The Standard - 2016 July 5 - Tuesday

VOL. XXX NO. 143 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 TUESDAY : JULY 5, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Beijing wants ruling set aside

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BAD COPS DEPLOY TO ABU HOT SPOTS PNP crackdown includes surprise drug tests

By Francisco Tuyay, Rio N. Araja and Florante S. Solmerin

AT LEAST 20 policemen facing various criminal charges will be sent to Mindanao to battle the Abu Sayyaf and other bandits, National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa said Monday.

“I will send them to Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi to fight the Abu Sayyaf,” said Dela Rosa, three days after vowing to impose strict discipline against scalawags in the police force.

He declined to identify the policemen, however.

“Not all of them are involved in drugs. There [are] cops that were re-

ceiving money from syndicates that must be attended to,” Dela Rosa said.

The reassignments will begin in batches this month, he said.

Earlier, Dela Rosa gave policemen linked to drugs 48 hours to surrender.

At least 2,405 policemen including 75 senior police officials were subjected to a surprise drug test at

the conference area of the Philippine National Police main building Friday night.

Nine policemen tested positive for drugs in the first round. A second test showed two more.

Dela Rosa said the PNP would conduct further tests to confirm the results, since some policemen were on medication.

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Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director Isidro Lapeña (left) with PNP Chief Dir. Gen. Ronald dela Rosa and Anti-Illegal Drug Group Supt. Albert Ferro present 180 kilos of shabu worth P900 million that was confiscated from Cagayan Valley during a press conference in Camp Crame on Monday. MANNY PALMERO

More poor as Aquino leaves

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Duterte’s 1st executive order reorganizes OP

By John Paolo Bencito PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday issued his first executive order reorganizing the Office of the President to make it “more responsive in attaining development goals.”

Under the new clustering, Secretary to the Cabinet Leoncio Evasco will supervise 12 line agencies under the

OP, including the Cooperative Development Authority, the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, the National Anti-Poverty Commission, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, National Youth Commission, the Office of the President-Presidential Action Center, the Philippine Commis-

sion on Women, and the Presidential Commission on the Urban Poor.

The National Food Authority and the Philippine Coconut Authority— two agencies under the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Food Security and Agricultural Modernization in the previous administration, will remain under the control of the Office of the Next page President.

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He described the findings as “alarming,” however.

“I have zero tolerance on drugs, but now nine have tested positive. That is alarming,” he said.

Dela Rosa said the drug test aims to show transparency in the organization and ensure the public that PNP high officials are capable of being role models in leading the fight against illegal drugs.

On Sunday, police and agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Bureau of Customs confiscated 180 kilos of shabu worth P900 million in a farm in Culao, Claveria, in Cagayan.

The confiscated drugs, packed in plastic bags, were presented to the media in Camp Crame.

“The confiscation of this contraband is a manifestation of the keen resolve of the PNP in pursuing the national government’s flagship program against illegal drugs,” Dela Rosa said.

He said the discovery of the drugs, which were found buried in a shallow pit, was based on a tip from an informant.

The tip prompted government agents to conduct surveillance on the property owned by a certain Rene Dimaya.

Dela Rosa said they would be investigating all the people involved in the transshipment of shabu, including the farm owner.

The PNP chief said the drugs were scheduled to be shipped to an unidentified Chinese national in Binondo when authorities seized the contraband.

“It was ready for delivery to a Chinese national in Binondo but for fear of being detected by the authorities, they buried the drugs,” Dela Rosa said.

“In the coming days we expect more arrests and operations against syndicated crime groups engaged in drug trafficking,” Dela Rosa said.

PDEA Director General Isidro Lapeña vowed to destroy the 180 kilos of shabu immediately to prevent it from being recycled and sold.

Dela Rosa added that the volume of shabu in Claveria was just the tip of the iceberg as he expects to confiscate more illegal drugs as the nationwide drive to stop the drug trade gains momentum.

In the last week, authorities have killed at least 10 suspected drug pushers in Luzon.

In Bulacan, seven people said to be involved in drug peddling were killed in separate shootouts a week ago.

The Bulacan acting police director, Senior Supt. Romeo Caramat Jr., said three were killed in Meycauayan City, one in Pandi, one in Calumpit, one in Obando, and one in Dona Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan.

Policemen also confiscated assorted firearms and ammunitions; sachets of containing white crystalline substance, probably shabu; marked mon-

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ey and other drug paraphernalia.

In San Pedro City, Laguna, a drug suspect armed with a .38-cal pistol, was killed in an encounter with police officers in Barangay Sto. Niño over the weekend.

In Dagupan City, Pangasinan, authorities shot and killed two alleged drug dealers in another shootout on Monday at 11 a.m. in a buy-bust at Greenbee Cottage in Bonuan Tondaligan.

On Monday, incoming Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said it was likely that President Rodrigo Duterte was exaggerating when he sought the cooperation of communist rebels in the government’s fight against drug traffickers.

Outgoing Senate President Franklin Drilon said the communist New People’s Army cannot enforce the law because they are not the government.

“We only have one government. We only have one law enforcement agency. We have only one court. [They] should enforce the law,” Drilon said.

Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Ricardo Visaya, meanwhile, said the Joint Task Group-National Capital Region will be one of the military units designated to help the police in their ongoing anti-drug campaign.

Military support for the war against drug will concentrate on the gathering of intelligence against drug syndicates, he added.

The Justice department recommended on Monday the indictment of two Taiwanese men arrested in Parañaque City last week for carrying P195 million worth of shabu.

Assistant State Prosecutor Mary Jane Sytat found probable cause to file charges of illegal transportation and possession of dangerous drugs under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, against Tseng Shien Ming and Huang Zheng Kai. “Considering that respondents were caught in the act of transporting shabu with a total net weight of 38,594.1 grams to an undetermined place in Cavite, there is more than probable cause to warrant their indictment,” the DoJ said.

No bail has been recommended.

Police said the two Taiwanese are allegedly part of a drug syndicate operating in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

In Davao City, seven selfconfessed drug pushers surrendered to Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, the President’s son.

The vice mayor said both drug users and pushers were putting their lives at risk by being involved in illegal drugs.

But Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said Monday that drug users and pushers who have surrendered are not off the hook.

“If they surrender, they have to be investigated because they have to cooperate with police and pinpoint their companions in the illegal drug trade,” Aguirre said. “Under the law, they are not yet off the hook.” With Rey E. Requejo, PNA

China wants ruling left out of PH talks CHINA will not resume negotiations with the Philippines over their territorial dispute in the South China Sea if the discussions are based on the ruling of an arbitral tribunal in The Hague, the official China Daily said Monday, quoting unnamed sources.

The negotiations have been stalled for years, and the tribunal is due to announce its ruling on July 12, based on a complaint filed by the Philippines in 2013.

Observers have voiced hopes that the chilly relations between Beijing and Manila will end after Rodrigo Duterte took office as the 16th Philippine president on Thursday.

“Manila must put aside the result of the arbitration in a substantive approach,” one of the sources quoted by China Daily said.

The sources also said Beijing is ready to start negotiations on issues such as joint development and cooperation in scientific research if the new government puts the tribunal’s ruling aside before returning to the table for talks.

China has refused to take part in the arbitral proceedings partly because the case involves sovereignty and maritime de-

limitation, which it declared in 2006 are issues that are not subject to any third-party arbitration.

Although the outgoing Philippine government said it had exhausted all diplomatic approaches before seeking arbitration, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Manila did not embark on any serious two-way negotiations over the claims it had raised with the tribunal.

Li Guoqiang, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies, said in disputes concerning the South China Sea, “negotiation is the only choice and the only viable approach.”

“Confrontation will never help to resolve the South China Sea issue,” he said.

“No matter how the new president acts on the ruling, diplomatic negotiation is second to none. Using the ruling as a

condition for resuming diplomatic consultations will not be viable,” Li said.

Zhu Feng, professor and executive director at Nanjing University’s China Center for Collaborative Studies of the South China Sea, said it will be “a very important and ideal start” if the new Philippine government repairs ties with China.

He said this will be the case if it “effectively manages in a reasoned manner the impact brought by the ruling on the existing bilateral disputes between China and the Philippines.”

Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said the Philippines was not afraid of negotiating with China and would not negotiate out of fear.

But Yasay said the Philippines will strictly follow to the rule of law.

“We will... be resolute in our upholding our sovereignty rights and right of self-determination. We gallantly seek peace, not war. And yes, we must put it to work in multilateral or bilateral negotiations,” Yasay said.

He said that the Philippines must show diplomacy “in many areas of cooperation with all nations.” Vito Barcelo

Duterte’s...

the Chief Presidential Protocol, the Media Accreditation and Relations Office and Radio Television Malacañang.

The President has previously said that he could not appoint Evasco, a former leftist, to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, due to possible conflicts with the military.

He later appointed Regina Lopez, chairperson of the ABS-CBN Foundation, to the post instead.

On Monday, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said Duterte would issue an executive order on freedom of information [FOI] before the week ends.

Andanar, chief of the Presidential Communications Office, said, during Monday’s Kapihan sa Manila Hotel, that the order will cover departments and line agencies under the Office of the President.

Andanar said a consultation will be held Wednesday on the EO’s contents and the order is expected to be signed either on Thursday or Friday.

Andanar said the issuance of the EO on FOI shows that Duterte is serious about carrying out his promise to increase transparency in government.

Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella, on the other hand, said he sees no conflict with the move and Duterte’s pronouncement that he would avoid the media, saying the President wants to devote more time to work.

“He abhors secrecy and he

desires transparency and that’s part of his working and part of his values, that work ought to be done in a very transparent manner,” he said.

“It’s not secrecy. It’s not really secrecy,” Abella said of Duterte’s avoidance of media.

“Let’s put it this way and I’m not speaking for him but I’m speaking, let’s say, as a person observing the whole situation.

He wants to devote his first 100 or so days to work and he doesn’t want it hampered by having to answer little noises,” said Abella.

Senator Grace Poe, author of the FOI bill that was passed on third and final reading in the Senate, welcomed the release of an EO to give the public access to government records.

“This will complement the avowed commitment to stamp out corruption in government as soon as possible,” said Poe, who vowed to refile her bill.

Under the measure, she said citizens will have the right to request and be granted access to government records or information, subject to reasonable exceptions. Greater access to information will empower citizens to participate in government matters and hold public officials accountable, she said.

Incoming Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III added that a law is needed because it would cover not only the Executive Department but everyone.

With Macon Ramos-Araneta and Sandy Araneta

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The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), whose head of agency had a Cabinet-level rank under the Aquino administration, was reverted back to its previous rank of undersecretary and removed from its mother line agency, the Department of Labor and Employment.

Two agencies under the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Food Security and Agricultural Modernization—the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority and the National Irrigation Administration—were reverted back to the Agriculture Department, their former mother department.

Also in the same EO, a new special cluster—the Office of the President-Events Management Office (OP-EMO) was created to “ensure effective collaboration among the offices and units involved in the preparations for and management of presidential engagements.”

Special Assistant to the President Secretary Christopher Go will head these new agencies.

Under the OP-EMO are the Office of the Special Assistant to the President, the Office of the Appointments Secretary, and the Presidential Management Staff.

Other line agencies under the OP-EMO are the Presidential Security Group, the Office of

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More hungry as Aquino exits MORE Filipinos went hungry as the administration of President Benigno Aquino III came to a close, the latest Social Weather Stations report released Monday showed.

Full support. Vice President Leni Robredo went to Malacañang on Monday afternoon to visit President Rodrigo Duterte and to express her full support for his administration.

More time in Manila for Duterte RODRIGO Duterte spent his first weekend as President in his hometown in Davao City, but he will eventually be spending more time in Manila, his spokesman Ernesto Abella said Monday. ”You know, he’ll be spending a lot more time here considering the fact that he is, in a sense, both north and south,” Abella told reporters.

“But he will be spending a considerable amount of time in Manila.”

Abella said Duterte would be staying “within the grounds” of Malacañang every time he was in Manila.

He said Duterte would regularly go back every weekend to Davao City, which is 978 kilometers away from Manila. ”I think he enjoys the personal time and he needs it also,” Abella said.

He said he had no idea if the travel expenses of the President would be shouldered by the government.

He also explained Duterte’s absence during the flag-raising ceremony in Malacañang on Monday. ”You know, this is a ceremonial process and the President is not a person who stands on ceremony.

He is really an action person,” Abella said.

“But you can expect him to show up when action is really needed.”

Abella said President Duterte would also be spending more time in the Philippines to address its problems. PNA

Alvarez’s Con-Con seen gaining ground INCOMING House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez is seen to gain the upper hand over his brewing clash with outgoing Speaker Feliciano Belmonte after Malacañang expressed its preference for a Constitutional Convention as the mode for amending the Constitution to push for a federal system of government.

Belmonte prefers a constituent assembly.

But presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said Monday the President himself favored a Con-Con as the means to revise the 29-year-old Charter.

“As far as we know, President [Rodrigo] Duterte favors Con-Con,” he told reporters. “[The federalism issue] is part of the consideration, considering that we do have several issues on hand.”

Former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Monday filed a bill calling for a Constitutional Convention.

She proposed that the Con-Con delegates be composed of 12 senators, 12 congressmen and 24 representatives of sectors to be appointed by the President through an Executive Order.

Cebu Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia filed House Bill 312 that seeks to amend the 1987 Constitution through a Con-Con, saying Charter change was needed to “make it more relevant, more adequate and more responsive to the people’s changing needs.”

Incoming Senate President Aquilino Pimentel doused cold water on speculations the Senate will be abolished under a federal system of government.

“Do not worry too much about the shift to the federal system of government as there will still be a legislature under that system,” Pimentel told Senate employees during yesterday’s flag-raising ceremony.

Alvarez is calling for a Constitutional Convention to “overhaul” the Constitution, including the shift from presidential to a federal system of government that entails a nationwide plebiscite.

Belmonte wants Congress to convene itself into a constituent assembly and amend only the economic provisions, which would be approved by a vote of three-fourths of all members of the House and the Senate, with the two chambers voting separately. John Paolo Bencito, Maricel V. Cruz and

Motorcade. The owners of World War II jeeps conducted a motorcade from Cavite to Luneta in Manila on Monday to commemorate Philippine-American Friendship Day. LINO SANTOS

The survey, conducted from March 30 to April 2, said more Filipinos experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the preceding three months, with their numbers growing to 3.1 million families from the 2.6 million families estimated in the December survey, bringing the hunger rate to 13.7 percent from 11.7 percent.

The Filipinos in Mindanao said they were more hungry than last December after a six-point spike was recorded at 19 percent, equivalent to an estimated 978,000 families or 13 percent (658,000) in December, and a 2.6-point increment in Luzon outside the nation’s capital to 12.3 percent (1.2 million families) from 9.7 percent (952,000 families).

Those in Metro Manila said the hunger was less felt at 14 percent (429,000 families) from 17 percent (513,000 families), a onepoint dip in the Visayas to 10.3 percent (449,000 families) from 11.3 percent (484,000 families).

Some 2.6 million families, or 11.6 percent, said they experienced “moderate hunger” (going hungry “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months) while some 481,000 families or 2.1 percent of the respondents said they were suffering “severe hunger” (“often” or “always” in the last three months).

The First Quarter 2016 Social Weather Survey was conducted via faceto-face interviews with 1,500 adults nationwide from March 30 to April 2.

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the Duterte administration will try to reduce involuntary hunger through programs to alleviate poverty.

“The Agriculture [department] is addressing that and so is DSWD [Department of Social Welfare and Development]. The clusters are addressing [involuntary hunger,]” Abella said. John Paolo Bencito

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Synchronized polls pushed

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan COMMISSION on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista found another reason to postpone the village and youth council elections scheduled for October and instead suggested the polls be synchronized with the election of the envisioned Constitutional Convention next year.

Welcome rite. Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael ‘Mike’ Sueno (left) presides over Monday morning rites at the DILG office in Quezon City assisted by Undersecretary Austere Panadero. MANNY PALMERO

‘Tambiolo land reform’ slammed

By Sandy Araneta THE “tambiolo land reform” in the Cojuangco- and Aquino-owned Hacienda Luisita sugar estate is a fraud and the fact that the lawyer of the estate is defending the process is sufficient proof that former Agrarian Reform secretary Virgilio Delos Reyes was conniving with the landowners.

“Everything about the lot allocation through lottery or ‘tambiolo land reform’ is fraudulent. For the past six years, the Aquino-controlled DAR and the Cojuangcos have used deception, coercion and intimidation in Luisita,” said KMP Chairperson Joseph Canlas.

Canlas said the “DAR’s ‘tambiolo

land reform’ is a clear circumvention of the 2012 Supreme Court landmark decision that ordered the distribution of Luisita lands to more than 6,000 farmer-beneficiaries.”

“The ‘tambiolo land reform’ in Hacienda Luisita is a grand scheme of the Aquino controlled DAR and the Cojuangcos to divide the ranks of farmworkers and displace legitimate beneficiaries from the land,” Canlas added.

“DAR decieved the farmers by promising them Land Allocation Certificates.

Farmers were coerced through force with the heavy presence of military and goons in the hacienda,” Canlas said.

“The maneuvers never stopped.

From the bogus CARP, the Stock Dis-

tribution Option, up to the tambiolo land reform, all these were used by the Cojuangco-Aquinos to displace legitimate farmer beneficiaries and maintain control over the lands,” the KMP leader said.

The latest incident in Hacienda Luisita which spawned from a memorandum issued by Delos Reyes on May 16, 2016, is divisive and meant to pit agrarian reform beneficiaries against each other.

The fact that Hacienda Luisita lawyer and spokesperson Antonio Ligon even defended the process implemented by the DAR showed that the owners of the estate consciously and deliberately connived with the agency tasked to implement land reform.

“Given that we will have an election this October [for village and youth council officials] and possibly another by January [for the members of the proposed Constitutional Convention], the interval might be too short,” Bautista told the reporters in an interview.

“I am not sure if [legislators want a Constitutional Convention election in] January or May 2017. If that will push through, we need to think what we need to do. First and foremost, do we need to postpone our Barangay and SK elections because of that?”

Bautista said.

Plus, Bautista said, synchronizing the barangay elections with an election of members of the proposed Constitutional Convention will also save up to P6 billion, the estimated cost for a manual election with more inspectors.

“Our estimate is it will really need about Php 5 to Php 6 billion. I believe it will be better if we just synchronize them so that we can save P5 to P6 billion,” Bautista said without explaining why the Comelec will not use the automated election system used in the May election.

He recognized, however, that talk of a Constitutional Convention is premature since Congress has not even begun to debate the proposal.

“We just continue with our preparations.

As long as there is no law passed postponing the Barangay and SK elections, it will be pushing through. So we really need to start preparing,” he added.

Last week, the poll body has opened the bidding process for the supply of 233,500 ballot boxes and printing of various election forms and envelopes to be used in the October polls. The Comelec has earmarked P695 million for election forms and ballot boxes.

Suppliers are being invited to bid for three separate contracts, including the printing and delivery of envelopes worth P21.5 million, printing and delivery of election forms worth P31.3 million and supply and delivery of ballot boxes worth P642.1 million.

July 6 non-working holiday MALACAÑANG announced that the regular Eid’l-Fitr holiday, or the end of Ramadan, will be celebrated as an official holiday on July 6, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Monday, citing Proclamation No. 6 signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.

“The entire Filipino nation should have the full opportunity to join their Muslim brothers and sisters in peace and harmony in the observance of the Eid’l-Fitr,” the proclamation read.

The Supreme Court also issued an advisory declaring a court holiday on July 6 in the observance of the end of the Ramadan.

“In observance of Eid’l-Fitr, Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio announces that July 6 is a non-working day for all

courts nationwide,” the SC Public Information Office said in a statement, adding that Carpio made the announcement since Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno was on leave.

The Philippines, the first predominantly non-Muslim country to declare the Islamic holy day as an official holiday, has been observing the holiday since 2002 upon the enactment of Republic Act No. 9177, signed by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

But since Eid’l-Fitr is a movable feast, only the Office of the President can declare when the holiday should be celebrated upon the recommendation of the National Council on Muslim Filipinos.

John Paolo Bencito and Rey Requejo

Drug test.

An officer of the Philippine Coast Guard signs off a personnel list as he submitted himself to a random drug test at the Philippine Coast Guard headquarters in Manila on Monday.

LINO SANTOS

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Marcos presses for resolution of criminal charges vs Comelec, Smartmatic

Pork thrives in ’17 budget

By Joel E. Zurbano

Yes, there will be, if certain lawmakers have their way.

Neophyte lawmakers have submitted to the house committee on appropriations their list of choice projects worth P80 million each for funding in the 2017 national budget, an indication that the supposed pork barrel system may continue in the present administration.

A lawmaker who refused not be named said on Monday that each congressman is entitled to P30 million in soft projects such as hospitalization, scholarships, trainings and livelihood and another P50 million hard projects or infrastructure—for a combined total of P80 million. each congressman was entitled to 70 million in ‘pork barrel’ funds under the Aquino administration.

The camp of former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Monday it was prepared to file a motion seeking the immediate resolution of the criminal complaint it filed with the Manila Prosecutors Office against officials of the Commission on elections and Smartmatic Corp. in connection with the May 9 vice presidential race.

This developed shortly after the respondents charged with violation of the Cybercrime Law admitted they introduced changes in the script of the Transparency Server without authority on the night of the elections.

Marcos’ campaign adviser and former Abakada Party-List Rep. Jonathan Dela Cruz filed the criminal case against Smartmatic personnel Marlon Garcia, a Venezuelan and head of the firm’s Technical Support Team; elie Moreno, an Israeli national and Project Director and Neil Banigued and Mauricio herrera, members of the Technical Support Team; and Rouie Peñalba, Nelson herrera and Frances Mae Gonzalez, all assigned at the Comelec Information Technology Department, for violation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

The particular violations: Offenses against the confidentiality, integrity and availability of computer data and systems: -Illegal Access.—The access to the whole or any part of a computer system without right.

-Data Interference.—The intentional or reckless alteration, damaging, deletion or deterioration of computer data, electronic document, or electronic data message, without right, including the introduction or transmission of viruses.

-System Interference.—The intentional alteration or reckless hindering or interference with the functioning of a computer or computer network by inputting, transmitting, damaging, deleting, deteriorating, altering or suppressing computer data or program, electronic document, or electronic data message, without right or authority, including the introduction or transmission of viruses.

By Maricel V. Cruz Will there be ‘pork barrel’ under the Duterte administration?

“Neophyte lawmakers were given until June 30 to submit the list of their soft projects and July 1 for their hard projects,” the lawmaker-source said.

A check with the house committee on appropriations confirmed that neophyte lawmakers had already submitted the list of their proposed projects to have it factored in to the 2017 national budget that is being prepared

by Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, and for deliberations of Congress starting August.

But a congressional staff who refused to be named denied it was the house appropriations panel which asked the neophyte lawmakers to submit the list of their projects for various legislative districts in the countryside.

“We really don’t know who informed them [neophyte lawmak-

ers] to submit such documents [list of projects]. We thought that this batch of newbies are just enterprising and creative,” the congressional staff said.

For soft projects, a lawmaker customarily has discretion on the amount where to allocate the P30 million in the following agencies, such as Technical education and Skills Development Authority, Commission on higher education, State Universities and Colleges, Department of Labor and employment, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Department of health.

For hard projects, the lawmakersource said they were asked to submit the names of infrastructure projects like roads to be submitted that may likely be implemented by the departments of Public Works and highways and education.

But the lawmaker-source said they were told that such a practice would not mean a return to the pork barrel system as Congress is merely exercising its power of the purse and so these

entitlements are carried out.

“We were told that the act of submitting the list of projects should not be treated as a return to the pork barrel system because the identification process is being done even before the national budget for next year is approved,” the lawmaker-source said. he also said that the incoming 17th Congress will not be violating the Supreme Court ruling on lump sum Priority Development Assistance Fund with these.

The SC order prohibited only the post-enactment intervention of members of Congress in the national budget, the lawmaker-source stressed. “What we are doing now is preenactment activity that is within the power of lawmakers.” even before President Rodrigo Duterte assumed his post last June 30, the lawmaker said, neophyte lawmakers had already been asked to submit the names of projects through a two-page form that was relayed to them during the orientation at the house of Representatives.

New title. Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao, who held seven boxing titles, is greeted by Senate personnel in his first visit to his extension office at the Senate building in Pasay on Monday, July 4, 2016. EY ACASIO

PhilHealth loses P40m from bank deals—CoA

By Rio N. Araja

‘Butchoy’ threatens. Pedestrians brave the heavy downpour in Manila on Monday, July 4 brought about by an Intertropical Convergence Zone affecting Southern Luzon and Visayas while Tropical storm ‘Butchoy’ with international name ‘Napartak’ is expected to enter the country on Tuesday. DANNY PATA

The Commission on Audit has charged the Philippine health Insurance Corp. with violation of its charter by investing P1 billion from its reserve funds in common stocks in a local bank in 2015.

Based on a June 30 audit report, the Philhealth board approved the June 24, 2015 Resolution No. 1957 appointing a local bank as an external local fund manager via an investment management agreement (IMA).

Due to violation of Republic Act 10606 or the National health Insurance Act of 2013, Philhealth incurred losses of close to P40 million in the last five months of 2015, the state auditors said.

On July 7, 2015, Philhealth made an initial investment of P1 billion.

“It was noted that the investment activities of the [local fund manager] for the period

July 7 to December 31, 2015, Philhealth incurred losses for trading the listed common stocks investment of 19 companies in the amount of P39.267 million [net of interest income from special savings deposit and time deposit],” the audit report read.

It, however, did not identify the bank.

Citing Section 27(d) of RA 10606, CoA said the law was not allowing any investment of Philhealth funds in common stocks.

“The investment therefore made in common stocks was not in accordance with the Corporation’s Charter. Section 2.2 of the IMA that does not guarantee the principal to a fixed interest or return of investment is contrary to Paragraph 2 of Section 27 of RA 10606 which expressly provides that Investment Reserve Fund shall be placed in investments to earn an average annual income at prevailing rates of interest,” the commission said.

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A6 Pump prices down by P0.60 The country’s oil firms reduced pump prices by as much as P0.60 per liter effective Tuesday to reflect the movement of world oil prices.

This reversed the price increase on June 28 which saw gasoline rising by P0.65 to P0.75 per liter, diesel by P0.40 to P0.45 per liter and kerosene, P0.35 per liter.

Last June 21, most oil companies cut their fuel prices by P0.65 per liter for gasoline and diesel, and P0.45 per liter for kerosene.

Alena Flores

Car-plates deal up for review TRANSPORTATION Secretary Arthur Tugade on Monday vowed to review the contract between the Land Transportation Office and a Filipino-Dutch consortium involving the supply of automobile license plates.

The new license plates are manufactured and imported from the Netherlands but Tugade wants to find out if these can be made locally.

The supply and sale of car plates was disallowed by the Commission on Audit for the reason that the deal between LTO and the Dutch group violated the law on government procurement reform. PNA

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LRTA cellphone bills pile up to P251.25m

By Rio N. Araja THE Commission on Audit has raised questions on the alleged excessive and unregulated mobile phone and Internet subscription expenses incurred by the Light Rail Transit Authority that reached P251.257 million in 2015.

In a report, the Commission said that the LRTA spent P3.110 million for cellphone load use and P248.17 million for Internet service.

The LRTA had 133 postpaid subscription plans ranging from P500 to P3,800 and eight postpaid mobile broadband and or WiFi plans of P1,149 each for four units and P1,000 for

another four units.

The report also stated that some officials were allowed to use more than one postpaid plan.

Postpaid mobile phone subscription plans were granted to 40 rank-and-file personnel with salary grade 7 to 21, and eight drivers in the absence of the approval of the administrative and

finance departments.

CoA said the grant of the cellphone plans was not in compliance with the LRTA’s own rules stating only those with salary grade 22 and above were entitled such benefits, except in exceptional cases.

“A member of the Board of Directors was also enjoying a P2,500 plan every month, in violation of Section 2.4 (b) of GCG Memorandum Circular 2012-02 (Re-Issued) dated May 2, 2012 which provides that the only time that Directors obtain a reimbursement of expenses can be limited only to transportation expenses for attending meetings; travel expenses for official travels; communica-

tions expenses; and meals during business meetings,” the CoA said.

“We also noted that LRTA Office Order No. 46 cited above provides that after the expiration of the lock-in period, the endUsers shall not be required to surrender his/her official Mobile Phone to the AMD for the reason that there was no cash outlay for the phone and only its usage was paid

by LRTA. Moreover, the costs of the mobile phone were not recorded in the books of LRTA.” Government money was used for the payment of the LRTA’s monthly subscriptions, the Audit said.

“The costs of the related gadgets may be sub-

sidized but should not be totally free because certain amount will be paid in case the service contract is canceled earlier than the lock-in period. The costs are already integrated in the monthly subscriptions which the LRTA is paying. hence, it is just and reasonable that the gadgets be returned to LRTA upon the issuance of new units,” the Commission said.

“We recognized that mobile phones are important communication tool in business and necessary in the efficient operations of LRTA but the same should be granted within the parameters of the LRTA policy and budget limitation,” the CoA said.

MM police chief bares action plan ChIeF Supt. Oscar David Albayalde on Monday took over the post of Metro Manila police director and promised to strengthen police presence in the communities and intensify the campaign against criminality and illegal drugs.

Albayalde, former executive officer of the Philippine National PoliceDirectorate for Plans, replaced Joel Pagdilao, a graduate of the PMA “Maharlika Class” of 1984, who assumed the post in July 2015.

Albayalde said his leadership will focus on three major thrusts: Practical programs for crime prevention, intensified campaign against criminality and illegal drugs, and sustained cleansing of ranks.

In the campaign against criminality and illegal drugs, Albayalde said he will be implementing “Oplan Double Barrel” to hit both high-value target personalities and streetlevel drug operators.

Joel Zurbano

Turnover rites. Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial (left) receives the DoH flag from her predecessor Janet Garin (right) during the turnover ceremony held at the DoH Main Office in Sta. Cruz, Manila on Monday, July 4. DANNy PATA

AFP girds for shock-and-awe tactics against Abu Sayyaf

Fake. An armored personnel carrier runs over heaps of pirated

DVDs, CDs and other counterfeit products during a ceremonial destruction of fake goods led by the Optical Media Board and other government agencies held at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

MANNy PAlMeRo

The Armed Forces of the Philippines will employ a “shock-and-awe” strategy in defeating the Abu Sayyaf Group in Basilan and Sulu, AFP Chief Ricardo Visaya said on Monday.

“There will be ‘shock and awe’ [in the campaign against the ASG] but I won’t go into specifics because this will [reveal our] strategy and tactics,” he added.

“Shock and awe” is a military doctrine based on the use of overwhelming power and spectacular display of force to paralyze the enemy’s perception of the battlefield and destroy its will to fight.

Visaya earlier said the AFP will direct unrelenting pressure against the ASG and its allied terrorist cells.

“We will be unrelenting in our focused military operations against terrorist groups like the ASG and all its allied terrorist cells. We will realign military resources to their identified bailiwicks and sanctuaries and apply our military strength to suppress them, hunt them down and finish them,” Visaya stressed.

“We will continue to apply the full force of the law 24/7 to go after these criminals and profit-seeking elements who operate under the guise of religious fervor and holy war,” he added.

To ensure this, Visaya said the AFP will have to boost its armament acquisition program to further beef up its capacity and capability to search and engage these rogue and lawless elements. PNA

t u e s d ay : j u ly 5 , 2 0 1 6

A7

news

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Councilor, 2 others injured in Abra town shooting BANGUED, Abra—A municipal councilor and two other individuals were injured after they were fired upon by a still-unidentified gunman in front of a bar along Magallanes St., Zone V, here Saturday night.

Senior Superintendent Antonio Bartolome, provincial director of the Abra Provincial Police Office, identified the wounded individuals as Allen Brix Lopez Bachiller, councilor of this town, and his brother, Angelo Lopez Bachiller. Both are residents of Zone 5 in Bangued.

The other injured individual is 12-year-old Benjie Balaoro of the same town.

Initial police investigation showed the brothers went to a bar to fetch Angelo’s girlfriend. Before they boarded their vehicle, the gunman, on board a motorcycle, appeared and fired at them numerous times.

Balaoro was standing nearby and was also hit.

The three were rushed to the Seares Memorial Hospital for medical treatment but Councilor Bachiller was transferred to the Lorma Medical Center in San Fernando City, La Union for further medical attention.

Councilor Bachiller sustained multiple gunshot wounds on the different parts of his body, Angelo sustained lone gunshot wound on his thigh while Balaoro was hit by a stray bullet and sustained a lone gunshot wound on his right leg.

The Scene of the Crime Operation (Soco) team recovered from the crime scene seven fired cartridge cases of Caliber .45 and three live ammunition of Caliber 32.

The suspect immediately fled the scene. Investigators are still identifying the motive for the shooting.

Washing them well. Women wash newly harvested carrots in La Trinidad, Benguet before shipping them to markets nationwide. DAVID CHAN

Duterte son wants cleaner shorelines, says LGUs key

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera

DAVAO CITY—The eldest son of President Rodrigo Duterte, Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, says he would like to ensure all shorelines in the country are clean if he were to have a project to help his father’s administration.

End of the tunnel. This view is just one of the many attractions of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan. SONNY ESPIRITU

The younger Duterte said he has observed that the shorelines in tourist destinations have become littered with cigarette butts and bottles of alcoholic beverages.

Local government units should act on this to keep the country’s beaches pristine, he said.

“Maybe they can have a city ordinance preventing smoking and drinking along the shoreline,” he said.

He cited the case of the beaches of Baler, Aurora, which he had visited in the course of his father’s campaign, where visitors’ trash were dumped on the sand.

Despite this, Paolo does not think his father would ask members of their family to help him in Malacañang. He is also not inclined to leave his job in the city if he were asked to do so.

Drug rehab center has 1-year treatment for surrendered users

By Romeo E. Dizon CITy OF SAN FErNANDO, Pampanga—The Central Luzon Drug rehabilitation Center in Barangay Sto. Nino, Magalang in this province is offering treatment for drug dependents like pushers, users and others who are now surrendering to the government in line with its strong

campaign against illegal drugs.

Frank Ocampo, executive director of the privately run rehabilitation center, said that drug dependents can live a better life after one year of treatment inside the center.

“They can even earn a job after treatment as welders, masseuse, and computer technicians,” Ocampo said.

Ocampo said that the seven hectares center along the Pampanga Agricultural College is now treating about 500 dependents. The number includes three doctors, four lawyers, policemen, barangay captains and others. Most of the dependents come from Metro Manila, Nueva Ecija, and Bulacan provinces.

According to Ocampo, aside

from drug dependents, the center also treats alcoholics and those with mental health issues.

For the minimum payment of P6,000 a month, the dependents will have three meals a day, doctors, psychiatrist, nurses, helpers, and assisted by almost 200 employees to help them.

Aside from the proceeds from the dependents, the center re-

ceives a minimal annual financial assistance from the Department of Health to sustain their operation.

Dependents are given courses in welding, computers, massage, and others so they could develop technical and vocational skills.

The government runs 48 rehabilitation centers while 18 others are privately run nationwide.

T U E S D AY : J U LY 5 , 2 0 1 6

A8

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

EAGLE EYES TONY LA VIÑA

THE FRUITS OF LOVE AND MARRIAGE

[ EDI TORI A L ]

AN ENCOURAGING REVERSAL DAYS into his six-year term, President Rodrigo Duterte will create a task force on media killings, a Palace official said.

The announcement came just after a journalist in Surigao was attacked Thursday, the same day Duterte was sworn into office.

Saturnino Estaño Jr., a broadcaster, and his 12-year-old son sustained gunshot wounds during an ambush. Estaño was said to be speaking out against illegal drugs and corruption in his radio program.

The swift response by the Palace is a surprise if we consider Mr. Duterte’s earlier pronouncement on media killings. Just a few weeks ago, after winning the presidential race, Duterte elicited angry reactions and comments from various sectors after implying that murdered journalists were likely corrupt and that they deserved what happened to them.

Then-President-elect Duterte had to qualify his statements two days later because of the damage done by his earlier words. He thus made distinctions among genuine crusaders, those with vested interests, and extortionists.

There was never any denial from media groups that corruption did—does —exist among their ranks. Something is being done to police the ranks. Most objectionable was the thought that the killings could ever be justified.

But now the Palace says that it “stands by the side of good men” and told the yet-unidentified perpetrators that they will not succeed in their attempt to silence journalists.= This week, too, President Duterte is expected to issue an executive order on freedom of information albeit only covering executive officials of the government.

It could be that at that time, Mr. Duterte was just playing to the gallery and relishing his role as a maverick politician before he actually takes on the helm of the country. It could be he was thereafter advised—and advised well to change tack. He promised, after all, a metamorphosis even as he once said he would never change his nature and the rest of us better get used to that.

Whatever the reason, these developments are welcome even as we continue to view them cautiously.

The new administration must show it is committed to a sustained and consistent protection of journalists from a culture of impunity that has lorded over the industry for so long. That the most recent victim spoke out against drugs should not set him apart from the others who speak out against other ills, equally troubling, even as they may not rank high in the priority of the administration.

We also hope that freedom of information—not just the executive order, or the law, but the culture—would be the norm in the next six years, and that this would not be used as a token measure but as a real policy.

The signs are good, so far, but the public must remain vigilant that the goodwill is translated into real action and meaningful results.

NO BLAMING LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES ONE of the most refreshing aspects of the newly minted Duterte administration, in my view, is its total lack of interest in blaming its predecessor—or even any other government that went before it. After six years of blame-tossing as a national policy, it’s nice to hear government officials just buckling down to work after discovering what needs to be fixed.

Which is not to say, of

course, that there is not a lot that needs to be done by President Rodrigo Duterte and the mostly well-received members of his Cabinet. Far from it.

There are many examples of the new government declaring what it wants done without mentioning that they are things that the now-defunct tuwid na daan administration failed to do. Let’s just look at some of the more prominent illustrations: * The Freedom of Information executive order. True, the Duterte administration will issue only an order that directs agencies under the executive branch to disclose all transac-

tions, instead of pushing for a law that will make all of government do the same.

But this is still better than what the Aquino administration did, which is to sit on legislative measures allowing FOI. It is telling that the previous administration did not push for the law in the House, where it enjoyed an overwhelming majority, allowing the approved Senate version to die on the vine.

Of course, everyone knows by now that Noynoy Aquino promised the passage of an FOI law even while he was still a candidate in the 2010 elections.

But after being elected, Aquino

A9

The new government wants things done without mentioning that they are what its predecessor failed to do.

and his officials began saying that such a law was not really necessary, because the government of Ninoy and Cory’s son was already transparent. * The policy of antagonizing China in a bid to “shame” it and force it to back away from the dispute in the South China Sea (or West Philippine Sea, if you like). In his first-ever Cabinet meeting last week, Duterte made it clear that he was not going to go to war with our giant neighbor, even if the United Nations arbitration panel that is set to rule of the case filed by the Philippines decides in our favor.

In fact, Duterte has made no secret of his intentions to go into bilateral talks with China,

despite the objections of the Americaloving sector of Philippine society.

Unlike Aquino, Duterte feels no need to engage the Chinese in a word war, like calling their leaders “Hitler-like” and vowing to “defend Recto Bank like it was Recto Avenue.”

“I have made it clear to [the Americans] that I will not allow [any outbreak of violence],” Duterte told his Cabinet. Of course, it remains to be seen how Duterte can go around the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement that allows US military

bases in the Philippines and which was mightily pushed by the Aquino administration. * The renewed focus on agriculture as a major driver of the national economy. Finance Secretary-designate Carlos Dominguez has recently declared that the new government intends to spend P1 billion per region per year in order to boost agricultural production, another major policy shift.

The de-emphasis on and even outright abandoning of agriculture is one of the many unreported stories dur-

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

ing the Aquino administration, which is really unforgivable given the roots of the Aquino family’s wealth in Hacienda Luisita and the fact that most Filipinos are still engaged in tilling the soil and harvesting the wealth of the sea for a living. Agriculture, as a sector, experienced overall average negative growth during Aquino’s six years, as agriculture officials wholeheartedly embraced a policy of importation that did not even result in lower food prices for most Filipinos.

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

THIS is the sixth in a series of columns on Amoris Laetitia (“The Joy of Love”), the apostolic exhortation Pope Francis issued last February 2016. Today, I reflect on two chapters of that exhortation, namely, Chapter 4 “Love and Marriage” and Chapter 5 “Love made Fruitful.”

“Love in Marriage” treats love in marriage, which it illuminates with St. Paul’s Hymn to Charity in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. This opening section is beautiful exegesis of the Pauline text which encapsulates the true essence of love. The lyrical text reads: “Love is patient, love is kind; Love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor 13:4-7).

Pope Francis tells us that our reflection on Saint Paul’s hymn to love introduces us to conjugal love. This is the love between husband and wife, a love sanctified, enriched and illuminated by the grace of the sacrament of marriage.

It is an “affective union,” spiritual and sacrificial, which combines the warmth of friendship and erotic passion, and endures long after emotions and passion subside. Further, he says that with the Holy Spirit, this powerful love is a reflection of the unbroken covenant between Christ and humanity that culminated in his self-sacrifice on the cross.

He says that conjugal love is the greatest form of friendship; a friendship that has concern for the good of the other, reciprocity, intimacy, warmth, stability and the resemblance born of a shared life.

He warns that a love that is weak or infirm, incapable of accepting marriage as a challenge cannot sustain a great commitment. Ultimately it will succumb to the culture of the ephemeral that prevents a constant process of growth He then concludes with a reflection on the “transformation of love” because “longer life spans now mean that close and exclusive relationships must last for four, five or even six decades; consequently, the initial decision has to be frequently renewed.” As physical appearance alters, the loving attraction does not lessen but changes as sexual desire can be transformed over time into the desire for togetherness and mutuality: “There is no guarantee that we will feel the same way all through life. Yet if a couple can come up with a shared and lasting life project, they can love one another and live as one until death do them part, enjoying an enriching intimacy,” he ends.

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 LY 5 , 2 0 1 6

A8

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

EAGLE EYES TONY LA VIÑA

THE FRUITS OF LOVE AND MARRIAGE

[ EDI TORI A L ]

AN ENCOURAGING REVERSAL DAYS into his six-year term, President Rodrigo Duterte will create a task force on media killings, a Palace official said.

The announcement came just after a journalist in Surigao was attacked Thursday, the same day Duterte was sworn into office.

Saturnino Estaño Jr., a broadcaster, and his 12-year-old son sustained gunshot wounds during an ambush. Estaño was said to be speaking out against illegal drugs and corruption in his radio program.

The swift response by the Palace is a surprise if we consider Mr. Duterte’s earlier pronouncement on media killings. Just a few weeks ago, after winning the presidential race, Duterte elicited angry reactions and comments from various sectors after implying that murdered journalists were likely corrupt and that they deserved what happened to them.

Then-President-elect Duterte had to qualify his statements two days later because of the damage done by his earlier words. He thus made distinctions among genuine crusaders, those with vested interests, and extortionists.

There was never any denial from media groups that corruption did—does —exist among their ranks. Something is being done to police the ranks. Most objectionable was the thought that the killings could ever be justified.

But now the Palace says that it “stands by the side of good men” and told the yet-unidentified perpetrators that they will not succeed in their attempt to silence journalists.= This week, too, President Duterte is expected to issue an executive order on freedom of information albeit only covering executive officials of the government.

It could be that at that time, Mr. Duterte was just playing to the gallery and relishing his role as a maverick politician before he actually takes on the helm of the country. It could be he was thereafter advised—and advised well to change tack. He promised, after all, a metamorphosis even as he once said he would never change his nature and the rest of us better get used to that.

Whatever the reason, these developments are welcome even as we continue to view them cautiously.

The new administration must show it is committed to a sustained and consistent protection of journalists from a culture of impunity that has lorded over the industry for so long. That the most recent victim spoke out against drugs should not set him apart from the others who speak out against other ills, equally troubling, even as they may not rank high in the priority of the administration.

We also hope that freedom of information—not just the executive order, or the law, but the culture—would be the norm in the next six years, and that this would not be used as a token measure but as a real policy.

The signs are good, so far, but the public must remain vigilant that the goodwill is translated into real action and meaningful results.

NO BLAMING LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES ONE of the most refreshing aspects of the newly minted Duterte administration, in my view, is its total lack of interest in blaming its predecessor—or even any other government that went before it. After six years of blame-tossing as a national policy, it’s nice to hear government officials just buckling down to work after discovering what needs to be fixed.

Which is not to say, of

course, that there is not a lot that needs to be done by President Rodrigo Duterte and the mostly well-received members of his Cabinet. Far from it.

There are many examples of the new government declaring what it wants done without mentioning that they are things that the now-defunct tuwid na daan administration failed to do. Let’s just look at some of the more prominent illustrations: * The Freedom of Information executive order. True, the Duterte administration will issue only an order that directs agencies under the executive branch to disclose all transac-

tions, instead of pushing for a law that will make all of government do the same.

But this is still better than what the Aquino administration did, which is to sit on legislative measures allowing FOI. It is telling that the previous administration did not push for the law in the House, where it enjoyed an overwhelming majority, allowing the approved Senate version to die on the vine.

Of course, everyone knows by now that Noynoy Aquino promised the passage of an FOI law even while he was still a candidate in the 2010 elections.

But after being elected, Aquino

A9

The new government wants things done without mentioning that they are what its predecessor failed to do.

and his officials began saying that such a law was not really necessary, because the government of Ninoy and Cory’s son was already transparent. * The policy of antagonizing China in a bid to “shame” it and force it to back away from the dispute in the South China Sea (or West Philippine Sea, if you like). In his first-ever Cabinet meeting last week, Duterte made it clear that he was not going to go to war with our giant neighbor, even if the United Nations arbitration panel that is set to rule of the case filed by the Philippines decides in our favor.

In fact, Duterte has made no secret of his intentions to go into bilateral talks with China,

despite the objections of the Americaloving sector of Philippine society.

Unlike Aquino, Duterte feels no need to engage the Chinese in a word war, like calling their leaders “Hitler-like” and vowing to “defend Recto Bank like it was Recto Avenue.”

“I have made it clear to [the Americans] that I will not allow [any outbreak of violence],” Duterte told his Cabinet. Of course, it remains to be seen how Duterte can go around the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement that allows US military

bases in the Philippines and which was mightily pushed by the Aquino administration. * The renewed focus on agriculture as a major driver of the national economy. Finance Secretary-designate Carlos Dominguez has recently declared that the new government intends to spend P1 billion per region per year in order to boost agricultural production, another major policy shift.

The de-emphasis on and even outright abandoning of agriculture is one of the many unreported stories dur-

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

ing the Aquino administration, which is really unforgivable given the roots of the Aquino family’s wealth in Hacienda Luisita and the fact that most Filipinos are still engaged in tilling the soil and harvesting the wealth of the sea for a living. Agriculture, as a sector, experienced overall average negative growth during Aquino’s six years, as agriculture officials wholeheartedly embraced a policy of importation that did not even result in lower food prices for most Filipinos.

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

THIS is the sixth in a series of columns on Amoris Laetitia (“The Joy of Love”), the apostolic exhortation Pope Francis issued last February 2016. Today, I reflect on two chapters of that exhortation, namely, Chapter 4 “Love and Marriage” and Chapter 5 “Love made Fruitful.”

“Love in Marriage” treats love in marriage, which it illuminates with St. Paul’s Hymn to Charity in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. This opening section is beautiful exegesis of the Pauline text which encapsulates the true essence of love. The lyrical text reads: “Love is patient, love is kind; Love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor 13:4-7).

Pope Francis tells us that our reflection on Saint Paul’s hymn to love introduces us to conjugal love. This is the love between husband and wife, a love sanctified, enriched and illuminated by the grace of the sacrament of marriage.

It is an “affective union,” spiritual and sacrificial, which combines the warmth of friendship and erotic passion, and endures long after emotions and passion subside. Further, he says that with the Holy Spirit, this powerful love is a reflection of the unbroken covenant between Christ and humanity that culminated in his self-sacrifice on the cross.

He says that conjugal love is the greatest form of friendship; a friendship that has concern for the good of the other, reciprocity, intimacy, warmth, stability and the resemblance born of a shared life.

He warns that a love that is weak or infirm, incapable of accepting marriage as a challenge cannot sustain a great commitment. Ultimately it will succumb to the culture of the ephemeral that prevents a constant process of growth He then concludes with a reflection on the “transformation of love” because “longer life spans now mean that close and exclusive relationships must last for four, five or even six decades; consequently, the initial decision has to be frequently renewed.” As physical appearance alters, the loving attraction does not lessen but changes as sexual desire can be transformed over time into the desire for togetherness and mutuality: “There is no guarantee that we will feel the same way all through life. Yet if a couple can come up with a shared and lasting life project, they can love one another and live as one until death do them part, enjoying an enriching intimacy,” he ends.

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 LY 5 , 2 0 1 6

A10

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

REHABILITATE NO NEED FOR EMERGENCY POWERS TO SOLVE EDSA TRAFFIC MESS DRUG ADDICTS TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

NEWSPAPERS say that the police have already killed no less than 69 so-called drug dealers, arrested close to 2,000 drug pushers and addicts. They are now detained in congested jails.

Reports also say that this is the way the police and other law enforcement agencies in the war against illegal drugs have been reacting to President Rodrigo Duterte’s warning to those involved in the drug menace.

Philippine National Police Chief Rolando “Bato” dela Rosa, who is himself nearly as tough-talking as Duterte, says members of the police force involved in drugs must shape up or ship out.

If as Duterte and Dela Rosa wipe out everybody involved in drugs within six months, does this mean we will have won the war on drugs and ended the menace?

This menace will never be gone so long as there is demand for it. The law of supply and demand is fairly simple.

Killing drug lords and dealers is only 50 percent of the solution.

The problem will persist so long as there is demand for drugs. The arrest of the drug users will only make the problem worse.

The Duterte administration must realize that drug dependents are not culprits but victims. They must be rehabilitated so they could be useful, productive citizens.

Rehabilitation of drug addicts is the harder part. They are in every segment of society. So far, we’ve been seeing the poor who are involved in drugs.

We have not seen any from the upper classes.

Many of the socalled celebrities in the entertainment industry

are drug dependents.

This is an open secret in the entertainment industry.

President Duterte and Dela Rosa should focus on them, too. For now it appears that the drug problem is only among the poor, which is not at all true.

I was former vice president of DARE Foundation, built by Fr. Bob Garon. I dealt with drug addicts from the higher segments of society. I went on my own expense to study drug rehabilitation in New York at the foremost drug rehab center worldwide.

Rehabilitation is not as easy as it looks.

It’s not about isolating them and teaching them handicraft.

Solving the drug problem does not end with killing the pushers.

First, there must be some judges designated by the Supreme Court to handle only cases of drug addiction. In case of drug addicts who commit felonies like rape and homicide, they will be tried and convicted of course, but for drug dependents must be rehabilitated.

This is a problem because rehabilitation would cost lots of money.

There are quite a few private drug rehabilitation facilities, mostly dependent on the board and lodging of drug dependents.

This is where the real problem begins. The fight against drugs is not just about killing drug dealers. We need a comprehensive approach to the drug problem.

I’m not saying that I am an expert on drug addiction, but I learned a lot from my involve-

(Part 1) DURING the administration of ex-President Benigno Aquino III, the traffic problem along Edsa and other major thoroughfares in Metropolitan Manila was terrible.

The traffic problem was aggravated by the ineptitude of Francis Tolentino, the chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority under Aquino. Tolentino was often out of town when he should have been in the metropolis attending to the traffic problem. His successor, Emerson Carlos, was just as inefficient.

Now that President Rodrigo Duterte is in office, an improvement in the traffic situation in the metropolis, Edsa in particular, is expected.

Senator Franklin Drilon of the Liberal Party, who once predicted a victory for LP presidential bet Mar Roxas, seems to want to align himself with Duterte because he sponsored legislation granting emergency powers to the president so the latter can solve the traffic mess once and for all. The proposed law exempts the executive department from compliance with the usual restrictions imposed by law on the purchase of supplies.

That’s a bad idea.

The rush resort to emergency powers is premature and unfounded.

Since President Duterte inherited the traffic mess from the Aquino administration, he should be given a chance to solve the traffic nightmare within the existing legal framework. Since the traffic mess is essentially a result of incompetent management in the MMDA, then the solution is in competent management, not in emergency powers.

Emergency powers should be a last resort, warranted only after all reasonable means to address the problem through regular means have been exhausted. ment at DARE. Santa Banana, it’s a multi-billion peso industry out there!

If you wonder why there are so many Chinese nationals caught and arrested in the manufacture of shabu, blame the Bureau of Immigration that allowed them to enter the country.

The proliferation of illegal drugs in the country is such that the West African drug syndicates have already

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA Not all problems constitute an emergency of such a nature that compliance with the existing legal system has to be dispensed with. If every serious problem in this country is considered an emergency that warrants noncompliance with existing laws, then Congress may just as well be abolished so that the executive department can run the government on its own.

To address the traffic problem along Edsa and major roads in the metropolis, the Duterte administration ought to consider some postulates.

First postulate—Effective traffic management means keeping all vehicles on the road constantly moving. Less vehicles on the road means more space on the road. Thus, the less time a vehicle spends on the road, the less traffic there will be.

Second postulate—The smooth flow of traffic is at its optimum when vehicles travel in a straight, unobstructed path.

This means that left turns and u-turns are exceptions, rather than the rule.

Traffic along Edsa should be made to flow smoothly, and this is possible only by removing left turns and u-turn junctions along the way. Being the exception rather than the rule, vehicles which need to make left turns and u-turns along Edsa should do so under the numerous flyovers dotting this roadway. Such vehicles should go under the flyover through the outer lanes of Edsa, instead of its innermost lane.

The opposite is currently happening at the northbound lane of Edsa at the approach to the Santolan Road flyover. As it is, vehicles which intend to turn

made the country a transshipment point to other countries.

Even the dreaded Sinaloa Mexican cartel is already operating in the Philippines.

I maintain that the bigger challenge lies in rehabilitating the users. This is why I don’t believe the menace can be eradicated in six months. *** I think restructuring our form of government

left to Santolan accumulate on the two innermost lanes of the northbound lane of Edsa. With vehicles intending to make a right turn to Santolan also accumulating at the outermost lanes there, the approach to the Edsa-Santolan Avenue flyover becomes a bottleneck that blocks the way of northbound vehicles on Edsa coming from the Ortigas Avenue area.

Third postulate—At least one lane on every major road should be reserved for fastmoving vehicles. A fast-moving vehicle is one which travels at an optimum but safe speed. It is not synonymous to a vehicle moving at breakneck speed.

A fast-moving vehicle spend less time on the roadway than a slow-moving vehicle does.

Therefore, there is a need to designate a lane for the exclusive use of fast-moving vehicles.

In the 1960s, the innermost lanes of each side of Edsa were the “fast lanes” which were for the exclusive use of fast-moving vehicles. Drivers of slow-moving vehicles who insist on staying on the fast lanes were issued traffic tickets by policemen from the Highway Patrol Group. As a result, traffic along Edsa moved swiftly and smoothly. That rule, which is still in our statute books, should be reimplemented strictly.

Undoubtedly, slow-moving vehicles along Edsa obstruct the smooth flow of traffic. Being so, they should be confined to the outermost lanes of Edsa to prevent them from getting in the way of other vehicles.

Fourth postulate—Fourwheeled vehicles have priority on the road over vehicles with just three or two wheels, and those with six wheels or more.

Any science student knows that four-wheeled vehicles are more stable than those with just two or three. Twoor three-wheeled vehicles are

into a federal form is easier said than done.

First of all, there must be a study on which form of federal government suits us best.

It would entail an amendment of the 1987 Constitution, through a constitutional convention or constituent assembly or a people’s initiative.

But will this also mean changing the entire charter or just part of it? Already, there’s an

Continued on A11

ongoing debate about this and it will definitely take time.

Since the doors for amendment of the Constitution will be opened, who can stop members of the House of Representatives and the Senate from introducing more amendments? After all, the Constitution has many flaws.

And then, there has to be a plebiscite. Will the people agree?

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OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

WHAT DOES FREEDOM MEAN IN CHINA?

By Justin Fox THE bronze statue of Deng Xiaoping at the Shenzhen Museum is a little larger than life. But unlike the giant, striding Deng who towers over the city from a hill in a nearby park, there’s nothing imposing about it. It depicts the former Chinese leader planting a tree, something he did at a botanical garden in Shenzhen during a famous visit in 1992. The actual shovel and pail he used are in an adjacent display case.

The statue is part of the museum’s permanent exhibit on “Reform and Openingup History in Shenzhen,” to which I paid a visit during an Independence Day tour of this giant city on the border with Hong Kong. I didn’t go on July 4—the museum is closed Mondays, and the people of Shenzhen are all at work—but I figured July 3 was close enough.

While I was gazing upon Deng and his shovel, a teenage girl walked up to the statue and, ignoring the “No Touching” sign, rested her hand gently on Deng’s arm.

A guard started yelling at her,

but the girl kept her hand there for a while. Finally she gave the guard a withering look and moved on.

After that, several others walked up to the statue and touched Deng in the same place on his upper arm. In a couple of cases they posed for photos. The guard had by this point given up and moved on to another part of the exhibit.

Maybe all I was witnessing was the Chinese proclivity for ignoring petty rules. But in my Independence Day mindset I couldn’t resist reading a little more into the relationship between Deng, who died in 1997, and the inhabitants of this city that he played such a big role in creating.

Deng came to Shenzhen and planted that tree less than three years after ordering the violent crackdown on unarmed protesters in Tiananmen Square. He had retired as the Communist Party’s leader a few weeks after Tiananmen and, at age 87, no longer had a formal political role. But as his successors in the Party’s leadership began to proceed from silencing political dissent to squashing the country’s other ex-

periments with openness and reform—of which the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, created in 1980, was the most prominent—Deng decided he had to do something.

In January 1992 he left Beijing, without telling any top government officials what he was up to, and embarked on a tour of the economic-reform zones of southern China. By the time he got to Shenzhen, 50 to 60 news photographers were trailing him and crowds gathered to cheer him wherever he went. As Ezra P. Vogel put it in his 2013 biography of Deng: To many officials in Beijing, Deng was viewed as a stern commander, but the crowds in Shenzhen cheerily greeted “uncle Deng” (shushu hao) (and, for younger people, “grandpa Deng,” yeye hao), whom they found warm, witty, and eager to soak in all the latest developments.

The southern tour worked as Deng had hoped. Shenzhen’s experimentation with market economics was allowed to continue and was steadily embraced by the rest of the country. And, to

the surprise of many outside observers, Deng’s uneasy balancing of political repression with ever-growing economic freedoms has now outlived him by almost 20 years.

You may find this compromise cynical. You may find it unsustainable. I have held such views from time to time, and probably will again in the future. But take a tour of Shenzhen on a summer Sunday, as I did, and it’s really not hard to understand the fondness here for Uncle Deng.

This was a railroad-station town of 30,000 before the Special Economic Zone was created. Residents were constantly leaving to swim across the river to Hong Kong. Now, Shenzhen has 11 million inhabitants. They (or their parents—this city is bursting with children and teenagers) emigrated from all over China in search of economic opportunity here.

In the early days, they came for factory jobs and Shenzhen was a tough, grimy place.

In recent years, though, the manufacturers have ceded ground to research centers, financial firms, corporate

The fruits... From A9

No blaming... From A9

The fifth chapter, entitled Love made fruitful, is devoted to love’s fruitfulness and procreation. About this he writes: “Love always gives life. Conjugal love does not end with the couple… The couple, in giving themselves to one another, give not just themselves but also the reality of children, who are a living reflection of their love, a permanent sign of their conjugal unity and a living and inseparable synthesis of their being a father and a mother.”

He tells us that large families are a joy and blessing for the Church. They are an expression of the fruitfulness of love.

It speaks deeply on the spiritual and psychological manner of welcoming new life, about the waiting period of pregnancy, about the love of a mother and a father. He says that adoption for those who cannot have children is a generous way to become parents. Adopting is an act of love, offering the gift of a family to someone who has none, he adds.

Pope Francis also discusses family life in a broad sense which includes aunts and uncles, cousins, relatives of relatives, friends. With respect to expanded families, he sets as example Jesus who did not grow up in a narrow and stifling relationship with Mary and Joseph, but readily interacted with the wider family, the relatives of his parents and their friends. This chapter does not give emphasis on the so-called “nuclear” family” because it is very aware of the family as a wider network of many relationships. Thus, the nuclear family needs to reach out to the wider family made up of parents, aunts and uncles, cousins and even neighbors, especially to members who require assistance, or at least companionship and affection, or consolation amid suffering. Indeed, according to Pope Francis, the spirituality of the sacrament of marriage has a deeply social character. And within this social dimension, the Pope particularly emphasises the specific role of the relationship between youth and the elderly, as well as the relationship between brothers and sisters as a training ground for relating with others.

For the Pope, this larger family should give love and support to teenage mothers, children without parents, single mothers left to raise children, persons with disabilities needing particular affection and closeness, young people struggling with addiction, the unmarried, separated or widowed who are alone, and the elderly and infirm who lack the support of their children. It should also embrace “even those who have made shipwreck of their lives.” Marriage then is an opportunity to extend the couple’s love to an expanded membership of individuals, and being willing to do so is an exquisite expression of generous love for one’s spouse.

* The plan to revise tax rates, to make them more responsive to the needs not only of individual taxpayers but also of corporations. This is another major plank of the Duterte administration that represents a major departure from the virtual no tax-reduction policy of the previous government.

Of course, the new government is also toying with proposals to raise the Value Added Tax to 15 percent, but this doesn’t seem to be a priority of Duterte or his economic team. The all-important consideration is that the government is now talking about reducing income tax rates—something that was anathema to its predecessor.

Indeed, if Duterte and his men manage to revise income tax rates that have not been changed since the Ramos years, it will already be hailed

Facebook: tonylavs5 or Dean Tony La Viña Twitter: tonylavs

No need... From A10 road hazards—a slight bump on a moving tricycle or motorcycle is enough to send it flying into the air, with dangerous consequences for its driver and passengers. Therefore, their movement on major roads like Edsa should be restricted to a particular lane.

Compared to regular cars, vehicles with six or more wheels are heavy and, therefore, take more time to maneuver. For the same reason, they take more time to negotiate distances than light vehicles do. Accordingly, heavy vehicles like trucks should be

headquarters and startups, and Shenzhen’s leaders have been aggressively upgrading the city. It now boasts a great (and still-growing) subway system, beautiful parks, monumental buildings by famous architects, lively shopping district after lively shopping district—and let’s not even get started on the theme parks.

To paraphrase a couple of famous economists, capitalism is freedom (that’s Milton Friedman) and development is freedom (that’s Amartya Sen). Shenzhen has witnessed an awful a lot of capitalism and development over the past three decades. Its leaders have also been granted ample room for policy experimentation.

What Shenzhen hasn’t enjoyed are Western-style free speech or political self-determination. But the people of Shenzhen now have far more choices, and more autonomy, than their parents could ever have imagined. Thanks to Uncle Deng and their own achievements, they are freer.

That may not be enough, but it does seem worth noting on this Independence Day. Bloomberg

as ground-breaking by wage earners and corporate taxpayers. All of us are weary, after all, of the previous confiscatory regime that did not even improve infrastructure and services that the state should provide to the people whose taxes they collect. *** This is, of course, an incomplete list.

There is also, among others, the new focus on eradicating crime and illegal drugs, problems that were hardly even acknowledged during all of Aquino’s six years.

And yes, all of this is being done with no recriminations, no self-serving comparisons and no blaming of a president who styled himself as “the best this country ever had.” If Duterte continues working for the people’s good without using his blame-worthy predecessor as a convenient scapegoat, change will have already come.

confined to one lane on the roadways, and allowed to travel only outside rush hours.

Fifth postulate—To ensure the smooth flow of traffic, major roadways must be well-paved, and hazards on these roadways must be eliminated.

Traffic will not flow smoothly on Edsa or other major roads if these roads are in poor condition. Because automobile repair costs are prohibitive, motorists will always avoid potholes and other road irregularities, even if it means slowing down while traveling. Well-paved roads, therefore, reduce traffic problems.

(Continued on Saturday)

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

France into semis

Serena Williams stretches to return the ball to Germany’s Annika Beck during their women’s singles third round match on the seventh day of the 2016 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 3. AFP

Phelps anchors US team OMAHA, United States—Michael Phelps will bring down the curtain on his stellar Olympic career in Rio, heading a US swimming team packed with newcomers eager to stamp themselves the future of the sport.

Phelps and his gang of ageing warriors that includes Ryan Lochte, Nathan Adrian and Anthony Ervin have one thing in common with the 30 first timers: They all must swim faster than they did at the eight-day US trials if they want to dominate in the competition pool as they have in Games past.

US men’s head coach Bob Bowman, who has guided Phelps throughout a career that spans four prior Olympics that yielded 22 medals, 18 of them gold, believes they can.

“One of the things that we have always done well, better than anyone else, is improve from the trials to the Games,” Bowman said.

“And I’m confident we’re going to do that again. AFP

PARIS, France—Olivier Giroud scored twice to take manof-the-match honors as France marched into the Euro 2016 semifinals but even after a 5-2 hammering, Iceland departed with pride having struck new underdog blows.

France now play Germany aiming to settle old scores from past World Cups and Euros. And having home advantage and an attack led by Giroud and Antoine Griezmann that is starting to fire gives the French growing confidence.

The semifinals will start on Wednesday however with Gareth Bale’s Wales taking on Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal.

Giroud hit a goal in each half of the comprehensive victory at a rain-drenched Stade de France. He was joined on the scoresheet by Paul Pogba, Dimitri Payet and Griezmann.

Atletico Madrid striker Griezman hit a brilliant chip on the

stroke of half-time and now leads the tournament rankings with four goals.

French coach Didier Deschamps may have been worried however by the way Kolbeinn Sigthorsson and Birkir Bjarnason exposed France’s defensive frailties with two second-half goals.

Giroud was quick to pay tribute to Iceland, the revelation of the European Championship after their 2-1 victory over England.

“We scored five goals, we are very satisfied but Iceland never gave up. They fought with valor, they were very determined,” said the Arsenal striker.

“I want to pay tribute to them. They had a wonderful Euro,” added Giroud, who was brought off after his second goal to avoid getting a new yellow card that would have led to a suspension. AFP

Serena posts 300 wins LONDON, United Kingdom—Serena Williams needed just 51 minutes to clinch the 300th Grand Slam win of her career on Sunday as the defending champion made the Wimbledon last 16.

The 34-year-old American brushed aside Germany’s world number 43 Annika Beck 6-3, 6-0 on the back of 25 winners and seven aces and goes on to face long-time Russian rival Svetlana Kuznetsova.

“I thought it was good. I still want to get out to a little bit of a faster start but I was really focused and calm,” said Williams, who is just six wins short of Martina Navratilova’s Open era record of 306 Slam wins.

Williams has now won 82 matches at Wimbledon as she remains on course to equal Steffi Graf’s Open era record of 22 Grand Slam titles with her seventh Wimbledon crown.

Williams took the starring role as play was held on the middle Sunday for only the fourth time in Wimbledon history, and the first time since 2004, as organizers tried to clear the backlog caused by days of rain.

Nick Kyrgios, the Australian 15th seed, booked a last-16 clash with world number two Andy Murray after beating Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 6-4 in another tie held over from Saturday at one set all.

Murray, the 2013 champion, is the top seed left in the draw after world number one Novak Djokovic was knocked out by Sam Querrey on Saturday.

“I definitely have the tools to

beat Andy, but saying that, he’s probably one of the best players in the world and he’s probably the favorite at the moment since Novak is out,” Kyrgios said.

Fans who managed to secure tickets for Sunday’s extra day of play got their money’s worth on Court Two, where Jo-Wilfried Tsonga downed US marathon man John Isner 6-7 (3/7), 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 19-17.

French 12th seed Tsonga, a semi-finalist in 2011 and 2012, saved a match point in the 32nd game of the final set.

The last set alone lasted more than two hours.

Isner, the 18th seed, famously won the longest tennis match ever played when he beat another Frenchman, Nicolas Mahut, 7068 in the final set at Wimbledon in the first round in 2010.

That five-setter, stretched over three days, lasted 11 hours and five minutes.

Tsonga goes on to face fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Unseeded Czech left-hander

Jiri Vesely, who beat Djokovic in Monte Carlo in April, made the fourth round of a Slam for the first time by beating Portuguese 31st seed Joao Sousa 6-2, 6-2, 7-5.

He will meet compatriot and 10th seed Tomas Berdych, the 2010 runner-up, who edged German teenager Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Kuznetsova reached the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time since 2008 despite becoming involved in a row with the umpire over coaching.

The 31-year-old 13th seed battled back from 2-5 down in the final set to defeat US 18th seed Sloane Stephens 6-7 (1/7), 6-2, 8-6.

But the Russian was hit with a code violation for coaching early in the final set which prompted a bitter exchange with umpire Marijana Veljovic.

“I’m just doing my job,” said the official.

“Well, you’re not doing it very well,” responded Kuznetsova, the 2004 US Open champion and 2009 French Open winner. AFP

Gatlin books ticket to Rio Olympics EUGENE, United States—Justin Gatlin clocked the fastest 100 meters of the year to book his ticket to Rio at the US Olympic trials here Sunday as Allyson Felix shrugged off her injury woes to power to victory in the 400m.

Gatlin won in a blistering 9.8 seconds at Hayward Field to edge out young pretender Trayvon Bromell who was second in 9.84sec with Marvin Bracy third in 9.98sec.

The win sends the 34-year-old 2004 Olympic champion to Rio as the biggest threat to reigning champion Usain Bolt.

Gatlin, twice banned for doping offences during his controversial career, had earlier signalled his readiness by setting a seasonbest 9.83sec in the semifinals.

“I was trying to get me a ticket

on that boat going to Rio,” a delighted Gatlin said afterwards.

“My family has a ticket and that put pressure on me to punch my ticket,” said Gatlin, who confirmed he will not race again before Rio after running in the 200m here this week.

Asked if he had a message for injured Jamaican rival Bolt, Gatlin smiled and gave a thumbs up.

“I don’t know how you print this – but you can print that. Emoji thumb,” he joked.

Gatlin’s season-best time was matched in the women’s 400m

by Felix, who kept her dream of an Olympic 400-200 double alive with a gutsy victory hailed by her coach Bob Kersee as her best ever.

Felix, who has been hampered by an ankle injury following a

freak training accident in April, surged home down the stretch to win in 49.68sec, the fastest time in the world this year.

The 30-year-old from Los Angeles is aiming to become only the third woman after Valerie BriscoHooks of the US in 1984 and Marie-Jose Perec of France in 1996 to have won the 200m and 400m in the same Games.

“I don’t even think I can put it into words,” said Felix. “Two months ago I couldn’t even walk so to be here and still have everything come together I don’t know it happened.

“I just know that I had an amazing team of people that didn’t let me face it alone.”

Felix had been in fifth coming off the final curve before finding an extra gear to pull away. AFP

Justin Gatlin celebrates victory in the men’s 100 meter final during the 2016 US Olympic Track and Field Team Trials at Hayward Field on July 3, in Eugene, Oregon. AFP

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Never United A wins

By Peter Paul Duran

Players from opposing teams (Never United A and The Younghusband Football Academy) jostle for key spots in the pitch during the 2016 Adidas Cup in Circuit Makati. PETER PAUL DURAN

NEVER United A banked on calculated passing and disciplined defense to rule the 2016 Adidas Cup at the Blue Pitch in Circuit Makati.

The squad displayed frisking defense, shackling The Younghusband Football Academy squad, 1-0, in the men’s division finals anchored by defender and tournament MVP Ismael Qaddoura.

“I feel really good (being MVP).

And I’m very happy that we are the champions among so many teams that joined. We really deserved this,” said Qaddoura, who bested other players from 86 teams for the plum.

The Palestine-national also downplayed the individual award as he feels his team showed collective effort to win the ultra competitive 7-a-side tourney, which saw a benchclearing scuffle between Bosconians A and La Cucaracha FC resulting in

Taconing frustrated nd in 2 WBC title bid

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

HARD-HITTING Jonathan “Lightning” Taconing was frustrated once again in his second attempt to win the World Boxing Council light flyweight title when he was out-boxed and outsmarted by Mexican champion Ganigan “El Maravilla” Lopez at the Arena Coliseo in Mexico City.

Liza Elorde, wife of manager/promoter Johnny Elorde told The Standard: “I think we really lost.”

But she took issue with the scorecards of two of the American judges, who scored what Fight News described as a “hard fought 12-round decision” by lopsided margins of 118109 and 119-108.

Elorde said the 115-112 scorecard of the third judge was fair.

She also questioned referee Thomas Taylor’s deduction of a point in Round 8 due to a head-butt that caused a cut on Lopez’s right eye, although Elorde felt the cut was caused by a punch.

The taller Ganigan used his height

and reach advantage to the fullest.

He also used his stinging jab effectively to thwart the relentlessly aggressive Filipino, who tried to pin the champion against the ropes and work to the body.

Taconing hurt Lopez in the second round and again in the fifth.

“We thought Lopez will go down but he clinched,” Elorde said.

The mandatory challenger went all out in the final round, looking for a knockout, but Ganigan was too smart and refused to engage, obviously realizing he was ahead on the judges’ scorecards.

With the impressive win, Lopez improved to 28-6 with 17 knockouts,

while Taconing dropped to 22-3-1 with 18 knockouts.

It was another heartbreaking loss for the Filipino southpaw, who had then champion Pornsawan Porpramook in trouble in the fifth round, but the Korean referee who did a terrible job, stopped the fight in the sixth, claiming the Thai champion couldn’t continue because of the cut and he was awarded a hugely controversial technical decision.

The late Don Jose Sulaiman in response to a bitter complaint from Johnny Elorde and this reporter had a panel review the fight tape and suspended referee Jae Bong Kim for one.

Ironman 70.3 draws elite international cast CLOSE to 3,000 participants from 43 countries, led by very strong lineup of pros, will converge in Cebu on Aug. 7 for the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championships presented by Ford at Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa. Titleholders Tim Reed and Caroline Steffen will banner a world-class field of 31 pros who will serve as main attraction of the event that will also feature 2,869 equally determined competitors in the Filipino elite, CEOs, age groups and relay divisions.

Excitement for the prestigious event has been high since it was announced that Cebu will be the home of the 2016 AsPac Ironman. When registration was opened last October, the 2,900 slots in the elite 1.9K swim, 90K bike, 21K run race were sold out in just 28 minutes.

Produced and organized by Sun-

rise Events, Inc. and backed by Cobra Energy Drink as title sponsor, the tournament will offer the biggest prize money ever at $75,000 and the highest points earned.

“We are truly honored to be chosen as host for the Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship, marking the first time that this elite event is held in Asia, outside of Australia and New Zealand,” said SEI president Wilfred Uytengsu Jr. At the same time, 30 slots to the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championships will be up for grabs, giving participants extra motivation to vie for top honors in the event backed by Ford as presenting sponsor, Summit Water as presentor, 2Go Express (official courier and logistics partner), Asics, Gatorade, Mactan Resort and Spa, Cebu Province, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu City, Mandaue City, Talisay City, Philippine Airlines, Globe, Pru-

dential Guarantee, Oakley and Timex.

Renowned Filipino industrial designer Kenneth Cobonpue has once again crafted beautiful medals and trophies for the winners of the event to be aired live via streaming on www.ironman.com courtesy of Globe Telecoms, according to SEI. Other backers are Department of Tourism, Tourism Promotions Board, Alaska, David’s Salon, Intercare, Gu gel, Kenneth Cobonpue, Megaworld Mactan Newtown, Sun Life Financial, TYR, media partners The Philippine Star, ABS-CBN Sports+Action, TriLife Magazine, AsiaTri, Finisher Pix, technology partner Xurpas, official hotels Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa, Be Resorts Mactan, Crimson Resort and Spa Mactant, Waterfront Hotel and Casino Mactan, Movenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu and offiicial registration partner Active Network.

two players getting ejected.

“This game (finals) was really important. Never United is always trying to improve (every game). We are (that kind of) team and we played good today,” added Qaddoura.

Anton Amistoso scored the winner for United A midway through the game after sneaking in a ground ball from the left flank to win in convincing manner.

But the storyline just had to have a strong backstory.

Never United A had to defy the odds and the gods as they played through torrential downpour in their Round of 16 match before coming up with two penalty shootout wins en route to the Finals.

They had to settle it at the spot with their teammates from Never United B in the Quarterfinals after which surviving a 5-4 shootout from eventual bronze-medalists Superbad FC.

Velezes, Bandolis share tennis honors PATRICIA Velez redeemed herself from a pair of failed title bids with a two-division sweep while younger brother John David matched her feat in the boys’ side of the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala Bukidnon regional age-group tennis tournament at the DPWH and Malaybalay Tennis Club yesterday.

Patricia used her power and experience to score a shutout victory over Novi Melendez, 6-0, 6-0, in the girls’ 18-and-under finals and dropped just a game in her 6-0, 6-1 romp over Ivy Poliquit to bag the 16-U diadem in the Group 5 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop with Slazenger as presentor.

“The event has been a big boost to local tennis, generating so much interest from the youth the whole of Malaybalay and nearby towns and we hope Palawan Pawnshop will make this a regular stop in its future circuits,” said Rep. Florencio Flores Jr. John David, one of Davao’s rising stars, stunned top seed Steven Sonsona, 7-5, 6-4, to snare the 16-U crown then dominated Vince Dandasan, 6-1, 6-1, to annex the 14-U plum in the four-day event 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. round in our continuing commitment to help search for young talents, especially in the countryside,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.

Poliquit, from Maramag, atoned for her setback in the 16-U finals by bagging the 14-U crown with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Aira Mansaladez while siblings Kristine and Kurt Bandolis from Tubod, Lanao took the 12-U and 10-unisex titles with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Angela Buyante and a 4-1, 4-0 triumph over Reynan Saldivar Jr., respectively.

“The PPS-PEPP circuit will continue putting up series of tournaments all year Top seed Renest Sonsona, also from Tubod, frustrated brother Steven, 6-4, 6-4, to claim the 18-U crown while Christopher Sonsona capture the 12-U plum with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over giant-killer Kyle Robeniol, who earlier shocked No. 1 Kurt Bandolis, 4-2, 2-4, 10-7.

Racing, football at Forum THE third leg of the local Triple Crown and proponents of the Football For A Better Life 2 take the spotlight in Tuesday’s session of the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Shakey’s Malate.

Guests’ list for the big racing spree dubbed Erap Cup set this Sunday at the San Lazaro Leisure Park include Philracom commissioner Atty. Dondon Bagatsing, PHILTOBO (Philippine Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Organization) president Manny Santos,

and Albert Dichavez of the City of Manila.

Philippine Azkals’ Simone Rota, Misagh Bahadoran, and Amani Aguinaldo make up the football side of the discussion, together with coach Chieffy Caligdong, Albert Almendralejo of Spears Sports, and Lee Longa of Pru Life.

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

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

PBA mourns death of Elite player

By Jeric Lopez

PH Golf Tour goes to Bacolod

THE entire Philippine Basketball Association is mourning the passing of Blackwater Elite forward Gilbert Bulawan, who died Sunday night.

In a shocking news that caught the league by surprise, Bulawan collapsed during the Elite’s early evening practice Sunday and eventually passed away just minutes after that.

The 29-year-old player out of San Sebastian College was immediately rushed to the nearby Capitol Medical (hospital) but was pronounced dead on arrival.

The PBA, through Commissioner Chito Narvasa, released a statement regarding the unfortunate death of Bulawan.

“We are very saddened to hear the passing of one of our beloved players and a member of our PBA family, Gilbert Bulawan,” said Narvasa in his statement. “On behalf of the PBA, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to his family and I would like to request everyone to pray for his eternal and peaceful rest.”

The league also stated that it will provide financial assistance to Bulawan’s family.

Like Narvasa, Bulawan’s fellow players immediately expressed sadness over his passing through their Twitter accounts.

“Heart of heavy hearing the news of Gilbert Bulawan. Prayers go out to his family and loved ones. #RIP,” said National team member Gabe Norwood.

“Sad news today. Condolences to the family of Gilbert Bulawan. Rest in

Peace,” said Jeff Chan, another Smart Gilas Pilipinas member.

“Sad day. Please pray for Gilbert Bulawan’s family. To Gilbert, thank you for always being respectful every time we go against each other. #RIPBulawan,” said Ginebra star Mark Caguioa.

“Prayers for Gilbert Bulawan and his family! RIP,” said LA Tenorio.

“Shocked to hear about Gilbert Bulawan. So young. So soon. Prayers for his family,” said Ginebra assistant coach Richard Del Rosario.

“Thoughts and prayers go out to Gilbert Bulawan and his loved ones.

May your soul rest in peace,” said Talk ‘N Text veteran Harvey Carey.

An autopsy is still being performed as of this report to determine what caused Bulawan’s death. Team officials are convinced that it was due to cardiac arrest, something similar to what happened to PBA legend Samboy Lim over a year ago that got him paralyzed.

Bulawan had no known ailment and was said to be one of the fittest players of the team.

According to Blackwater team owner Dioceldo Sy, Bulawan, taken in the 2011 PBA Draft, collapsed right in front of him in during their practice and was still able to hold on to teammate Reil Cervantes before eventually passing out.

Republic of the Philippines Province of lIocos Sur MUNICIPALITY OFMAGSINGAL

Tony Lascuña is seeking a third straight leg victory in the ICTSI Bacolod Golf Challenge at the Bacolod Golf and Country Club.

INVITATION TO BID PROCUREMENT OF EQUIPMENTS FOR THE ROAD OPENING AND IMPROVEMENT OF CADANGLAAN-KARISKIS FMR AND SITIO BAET-LABUT FMR PHASE I The Municipal Government of Magsingal through the Municipal Share of the Virginia Tobacco Excise Tax (RA 7171) intends to apply the total sum of TEN MILLION PESOS ( Php 10,000,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the PROCUREMENT OF EQUIPMENTS FOR THE ROAD OPENING AND IMPROVEMENT OF CADANGLAAN -KARlSKIS FMR AND SITlO BAET-LABUT FMR PHASE 1 in the Municipality of Magsingal, lIocos Sur. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically be rejected at bid opening.

The Municipal Government of Magsingal, Ilocos Sur through its Bids & Awards Committee (BAC), now invites suppliers/ dealers to bid for the PROCUREMENT OF EQUIPMENTS FOR THE ROAD OPENING AND IMPROVEMENT OF CADANGLAAN -KARISKIS FMR AND SITIO BAET-LABUT FMR PHASE I in the municipality with details as follows: 1 unit Road Roller 10 Tonner 1 unit .5 Excavator 1 unit .3 Excavator 1 unit Road Grader bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from Local Government Unit of Magsingal and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday to Friday.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for tlle Bidding Documents in the amount of Ten Thousand Pesos (Php 10,000.00).

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhiIGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later that the submission of their bids.

The Municipal Government of Magsingal will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on July 8, 2016 @ 10:00 A.M. at Municipal Hall Lobby, Magsingal, Ilocos Sur which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before July 21, 2016 until 9:00 A.M. at Municipal Hall Lobby. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in the Bidding Documents.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders or bidders representative who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shal l not be accepted.

The complete schedule of activities is listed as follows: Issuance of Bid Documents Pre -Bid Conference Submission and Opening of Bids Bid Evaluation Post Qualification Issuauce of Notice ofAward

July 1-21, 2016 July 8, 2016 @ 10:00 A.M. Mun. Hall Lobby, Magsingal, Ilocos Sur July 21, 2016 @ 10:00 A.M., Mun. Hall Lobby, Magsingal, Ilocos Sur July 22,2016 July 25, 2016 July 27,2016

The Municipal Government of Magsingal reserves the right to accept or reject any of all Bids, to annul the bidding process and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liabi lity to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to:

RE: PETITION FOR THE JUDICIAL DECLARATION OF NULLITY OF BIRTH CERTIFICATE OF VIA MARIE RUBEN CABEL RODRIGUEZ FILED WITH THE NATIONAL STATISCTICS OFFICE,

Let a copy of this Order be published once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks at the expense of the petitioner in a newspaper of general circulation determined by raf f le pursuant to PD 1079.

Furnish the Of fice of the Solicitor General, the Of fice of the Local Civil Registrar Of Quezon City and the Of f ice of the Civil Registrar General/Philippine Statistics Authority (formerly NSO) with copies of this Order and the verified Petition together with its annexes, all at the expense of the petitioner.

SPEC PRO NO. R-QZN-16- 05131 SP VIA MARIE RUBEN CABEL, Petitioner. x----------------------------------x

ORDER

SO ORDERED. Quezon City, Philippines, May 26, 2016.

A verified petition was filed before this cour t by Via Marie Ruben Cabel praying that af ter due notice, publication and hearing, a judgment be rendered nullif ying the Cer tificate of Live Bir th on file with the National Statistics Of fice bearing the name of VIA MARIE CABEL RODRIGUEZ and the Cer tif icate of Live Bir th filed with the Local Civil Registrar of Quezon City be maintained as the Bir th Cer tificate of the petitioner and the National Statistics Of f ice be directed to cancel in the f iles of Live Bir ths the Bir th Cer tificate of VIA MARIE CABEL RODRIGUEZ and that the one which ref lects the name of VIA MARIE RUBEN CABEL bearing Local Civil Registr y No. 87- 4 4861 be the one registered and be entered into the records of Live Bir ths of the National Statistics Of f ice.

(Sgd.) ARTHUR O. MAL ABAGUIO Presiding Judge

COPY FURNISHED: 1.

(TS-JULY 5 , 2016)

EGARGO PUERTOLL ANO GERVACIO GARRIDO L AW OFFICES Counsel for the Petitioner R m. 210 Senor Ivan de Palac io B ldg. D iliman, Q uezon Cit y

2.

Via Marie Ruben Cabel Petitioner N o. 21 Esc aler St reet, Loyola H eight s, D iliman, Q uezon C tiy

3.

Of fice of the Civil Registrar General Philippine Statistics Authorit y (For mer ly N ational St atistic s O f f ic e) East Avenue, Q uezon Cit y

WHEREFORE, finding the Petition to be suf f icient in form and substance, let the same be set for hearing on 06 September 2016, Tuesday at 8:30 in the morning before this Cour t sitting at Room 126, Ground Floor, Hall

4.

Lo c a l Ci vil Re gi st r a r of Quezon Cit y Q uezon Cit y H all C ompound

5.

Of fice of the Solicitor General 13 4 A mor solo St., Legaspi V illage, M akati Cit y

(TS - July 5, 12 & 19, 2016)

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NOW THEREFORE, by vir tue of said NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION Writ of E xecution and in acc ordanc e Rule 39, Section 19 of the Revised REGIONAL TRIAL COURT 2 c o l s . x with 8 c m sof. Cour t of the Philippines, Rules 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:

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

TR ANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. ( T-24 0 08) T-12815 Registry of Deeds for the Province of Laguna

MARIVIC P. ALVAREZ Office of the Mayor Municipal Hall Main Building San Julian, Magsingal, Ilocos Sur (077) 726-3716 Igumagsingal@vahoo.com (SGD) TlBURCIO T. TABARREJO, JR. Chairman -Bids and Awards Committee

of Justice Building, Quezon City.

Any reason having or claiming any interest, under the entries sought to be changed, may file his opposition thereto, appear on said hearing and show cause in writing, if any, why the petition should not be granted.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 93, QUEZON CITY

“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.”

2

cols. x

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)

10

cms.

THE Philippine Golf Tour returns to Bacolod for a two-week swing beginning Wednesday, with Tony Lascuña seeking a third straight leg victory in the ICTSI Bacolod Golf Challenge at the Bacolod Golf and Country Club.

The par-70 layout at Hacienda Binitin in Murcia, Negros Occidental is actually hosting a PGT event for the first time with the 75-player field bracing for a different kind of challenge at the tight, tree-lined, hazard laden layout with unpredictable putting surface.

Still, focus will be on Lascuña, who edged Japanese Ryoma Miki by one at Eagle Ridge Invitational last month then dominated the field with a season-best 11-shot romp over Zanieboy Gialon and Orlan Sumcad at Forest Hills Championship two weeks ago.

The P1.5 million championship, sponsored by ICTSI, serves as the first of two events in Bacolod with the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club staging the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic on July 13-16.

Lascuña also won last at the former Marapara layout, beating Elmer Salvador and amateur Lloyd Go by five in one of his five victories in 2014 en route to annexing a third straight Order of Merit crown.

PSC wants to build better sports facilities

By Peter Atencio IN strengthening the grassroots sports program of the Philippine Sports Commission, searching and establishing new facilities to train and prepare athletes for national and international competitions is a must.

New Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez said this before he made an ocular inspection of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila and the Philsports Complex in Pasig.

“Sports facilities are part of the requirement. It is high time for us to set up a strong grassroots program and good international program,” said Ramirez.

Ramirez, who was officially handed over his new duties by outgoing PSC chief Ricardo “Richie” Garcia during Mondday’s flag-raising rites, said he agrees with Garcia that portions of Rizal Memorial and the Philsports grounds are no longer conducive to training because of pollution.

He made an example of the training centers in Australia, which is far from the city proper.

The PSC chief also noted that facilities in China may be near the heart of the city, but they are protected from environmental issues.

On the other hand, the ones built in Cuba are state of the art, or well-built.

Commissioner Charles Maxey, who was one of the commissioners present during the official turnover rites with Garcia, added that Ramirez had appealed to the athletes and coaches occupying the dorms at the ULTRA to keep their premises clean, and liveable.

Red...

From A15

With the 6’3” Abu Hijle taking charge in the second, the Red Cubs drew eight points from him and moved away by 11, 43-32, at halftime.

“We were able to adjust well in the second quarter, by going fast and strong under the boards,” said Red Cubs coach JB Sison.

T UE S DAY : J ULY 5 , 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

Red Cubs, Braves turn back foes Games Monday (at the Arena in San Juan) 9 a.m. JRU vs SSC 10:45 a.m. San Beda vs UPHSD 12:30 p.m. EAC vs Arellano 2:15 p.m. LSGH vs Letran 4 p.m. Mapua vs Lyceum

By Peter Atencio

Rodeo action. Rio Lee of Tucson, AZ competes in the bareback riding at the Prescott Frontier Days “World’s Oldest Rodeo” in Prescott,

Arizona. AFP

LAST year’s finalists San Beda College and Arellano University turned back separate foes and stayed on top with the Mapua Red Robins Monday in the junior division of the 92nd National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament at the Arena in San Juan.

Big man Sam Abu Hijle came up with a double-double performance, hitting 17 points and hauling down 13 rebounds to help power the Red Cubs to a 107-60 demolition of the Emilio Aguinaldo College-ICA Brigadiers.

The Arellano Braves, led by Guilmer de la Torre with 19 points, proved deadly with their transition game and claimed their third straight win at the expense of the Jose Rizal University Light Bombers, 95-74.

The Mapua Red Robins, still playing without injured point guard Mike Enriquez, slammed the San Sebastian Staglets, 101-45, with Jasper Salenga, Romuel Junsay and Bryan Samudio leading with 15 points apiece.

The Red Cubs, who are seeking their eighth straight crown, took charge right away, with Germy Mahinay and Joshua Tagala scoring seven of their 14 points each in the first period.

Their efforts propelled the Red Cubs to a 27-20 edge in the first 10 minutes.

Turn to A14

Jet Spikers surprise HD tossers, near volley title AIR Force leaned on its pair of talented rookie recruits Fauzi Ismail and Howard Mojica as it pulled the rug from under erstwhile unbeaten Cignal, 25-19, 25-16, 25-19, yesterday in Game One of the Spikers’ Turf Season 2 Open Conference Finals at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

The power-spiking Ismail, a third year student at National U, unloaded a match-high 21 hits, including 16 on kills, while the heavy-hitting Mojica, a former back-to-back NCAA MVP, scattered 11 points to steer the Jet Spikers past the HD Spikers and closer to a dream championship.

“They’re a big addition to our

team because (Ran) Abdilla and (Edwin) Tolentino are injured,” said Air Force coach Rhovyl Verayo, referring to the IsmailMojica tandem.

Air Force, however, will have to wait a little longer with Game 2 set on July 13 as the league takes a break to give way to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament be-

ginning today at Sunday and MonGames on July 13 the MOA Arena. day morning and (Philsports Arena, Pasig) A deciding Game 10 a.m. – Sta. Elena vs IEM sacrifice their fam(Battle for third) Three, if necessary, ily day,” he said.

1 p.m. – Air Force vs will be played on During the emerCignal (Finals) July 16, also at the gency practices, VePhilsports Arena. rayo said they worked on their Verayo said they hope blocking and reception. toughen up during the long “When we lost to them in break. the elimination round, we fo“We’ll resume practice to- cused on improving our demorrow (today) until July 13. fense and I’m glad we did,” he Whatever happens in Game said.

Two, at least we did our best to Earlier, Sta. Elena Conprepare for it,” he said. struction defeated Instituto Verayo said they were not Estetico Manila, 25-17, 22-25, bothered by the league’s last 25-22, 25-19, to likewise move minute re-scheduling from within a win from clinchGame 13 to yesterday. ing third place honors in the “I received the text at mid- league organized by Sports night so I quickly texted the Vision and backed by Mikasa players that we have a practice and Accel.

Boost for Gilas STEP BACK ARMAN D. ARMERO IF plans push through, the Gilas Pilipinas national team will not only have the support of the crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena when they play against NBA superstar Tony Parker and the rest of the French nationals in today’s qualifying match for the Olympics, but also that of the country’s newlyinaugurated president as well.

News reports yesterday said that President Rodrigo Duterte might take time off from his busy schedule to watch the PH-France match slated at 9 p.m., and this could further boost the morale

of the nationals, who will be the decided underdogs against the mighty French team.

I wouldn’t be surprised if President Digong will indeed watch the highly-anticipated match, since he is a known basketball fan.

In fact, I first met then Mayor Duterte in Davao City inside the Almendras gym during a championship game that served as one of the activities of Araw ng Dabaw two years ago. Told that there were Manila-based scribes, who were covering the game, the good mayor summoned us and had a brief talk with us.

Back then, he struck me as a nononsense public official, but at the same time showed his soft side as he keenly watched and obviously enjoyed the basketball game.

The president also showed that

he cared for Philippine sports by bringing back to the Philippine Sports Commission as chairman his friend and close ally, William “Butch” Ramirez, a fellow Davaoeno, who boasts of a good track record when he first served as chairman of the same agency several years ago.

President Duterte could have appointed somebody more prominent, but by appointing Ramirez, the president put premium on substance over form and performance over name recall.

If Digong does show up at the MOA later today, I’m sure basketball fans will be more energized to see the Chief Executive be one of them in cheering for the hometown boys and I’m sure the Gilas team itself will have another good reason to play their hearts out for flag and country.

EJ still hopeful of Rio *** Today’s excitement for the PHFrance match is tinged by sadness on news that Blackwater’s Gilbert Bulawan died of an apparent heart attack during the team’s practice last Saturday.

Bulawan was only 29 years old and had already shown potential as an inside operator.

While we all grieve for his death, his untimely passing also reminds us that life is short and we must live every day as if it our last. I can say this because I too nearly succumbed to a heart attack, but God had intervened at the right moment to extend my life.

Our condolences to Gilbert’s family, and may God grant you comfort, peace and courage as you confront this tragedy. e-mail me at armero_23@ yahoo.com

FILIPINO pole vaulter EJ Obiena is still hopeful that he can make it to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

He is currently competing in Europe under the guidance of famed pole vault coach Vitaly Petrov.

The 20-year-old Obiena had trained under Petrov at the Spala Olympic Centre in Poland for a month since December last year.

Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association president, Philip Ella Juico got a report from EJ’s fathercoach, Emerson, who reported that the younger Obiena recently finished three competitions in Europe.

First, he cleared 5.30 meters in Lisbon, Portugal before hitting 5.40 m in Leverkusen, Germany and 5.30 m in Landau, Germany.

The Obiena family hopes that EJ can participate in three more competitions before July 11, the day the International Association of Athletics Federations announces the qualifiers to the Rio games.

Obiena, a University of Sto. Tomas college junior, cleared 5.55 meters in the Singapore Open held a few weeks ago.

The entry mark for men’s pole vault in the Rio Olympics is 5.70 meters. Peter Atencio

T U E S DAY : J U LY 5 , 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

Members of the Gilas Pilipinas, together with coaches and officials of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, are shown during the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament Welcome Dinner at the Sunset Pavillion of the Sofitel Manila.

Wear white, fans told GILAS Pilipinas is asking its fans to show their support not only through cheers Games Today but also colors (Mall of Asia Arena) in its cam6:30 p.m. - Turkey vs.

Canada (Group A) paign in the 9 p.m. - France vs.

Philippines (Group B) FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena today and tomorrow.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas wants the Gilas supporters to show their unified and unstinting support to the home side by wearing white in the game against France tonight and blue in the equally crucial match against New Zealand tomorrow evening at the same 9 p.m. timeslot.

White and blue are the chief colors in Gilas’ uniforms.

Gilas sure would welcome whatever help it can get against World No. 5 France and the equally tall and hefty New Zealand crew, seven rungs above the Philippines in the FIBA rankings at No. 21.

Such a show of support and solidarity from the fans would be even more needed should Gilas makes the knockout stages, where it gets to meet either Canada and Turkey, 21st and eighth in the world, respectively.

The crossover semifinals are set July 9 with the finals scheduled the following day.

Only the winner of the OQT gets a ticket to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics set next month.

The Philippines last appeared in the Olympics’ basketball stage in 1972.

This is it: Gilas Pilipinas takes on mighty France

By Jeric Lopez

IT IS on.

The FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament Manila leg kicks off today, highlighted by the muchanticipated battle between European powerhouse France and host Gilas Pilipinas at 9 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

It will be star-studded affair as NBA champions Tony Parker and Boris Diaw will lead France, ranked fifth in the world, against the Philippines, which will be spearheaded by the one-two punch of NBA veteran Andray Blatche and Jayson Castro, one of the premier guards in Asia, as well as a Filipino crowd tasked to wear white in support of the team.

Serena posts 300th victory TURN TO A12

Prior to this, the tournament’s opening game pits loaded nations Canada and Turkey at 6:30 p.m.

The Philippines, France, Canada, New Zealand, Turkey and Senegal are the countries competing in the six-nation tournament and only the champion will get a berth in the Rio Olympics next month.

Gilas Pilipinas, France and

New Zealand are grouped together (Group B), while Canada, Turkey and Senegal are on the other (Group A). Teams will play their groupmates once, with the top two teams after the elimination round moving to the crossover semifinals to be played on Saturday.

Tomorrow, Gilas Pilipinas will be right back in action as it takes on New Zealand, also at 9 p.m., in its second and last game of the classification round, while Canada and Senegal lock horns at 6:30 p.m.

Gilas already had some break as Charlotte Hornets’ star Nicolas Batum is set to miss France’s first two games of the tournament due to contract concerns with his NBA team.

PH Golf Tour goes to Bacolod TURN TO A14

Still, France, which many consider as the pre-tournament favorite, will be a handful for the Philippines and for all the participating teams.

The Philippines would have to rely heavily on its advantage from the perimeter.

Parker even admitted that France is wary of the outside sniping of the Filipinos.

A win will move the victor closer to the semifinals.

Canada will be led by Cleveland Cavalier and fresh NBA titlist Tristan Thompson, while Turkey will have NBA banger Omar Azik on its side.

Gilas Pilipinas is set to do everything in its power to advance to the Rio Olympics and end its long dry spell.

B1

TUESDAY: JULY 5, 2016

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

Meet the chief. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III delivers a speech during his first flag-raising ceremony at the Finance Department’s main office at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas complex along Roxas Boulevard in Manila. PNA

Duterte govt to review P3.35-t budget for 2017

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

THE economic team of President Rodrigo Duterte will meet for the first time today to tackle the proposed P3.35-trillion government budget for 2017.

Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said the interagency Development Budget Coordination Committee would start threshing out the details of the proposed budget for 2017 in line with the schedule to submit it to the House of Representatives on Aug. 25.

“We are going to work on the budget, so we are having a DBCC [meeting] to thresh out the 2017 budget so that it will be ready 30 days after the State of the Nation Address. Sona is July 25 so it should be ready by Aug. 25,” said

Pernia, who also serves as the director-general of the National Economic and Development Authority.

DBCC is an inter-agency planning body composed by the Budget Department, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Finance Department, Neda and the Office of the President that determines overall economic targets, expenditure levels and budget frameworks.

The Duterte administration earlier pledged to raise infrastructure spending to 5 percent to 6 percent of the gross domestic

product, representing about P800 billion to P1 trillion, to resolve traffic congestion in Metro Manila and spread development to the countryside.

“In that budget, we are going to make sure that budget allocations are spent to purposes they are intended and spent quickly and efficiently,” Pernia said.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III told reporters he would propose to increase the government’s budget deficit ceiling to 3 percent of gross domestic product as early as 2016 from less than 2 percent in the previous years.

Dominguez said the higher budget deficit ceiling would be discussed by DBCC. Pernia said the economic cluster composed of several agencies such the Finance, Budget Trade, Energy, Transportation, Public

Works and Tourism Departments would also discuss ways on how to cut red tape and corruption in project approvals.

“In the afternoon, the economic development cluster which comprises several departments, we are going to find ways of cutting red tape in getting projects approved and implemented so that we can get the results, the output and the outcomes of these projects sooner rather than later,” Pernia said.

“So we hope to be able to enjoy the outcomes of these projects even during our term, in the next six years because many of these projects, especially infrastructure projects, take time,” he said.

He said the Duterte administration aimed to “show tangible results already in the first 100 days.”

Pernia said the priority was to address the traffic congestion in Metro Manila

PSe comPoSite index Closing July 4, 2016

8300 7840 7380 6920 6460 6000

7,846.54 16.19

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing July 4, 2016 48.00 46.00 45.00

PROPERTY developer Sta. Lucia Land Inc. plans to aggressively expand its tourism portfolio by building 12 new world-class golf courses, country clubs and multiple hotel developments nationwide.

Sta. Lucia chief finance officer David dela Cruz said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the company and parent Sta. Lucia Realty & Development Inc. would continue to venture into tourismrelated projects on robust outlook of the tourism industry.

“We will do more to support

this buoyant sector as we continue to embark on tourism related assets,” Dela Cruz said, noting the growth in demand from both foreigners and local tourists.

Citing data from Tourism Department, Sta. Lucia said the Philippines generated earnings amounting of P227.62 billion from 5.36 million visitors in 2015.

The amount is 5.9 percent higher than the previous earnings of P214.88 billion in 2014.

Sta. Lucia said it would focus to expand its businesses in key cities nationwide with developments in Dagupan City, the Calabarzon

area, Iloilo, Cebu, Palawan, General Santos City and Davao.

Sta. Lucia last week also reported expansion projects outside of Metro Manila.

The property company said residential communities, commercial areas and vertical towers in areas in emerging cities outside the metropolis had been a contributing factor in nationbuilding.

The company currently has 84 projects totalling 1,924 hectares in various parts of the country, including Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga, Dagupan, Ca-

banatuan, Zambales, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Davao, Baguio, Pangasinan and Palawan.

Sta.Lucia recently acquired 36 properties with a combined area of 125.35 hectares in Batangas, Laguna, Palawan, Cebu, Iloilo and Zamboanga City.

It signed four joint venture agreements covering 87.65 hectares in Palawan, Rizal, Antipolo City and Negros Occidental, Visayas.

The deals brought the portfolio covered by joint agreements to 1.824 million sq. m. and land acquisitions to 2.212 million sq. m. in 2016 to date.

CLOSE

43.00

HIGH P46.770 LOW P46.890 AVERAGE P46.833 VOLUME 535.200M

P427.00-P620.00 LPG/11-kg tank P36.35-P43.45 Unleaded Gasoline

oPriceS il P today

P24.75-P29.60 Diesel P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene

Sta. Lucia building more golf courses, hotels

By Jenniffer B. Austria

P46.775

44.00

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, July 4, 2016

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

46.9680

Japan

Yen

0.009748

0.4578

UK

Pound

1.325100

62.2373

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128906

6.0545

Switzerland

Franc

1.027644

48.2664

Canada

Dollar

0.774293

36.3670

Singapore

Dollar

0.743052

34.8997

Australia

Dollar

0.744600

34.9724

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652379

124.5769

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266667

12.5248

Brunei

Dollar

0.740302

34.7705

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000076

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.028466

1.3370

UAE

Dirham

0.272257

12.7874

Euro

Euro

1.113500

52.2989

Korea

Won

0.000870

0.0409

China

Yuan

0.150207

7.0549

India

Rupee

0.014885

0.6991

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.250250

11.7537

New Zealand

Dollar

0.716300

33.6432

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031032

1.4575 Source: PDS Bridge

TUESDAY: JULY 5, 2016

B2

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Monday, July 4, 2016

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low 7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 4.2 17 30.45 10.4 2.6 890 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 75 91.5 137 361.2 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 1.02 625 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 58 62 88.35 276 41 118.2 1200 59 2.65

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 20.6 125 85 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 2.89 31.8 109 20.75 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 4 33.9 90 13.26 293 0.62 5.25 12.98 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.34 1450 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 5.28 1.3 2.17

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 15.32 62.5 20.2 10.08 29.15 1.5 1.5 10.72 9.55 9.04 6.02 8.86 1.06 20.2 71.5 13.86 13.24 5.34 0.395 173 1.63 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 0.335 3.87 8.45 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 5.9 801 1.55 0.138 1.02 2.09 152 4.28 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 5.29 9.25 0.85 17.3 5.53 9.66 0.0670 2.31 1.61 84.9 3.5 974 1.66 1.39 390 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

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

10.5 26.95 1.99 1.75 0.375 41.4 5.6 5.59 1.44 1.97 1.48 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97

6.74 12 0.65 1.2 0.192 30.05 3.36 4.96 0.79 1.1 0.97 0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83

STOCKS

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.67 3.6 47.55 46.75 114.50 113.20 99.70 98.00 38.55 38 4.15 4.05 1.40 1.34 14.2 14.2 18.62 18.3 6.80 6.54 2.18 1.9 630.00 600.00 0.540 0.530 89.25 86.9 0.94 0.9 14.96 14.9 22.30 22.00 57.90 57.40 107.4 106 270 263 32 31.65 192.5 191 1350.00 1340.00 65.30 64.95 1.52 1.52 INDUSTRIAL Aboitiz Power Corp.

45.9 46.3 44.5 Agrinurture Inc. 3.74 3.75 3.6 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.81 0.81 0.8 Alsons Cons.

1.99 2.04 1.96 Asiabest Group 11.6 11.8 11.5 Century Food 22.2 23.5 22.2 Chemphil 175 153.5 140.1 Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ 173 180 170 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 16.24 16.38 16 Concepcion 47 48 46 Crown Asia 2.03 2.04 2 Da Vinci Capital 5.6 5.6 5.46 Del Monte 12.28 12.46 12.3 DNL Industries Inc. 9.500 9.700 9.510 Emperador 7.07 7.30 7.06 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.52 5.60 5.50 EEI 7.73 7.73 7.58 Euro-Med Lab 1.83 1.69 1.69 First Gen Corp.

24.8 25.5 24.7 First Holdings ‘A’ 67.85 69.8 67.8 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 12.00 12.10 12.00 Holcim Philippines Inc. 15.20 15.38 15.20 Integ. Micro-Electronics 5.56 5.69 5.6 Ionics Inc 2.320 2.430 2.280 Jollibee Foods Corp.

245.20 245.00 243.00 Mabuhay Vinyl 3.15 3.26 3.26 Manila Water Co. Inc. 26.95 27.25 26.85 Maxs Group 29.1 30.5 28.6 Megawide 6.6 6.74 6.59 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 315.80 319.00 315.00 MG Holdings 0.270 0.265 0.260 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 3.38 3.5 3.4 Petron Corporation 11.00 11.02 10.78 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 6.25 6.25 6.20 Phoenix Semiconductor 1.63 1.68 1.62 Pryce Corp. `A’ 2.8 2.82 2.78 RFM Corporation 4.20 4.20 4.00 Roxas Holdings 4 4 4 San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’ 209 220 207.8 Splash Corporation 2.55 2.57 2.51 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.148 0.154 0.146 TKC Steel Corp.

1.80 1.98 1.68 Trans-Asia Oil 2.50 2.49 2.42 Universal Robina 207.4 207.4 204.8 Victorias Milling 4.71 4.69 4.53 Vitarich Corp.

0.87 0.95 0.85 Vulcan Ind’l.

1.28 1.27 1.22 HOLDING FIRMS Abacus Cons. `A’ 0.375 0.380 0.360 Aboitiz Equity 79.00 80.00 78.80 Alliance Global Inc. 15.20 15.32 15.12 Anglo Holdings A 1.14 1.15 1.13 Anscor `A’ 6.00 6.25 6.11 ATN Holdings A 0.370 0.375 0.360 ATN Holdings B 0.385 0.370 0.360 Ayala Corp `A’ 844 861 845 Cosco Capital 7.7 7.8 7.75 DMCI Holdings 12.70 12.94 12.66 F&J Prince ‘A’ 5.34 5.35 5.32 Filinvest Dev. Corp.

6.50 6.60 6.40 Forum Pacific 0.244 0.245 0.235 GT Capital 1465 1485 1466 House of Inv. 6.30 6.45 6.45 JG Summit Holdings 84.50 85.70 83.50 Keppel Holdings `A’ 5.35 5.7 5.36 Lopez Holdings Corp.

7.78 7.78 7.7 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.7 0.7 0.69 LT Group 15.88 15.86 15.2 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 6.77 6.95 6.77 MJCI Investments Inc. 3.1 3.1 3.1 Pacifica `A’ 0.0350 0.0350 0.0340 Prime Media Hldg 1.250 1.240 1.240 Prime Orion 1.830 1.830 1.810 San Miguel Corp `A’ 78.75 79.70 78.10 Seafront `A’ 2.25 2.15 2.15 SM Investments Inc. 990.00 1004.00 987.00 Solid Group Inc. 1.18 1.20 1.18 South China Res. Inc. 0.89 0.90 0.86 Transgrid 185.00 182.00 182.00 Top Frontier 195.000 195.000 192.000 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.3100 0.3100 0.3000 Wellex Industries 0.2050 0.2090 0.2010 Zeus Holdings 0.305 0.305 0.295 PROPERTY 8990 HLDG 7.690 7.700 7.410 Anchor Land Holdings Inc. 6.76 7.44 7.44 A. Brown Co., Inc. 1.22 1.24 1.20 Araneta Prop `A’ 2.200 2.210 2.110 Arthaland Corp.

0.280 0.295 0.270 Ayala Land `B’ 39.000 39.500 38.900 Belle Corp. `A’ 3.28 3.32 3.24 Cebu Holdings 5.17 5 4.98 Century Property 0.510 0.52 0.500 City & Land Dev. 0.92 0.95 0.95 Cityland Dev. `A’ 1.070 1.070 1.000 Crown Equities Inc. 0.132 0.132 0.130 Cyber Bay Corp.

0.670 0.690 0.660 Double Dragon 62 62.9 61 Empire East Land 0.790 0.790 0.790 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. Manulife Fin. Corp.

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

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

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

Close

SHARES 11,883,364 112,413,761 89,735,127 153,508,687 367,865,570 1,385,296,300 2,126,062,699

3.55 47.5 114.00 99.00 38.1 4.10 1.40 14.2 18.38 6.86 2.2 600.00 0.540 89 0.91 14.96 22.00 57.85 105 265 32 191 1350.00 65.05 1.52

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3.66 47.55 114.50 99.20 38.25 4.07 1.34 14.2 18.62 6.54 2.03 600.00 0.540 89 0.94 14.92 22.00 57.80 106 269 31.7 191.8 1340.00 65.20 1.52

3.10 0.11 0.44 0.20 0.39 -0.73 -4.29 0.00 1.31 -4.66 -7.73 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.30 -0.27 0.00 -0.09 0.95 1.51 -0.94 0.42 -0.74 0.23 0.00

180,000 29,100 2,025,770 1,900,060 138,200 22,000 174,000 8,000 520,400 1,500 770,000 220 1,127,000 2,428,290 13,000 153,600 278,300 53,490 1,140 240 19,400 1,967,250 95 31,920 39,000

45 3.65 0.81 1.98 11.5 23.5 153.5 170 16.38 47 2.02 5.51 12.4 9.600 7.30 5.60 7.66 1.69 24.85 68.75 12.10 15.30 5.68 2.380 244.00 3.26 27.2 29.9 6.74 315.00 0.265 3.42 10.78 6.23 1.64 2.81 4.19 4 220 2.57 0.151 1.97 2.48 205.6 4.69 0.95 1.27

-1.96 -2.41 0.00 -0.50 -0.86 5.86 -12.29 -1.73 0.86 0.00 -0.49 -1.61 0.98 1.05 3.25 1.45 -0.91 -7.65 0.20 1.33 0.83 0.66 2.16 2.59 -0.49 3.49 0.93 2.75 2.12 -0.25 -1.85 1.18 -2.00 -0.32 0.61 0.36 -0.24 0.00 5.26 0.78 2.03 9.44 -0.80 -0.87 -0.42 9.20 -0.78

3,601,600 764,000 396,000 2,757,000 8,400 3,516,100 200 1,230 2,077,900 430,500 1,787,000 1,414,900 86,600 4,746,000 1,091,300 17,963,700 293,300 400 4,153,100 218,070 15,300 192,100 96,000 3,729,000 843,490 4,000 1,911,200 1,654,100 286,800 75,750 130,000 1,611,000 7,894,700 129,700 223,000 82,000 718,000 5,000 10,140 181,000 7,000,000 6,383,000 1,747,000 216,610 5,000 29,526,000 458,000

0.365 79.10 15.20 1.14 6.11 0.365 0.360 850 7.76 12.86 5.32 6.45 0.245 1473 6.45 84.00 5.36 7.76 0.7 15.86 6.88 3.1 0.0340 1.240 1.830 79.05 2.15 990.00 1.19 0.90 182.00 192.000 0.3050 0.2040 0.295

-2.67 0.13 0.00 0.00 1.83 -1.35 -6.49 0.71 0.78 1.26 -0.37 -0.77 0.41 0.55 2.38 -0.59 0.19 -0.26 0.00 -0.13 1.62 0.00 -2.86 -0.80 0.00 0.38 -4.44 0.00 0.85 1.12 -1.62 -1.54 -1.61 -0.49 -3.28

530,000 855,110 4,634,900 40,000 2,000 4,810,000 440,000 192,930 2,128,200 4,307,700 122,600 495,200 640,000 110,015 100 1,202,670 400 581,200 221,000 237,800 25,887,900 5,000 35,800,000 10,000 145,000 186,190 3,000 292,520 350,000 382,000 30 20,540 2,740,000 950,000 1,290,000

7.650 7.44 1.24 2.160 0.295 38.950 3.24 5 0.520 0.95 1.040 0.130 0.660 61.9 0.790

-0.52 10.06 1.64 -1.82 5.36 -0.13 -1.22 -3.29 1.96 3.26 -2.80 -1.52 -1.49 -0.16 0.00

584,500 200 2,282,000 221,000 700,000 9,396,400 1,537,000 2,000 7,719,000 88,000 52,000 4,280,000 16,618,000 1,044,370 21,000

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

High

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

0.305 2.22 2.1 1.8 5.94 0.180 0.470 0.72 27 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 1.62 8.59

0.188 1.15 1.42 1.27 4.13 0.090 0.290 0.39 23 2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 0.83 5.73

Ever Gotesco 0.154 Global-Estate 0.98 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.97 Interport `A’ 1.25 Megaworld 4.6 MRC Allied Ind. 0.099 Phil. Estates Corp.

0.2800 Phil. Realty `A’ 0.430 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 40.20 Primex Corp.

10.4 Robinson’s Land `B’ 29.50 Rockwell 1.8 Shang Properties Inc. 3.3 SM Prime Holdings 27.65 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.91 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 1.000 Vista Land & Lifescapes 5.320

3.25 0.00 0.51 -2.40 1.09 1.01 -1.79 0.00 -0.50 5.77 2.37 -1.67 0.91 1.63 1.10 0.00 0.56

620,000 282,800 11,978,000 27,000 33,595,000 10,820,000 220,000 1,210,000 1,300 499,700 3,383,900 266,000 277,000 22,408,700 4,959,000 1,589,000 14,253,200

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 14.88 28.5 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 12.3 2.6 7.67 4 2720 8.41

1.97 35.2 1 0.63 10.5 18.2 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 10.14 1.6 4.8 2.58 1600 5.95

1.97 119.5 7 5.8 12.5 0.017

1.23 102.6 3.01 4 8.72 0.011

0.8200 2.2800 5.93

0.041 1.200 2.34

12.28 3.32 1 2.46 15.2

6.5 1.91 0.650 1.8 6

1.040 22.8 6.41 18 185 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

0.37 14.54 3 8.8 79 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

11.6 0.85 10 0.490 1.9

7.59 0.63 5 0.315 1.14

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

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

Discovery World DFNN Inc. Easy Call “Common” Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Golden Haven Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. Imperial Res. `A’ Imperial Res. `B’ IPeople Inc. `A’ IP E-Game Ventures Inc. IPM Holdings Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones LBC Express Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey Melco Crown Metro Retail NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

PAL Holdings Inc. Phil. Racing Club Phil. Seven Corp.

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

SSI Group STI Holdings Travellers Waterfront Phils.

Yehey

0.00 0.41 0.78 3.45 -3.51 -1.37 0.76 1.72 0.00 0.00 0.00 -3.38 -6.19 1.59 -0.08 -1.10 -7.71 0.00 1.69 1.39 4.00 -0.17 1.11 -0.11 0.00 0.00 3.70 -5.89 -8.89 -0.62 -1.72 2.50 2.90 7.49 19.14 -0.50 -7.68 -14.81 0.40 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.35 -0.17 0.47 3.96 3.51 1.80 -1.49 -3.49

39,900 145,400 3,000 188,000 15,000 18,900 8,465,400 18,430,000 1,916,000 574,220 100 21,000 1,530,500 1,000 96,350 115,200 4,030,600 5,000 1,578,830 40,400 180 4,700 54,000,000 319,000 25,620,000 2,017,000 95,000 19,200 2,633,800 447,000 214,000 12,000 18,705,000 65,063,000 112,155,000 18,800 122,800 200 5,640 99,675 1,960,000 15,435,000 708,000 1,508,540 459,900 20,075,000 811,000 1,449,000 970,000 15,700

0.0098 5.45 17.24 25 0.330 12.7 12.8 1.19 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 1.030 3.06 0.020 0.021 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9 0.016

0.0043 1.72 6.47 9.43 0.236 6.5 5.11 0.85 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 0.365 1.54 0.012 0.013 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67 0.0100

Abra Mining Apex `A’ Atlas Cons. `A’ Atok-Big Wedge `A’ Basic Energy Corp.

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

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

TA Petroleum United Paragon

-2.38 0.00 3.88 0.00 0.00 1.63 0.85 1.69 -2.04 1.75 3.45 1.72 2.06 1.96 -7.69 0.00 4.60 9.54 1.12 -1.82 3.33 0.00 -7.69 1.01 4.21 13.25 0.00 -2.07 6.30 -8.33

505,000,000 220,100.00 8,856,000 -6,455,860.00 416,000 -205,220.00 1,300 200,000 -18,720.00 17,100 100 659,000 4,210,000 112,100 48,275,000 4,688,200.00 240,000 39,730,000 2,050,000 253,200,000 50,300,000 792,000 18,200.00 22,098,100 18,613,909.00 351,000 60,000 218,000 232,700,000 1,000,000 205,000 11,569,200 10,156,430.00 19,797,000 39,320.00 93,500,000 371,510 3,186,240.00 1,436,000 149,790.00 87,700,000

70 553 525 118 515 8.21 12.28 111

33 490 500 101 480 5.88 6.5 101

1047 84.8

1011 75

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ First Gen F GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. Leisure and Resort MWIDE PREF PCOR-Preferred B PF Pref 2 SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred D SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred H SMC Preferred I

-0.83 0.09 -0.09 -7.05 0.28 -0.16 0.00 -0.09 0.00 -0.68 0.00 -0.65 -1.10 -0.13 -0.39

170,200 1,800 200 180 1,070 156,000 1,039,000 1,950 1,150 5,020 250 6,000 700 6,320 99,350

41,291,615.00 1,839,340.00

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

-5.90

1,515,000

29,890.00 7,600.00 10,000.00 -375,700.00 -20,800.00 12,846,889.00

15

3.5

12.88

5.95

-0.54 -1.42 -7.21 0.00

975,000 1,000 3,130,000 1,235,900

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

0.08

12,610

1,243,675.00 147,959,615 11,356,272.00 1,647,050.00 -4,070.00 -36,910.00 -15,940.00 -355,220.00 22,946,278.00

-981,057.00 -47,435 -121,842,750.00

-107,717,165.00 395,000.00 -30,178,565.00

1,724,220 94,470.00 609,890.00 15,722,828.00 6,117,902.00 24,288,275.00 502,782.00 32,443,965.00 7,398,132.50 1,081,178.00 -888,900.00 -35,581,620.00 -6,520.00 -5,333,485.00 24,079,510.00 5,562,566.00 2,078,900.00 -33,444,136.00

-1,769,350.00 2,021,438.00 -1,480.00 133,350.00 522,450.00 -28,760,148.00 3,596,330.00

-19,248,100.00 17,039,794.00

-13,763,910.00 3,336,179.00 21,754,110.00

-2,736,205.00 11,798,448.50 -1,333,434.00 -70,000.00 1,994,880.00 34,093,346.00

7,766,724.00 -23,732,135.00

62,700.00 1,644,413.00 -17,260.00

Alterra Capital Makati Fin. Corp.

Italpinas Xurpas

0.159 0.143 0.159 0.98 0.96 0.98 1.99 1.97 1.98 1.25 1.21 1.22 4.75 4.62 4.65 0.104 0.098 0.100 0.2750 0.2550 0.2750 0.450 0.420 0.430 40.00 37.60 40.00 11 10.14 11 30.85 29.55 30.20 1.8 1.72 1.77 3.33 3.23 3.33 28.30 27.75 28.10 0.94 0.9 0.92 1.030 0.970 1.000 5.450 5.300 5.350 SERVICES 7.22 7.29 7.2 7.22 48.3 48.7 48.4 48.5 1.28 1.33 1.28 1.29 0.580 0.600 0.580 0.600 11.4 11 11 11 7.3 7.3 7.2 7.2 6.55 6.65 6.35 6.60 0.0580 0.0600 0.0570 0.0590 2.88 2.91 2.8 2.88 98.75 101 98.6 98.75 9.84 9.84 9.84 9.84 2.07 2.03 2 2 5.33 5.33 4.86 5.00 3.15 3.20 3.20 3.20 2360 2370 2320 2358 6.37 6.37 6.28 6.30 19.20 19.12 17.22 17.72 1.15 1.15 1.15 1.15 61.95 63.2 62 63 12.92 13.10 12.86 13.10 150 156 145 156 11.7 11.7 10.74 11.68 0.0090 0.0094 0.0090 0.0091 9.39 9.40 9.30 9.38 0.325 0.330 0.325 0.325 1.6100 1.6400 1.6000 1.6100 2.16 2.24 2.2 2.24 13.92 13.92 13.1 13.1 7.20 7.22 6.55 6.56 3.23 3.23 3.20 3.21 0.580 0.570 0.560 0.570 2 2.05 2 2.05 3.79 3.98 3.67 3.9 4.14 4.48 4.19 4.45 3.240 3.940 3.400 3.860 12 12 11.88 11.94 5.60 5.69 5.15 5.17 9.99 8.51 8.51 8.51 124.00 124.50 123.00 124.50 2140.00 2140.00 2110.00 2140.00 0.420 0.430 0.420 0.420 1.170 1.190 1.130 1.170 42.50 42.80 42.50 42.65 86.10 86.35 83.45 85.95 6.33 6.39 6.32 6.36 3.28 3.46 3.17 3.41 0.570 0.590 0.580 0.590 3.34 3.44 3.34 3.4 0.335 0.350 0.330 0.330 6.300 6.190 5.900 6.080 MINING & OIL 0.0042 0.0041 0.0040 0.0041 3.50 3.73 3.49 3.50 4.38 4.61 4.40 4.55 11.80 11.80 11.00 11.80 0.234 0.237 0.234 0.234 7.3800 7.5 7.16 7.5000 7.1000 7.1600 7.1600 7.1600 0.59 0.61 0.59 0.6 0.490 0.500 0.475 0.480 8.55 9.00 8.53 8.70 0.870 0.920 0.890 0.900 0.290 0.295 0.285 0.295 0.243 0.255 0.247 0.248 0.255 0.260 0.255 0.260 0.0130 0.0140 0.0120 0.0120 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 1.74 1.86 1.77 1.82 5.03 5.6 5.3 5.51 2.68 2.85 2.68 2.71 0.5500 0.5500 0.5300 0.5400 1.2000 1.2500 1.2000 1.2400 0.0120 0.0120 0.0110 0.0120 0.0130 0.0120 0.0120 0.0120 3.96 4.00 3.92 4.00 8.56 9.10 8.70 8.92 4.15 4.88 4.20 4.70 0.0130 0.0130 0.0120 0.0130 125.60 125.60 122.50 123.00 3.81 4.05 3.8 4.05 0.0120 0.0120 0.0110 0.0110 PREFERRED 48.2 48.2 47.8 47.8 544.5 545 544 545 549.5 549 545 549 124.8 116 102.8 116 540.5 544 542 542 6.36 6.35 6.35 6.35 1.06 1.06 1.05 1.06 112 111.9 111.9 111.9 1160 1160 1160 1160 1028 1021 1017 1021 80 80 80 80 76.5 76 76 76 76.95 76.1 76.1 76.1 77 76.9 76.9 76.9 76.9 77 76.6 76.6 WARRANTS & BONDS 2.710 2.700 2.550 2.550 SME 3.7 3.75 3.6 3.68 3.53 3.48 3.48 3.48 4.44 4.43 4.01 4.12 16.4 16.64 16.14 16.4 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 128.8 129.1 128.8 128.9

T op g ainerS VALUE 1,046,362,400.29 1,541,906,125.385 1,152,417,195.55 1,467,191,506.42 1,828,419,744.03 472,479,593.732 7,547,349,763.145

Low

STOCKS

FINANCIAL 1,768.40 (up) 4.59 INDUSTRIAL 11,914.72 (down) 11.92 HOLDING FIRMS 7,664.04 (up) 16.13 PROPERTY 3,468.07 (up) 24.27 SERVICES 1,659.46 (up) 3.71 MINING & OIL 11,442.48 (up) 152.94 PSEI 7,846.54 (up) 16.19 All Shares Index 4,746.33 (up) 8.30 Gainers: 103; Losers: 97; Unchanged: 40; Total: 240

578,540.00 2,500.00 79,751,070.00

10,245,830.00 70,800.00 254,493,665.00 -9,535,855.00

1,290.00 165,000.00 9,507,084.00 -580.00 34,070.00 17,705,056.50 124,500.00 -772,290.00 803,778.00 -77,443,027.00

-3,336,459

9,330,400.00 55,692,770.00 32,843,630.00 95,520.00 -1,065.00 37,477,010.00 -42,000.00 1,815,200.00 8,395,215.00 -678,053.00 234,252.00 -332,360.00 -2,119,150.00 102,000.00

2,870,795.00

-380,000.00 -2,691,500.00

-1,594,090.00 855,372.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

NOW Corp.

3.860

19.14

Phil. Racing Club

8.51

-14.81

PhilexPetroleum

4.70

13.25

Chemphil

153.5

-12.29

Anchor Land Holdings Inc.

7.44

10.06

Leisure & Resorts

6.56

-8.89

Nickelasia

5.51

9.54

United Paragon

0.0110

-8.33

TKC Steel Corp.

1.97

9.44

I-Remit Inc.

2.03

-7.73

Vitarich Corp.

0.95

9.20

Golden Haven

17.72

-7.71

Metro Retail

4.45

7.49

Manila Mining `A'

0.0120

-7.69

TA Petroleum

4.05

6.30

Oriental Pet. `B'

0.0120

-7.69

Century Food

23.5

5.86

PAL Holdings Inc.

5.17

-7.68

Primex Corp.

11

5.77

Euro-Med Lab

1.69

-7.65

TUESDAY: JULY 5, 2016

B3

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

Stocks up; Gaisano company advances THE stock market rose Monday as central banks around the world promised support to financial markets after Britain’s vote to leave the EU fueled fears of another rout.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added 16.19 points, or 0.2 percent, to 7,846.54 on a value turnover of P7.5 billion. Gainers beat losers, 103 to 97, with 40 issues unchanged.

Nickel Asia Corp. rallied 9.5 percent to P5.51, while Metro Retail Stores Group Inc. of the Gaisano family surged 7.5 percent to P4.45.

SM Prime Holdings Inc., the biggest integrated builder owned by retail tycoon Henry Sy, climbed 1.6 percent to P28.10, while Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which is into toll roads, water and eletricity distribution, and hospitals rose 1.6 percent to P6.88.

Asian stocks, meanwhile, pushed higher again Monday, building on last week’s rally.

The optimism that characterized last week continued as investors tracked another surge in New York and Europe, helped by upbeat US and eurozone data.

However, analysts warned there was still plenty of headwinds as Britain and European Union leaders must agree a breakaway deal, while the global economy remained fragile.

Tokyo rose 0.6 percent— marking a sixth-straight gain— Hong Kong climbed 1.3 percent in the afternoon and Shanghai added 1.9 percent by the close.

Seoul added 0.4 percent.

Sydney rose 0.7 percent, despite the weekend’s general election producing no clear winner raising the prospect of a hung parliament.

With votes still being counted, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the final result might not be known for several days, while Standard & Poor’s warned the uncertainty could lead to the country’s top-class AAA rating being cut. With AFP

New manufacturing focus essential—DBS

By Julito G. Rada

THE plan of President Rodrigo Duterte to focus on the manufacturing sector during his term will create more jobs and continue to attract more foreign direct investments, DBS Bank of Singapore said Monday.

In a report titled Philippines: Duterte’s game plan, the bank said prioritizing the manufacturing sector would also fulfill the ambition to diversify the economy from an over-dependency on services. “... We reckon this high interest in the sector will continue. Manufacturing is a key sector that the Duterte administration will focus on to absorb the growth in labor force,” the bank said.

Duterte during the campaign

period in the run-up to the presidential elections in May this year promised to create more jobs to lessen the unemployed in the country. The unemployment rate last year declined to 6.3 percent from 6.8 percent a year ago.

Duterte also said there was a need to further liberalize the economy by adjusting the cap on foreign ownership of local companies from 40 percent to 70 percent. Limits on property landlease could also be lifted to 40

years from 25 currently.

DBS said the move was potentially significant. It said while foreign direct investment increased several fold during the Aquino administration, it remained low compared to the rest of the region. “... Easing restrictions on foreign ownership is likely to encourage more inflows in the medium-term. About 60 percent of FDI applications over the past five years have been directed in the manufacturing sector,” DBS said.

The volume of production index in April grew 10.5 percent, a significant improvement from the 1.8-percent expansion posted in the same month last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries.

The value of production index recorded a 6.8-percent growth in

April 2016, a turnaround from a 6.4-percent decline in April 2015.

Factory output grew stronger at the onset of the second quarter, driven by robust domestic activities during the election season. The National Economic and Development Authority said the manufacturing sector’s growth benefited from the robust machinery production, food manufactures, transport equipment, printing and export-oriented goods.

The manufacturing industry’s average capacity utilization remained at 83.4 percent. Among surveyed manufacturing firms, 24.1 percent of the establishments operated at full capacity (90 percent to 100 percent). About 58.2 percent operated at 70 percent to 89 percent capacity, while 17.7 percent operated below 70 percent.

Innovation hub tour. The Board of Investments organizes a tour of the Department of Science and Technology’s Innovation Hubs in

Bicutan, Taguig. The tour provides an on-site appreciation on the critical role of research and development in further improving the competitiveness of local industries. Shown are former Trade Secretary and BoI chairman Adrian Cristobal Jr. (second from left) and former Science Secretary Mario Montejo (left) in a discussion with DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development executive director Carlos Primo David.

Manila North Harbour sues PPA exec Group asks Customs chief

By Darwin G. Amojelar to seize steel bar shipment MANILA North Harbour Port Inc. said on Monday it filed graft charges against an executive of state-run Philippine Ports Authority for blocking its operations as an international port.

In its complaint, MNHPI said that PPA officer-in-charge and assistant general manager for operations Raul Santos was liable under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for issuing a directive prohibiting PPA personnel, foreign vessels and their agents from docking and berthing at the Manila North Harbor.

Manila North Harbor is one of three main government-owned ports that comprise the Port of Ma-

nila. It previously handled domestic vessels and cargoes.

MNHPI claimed that Santos’ memo showed his partiality against the company, causing undue injury to the port, the government, port users and other stakeholders.

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. The contract between PPA and MNHPI expressly provides that MNHPI should provide and undertake domestic terminal services only at Manila North Harbor.

MNPHI, however, said Santos’ directive ran counter to Bureau of Customs order advising “foreign

vessels may now dock and its cargoes handled and cleared at the Sub-port of North Harbor.”

Santos’ directive allegedly went against another Customs order providing the guidelines to “prepare and allow MNHPI to accept, handle and store import, export and transshipment cargo, and to equip it with necessary facility to operate as an international port.”

Both customs orders were earlier issued pursuant to the mandate granted to the Bureau of Customs

by R.A. 10668 and the rules jointly approved by the Department of Transportation and Communications, the mother agency of the PPA, Department of Finance, Department of Justice and Department of Trade and Industry.

THE Philippine Iron and Steel Institute asked newly-installed Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon to uphold the earlier decision of the agency to seize a steel bar shipment from China.

In a letter to Faeldon dated June 1, 2016, PISI asked the new Customs head to enforce the standing order of former commissioner Alberto Lina, including a thorough review and recall of the import shipment.

“Permit us to direct your attention on the subject shipment with a stay of alert order and cause for the issuance of warrant of seizure and detention issued by former Commissioner Lina,” the group said in

the letter to the bureau.

PISI cited that Subic Port officials ordered the release of the shipment despite a standing order from Lina.

The bureau discovered a number of irregularities on the shipment, including the misdeclaration of tariff code and undervaluation and non-declaration of the specific sizes and grade of steel products.

PISI reiterated that public safety was the paramount concern of the group, as well as revenues for the government.

The shipment, consigned to Mannage Resources Trading Corp., involves 5,000 tons of deformed steel rebars estimated to cost P95 million. Othel V. Campos

B4 IPOPhl destroys fake items worth P3b

By Othel V. Campos THE Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines said Monday it led the destruction of P2.8 billion worth of counterfeit products at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

IPOPhl deputy director Allan Gepty said the destruction of the items indicated that the government continued to fight piracy in all its forms and circumstances.

“Fighting counterfeiting and piracy is fighting corruption and criminality,” Gepty said.

He said most organized crimes particularly those involved in drugs were also involved in this illegal activity.

“If there is a proliferation of counterfeit products and pirated items expect that many local businesses will suffer and the revenues of the government will be affected,” Gepty said.

The agency expects that the intensified campaign against counterfeiting and piracy would bring to the public the message that the unsafe and substandard products did not only pose danger to health and safety but also adversely affected the economy.

IPOPhl director general Josephine Santiago cited the efforts made by members of the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights for their dedication and hard work in the drive to eradicate counterfeiting and piracy in the country.

“The delisting of the Philippines from the United States Trade Representative Special 301 Watch List for three years now is not only IPOPhl’s accomplishment but also a product of the concerted efforts of the NCIPR members, the business sector, brand owners and the government as a whole,” said Santiago.

The combined enforcement operations conducted by the law enforcement agencies under the NCIPR resulted in the confiscation of P2.81 billion worth of counterfeit items.

New Energy chief. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi (right) receives the department’s flag from former secretary Zenaida Monsada during the flag-raising and turnover ceremonies.

New energy chief vows to reduce cost of power

By Alena Mae S. Flores

NEWLY-INSTALLED Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi on Monday vowed to bring down the cost of power in the country, which is one of the highest in the world.

Cusi told reporters in a news briefing after the turnover ceremony at the department that reducing the cost of power would be an important part of his energy reform agenda.

Cusi said power cost in the Philippines was the highest in Asia, “second to Japan.”

“To reduce power rates, it is my desire. We will work for it,” he said.

Cusi said reducing the power

cost “requires a lot of studies…. in all areas.” He said the agency would also review universal charges and transmission charges, aside from power generation cost.

Cusi said he would also study how to lower the power sector’s debt managed by Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp.

“I’m looking at it from a perspective of a consumer, not dis-

counting the responsibility to the utilities. I’m just finding a solution,” he said.

PSALM has outstanding debts of about P555 billion.

“That’s again another story how to bring down the debt.

There are many ways to reduce the pass-on charges. If we can stretch that out on a longer period of time,” Cusi said.

Cusi said he would also review the service contracts granted to power players and whether these were being complied with.

He said the department also aimed to ensure there would be no interruptions in supply by scheduling the maintenance schedule of power plants.

Cusi said that in his first 100

days in office, he would review the issues and policies in the department. “I tasked everybody to review their process in dealing with the public. Our permitting has to be transparent, predictable and with definite timeline,” he said.

Cusi said he wanted to ensure the basic delivery of services to the poor. “For the island provinces, the first 30 days, we will have consultations and determine why we have problems in electricity,” he said.

Cusi said he ended ties with the Aboitiz Group in 1990 and built his own business in 1991. Cusi was involved in the shipping and logistics business of the Aboitiz Group up to 1990.

High food prices likely pushed up June inflation rate to 1.8%

By Julito G. Rada DBS Bank of Singapore said Monday inflation rate in the Philippines likely picked up to 1.8 percent in June from 1.6 percent in May, on higher food and oil prices.

“Expect CPI [consumer price index] inf lation to have ticked up more markedly in June as effects from low oil prices start to dissipate. Food prices have also inched up, due to weather conditions, similar to what is also seen in the region,” DBS said in a report Monday.

“We look for CPI inflation at 1.8 percent year-on-year in June.

And CPI inflation is likely to continue creeping higher, likely

to reach 2.5 percent by the yearend,” the bank said.

DBS said Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas was not expected to tweak the current monetary policy settings this year, but 2017 would be another story.

“Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas continues to remain watchful of inflationary risks, despite inflation staying below the 2 percent to 4 percent target for the best part of the past year.

We don’t think the BSP will do anything for now, but the central bank is likely to raise rates in early 2017,” it said.

It said inflation might return to the 2.5 percent to 3 percent range, while GDP growth would remain robust above 6 percent.

DBS said it would be interesting

to see how aggressive the Duterte administration would implement expenditures going forward.

The government is set to release the June inflation data today.

Inflation in the first five months averaged 1.2 percent, lower than the 2 percent to 4 percent official target of the government.

Bangko Sentral Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said last week inflation in June likely accelerated to as high as 2.4 percent from 1.6 percent in May, on the back of higher tuition and food prices.

“The BSP forecast suggests that June inflation could settle within the 1.5 percent to 2.4 percent range. Upside inflation pressures could come from the increase in

tuition fees as well as in rice and vegetable prices,” Tetangco said in a text message.

Tetangco, however, said the aforementioned increases could be partly offset by the decline in electricity rates and domestic oil prices for the month.

Distributor Manila Electric Co. earlier said the residential rate for a typical household consuming about 200 kilowatt-hours went down in June by P0.13 per kWh, bringing the rate to P8.32 per kWh, the lowest since January 2010.

The reduction was due to the downward movement in the generation charge, which more than offset higher transmission cost.

The manageable inflation

environment coupled with robust domestic growth prompted the policy-setting Monetary Board of Bangko Sentral to keep the benchmark interest rates steady in its meeting on June 23.

Bangko Sentral maintained the interest rates at 3.5 percent for overnight lending, 3 percent for overnight borrowing and 2.5 percent for overnight deposits.

The Monetary Board’s decision was based on its assessment that the inflation environment continued to be manageable.

Latest forecasts showed that average inflation would likely settle near the lower end of the 2 percent to 4 percent target range in 2016.

T U E S D AY : J U LY 5 , 2 0 1 6

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

How not to do an OS upgrade A WOMAN in Sausalito, California won $10,000 in compensation from Microsoft in May after her system tried but failed to install an unauthorized “upgrade” from Windows 7 to Windows 10, leaving her with an unstable computer that she had used to run her travel agency.

“I had never heard of Windows 10,” Teri Goldstein told the Seattle Times, which broke the story about how she took Microsoft to small claims court and won. “Nobody ever asked me if I wanted to update.”

In a more detailed interview with the trade newspaper Computerworld, Goldstein also revealed a series of missteps by Microsoft that illustrate how not to do customer support.

“For months I tried to work with them, but they kept blowing me off,” Goldstein told Computerworld. She also said that she made countless calls to Microsoft’s technical support, visited a local Microsoft retail store and spent hours scouring support forums to solve her problem.

In notes she shared with Computerworld, Goldstein said one customer service representative was “continually rude” and refused to help her, and eventually told her: “Do not ever contact me again.”

By January 2016, Goldstein said she had had enough.

“That was when they offered me $150 to go away,” she told Computerworld. “I used that as proof of guilt. They knew what was happening.”

She then filed a claim for the maximum of $10,000 at a small claims court.

Her case was heard in March and Goldstein went prepared with documentation. Microsoft sent someone from the local retail store, not a lawyer.

“This very honest kid came in, and said they had pulled him out of the store at 4:30 to go to court,” Computerworld quoted Goldstein as saying. “They didn’t even prepare for it.”

Microsoft originally said it would appeal the decision but changed its mind and paid Goldstein $10,000 in May. A spokesman said the company dropped its appeal to avoid the expense of further litigation.

The Goldstein case is hardly unique. In fact, a growing number of Windows users have complained about Microsoft’s aggressive—and many say underhanded—tactics to get customers running Windows 7 (in my book, still the best version) and Windows 8.1 to upgrade to Windows 10 to boost the numbers for its new operating system.

Windows 10, which is being offered as a free upgrade from Windows 7 or later until July 29, was first offered as an optional upgrade.

Then, Microsoft made it a recommended update for Windows 7—automatically uploading it to users’ computers through Windows Update in February 2016.

By March, irate users like Goldstein began complaining that Windows 10 was automatically being installed on their computers without their permission.

Angry users this month filed a petition on Change.org asking the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF) to investigate Microsoft’s upgrade practices, including removing software from their systems without their knowledge during the “upgrade” process.

The petition says Microsoft “has been ignorantly unethical at best and malicious at worst” and that people were being “tricked or forced into upgrading to Windows 10.”

Goldstein, on the other hand, offered this advice to other users who have fallen victim to Microsoft’s aggressive tactics.

“Corporations need to be held accountable,” she told Computerworld. “My business was destroyed by a company pushing its products. You have to take the bull by the horns because as long as Microsoft can get away with this, they will.”

She encouraged others to contact her by phone or e-mail, which can be found on one of her websites, Travels with Teri.

“My position is that anyone who wants to talk to me about their rights, should call me. Or email me,” she said.

A number of websites, meanwhile, offer tips on how to roll back an unwanted Windows 10 update. If you’re a Windows 7 user who fell victim to Microsoft’s aggressive upgrade tactics, this is certainly worth exploring.

Or, you could rid yourself of all these worries for good—and install Linux.

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

B5

PhilWeb asks PSE to suspend trading

By Jenniffer B. Austria

PHILWEB Corp., an online gaming company controlled by former trade minister Roberto Ongpin, sought Monday for a three-day trading suspension of its shares, citing “unverified material information” that affected its business.

PhilWeb asked for the trading suspension after its stock tumbled 22 percent Friday on reports that President Rodrigo Duterte wanted to stop online gambling in the country.

“In view of unverified material information affecting the business of PhilWeb Corp. that will materially affect the investing public, we hereby request for a trading suspension in PhilWeb shares from July 4 to 6 2016,” PhilWeb corporate information officer Raymund Aquino said in letter to PSE. PhilWeb did not specify the unverified material information.

Aside from President Duterte’s

pronouncement, concerns over possible non-renewal of PhilWeb’s contract with state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. also contributed to investors’ anxiety.

PhilWeb’s contract with Pagcor is expected to expire on July 11, 2016.

PhilWeb operates a network of 268 Pagcor e-Games cafes with a total of 8,839 gaming terminals nationwide. Most of these e-Games are in the National Capital Region, including Quezon, Batangas and Balesin Island, which is owned by the Ongpin Group.

Most e-Games cafes operate 24

hours a day.

The steep decline in PhilWeb’s stock price is expected to affect the company’s plan to raise as much as P6 billion from the sale of treasury shares through a private placement.

PhilWeb announced last month it would make a private placement of up to 300 million shares at a discount to market, but at a price no less than P20 per share.

“The private placement will result in PhilWeb receiving cash and receivables of at least P6 billion. With this war chest, the company will have the ability to go on an aggressive expansion program,” PhilWeb said.

The actual price and payment terms, however, will be subject to the approval by PhilWeb’s board or executive committee.

The shares to be sold at the private placement are part of the 354.6 million shares currently in treasury which PhilWeb bought from Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. in 2013 at an average price of P11.90, for a total value of P4.2 billion.

Presidential merit. President Benigno Aquino III congratulates Bases Conversion and Development Authority president and chief executive Arnel Paciano Casanova after being conferred the presidential medal of merit. The award is granted to those who have rendered outstanding service in the Aquino administration.

As head of the BCDA, Casanova initiated the establishment of the country’s first smart, green and disasterresilient metropolis in the country called Clark Green City which is currently being developed.

Foreign firm invests in Top Frontier TOP Frontier Investment Holdings Inc., the majority shareholder of conglomerate San Miguel Corp., said it issued P25.88 billion worth of perpetual securities to Bryce Canyon Investments Ltd. Top Frontier said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the P25.88 billion worth of pesodenominated perpetual securi-

ties issued to Bryce Canyon, a company based in British Virgin Island, were convertible to preferred shares of the company.

Top Frontier did not provide other details and features of the perpetual securities and the owners of Byrce Canyon.

Share price of Top Frontier dropped 1.5 percent Monday to close at P192.

Top Frontier is the largest shareholder of San Miguel. It also owns Clariden Holdings Inc., a holding company with interests, through its subsidiaries, in mining exploration and development in the Philippines.

The company was listed by way of introduction in the Philippine Stock Exchange on Jan. 13, 2014.

Jenniffer B. Austria

B6

TUESDAY: JULY 5, 2016

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

2 TV firms claim higher ratings Duterte’s economic management team WHEN the current pervasive interest of the newly-installed administration in DCC (drugs, crime and corruption) shall have moderated, the Filipino people’s gaze will turn toward the element of life that will be determinative of its future progress and stability. I am referring to the economy. Given his professed non-interest in economics—“I leave that to the economic experts”—knowledgeable observers in business, academic and professional circles have been waiting anxiously for the appointments that President Rodrigo Duterte would make to the posts that make up the government’s economic management team.

The economic management team is headed, on a primus inter pares basis, by the Secretary of Finance. Working closely with the Secretary of Finance, as the distributor of the revenues that the Department of Finance’s component agencies collect, is the Secretary of Budget and Management. Then there are the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Labor and Employment. Providing overall strategy and direction to the operations of the economic management team is the Director-General of Neda (National Economic and Development Authority). Neda’s head also carries the title Secretary of Socio-Economic Planning.

Because they will theoretically be in their posts for the next six years, it is vitally important for the capable management of the Philippine economy that the officials enumerated above possess not only strong academic credentials and sufficient professional experience but also a personal philosophy conducive to the fulfillment of the mandate of his office and the objectives laid down in the new administration’s announced economic agenda. Having gone over the names of the individuals who have been appointed to the economic management team, most Filipinos appear—and I personally am—satisfied with the choices that President Duterte has made. It matters little that the appointments were made on the basis of personal closeness, e.g., that the appointee was a schoolmate or a childhood friend; what matters is that they are all personally and professionally qualified for their new posts.

The new Secretary of Finance, Carlos Dominguez, is a highly regarded and savvy businessman. Sonny Dominguez was a shoo-in for a key position in the Duterte Cabinet: he grew up and went to school with the Chief Executive in Davao City. Dominguez is no stranger to the Cabinet; he was President Corazon Aquino’s choice for Secretary of Agriculture.

And he has held high corporate office: he has been president and CEO of Philippine Airlines. With all the promises of higher spending that Duterte has made, Sonny Dominguez has his job cut out for him.

Another economic management team member who is returning to the Cabinet—to his old post—is Benjamin Diokno. A University of the Philippines economics professor, Ben Diokno was President Joseph Ejercito Estrada’s Secretary of Budget and Management. It will be interesting to see which of his immediate predecessor’s policy changes he will retain and which he will discard. Given his record and reputation, disbursements of the PDAF and DAP (Disbursement Acceleration Program) kind are highly unlikely to recur during Ben Diokno’s watch.

The new Secretary of Socio-Economic Planning (and NEDA DirectorGeneral), Dr. Ernesto Pernia, has come to his new post with excellent academic and professional credentials. An economics professor emeritus of the UP, Ernie Pernia was a high-level economist at the Asian Development Bank. The new Secretary’s well-known stand on family planning and population management has already brought him into conflict with the Catholic Church. With President Duterte’s announced preference for three-children families and the new administration’s interest in strengthening implementation of the RH Act, the level of tension is bound to rise.

The new Secretary of Labor and Employment, Ateneo-trained lawyer Silvestre Bello III, has replaced an old Cabinet hat for a new one. In the administration of President Gloria Arroyo his domain was peace: he was the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process. As Secretary of Labor and Employment, he will preside over the public debate on contractualization, the ending of which was promised by President Duterte—and by other Presidential candidates—during the recent electoral campaign.

Having been a longtime governor of an agricultural province, the new Secretary of Agriculture, Manuel Piñol, is very well acquainted with the problems of the typical Filipino farmer. Manny Piñol also has his job cut out for him, for the DA (Department of Agriculture) was probably the worstperforming department in the Aquino administration. The new Secretary has promised all-out DA support to farmers, including free irrigation water.

The new Secretary of Transportation, Art Tugade, a corporate lawyer with plenty of hands-on experience, has one of the toughest jobs in the economic management team. The principal entities in his administrative domain— LTO, LTFRB, Maritime Industry Authority, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, PNR, LRTA and the tollway operators—all have platefuls of problems. Urban traffic gridlocks, undisciplined transport operators, leaky ships, air safety and, of course, corrupt DoTC personnel will be on Secretary Tugade’s plate every day. One can only say, good luck, Mr. Secretary.

Finally, there is the new Secretary of Trade and Industry. Ramon Lopez made his mark in the Go Negosyo project for fostering entrepreneurship, particularly among people with modest capital. The new parameters for the Department of Trade and Industry include the coming into existence of the Asean Economic Community, the negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Duterte administration’s announced drive for a higher level of FDI (foreign direct investments). The new Secretary should be equal to these and other challenges.

E-mail: rudyromero@yahoo.com

ABS-CBN Corp. and GMA Network Inc. on Monday both claimed higher television ratings in June.

Urban Luzon and Mega Manila respectively account for 77 and 60 percent of all urban TV households in the country.

GMA said it strengthened its lead in Urban Luzon with an average household audience share

ABS-CBN, the media and entertainment company owned by the Lopez Group, said its national audience share rose to 47 percent in June based on the data provided by Kantar Media.

Rival GMA is a distant second with a 32 percent audience share for the same month.

ABS-CBN’s primetime block obtained a 49 percent average audience, which is 18 percentage points higher than rival GMA’s 31 percent average audience share during the same time block.

The primetime block is the most important part of the day when most Filipinos watch TV and advertisers put a larger chunk of their investment in to reach more consumers effectively.

ABS-CBN also posted a huge lead in Visayas where it received a 57 percent rating while the rival network only had a 24 percent .

In Mindanao, ABS-CBN

of 39.9 percent in June, 6.8 points higher than ABS-CBN’s 33.1 percent and 33.4 points higher than TV5’s 6.5 percent.

GMA also remained at the forefront of the ratings game and led across all dayparts in Mega Manila with 42.5 percent, significantly ahead of ABS-CBN’s 29.4 percent by 13.1 points and TV5’s 6.8 percent by 35.7 points.

Kantar Media uses a nationwide panel size of 2,610 urban and rural homes that represent 100 percent of the total Philippine TV viewing population, while Nielsen has a nationwide sample size of 3,500 urban and rural homes.

By Darwin G. Amojelar

garnered a 57 percent rating against GMA’s 26 percent.

For the whole of Luzon, ABSCBN still won the battle against their rivals, 41 percent to 36 percent.

ABS-CBN, which began as a broadcasting network, has evolved through the years to become the leading media and entertainment company in the land that is rapidly evolving into an agile digital company.

GMA Network, meanwhile, said it kept its ratings advantage in its stronghold areas of Urban Luzon and Mega Manila in June, based on data from Nielsen TV Audience Measurement.

Cebuana Lhuillier partner. Cebuana Lhuillier president and chief executive Jean Henri Lhuillier (second from left) presents a plaque of appreciation to Pioneer Insurance and Surety Corp. president Betty Medialdea for the company’s valuable contribution to the National Pilipino Protektado Day program. With them are (from left) Cebuana Lhuillier IMC Group head Michael Sena and Cebuana Lhuillier Insurance Solutions GM Jonathan Batangan.

Globe Telecom bares Japan expansion GLOBE Telecom Inc. announced the expansion of its operations in Asia with the establishment of GlobeTel Japan Inc. With the office in Tokyo, the company is in a better position to serve the communications needs of customers in the Philippines as well as the 180,000 migrant Filipino workers in Japan.

“We will continue to provide affordable and high-quality telecom services to our kababayans in Japan. We will also be adopting new business models to deliver

meaningful products to overseas Filipinos,” said Globe senior vice president for international business Nikko Acosta.

With the changing competitive landscape in Europe, Globe also announced it would close its offices in the UK, Italy and Spain. However, to continue serving its customers in the said countries, Globe maintained its popular telebabad service, DUO International, in the said markets through existing partnerships with telecom providers.

The three offices are UK Globetel Ltd. and Globe Mobile Italy s.r.l., both opened in 2013, and Globetel Internacional European Espana S.L., which started operations in 2014. They are all members of the Globe Group of Companies.

In accordance with international business alignment, Globe will retain its offices in the US, Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as retail presence across key markets such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

T U E S D AY : J U LY 5 , 2 0 1 6

WORLD

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

B7

Pistorius may return to prison for murder

Showcase. The Fountains of Bellagio are shown on July 3, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP

Istanbul a ghost town as tourists stay away ISTANBUL—The tourists are so scarce you can hear their footsteps clattering down the empty shopping street. Nearly a week after the deadly airport bombings, it is eerily quiet in Istanbul.

The magic of Turkey’s biggest city has been seducing visitors for centuries, from its array of historic mosques and palaces to its stunning views over the sparkling Bosphorus.

But for the people working in the once-thriving tourist trade, Tuesday’s gun and suicide bomb spree represents one more nail in the coffin for an industry already reeling from a string of attacks this year.

“It’s disastrous,” said Orhan Sonmez as he stood hopelessly offering tours of the Hagia Sophia, the cavernous former mosque and church that is now a museum.

“All my life I’ve been a tour guide. Most of us have come to a turning point where we don’t know if we can go on. It’s tragic.”

Restaurants sit empty in the Sultanahmet tourist district, and five-star hotel rooms can be booked for bargain prices.

In happier years the queues outside the Hagia Sophia might have stretched an hour or longer at this time of year—today you can walk straight in and share the place with just a smattering of other visitors.

To add to the ghost town feel, many Istanbulites have left the city for Bayram, a nine-day nationwide holiday that began Saturday.

Nineteen foreigners were among the 45 people killed at Ataturk airport by suspected Islamic State jihadists, and analysts say the attack may have been a deliberate attempt to weaken the Turkish state by hitting its tourist industry.

The group had already been blamed for a January suicide blast that killed 12 German tourists in Sultanahmet, while three Israelis and an Iranian died in another on the Istiklal shopping street in March.

The TAK, a radical Kurdish group that has carried out several attacks in Turkey this year, also warned foreign tourists to stay away after it killed 11 people in an Istanbul car bombing in June.

The United States, Germany and several other countries have warned their nationals against threats in Turkey, which is a candidate to join the European Union.

Those still arriving say they are enjoying the peace and quiet, while taking a philosophical approach at a time when jihadist attacks have gone global.

“This could happen in any city— it’s an unlucky lottery,” said Irish visitor Nessa Feehan, perusing Sultanhamet’s empty shops as she

whiled away a stopover on her way to India.

“The people are really friendly, and I really think I’ll come back and spend some more time here.”

In May, Turkey suffered its worst drop-off in visits in 22 years –down 35 percent from a year ago—as an industry which ordinarily brings in 30 billion euros ($33.2 billion) went into free fall.

This was partly a result of a Russian ban on Turkish package holidays that Moscow had slapped on Ankara over a bitter diplomatic row.

That ban was lifted last week as the two countries made up—a cause for celebration in the resort province of Antalya, where Russians traditionally come to sun themselves in their droves.

That will be a boost for the tourist industry as a whole, but Russians tend to plump for all-inclusive deals on Turkey’s turquoise coast rather than heading to Istanbul to soak up history. AFP

JOHANNESBURG—Disgraced Paralympian Oscar Pistorius could return to jail on Wednesday, when a judge is set to sentence him for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp three years ago.

Pistorius was freed from prison in the South African capital Pretoria last October after serving one year of a five-year term for culpable homicide—the equivalent of manslaughter.

But an appeals court upgraded the conviction to murder, which has a minimum standard sentence of 15 years. Due to his time already spent in jail and mitigating factors such as his disability, he may be given a lesser term.

Pistorius, 29, shot Steenkamp to death in the early hours of Valentine’s Day in 2013, claiming he mistook her for a burglar when he fired four times through the door of his bedroom toilet.

Judge Thokozile Masipa, who heard the original trial, will deliver the sentence three weeks after a court hearing that marked another episode of high drama in the longrunning case.

Pistorius, sobbing heavily, hobbled on his stumps across the courtroom to demonstrate his physical vulnerability as his lawyers argued he should not return to jail on account of his anxiety disorder and depression.

“I don’t think he will get the 15 years,” Ulrich Roux, who is unaffiliated with the case but has followed it closely, told AFP. “His personal circumstances and the disability will be taken into account. One possibility is that part of the sentence may be suspended.”

At the sentencing hearing, prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued that the double-amputee sprinter should be given a lengthy jail term as he failed to show any remorse for the murder.

Nel also criticized Pistorius for filming a television interview, despite claiming to be too unwell to give evidence in court.

In the interview—his first since the killing—Pistorius said that he believed Steenkamp would want him to devote his life to charity rather than return to prison.

“If I was afforded the opportunity of redemption, I would like to help the less fortunate,” he said.

AFP

Seven charged for murder bid on priest DHAKA—Seven members of an outlawed Bangladeshi Islamist group have been charged with the attempted murder of an Italian priest who was wounded in a shooting last year, police said Monday.

The charges come as Bangladesh reels from the killing of 20 hostages—including nine Italians—over the weekend at an upmarket cafe in the capital Dhaka.

The priest Piero Parolari, who is also a doctor, was shot by unidentified gunmen in the northern Dinajpur district last November.

The Islamic State group said it

was responsible for the attack— a claim promptly rejected by the government and police.

Police later arrested four suspected members of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh, with two allegedly confessing their roles in the attack.

Police on Sunday pressed charges against seven JMB followers for the attack, recommending that they be given death sentences if found guilty.

Three of those charged remain on the run, including a student at a private university whose father is a Bangladeshi-origin Canadian citizen.

“All seven who are charged are JMB members. Two of them told a court as to how they planned the attack and who have supplied them weapons,” Inspector Bazlur Rahman, who is leading the investigation, told AFP. The government and police say homegrown extremists are responsible for the deaths of some 80 secular activists, foreigners and religious minorities killed over the last three years.

Police have also blamed the JMB for the killings during the siege in the heart of Dhaka’s diplomatic zone which came to an end on Saturday morning. AFP

Injured. A Bangladeshi policeman who was injured during an attack on an upscale restaurant is helped by others in Dhaka on July 1, 2016. Heavily armed militants murdered 20 hostages in Bangladesh, hacking many of their victims to death, before six of the attackers were gunned down at the end of a siege on July 2 at the restaurant packed with foreigners. As the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the carnage at the start of the Eid holiday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she was determined to eradicate militancy in the mainly Muslim nation. AFP

T U E S D AY : J U LY 5 , 2 0 1 6

B8 Relatives of victims take their remains DHAKA—The relatives of the foreign hostages murdered in a Bangladeshi restaurant were in Dhaka Monday to take their loved ones’ bodies home as authorities made the first arrests over the killings.

Many were in tears as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid wreaths on the coffins of those killed in the siege at an upmarket cafe in the capital, by far the deadliest in a spate of recent attacks that have caused international alarm.

They included nine Italians, seven Japanese, a US citizen and a 19-year-old Indian student.

Witnesses say the perpetrators of the attack, which the Islamic State group has claimed, spared the lives of Muslims while herding foreigners to their deaths, killing many with machete-style weapons.

Among the mourners at the ceremony in a Dhaka stadium was Muksedur Rahman who described slain Italian textile trader Nadia Benedetti as a “great human being” who had worked to help the Bangladeshi survivors of acid attacks.

“Nadia Benedetti had been working in Bangladesh for more than 20 years,” Rahman, a colleague of the Italian, told AFP. “I can’t believe she had to die like this. We have to stand against such terrorism right now.”

Italy’s ambassador said Friday night’s attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe was “unprecedented” and promised his country’s full support in tackling a rise in Islamist militancy in Bangladesh.

“This unprecedented attack is also an attack on the very identity of Bangladesh,” Mario Palma told reporters at the ceremony.

“You deserve all the cooperation from your friends all over the world who supported you for your struggle to achieve independence.”

The government said the bodies of the Italians and Japanese victims would be handed over to diplomats later Monday before being flown home.

The Indian student’s body was also being flown back to her home town later on Monday US Secretary of State John Kerry offered Washington’s support in a telephone call to Hasina, whose government has been unable to stop a wave of Islamist attacks on foreigners and religious minorities in officially secular but mostly Muslim Bangladesh. AFP

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD Iraqis mourn over 200 killed in suicide attack BAGHDAD—Iraqis on Monday mourned the more than 200 people killed by a jihadist-claimed suicide car bombing that was among the deadliest ever attacks in the country.

Performance. Classical crossover star Jackie Evancho performs during A Capitol FourthRehearsals at the US Capitol’s West Lawn on July 3, 2016, in Washington, DC. AFP

The blast, which the Islamic State group said it carried out, hit the Karrada district early Sunday as the area was packed with shoppers ahead of this week’s holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

The attack sparked anger among Iraqis at the government’s inability to keep them safe even as its forces push IS back, and prompted Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to announce efforts to address the longstanding flaws in Baghdad security measures.

Abadi’s office announced three days of national mourning for the victims of the attack and he vowed to “punish” the perpetrators of the blast.

The attack, which security and medical officials told AFP killed at least 213 people and wounded more than 200, came a week after the country’s forces recaptured Fallujah from IS, leaving Mosul as the only Iraqi city under the jihadist group’s control.

The blast sparked infernos in nearby buildings, and emergency personnel and family and friends of the victims were still searching on Monday for those missing following the explosion.

A member of the civil defense forces said it would take days to recover the bodies of the victims.

Hussein Ali, a 24-year-old former soldier, said six workers at his family’s shop were killed, their bodies so badly burned they could not be identified.

“I will return to the battlefront. At least there, I know the enemy so I can fight him. But here, I don’t know who I’m fighting,” Ali told AFP. IS issued a statement claiming responsibility for the suicide bombing, saying it was carried out by an Iraqi as part of “ongoing security operations”.

The jihadist group said the blast targeted Iraq’s Shiite Muslim majority, whom the Sunni extremists consider heretics and frequently attack in Baghdad and elsewhere.

UN Iraq envoy Jan Kubis condemned the “cowardly and heinous act of unparalleled proportions,” calling on authorities to bring those responsible to justice.

Officials said another explosion in the Shaab area of northern Baghdad killed at least one person and wounded four on Sunday, but the cause of the blast was disputed.

Bombings in the capital have decreased since IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in June 2014, with the jihadists apparently more concerned with operations elsewhere. AFP

Bangladeshi rich kids who grow up to be jihadists DHAKA—Well-educated and hailing from wealthy families, the gunmen who killed 20 hostages in a Bangladesh cafe defy the increasingly outdated stereotype of jihadists from poor backgrounds who have been radicalized in madrassas.

Six young men were shot dead Saturday at the end of the all-night siege in a Dhaka cafe claimed by the Islamic State group.

One may have been an inno-

cent bystander, but among the remaining five are a graduate of Bangladesh’s leading private university, an 18-year-old student at an elite school and the son of a ruling party official.

As jihadist groups such as IS focus their recruitment efforts on disenfranchised middle class youth, government efforts to eradicate extremism become ever more complicated.

“They are all highly educated young men and from welloff families,” Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told AFP. Asked why they would have become jihadists, Khan said: “It has become a fashion.”

While the Bangladesh government has continued to deny IS has a foothold in the country, the group claimed the attack and its associated news agency, Amaq,

posted pictures of the five gunmen posing with weapons.

Similarly, in militancy-ravaged Pakistan, the government denies that the international jihadist network has a formal presence in the country.

But a Pakistani security official recently told AFP that the authorities had busted several IS recruitment cells focused on a similar affluent demographic.

Taj Hashmi, a Bangladeshi who teaches security studies at the Austin Peay State University in the United States, pointed out that many of the Saudi hijackers behind the September 11 attacks were also from wealthy families.

But he says that middle-class youth have been providing Islamist terror groups with foot soldiers since long before the emergence of IS. AFP

TUESDAY : J ULY 5, 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

The Embassy of Denmark in the Philippines and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde mount an exhibition showcasing the projects and initiatives that help Copenhagen attain its goal of becoming the world's first carbon neutral capital by 2025

COPENHAGEN’S URBAN RENEWAL SOLUTIONS

H

ow do we create green growth while improving urban living?

This is the idea behind Copenhagen Solutions, a photographic exhibition of initiatives and projects developed inside the City of Copenhagen to help attain its goal of becoming the world’s first carbon neutral capital by 2025.

On view at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde until August 27, the show is presented by the Embassy of Denmark in the Philippines in partnership with DLS-CSB School of Design and Arts (SDA), and in conjunction with the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) celebration of World Industrial Design Day.

DLS-CSB Industrial Design students present prototypes of products that will be useful in a green environment

The exhibit is one of the activities being conducted in celebration of the 70 years of diplomatic relations between Denmark and the Philippines.

In his remarks during the exhibit opening, DLS-CSB President Br. Dennis Magbanua, FSC, expressed interest in learning about the “urban renewal strategies that the City of Copenhagen implemented to address the conditions and challenges in mobility, water and air management, alternative energy resources, waste recycling, carbon neutrality, climate change and urban planning.”

As part of the presentation, the Danish Embassy has sponsored a series of lectures from representatives and advocates of leading firms in Denmark on their best practices.

Every Wednesday for the month of July, they will feature speakers such as Rick Holland of Grundfos, the world’s largest pump manufacturer, tomorrow; Allan Almendrala of Danfoss, manufacturer of valves and fluid handling components, on July 13; Jacob Rasmussen of Vestas, a global company dedicated exclusively to wind energy, on July 20; and Renel Ramos of Maersk, a worldwide conglomerate operating in international trade, shipping and energy, on July 27.

All talks are from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. at the SDA Amphitheater.

The presentation coincides with the celebration of World Industrial Design Day 2016 and the 25th anniversary of the college’s Industrial Design (ID) program.

As a reaction to the display, ID students presented their own take on sustainability by providing prototypes of products that will be useful in a green environment.

Likewise, works presented during the April 2016 Manila FAME are also featured in a side gallery.

Benilde Center for Campus Art Director Arch. Gerry Torres and Benilde President Br. Dennis Magbanua

Royal Danish Embassy in Manila Visa Cultural Affairs Officer Louie Angelo Cruz

The exhibit shows urban renewal strategies that the City of Copenhagen implemented to address the conditions and challenges in mobility, water and air management, alternative energy resources, waste recycling, carbon neutrality, climate change and urban planning On the other hand, architecture students under the guidance of Jim Caumeron showed their own urban planning solutions on select neighborhoods around the college.

Exhibit curator Architect Gerry Torres explained, “The students of Architectural Design 4 have sought an alternative

by as they presented a scenario where they and their school are truly active in the development of the neighboring community and descended from the glass and concrete towers of exclusion.”

Copenhagen Solutions is on view at the SDA Amphitheater, 12th floor, SDA Campus, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.

TUESDAY : J ULY 5, 2016

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LIFE isahred @ gmail.com

Conventional category grand winner Pinoy Bayanihan by Phoebelyn Gullunan

Jose Ramos II's entry, Sayaw sa Apoy features the traditional fire dance festival in Alfonso, Cavite

WINNERS IN PAGCOR 4TH NATIONAL PHOTO CONTEST

S

ome of the country’s top professional and amateur lensmen took the spotlight once again as the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) named the 24 grand winners in its 4th National Photography Competition held on June 27.

Apart from having professional and freelance photographers in this year’s roster of winners, majority came from various fields. Some of them are college graduates, government employees, a mall operations supervisor, a grade school teacher, a senior high school teacher, an OFW, a company driver, a photo correspondent and a plant manager in a multinational company.

Jose Ramos from Marikina City, one of the Conventional Category winners said it has been his dream to win in the PAGCOR photo competition not only for the huge cash prize but because it is one of the “most prestigious photo competitions in the country.” He said his winning entry, “Sayaw sa Apoy” – a traditional fire dance festival in Alfonso, Cavite – is a cultural heritage that Filipinos should be proud of.

“Through this photo contest, we can help generate awareness among the youth that we have a rich culture to preserve. For me, this photo contest whose theme highlights Filipino culture helps us show our sense of patriotism,” he said.

Also, Miguelito Casim, a messenger and staff driver in a multinational company, was surprised that his entry “Saranggola” made it to this year’s list of Mobile Category winners. A newbie in the field of photography, Casim said he just tried his luck in PAGCOR’s photo contest after he was able to capture a clear image of the Mayon Volcano during his visit to his mother’s hometown in Albay. “Nasa office ako nang malaman ko na pasok ako sa grand finals. Tuwang-tuwa ako nung makita ko yung message ng PAGCOR. Nagtatatalon ako. Siyempre gusto ko yung cash prize talaga. Hindi naman kasi bastabasta magbigay ang PAGCOR,” he shared.

Out of the almost 4,000 photo entries received by PAGCOR, 2,576 qualified in the Conventional Category while 1,359 photos made it under the Mobile Category. These entries came from as far as Zamboanga City, Misamis Oriental, Butuan City and Lanao del Norte.

PAGCOR used the theme “Throwback” to highlight photos that are reminiscent of the Filipinos’ traditional way of life, timehonored cultural practices, food, traits, celebrations and even historical sites.

PAGCOR’s Assistant Vice President for Corporate Communications Maricar Bautista, whose team has been spearheading the photography competition for four years now, lauded the winners for standing out from so many remarkable entries. “From the regional screenings down to the final judging, our jurors had done a really difficult task of selecting the best entries because there were a lot of outstanding photos. We observed that year

The grand winners in the Conventional and Mobile categories of PAGCOR 4th National Photography Competition with PAGCOR Assistant Vice President for Corporate Communications Maricar Bautista and some of the contest's jurors

after year, the entries that we receive are becoming more competitive,” Bautista said.

Romy Vitug, an award-winning photographer and cinematographer who served as a juror in the photo contest’s final leg said he had an arduous time selecting the winning entries. “Maraming magagandang litrato kaya talagang napakahirap magjudge. Yung mga kuha gamit ang cellphone, parang kinunan gamit ang professional camera kasi very sharp ang dating. Marami na talagang nag-improve na photographers.

Kahit amateur lang, parang professional na sa husay kumuha ng litrato,” he said.

Respected documentary and advertising photographer Wig Tysmans, meantime, noted the depth and impressive quality of the photo entries this year as the participants tried their best to capture images that depict the old Philippines.

“The images were conceptualized very well kasi naging palaisipan talaga sa mga sumali kung papaano makakapag-pakita ng makalumang kaugalian at tradisyon sa kanilang mga litrato,” Tysmans observed.

Five photo entries from Luzon, three from Metro Manila and two each from Visayas and Mindanao comprised the grand winners for the Conventional Category or photos that were taken using conventional cameras such as DSLRs. Meanwhile, the 12 winning photos in the Mobile Category consisted of four entries from Visayas, three from Metro Manila, three from Mindanao and two from Luzon.

The Conventional category winners include Jose Ramos II (Sayaw sa Apoy), Richard Balonglong (Melodies of the Upland Folklore), Phoebelyn Gullunan (Pinoy Bayanihan), Rich Martini Absin (A Leap of Faith), Wilfred John Royce Cequiña (Gold), Ma. Milagros Laurente (Charcoal Making), Voltaire Montil (1,2,3 Go!) Gina Meneses (Dala), Dexter Bacani (Trompo), Jenevie Estrella (Jolen), Michael Dave Bognadon (Lawalawa) and Mariaelyn Aguilar (Mga Nahuling Tutubi).

For the Mobile Category, the 12 grand winners were Philip Am Guay

(Throwback Filipping), Irez Quirodes (By the River), Nikki S. Victoriano

(Pagbuburda), Miguel Soriano (Salbabida), Ricky Jabien (Safe Sail), Miguelito Casim (Saranggola), Roi Anwar Abarintos (Jolen-Jolen), Joel Gerone Larupay (Vintage), Dennis Gamarcha (Talipapa) and Michael John Cortez (Songhits Magazine).

Each of the 12 grand winners for the Conventional Category received P75,000 plus trophy, while the eight non-winning grand finalists got a consolation prize of P20,000 each plus Certificate of Merit.

Meanwhile, the 12 grand winners for the Mobile Category took home P30,000 each plus trophy while the remaining eight grand finalists received a consolation prize of P5,000 plus Certificate of Merit.

PAGCOR also gave special awards to Rose Ann Laza for winning the “Most Popular Photo” (Mobile Category) and Wilfred John Royce Cequiña for winning the “Most Popular Photo” (Conventional Category).

Artists’ hand

OnQ Productions in cooperation with Solaire Resort and Casino will present Artist’s Hand: From Stage to Canvas, an Exploration of Space, an exhibition of artworks by theater artists as a fund raising campaign for theater practitioners who are in need of medical help.

The exhibit will open on July 6 and will run until August at Solaire Resort and Casino’s Shoppes Hallway.

There will be an opening cocktail reception, which will promptly start at 6 p.m. and will be hosted by Mitch Valdes.

These eight artists have unique and fresh ways of looking at the world not from their usual perspective as actors but this time expressing their creativity

thru the exploration of other spaces; translating their work unto paper, canvas and fiberglass, as they find necessary to unravel and illuminate their interpretation of reality.

The eight artists are Susan Africa, Diana Alferez, Sonny Anecito, Divina Cavestany, Perry Dizon, Ernie Garcia, Frank Rivera and Len Ag. Santos-Siasoco with the special participation of Dr. Ligaya Fernando Amilbangsa, 2015 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for her preservation and propagation of the indigenous dance form called “pangalay” of the South.

For any inquiries, please email artisthand06@gmail.com

TUESDAY : J ULY 5, 2016

LIFE

isahred @ gmail.com

C3

TECH

SMART LAUNCHES BREAKTHROUGH SMARTLIFE APP

S

mart, the country’s unrivaled mobile services leader, is set to change the way Filipinos enjoy their smartphones with the launch of the SmartLife app, where people can 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.

PLDT Vice President Gary Dujali, PLDT President and CEO Napoleon Nazareno and PLDT Executive Vice President Ariel Fermin introduce the new SmartLife App

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.

“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.

SmartLife users can check out random surprises on the app

Exclusive daily lifestyle treats on the app

Under Perks, subscribers can check out exclusive daily lifestyle treats from Smart’s partner-merchants, ranging from food, shopping, fitness, tech and gadgets, lifestyle, and travel.

The Perks tab also includes 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 worldleading digital content partners, including iflix and Fox, among many others.

For the music savvy, the app has a Music tab that curates current earworms

Premium HyC 150 opens online store Premium HyC 150, the 2015 Monde Selection Gold Award winner, recently opened its online store for convenient, easy access to its products offering free delivery to all customers nationwide.

Customers can go to www.hyc150.com to purchase HyC 150 products and other Fine Japan products online via Bank Transfer, GCash or PayPal. Delivery to any point in the Philippines is free of charge.

To help customers gain confidence in buying HyC 150 and other Fine Japan products currently sold in the market, HyC 150 also launched Ask a Doctor, an online conversation with medical experts who are practicing aesthetic medicine. HyC 150 recognizes the need of consumers for information and they can be confident if they have the right information especially regarding ingredients found in food supplements or possible side effects.

Now, your questions about aging, skin health and proper moisturizing, and other related issues can be answered. All you have to do is visit the website and go to the Ask a Doctor page. Fill in the form with your name, email address and your questions. After submitting it, the doctors will receive your questions through email, and will send a reply directly to your email.

For health and beauty supplements, women are very open to ask questions, but majority of men, on the other hand, cannot come forward that easily when they have questions related to the topic.

Ask a Doctor is a personal way of getting information from medical experts that is best suited for you.

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 easyto-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 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 or @LiveSmart on Twitter and Instagram.

FedEx Virtual Assistant for customer enquiries

Dr. Ehmely Sevilla-Castillo

Dr. Rodolfo Apostol

Get answers from experts such as Dr. Ehmely Sevilla-Castillo, founder and medical director of Vine Holistic Medical Aesthetics, and Dr. Rodolfo Apostol, vice president for Business Affairs of the International Academy for Aesthetic Sciences.

HyC150, a supplemental drink manufactured by FINE Japan Co. Ltd., contains anti-aging properties that will not only make you look young but also make you feel good and healthy. HyC150 contains 150mg of Hyaluron, the body’s natural moisturizer that lubricates the joints and tissues for easier and painless movements. Aside from keeping the skin well-hydrated, it also makes the hair strong and silky, and the nails healthy.

This drink contains 5,250mg of collagen, the ingredient that holds the body together. By drinking HyC150, your body is replenished with the amount of collagen needed to repair body tissues, form structure, and prevent sagging.

The third important ingredient is HyC150’s 10mg of ubiquinol, the body’s natural energy booster. Aside from increasing the body’s energy, ubiquinol is an antioxidant that protects the body from environmental toxins, strengthens the immune system, and prevents hair loss.

Aside from these three main ingredients that help defy aging, HyC150 also contains vitamin C, biotin, elastin and pearl coix, making it a powerful drink that must be added to your daily diet. HyC150 is safe, effective and has more potent ingredients compared to other brands. Take one sachet every day at 125 pesos per sachet and feel younger each day.

HyC150 is available at selected Watsons stores nationwide and online at Lazada (www.lazada.com.ph). For more information, call (02) 546-7297 or 0917-7750779, or Like HyC150 on Facebook or check out #HyC150 on Twitter or follow @HyC150 on Instagram,

As part of the company’s ongoing focus on improving the customer experience through innovation, FedEx Express (FedEx) has launched FedEx Virtual Assistant at fedex.com – a technology tool designed to save customers’ valuable time and effort.

The FedEx Virtual Assistant makes the enquiry process even more efficient for customers when they visit the FedEx website in their market. It is an interactive online inquiry application that can provide instant answers to frequently asked questions any time of the day. It also offers realtime chats with FedEx Customer Service representatives during local operating hours. Together, these capabilities improve the experience across a range of touchpoints for customers whenever and wherever they need shipment-related information.

Customers will benefit from FedEx Virtual Assistant’s helpful features: • Provides fast, automated answers to frequently asked questions.

• Allows inquiries to be submitted in English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean or Thai, according to the available languages for that country.

• Provides 24/7 actual shipment tracking.

• Facilitates real-time chats with FedEx Customer Service representatives within local operating hours (except in Indonesia and Vietnam).

FedEx Virtual Assistant is now available in English at fedex.com sites in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. It will be available for Japan and China (both in English and local languages) in the later part of 2016; while English and local-language versions for Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand will be rolled out in 2017.

TUESDAY : J ULY 5, 2016

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LIFE

isahred @ gmail.com

MEDIA

STARSTUDIO MAGAZINE’S FEATURES

S

PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTE

tarStudio welcomes July with a hot back-to-back cover featuring two extraordinary men: the 16th President of the Philippines, Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte, and the controversial Joel Cruz.

Read about the private life of Digong, his family, and leadership style, and get a glimpse of what his presidency would look like in this important feature—with photos from master lensman Edwin Tuyay.

Said to be “crazy” with his impossibly ostentatious choices in life, megabucks “celebrity scents” businessman Joel Cruz shows us completely the opposite—he shares how to create a life that is successful and happy with his four beautiful kids. Starstudio also shares with you an exclusive tour of his four mansions in Manila, Tagaytay, Baguio, and the United States, his yacht, and his many big and fancy pursuits.

In line with the recent elections, StarStudio also features the captivating personalities that have instantly won the hearts of many. Among those who stole the hearts of the people are Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, Brian Poe Llamanzares, Paolo Roxas, and Luis Hontiveros.

All these in StarStudio Magazine’s July 2016 issue, available from ABS-CBN Publishing.

Christian and Anne is an endearing story of two people who defied all odds and fell in love

The next best-selling ‘socialserye’ novel

Together with Pinoy Big Brother heartthrob Tommy Esguerra, ABS-CBN Publishing Inc., (API) successfully launched Christian and Anne by Dolce Amore on June 18 at the National Book Store at Trinoma.

It was indeed a kilig-much afternoon for the fans and readers who attended the book launch as celebrity heartthrob Tommy and author Dolce Amore bonded with the readers, took selfies, and signed autographs for them.

Dolce cheerfully revealed why she chose Tommy as the book cover model and explained why her book can give inspiration to people to never give up on love.

Christian and Anne is about the endearing story of a fat nerd named Christian who mustered the courage to text his crush, Anne, the school’s most popular girl.

What started off as a rebound relationship, Christian and Anne defied all odds and fell in love. Until one day, Anne’s handsome “ex” enters the scene and Christian is forced to retreat to Texas. Later on, fate intervened and Christian, this time hotter and more dashing than ever, crosses paths with Anne.

Published by ABS-CBN Publishing, Christian and Anne is the latest addition to ABS-CBN Publishing, Inc.’s successful line of best-selling consumer books. The book came a few weeks after API released the pioneering socialserye novels The Wrong Message and Vince and Kath by Queen Elly, both have been on top of the best-selling fiction charts of National Bookstore.

Dolce Amore joins an elite roster of API authors, which include Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, Alex Gonzaga, Georgina Wilson, Solenn Heussaff, and Ramon Bautista. The book is exclusively available in all National Book Store outlets nationwide for only P150.

TAPE founder, Aldub on the cover of FORBES Philippines Antonio “Tony” Tuviera, whose TV production company TAPE produces the country’s longestrunning noontime variety program Eat Bulaga!, is on the cover of this month’s FORBES Philippines. He is joined by Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza, two of today’s most popular talents in local entertainment, whose appearance as comedic sweethearts injected new life and helped bring in new viewers to the show.

Tuviera, who prefers to keep a low profile despite working in the glitz and glamour of show business, opens up to FORBES Philippines about the beginnings of TAPE, the challenges they faced going up against bigger, more established rivals, and how “divine intervention” has played a part in keeping the show alive for over three decades and running.

Eat Bulaga!, which celebrates its 37th anniversary this month, is unique not

Tony Tuviera and AlDub on the cover of Forbes

just for having outlasted other variety programs over the years in three different TV networks, but for having

done so as a blocktimer in an industry that has lately been dominated by network-produced programming.

TAPE, which posted revenues in excess of P1.4 billion in 2014, will no doubt see its earnings rise in 2015 after the unexpected success of “AlDub,” or what fans call the love team of Richards and Mendoza. Tuviera says Eat Bulaga! has been doing well in terms of ratings even before the cameras captured the burgeoning onscreen romance of AlDub, but their undeniable chemistry, coupled with creative storytelling and the support of the other members of the Eat Bulaga! cast, have all helped propel the show to unprecedented new heights.

Tuviera also talks about how the company is tapping new technology to further grow the Eat Bulaga! brand, what else viewers can expect from the brains behind country’s leading noontime show, and how long he thinks the show will be on the air.

Nick Vujicic live in Manila

Motivational speaker Nick Vujicic is coming back to the Philippines for a one-day event

Nick Vijicic, best-selling author and world-renowned motivational speaker, is coming back to Manila on July 29 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Vujicic embodies a life filled with hope, perseverance and an unstoppable passion regardless of what you see in and around your current situation. He has been travelling across the globe bringing a message of inspiration that empowers individuals to reach beyond their goals to achieve ultimate success.

In any field you’re at or in any status you are in life, there are unlimited opportunities for growth and progress.

Listen to Nick as he talks about overcoming the hurdles. Join him and witness lives being moved, mindsets being transformed, attitudes being shaped, and goals met beyond expectations.

There will be two events to choose from, featuring prominent

heavy-weights of the local Business industry.

The 2 p.m. event features Dr. Andrew Liuson, Randell Tiongson, Chinkee Tan and Luchi Cruz-Valdes. The 8 p.m. event features Francis Kong.

Ticket Prices for the afternoon event (2 p.m.) are: VIP (Reserved Seating) P1,350; Patron (Reserved Seating) P1,080; Upper A (Reserved Seating) P720; Upper B (Free Seating) P540; General Admission (Free Seating) P270.

For the evening event (4 p.m.)

VIP (Reserved Seating) P1,500; Patron (Reserved Seating) P1,200; Upper A (Reserved Seating) P800; Upper B (Free Seating) P600; General Admission (Free Seating) P300.

Call Becca Music Tickets at (02) 910-5524, Ticketnet at (02) 911-5555 or visit Ticketnet Online at www.ticketnet.com.ph.

T UES DAY : J ULY 5, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED

isahred @ gmail.com

EDITOR

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The fourth cinema club in Manila is finally opened at the S Maison in Conrad Manila at the Mall of Asia Complex

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lush La-Z-Boy recliners . . . a butler service . . . specially created menus . . . state-of-the-art design and technology.

Film enthusiasts can now enjoy the luxe cinema experience at the new Director’s Club Cinema in S Maison at the new Conrad Manila. It is the first hotel-based cinema in the Philippines where one can host small, intimate, private screenings.

At the Director’s Club Cinema at S Maison, elegant interior design meets top-ofthe-line technology and personalized theatre services. It’s the perfect luxe escape into a world where you are the movie star.

Guests can enjoy the latest films as they relax into plush La-Z-Boy recliners. The Director’s Club Cinema in S Maison’s La-ZBoy Power Recline XR+ seats have a rocker recliner, power headrest and lumbar, promising customized comfort and effortless reclining at varied angles, all through a simple click of the control.

And to complement this luxe movie experience, each guest is served a complimentary bowl of freshly popped popcorn upon arrival. If still craving for a movie snack, guests can select from a specially created menu for Director’s Club Cinema

THE FIRST HOTEL-BASED CINEMA IN THE PHILIPPINES

THE LUXE CINEMA EXPERIENCE AT CONRAD MANILA

– a quick push of a button summons a Butler to receive and conveniently deliver the order to their seat.

The Director’s Club Cinema was created to service the latest addition to the Hilton properties, the Conrad Manila, which is situated atop the new and superior retail complex, S Maison. The cinema has 3 theatres, with a capacity of only 40 seats per theatre. As each film room is purposefully created to be intimate in number and size, each seat assures the best angle for movie watching.

Dive into the lush movie lifestyle at the Director’s Club Cinema in S Maison. For more information, visit www.smcinema. com, like SM Cinema on twitter @SM_ Cinema, or follow SM Cinema at www. facebook.com/SMCinema.

The Director’s Club Cinema was created to service the latest addition to the Hilton properties, the Conrad Manila

Equipped with state-of-the-art facility, this high-end cinema is the perfect retreat for movie fans

The new cinema is poised to provide movie fans a lush movie experience

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T UES DAY : J ULY 5, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

PIA WURTZBACH ON A CARIBBEAN HOLIDAY

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alfway through her yearlong reign, Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach had a taste of the Caribbean life on June 24-26 when she visited the Cayman Islands, a tropical island group in the Caribbean Sea. She joined her countrymen at the Pinoy Pride Independence Month concert celebration. More than 1,500 people gathered at the Lions Community Centre to welcome and see in person the reigning Filipina Miss Universe.

Wurtzbach’s visit to the favorite Caribbean island getaway destination of only 56,000 plus inhabitants included a tour of Grand Cayman, capital George Town, Stingray City, Camana Bay and the Eastern Districts.

Islanders and tourists were thrilled to see Wurtzbach during her shopping spree and leisure trips in the British territory’s upscale malls and popular restaurants.

On her second day, Wurtzbach had a meet-and-greet ses-

Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach arrives in Cayman Island

sion held early evening at the Lobster Pot overlooking the Georgetown waterfront. Miss Cayman Islands 2016 Monyque Brooks with the aspirants for the 2017 Miss Cayman search joined her.

Dacres-Lee, chairwoman of the Miss Cayman Committee, warmly introduced Wurtzbach to the crowd that stayed for an opportunity to be photographed with the 2015 Miss Universe and 2016 Miss Cayman at the end of the event.

Matthew Leslie, event director for Cayman Mardi Gras, Irma Arch of Miracle Brokers, and the organizers of the Philippine Independence Month celebration arranged for Ms. Wurtzbach visit to Cayman Islands.

Wurtzbach has been winning an amazing legion of fans around the world for her warm, fun and friendly personality.

Her new roommate at her New York home apartment, Miss USA 2016 Deshauna Barber, has called Pia “the funniest roommate in the world.” The two has

gotten along well fast since Barber’s crowning in June succeeding Olivia Jordan, Wurtzbach’s former roommate, who posted in her Instagram, “It’s the summer solstice, a time where light triumphs over darkness. You are a light shining bright even when haters try to bring you down.

Thanks for always letting your positivity shine through and congratulations for being the “best Miss Universe ever.”

Wurtzbach, who’s “confidently beautiful” winning phrase had been used during the Q&A judging at the 2016 Miss USA pageant, continued to fulfill her advocacy on fighting AIDS. She submitted to a HIV test during the recent USA National HIV Testing Day (June 27) at the Apicha Community Health Center in New York. Wurtzbach also received a $10,000.00 check donation from the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) to be given to her favorite charity cause.

– Eton B. Concepcion

1ST ANNIVERSARY DANCE OFF COMPETITION FOR CHILDREN

Deadline of submission of entries extended

DreamPlay, City of Dreams Manila’s DreamWorks-inspired interactive play space, extended the submission of entries until July 9 for its 1st anniversary children’s dance competition called “King Julien’s Dance Off.” The dance competition is open to all kids ages 7 to 14 years old, where groups may be composed of all boys, all girls or mixed.

Interested groups can register via the DreamPlay dance off website: www.cityofdreams.com.ph/dreamplaydanceoff. They can also send an e-mail request to dreamplay@codmanila.com or call 691 8899. A copy of the entry form shall be sent to the contestant’s email address.

The contestants must then submit the completed entry form, a group

photo, and the dance video to the DreamPlay Dance Off website.

The dance video is required to use any English song not exceeding a total of two minutes and a video file size of 25 mb. Pyrotechnics of any sort are not allowed in the presentation. Only one video per dance group is allowed as an entry submission.

The grand finals is scheduled on July 16 at the Grand Ballroom, where an exciting array of prizes awaits the winning group with over a hundred thousand pesos worth of prizes. Only six groups will qualify and compete live with up to five-minute performances. King Julien himself, who was recently announced as DreamPlay’s newest character, will be performing in the event and will celebrate with guests in this momentous activity.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ANSWER PREVIOUS PUZZLE

ACROSS 1 Radiant 6 No way! (hyph.)

10 Put into words 14 Get a better look 15 Memo 16 Singer — James 17 Cygnus star 18 Unlike hatchlings 20 Dancer — Charisse 21 Nylons shade 23 Japanese volcano

24 25 26 29 34

Unwanted plant Victrola maker Word on a door Wake in the lake What i.e. means (2 wds.)

35 Cheap magazines 36 Mr. Walton 37 Like folks in the pews 38 Tech talk 39 Eight, in Milan

40 Director — Lee 41 Soap plant 42 Bobby of “Dream Lover” 43 Assembly 45 South Seas wear 46 Hire out 47 Mountain passes 48 Obi-Wan’s foe 51 Amusing 53 PD dispatch 56 Movie gladiator 58 Bury 60 Moo companion 61 By — of hard work 62 Piano-key wood 63 Boon companions 64 Sharp turns 65 Former Portuguese colony DOWN 1 Heavy-metal band 2 Cloudy, in London 3 Make shore 4 1300 hours 5 Geese have two (2 wds.)

6 Hungry 7 Toolshed tools 8 Provo’s state 9 All — up 10 Teeter-totter 11 Razor brand 12 Thing 13 Pop, to tot

The dance group that wins as the champions of “King Julien’s Dance Off ” will receive the first-ever DreamPlay trophy, exclusive one-year passes to DreamPlay for each member, P80,000 in cash, six DreamShop vouchers worth P1,000 each, six Chez Gingy restaurant vouchers worth P1,000 each, three gift certificates of an overnight stay and breakfast at Nobu Manila, eight Hyatt Café dinner buffet vouchers, a photo op with all the DreamPlay characters, and special invitations to DreamPlay’s upcoming events. The five grand finalists will received P10,000 in cash per group.

For DreamPlay inquiries and admission, guests can call 800 8080 or e-mail guestservices@ cod-manila.com or visit cityofdreamsmanila.com.ph.

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

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Clears a trail “— Miz” Minn. neighbor Sales slip (abbr.)

Fragrant shrub Bell town Stoop to Call, as an elk — vera lotion Houston baseball player Gown fabric Some Thai immigrants Ont. or Que. Amo, amas, — Rowboat need Paying attention Wasted time Rings up sales Our sun Isn’t free Brandy bottle letters Samoa’s capital Boone, informally Ovid’s 602 Tolled Fermi split it “La Bamba” costar Elizabeth — Mawr, Pa. Wood-shaving tool Knicks’ org.

“King Julien’s Dance Off” is a competition that celebrates DreamPlay’s 1st anniversary

T UES DAY : J ULY 5, 2016

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

T

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

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CEBU-BORN GALEN TAN CHU CO-DIRECTS ‘ICE AGE: COLLISION COURSE’

he global hit Ice Age franchise marks a historic feat as being the first full-length animation to reach its fifth installment for theatrical release in the latest Ice Age: Collision Course. Co-directing for the first time with acclaimed filmmaker Michael Thurmeier is Filipino American Galen Tan Chu. Galen Tan Chu, born in Cebu, spent eleven years in the Philippines before migrating to the US where he studied illustration and animation at Pratt Institute. Chu is a true veteran of the Ice Age franchise and Blue Sky Studios where he built his career as an animator on Ice Age (2002). He then became a lead animator on Blue Sky’s second animated feature Robots (2005).

In Ice Age: The Meltdown”(2006), he was promoted to supervising animator and then served as supervising animator on Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! (2008), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Rio (2011) and Epic (2013). He also directed the direct-to-DVD short Surviving Sid (2008).

Audiences everywhere love the Ice Age films, one of the biggest animated motion picture series in the world. Each new story increases the stakes, scale, adventure, humor and heart—making Ice Age: Collision Course the biggest and most ambitious film of the series. Propelling audiences to new environments, like the cosmos and a crystallized world known as Geotopia, this is the de-

Jennifer Lopez as the female saber-tooth cat, Shira

fining chapter in the Ice Age “chillogy,” with many of the characters beginning new journeys.

Ice Age: Collision Course sees Scrat playing pinball with the planets chasing his elusive acorn, he creates the ultimate Scrataclysm, sending the mother of all asteroids hurtling toward Earth.

Again, Scrat’s misadventures have life- and world-changing consequences for our sub-zero heroes on the ground. At the same time, there are earth-shaking events of an entirely different nature playing out for the gang. Manny and

Ray Romano returns as the mammoth Manny

Ellie’s daughter Peaches is getting married, and to Manny that’s as unwanted a development as an asteroid landing in his backyard.

Ice Age: Collision Course sees Manny’s world changing—and he’s not happy about it. Peaches dropped a bombshell on her parents, and, says co-director Galen Tan Chu, “Manny sees that as a threat. She’s not only getting married, she and her soon-to-be hubby Julian are moving away to begin their lives as a couple.”

Indeed, the Ice Age films are also love stories: Manny has El-

lie, Peaches has Julian, Diego has Shira. Even the crazy brotherly bond between daredevils Crash and Eddie is a kind of love story.

But what about Sid the sloth? For Sid, romantic love has proven elusive, if not impossible.

It’s not that Sid isn’t deserving of finding that special sloth. As Thurmeier points out, “If Manny is the emotional core of the Ice Age films, then Sid is the comic conscience.

He has a good heart, and, as we saw in the first film, he was instrumental in bringing the herd together and was the one who cracked Man-

Cebu-born Galen Tan Chu, co-director of the latest installment of “Ice Age” series

ny’s tough exterior.” And it’s not that Sid isn’t interested in romance; as Chu notes, Sid “wears his heart on his sleeve.”

Reflecting on the franchise’s global central theme, Galen Tan Chu notes, “What strikes a chord for audiences around the world is that the members of the herd look out for each other. They’ve grown up together as this family, and people really connect to that journey.”

Ice Age: Collision Course opens in cinemas (2D and 3D) tomorrow. It is from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

GMA Network, Kapuso personalities

at 2016 Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand Awards

Broadcast journalist Mike Enriquez receives the Most Trusted Radio Presenter award

GMA Network, along with notable Kapuso personalities, was once again recognized by Reader’s Digest as among the Philippines’ most trusted brands during the awards’ ceremonies held last June 30 in Ortigas, Pasig.

A Gold award was conferred anew on GMA in the TV network category in recognition of its unwavering commitment to unbiased news and top-notch entertainment.

GMA News’ and Peabody award-winning broadcast journalist Jessica Soho’s winning streak, meanwhile, continues as she took home the Most Trusted TV News Presenter award for the sixth consecutive year.

Aside from Soho, another GMA News personalty, the highly regarded Mike Enriquez, who is also the Network’s Consultant for Radio Operations, became the first recipient of the Most Trusted Radio Presenter award.

Last but certainly not least, Filipino boxing hero and longtime Kapuso Manny Pacquiao was also again recognized as the country’s Most Trusted Sports Personality.

Winners of the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand Awards were chosen based on a survey among approximately 8,000 consumers across key markets in Asia.

American actress Kate Mara in the science fiction horror thriller “Morgan”

Genetically engineered superhuman in ‘Morgan’ Luke Scott, son of highly acclaimed blockbuster maker Ridley Scott (Alien, The Martian) debuts as director (full-length film) in the sci-fi thriller Morgan starring Kate Mara, Anya Taylor-Joy, Paul Giamatti, Rose Leslie, Boyd Holbrook and Michelle Yeoh.

Morgan tells the chilling tale of a creation that escaped in a tightly-guarded facility for artificial intelligence. A corporate troubleshooter, played by Kate Mara, is sent to the remote, topsecret location, where she is to investigate and evaluate the terrifying incident. She learns that the seemingly innocent “human” who escaped has both infinite promise and incalculable danger.

Scott, from his previous inter-

view with EW reveals that Morgan eventually becomes greater than the scientists who created her. “What Morgan really alludes to is human beings becoming, in a sense, the creator. Not in a traditional religious sense, but an idea that we have the capabilities to become our own creator. And what I suspect could happen — we’ve seen it in all these movies, whether it’s Frankenstein or Metropolis — it’s the creation of a being that is greater than the creator. That is fascinating to me, and it definitely feels like a next stage of evolution in the real world.”

Produced by Ridley Scott, Morgan opens in cinemas nationwide on Sept. 7 from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

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T UES DAY : J ULY 5, 2016

ISAH V. RED EDITOR NICKIE WANG WRITER

isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

Neurobion’s Neuropathy Awareness Movement ambassadors singer-actress Zsa Zsa Padilla (left) and Ryan Agoncillo (right)

ZSA ZSA

REMAINS POSITIVE DESPITE BREAKUP

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Healing. Zsa Zsa Padilla says she feels “calmer and peaceful” after her engagement was called off

sa Zsa Padilla joined the fight against neuropathy when she became an ambassador of Neurobion’s Neuropathy Awareness Movement, an advocacy campaign of Merck Inc. Philippines.

“I’ve been using Neurobion for years now, and it has greatly improved my nerve condition. I’m proud to say it has done wonders to my nerves and I don’t get to feel any numbing in my arms which is good because I love to cook for my family,” said Padilla during a press conference for Neurobion held recently.

Since she talked about family, members of the press could not help but ask the singer-actress how her family reacted on her breakup with architect Conrad Onglao and how she is coping with this failed relationship.

“It’s a calmer and more peaceful me,” the 52-year-old Padilla shared and furthered, “Of course, in the beginning of a breakup you have a lot of questions, you have a lot of anger in you, you go through phases.”

“It’s just that when that happened I was sick, I was really physically sick…and of course keeping up a brave front is not easy,” she admitted.

Amid intrusive questions from the press, Padilla still maintained her silence about the reason behind her breakup with Onglao.

“Everyone knew that I was the one who left ‘di ba? You leave because things are not working out in your relationship, so there. I just want to leave

BY ANNE RENEE SUAREZ

it between the two of us because...wag nalang,” she paused.

Joining Padilla in the Neurobion event was actor-host Ryan Agoncillo, who is the latest addition to the growing family of the vitamin brand.

During the press conference, Agoncillo, who is known for promoting healthy and active lifestyle said that the more a person becomes physically active all the more reason for him to take vitamins.

Agoncillo became more active in doing physical activities when his wife, actress Judy Ann Santos, gave birth to their second biological child. When asked about how his workouts are with her wife, the actor-host was quick to answer: “Yes she’s back. She said she’s under renovation.”

The actor-host have been motivating his wife to get back into shape and lose those pounds she gained during her pregnancy. The two go to the gym together, and sometimes their children in tow, as a form of bonding.

On the question as to whether the two are planning to extend their family, Agoncillo answered: “Depends on my wife. But the production never stops you know (laughs).”

Having both of them in the limelight, Ryan and Judy Ann are not closing their doors on the possibility of their children entering show business.

“They can be anything they want to be as long as makatapos sila ng pag-aaral. Yohan wants to be a singer,” Agoncillo shared in an interview.