipment Fabricator for Class AAA Slaughterhouse.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the Naga City Bids and Awards Committee Secretariat and inspect the Bidding Documents at the Office of the BAC Secretariat at the City Planning & Development Office, City Hall Compound, Naga City from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM starting on Tuesday, June 28 to July 26, 2016.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders starting at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, June 28, 2016, from the Office of the BAC Secretariat at the City Planning & Development Office upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of TEN THOUSAND (P 10,000.00) PESOS, and an Annual Registration Fee of Three Thousand (P 3,000.00) Pesos if not yet registered with the Naga City BAC, and upon presentation of a Document Request List (DRL) from PhilGEPS showing your company name.

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Naga City Government (www.naga.gov.ph), provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

The Naga City Bids and Awards Committee will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on Thursday, July 7, 2016 at 3:00PM at the City Procurement Office, Ground Floor, City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, Naga City, which shall be open only to those who purchased the Bidding Documents.

Bids must be delivered to the City Procurement Office, Ground Floor, City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, Naga City on or before 3:00 PM on Thursday, July 26, 2016. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security as provided for in the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of R.A. 9184.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the City Procurement Office, Ground Floor, City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, Naga City at 3:00 PM on Thursday, July 26, 2016. Late bids shall not be accepted.

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

For further information, please refer to:

Bidders should have completed, within the last three (3) years before the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

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

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

Schedule June 28, 2016 to July 18, 2016

2. Pre-Bid Conference

July 6, 2016, 2:00 p.m.

3. Deadline for the Submission and Receipt of Bids

July 18, 2016, 2:00 p.m.

4. Opening and Preliminary Examination of Bids

July 18, 2016, 2:00 p.m. onwards

Complete details of the project are indicated in the bidding documents which will be available to prospective bidders at the Procurement Department (PD), upon payment of the non-refundable cost for the sale of bidding documents based on the following matrix: Approved Budget for the Contract 500,000.00 and below

Cost of Bidding Documents (in Philippine Pesos) 500.00

More than 1 Million up to 5 Million

5,000.00

More than 5 Million to 10 Million

10,000.00

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

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

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

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

MR. FLORENCIO T. MONGOSO, JR. Acting City Administrator, City Hall Compound, J. Miranda Avenue, Naga City Telephone Number: 054-4732240, 054-4723235 Email address: bac@naga.gov.ph, Website: www.naga.gov.ph

( T S - J U N E 2 8 , 2 016)

Note: Bidders may bid on any or all lots.

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

Please address all communications to the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) 1 thru the PD, Room 203, Second (2nd) Floor, PAGCOR House, 1330 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita, Manila, Tel No.: 524-3911, 521-1542 local 223 or 671

(SGD) FLORENCIO T. MONGOSO, JR. BAC Chairperson

(SGD) RODERICK R. CONSOLACION Chairperson Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) 1

(TS-JUNE 28, 2016)

Ramirez graces Forum

INCOMING Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez makes a return guesting after a long while in today’s weekly session of the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Shakey’s Malate.

The Davao-based sports executive is expected to talk about his plans and programs in his second stint as head of the country’s government sports agency.

Ramirez accepted last week the offer of Presidentelect Rodrigo Duterte to lead once more the PSC, of which he once served as chairman from 2005 to 2009.

The 10:30 a.m. session will be aired live over DZSR Sports Radio 918 and presented by San Miguel Corp., Accel, Shakey’s, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

Petron...

From A15 for Petron, which had a massive overhaul in the off-season following the departure of Rachel Anne Daquis, Aby Marano, Dindin Manabat and Fille Cayetano.

“Although I love the result of our previous games, the job is not yet done. It’s still a long way to go,” said Petron coach George Pascua, who is trying to duplicate their 13-0 sweep of last year’s seasonopening conference. “We still have to work hard. All teams are strong. We can’t afford to be complacent.”

T UE S DAY : J UN E 2 8 , 2 0 1 6

A15

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

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

P0 M+ P0 M

Korean Center holds ‘Soul of Taekwondo’ exhibit THE history of taekwondo, especially in the Philippines, is part of the ongoing taekwondo exhibit put up by the Korean Cultural Center in partnership with the Philippine Taekwondo Association and the country’s Tourism Promotions Board.

Called the “Soul of Taekwondo”exhibit, the event can be viewed at the Korean Center’s office at the 2nd floor of Mancor Corporate Center in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City from Monday to Saturday (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) until Aug. 19, 2016.

Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Jae-Shin Kim and Congressmanelect and PTA Secretary General Monsour del Rosario graced the exhibit’s launching last June 9 together with KCC and PTA officials and members of taekwondo’s National Demonstration Team. PTA officers Raul Samson and Igor Mella also attended the simple opening ceremony.

The exhibit traces the history of global taekwondo from ancient times when it started as hardcore fighting to its development as a modern martial art format.

The gold medal victory of Pauline Louise Lopez in the Asian Taekwondo Championships and the qualification of Kirstie Elaine Alora to the Rio Olympic Games last April at the Marriott Hotel Grand Ballroom here are also featured in the exhibit.

All taekwondo buffs, instructors, coaches and other sports enthusiasts are invited to attend the exhibit.

Korean Ambassador Jae-Shin Kim, Congressman-elect and PTA Secretary General Monsour del Rosario, Korean Cultural Center and PTA officials and members of the National Demonstration Team are shown during the opening of the ‘Soul of Taekwondo’ exhibit.

Abueva on Gilas PH fate: No hate, just love #Puso

By Jeric Lopez

THE final 12-man line-up of Smart Gilas Pilipinas for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) was already announced, but not without some eyebrows raised.

In a TV5 program special Sunday evening, the 12 players who will represent the country in the FOQT were named--naturalized import Andray Blatche, June Mar Fajardo, Japeth Aguilar, Marc Pingris, Jeff Chan, Gabe Norwood, Terrence Romeo, Jayson Castro, Ryan Reyes, Bobby Ray Parks, Ranidel De Ocampo and Troy Rosario, with Calvin Abueva and LA Tenorio left out in the cold as they were the final cuts and will automatically be the reserves.

Team manager Butch Antonio said that it was indeed a difficult call for national coach Tab Baldwin, but Tenorio and

Abueva accepted the decision professionally and wholeheartedly and that somewhat made it easier for the coaches and the team management.

“It was difficult but what made it easier was the way they responded, the way they took the decision. It was team first before them,” said Antonio.

The main surprise was the exclusion of Abueva, who was pivotal part of Gilas Pilipinas’ silver medal campaign in the FIBA Asia Championship in China.

Many got caught by surprise, and even reacted, with Abueva being cut and not making it in

the final 12.

Abueva even expressed that he is still all in with the national team through a Tweet.

“No hate. Just love. #LabanPilipinas #Puso,” said Abueva through his @8AbuevaCalvin Twitter account.

The lack of ceiling and size may have been the reason why Tenorio and Abueva weren’t picked.

Among those who made it, Reyes is the only first timer. The others had already represented the country in international competition at least once before.

The entire team was welcomed home yesterday as its three-week training camp in Europe concluded.

Gilas Pilipinas will now continue its preparations for the FIBA OQT and it still has one week to do some fine-tuning before plunging to action against France, New Zealand, Canada, Turkey and Senegal to see who

Baldwin’s prerogative STEP BACK ARMAN D. ARMERO

THE die is cast.

National team coach Tab Baldwin has decided to cut perhaps two of the most popular players in his roster—Calvin Abueva and LA Tenorio—in naming the final 12 for the national team that will see action in the Olympic qualifier slated next week.

Most basketball fans perhaps did not expect the two to be taken out of the regular

roster. After all, Abueva and Tenorio were key players in Baldwin’s rotation in previous Gilas battles and their contributions to the team are unquestioned.

But as coach of the national team, Baldwin has the prerogative to choose which players fit his system in a particular tournament. Maybe he thought that Abueva, despite his energy and fighting heart, is not the player he needs in the coming tournament, or maybe he thought that Tenorio is too small for the position.

Of course, these are all conjectures, and whatever reasons Baldwin had in not

picking the two, Filipino basketball fans should respect the decision, which I’m sure was also painful for the American-Kiwi coach. *** Speaking of Gilas, the team finally picked up a win after suffering successive blowouts against Turkey and Italy in a series of exhibition games in Bologna, Italy, The nationals beat China, 72-69, which was a needed boost after the lopsided losses.

Still, the nationals need to be consistent not only in offense, but more importantly in defense if they want to compete well in the qualifier.

The nationals lost by 36

against Turkey, and by 35 against Italy, and these losses reveal a fundamental lack of discipline in team defense.

Coaches always say that a good offense follows a good defense, and Gilas can not afford to commit even a single mistake against their world-class opponents.

Of course, we all wish that the Gilas perform above expectations and win it all, but wishes can only do so much.

In the end, it’s the coaches and the players who really have to come prepared and play their hearts out to be able to reach that longsought Olympic dream. armero_23@yahoo.com

gets a seat in the Rio Olympics.

The last tune-up that the Philippine team will have is against Turkey this Friday, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, before the actual tournament starts on July 5, when Gilas plays France in the same venue.

Only one among those six competing teams in the Manila leg of the FIBA OQT will move forward to Rio to play in the Olympics.

Gilas is looking to make it to the Olympics for the first time in more than four decades.

Meanwhile, Smart Gilas Pilipinas bounced back on the hardwood as it tripped China, 72-69, in Italy to win its second tune-up game overall and first in its Europe trip.

Romeo seemed to be back in form, scoring 18 points to lead the way for the Nationals.

Tenorio and Abueva did not see action already in this game.

Petron shoots for solo lead against Cignal in Superliga their impenetrable REIGNING champion Games Today floor defense and Petron shoots for the solo (Cuneta Astrodome) leadership when it battles a 4 p.m. – Foton vs Amy’s fluid offense banslumping Cignal when the 6 p.m. – Cignal vs Petron nered by veteran Aiza Maizo-Pontil2016 Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference women’s las and newly-recruit Bernadeth volleyball tournament moves back to Pons of Far Eastern University.

In their 25-19, 21-25, 25-22, Cuneta Astrodome today.

Second-game action is at 6 27-25 win over Generika last Satp.m. following the 4 p.m. encoun- urday, Maizo-Pontillas and Pons ter between Foton and Amy’s of took turns in peppering the dethis topnotch inter-club tourney fense with hot smashes from the bankrolled by KLab Cyscorpi- wings while Bang Pineda and Jen ons, Asics, Grand Sports, Mikasa, Reyes were very active in providMueller and Senoh with TV5 as ing the backbone on defense.

Maizo-Pontillas registered 16 official broadcast partner.

Locked in a three-way logjam of her 17 points on kills, while at the top with F2 Logistics and Pons had 12 hits and three blocks RC Cola-Army, the Tri-Activ to finish the night with 16 points Turn to A14 Spikers are looking good with

T U E S DAY : J U N E 2 8 , 2 0 16

A16

RIERA U. MALL ARI EDITOR

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

sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS

Power Smashers ease out Maroons for semis LAOAG toughened up in the last two sets and bundled out University of the Games tomorrow Ph i l ippi ne s , (Semifinals) 25-21, 19-25, 4 p.m. – Pocari/Air Force vs Laoag 25-22, 26-24, 6:30 p.m. – BaliPure vs to snare the Pocari/Air Force last semifinal berth in the Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Open Conference at the Philsports Arena.

Dragged into tight, fierce duel by the stubborn Lady Maroons all game, the Power Smashers went to player for attacks and their superb blocking at endgame in the last two frames to finally finish off their rivals and join Pocari Sweat, Air Force and BaliPure into the crossover semis of the seasonopening conference of the league sponsored by Shakey’s.

Jovielyn Prado, a rookie from Arellano University blasted in 22 attack points and finished with a 23-hit output while Mylene Paat and Jessica Galanza combined for 27 points as the Power Smashers closed out their elims campaign with a 4-3 card.

UP, led by Diana Carlos’ 19 hits and Isa Molde;s 16 markers, ended up with a 3-4 card in a tie with National U followed by Iriga (1-6) and Baguio (0-7) in the tournament backed by Mikasa and Accel and aired live on ABS-CBN Sports + Action Channel 23.

Blowing four match points at 2420, the Power Smashers recovered in time and came through with backto-back hits to wrap up the four-set victory in and seal a Final Four duel with the top-seeded squad.

Katherine Bersola came through with three blocks and Molde scored on a kill to force a 24-all count. But Galanza rammed in a kill and Paat slammed the door shut on the Lady Maroons with a vicious spike.

“They were a little bit slow in the first two sets so I told the girls that we needed to execute well to win and they did in the last two sets,” said Laoag coach Ernesto Pamilar.

The Lady Warriors, who rallied from two sets down and nipped the Water Defenders in their classic duel watched by a big crowd Saturday night, and Air Force Jet Spikers, were disputing the No. 1 spot at presstime.

Earlier, Cignal trampled Sta. Elena Construction, 25-23, 25-19, 25-21, to sweep the six-team elims in the Spikers’ Turf Season 2 Open Conference.

Raymark Woo fired 14 hits while Lorenzo Capati Jr. and Ysrael Marasigan combined for 17 points as the HD Spikers bucked an opening set struggle before regaining their fierce form to complete the straight-set win in 69 minutes.

With five victories, Cignal also took the top seeding in the semis and will meet Sta. Lucia again after the latter wound up fourth with a 2-3 card.

Earlier, Air Force grounded Instituto Estetico Manila, 25-17, 2624, 25-23, to clinch No. 2 with a 4-1 mark for a semis duel with its victim, which ended up third with a 3-2 mark.

Katherine Bersola of UP (center) watches her hit sail over Laoag’s Wenneth Eulalio and Relea Sael during their knockout match for the last semis berth in the Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Open Conference at the Philsports Arena.

Red Cubs open title bid with crushing of Squires

By Peter Atencio

THE defending champion San Beda Red Cubs, the Mapua/Malaya Red Robins and Arellano University smashed their foes and took the early lead at the start of the 92nd National Collegiate Athletic Association junior basketball tournament at the Arena in San Juan on Monday.

Joshua Tagala showed the way with 19 points, six rebounds and seven steals, while Ivan Nelle added 17 points and eight assists and newcomer Carlo Obenza eked out 16 for the Red Cubs Red Cubs, who went on to crush the Letran Squires, 107-74.

The Red Robins, playing without injured skipped Michael Enriquez, banked on the efforts of Romuel Junsay and four others in turning back the Jose Rizal Uni-

Messi retires from international football TURN TO A12

versity Light Bombers, 86-64.

In the third game, last season’s runner-up Arellano, behind Lars Sunga’s 18 points and seven rebounds, overwhelmed Perpetual Help, 105-88.

The Red Cubs started moving out of range following two free throws from Nelle and a steal and drive from Robin Nayve. Their efforts in the last minute of the second period allowed San Beda to grab a 53-44

at The Arena in San halftime spread.

Games Today Juan.

The Cubs’ full-court (at the Arena in San Juan) The Red Lions hurpress in the third pe- 12 noon Letran vs EAC (srs) 2 p.m. Lyceum vs San Beda (srs) dled defending chamriod, coupled with an 4 p.m. CSB vs EAC pion Letran, 89-85, in 11-0 spurt fueled by Obenza’s 10 points put SBC ahead the opener last Saturday, but not without some anxious moments. by 74-45, with 4:12 left.

This time, coach Jamike Jarin “Hindi namin sila kilala. Kaya, nag-adjust kami nu’ng third quarter. is confident that they will be able Nu’ng nasunod ang game plan, kahit to resolve their lapses when they sino, puwede ng gumawa,” said Red meet the Pirates.

“We need to learn from that. We Cubs’ coach JB Sison.

On the other hand, Mapua took a need to clean it up,” said Jarin.

Co-leaders Mapua and Emilio 22-11 spread in the first 10 minutes.

Red Robins’ coach Randy Alcanta- Aguinaldo will try to keep up with ra said they felt the absence of Season the Red Lions.

The Mapua Cardinals, coming 91 MVP Enriquez, who will be back in six weeks after sustaining a sprained out of a 74-71 win over Jose Rizal University, battles College of St. Beankle during a tuneup game.

Meanwhile, the San Beda Red nilde at 4 p.m., while the EAC GenLions will try to fix kinks in their erals seek a followup of their 64-57 offensive armor when they con- beating of Lyceum with a second front the Lyceum Pirates at 2 p.m. win against a difficult Letran Knight today in the men’s basketball side at 12noon.

Ikeda scrambles for a 72, leads by 3 TURN TO A15

TUESDAY: JUNE 28, 2016

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

B1

Vista City campus. University of the Philippines and Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. sign a partnership agreement to develop the country’s first School of Technopreneurship in Vista City’s University Town in the City of Las Piñas. The Villar family donated the land where the facilities will be built. Shown are (from left) UP Technology Transfer and Business Development Office director Luis Sison, UP College of Engineering Dean Aura Matias, UP vice president for academic affairs Gisela Concepcion, UP VP for development Elvira Zamora, UP president Alfredo Pascual, Vista Land chairman Manuel Villar, Senator Cynthia Villar, Vista Land president and chief executive Paolo Villar, Vista Land managing director Camille Villar and Rep. Mark Villar.

PH looks for coal outside Indonesia

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE Energy Department on Monday asked power plant operators to look for other sources of coal such as Australia, Vietnam and Russia, after Indonesia stopped its vessels from sailing to the Philippines.

Indonesia prohibited its flagbearing vessels from sailing to the Philippines, following the recent kidnapping of Indonesian nationals in Philippine waters.

“We have other sources—Russia, Australia, Vietnam. They can source from there but the quality requirement is different and power plants would need to negotiate for their respective new contracts.

Hopefully, we will not reach that scenario,” Energy Secretary Zenaida Monsada said.

The Philippines imported 16.4 million metric tons or 95 percent of its coal requirements from Indonesia in 2015. About 80 percent of the volume was used for power generation.

The country imported the remaining 5 percent from Vietnam, Russia and Australia.

Monsada, however, said coal sourced from other countries were more expensive due to logistics cost.

“Right now we are not seeing

any impact [of the ban on coal supply],” Monsada said.

“It’s not yet a cause for alarm.

We have an inventory and if we look at what happened before [in April when a previous ban was in effect], it will have no impact on us,” she said.

Monsada downplayed the possibility of a blackout, because of insufficient coal supply for local coal-fired power plants.

“Not in the immediate future, because the plants have 20- to 30day inventory for power plants.

There’s a required inventory and continuous importation,” she said.

Monsada said the department was still waiting for the schedules from the power plants if any of the coal deliveries were deferred as a result of the ban.

The energy chief said some

plants could also utilize local coal from Semirara Mining Corp.’s mines in Antique, but this should be blended with other coal with higher heating value.

She said it was not immediately clear whether power rates would be affected by the Indonesian ban as most of the power plants had contracts “with constant rates” with suppliers.

Monsada said the Defense and Foreign Affairs Departments were now in talks for the security concerns raised by Indonesia.

Indonesia earlier said the ban would remain in effect until the Philippines addressed the security issue.

Most of the country’s coal power plants rely on Indonesian coal, which is cheaper than other sources because of proximity to the Philippines.

Manila North Harbour may sue port regulator

By Darwin G Amojelar MANILA North Harbour Port Inc. on Monday threatened to file a lawsuit against state-run Philippine Ports Authority if the latter will not lift its order prohibiting the company from handling foreign vessels and cargoes.

MNHPI, which is now controlled by San Miguel Corp., sent a letter asking PPA assistant general manager for operations Raul Santos to immediately cancel and rescind Memorandum Order No. 08-2016 and issue a new order allowing the company to render terminal services for foreign vessels/

cargo pursuant to R.A. 10688, or the Cabotage Act Amendments and the applicable orders of the Bureau of Customs.

“Otherwise, we shall institute appropriate criminal and administrate actions against you and all of those responsible, for violation of the anti-graft and corrupt practices act with the Office of the Ombudsman, this without prejudice to [MNHPI] filing the appropriate complaint for damages against you and the PPA for depriving [MNHPI] of its clear positive right under the law to render international terminal services for the behalf of the government and port users in

Manila,” MNHPI said.

PPA on June 21 issued a memorandum prohibiting MNHPI from providing terminal services to foreign vessels at the Manila North Harbor due to the contractual limitation of MNHPI. Section 4.02, Article IV of the Contract for the Development, Management, Operation and Maintenance of the Manila North Harbor between PPA and MNHPI expressly provides that MNHPI shall provide and undertake domestic terminal services only at Manila North Harbor.

The port authority issued the memorandum after the Bureau of

Customs released Memorandum Order No. 11-2016 entitled Acceptance of Foreign Vessels/cargoes at Manila North Harbor on June 2, enjoining PPA and other agencies to allow foreign vessels to dock at Manila North.

MNHPI said the memorandum of PPA, which took effect immediately, had arbitrarily discriminated against the unlawfully excluded MNHPI by prohibiting it from providing terminal services to foreign vessels at the Manila North Harbor, a privilege which should equally granted to and enjoyed by all port operators with the enactment of the R.A No. 10668.

TUESDAY: JUNE 28, 2016

B2

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Monday, June 27, 2016

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low 7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 4.2 17 30.45 10.4 2.6 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 91.5 361.2 57 180 1700 124 3.26

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.97 1.68 12.02 19.6 6.12 1.02 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 62 276 41 118.2 1200 59 2.65

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 148 20.6 85 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 2.89 31.8 109 20.75 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 79 3.95 4 33.9 90 13.26 293 0.62 5.25 12.98 15 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.34 1450 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 1.3 2.17

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 32 15.32 20.2 10.08 29.15 1.5 1.5 10.72 9.55 9.04 6.02 8.86 1.06 20.2 71.5 13.86 13.24 5.34 0.395 173 34.1 2.3 1.63 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 0.335 3.87 8.45 10.04 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 5.9 801 1.55 0.138 1.02 2.09 152 0.640 1.2

0.59 59.2 30.05 2.16 7.39 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 3.35 4.92 0.66 1455 7.5 76 6.5 5.29 6.66 9.25 0.85 17.3 5.53 0.0670 2.31 1.61 2.99 84.9 3.5 974 1.66 1.39 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

0.44 48.1 20.85 1.6 6.62 0.23 0.23 634.5 7.390 12.8 2.6 2.26 0.152 837 5.3 49.55 3.43 3 3.52 4.84 0.59 12 4.2 0.030 1.23 0.550 2.26 59.3 1.5 751 1.13 0.93 80 0.211 0.179 0.310

10.5 26.95 1.99 1.75 0.375 41.4 5.6 5.59 1.44 1.48

6.74 12 0.65 1.2 0.192 30.05 3.36 4.96 0.79 0.97

STOCKS

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.39 3.25 46.95 46.5 110.00 104.60 98.55 91.05 38.1 37.85 4.19 4.15 1.39 1.37 14.2 14 17.96 16.94 6.83 6.83 1.9 1.78 0.540 0.510 87.5 85.5 0.94 0.94 14.90 14.80 57.10 56.00 263 260 32 31.55 200.4 196.5 1361.00 1361.00 65.20 63.65 1.5 1.49 INDUSTRIAL Aboitiz Power Corp.

46.2 47 45.8 Agrinurture Inc. 3.72 3.76 3.5 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.85 0.85 0.82 Alsons Cons.

1.94 2.04 1.8 Asiabest Group 12.3 12.3 11.16 C. Azuc De Tarlac 204.00 204.00 204.00 Century Food 21.2 21.5 21 Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ 179 177.4 170 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 16.3 16.46 15.9 Concepcion 45.5 46.95 46.95 Crown Asia 2.1 2.09 2 Da Vinci Capital 5.56 5.74 5.5 Del Monte 11.46 11.42 11 DNL Industries Inc. 9.280 9.450 9.050 Emperador 7.18 7.19 7.01 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.60 5.66 5.43 EEI 7.39 7.60 7.39 Euro-Med Lab 1.8 1.8 1.8 First Gen Corp.

24.4 25.5 23.3 First Holdings ‘A’ 66.95 68.4 64 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 12.00 11.80 11.80 Holcim Philippines Inc. 14.84 15.00 14.84 Integ. Micro-Electronics 5.5 5.58 5.48 Ionics Inc 2.280 2.420 2.220 Jollibee Foods Corp.

235.00 235.20 231.20 Liberty Flour 32.50 32.25 32.10 LMG Chemicals 1.76 1.8 1.7 Mabuhay Vinyl 3.16 3.17 3.16 Manila Water Co. Inc. 26.95 26.6 26.3 Maxs Group 28.1 29.8 27.1 Megawide 6.5 6.5 6.4 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 312.20 320.00 311.40 MG Holdings 0.270 0.265 0.265 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 3.35 3.32 3.29 Petron Corporation 10.92 11.14 10.70 Phinma Corporation 11.02 11.54 11.54 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 5.99 6.04 5.87 Phoenix Semiconductor 1.68 1.72 1.63 Pryce Corp. `A’ 2.73 2.8 2.71 RFM Corporation 4.20 4.19 4.15 Roxas Holdings 4.01 4.11 3.8 San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’ 208 210 205.2 Splash Corporation 2.5 2.58 2.49 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.147 0.146 0.145 TKC Steel Corp.

1.58 1.63 1.58 Trans-Asia Oil 2.39 2.42 2.28 Universal Robina 204 206.6 199.1 Vitarich Corp.

0.86 0.89 0.84 Vulcan Ind’l.

1.27 1.26 1.22 HOLDING FIRMS Abacus Cons. `A’ 0.370 0.375 0.370 Aboitiz Equity 74.35 75.00 73.70 Alliance Global Inc. 15.60 15.60 15.04 Anglo Holdings A 1.11 1.18 1.03 Anscor `A’ 6.06 6.06 6.06 ATN Holdings A 0.365 0.385 0.365 ATN Holdings B 0.375 0.390 0.375 Ayala Corp `A’ 850 853.5 820 Cosco Capital 7.74 7.8 7.66 DMCI Holdings 12.42 12.70 12.38 F&J Prince ‘A’ 5.05 5 5 Filinvest Dev. Corp.

6.30 6.30 5.80 Forum Pacific 0.223 0.220 0.205 GT Capital 1467 1518 1424 House of Inv. 6.31 6.47 6.47 JG Summit Holdings 83.70 84.90 80.90 Jolliville Holdings 4.34 4.27 4.27 Keppel Holdings `A’ 5.8 5.8 5.8 Keppel Holdings `B’ 5.68 7.8 5.66 Lopez Holdings Corp.

7.85 7.83 7.5 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.69 0.69 0.68 LT Group 15.88 16 15.5 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 6.6 6.68 6.38 Pacifica `A’ 0.0320 0.0330 0.0320 Prime Media Hldg 1.270 1.270 1.270 Prime Orion 1.800 1.800 1.790 Republic Glass ‘A’ 2.63 2.70 2.62 San Miguel Corp `A’ 77.00 78.85 76.20 Seafront `A’ 2.23 2.14 2.13 SM Investments Inc. 965.00 979.50 948.00 Solid Group Inc. 1.17 1.16 1.15 South China Res. Inc. 0.79 0.86 0.74 Top Frontier 190.000 190.000 184.100 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.3100 0.3050 0.3000 Wellex Industries 0.1960 0.1970 0.1940 Zeus Holdings 0.300 0.320 0.300 PROPERTY 8990 HLDG 7.450 7.650 7.400 Anchor Land Holdings Inc. 7.30 6.40 6.01 A. Brown Co., Inc. 1.18 1.27 1.14 Araneta Prop `A’ 2.140 2.310 2.000 Arthaland Corp.

0.270 0.285 0.275 Ayala Land `B’ 38.200 39.400 37.650 Belle Corp. `A’ 3.32 3.35 3.24 Cebu Holdings 5.11 5.13 4.96 Century Property 0.500 0.5 0.490 Cityland Dev. `A’ 1.080 1.080 1.020 AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. Bright Kindle Resources COL Financial Eastwest Bank Filipino Fund Inc. I-Remit Inc. MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

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

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

Close

SHARES 26,483,249 85,308,408 96,805,023 151,074,720 322,511,403 926,004,017 1,614,164,600

3.4 46.75 107.00 97.05 38 4.18 1.39 14 17.5 6.86 1.85 0.550 87.25 0.94 14.80 57.40 260 31.95 198.8 1361.00 65.25 1.5

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3.36 46.95 110.00 97.95 38.1 4.19 1.39 14.2 17.68 6.83 1.78 0.540 86.5 0.94 14.90 56.65 261 31.9 198.9 1361.00 65.00 1.5

-1.18 0.43 2.80 0.93 0.26 0.24 0.00 1.43 1.03 -0.44 -3.78 -1.82 -0.86 0.00 0.68 -1.31 0.38 -0.16 0.05 0.00 -0.38 0.00

50,000 24,700 1,206,220 11,016,330 53,500 17,000 12,000 3,700 460,100 6,000 51,000 1,408,000 1,967,680 4,000 30,000 202,360 18,760 212,800 581,440 215 63,130 94,000

46.8 3.74 0.85 2.04 12.28 204.00 21.35 176 16.22 46.95 2 5.5 11.42 9.390 7.01 5.63 7.43 1.8 25.3 67.8 11.80 15.00 5.54 2.410 233.20 32.10 1.8 3.17 26.4 29.65 6.45 320.00 0.265 3.29 11.06 11.54 6.04 1.70 2.71 4.19 4.11 210 2.58 0.145 1.62 2.39 205.8 0.88 1.22

1.30 0.54 0.00 5.15 -0.16 0.00 0.71 -1.68 -0.49 3.19 -4.76 -1.08 -0.35 1.19 -2.37 0.54 0.54 0.00 3.69 1.27 -1.67 1.08 0.73 5.70 -0.77 -1.23 2.27 0.32 -2.04 5.52 -0.77 2.50 -1.85 -1.79 1.28 4.72 0.83 1.19 -0.73 -0.24 2.49 0.96 3.20 -1.36 2.53 0.00 0.88 2.33 -3.94

1,114,000 375,000 531,000 12,440,000 4,400 30 227,000 2,940 281,500 400 3,518,000 1,355,500 39,700 3,527,000 1,830,200 7,789,900 93,100 2,000 4,046,200 190,610 14,000 42,800 133,600 5,861,000 578,730 52,100 32,000 2,000 2,319,400 1,610,600 86,200 165,850 60,000 1,743,000 6,649,500 800 536,800 310,000 229,000 153,000 53,000 750 487,000 2,470,000 340,000 618,000 1,203,310 4,265,000 125,000

0.375 75.00 15.38 1.18 6.06 0.380 0.375 850 7.73 12.70 5 6.29 0.220 1469 6.47 84.90 4.27 5.8 6.75 7.7 0.68 16 6.65 0.0320 1.270 1.800 2.7 77.05 2.13 970.00 1.16 0.86 190.000 0.3050 0.1970 0.315

1.35 0.87 -1.41 6.31 0.00 4.11 0.00 0.00 -0.13 2.25 -0.99 -0.16 -1.35 0.14 2.54 1.43 -1.61 0.00 18.84 -1.91 -1.45 0.76 0.76 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.66 0.06 -4.48 0.52 -0.85 8.86 0.00 -1.61 0.51 5.00

170,000 1,222,120 6,329,700 41,000 36,200 12,140,000 1,310,000 395,220 2,370,600 3,826,800 700 116,700 220,000 142,275 100 1,368,980 2,000 15,200 5,500 1,332,500 28,000 1,552,300 33,414,400 24,800,000 13,000 116,000 30,000 155,490 6,000 120,840 123,000 525,000 22,030 2,820,000 1,030,000 890,000

7.650 6.32 1.26 2.200 0.285 39.400 3.28 5.13 0.495 1.020

2.68 -13.42 6.78 2.80 5.56 3.14 -1.20 0.39 -1.00 -5.56

168,800 996,000 5,735,000 2,174,000 300,000 7,998,300 819,000 2,000 1,845,000 3,000

866,155.00 -29,562,966 107,174,699.00

-1,562,006.00 -333,370.00 -36,793,497.50 -3,940,767.50 -80,622.00 -1,070,740 -6,810,721.00 636,862.50 27,626,640.00 13,015,010.00 611,635.00 -27,846.00 4,695 12,420.00 744,150.00 -13,443,164.00 757,446.00 294,269.00 -46,830.00 -19,790,715.00 -3,242,010.00 -598,500.00 11,000.00 -524,119.99 -21,698,052.00

-24,156,310.00 20,942,850.00 5,007,392.00 5,132,400.00 37,289,418.00 8,350.00 -204,240.00 -179,120.00

-22,250.00 13,148,106.00

-7,164,311.50 -28,482,400.00

187,500.00 -9,703,700.00 6,663,595.00 -11,874,666.00 6,110.00 24,648,445.00 -5,124,639.50

-3,392,762.00 5,331,664.00 60,804,270.00 678,400.00

583,714.00 9,475,300.00

285,471.00 5,949,900.00 83,050.00 113,737,275.00 -29,400.00 9,800.00

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

High

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

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

Crown Equities Inc. 0.130 Cyber Bay Corp.

0.620 Double Dragon 60 Empire East Land 0.790 Ever Gotesco 0.150 Global-Estate 0.95 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.97 Interport `A’ 1.24 Keppel Properties 4.71 Megaworld 4.5 MRC Allied Ind. 0.091 Phil. Realty `A’ 0.445 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 41.00 Primex Corp.

9.5 Robinson’s Land `B’ 29.45 Rockwell 1.72 Shang Properties Inc. 3.11 SM Prime Holdings 25.65 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.88 Starmalls 6.9 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 0.980 Vista Land & Lifescapes 5.190

1.54 -1.61 0.00 0.00 -2.00 1.05 1.02 1.61 8.28 -0.22 5.49 1.12 -1.22 2.21 0.51 1.74 2.89 2.14 2.27 3.48 -1.02 -1.16

630,000 12,278,000 1,798,460 34,000 70,000 2,828,000 4,251,000 100,000 55,000 60,736,000 17,800,000 30,000 5,200 334,700 1,101,200 296,000 45,000 14,785,600 8,160,000 100 424,000 5,257,000

10.5 66 1.09 28.5 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 12.3 2.6 7.67 2720 8.41 119.5 7 0.017

1.97 35.2 0.63 18.2 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 10.14 1.6 4.8 1600 5.95 102.6 3.01 0.011

0.8200 2.2800 5.93

0.041 1.200 2.34

12.28 3.32 2.53 3.2 95.5 1 15.2 9.6 1.040 22.8 6.41 4 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

6.5 1.91 1.01 1.95 3.1 0.650 6 6.5 0.37 14.54 3 2.28 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

11.6 0.85 2.95 10 1.9

7.59 0.63 1.71 5 1.14

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

Cebu Air Inc. (5J) Centro Esc. Univ.

Discovery World DFNN Inc. Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. I.C.T.S.I. Imperial Res. `A’ IP E-Game Ventures Inc. IPM Holdings Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones LBC Express Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Lorenzo Shipping Macroasia Corp.

Manila Broadcasting Manila Bulletin Melco Crown Metro Retail NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

PAL Holdings Inc. Paxys Inc. Phil. Seven Corp.

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

SSI Group STI Holdings Transpacific Broadcast Travellers Yehey

-0.14 -0.63 -4.92 -2.03 6.23 0.00 2.80 1.11 -3.55 -5.50 0.00 1.69 0.00 -0.89 1.42 0.00 0.97 1.54 1.22 2.74 0.69 -2.47 1.87 9.62 6.11 0.00 1.75 5.41 -1.02 1.08 -0.96 -1.04 -8.30 0.00 0.00 1.46 -1.15 4.27 0.84 2.56 0.00 5.80 1.75 -0.51 1.21 2.93

23,600 352,300 8,507,000 22,000 29,853,200 53,700,000 1,370,000 236,560 2,300 1,000 40,900 47,770 124,900 1,208,540 14,300 85,900,000 324,000 23,410,000 1,406,000 12,000 1,000 1,094,000 205,000 22,000 102,000 100 1,000 21,376,000 3,366,000 5,111,000 10,900 10,000 1,000 690 287,800 75,665 1,650,000 61,062,000 1,033,900 974,890 2,802,500 10,248,000 3,945,000 11,000 1,702,000 211,600

0.0098 5.45 17.24 0.330 12.7 12.8 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 3.06 0.020 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9 0.016

0.0043 1.72 6.47 0.236 6.5 5.11 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 1.54 0.012 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67 0.0100

Abra Mining Apex `A’ Atlas Cons. `A’ Basic Energy Corp.

Benguet Corp `A’ Benguet Corp `B’ Coal Asia Dizon Ferronickel Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. Lepanto `A’ Lepanto `B’ Manila Mining `A’ Manila Mining `B’ Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. Nickelasia Nihao Mineral Resources Oriental Peninsula Res. Oriental Pet. `A’ Petroenergy Res. Corp.

Philex `A’ PhilexPetroleum Philodrill Corp. `A’ Semirara Corp.

TA Petroleum United Paragon

0.00 25.00 1.18 -0.85 -1.33 3.56 4.35 0.00 1.19 -3.45 2.00 1.96 0.00 0.00 -2.29 1.23 3.05 6.90 -2.00 0.25 4.00 -4.15 -7.69 5.13 -1.08 0.00

189,000,000 38,086,000 32,876,100.00 134,000 -38,680.00 230,000 9,500 10,800 600,000 12,700 -899.00 25,390,000 -2,828,850.00 1,340,000 80,070,000 12,690,000 472,700.00 408,000,000 6,300,000 1,509,000 -510,010.00 2,724,000 -33,059.99 255,000 21,000 100,000 1,000 9,748,100 4,042,081.00 5,350,000 794,190.00 105,300,000 921,300 -7,798,401.00 287,000 37,900,000

70 553 525 515 12.28 111 1060 1047 84.8

33 490 500 480 6.5 101 997 1011 75

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ GLOBE PREF P Leisure and Resort MWIDE PREF PCOR-Preferred A PF Pref 2 SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred D SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F SMC Preferred G SMC Preferred H SMC Preferred I

-0.96 0.65 -1.46 0.00 0.00 0.36 0.00 -0.29 -0.56 0.13 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.45

65,800 1,000 50 130 500,000 70 4,000 140 18,810 5,500 21,400 35,080 1,000 13,200 16,470

3.81

58,000

-2.37 2.94 5.33 5.00

880,000 1,000 4,023,000 1,040,500

1.20

24,170

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

15

3.5

12.88

5.95

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

Alterra Capital Makati Fin. Corp.

Italpinas Xurpas

STOCKS

FINANCIAL 1,742.19 (up) 13.38 INDUSTRIAL 11,838.62 (up) 86.85 HOLDING FIRMS 7,562.53 (up) 41.24 PROPERTY 3,384.10 (up) 65.75 SERVICES 1,622.01 (up) 21.00 MINING & OIL 11,181.87 (up) 334.66 PSEI 7,715.90 (up) 86.18 All Shares Index 4,587.95 (up) 45.31 Gainers: 120; Losers: 74; Unchanged: 38; Total: 232

Close

0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 0.305 2.22 2.1 1.8 8.4 5.94 0.180 0.72 27 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 7.56 1.62 8.59

0.132 0.130 0.132 0.630 0.580 0.610 60.95 56.8 60 0.800 0.790 0.790 0.148 0.147 0.147 0.96 0.93 0.96 1.99 1.93 1.99 1.26 1.26 1.26 6.70 5.00 5.10 4.55 4.35 4.49 0.096 0.092 0.096 0.450 0.450 0.450 40.70 40.25 40.50 9.8 9.6 9.71 29.80 29.00 29.60 1.75 1.65 1.75 3.2 3.18 3.2 26.20 24.90 26.20 0.91 0.88 0.9 7.14 7.14 7.14 1.000 0.950 0.970 5.180 4.980 5.130 SERVICES 7.23 7.25 7.2 7.22 47.8 47.8 47.4 47.5 0.610 0.610 0.570 0.580 7.4 7.4 7.25 7.25 5.46 5.82 5.25 5.80 0.0590 0.0590 0.0560 0.0590 2.86 2.95 2.86 2.94 95 96.5 92.5 96.05 9.85 9.84 9.5 9.5 2 1.89 1.89 1.89 6.39 6.39 6.20 6.39 2360 2410 2300 2400 6.30 6.30 6.26 6.30 61.75 62 60.9 61.2 12.72 12.90 12.46 12.90 0.0100 0.0110 0.0100 0.0100 9.30 9.40 9.35 9.39 0.325 0.335 0.320 0.330 1.6400 1.6600 1.5600 1.6600 2.19 2.29 2.15 2.25 11.52 11.6 11.6 11.6 7.70 7.70 7.50 7.51 3.20 3.27 3.18 3.26 1.04 1.14 1.14 1.14 2.62 2.78 2.51 2.78 20.00 20.00 20.00 20.00 0.570 0.580 0.580 0.580 3.14 3.4 3 3.31 3.94 3.97 3.81 3.90 2.790 2.850 2.650 2.820 12.5 12.5 12.2 12.38 4.80 4.75 4.75 4.75 2.65 2.43 2.43 2.43 120.00 120.00 120.00 120.00 24.35 24.35 24.00 24.35 2050.00 2080.00 2002.00 2080.00 0.435 0.435 0.415 0.430 1.170 1.240 1.110 1.220 41.50 41.85 40.30 41.85 78.00 80.40 76.95 80.00 6.40 6.62 6.30 6.40 2.93 3.15 2.80 3.10 0.570 0.590 0.560 0.580 1.97 1.96 1.85 1.96 3.31 3.4 3.3 3.35 5.810 5.990 5.800 5.980 MINING & OIL 0.0042 0.0042 0.0041 0.0042 3.20 4.25 2.91 4.00 4.25 4.44 4.28 4.30 0.235 0.235 0.233 0.233 7.5000 7.4 7.4 7.4000 7.3000 7.5600 7.5000 7.5600 0.460 0.485 0.455 0.480 8.90 8.99 8.53 8.90 0.840 0.860 0.820 0.850 0.290 0.295 0.280 0.280 0.250 0.270 0.250 0.255 0.255 0.275 0.255 0.260 0.0130 0.0130 0.0120 0.0130 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 1.75 1.82 1.67 1.71 4.88 4.97 4.65 4.94 2.62 2.7 2.59 2.7 1.1600 1.2400 1.2400 1.2400 0.0100 0.0098 0.0098 0.0098 4.06 4.07 4.07 4.07 8.24 8.68 8.20 8.57 4.10 4.10 3.89 3.93 0.0130 0.0130 0.0120 0.0120 117.00 124.00 117.00 123.00 3.7 3.72 3.51 3.66 0.0120 0.0120 0.0110 0.0120 PREFERRED 47 47.95 46.55 46.55 541.5 545 541.5 545 549.5 541.5 541.5 541.5 540 540 540 540 1.08 1.08 1.08 1.08 112 112.4 112.4 112.4 1065 1065 1065 1065 1031 1028 1028 1028 80.45 80.5 80 80 76.4 76.5 76.5 76.5 76 76.5 76 76 77.5 77.5 77 77.5 77.95 77.95 77.95 77.95 76.9 76.9 76 76.9 76.95 76.9 76.6 76.6 WARRANTS & BONDS 2.890 3.070 2.830 3.000 SME 3.8 3.8 3.6 3.71 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.5 4.5 4.95 4.2 4.74 15.2 15.96 15.2 15.96 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 125.4 126.9 123.5 126.9

T op g ainerS VALUE 1,713,914,776.70 1,126,214,430.454 1,323,261,550.225 1,187,792,801.55 985,194,848.61 432,746,387.01 6,810,536,620.35

Low

-944,600.00 3,575,284.50 102,600.00 -274,500.00 -50,032,030.00

-616,820.00 -4,791,450.00 107,961,610.00

-10,597,812.00

-88,500.00 1,480.00 56,401,896.00 17,400.00 111,540.00 -6,554,417.00

81,603,090.00 -9,038,329.00

-742,500.00

2,381,881 -64,090.00

-1,104,000.00 -4,652,010.00 -506,950.00

82,800.00 -172,560.00 67,772,710.00 -15,680,829.99 968,455.00 -6,289,821.50 -319,286.00 -35,750.00 -1,608,100.00 -2,878,500.00 -89,550.00

-2,046,920.00

-382,500.00 1,641,450.00 -649,168.00

-52,650.00 -49,880.00 1,132,214.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Apex `A'

4.00

25.00

Anchor Land Holdings Inc.

6.32

-13.42

Keppel Holdings `B'

6.75

18.84

Paxys Inc.

2.43

-8.30

Lorenzo Shipping

1.14

9.62

Philodrill Corp. `A'

0.0120

-7.69

South China Res. Inc.

0.86

8.86

Cityland Dev. `A'

1.020

-5.56

Keppel Properties

5.10

8.28

Discovery World

1.89

-5.50

Oriental Peninsula Res.

1.2400

6.90

APC Group, Inc.

0.580

-4.92

A. Brown Co., Inc.

1.26

6.78

Crown Asia

2

-4.76

Anglo Holdings A

1.18

6.31

Seafront `A'

2.13

-4.48

Bloomberry

5.80

6.23

PhilexPetroleum

3.93

-4.15

Macroasia Corp.

2.78

6.11

Vulcan Ind'l.

1.22

-3.94

TUESDAY: JUNE 28, 2016

B3

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

Go Hotel opens 10th branch in Davao City

By Jenniffer B. Austria PROPERTY developer Robinsons Land Corp. is set to open its 10th Go Hotel in Davao City, the biggest provincial branch of the Go Hotels chain.

The 183-room hotel within the Phoenix Complex along J.P. Laurel Ave., Go Hotel LanangDavao is the first project of the joint venture between Robinsons Land and Udenna Development Corp., a unit of Phoenix Petroleum Philippines Inc. The Davao City hotel is the second Go Hotel branch in Mindanao, after the one in Butuan City, which opened in 2015.

The opening of Go Hotels Lanang-Davao brings the total room inventory of the Go Hotels chain to over 1,400.

Robinsons Land said online booking offered introductory rates at P388 plus value added tax, for stay dates starting October 1, 2016.

Robinsons Land said hotel guests could look forward to a comfortable stay in plush Windsor beds, fully air-conditioned rooms equipped with cable TV, safety deposit boxes, private bathrooms with hot and cold shower options and complimentary Wi-Fi connection.

Hotel rooms in Go Hotel Lanang-Davao, similar to other branches in the country, are standard in size, averaging 18 square meters, an ample size when compared to same-category hotels with much smaller room spaces.

The second level of the hotel is dedicated as a function facility that can accommodate a maximum of 200 persons, making it a venue for business events and social occasions.

Davao City is known for its tourist destinations but and a thriving commercial center.

There are 242 weekly domestic and international one way flights going to Davao.

Tourist arrivals in Davao rose 4.1 percent in the first nine months of 2015 to 1,874,587 from a year ago level. Over 90 percent of the arrivals are domestic tourists.

The number of foreignvisitors also rose 2 percent from a year ago.

Stocks bounce back; Ayala Land, BDO up THE stock market rebounded Monday from hefty losses fueled by Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, despite fears of months of uncertainty.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index surged 86.18 points, or 1.1 percent, to 7,715.90 on a value turnover of P6.8 billion. Gainers beat losers, 120 to 74, with 38 issues unchanged.

Ayala Land Inc., a major builder, climbed 3.1 percent to P39.40, while SM Prime Holdings Inc., the biggest integrated property developer, gained 2.1 percent to P26.20.

BDO Unibank Inc., the largest lender in terms of assets, rose 2.8 percent to P110, while Semirara Mining and Power Corp., the biggest coal producer, advanced 5.1

percent to P123.

The sterling, meanwhile, plunged two percent in early Asian trading before paring losses as dealers rushed into safe assets, although Japan’s Nikkei stock index rallied. Britain’s finance minister George Osborne looked to reassure markets, saying the economy was in rude health.

The surprise Brexit decision wiped $2.1 trillion off market valuations Friday and sent the pound slumping to a 31-year low against the dollar.

The pound bought $1.3440, down from $1.3670 in New York

and heading back towards the $1.3229 touched Friday, which was its lowest level since 1985.

Stephen Innes, senior trader at OANDA Asia Pacific, warned sterling “is extremely vulnerable” and predicted an interest rate cut in the summer.

He also said there was “a huge concern that London’s status as the global financial capital will crumble” if it losses its “passporting” rights, which permit banks to locate themselves in the UK while offering products and services in the wider EU. Investors were also shifting out of other higher-yielding riskier currencies, which took a hammering last week.

South Korea’s won fell 0.3 percent, the Australian dollar slipped 0.7 percent and the Singapore dollar shed 0.2 percent.

Malaysia’s ringgit slipped 0.3 percent and the Philippine peso 0.2 percent.

China weakened the yuan’s fixing almost one percent to a fiveand-half-year low against the dollar, in the biggest downward move since August’s devaluation.

But on equities markets the Nikkei in Tokyo ended up 2.4 percent—having plunged nearly eight percent Friday—while Shanghai added 1.5 percent and Sydney gained 0.5 percent. There were also gains in Wellington and Bangkok.

Hong Kong rose 0.1 percent in the afternoon.

However, Seoul was 0.1 percent lower and Singapore lost 0.4 percent, while in early European trade London fell 0.8 percent, Frankfurt shed 0.4 percent and Paris 0.3 percent.

Shang Properties’ milestone.

Top executives (from left) KC Koay, Lala Fojas, Kinsun Ng and Bobong Noel of Shang Properties Inc. formally ring the opening bell at the Philippine Stock Exchange in Makati on June 13 to celebrate the company’s 25th listing anniversary. Joining them in the ceremonies are (starting fifth from left) PSE chairman Jose Pardo and president and chief executive Hans Sicat, and officials Roel Refran, Jose Antonio Vilar and John Benette Mamañgun .

Smart deploys more long-term evolution cell sites in Davao

By Darwin G Amojelar THE mobile unit of PLDT Inc. said on Monday it has deployed more long-term evolution cell sites using the 700-megahertz spectrum in Davao City ahead of the inauguration of incoming president Rodrigo Duterte on June 30.

Smart Communications Inc. said the four cell sites fired up with 700 MHz are located in various parts of Davao City, specifically in Barangay Ma-a near DBP Village, along San Pedro Street near Osmeña Park, at the PLDT building along Ponciano

Reyes St., and at Kilometer 4, near the Davao City Golf Club.

“We are fulfilling our commitment, that we would use the 700 MHz frequency, along with other frequencies, as part of the accelerated deployment of our LTE service. This will help us more quickly deliver faster, more reliable and affordable Internet services throughout the Philippines,” PLDT and Smart chief technology and information advisor Joachim Horn said.

The low-band 700 MHz has a longer range and provides better indoor coverage than high band frequencies. Smart gained ac-

cess to this and other additional frequencies when Smart’s parent company PLDT acquired 50 percent of the telecommunications business of San Miguel Corp.

Horn said Smart was deploying LTE on 700 MHz in order to combine the powerful frequency with the most advanced mobile phone technology. LTE is the fourth-generation mobile phone technology that currently provides the fastest wireless data service commercially available.

The four Davao cell sites bring to eight the number of Smart’s 700 MHz-powered sites so far.

The first batch are in Tanay,

Rizal; Matina, Davao City; Bacoor, Cavite; and Manggahan area in Pasig City, where peak download speeds of about 100 Mbps were attained on a singleband, 700-MHz LTE set-up.

In three of the eight sites, Smart used the Carrier Aggregation capability of LTE Advanced and recorded higher peak speeds.

Peak speeds refer to the maximum possible data rate that may be achieved, on a single-user basis. The actual speeds that may be experienced under normal circumstances will be influenced by the number of users being served

by a particular base station.

Smart plans to activate 360 cell sites with 700 MHz this year, initially in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao.

The company is also working with local and foreign device manufacturers to push the availability of more affordable LTE smartphones, pocket WiFis, and tablets that can latch on to the 700 MHz frequency.

“This combination of advanced network, technology, and devices will enable us to provide the best digital experience to our customers across the country,” Horn said.

B4 Local air traffic up 11% in 1st 3 months

Shakey’s cloud technology.

Shakey’s Pizza Parlor taps enterprise solutions provider Sprout Solutions Inc. for its cloudbased human resources, payroll and recruitment suite to automate everything from employee login, payout and report generation. Shown sealing the deal are Sprout Solutions Philippines chief executive Patrick Gentry (left) and Shakey’s Pizza Parlor general manager Jorge Concepcion.

By Darwin G. Amojelar DOMESTIC airline passenger traffic rose 11 percent in the first quarter from a year ago, the Civil Aeronautics Board said Monday.

Data from CAB showed the number of domestic passengers reached 5.84 million in January to March, up from 5.23 million in the same period last year.

Cebu Pacific remained the country’s leading domestic carrier, as it flew 3.03 million passengers in the first three months, up from last year’s 2.66 million passengers.

This was followed by PAL Express, a subsidiary of Philippine Airlines which carried 1.15 million passengers in the first quarter, down slightly from 1.17 million passengers in the same period last year.

PAL served 563,070 domestic passengers in the three-month period, up by 71 percent from 327,716 passengers last year.

Philippine Air Asia Inc., the local unit of Air Asia, flew 657,102 passengers in the first quarter, up from 400,139 passengers a year earlier.

Cebgo, a unit of Cebu Pacific, carried 377,096 passengers in the first three months, down by 17 percent from 456,122 passengers last year, Domestic air travel grew 8.5 percent to 22.08 million passengers in 2015 from 20.35 million passengers in 2014.

Mitsubishi to produce 100,000 Mirage units

By Othel V. Campos

TOKYO, Japan—Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will transform its plant in the Philippines as the Asean hub for small cars, with annual production of 100,000 units.

Mitsubishi chairman and chief executive Osamu Matsuko said the company planned to increase annual production in the Philippines from an initial target of 50,000 units to 100,000 units over the next six years.

“We are not happy with 50,000 units. With the projected population growth and the increasing capacity to buy automobiles [in the Philippines] , we plan to expand production to 100,000

units,” Masuko said.

He said the Philippines, with a population of more 100 million, was still far from reaching its potential as a mature automotive market. Car sales in the Philippines average 350,000 a year.

“The potential is huge and we want to contribute to the growth of the automotive industry and the Philippine economy,” said Masuko.

Meanwhile, Mitsubishi

Motor Philippines Corp. president Yoshiake Kato said Monday the Philippine government should provide more incentives to local parts manufacturers to make them more competitive.

Kato said the current incentives available for parts manufacturers were not enough to bring down the cost of production.

“I think the parts industries should be strengthened. They are the key factors that will push the growth of the local automotive sector. If there are more suppliers, they will be more competition. Quality and cost will improve,” he said.

Mitsubishi officials said despite the opportunities presented by the government’s Comprehensive

Automotive Resurgence Strategy, the company was still in the process of convincing parts makers to come to and invest in the Philippines. The Cars program provides incentives to qualified participants.

Kato said the subsidy of $1,000 per unit was not enough to bring down the cost of production and the price of the unit.

The government’s approval of Mitsubishi as a participant in the Cars program is expected to encourage more Japanese suppliers to invest locally.

Kato said the Philippines parts manufacturing sector had yet to reach the stage of maturity amid the lack of players and volume critical to bringing down the cost of owning a vehicle.

“If we have to reduce

cost, we have to cooperate with the parts suppliers.

The efficiency will trickle down to our factories, as well,” he said.

Mitsubishi has to encourage more Japanese suppliers to invest in the Philippines to comply with the requirements of the program.

The Philippine automotive industry currently produces 300 parts out of the 30,000 parts needed for automobile assembly. A technical cooperation analyzing the global value supply chain is important for effective policy interventions of target industries.

MMPC plans to start setting up a press manufacturing or stamping facility in the Philippines for side panels and roof that will involve a P2-billion investment.

HSBC sees Bangko Sentral keeping rates despite ‘Brexit’

By Julito G. Rada BRITISH lender Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. said Monday it expects Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to maintain interest rates to ensure sustained growth after Britain voted to exit the European Union last week.

HSBC said in a report titled “Brexit ripples” that among Asian countries, the Philippines and Malaysia might not ease monetary policy in the months ahead.

“In Malaysia and the Philippines, too, we see no real scope for monetary easing at the moment, with the former more constrained by potential financial volatility and the latter’s financial system still being flush with ex-

cess liquidity,” HSBC said.

“Central bankers may certainly do whatever they can, but the heavy lifting should fall on the shoulders of fiscal authorities.

Moreover, the case for reforms is becoming ever more pressing,” it said.

A day after Britain’s historic vote, Bangko Sentral Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said the regulator’s monetary policy stance remained appropriate and there was no need at the moment to tweak it.

He said more volatility in domestic markets in the near term was expected. He said while the direct Philippine exposure to the UK was relatively small, monetary authorities would watch

closely the impact on the country via contagion from moves in the US dollar.

Tetangco said Bangko Sentral was ready to provide liquidity to the market as needed. “We don’t see any need to change stance of monetary policy at the moment,” he said.

The policy-setting Monetary Board kept the benchmark interest rates steady on June 24, amid a manageable inflation environment and robust economic growth.

The interest rates were retained at 3.5 percent for overnight lending, 3 percent for overnight borrowing and 2.5 percent for deposit facility.

Bangko Sentral Deputy Gover-

nor Diwa Guinigundo said while Great Britain was one of the Philippines’ important trading and investment partners, the Philippines’ had sufficient buffers to absorb any negative consequence of a “Brexit.”

Britain voted to leave the 28-nation European Union which heavily impacted global financial markets.

HSBC said markets did not take the “Brexit” vote too well.

It said that with growth already wobbly, policymakers across the region might need to do more to “steady the ship.”

HSBC said extra fiscal spending would be needed to tide the region over any potential slump in world demand.

“Japan seems ready to deliver more, and so does China. Elsewhere, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines could do a lot more as well, but probably won’t, at least not very quickly,” it said.

Incoming President Rodrigo Duterte earlier said he would ramp up fiscal spending, particularly on infrastructure projects, to sustain economic growth.

The Philippine economy expanded 6.9 percent in the first quarter this year, faster than 5 percent a year ago, on robust domestic demand and private consumption.

Experts said growth in the second quarter would likely be faster, on election-related spending.

T U E S D AY : J U N E 2 8 , 2 0 1 6

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

The end of OS X MAC users are in for some interesting changes later this year, when the next version of Apple’s desktop operating system becomes available. But don’t go looking for OS X. After more than 15 years, the name has been retired in favor of macOS to keep the desktop OS in tune with Apple’s younger operating systems--iOS, watchOS and tvOS. At the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2016, Apple senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, announced the name change as well as the codename for the latest version, macOS Sierra (version 10.12).

“Sierra is a fantastic new release with a big focus on continuity, the iCloud and the fundamentals of the Mac experience,” Federighi said.

“Continuity is like magic,” he continued. “Your devices are able to sense themselves around you, and use secure peer-to-peer wireless protocols to enable you to move from one task to another across your devices seamlessly.

Federighi then demonstrated one of the new features of Sierra, Auto Unlock, which enables the Mac to automatically go past the lock screen when it detects that you are already logged in on your Apple Watch.

Another continuity feature demonstrated at WWDC 2016 was Universal Clipboard, which allows users to copy content, including text, images, photos and video from one Apple device and paste it into another.

Other new features demonstrated were: • Seamless integration with iCloud Drive that make everything on a user’s Desktop and Documents folder available on their iPhone, iPad or any other Mac they use.

• Optimized Storage, which frees up space when the drive starts getting full by storing infrequently used items in iCloud and reminding users to delete used application installers, and even clearing out duplicate downloads, caches, and logs. In the WWDC demo, a 250-gigabyte drive that was down to 20GB regained 130GB after it was optimized.

• Tabs, which are popular in browsers, can be used to manage multiple windows in more applications in macOS, including Maps, Mail, Pages, Numbers, TextEdit and even third-party apps.

• Picture in Picture, which lets users float video from Safari or iTunes in a window over their desktop while they work. The tiny screen can be resized, dragged and pinned to any corner of the screen and stays put even when spaces are switched.

• Apple Pay, a way for Apple users to shop securely and privately online, and to use their devices, like the iPhone, to verify their identities. So far, Apple Pay is available only in a few countries, and the Philippines isn’t one of them.

Federighi saved the most dramatic demo for last— showing off Siri, the natural language personal assistant found on iPhones, the iPad and Apple Watch, working on a Mac. Siri can be summoned from the Dock, the menu bar or the keyboard to responds to spoken, natural-language commands or queries. With Siri, users can use their voice look up information, find documents, pin or drag and drop search results, search the internet, send messages and even adjust system preferences.

Despite the new branding and the bells and whistles on it, macOS doesn’t seem to be a revolutionary departure from OS X – which is a good thing, since most users don’t want their computing habits disrupted with every new release of an OS. A preview of macOS Seirra is already available to developers under the Apple Developer Program at developer. apple.com. Mac users can sign up for the macOS Sierra Beta Program and download the software starting in July at beta.apple.com.

The final version will be available for free from the Mac App Store this fall.

Column archives and blog at: http://www.chinwong.com

B5

EDC borrows P5b from Union Bank

By Alena Mae S. Flores

RENEWABLE power producer Energy Development Corp. said Monday it secured a P5-billion loan from Union Bank of the Philippines to support capital expenditures and finance maturing loans this year.

“We advise that EDC executed a loan agreement with Union Bank for the total amount of P5 billion,” EDC said in a disclosure to the stock exchange.

EDC chief finance officer Nestor Vasay said the P5-billion loans “is meant to cover two things for us: our remaining capex requirements and to refi-

nance a maturing loan this year.”

EDC vice president for finance Erwin Avante said the loan would help the company augment cash requirements for the year.

“We have a big capex of around P14 billion, debt service of around P11 billion,” Avante said.

EDC’s capital expenditure this year would be higher than last year’s P12 billion.

EDC president and chief operating officer Richard Tantoco earlier said the company would focus on improving the reliability of the 112.5-megawatt Tongonan geothermal power plant in Leyte.

EDC said consolidated recurring net income attributable to equity holders of the parent company reached P2.63 billion in the first quarter, up by 7 percent from P2.46-billion in the same period last year.

EDC, an affiliate of First Gen Corp., owns 1,441 megawatts of generating capacity, including 1,159 MW of geothermal, 150

MW of wind, 132 MW of hydro and 4 MW of solar.

EDC’s consolidated revenues also increased 7 percent in the January-March period to P9.10 billion from P8.5 billion a year earlier.

Increased core income and revenues resulted primarily from higher energy sales reported by EDC’s 150-MW Burgos Wind Project, following the completion of the uprated Laoag-San Esteban transmission line in September 2015.

Burgos Wind Project’s core income increased P520 million on the back of a P670-million growth in revenues during the period.

Increased revenues from plants with largely contracted capacities such as Burgos Wind, Unified Leyte and Palinpinon/Tongonan geothermal projects were partly offset by lower revenues from plants exposed to the spot market such as Bacman and Nasulo geothermal power plants.

ILO recognition. International Labor Organization director-general Guy Ryder presents the ILO symbol of tripartism to Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz in recognition of the latter’s contribution to the world’s parliament of labor, during a dinner for the Philippine Tripartite delegation.

Nickel Asia supports Palawan schools

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales PUERTO Princesa City—Nickel Asia Corp.’s affiliates, Coral Bay Nickel Corp. and Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corp., donated P2.5 million worth of iMac desktop computer units to various schools in Palawan province.

The 21.5-inch iMac desktop computer units were turnedover to winning schools, including Palawan National School, on Monday.

CBNC community relations manager Ma. Mary Anne O. Baribar said the iMac desktop

computer units were presented as grand prizes to schools that emerged as over-all champions in various academic contests during the GroundBreak 2016: Palawan Ground Zero in Puerto Princesa City in March.

Baribar said the winning schools each received five units of iMac desktop computers that could help them in setting up their own computer laboratory.

“This is one big factor that could contribute to the skills and knowledge of our students and could be part of our computer education and computer literacy

program,” said Baribar.

Nickel Asia vice president for corporate communications Jose Bayani Baylon said the donation was a way of helping the government in enhancing the educational system in remote areas of Palawan.

RTNMC is primarily engaged in the exploration, mining and exporting of nickel ore and providing non-mining services. It operates a mine in Barangay Rio Tuba in Bataraza, Palawan.

CBNC operates a hydro metallurgical processing plant in the same location.

B6

TUESDAY: JUNE 28, 2016

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

Peso drops below 47 vs dollar PNoy leaves Duterte a strong economy AN incoming administration can describe the economic performance of the outgoing administration in one of two ways. It can say that the outgoing administration left the economy in a mess, with the fiscal accounts in deficit and the main economic indicators pointing in a downward direction. Or it can say that it inherited from the outgoing administration an economy in generally good shape, with the fiscal accounts in good order and the principal indicators of economic activity—production, employment and income—exhibiting vibrancy.

After six years of weak Executive leadership and postdictatorship political instability, the Philippine economy was in near-disarray—a situation best exemplified by a debilitating energy shortage—when the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos came into office. Because his 1992 victory was largely due to President Cory Aquino’s endorsement of his candidacy, FVR was inhibited from criticizing the economic conditions that the Aquino administration had left in its wake.

When it came to office in July 1998, the administration of President Joseph Ejercito Estrada found an economy that had benefited from President FVR’s reformist economic policies and hands-on management. The Estrada economic team built upon a strengthened economic structure that the Ramos administration left behind. There was not much for the Estrada people to criticize.

They inherited an economic ship in good shape.

The same could not be said of the legacy of the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The incoming administration of President Benigno Aquino III found a troubled economy. Beset by legitimacy problems from the very start—she assumed the Presidency despite the fact that the duly elected Chief Executive had not resigned—GMA left behind an economy characterized by low GDP growth, high unemployment, weak fiscal fundamentals and rampant corruption.

The Aquino people made no bones about what they inherited from their Arroyo predecessors. They inherited an economic ship in bad state, they said. PNoy Aquino declared an intention to straighten things out. His administration would proceed along a daang matuwid.

Now the Aquino administration is almost at an end; it will bow out on June 30. What is the incoming administration’s assessment of the economy that it is inheriting from the administration of PNoy Aquino? Does it think that it is inheriting a mess? Or does it think that the Aquino folk have done a generally good job of managing the economy?

The statements made by some members of the economic team of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte indicate that the consensus in the Duterte camp is that the Aquino administration is leaving behind an economy that is strong and stable. Nowhere in the 10-point economic program announced by the incoming administration is there any allusion to instability or weakness in the economy.

The Duterte camp’s assessment of the Aquino administration’s stewardship of the economy is accurate. True, there is the issue of non-inclusiveness and continuing widespread poverty. That issue was there when PNoy assumed the Presidency, it is there today and it will be there when President-elect Duterte steps down six years hence. Spreading the fruits of economic growth and eliminating widespread poverty are very tough problems.

But the most essential economic fundamentals—monetary stability and fiscal soundness—are in place. Such has been the quality of the management of the nation’s monetary and fiscal affairs that the Philippines has been granted successive creditrating upgrades by the three leading international credit-rating agencies. Debt instruments of the Philippine government and leading corporate issuers now enjoy investment-grade status in international markets. Investment-grade status is granted only to the securities of countries where sound economic fundamentals exist, i.e., whose economies are well-managed.

The incoming administration is inheriting from the outgoing administration an economy that is ship-shape. One can only hope that the same thing can be said six years from now.

E-mail: rudyromero777@yahoo.com

By Julito G. Rada

THE peso further weakened against the US dollar Monday, losing P0.08 to close at 47.03 from 46.95 Friday as the exit of Britain from the European Union last week continued to impact on global financial markets.

It was the local currency’s weakest level in almost two months, or since 47.09 to a greenback on May 6, 2016, three days before the presidential elections. Total volume turnover stood at $551 million, lower than $621 million on Friday.

“The weakness of the peso against the dollar was caused mostly by Brexit,” Nicholas Antonio Mapa, research officer of Bank of the Philippine Islands, said in a statement.

He said investors continued looking for safe haven currencies, that included the US dollar.

“However, we see the trading to be calm going forward because Britain will not go out of EU outright. There will still be discussions between UK and EU on the

existing trade agreements, which deals will be scrapped and maintained,” Mapa said.

Mapa also said he did not see the US Federal Reserve raising interest rates this year and “a delay could be possible.” He said the peso might end the year settling at 49.02 per dollar.

Britain on Friday voted to leave the 28-nation European Union, creating the biggest global financial shock since the 2008 financial crisis.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. earlier predicted more volatility in the domestic markets in the near term. He said monetary authorities would be watching closely the impact to the Philip-

pines “via contagion from moves in the US dollar.”

Britain’s exit from EU added another uncertainty to the peso’s trading path going forward. Experts earlier expected the local currency to face rough sailing in the months ahead due to the imminent interest rates hike by the US Federal Reserve before the year ends.

ING Bank Manila senior economist Joey Cuyegkeng said after the British referendum the Philippines had significant economic policy leeway—monetary and fiscal—to counter adverse global challenges that could result from Brexit.

“We believe that the economy can withstand such external developments. Higher fiscal deficit spending focused on higher infrastructure spending and greater disposable incomes would likely keep Philippine economic growth in the area of 6-7 percent,” Cuyegkeng said.

Bank of the Philippine Islands’ lead economist Emilio Neri Jr. predicted in an earlier report that the peso could hit 50, rather than 45, to a greenback through 2017.

Outstanding retailer. Philippine Pizza Inc., the local franchise holder of Pizza Hut and Dairy Queen, is recognized as a retail industry leader during the recently-concluded 19th Outstanding Filipino Retailers & Shopping Centers of the Year Awards held at the Marriott Hotel in Pasay City. Shown at the awarding ceremony are (from left) Trade Secretary Adrian Cristobal Jr., PPI chief operating officer TH Lim, vice president for operations Choc Blanco, vice president for operations for Taco Bell and Dairy Queen Erryl Ramos and officer-in-charge for Pizza Hut marketing Raymund Nobleza, and Philippine Retailers Association chairman Emeritus Samie Lim.

Non-life insurers to push lower tax bill

By Gabrielle Binaday THE Phillipine Insurers and Reinsurers Association on Monday said it would push for lower taxes on non-life insurance products as soon as the new government takes over.

“I mean the tax bill, it’s going to be refiled. Actually the commissioner already reiterated his support for the tax bill,” former Pira president Michael Rellosa said.

The government has imposed a 12-percent value added tax, 12.15-percent documentary stamp tax, 2-percent fire service tax and 0.5-percent to 0.7-percent local government taxes on non-life insurance premium.

Allied Bankers Association

president and Pira trustee Rebecca Dela Cruz said the 27.2-percent tax on non-life insurance premium in the Philippines was the highest among Southeast Asian countries. Singapore imposes a tax of just 7 percent, Thailand at 11.3 percent and Vietnam at 12 percent.

The bill seeks to reduce tax level to 5.5 percent from the current 27.2 percent.

Rellosa said more people could be protected with lower taxes.

The insurance industry is pushing HB 3235, or an act rationalizing the taxes imposed on non-life insurance policies, authored by Davao City 1st District Rep. Karlo Alexei Norgales.

The bill aims to make non-life

insurance affordable to entrepreneurs and ordinary Filipinos, relieve the government from the burden of rehabilitation, recovery, aid assistance, welfare costs whenever there are natural calamities, and make the Philippines more competitive with other Asean countries.

Rellosa confirmed the bill would be refiled despite the changes in the lower house.

“It will be refiled. We don’t know what the [new] Congress looks like yet. The [new finance] secretary is in favor of bringing income taxes down, and they really have to harmonize non-life taxes because of the integration,” Rellosa said.

“We’ll refile it and see how it goes,” he added.

T U E S D AY : J U N E 2 8 , 2 0 1 6

WORLD

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

B7

Debate over motherhood rages BERLIN—Is it possible to regret becoming a mother?

The question first posed by an Israeli researcher has stirred a debate in Germany like in no other country, shattering a long-held taboo.

“In Israel, it was settled in a week. In Germany, it has lasted for months,” said sociologist Orna Donath, whose study “Regretting Motherhood” was published in 2015.

Tired of hearing that she “would regret” not having a child, the researcher collected testimonies from 23 women who, on the contrary, love their own kids but would, truth be told, prefer not to have had them.

The book taps into a usually-unspoken maternal ambivalence that may be far more common than previously acknowledged in many places, including Germany, whose

fertility rate is less than half that of Israel’s.

Several German books have since been published on the subject, including “The Lie of Maternal Happiness” by Sarah Fischer, along with almost-weekly newspaper columns, television chat shows and Twitter debates with the hashtag #RegrettingMotherhood.

“More than a third of women with a university education remain childless here, a situation that is unique in Europe,” said scholar Barbara Vinken, who published an analysis on the “myth of the German mother” in 2001.

Speaking to AFP, Vinken said

Donath’s study touched a chord in Germany because it “radically questions the joy of having children in a society that expects everything from mothers, and where the mothers demand everything of themselves.”

The notion that children’s wellbeing depends on their mothers, and not on the society around them or their fathers, is deeply entrenched in Germany and creates real obstacles to women’s careers.

“It’s not like in France, where you can have a glass of champagne during your pregnancy, limit the time you breastfeed and go back to work and adult life three months after giving birth,” Vinken said, contrasting Germany with its far more fecund neighbor.

A mother who returns to the office without taking maternity leave for a year—or often three— opens herself up to being branded

a “Rabenmutter” (raven mother)― women who dump their kids in childcare so they can pursue their personal goals.

The political discourse has evolved since Angela Merkel took power a decade ago, ushering in new policies targeting the low birth rate including expanding nursery spots and creating incentives for fathers to take parental leave.

But cultural change has been slower in coming, with the top-selling Bild daily railing as recently as last summer against women who “pursue careers, wear trouser suits, drink smoothies and work out”.

The male columnist was not finished: “They look like men. They are not mothers. They no longer wake up at night when their child is afraid of thunder and lightning.”

On a slightly less strident note, the book “Doing Away With Mothers”—which was serialized REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION REGIONAL TRIAL COURT BRANCH 114, PASAY CITY

PAULINO OCHOA Plaintif f, - versusCI VIL CASE NO. 0 0 - 0 04 6 SPS. MARGARITA CAMACL ANG and GEL ACIO ARCITA , Defendant s. x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x NOTICE OF LE V Y AND SALE ON E XECUTION UPON RE AL PROPERTIES WHERE AS, by vir tue of the Writ of E xecution dated Januar y 15, 2014, issued in the above - entitled c ase

by FILIPIN A T. RIBAYA GERONIMO, Branch Clerk of Cour t, in favor of the plaintif f a c opy of which is hereto at tached, for the rec over y of the total sum Php 3,9 9 5,0 0 0.0 0 plus legal rate of interest, exclusive of expenses in implementing this writ until its f inal satisfaction, lev y is hereby made on the rights, interests, titles, shares, ownership and par ticipation of the said defendants SPS. M A RGA RITA CA M ACL A NG A ND GEL ACIO A RCITA , may have in the real proper t y par ticular y described hereunder: TR ANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. ( T-24 0 08) T-12815 Registry of Deeds for the Province of Laguna “A PA RCEL OF L A ND (Lot 17214A of the subdivision plan Psd - 63 8 8 0, being a por tion of Lots 1721 of Sta. Rosa Estate LRC Rec. No. 8375), situated in the Bar rio of Dita, Municipalit y of Sta. Rosa, Provinc e of Laguna, X x x: c ontaining an area of FOUR HUNDRED T WENT Y (420) SQUA RE METERS, more or less.”

by the respected weekly Die Zeitargued that “traditional” motherhood was being “devalued” by the push for women to contribute to the economy.

The media, meanwhile, swing wildly between calls to “offer other images of motherhood” that are less self-sacrificing, and taunts against “whining” young women who are obsessed with their own fulfillment.

“These children are the parasites of well-being. They are disturbing mummy in her search for herself,” Die Zeit wrote sarcastically.

Remarkably, the idea of doing more to bring fathers into the mix has not really caught on. A recent study by the DIW economic institute found that even women who work full time do three hours of housework per day, exponentially more than the men in their lives.

AFP

NOW THEREFORE, by vir tue of said Writ of E xecution and in acc ordanc e with Rule 39, Section 19 of the Revised Rules of Cour t of the Philippines, NOTICE IS HEREBY GI VEN to the public in general and the par ties in par ticular that on August 3, 2016 at 10:0 0 o’clock in the mor ning or soon thereaf ter at the main ent ranc e of the Hall of Justic e Building, F.B. Har rison Street, Pasay Cit y, the undersigned Sherif f will sell at public auction to the HIGHEST BIDDER for CASH and in Philippine Cur rency, the rights, interests, titles, shares, ownership and par ticipation of SPS. M A RGA RITA CA M ACL A NG A ND GEL ACIO A RCITA , may have in the above - described real proper ties, in order to satisf y the said Writ of E xecution, together with interest and all legal expenses incur red in c onnection with the execution sale.

In c ase of lack of time to c omplete the sale on the date f ixed in this Notic e, or for any forc e majeure or other c ompelling reason to reset the auction, the same shall be held on August 10, 2016, at the same time and place.

Prospective buyers or bidders are hereby enjoined to examine and/or verit y the proper ties and investigate for themselves the titles to the said proper ties including the encumbranc es thereon, if any there be, for their infor mation, guidanc e and referenc e.

Pasay Cit y, Metro Manila, June 16, 2016 (Sgd.) ARIEL S. SANGAL ANG Sher if f I V WARNING: It is absolutely prohibited to remove, deface or destroy this Notice of Sale on or before the date of sale, under penalty of law.

Copy fur nished: Paulino Ochoa substituted by Rolando Ochoa, Ernesto P. Ochoa Sr. and Mercedita P. Ochoa and Eduardo P. Ochoa 364 Libertad St., Pasay City.

Sps. Margarita Camaclang and Gelacio Arcita defendants 1835 Dita Sta. Rosa, Laguna ( TS - June 28 & July 5, 2016)

ERRORS & OMISSIONS

In Classified Ads section must be brought to our attention the very day the advertisement is published.

We will not be responsible for any incorrect ads not reported to us immediately.

Republic of the Philippines

PROVINCIAL OF ORIENTAL MINDORO 2 c o l s . x 10 GOVERNMENT cms.

C a mi l mi l , C a l a p a n C i t y 5 2 0 0 , O ri e n t a l Mi n d o ro

BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

INVITATION TO BID

Day 3. Singer/Songwriter Jake Owen performs at the Kicker Country Stampede Manhattan, Kansas-Day 3, on June 25, 2016, in Manhattan, Kansas. AFP

Rising anger over fake bomb detector BANGKOK—Activists on Monday urged Britain to hand over details of the multimillion-dollar sale to Thailand of fake bomb detectors that led to the detention of scores of innocent people.

British fraudster Gary Bolton was jailed in 2013 for making millions selling the GT200—which he billed as a “magic wand” able to detect tiny particles of explosives or drugs from hundreds of meters away.

It was in fact a useless home-made plastic box with a radio antenna—made for $6 but sold for between $3,300-$13,000 per unit to governments including Thailand, Mexico

and Iraq.

On Monday, Jatuporn Prompan, the leader of Thailand’s pro-democracy ‘Red Shirt’ street movement, urged the British Embassy in Bangkok to share details of the contracts between Bolton’s firm and the kingdom’s officials.

“Particularly the contracts of broker companies which sold them [GT200] to the Thai government and how much they cost,” he said in a YouTube post.

A corruption probe into why the Thai military and several other departments bought the device despite expert advice has ground to a halt.

Thailand’s army chief at the time was Anupong Paojinda, the

current interior minister and an architect of the 2014 coup that restored the military to power, toppling the Red Shirts’ hero Yingluck Shinawatra.

Anupong repeatedly defended the use of the fake detector even as tests cast serious doubt over its efficacy.

In 2010, the year the GT200 was officially banned from export by British authorities, he told reporters that “we don’t have a replacement yet so we continue to use it.”

Last week, Prime Minister Prayut ChanO-Cha, a senior general during Anupong’s tenure as army chief, said the device was “useful once... but when they

were proven to be useless they were not used anymore.”

Rights groups say hundreds of people were detained—some for several weeks—in Thailand’s restive south after erroneous findings of traces of explosives by security officers using the GT200.

“Regardless of court rulings in the UK and overwhelming scientific evidence, Thai military leadership still defend the use of GT200,” said Sunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch Asia.

He said the first sales took place in 2005, ultimately amounting to orders of nearly 1,400 GT200s worth $32 million across 15 separate agencies. AFP

IB N o. GS- 2 0 1 6 - 114 a n d 115 The Provincial Government of Oriental Mindoro invites PhilGeps registered suppliers, manufacturers and importers to Apply for Eligibility and to Bid for the hereunder list of item/projects.

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)

Bid Document Fee

Source of Funding

1. Supply and delivery of Construction Materials and Supplies for use in the Construction of Building for Commission on Audit, DSWDO, ENRO and CSC at Capitol Complex, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro

16,496,859.00

Php 25,000.00

General Fund

2. Supply and delivery of Agricultural Products (Seeds, Seedlings, Plants) for the completion of Facility UpgradingLandscaping and other facilities at Provincial Hospital, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro

6,613,283.00

Php 10,000.00

Trust Fund (SARO #BMB-B-11-0027269)

Item/Description

The schedule of bidding activities is as follows: 1. Advertisement/Posting of ITB ØBulletin Board of the PGOM : June 28,2016 ØPGOM Website : June 28,2016 ØPhilGEPS Website : June 28,2016 ØNewspaper of General Nationwide Circulation : June 28,2016 2. Issuance of Bidding Documents : July 1-19, 2015 3. Pre-Bid Conference : July 7, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. at BAC Office 4. Deadline of Submission of Bids : July 19, 2016 at 1:30 p.m. at BAC Office 5. Opening of Bid in sealed envelope a).Eligibility Requirements and Technical Proposal : July 19, 2016 at 2:00 pm at BAC Office b).Financial Proposal : July 19, 2016 at 2:00 pm at BAC Office Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in R.A. 9184 and its IRR otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. The complete set of bidding documents may be purchased at the BAC Secretariat upon payment of non-refundable price of bid documents indicated above.

Pre-Bid Conference shall be opened to all interested parties, however only those who purchased the Bidding Documents may participate in the discussion at said conference.

All particulars relative to eligibility requirements and screening, bid security, performance security, pre-bid conference, evaluation of bids, post qualification and award of contract shall be governed by the provision of R.A. 9184 and its IRR. The PGOM reserves the right to accept or reject bid to annul bidding process, and to reject all bids at anytime prior to contract award without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to: MR. JULIO R. ICAL Head, BAC Secretariat Provincial Capitol, Camilmil, Calapan City Tel. (043) 286-7120 (043) 286-7447

( TS- J U N E . 2 8 , 2 0 1 6 )

(Sgd.) ENGR. ELMER V. DILAY Provincial Engineer BAC Chairman

T U E S D AY : J U N E 2 8 , 2 0 1 6

B8 Top Brexit advocate: No hurry to exit EU LONDON—Top Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson said there was no need to rush pulling Britain out of the EU, as he sought to reassure Britons abroad and EU citizens in Britain with a message of continuity on Monday.

Johnson also urged Brexit backers to “build bridges” with those who voted for Britain to stay in the EU after Thursday’s bitterly divisive referendum and played down the prospects of Scottish independence.

“The only change—and it will not come in any great rush—is that the UK will extricate itself from the EU’s extraordinary and opaque system of legislation,” Johnson wrote in his column for the Daily Telegraph “EU citizens living in this country will have their rights fully protected, and the same goes for British citizens living in the EU,” wrote Johnson, the former mayor of London and a favorite to succeed the outgoing Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron.

“British people will still be able to go and work in the EU; to live; to travel; to study; to buy homes and settle down,” he said.

Britons voted by 52 percent to 48 percent in favor of leaving the European Union in a vote that sent shock waves through the financial markets, toppled Cameron and put world leaders in crisis mode.

But Johnson said Britain would retain close ties with Europe despite the warnings during the campaign from those who wanted Britain to stay in the EU. “There will still be intense and intensifying European cooperation and partnership in a huge number of fields: the arts, the sciences, the universities, and on improving the environment,” he said.

Johnson also urged Brexit supporters to “build bridges” with Britons who had supported staying.

“They are our neighbors, brothers and sisters who did what they passionately believe was right.

“We must reach out, we must heal, we must build bridges – because it is clear that some have feelings of dismay, and of loss, and confusion,” he wrote.

But he added that the “climate of apprehension” was caused by exaggerated warnings during the campaign.

“At home and abroad, the negative consequences are being wildly overdone, and the upside is being ignored,” he said. AFP

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD Britain scrambles to calm markets after shock vote LONDON—Britain’s finance minister on Monday sought to calm markets after the country’s shock vote to leave the EU, and insisted it would be not rushed into a break-up despite pressure from EU leaders.

George Osborne said Britain’s economy was “as strong as could be” to deal with the fallout of Thursday’s momentous Brexit vote, which has already claimed the scalp of Prime Minister David Cameron and fueled fears of a break-up of the United Kingdom.

“Today, I want to reassure the British people, and the global community, that Britain is ready to confront what the future holds for us from a position of strength,” he said, minutes before the opening of European stock markets.

Despite the reassurances, London’s FTSE 100 stock index dropped another 0.8 percent at the opening after plunging on Friday, while the markets in Paris and

Frankfurt opened up slightly.

Osborne’s announcement temporarily halted the fall of the sterling against the dollar after it lost two percent in Asia.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is due in London later in the day after a stop-off in Brussels, while the leaders of Germany, France and Italy will meet in Berlin to tackle the crisis.

Three days after Cameron announced his resignation, opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is also facing pressure to stand down, with a string of his top team resigning on Sunday.

Osborne stressed that Britain would not be rushed into activating Article 50 of the 2007 Lisbon

Treaty, which will set the clock ticking on a two-year period to negotiate its divorce from the EU. “Only the UK can trigger Article 50, and in my judgment we should only do that when there is a clear view about what new arrangement we are seeking with our European neighbors,” he said.

EU powers have called for a swift divorce amid fears of a domino effect of exit votes in euroskeptic member states that could imperil the integrity of the 28-nation alliance.

But Cameron has said the negotiations on Britain’s departure must wait until a successor is chosen from his Conservative party, which could be as late as October.

European Parliament chief Martin Schulz warned Sunday that a period of limbo would “lead to even more insecurity” and said a summit of EU leaders Tuesday, which Cameron will attend, was the “right time” to begin exit pro-

ceedings.

But EU diplomats said Sunday that Britain “may never” trigger Article 50.

Kerry, in Rome, expressed regret at Britain’s decision to become the first EU nation to leave the bloc― and vowed Washington would maintain close ties with the alliance.

“Brexit and the changes that are now being thought through have to be thought through in the context of the interests and values that bind us together with the EU,” he said.

Britons cast aside warnings of isolation and economic disaster to vote 52 percent to 48 percent in favor of quitting the EU in last Thursday’s referendum.

The vote wiped $2.1 trillion from global equity markets Friday, and the pound sank to 30-year lows in early Asian trades on Monday, with traders fearing it will lead to months of uncertainty. AFP

After the vote. French President Francois Hollande (R), flanked by French Environment Minister Segolene Royale (2nd R), attends a meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk (2nd L) at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on June 27, 2016. Britons voted in favor of leaving the European Union in a vote that sent shockwaves through the financial markets, toppled Cameron and put world leaders in crisis mode. AFP

Labour leader defies revolt over strategy to leave the union LONDON—Britain’s opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn insisted Sunday he would not give up his job in a Labour Party revolt over his handling of the EU referendum campaign as the aftershocks from the “Leave” vote reverberate around the country.

Eleven members of the veteran socialist’s top team resigned Sunday, blaming him for failing to rally the party’s core working-class vote base

to support the “Remain” campaign.

But Corbyn hit back, saying he would not betray the trust of the party members who elected him only last September, and vowed to “reshape” his shadow cabinet starting on Monday.

“I regret there have been resignations today from my shadow cabinet. But I am not going to betray the trust of those who voted for me—or the millions of support-

ers across the country who need Labour to represent them.

“Those who want to change Labour’s leadership will have to stand in a democratic election, in which I will be a candidate,” he said in a statement.

The comments came after a day of high drama which started overnight Saturday with the sacking of foreign affairs spokesman Hilary Benn, who had told Corbyn he did not have

confidence in his leadership.

“He’s a good and decent man but he is not a leader, and that’s the problem,” Benn told the BBC. Benn’s departure triggered a wave of resignations, including health spokeswoman Heidi Alexander, education spokeswoman Lucy Powell, Scottish spokesman Ian Murray and transport spokeswoman Lilian Greenwood.

By late Sunday 11 members of Corbyn’s top team had quit, also

including justice spokesman Lord Charles Falconer, who was a close friend of former Labour leader Tony Blair, whom he served as lord chancellor.

“As much as I respect you as a man of principle, I do not believe you have the capacity to shape the answers our country is demanding,” Alexander wrote in her resignation letter to Corbyn, which she published on Twitter. AFP

TUESDAY : J UNE 28, 2016

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR

BING PAREL

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

BERNADETTE LUNAS WRITER

isahred @ gmail.com

A RTS, CU LT U RE , T ECH & MEDI A

LIFE

Like in Rio. Inspired by the Favelas in Brazil, 200 houses in three sitios in La Trinidad, Benguet are painted in bright and vibrant colors to become the Philippines' biggest community artwork

FIRST AND BIGGEST COMMUNITY ARTWORK IN THE PHILIPPINES

T

ourists visit the town of La Trinidad in Benguet province to see the strawberry and flower farms, and buy fresh vegetables. Now, there is another reason they make the trip from Baguio City.

And, that is STOBOSA Hillside Homes Artwork, the largest community artwork in the country and the first in the Philippines.

The project is a component of the Department of Tourism-Cordillera Administrative Region’s Rev-Bloom (REVUP, REVIVE, REVISIT, REVITALIZE) Urban Redevelopment Tourism project supported by Davies Paints.

STOBOSA stands for Stonehill, Botiwtiw, and Sadjap—the three sitios on which the artwork now stands.

The 200 houses that line the Stone Hill on Km. 3, La Trinidad previously formed something akin to a confusing wall overlooking the Balili river. It has now been transformed to an 18,000-square meter collective canvas brilliantly painted by 520 residents and volunteers. They started the work in January this year.

The result is a testament to the Bayanihan spirit kept alive among Filipinos.

Davies Paints, the country’s no. 1 paint exporter and also no. 1 in colors, provided environment-friendly paints as part of its advocacy to beautify the Philippines. The company gives back to communities and brings color into people’s lives.

The local government of La Trinidad provided paintbrushes and rollers, and built scaffolding.

Tam-awan artists, led by Jordan Mangosan, designed the connective landscape. The residents and volunteers executed the artwork beautifully, motivated by community spirit.

“More than the mural, more than the beautification, you will see the community has bonded together to spruce up their areas,” DOT-Cordillera Regional Director Venus Tan said.

Johnlee Garcia, president of Davies Paints, said, “Davies has always been passionate about

BY DAVE LEPROZO

Elders clad in traditional ethnic costumes cross the hanging bridge linking the STOBOSA Hillside Homes Artwork

The 200 houses that line the Stone Hill on Km. 3, La Trinidad previously formed something akin to a confusing wall overlooking the Balili river. It has now been transformed to an 18,000-square meter collective canvas brilliantly painted by 520 residents and volunteers

finding ways to help improve communities in whatever way we can and this project is a great opportunity to create a big impact in the area. We have a long history of engaging in CSR programs and beautification efforts in the country; we’re proud to be a major part of this project and we plan to continue these efforts in the future.”

The project was inspired by the Favelas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The STOBOSA community has pledged to make the project sustainable by touching up the artwork as often as necessary.

Working together has also inspired representatives of the households—mostly women—to endeavor other efforts to beautify their area by keeping it clean and infusing life by planting greens.

TUESDAY : J UNE 28, 2016

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LIFE isahred @ gmail.com

T H E AT E R A N D T H E A R T S

Nes Jardin on arts management Nes Jardin, a dance artist, educator and arts manager, and the present Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde will speak on Arts Management, the particular field that concerns the business operations of an arts organization.

Jardin was president of the cultural center of the Philippines, a commissioner of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and the creative director for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2015.

His latest project involved the Art Acquisition Program for the country’s newest luxury hotel Conrad Manila, which collaborated with 30 leading Filipino artists for an impressive collection of 635 contemporary pieces consisting of 55 sculptures, 192 paintings and 388 decorative works.

Arts Management Speak is scheduled on June 30, 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the 12th floor, School of Design and Arts (SDA) Cinema, SDA Campus, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, 950 Ocampo Street, Malate, Manila.

To confirm attendance, please email alainjohn.jorquin@benilde.edu.ph

UP restages pioneering children’s work Multi-awarded children’s choir, University of the Philippines (UP) Cherubim and Seraphim, celebrates its 45th anniversary by restaging Awit ni Pulau, the children’s theatre masterpiece written by Palanca Awardee and poet

Edgardo Maranan, and set to music by National Artist Dr. Ramon Santos.

Awit ni Pulau will be shown on July 15, 16 and 17 at the UP Theatre Stage in UP Diliman, Quezon City.

Awit ni Pulau is a children’s theater piece that also acts as a cautionary tale about man’s role in environmental destruction. It is based on Maranan’s award-winning story, also of the same title, and introduces characters such as Igaddu, described as a “vain and self-centered male deity,” who creates his own world; Pulau, the river running though this paradise, and his last creations - man and woman - whose mindless actions result in ecological and natural disasters. Awit ni Pulau presents themes such as human abuse and greed, and the messages to respect and protect nature, represented by the River Pulau in the tale.

UP Cherubim and Seraphim commissioned the libretto and music for Awit ni Pulau in 1990 and the children’s masterpiece was first performed on Aug. 15, 1991 in celebration of the choir’s 20th anniversary.

This year’s restaging of Awit ni Pulau will be directed

by Roselle Pineda of the UP Department of Art Studies, with the UP Dance Company’s Angel LawenkoBaguilat as choreographer and the UP College of Music’s Eudenice Palaruan and the Philippine Madrigal Singers’ Christopher Borela as musical directors.

UP Cherubim and Seraphim is the UP’s official children’s choir, with singers ranging from 8 to 17 years old. Founded as a laboratory for children’s choral singing in the country, it has consistently championed the development of unique Filipino musical works for children.

For tickets and reservations, contact Joshua Chan at 0917 677 5141 or Maria Victoria Deocampo at 0998 462 2037.

Awit ni Pulau

CSB celebrates World Industrial Design Day 2016 In commemoration of the World Industrial Design Day, the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), through the Benildean Industrial Designers (BIND), the official organization for the course, has invited faculty and students from several institutions from all over the country to a celebration.

Since 2007, this annual event, the brainchild of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID), gathers industry experts and members of the academe to share their innovative ideas and expand their respective networks to enhance worldwide standards.

BIND is a society that serves to inspire the community as a whole with various activities such as immersion, discussion, and career guidance, all to aid future practitioners.

Held in conjunction with the program’s 25th anniversary, Youth in Design is this year’s theme. The weeklong symposium is ongoing until Friday, July 1, 5 p.m. at the DLS-CSB School of Design and Arts (SDA).

The Copenhagen Exhibit on Green Cities will run simultaneously at the SDA Amphitheatre.

Representatives from different universities will showcase their best works and talents at the campus exhibit. Seminars and workshops, which feature renowned authorities from different backgrounds will likewise share their success stories, perspectives in life and work, and their opinions on the younger generation’s role in the discipline.

For updates and inquiries, subscribe to the Facebook page of the Benildean Industrial Designers and Benilde Industrial Design.

Industry experts and members of the academe will share their ideas to enhance the worldwide standards of design

TECH

HP Deskjet Ink Advantage printer

Customers who buy any participating HP Deskjet Printer can get a free HP or JanSport backpack

More than just backpack with HP DeskJet printer HP is giving you two great reasons to avail of its back-to-school promo – a free backpack and worry-free homeworks and projects.

For every purchase of any participating HP DeskJet Ink Advantage All-In-One printer at any authorized HP resellers

nationwide, you can get a free HP or JanSport backpack.

More importantly, by getting the reliable HP DeskJet Ink Advantage printer, you can give your child all the help that he needs in quickly printing assignments, A+ quality colored charts and photos for reports,

volumes of research materials, and projects— anytime of the day, all right at home.

Among the participating HP All-InOne printers include the DeskJet Ink Advantage 4645, DeskJet Ink Advantage 3545, and the DeskJet Ink Advantage 4515 for the Jansport backpack; the DeskJet Ink

Advantage 1515, DeskJet Ink Advantage 2135, and the DeskJet Ink Advantage 3635 for the HP Explorer backpack; and the DeskJet Ink Advantage 2520hc for the HP Odyssey backpack.

Promo runs until July 31 only. Redemption of freebies is until September 29.

TUESDAY : J UNE 28, 2016

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LIFE

isahred @ gmail.com

TECH

HOW TO KEEP FOOD FRESH

T

oday’s fast-paced world calls for a reliable house partner that moves with the times. Modern families need extra help to do daily chores more efficiently to spare more time and energy for moments that matter.

Samsung’s Digital Appliances are trusted and dependable partners for time-pressed professionals who strive to balance work and family time. This commitment to efficiency is evident in Samsung’s Twin Cool Refrigerator, which ensures that food stays fresh up to two times longer. This means fresher, bettertasting food at the table and fewer grocery trips for multi-tasking homemakers.

Samsung’s innovative Twin Cooling System controls the refrigerator and freezer independently, which brings superior energy savings and capacity for wiser consumption with each compartment set to its optimal temperature.

The Samsung Twin Cool Refrigerator has a smart conversion feature that gives flexibility for five different conversions modes, including Regular Mode. For instance, users can easily convert the freezer into a fridge to store more groceries in “Fridge Max.” If going on vacation, users can keep only the freezer

Samsung's Twin Cool Refrigerator features an innovative cooling system that controls the refrigerator and freezer independently to ensure freshness of food and energy savings

on with “Vacation.” With the change of season, the “Energy Saving” keeps only the fridge on. Lastly, the “Mini Fridges” is for when there’s not a lot to store, converting the freezer compartment into a fridge.

For unparalleled performance, the Samsung Twin Cool Refrigerator uses digital inverter technology, which ensures efficient energy consumption. It also comes with a voltage control mechanism for protection against power surges that

easily damage appliances. With all these, the Samsung Twin Cool Refrigerator provides years of unmatched performance and unprecedented conveniences.

“Samsung brings meaningful and timely innovation to make everyday life easier and simply better. With its unique ability to keep food fresh much longer, provide flexible cooling options, and save power costs, the Samsung Twin Cool Refrigerator proves to be a reliable partner for freshness and a welcome

addition to the modern Filipino home,” said Stephanie Chua, head of Product Marketing, Digital Appliances.

The Samsung Twin Cool Refrigerator is available at all Samsung Authorized Dealers nationwide.

For more information visit samsung.com/ph, like Samsung’s official Facebook page, facebook.com/samsungph, or follow @SamsungPH on Twitter and Instagram

Changing the way Filipinos enjoy smartphones Smart, the country’s unrivaled mobile services leader, is set to change the way Filipinos enjoy their smartphones with the launch of the SmartLife app, in which people discover exciting perks and free digital content right at their fingertips.

Initially available to Android smartphone users via the Google Play Store, the SmartLife is a discovery portal for perks, mobile videos, music, and games, giving users easy access to digital content.

This allows Filipinos to explore and discover how mobile internet can change the way they experience their passions and interests.

Exciting and enriching digital experiences

“The SmartLife app is a breakthrough in our efforts to provide our subscribers with the most exciting and enriching digital experiences,” said Ariel Fermin, executive vice president and Consumer Business head at PLDT and Smart.

Smart launches breakthrough SmartLife app to boost the Pinoy digital lifestyle

“Our goal for the app is to allow Filipinos to discover more of what Smart’s digital services have to offer, and for them to explore the best mobile entertainment and perks available out there. This will ultimately empower them to live a richer digital life,” he added.

No matter what their interests are, SmartLife app users can have the world at their fingertips just by leafing through the app’s four major tabs: Perks, Videos, Music, and Games.

Exclusive daily lifestyle treats on the app

Under Perks, subscribers can check out exclusive daily lifestyle treats from Smart’s partnermerchants, ranging from food, shopping, fitness, tech and gadgets, lifestyle, and travel.

Perks also include freebies, giveaways, special discounts and access to Smart events, including the biggest concerts, parties, product launches, and

exhibits – exclusive to the users of the app.

Subscribers can check out random surprises every day, such as free Chicken Joy and Yumburger meals from Jollibee; free movie passes from SM; and discount coupons for everything from Krispy Kreme doughnuts; vouchers from Uber and Airbnb; to sports shoes from Zalora and digital watches from Lazada. To top it all, they can even snag a pass to the most talked about music act in town.

Expansive mobile content library

On the other hand, under the Video tab, film and TV buffs can stream movies and shows culled from Smart’s expansive video content library, boosted by its world-leading digital content partners, including iflix and Fox, among many others.

For the music savvy, the app has a Music tab that curates

current earworms in featured playlists, while gamers are treated to easier E-Pin transactions for today’s hottest PC games like League of Legends; Steam Wallet codes for games like DOTA 2; and MOLpoints for credits to other top gaming titles – all in one easy-to-access hub through the Games tab.

The first stage of the SmartLife app focuses on curating the hottest digital content in one platform, and more perks and content are being uploaded daily. The next stages for SmartLife will roll out exciting new functionalities to provide subscribers with more delightful experiences.

Download the SmartLife app now for free on Google Play Store and start discovering the most awesome perks and digital content. To learn more, visit www.smart.com.ph or follow Smart Communications on Facebook and @LiveSmart on Twitter and Instagram.

Protect your privacy with TARA The scariest thing about cellphone theft isn’t just the loss of a gadget worth thousands of pesos but the risk of personal information falling into the wrong hands. We all have that one friend or family member who’s had his or her mobile phone stolen. It’s not uncommon to see stolen cellular phones being peddled in the streets of the Philippines. In comes Galileo Software Service Inc. to save the day with their new app, TARA (Theft Alarm and Recovery Application).

When a person is a victim of mobile phone theft, it leaves him or her feeling helpless. It can be a traumatic experience where the victim often feels as if he or she has been violated.

There are also deaths that have been attributed to robbery attempts. Hold-

because no mobile phone/device should be worth a life, not even a scratch.

Telco-enabled, works without Internet or cell phone load

TARA is a telco-enabled kill switch that protects victims of mobile phone theft

up and ‘snatching’ incidents have been a commonplace scenario in our streets,” explains Moses Lozada, business development officer of Galileo Software Services Inc. “We need to feel safe whenever we go out.

This is where TARA can help. It is like a seatbelt for your mobile phone

TARA is a Filipino-developed revolutionary mobile app that aims to prevent mobile phone theft with its kill switch feature that makes it unusable by thieves and their resellers. It is the first of its kind in the country – possibly in Asia and the world.

What makes TARA the perfect protector in the Philippine scenario is that it works even without Wi-Fi access, Internet data, or cell phone load. It is the first and only telcoenabled kill switch that protects

the users, their phones and their phones contents in any situation.

It also calls attention to the thief by screaming “magnanakaw! magnanakaw!” when it is activated.

The Back-up and Restore feature lets owners back-up their contacts which they can restore later on, even on a different phone. They can also upgrade this feature to back-up photos, videos and more files.

Soon with TARA, mobile phone owners can use the Red Button feature that they can engage in order to send out a notification to a prearranged contact number. It is the go-to SOS button designed to protect phone owners. Activate the Red Button to enable the floater (which works even when the phone is locked), and hold it for 3-4

seconds to send an SOS message, with a time stamp and location, to one’s emergency contact.

To avail of the TARA protection, Android mobile phone users can download the app on Google Play and register their basic information. After a free 30-day subscription, they are given the option to renew their protection with affordable rates of P15 weekly, P50 monthly or P500 yearly.

To know more about TARA, you can visit the TARA website at www.tara.com.ph. For inquiries about the app you may call the TARA Hotline : landline - 656 – 8272.

Smart - 0998 965 7419; Sun - 0943 131 0544.

TUESDAY : J UNE 28, 2016

C4

LIFE

isahred @ gmail.com

MEDIA

F

JADINE OPENS UP IN NEW BOOK

or the first time, James Reid and Nadine Lustre are giving everyone a look into their real world in their own words.

The superstar multi-media love team has just released Team Real, the first non-tie-in book from the reel- and real-life couple.

“The book is your window into our minds, our untold stories, and unseen photos,” says James. “The pictures come from us and the words, from our mouths.

Nadine and I were completely involved.”

One of those stories is on how they fell in love with each other, which both of them recounts from their individual perspectives. Another one reveals the real story behind the headline-grabbing tiff they had with each other during the movie premiere of Wang Fam. “You hold in your hands a book where I reveal everything about myself – stuff you didn’t know about, stuff you didn’t expect, stuff you thought would never happen, and stuff you wouldn’t believe happened,” Nadine notes in the book’s Foreword. “I want you to be inspired, and I hope you see James and me as normal people who have struggles and challenges.”

The full-color 120-page book includes chapters devoted to James’ and Nadine’s homes, fashions, beauty and fitness, and pop culture favorites. It also features a section on their world travels containing dozens of never-before-seen private images that the two photo enthusiasts took themselves.

The book also boasts many new photos that were shot exclusively for the project.

Team Real was officially launched with a hugely successful event at Market Market with more than 11,000 fans in attendance.

But it was already a hit even before its release, having sold out within hours after it was made available for pre-order online.

Team Real is the biggest-selling book this year with almost 100,000 copies sold.

The book is exclusively available at National Book Store and Powerbooks branches nationwide. It’s the fourth release from VRJ Books, the new publishing imprint of James and Nadine’s home studio, VIVA. VRJ Books’ other titles are Conversations

Reel- and real-life couple, James Reid and Nadine Lustre share untold stories and unseen photos in their new book Team Real

Pa More, a collection of iconic interviews by veteran entertainment journalist Ricky Lo with some of the country’s top stars, blockbuster director Wenn

V. Deramas’ tell-all biography Direk 2 Da Poynt, and the re-release of Marcelo Santos III’s blockbuster first novel, Para Sa Hopeless Romantic.

Conversations Pa More and Direk 2 Da Poynt made it to National Bookstore’s Top 10 Bestsellers list for non-fiction for the month of May.

Honoring the companies Filipinos believe in the most What is the mark of a good business?

Is it the consistent increase in sales; the continued accumulation of assets or a financial statement that will keep investors smiling?

Five or 10 years ago, these figures may be enough, but in the current business landscape, there is one other factor that has become critical in building a strong foundation-- Trust.

TRUST has become a “high-value” currency that is accepted globally outweighing the value of any monetary conversion. Gone are the days when people just look at the lavish office buildings when choosing their banks, on shiny new equipment of service centers or rely on commercials and celebrity endorsers when deciding which brand to purchase.

Today, trust plays a crucial element when consumers make a decision – and with the widespread ubiquity of the Internet and social media, the importance of establishing a good reputation has only become more pronounced.

Companies can recover from decreasing profits or a downtrend in sales, but when its consumers lose confidence it can result in irreparable damage regardless of how old a brand is.

Trust is that one factor that remains constant. Once trust is established, it becomes an instinctive response – the consumer buys the brand without so much as a second thought because they can relate to it as “their” brand.

Trust is the ultimate vote of confidence.

For businesses it is a forward-facing measure imbued with expectation, promise and satisfaction and a solid reputation of distinction.

For consumers, the mark of a Trusted Brand fosters loyalty and a relationship that goes far beyond price, trends and marketing campaigns.

Most trusted survey

Now on its 18th year, Reader’s Digest, one of the longest running print publications in the world, will again honor the products and services that Filipinos trust most. The Trusted Brands 2016 Awards ceremony will be held on June 30 at the Ballroom A of Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas, Pasig.

Renowned motivational speaker and business influencer, Anna Esperanza will be the keynote speaker while Reader’s Digest Asia Pacific’s Walter Beyleveldt,

managing director, and Sheron White, Group Advertising & Retail Sales director, Asia Pacific, will personally award the trophies to the winners.

Reader’s Digest has approached ordinary Filipino consumers to ask their opinions on what brands of products and services are important to them.

For the 2016 Trusted Brand Survey, Readers Digest has commissioned global market research company CATALYST to survey a representative sample of people in the Philippines about the companies they truly believe. The survey covers 44 categories of products and services across a wide range of industries.

Approximately 8,000 individuals were selected across five of Asia’s key markets such as the Philippines, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.

Around 1000 respondents were surveyed in the Philippines. Half were subscribers to Reader’s Digest, while the remainder was selected to reflect the demographics of the general population.

Each respondent was required to complete a questionnaire or participate in a mail, face to face, telephone or online survey. Queried participants are to

mention the name of their most trusted brands and then rate each of brands listed based the following six attributes: Trustworthiness, Credibility, Quality, Value, Understanding of Customer Needs, Innovation and Social Responsibility.

This year the awards will be presented in each of the 44 categories.

GOLD Trusted Brands Awards – will be given to brands that scored significantly higher than their rivals.

PLATINUM Trusted Brands Awards – will be given to brands that performed exceptionally, winning their category with a score that vastly outpolled their nearest competitor.

ASIA TRUSTED Brand Awards will be given to a brand that wins the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand award in the same category for at least three countries surveyed.

Special awards will also be given out to the Most Trusted TV News Presenter; Radio Presenter; Entertainment Presenter as well as Marketing Excellence Awards.

Recipients of the Trusted Brand awards will receive a trophy and will be allowed to use the globally recognized Trusted Brand logo in their marketing collaterals and merchandising materials.

T UES DAY : J UNE 2 8, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

C5

SWAP ONE FOR FUN

H

BY ROBBIE PANGILINAN

e is an international multi-genre, multilingual, multi-instrumentalist who has gone around the world to share his music. He is a singer, a songwriter, an artist, a music professor, and a true musician. He is Filipino.

A true leader in the music industry, Raffy Ramiro is either the president, band leader, or founder of the following: City Rhythm Band, Heart and Soul Band, Scandal Band, Precious Metal, Messiah Band, Musart Band 2, Puzzles Band, Emmanuel Band and Swap Six Band. He founded “Be A Rockstar In 12 Hours” in Qingdao, China and was Professor, CEO and founder of Park 12 Entertainment Company Ltd. Raffy also held the following positions: professor and CEO of Swap Six Entertainment and Rhythm Rock n Roll, both entertainment companies.

More popularly known in the music industry as Raffy Swap One, he has toured Asian countries like Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and China and has performed in Las Vegas, Nevada, Chicago, Illinois, New Jersey City, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, California. He also performs regularly around Canada where he has been residing for a year and 8 months. He has taken his talent to Calgary, Toronto, Edmonton, and all the cities in British Columbia like Prince George, Kelowna, Vernon, and others. He goes on tour all around Canada with famous Filipino musicians like Banyuhay, Miriam Pantig, Lolita Carbon of Asin and Mike Hanopol.

Swap One recently did the guitars for the performance of Richard Gomez and Joey Albert at the 2016 Philippine Days Festival, a concert to celebrate the 118th Philippine Independence Day attended by 2,000 fans. He had been invited to perform in all Independence Day celebrations in Vancouver, Surrey, and North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

This July, he is the chosen performer for the Alion Baltic Music Festival in Estonia and Russia in Europe, representing Canada and the Philippines.

At 15, Raffy played in school programs and small bars in Lucena City, Quezon Province and played trombone in a marching band for town fiestas and Flores de May. He studied Bachelor of Science and Architecture at Enverga University in Lucena, but he knew his heart belongs to music.

Back in the Philippines, he used to play in all Cowboy Grill branches, Holiday Inn, Pan Pacific Hotel, Bistro RJ and toured with Vina Morales and other performers.

“That was 20 years ago, now it seems I don’t know anybody in the music business in the Philippines anymore. But I did play here in Canada with Lolita, Mike Hanopol, Heber Bartolome and the Banyuhay, Richard Gomez, Goldie of Retrospect and Joey Albert, and Miriam Pantig and even Rick Manrique Jr. in the United States,” says Raffy, who adds that given the chance, he would love to go home and perform in his own country.

At 31, he started his first outside country performance in Malaysia for 2 years, Singapore for 8 months, South Korea for 4 years, Japan for 5 years, Hong Kong for 6 months, and mainland China for 14 years.

Raffy put up the R’s Turf Hotel Pub in Surrey, BC, for the love of music and he believes that it will be one of the instruments to get what he wants in life.

“I made it different by putting live music and live karaoke everyday which is not usual in all the bars in Canada. Most bars here only have weekend live music,” shares Raffy. He is proud to say that his bar offers the best live music every day for every race, from classic rock to pop, dance music to blues, and soul to original music.

“Our specialty is to have a different kind of music to for every kind of people,” he says. Raffy

Stars shine bright on Sony Channel In July, catch all your favorite stars and the glamor of the rich and famous as Sony Channel brings the third season of Stars in Style.

The best designers and stylists talk about fashion at the most important Hollywood events.

See them as they rate each star’s evolution in style and the best and worst dressed of each occasion. From red carpet premieres to film festivals and other fashionable gatherings, Stars in Style shines the light on the iconic pieces and enviable attire that ever walked the runway.

Stars in Style premieres on July 4 and airs Monday to Thursday

“Stars and Style” features Hollywood’s best designers and stylists

at 8:20pm, first and exclusive on Sony Channel.

Sony Channel is available on SKYCable Channel 35, Cignal Digital TV Channel 60, Destiny Cable Channel 62, Cable Link Channel 39.

International and multi-genre musician Raffy Ramiro and a guest artist

Raffy Ramiro offers the best live music every day for every race

also teaches music to children and adults.

In his life, Raffy has faced a lot of difficulties and challenges,

but he has overcome them all by his confidence.

“Oh I’ve been through a lot, especially in traveling, surviv-

al just to build your dreams, how to overcome worries and build confidence to get what you wanted. I guess the only thing I always do to overcome them is to believe in myself and what I can do, do what I love to do, reach my dreams and live the life I always wanted,” he says.

The proud Filipino still believes that “we are the most talented race for hard work, art and music industry.” Someday, he plans to retire in the Philippines.

“It is still my home, just trying hard here in America to follow my dreams and prove to myself the best I can do. The international music business is here in America, racial discrimination is everywhere, but somehow I believe, there is a price for hard work. I am just trying to put a dot in the huge area of the competitive music world,” he ends.

Retirement is still far, for now, Raffy will continue to be Swap One and bring the Filipino talent to the whole world.

Annie Leibovitz in CNN’S ‘Talk Asia’

Through her lens, Annie Leibovitz captures the pulse of society.

She’s framed everyone from rock stars to heads of state, with pictures that challenge stereotypes and create a window into the people who define history. Celebrated as one of the most famous portrait photographers, her photographs are both iconic and memorable.

Next month in Talk Asia, CNN’s Kristie Lu Stout walks down memory lane with the celebrity photographer in Hong Kong, where Leibovitz’s exhibition Women: New Portraits is on display. It is a conversation that goes behind the scenes of some of her most notable work – including taking a picture of John

Lennon hours before he was murdered, stumbling on creating the provocative image of Demi Moore nude and pregnant, and working

Annie Leibovitz and Kristie Lu Stout

on Caitlyn Jenner’s debut to the world for the cover of Vanity Fair.

CNN’s Talk Asia airs on July 7 on CNN International.

C6

T UES DAY : J UNE 2 8, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

K

RYAN BANG MAKES RAPPING DREAM COME TRUE

orean-yet-Pinoy-at-heart Ryan Bang is back pursuing his passion for music with the production of his second music video titled “Like Love Follow.”

Co-produced by Skinny Fat Boy Productions, the same team behind his first video “Shopping,” Ryan’s new music video tackles the netizens’ social media attitude.

“Kasi ‘yung like sa Facebook, ‘yung love sa Instagram and ‘yung follow sa Twitter about sa social media,” he said.

The upbeat song, Ryan explained, caters to the Filipino fans of the Hallyu Wave that has enjoyed K-Pop and K-Drama.

“Ginawa ko ito kasi ang dami palang gustong matutunan na Korean words ng mga tao gaya ng nasa Korean drama and K-Pop. So ginawa ko lang na parang ABCEFG,” he said.

The concept of the song, according to Ryan, is something that he and his co-It’s Showtime hosts and musicians Jugs Jugueta and Teddy Corpuz have come up together.

For this music video, Ryan also made one of his dreams a reality—which is to rap in Filipino.

The actor-comedian takes pride over the fact that he tapped little

Ryan Bang talks to the media during the launch of his latest self-produced music video titled “Like Love Follow”

Ryan is a real example of a “Touristar”

known talents to assist him in the creation of the lyrics for the rapping portion.

“Matagal ko na talagang gustong mag-rap kahit na bulol ako.

First the time, kahit na for fun, ginawa ko ang rap na Tagalog,” Ryan shared.

Ryan says he enjoyed rapping so much that he hopes to learn some of it and hopefully to employ it on his upcoming music videos.

As for “Like Love Follow’s” music video, Ryan explains that it took on the theme of the gag show Banana Sundae.

Just like his previous music video, “Like Love Follow” features an all-star cast including his Banana Sundae co-stars like Jessy Mendiola and Kuya Jobert.

Even his co-It’s Showtime hosts joined in the fun like Vice Ganda, Anne Curtis, Kim Atienza, and Vhong Navarro. Seasoned news anchors Gretchen Fullido, Bernadette Sembrano and even Kabayan Noli De Castro also made an appearance in “Like Love Follow.”

Some of the members of the rising dance groups Hashtags and GirlTrends also spiced up the video with their performance of the “selfie dance,” which according to Ryan, was choreographed by Jhong Hilario.

“Like Love Follow” is Ryan’s second self-produced music video, which he considers his birthday gift to his fans. Exactly a year ago Ryan launched “Shopping,” inspired by his desire to showcase the local malls to his Korean friends.

Ryan first dabbled into singing in 2011 when he launched his first album I Lilly Lilly Like It: Ryan Bang Party Party Hits!

“Like Love Follow” music video is for free on YouTube.

Jumpstart fitness journey with ‘Metabeats’ Everyone wants to be fit and healthy but not everyone has access to the gym or even the time for it. With Lifestyle’s MetaBeats, a fitness program designed for people on the go, you only need your body and your arms’ length for space.

MetaBeats is the first locally produced fitness and wellness nutrition program which premiered last April 16 on Lifestyle. MetaBeats introduces a unique four-minute burst exercise program which aims to slash calories, tone bodies, and build muscles.

The no. 1 program on Lifestyle is headed by power couple coaches Toni and Jim Saret, the training coaches of ABS-CBN’s reality program The Biggest Loser. MetaBeats stands for ‘metabolic fitness training’ that boosts metabolism and beats is the music aspect.

Revolutionizing the fitness industry, MetaBeats is an original fitness program, which has not been done abroad.

It is a one-hour show that combines both workout and nutrition. Through a series of four-minute workouts done

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 41 42 45 46 47

ANSWER PREVIOUS PUZZLE

ACROSS 1 Primitive craft 5 Stripes 10 Cornelia — Skinner 14 Storytelling dance 15 Unflinching 16 Lahore language 17 What hulks pump 18 Blue-haired Simpson 19 Crawl with

20 22 24 25 26 28 32 35 37 38 39

Zero Unheeding Ms. Lauder Biceps art Midwest st.

Hangs five Scout out Belly dance strings Bogart’s topper Zamboni’s place Bulrush

Team cheer Miners’ stakes — Maria Software buyer Lennon’s “Instant —!”

48 Dele canceler 50 Least covered 54 Checkout units 58 Official paper 61 Lopsided 62 Jai — 63 Diarist — Nin 65 Seldom seen 66 Fossey of gorilla research 67 Selects 68 Slight advantage 69 Jingle 70 Backpacker 71 Antelope playmate DOWN 1 Lorelei’s river 2 Faint glows 3 Break the rules 4 Trig function 5 Cellar, briefly 6 — — moment’s notice 7 Marilyn’s real first name 8 1 or 2 9 Aroma 10 Audibly (2 wds.)

11 Leaf source

TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2016

12 13 21 23 25 27 29 30 31 32 33 34 36 37 40 43 44 46 49 51 52 53 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 64

March 15, in Rome Grand totals Part of a giggle Two tablets, maybe Undeniable He hires and fires Acuff and Bean Not tied up German coal region Clodhopper Westwood sch.

Close Banned bug spray Fire-eater’s deed Pith Suffusing Lady’s honorific Voiced Drei less zwei Contact World-weariness Pursue game Skirt the issue On-ramp sign Deride June honorees Mixed bag “Slither” actor Gorby’s realm Percent ender

with really live and fun music, it is guaranteed to burn a lot of calories and jack up your metabolism.

Be healthier, fitter, and sexier with MetaBeats every Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Lifestyle. Replays are at 5 and 7a.m., and 4 p.m.every Tuesday and Thursday Lifestyle is available on SKYcable channel 52. For updates, like their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LifestyleTVPH , follow their IG account LifestyleTVPH and Twitter account @Lifestyle52.

Power couple coaches Toni and Jim Saret

T UES DAY : J UNE 2 8, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

C7

TACLOBAN HONORS PATRON SAINT

BY ROBBIE PANGILINAN

T

he resilient city of Eastern Visayas celebrates the 127th Sangyaw Fiesta Celebration on June 30 in honor of its patron Señor Sto. Nino de Tacloban with the theme “The Family as Oasis of God’s Mercy” and “Resilient, Vibrant for a Better Tacloban.”

The City Government of Tacloban and Sto. Nino Parish, in partnership, kicked off the annual Sangyaw Festival at the start of June with an agro-trade fair, nightly barbecues with live band shows, ballroom danc-

ing, a beauty pageant, an awards night, and the most awaited “Parade of Lights.”

Religious events started on June 18 with the Pre-Balyuan rites where Tacloban’s patron Señor Sto. Nino (El Teniente replica) was brought to Basey, Samar by land procession and motorcade for Basey devotees to adore.

The replica was returned to Tacloban on June 20 through a Fluvial Procession at Cancabato Bay, in time for the 9 a.m. Balyuan Rites at the Balyuan Wharf. A Balyuan

Mass followed and a motorcade around the city marking the start of the nine-day Señor Sto. Nino novena Masses at the Sto. Nino Church at 5 a.m. and 5 p.m..

Aside from Novena masses, the Catholic faithful went to confession, 4 to 5 p.m. frpm June 20 till today, while the Mass Wedding was held at 1p.m. on Sunday. Tomorrow at 9 a.m., there will be a Mass Baptism. A Vigil or Vesper Pontifical Concelebrated Mass will be held at 5 p.m. also tomorrow.

On the Feast Day, June 30, the Most

Sofia in Sangyawan The “Next Phenomenal Teen Star” performs tonight at the annual Sangyawan Music Festival.

Sofia Romualdez is the 16-year-old daughter of one of the most beautiful faces in show business in the 1980s, Cristina “Kring-Kring” Gonzales-Romualdez.

She will join celebrities and music icons in Tacloban City’s 127th Sangyaw Festival in honor of its patron Señor Sto. Nino de Tacloban.

The Sangyawan Musical Festival is a nightly barbecue with live band shows at the Balyuan Grounds along Magsaysay Blvd.

Calla Lily, 6 Cycle Mind and Banda ni Kleggy performed on the 24th; Parokya ni Edgar brought he house down on the 25th; Aegis, Itchyworms and Rocksteady rocked the city on the 26th; Regine Velasquez and the Side A band serenaded festival grevelers on the 27th; Wolfgang shines with Sofia tonight; and Yeng Constantino, the REO Brothers, and Kitchie

Up-and-coming teen star Sofia Romualdez

Nadal take Tacloban by storm on the Feast Day, June 30.

“She has the looks and the beautiful voice of her mom,” said Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez.

But Sofia is making a name of her own as she has been turn-

Los Angeles-based neo soul/indie pop band Fitz and The Tantrums

ing the heads of talent agents, directors, producers, and photographers. She has many offers to be in TV commercials, and the big TV networks are fighting for her attention.

There is a line up of activities that awaits Taclobanons and visitors in the month-long celebration in partnership with the City Government of Tacloban and the Sto. Nino Parish.

“Aside from the nightly barbecues with live band shows, we have agro-trade fairs, ballroom dancing night, the Ms. Tacloban 2016, the 8th Sangyaw Awards night to recognize excellent performances of Taclobanons or Waraynons in the field of arts and Literature, and the most awaited Parade of Lights on the 29th where 10 barangay contingents and 10 school contingents are participating,” said Mayor-elect Cristina Gonzales-Romualdez who will take her oath along with other city government officials on June 30.

Rev. Bishop John Du will celebrate at 9 a.m. the Pontifical Concelebrated Mass.

At 2:30 p.m. is the Fluvial Procession and at 4:30 p.m. the Land Procession. The celebration will be capped at 6 p.m. with a Pontifical Mass.

“We thank God and give Him back all the glory, as He has seen Tacloban rise up from the rubbles of Yolanda, His people remain strong and resilient,” said Mayor-elect Cristina Gonzales-Romualdez, who is very busy and handson with the preparations.

Ultimate lifestyle guide for busy Pinoys This month, a new magazine show will be your ultimate guide in achieving the quintessential goal of work-life balance while enjoying your personal passions to create a lifestyle that you can truly enjoy.

The Working Class (TWC) magazine show will showcase different products and services, personalities and unheard destinations for the growing number of Filipino middle-income working class, young professionals, and millennials.

Techies will get their fair share of features on the latest gadgets that are useful on the road while navigating the concrete jungles of the city where they live, work, and play.

Throughout the season, the show will also feature a roster of inspiring personalities that viewers can emulate based on their outstanding work, creative pursuits, and advocacies that make

a difference.

Hosting the show is the energetic trio of transport and shipping Senior Executive Stefano De Medici, award-winning TV journalist Jiggy Manicad and Pinoy music icon Rico Blanco.

The three hosts—a yuppie, a journalist, and a musician—are also avid travelers and gadget lovers who are often on the road so they will surely provide viewers an interesting mix of perspectives drawing from their own experiences.

“The show aims to make the lives of salaried workers more convenient, enjoyable, and efficient,” shares De Medici.

The Working Class is a production by Team MMPI (Marnie Manicad Productions International) and co-produced by 2GO Travel. The Working Class premiered on June 25. It airs on GMA News TV at 11 a.m. every Saturday.

Cassandra Monique “Andra” Batie, a.k.a. Andra Day, is an African-American singer and songwriter

A stop on path to stardom for today’s hot new artists Charlie Puth. Andra Day. Lukas Graham.

Before many of these music artists cracked the Billboard charts, they were featured in Delta’s Artist Spotlight, which provides free music streaming through the airline’s onboard entertainment system, Delta Studio.

Since its launch in May 2014 with Sam Smith, the program has featured different artists each month from all genres of music, many on the cusp of stardom about to make their mainstream breakthrough. Although the pri-

mary focus is on emerging artists, the program has also included Grammy-winning hitmakers like Taylor Swift and Coldplay.

Each artist is chosen by a team under the Delta Marketing umbrella and Pollack Music & Media Group based in Los Angeles. A combination of factors goes into each selection, including market research such as radio play, social media buzz and international appeal. It also helps that the team is full of passionate music fans with their pulse on the hottest artists climbing the charts.

July’s Artist Spotlight will be Fitz and the Tantrums. The band’s commercial breakthrough came with 2013’s “More Than Just a Dream”, including two No. 1 hits with “The Walker” and “Out of My League.” On their self-titled third album, the group has broadened their catchy popsoul sound, with “even more kinetic energy and savvy hooks,” according to iTunes.

Like every Spotlight artist, customers can listen to tracks from the band’s new album and watch music videos – free of charge – on

Delta Studio. What’s more, beginning July 1, all content featured on Delta Studio will be free for every customer flying on twoclass aircraft, which makes up nearly 90 percent of Delta’s fleet.

Delta Studio currently offers up to 300 movies, 750 TV shows, 100 foreign film titles, 2,400 songs, 18 channels of live satellite TV on select aircraft and a selection of games on aircraft with seat-back entertainment systems.

Featured artists also receive special recognition in their month’s issue of Sky magazine. Some also

participate in special airline events, including fan meet-and-greets and private concerts. For example, as an Official Airline Partner of the Grammys, Delta hosted a behind-the-scenes tour and dinner with Andra Day to kick off this year’s awards weekend.

“Delta has long championed the work of both emerging and celebrated artists through Delta Artist Spotlight,” said Ranjan Goswami, Delta’s Vice President – Sales, West. “We are so proud to play a small part on their path to stardom.”

T UES DAY : J UNE 2 8, 2016

C8

ISAH V. RED EDITOR NICKIE WANG WRITER

isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ JUANCHO TRIVIÑO

THE NEXT

BIG LEADING MAN

After a string of supporting roles on TV and movies, 23-year-old Juancho Triviño is now a bona fide leading man

ON THE KAPUSO LOT ISAH V. RED

H

e is referred to as Juancho Guapito

by Unang Hirit host Arnold Clavio when Juancho Triviño became a guest on-field reporter in the Kapuso morning show. He hasn’t been seen in the show lately, as he is busy taping for the afternoon soap Magkaibang Mundo in which he plays an elf who lives his world to be human for his friend and love Princess/ Pepay played by Louise de los Reyes.

The audience of the morning show was surprised to see a good-looking guy half naked early in the morning in some of the most unusual places in the metro and nearby provinces for the show’s summer features, specifically resorts.

“The call time was normally 1 a.m. as we would still be traveling to as far as Nueva Ecija, and then when we reached the location, the crew would ask me to take off my shirt, eh madaling araw! Syempre ang lamig!” he said over lunch at Limbaga 77 Café Restaurant in Quezon City last week.

He will be back in the morning show, he

said. “Perhaps when I get free time from the taping of the soap, or when the soap ends,” he added.

Juancho, whose real name is Juan Carlo Calupitan Triviño was born on April 13, 1993, under the sign of Aries in Western astrology, in Sta. Rosa City in Laguna. In 2013, GMA Network launched him along with other newbies in a show called Teen Gen, thereafter appearing in small roles in shows like Villa Quintana (2013), The Half Sisters and Instadad in 2015. The audience began to notice the handsome Juancho in Little Nanay in the latter part of 2015 in which he co-starred with Nora Aunor and Bembol Roco as Bruce Wayne Batongbuhay, one of the couple’s grandchildren along with Mark Herras and Kris Bernal who played the title role.

A few months after Little Nanay faded to black, Juancho was given another assignment for the afternoon series Magkaibang Mundo as Elfino, the dwarf friend of Princess (Louise de los Reyes).

It is a known fact that Juancho and the other Kapuso star known as Pambansang Bae and other half of the AlDub love team Alden Richards were once classmates at De La Salle University-Canlubang.

There have been attempts at comparing the one-time La Salle guys, but Juancho says al-

Juancho is also a model which is why he regularly goes to the gym to keep his sculpted physique

though comparison is naturally inevitable, “I try not to get affected by it. Fans tend to say things that they think would spark some kind of a feud. It will if you put it in your head, but I don’t I let it go. I must admit at first I got a bit affected but what good will it do me if I answer back?”

The actor said that one of the best feelings he had was when he saw himself on the billboard of Magkaibang Mundo along EDSA on May 18.

In a Facebook post, the young actor expressed his gratitude on being part of the project.

“Got loads of work ahead of me, to prove to myself, not to other people, that I deserve to be in this billboard. Strive, dream, and pray more to get another one. Thank you, Lord, for this. Hep hep HAPPY!” As the story progresses in Magkaibang Mundo where he is now in the world of humans, so is the story of Juancho Triviño in show business.

His role in the afternoon soap is just the beginning for him. Whence before he played small roles, this time, the network is giving him assignments as big as his physique.

He said Dingdong Dantes is his role model in show business. “Even when I was a kid, I already idolized him. I watched his shows, especially Encantadia. I am a big fan of how he handles his career. He is someone I would like to emulate.”

The 23-year old hunk is still unattached.

“I’d like to focus on my work in show business. Apart from acting, I also like to host.

But I won’t plunge into singing, it is something I don’t like to be embarrassed for the rest of my life.”

Juancho Triviño as a dwarf named Elfino in the fantasy “Magkaibang Mundo”