The Standard - 2016 July 14 - Thursday

VOL. XXX NO. 152 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 THURSDAY : JULY 14, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Duterte budget placed at P3.3t

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CHINA WARNS VS ‘CRADLE OF WAR’

Insists on historical rights over the sea Palace plots next move in wake of UN ruling

By John Paolo Bencito, Rey E. Requejo and Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE Palace said Wednesday it has tapped Associate Justices Antonio Carpio and Francis Jardeleza and former solicitor general Florin Hilbay to study the landmark decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration favoring the Philippines in its territorial dispute with China, and to formulate the next steps in the South China Sea. Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said experts from the previous administration were invited to a Tuesday night Cabinet meeting.

Carpio, Jardeleza and Hilbay were part of the Philippine delegation to the UN Arbitral Tribunal when the Philippines first brought its case before the tribunal over China’s “nine-dash line” claims.

On Tuesday, the Palace said it would study the verdict before issuing policy statements in about five days.

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said Tuesday that Solicitor General Jose Calida would provide President Rodrigo Duterte with a “complete and thorough interpretation” of the ruling in five days.

Carpio on Wednesday said the country’s bid to defend its territories in the West Philippine Sea is not over despite the favorable ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

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No Pacquiao fight, for now

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BEIJING—China warned its rivals Wednesday against turning the South China Sea into a “cradle of war” and threatened to establish an air defense zone there, after its claims to the strategically vital waters were declared invalid.

The surprisingly strong and sweeping ruling by a UN-backed tribunal in The Hague provided powerful diplomatic ammunition to the Philippines, which filed the challenge, and other claimants in their decades-long disputes with China over the resource-rich waters.

China reacted furiously to Tues-

day’s decision, insisting on its historical rights over the sea while launching a volley of thinly veiled warnings to the United States and other critical nations.

“Do not turn the South China Sea into a cradle of war,” Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told reporters in Beijing, as he de-

scribed the ruling as waste paper.

“China’s aim is to turn the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation.”

Liu said China also had “the right” to establish an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over the sea, which would give the Chinese military authority over foreign aircraft.

A similar zone set up in 2013 in the East China Sea riled Japan, the United States and its allies.

“Whether we need to set up one in the South China Sea depends on the level of threat we receive,” he said.

“We hope other countries will

not take the chance to blackmail China.”

The Chinese ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, was even more blunt over the ramifications of the verdict.

“It will certainly intensify conflicts and even confrontation,” Cui said in Washington on Tuesday.

China justifies its sovereignty claims by saying it was the first to have discovered, named and exploited the sea, and outlines its claims for most of the waterway using a vague map made up of nine dashes that emerged in the 1940s.

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Sea patrols. A helicopter of the Japanese Coast Guard conducts an aerial surveillance while a patrol vessel of the Philippine Coast Guard (BRP Nueva Ecija) searches for hijackers during a mock sea robbery off Manila Bay as part of a joint exercise between the two nations dubbed as 6th Joint Maritime Law Enforcement. DANNY PATA

‘Narco-generals’ on Immigration watchlist

By Rey E. Requejo THE Department of Justice on Wednesday issued a “lookout bulletin” to the Bureau of Immigration, ordering it to monitor the five police generals earlier tagged by President Rodrigo Duterte as alleged protectors of the illegal drug trade.

In a memo to the bureau, Justice Sec-

retary Vitaliano Aguirre II required the BI to place police generals Marcelo Garbo Jr., Vicente Loot, Bernardo Diaz, Joel Pagdilao, Edgardo Tinio on its lookout bulletin.

Garbo has retired from the service while Loot is now the mayor of Daangbantayan town in Cebu. Diaz, Pagdilao and Tinio are still in the active service.

The order requires immigration of-

ficers to be on the lookout for the police generals should they pass through immigration counters in any of the country’s international air or sea ports.

Those who are still on active duty will be required to show a copy of their travel authority.

The Immigration chief was also directed to coordinate with the Department of

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Rody’s trust rating surges to 79%

By John Paolo Bencito and Maricel V. Cruz

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Roa Duterte is starting his term with an excellent trust rating, with the latest Social Weather Stations survey showing Duterte’s net scores surging across geographic areas and social classes.

The survey, conducted via face-toface interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide, showed Duterte earning an “excellent” +79 net trust rating, with 54 percent saying they had “much trust” in him, while those who said that they had “little trust” in the President remained at 28 percent.

In the latest poll, Duterte also improved across all areas, with a 53-point rise attributable to increases

of 66 points to +75 in June from +9 in May in “Balance Luzon,” 57 points to +78 from +21 in Metro Manila, 57 points to +74 from +17 in the Visayas, and by 23 points to +90 from +67 in Mindanao. Ratings across all areas were “excellent.”

Malacañang welcomed the good news of the increased trust of the people towards the promise of change pitched by the Duterte ad-

‘Narco-generals’...

China...

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Interior and Local Government and the National Police Commission.

Earlier, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno requested that the five police generals be put on a watch list order.

Sueno also said a list of people involved in narco-politics, including mayors and barangay officials, would be completed shortly, before President Rodrigo Duterte’s first State-ofthe-Union Address on July 25.

DILG Undersecretary Catalino Cuy said the list would be validated before it reaches Duterte, who earlier said he had a list of 32 mayors involved in the illegal drug trade.

The Philippine National Police on Wednesday filed charges against four Hong Kong nationals who were arrested on Monday inside a “floating shabu laboratory” off Subic in Zambales.

During inquest proceedings, the PNP accused Win Fai Lo, Shu Fook Leung, Kam Wah Kwok, Kwok Tung Chan of violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 for manufacturing and possession of illegal drugs.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency also reported that a 33-year-old Nigerian football coach was arrested in a buy-bust sting inside a restaurant in Marikina City Tuesday night.

The suspect was identified as Ejiye Okoye alias Martin, who was arrested with shabu worth P1.05 million, PDEA said.

The arrest was confirmed by PDEA Central Luzon director Emerson Margate.

Authorities believe Okoye is a member of the West Africa Syndicate operating in the country and his area of operation was Metro Manila and Central Luzon.

The PNP said 362 people, including two Chinese nationals, have been arrested in two weeks of police operations.

The campaign, involving the National Capital Region Police Office in close coordination with the PDEA, also led in the seizure of prohibited substances, particularly methamphetamine hydrochloride, popularly known as shabu, and marijuana leaves.

Metro Manila police director Oscar Albayalde commended his men from the Southern Police District, Northern Police District, Eastern Police District, Manila and Quezon City for their successful operations, which he said, is in line with the NCRPO’s support for the directive of PNP Chief Ronald Dela Rosa to go against illegal drugs and criminality through “Oplan Tokhang.”

Those claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

Manila, under previous President Benigno Aquino III, launched the legal case in 2013 after China took control of Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing ground within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and far away from the nearest major Chinese landmass.China has also in recent years built giant artificial islands capable of hosting military installations and airstrips in the Spratlys archipelago, one of the biggest groups of islands in the sea.

Aside from stating that China’s historical rights were without “legal basis,” the tribunal ruled that its artificial island building and the blocking of Filipino fishermen at Scarborough Shoal were unlawful.

However, the Philippines, under new President Rodrigo Duterte, declined to celebrate the verdict, saying on Tuesday only that it welcomed the ruling while calling for sobriety and restraint.

Duterte has repeatedly said he wants to improve relations with China, which plummeted under

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He said the ruling was only a platform that the government can use to assert its sovereign rights over the disputed islands.

Carpio added that the move of President Duterte to initiate bilateral talks with China could be a viable tool.

“We have now a ruling that says Scarborough Shoal is a traditional fishing ground of Filipino and Chinese fishermen. So both can fish there,” Carpio said.

“This is from an international tribunal, a convention to which China has ratified. So we have to talk to China, establish protocols so we can fish in peace,” Carpio added.

He said a bilateral agreement with China would be the most logical option for the government in pushing for the enforcement of the award.

“We have to talk to China to now allow us to go there [Scarborough Shoal] because the tribunal said we have a traditional fishing right together with Chinese fishermen,” the associate justice said.

If China continues to defy the arbitral ruling and proceed with its ban on Filipino fishermen in the disputed area, Carpio said there are other options that can be pursued.

For instance, the government

ministration.

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said that the new administration will continue its job of bringing the change that the President promised.

“It’s a positive sign and very encouraging to know that the people trust the judgment, decisions and actions of the President. The mandate is clear, the government cannot stop what it has started,” he said.

Lawmakers on Wednesday were similarly elated by the survey results.

In separate interviews with The Standard, former Speaker and Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr., Reps. Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte, Karlo Alexei Nograles of Davao City and Jericho Nograles of

PBA party-list said that the overwhelming trust rating of President Duterte was an affirmation of people’s trust to his presidency.

Belmonte said the survey result with only five percent of those surveyed said they had “little trust” with the former Davao City mayor is “also a signal for us in Congress to be equally supportive of his administration.”

Nograles, a relative of the Dutertes, said the survey results showing President Duterte’s “excellent” trust ratings “reinforces the overwhelming mandate he received last election; and clearly shows the vast majority accepting him as one true President of the Republic.”

Barbers, for his part, said that being a Mindanaoan, he is proud with

the Filipino people’s overwhelming support to the President. “He absolutely brought the island and its people into a different awareness in the Philippines and in the world,” he said.

The President got a “moderate” +16 in the SWS December 2015 survey. It hardly changed from January to February 2016, ranging from +13 to +17. It rose to a “moderate” +26 in March 2016, and reached a “good” +30 in April.

The Second Quarter 2016 Social Weather Survey, conducted June 2427, has a sampling error margin of ±3 points for national percentages, and ±6 points each for Metro Manila, Luzon areas outside the nation’s capital, the Visayas and Mindanao.

Aquino because of the dispute, and that he would seek Chinese investment for major infrastructure projects such as a railway for the impoverished southern Philippines.

Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said last week that the Philippines would seek to use the verdict as the basis for direct talks with China aimed at achieving a long-awaited code of conduct among rival claimants for the sea.

On Wednesday, Yasay urged members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to come up with a unified statement on the South China Sea, following the ruling of the Arbitral Tribunal.

China faced immediate pressure from Western powers, which insist they have legitimate interests in the dispute because of the need to maintain “freedom of navigation” in waters that hosts more than $5 trillion in shipping trade annually.

The United States emphasized on Tuesday that China, as a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, should accept the verdict.

“As provided in the convention, the tribunal’s decision is final and legally binding on both China and the Philippines,” State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington.

Kirby called on all sides “to avoid provocative statements or actions.”

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop warned China on Wednesday there would be “strong reputational costs” for ignoring the ruling, as she called for an end to Chinese island building.

“China seeks to be a regional and global leader and requires friendly relations with its neighbors. That’s crucial to its rise,” Bishop told national broadcaster ABC. Military tensions in the sea had already spiked in the lead-up to the verdict.

China launched naval drills in the northern areas, while the US Pacific Command said it had deployed an aircraft carrier for flights to support “security” in the sea.

Taiwan, which was another loser in the verdict as its claims are very similar to those of China, sent a warship to the sea on Wednesday to protect its claims.

Its representative office in Manila issued a statement saying that the tribunal’s decision was “completely unacceptable.”

President Tsai Ing-wen rallied troops on the deck of the frigate, saying Taiwanese were determined to “defend their country’s rights,” before the warship headed for Tai-

wan-controlled Taiping island in the Spratly island chain from the southern city of Kaohsiung.

China used deadly force to seize control of the Paracel Islands from South Vietnam in 1974, and Johnson Reef from a united Vietnam in 1988.

On Wednesday, Yasay brushed aside criticism of the administration’s cautious remarks about the decision.

“We have to be circumspect and restrain in our reactions. We cannot gloat about our triumph,” he said.

“We’re happy about it. And we could not be more pleased [with] the decision of the arbitral tribunal. [But we] always maintain that we have to be magnanimous in victory.”

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the US has reassured the Philippines of its “iron-clad” support following the tribunal’s verdict.

He emphasized, however, that Manila never solicited the opinion or advice of Washington on what to do next.

“We will not cosult them… Our actions will be guided by what is good for the country,” he said.

Lorenzana said his US counterpart, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, called him briefly Sunday afternoon, three days before the verdict, to reassure Manila of Washignton’s solid support. AFP, Sara Susanne D. Fabunan, Florante S. Solmerin

could go back to the court and block China’s application for a permit to explore the seabed before the international seabed authority.

“The international seabed authority can suspend that license of China. There are so many ways of doing it; that is just only one of the ways to put pressure on China if it refuses.

We are not totally helpless,” he said.

Whichever way the government decides, it is important to support the Coast Guard and the fishermen going to disputed island now, Carpio said.

Carpio added that the award only resolved the maritime dispute but did not settle the territorial dispute between the Philippines and China on the Scarborough Shoal.

Carpio also played down the likelihood of war.

Jardeleza agreed that the ruling was just halfway in the country’s crusade for territorial rights in disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea. “We recognize that our goal of securing our maritime entitlements and ultimately our territorial integrity is a process that will take time,” he said.

In this process, the role of the President would be crucial, he added.

“With this legal advantage, the chief diplomat and architect of our foreign policy, President Rodrigo Duterte, can now proceed with the necessary tools at his disposal to get

the job done,” Carpio said.

Jardeleza suggested that the government could now pursue its claims through diplomatic means “by agreement between the various states.”

At the same time, Jardeleza urged the local government units involved to caution fishermen from going back to Scarborough Shoal without adequate protection in place.

“It is important that the local government should reach out to the local fishermen. There has to be a clear guide, safeguards for their protection,” Jardeleza said.

In its award issued last Tuesday, the PCA upheld major submissions of the Philippines, including the declaration of China’s nine-dash line as contrary to United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Seas (Unclos) and has no basis in law.

The award also affirmed Philippines’ stance that China had no right to drive Filipino fishermen away from the disputed Scarborough Shoal, calling such actions unlawful.

It also declared that the Mischief Reef, Second Thomas Shoal and Reed Bank as “part of the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of the Philippines, and are not overlapped by any possible entitlement of China.”

The PCA ruling also held that China violated its obligations under Unclos to protect and preserve maritime environment when it built

artificial islands in Mischief Reef without necessary permission from the Philippines.

The Philippine lead counsel said Wednesday that other claimant countries must now stand up for their rights following the PAC’s landmark ruling.

In a phone interview, the Philippines’ lead counsel against China at the arbitration hearings, Paul Reichler, said the implementation will depend on how the other claimant countries who also have overlapping claims to the West Philippine Sea will also vigorously assert their rights against China.

“It will depend to a great extent on how vigorously all of the affected states, all of the states which have been prejudiced by the nine-dash line, assert their rights against China,” Reichler said, adding that, the enforcement of the ruling will really depend on the conduct of other affected states and the international community in general.

However, he said that claimant countries, in asserting their right, should do it “diplomatically, legally, and above all, peacefully.”

A statement issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs Wednesday said the ruling of the tribunal was “binding and final” and urged all countries with overlapping claims in the West Philippine Sea to “respect and comply” with the decision.

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Court’s decision pleases Aquino FORMER President Benigno Aquino III is confident the Philippines is “closer to having a permanent solution” over its maritime rights in the South China Sea following a UN tribunal’s decision that China’s territorial claims to the area has no legal basis.

Visit. President Rodrigo Duterte presses his forehead into Ricardo Cardinal Vidal’s hand as the latter pays him a visit in Malacañang.

Rody urged Commission alarmed at ‘vigilantism’ to help in freeing 3 Indonesians INDONESIAN President Joko Widodo has called up President Rodrigo Duterte in a bid to secure the freedom of three Indonesian sailors kidnapped by the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, a top Indonesian official has confirmed.

“The President has called the President of the Philippines,” Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan told reporters in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The Indonesian government said Widodo wrote Duterte to ask him to help in the release of its kidnapped citizens.

“President Duterte has responded,” Luhut said.

He also confirmed that Indonesian Defense Secretary Ryamizard Ryacudu would soon meet with Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammudin Hussein on Tuesday next week to discuss joint patrols in the territorial waters of the three countries that are considered “vulnerable.”

The Indonesian government is being pressed for allegedly being “too lenient” in dealing with the Abu Sayyaf, while the Philippine authorities are also being criticized for not doing enough to deal with the terrorists.

The three Indonesians, who hail from Flores in East Nusa Tenggara, were reportedly abducted by the Abu Sayyaf on July 9 in Felda Sahabat in Malaysia.

They were on board a Malaysianflagged fishing vessel when five members of the Abu Sayyaf came on board, hijacked their boat and held them hostage in Mindanao.

The terrorist group has abducted 24 Indonesian sailors over the past four months. John Paolo Bencito

THE Commission on Human Rights expressed alarm on Wednesday over what it described as the growing vigilantism in the country as a result of the murders allegedly being committed by the police in its war on drugs.

“Actually, you are sending a message to our citizenry that it’s okay to kill, but that is not right because we have a justice system,” CHR Commissioner Leah Armamento said.

The police have admitted killing several dozen suspected drug dealers and users in the first four days after President Roderigo Duterte assumed

office.

The police claim the suspects were killed for resisting arrest and shooting at them, but have not provided evidence that they have been acting in self-defense.

The police are accused of having killed 68 drug pushers from Jan. 1 to June 15 this year.

On July 11, Police Chief Rolando Dela Rosa criticized calls for a Senate investigation of the police campaign against crime, saying that would dampen the morale of his men.

Various groups have criticized the PNP for what they claim as the rising incidence of

extra-judicial killings.

But Solicitor General Jose Calida has defended the killings, saying the number of people killed in the campaign against crime was “not enough.”

The New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch has appealed for a speedy probe into the police killings.

“A credible and independent inquiry into the alarming increase in police killings is urgently needed, and the findings made public,” Phelim Kine, HRW Asia Deputy Director, said in a statement. John Paolo Bencito

Decision. Supreme Court Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza and former solicitor general Florin Hilbay show a

copy of the Permanent Court of Arbitration decision against China related to the maritime disputes in the South China Sea during a press briefing in Manila on Wednesday. DANNY PATA

Aquino called on all the other countries to view the decision issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration of The Hague not “as a victory of one over another, [but as] a victory for all.”

“I say this because the clarity rendered now establishes better conditions that enable countries to engage each other,” Aquino said.

He made his statement even as Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri on Wednesday suggested that President Rodrigo Duterte go to China for his first state visit.

“That would be a masterstroke if I were President Digong,” Zubiri told reporters.

Senator Panfilo Lacson said the Philippines could go directly to the United Nations General Assembly and ask for help if China would insist on not recognizing the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

But Lacson said he favored Duterte’s statement to first hold bilateral talks with China to discuss bilateral exploration for oil and other resources.

Aquino thanked the Permanent Court of Arbitration for its fair judgment and the clarity with which it presented in its ruling.

“I am, of course, quite elated, particularly since all the points we had raised were affirmed,” Aquino said.

He expressed his gratitude “to all our countrymen and partners who have worked hard to defend our shared cause.”

The South China Sea dispute involves both island and maritime claims among several sovereign states within the region: Brunei, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Aquino, however, said The Hague ruling dealt with only the Philippines and China, and clarified “each state’s rights and obligations; but as our lead counsel said, it also has very strong implications as far as other coastal states are concerned with regard to Unclos.”

He said it was not that easy to file an arbitration case.

“The decision to pursue arbitration was not an easy one to make. Going into arbitration was called a game-changer. We foresaw and experienced the pressures in taking this route; yet until the end, we stood our ground,” Aquino said. Rio N. Araja, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Sandy Araneta

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NBI eyes extended reach for drug war

By Sandy Araneta THE National Bureau of Investigation is now extending its reach in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao to help rid the country of narcotics syndicates even as NBI Director Dante Gierran is implementing a reorganization in the agency.

“In line with the statement policy of President Rodrigo Duterte, NBI Director Dante Gierran already formed a task force. This is going to be a National Task Force Against Illegal Drugs,” said NBI spokesperson Ferdinand Lavin.

“We are finalizing how the task force will be composed. There will be three to four teams.

This will handle all operations of the NBI in so far as the campaign for anti-illegal drugs is concerned,” added Lavin, chief of the International Operations Division.

“We envision the three teams to work on Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao areas. This is just in the drawing board. There are 18 regions, 22 district offices, or total of 40. They will report to the director. The director will be reporting to the Secretary of Justice and to the President,” he said.

“Director Gierran already identified the task force head as Attorney Roel Bolivar.

We sat down with Bolivar [Tuesday]. We are just thinking how the agents will be scattered to the three or four teams,” said Lavin.

Lavin said Gierran is trying to implement the plan even as they are implementing a revamp in the agency.

Beautiful batch. Thirty candidates of the Mutya ng Pilipinas beauty pageant are presented at the poolside of the Resorts World Manila in Pasay City Wednesday. The coronation night will be on July 30 also at Resorts World Manila. DANNY PATA

2017 budget to hit P3.3t, up by P348b

By Christine F. Herrera

INCOMING Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Wednesday said the Duterte administration will submit to Congress a bigger national budget for 2017 amounting to P3.35 trillion that will also carry an P80-million Priority Development Assistance Fund allocation for each House member.

The 2017 P3.35-trillion national budget would be increased by P348 billion from this year’s P3.002 trillion.

Alvarez confirmed the PDAF increase from P70 million to P80 million but insisted it was not pork barrel as it would not come in lump sum appropriations.

“The Department of Budget and

Management will submit to the House a proposed P3.35-trillion national budget for 2017,” the congressman from Davao del Norte said.

Alvarez said the misimpression may have arisen from the P80-million cap that had been proposed for each legislative district per year, divided between infrastructure projects and non-infra-

structure expenditures, like medicine and scholarships.

“Putting a cap on project costs is realistic because public funds are limited and thus must be used judiciously. We want bang for the buck to get the most benefit for our people,” Alvarez stressed.

“I never said that members of the House of Representatives ‘will be entitled to their usual district allocations.’ The Supreme Court has already ruled against such lump sum allocations,” he said.

“What I said was that congressmen will be allowed to propose projects needed in their districts so they can be included in the line budgeting of the General Appropriations Act,” added Alvarez.

Alvarez said the function of identifying priority projects is inherent in

members of the House of Representatives because “the people go directly to us to tell us what projects are badly needed by their communities.”

“There will be no pork barrel or lump sum allocations for members of Congress, period,” he stressed.

Youth group Anakbayan expressed dismay over news that congressmen were trying to continue the corrupt “pork barrel” system despite mass protests, which led to a Supreme Court ruling declaring it unconstitutional.

Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco earlier said they were asked to submit P80million worth of projects that would be included in the national budget in line-item budgeting that contains details of the projects and the amounts for each project.

ADB backs Rody with $770m

By Gabrielle Binaday

Busted. Four Chinese nationals who were arrested on board a floating methamphetamine laboratory off Zambales is escorted to the Department of Justice where they were charged with narcotics crimes. LINO SANTOS

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte met with Asian Development Bank president Takehiko Nakao on Wednesday and secured an additional $770 million worth of loans to the Philippines for the second half of 2016.

“ADB is preparing $770 million in additional loans for the rest of the year, related to youth employment, local government financial management, and road improvement in Mindanao,” the bank said in a statement.

According to the bank, it has approved loans for the Philippines amounting

to $583 million for conditional cash transfers, water transmission improvement to Metro Manila and the vicinity, and water supply development in various municipalities in the first six months of 2016.

Of the proposed $770-million amount, priority will be given to supporting peace and development in Mindanao via road infrastructure rehabilitation, promotion of small- and medium-sized enterprises, and local government capacity building.

The bank also said it is collaborating with the Mindanao Development Authority, the Autonomous

Region in Muslim Mindanao, and the Bangsamoro Development Agency, and other stakeholders.

Nakao met with Duterte to discuss how the institution can support the new administration’s efforts in promoting sustainable growth, reducing poverty, and increasing transparency in government affairs.

Nakao also commended Duterte’s early efforts to consult the private sector, civil society, and other partners to ensure a level playing field for all businesses, and uplift the lives of poor Filipinos, a fourth of the country’s population.

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Ports chief affirms order vs Manila North Harbour

By Christine F. Herrera

PHILIPPINE Ports Authority chief Jay Daniel Santiago on Wednesday said he would not recall the order issued by then PPA officer-in-charge and assistant general manager for operations Raul Santos disallowing Manila North Harbour Port Inc. from operating as international port and prohibiting foreign vessels from docking at Manila North Harbor.

“Santos’ memorandum order stands.

Unless the courts will issue a temporary restraining order, then the Santos memorandum stays,” said Santiago during his first informal meet and greet with the press at the PPA building.

Santiago said the PPA will leave it up to the courts to decide on whether or not Santos’ memorandum order rebuffing former Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina’s memorandum was “in order.”

He said the PPA would defer from commenting on the MNHPI’s demand to lift Santos’ order since the case is now in court.

He said the PPA would deal with the MNHPI through the courts and file its formal comment with the courts.

The MNHPI lodged a case against Santos and the PPA with the Ombudsman, demanding that a Temporary Restraining Order be issued against Santos’ order.

“The case is now in court [Ombudsman] and we are no longer at liberty to discuss the issue. PPA’s position is to file [the necessary comments] in court and we have 15 days to file an answer. PPA response will probably fall on July 20 or 21,” Santiago said.

“The court will decide on whether to revoke Santos’ [Memorandum Order 08-2016]. If the court says the Santos memo is legal, it was in order and was issued in accordance with law, then we have to respect it, we have to enforce it, the memo stays. If illegal, the court has its own interpretation, the MNHPI also has its own interpretation and I have mine,” Santiago said.

Dream house? Not exactly for President Duterte but Bahay Pangarap serves his purpose. Shying away from the Palace, Duterte moves into the former residence of his predecessor in a simple ceremony on Tuesday.

Lacson twits De Lima on probe of killings THE momentum of the Duterte administration’s campaign against illegal drugs is doing great, Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Wednesday.

On that premise, Lacson renewed his opposition to Senator Leila de Lima’s proposal for the upper chamber to investigate drugrelated killings.

“The momentum is great. Never before that several people have been surrendering, drug users and drug pushers. Thousands have been surrendering. But the ugly side is everyday, there are drug pushers being killed,” Lacson said. “Maybe Senator De Lima is right that there is a ground to suspect that this is summary execution. But there are no witnesses to say so. My attitude is that there are investigating

bodies to handle this. Let the law enforcement agencies of the PNP [Philippine National Police], NBI [National Bureau of Investigation)] and PDEA [Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency], do their thing,” said Lacson during the Kapihan Sa Manila Bay Forum, Café Adriatico, Manila.

“If the Senate would come in this would be a fishing expedition. That’s what I do not want.

The initiative on the campaign against illegal drugs might back track because of the Senate.

The momentum and the initiatives now are doing good. That’s why I am against the proposal of De Lima to call for an investigation on this. There are agencies who can do the investigation,” stressed Lacson.

“I pity the police if they are doing their work.

There might be a fishing expedition [in the Senate expedition],” he said.

“I remember the first time he was not yet designated as Chief PNP he requested for meeting, Gen. Dela Rosa said there is a 60 percent supply of shabu inside National Bilibid Prison. Is it true? That’s true,” said Lacson.

Lacson also said he supported the call of President Rodrigo Duterte for the revival of Death Penalty.

“The Death Penalty Law should be passed here. In China, you will be executed. If we have death penalty, that would be a deterrent. When death penalty law was lifted, rape incidents went up. Based on my experience as a law enforcers, death penalty is a deterrent. That’s why I am pushing it,” Lacson said. Sandy Araneta

Nurses, health workers sought in Japan, Germany

Crowd control. Members of the Manila Police District rehearse crowd control in preparation for the first State of the Nation Address of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte at Rizal Park on Wednesday, July 13. LINO SANTOS

JAPAN requires at least 600 nurses and healthcare workers, while Germany needs qualified applicants to fill up its vacancies for 70 intensive care unit nurses, the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency said.

POEA chief Leo Hans Cacdac has also warned prospective applicants against illegal recruiters who may take advantage of the opening of jobs for nurses and health workers both in Japan and Germany.

Only the POEA is authorized to accept qualified applicants for nurses and care workers for deployment in Japan under the Framework for the Movement of Natural Persons of the Philippines-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement, Cacdac said.

He said the Japan International

Corporation of Welfare Services needs qualified applicants to fill up vacancies for 48 nurses and 585 health care workers.

The POEA said that candidates for nursing positions should have the following qualifications: Graduate of Bachelor of Science in Nursing, with Board License, with at least three years hospital experience.

For healthcare workers, applicants must be a graduate from any four year course and certified as a caregiver by Tesda, a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Nursing (under board) or any allied profession.

Meanwhile, Germany said it was accepting qualified applicants for nurses under the Triple Win Project. Vito Barcelo

t h u r s D AY : j u lY 14 , 2 0 1 6

A6 ‘Endangered’ families in Valenzuela to move to in-city village MORE than 3,000 urban poor families living in or near the danger zones in Valenzuela City will be transferred to an “in-city housing village” next month to save them from floods during typhoons and heavy rains.

Disiplina Village sits on an 11.6-hectare lot in Barangay Bignay bought by the city government. The P1.2-billion project funded by the National Housing Authority can accommodate close to 4,000 families, especially those who are living along the Tullahan River, according to Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian.

Some 216 families were relocated during the time of former mayor and now Senator Sherwin Gatchalian. In a Disiplina Village caravan held last July 9, Gatchalian said financial support will be given to the housing beneficiaries to pay for the installation of electricity and water connections. Jun David

QC seeks private sector aid for K-12 program THE Quezon City government has sought the help of the private sector in the funding of its K-12 education program.

Elizabeth Quesada, division of city schools superintendent, called on private companies and organizations to invest in the education of the city’s youth, and to partner with the city government to build a better education environment in the next few years. The city government will provide tax incentives allowed by law to partner-institutions, Quesada said.

She thanked Magna Anima Education System, a subsidiary of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Inc., who signed a memorandum of agreement with the city government to help students of Grades 11 and 12. Magna Anima will provide the city’s public senior high school students through specialized facilities that will be built in specific schools. Rio N. Araja

S. Korean nabbed for marijuana AIRPORT authorities arrested a Korean national for possession of 117 grams of marijuana at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on Tuesday.

Senior Supt. Mao Aplasca, director of the Police-Aviation Security Group (Avsegroup), identified the foreigner as Eunho Ahn, 24.

The suspect was about to board a Philippine Airlines flight bound for Busan, South Korea when members of the Office of Transportation Security led

by Judy Anne de Belen found the prohibited drugs concealed in her belly at about 2:30 p.m.

Aplasca said the OTS men then inspected the suspect’s luggage and discovered assorted tablets that are believed to be ecstasy, a dangerous party drug.

The authorities initially brought the suspect to the Manila International Airport Authority medical clinic for physical examination and then placed in the custody of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. Joel E. Zurbano

NEWS editorial@thestandard.com.ph

MMDA backs Jica plan to relocate Naia, ports

By Joel E. Zurbano

The Metro Manila Development Authority has endorsed the five-point action plan proposed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency to address the worsening traffic situation in the capital, including the transfer of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the Manila North harbor.

“These proposals are good,” said MMDA Traffic Discipline Office chief Crisanto Saruca Jr. days after the agency identified seven choke points along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and the roads leading to Manila North Harbor as among the priority traffic-prone areas where emergency powers for President Rodrigo Duterte will be needed the most.

He explained that decongesting Metro Manila is a top priority for the new administration, which has already expressed openness to the use of emergency powers to

resolve the daily traffic jams.

The MMDA official, however, said the government needs to consider existing support structures if the airport and port operations are transferred outside Metro Manila.

“We have so many support structures to be considered like the hotels, transportation, immigration and customs for airports, among others,” Saruca explained.

Jica, in its 2014 study requested by the National Economic and Development Authority, stated that traffic jams have been resulting in productivity loss of at least

P2.4 million a day.

It warned that productivity loss could reach P6 billion a day in 2030 if the problem is not solved, prompting lawmakers to cite the study as ground for proposals to grant President Rodrigo Duterte emergency powers.

Jica noted that since domestic shipping is primarily from the south of Manila, there would be savings in ship operating cost if they dock at Batangas rather than at North Harbor.

“This would also trigger a shift of cargo movements away from Manila and provide a volume of exportable twenty-foot equivalent units or TEUs [the capacity unit of container ships] that may entice foreign vessels to call at Batangas Port,” Jica said.

“Thus, this would free up North Harbor, which has an area of about 600 hectares, for possible conversion into a mixed-use waterfront property development. For the City of Manila, it represents

an opportunity to revitalize the city and regain its old glory,” it added.

The Jica study also found that additional commuting cost for passengers if Clark is converted as the country’s main airport makes the plan not feasible.

“It is proposed herefore, that a new study be initiated to find a replacement for Naia within a short radius of 50 kilometers and to examine the full range of costs. Redeveloping Sangley combined with an access system may turn out to be cheaper,” it said.

Other proposals contained in the Jica study are the construction of a mega-Manila Subway System and secondary mass transport lines as well as reforming the road-based public transport system.

“Engineering-wise, the subway system is possible here in the Philippines. The challenge there is the earthquake, flooding but I saw Hong Kong and they have underground tunnel,” Saruca said.

Senator Franklin Drilon has already filed a bill seeking to grant Duterte emergency powers for two years to address the perennial traffic problem not only in Metro Manila but also in other major urban areas as well.

Senate Bill 11 or the proposed Transportation Crisis Act of 2016, authorizes Duterte to adopt alternative methods of procurement for the construction, repair, rehabilitation, improvement or maintenance of transportation projects.

The measure also assures that no court, except the Supreme Court, shall issue any temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction or preliminary mandatory injunction against the government or any of its officials or any person or entity acting under the government direction to restrain, prohibit, or compel in the acquisition, clearance, and development of the right of way; and bidding or awarding of any transportation project identified by the President.

Health awardees. Mayor Lina Montilla from Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat (4th from right) was one of the 13 awardees. Her municipality had zero maternal deaths for two straight years. On hand to give the award were (left to right) Secretary of Health Dr. Paulyn Ubial, former Secretary Dr. Janette Loreto-Garin, former Secretaries Dr. Enrique Ona and Dr. Esperanza Cabral (also ZFF trustee), ZFF trustee David Zuellig, ZFF chairman Roberto R. Romulo and ZFF president Ernesto Garilao.

Pitching in for the health of Filipinos THE Zuellig Family Foundation, in partnership with the Department of Health, recently held the First Annual Colloquium on Health Leadership and Governance at the Diamond Hotel.

Thirteen mayors and nine Department of Health officials were awarded for displaying excellence in leadership that led to health system reforms and, for mayors, zero maternal death for two straight years.

These health leaders were among those introduced to the “bridging leadership” framework during training programs under the DoH-Zuellig Family Foundation program.

“What you have done is you have opened the minds of the people that health is not just about infra and equipment,” said Health Secretary Janette Garin, in acknowledging the advantages of the program for mayors.

The training is part of the DoH-ZFF’s “Health Leadership and Governance Program” initiative intended to turn mayors into pro-active health system reformists.

This means not just building health fa-

cilities but also improving governance, health financing, information system, service delivery, access to medicines, and health workforce.

Key to being a “bridging leader” is the ability to be fully accountable to the health of one’s people, and work collaboratively with different people to co-create health solutions and innovations.

As incoming Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial said during the HLGP Colloquium, “Health is everyone’s concern. Nobody is exempted. We should all pitch in. Nobody’s exempted from making health a priority.”

The three-year DoH-ZFF partnership program began in May 2013 under then secretary Enrique Ona, who appealed for a continuity and support for the program.

The partnership was extended by Secretary Garin until November 2017.

While Ubial, who has worked under 13 health secretaries, said she plans to continue the program, especially since one of her strengths is building on the best practices of past DoH heads.

Book ’em. Hundreds of self-confessed drug users from Project 2 in Quezon City submit themselves to booking and blotter procedures in line with the Philippine National Police campaign against illegal drugs. EY ACASIO

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 14 , 2 0 1 6

A7

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Firm’s guards kill 3 IPs over Bukidnon land conflict

By Lance Baconguis CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY— A land conflict in Sumilao town in Bukidnon resulted in the murder of three indigenous peoples on Tuesday inside the 2,400-hectare pasture land managed by Ramcar Inc. The land was also claimed by the Inalsahan Indigenous Peoples’ Organization.

Bae Merlita Mayantao, one of the leaders of the IPO, said that one of her sons, Raymar, was killed by the security guards of Ramcar. The two other casualties were Rogen Sindangan and Cenon Nacaytona.

Lilian and Albert Mayantao and Ely Daliti sustained injuries.

Sumilao Police Station Chief Felipe Yap said that the killed and wounded were with 50 others when the security guards fired on them.

Senior Police Officer 2 Lorecito Pitogo, chief investigator of Sumilao police station, said that the victims entered the premises of the ranch by digging under the fence and installed their tents.

Fourteen security guards from Tagbagane security agency, which is manning the ranch, confronted the land claimants.

A heated argument between the groups ensued when the security guards opened fire with their shotguns.

The police arrested Jonathan Ursaiz, head guard of Tagbagane Security Agency and a resident of Lupiagan, Sumilao.

The police recovered three unit 12 gauge shotgun. Recovered from the crime scene were one fired cartridge shell of 12 gauge shotguns, one caliber .38 pistol and one Scythe near the victim Cenon Nacaytona.

Ramcar also figured in controversial land conflict in March 2012 against farmers from Xavier Farms Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association, also from Sumilao.

We will help in fight against drugs—MILF

By John Paolo Bencito

THE separatist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Wednesday announced that it would aid the government in the crackdown on illegal drugs in MILF-covered areas.

The Interior Department and the rebel group signed a memorandum of agreement in Davao City Tuesday, with both groups vowing to cooperate in the fight against illegal drugs under the terms of reference under the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group and the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities.

AFP Brigadier General Glenn Macasero, who chairs the govern-

ment CCCH, signed the agreement. Lawyer Abdul Dataya who chairs the MILF AHJAG and Butch Malang, who chairs the MILF CCCH, signed the deal for the rebel group.

Under the deal, the MILF will cooperate with government operatives in the anti-illegal drug operations, following existing regulations under Republic Act 9165 and all relevant agreements signed be-

needs from what we believe them to need.

UP Diliman first showed support for the lumad struggle when they hosted the Manilakbayan, a protest caravan that brought issues of the lumad from Mindanao to Manila in 2015.

The Ila-ila Lumad exposure, which will also provide research support for the lumad struggle, intends to deepen the university’s commitment to help the lumad by sending around 25 experts, writers, and researchers, among others, to learn more about the issues and culture of the lumad. The delegation will be headed by professor Sarah Raymundo, head of the secretariat of the Save Our Schools Network UP Diliman, and Edge Uyangguren, university extension specialist. The exposure is supported by the Office of the Chancellor under Dr. Michael L. Tan, who

paign of the MILF against drugs finds comfort,” read a recent editorial on the MILF’s official website.

The MILF, which forged a peace pact with the government in 2014, said it was compelled to launch the anti-shabu campaign as “the drug menace is already destroying the future of the Bangsamoro people and hence should be confronted head on.”

The group said it had “identified hundreds to thousands of drug pushers, especially in central Mindanao” through the campaign which, it added, already “achieved some successes… and saved so many users or addicts from further destruction.”

Happy vendors.

These girls help their parents sell seafood at a La Union market.

DAVE LEPROZO

Exposure program to lumad communities takes off ‘ILA-ILA LUMAD,’ an exposure program to lumad communities, launches with a batch from the University of the Philippines, Diliman visiting a Manobo Literacy and Numeracy school in Malungon, San Fernando, Bukidnon.

The interfaith exposure program is designed for religious leaders, members of the academe, and other sectors who wish to know more about the lumad of Mindanao.

“The exposure trip aims at showing the daily routines of the indigenous families in an effort to make individuals from urban centers understand their call for the respect of their right to self-determination,” said Ailene Villarosa, the point person for the Ila-ila lumad program. “They may have a different concept of development. They may identify different

tween the GPH and the MILF. The MILF will also conduct information drives on the effects of illegal drugs in the MILF-affected areas as part of its demand reduction activities.

In November last year, the MILF central committee issued a directive to its political and military leaders to help curb the brisk trading in “shabu” in Moro communities. But this was met with objections from government security agencies fearing that this would breach the ceasefire accord between the government and the MILF. “With the election of Duterte as president of this country and his hardline policy on drugs, the cam-

also chairs the SOS Network in Diliman.

“We hope to have workshops for the children—art workshops, story-telling, and other such activities to also tap the expertise of the participants coming from a highly respected academic institution,” said Sr. Maria Famita Somogod, MSM, coordinator of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines-Northern Mindanao Sub-Region (RMP-NMR).

The literacy and numeracy schools of RMPNMR have been giving alternative education to indigenous children and adults in remote communities for six years now.

Ila-ila Lumad is a component of the ‘Healing the Hurt’ Project implemented by the RMPNMR. The initiative is supported by the European Union through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights with a grant of 627,000 euros.

Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation and Communications TOLL REGULATORY BOARD

2/F Integrated Bar of the Phils. Bldg., Dona Julia Vargas Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City

NOTICE OF TOLL RATE IMPLEMENTATION (TARLAC-PANGASINAN-LA UNION EXPRESSWAY) In accordance with the Toll Concession Agreement by and among the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Toll Regulatory Board and Private Infra Dev Corporation, the following pre-accepted rates for Segment 7, Section 3A-1 (Urdaneta to Binalonan), inclusive of VAT, are hereby approved for implementation starting on July 15, 2016 at 12:01 a.m.

La Paz - Binalonan Toll Rates (VAT Inclusive) CLASS 1 (Cars & jeepneys including taxis, vans, pick-ups, etc or vehicles with 2 axles and an overall height of up to 7 feet) ENTRY/EXIT La Paz Victoria Gerona Paniqui Moncada Carmen Urdaneta La Paz Victoria 30.00 Gerona 58.00 28.00 Paniqui 79.00 49.00 21.00 Moncada 99.00 69.00 41.00 20.00 Carmen 164.00 134.00 106.00 85.00 65.00 Urdaneta 216.00 186.00 158.00 137.00 117.00 52.00 Binalonan 235.00 205.00 177.00 156.00 136.00 71.00 19.00 CLASS 2 (Buses & trucks with 2 axles & a height of more than 7 ft.; Light Vehicles with more than 2 axles & a height of up to 7 ft. (vehicles with trailers) ENTRY/EXIT La Paz Victoria Gerona Paniqui Moncada Carmen Urdaneta La Paz Victoria 76.00 Gerona 145.00 70.00 Paniqui 197.00 122.00 52.00 Moncada 247.00 171.00 102.00 50.00 Carmen 410.00 334.00 264.00 213.00 163.00 Urdaneta 540.00 464.00 394.00 343.00 293.00 130.00 Binalonan 587.00 511.00 441.00 390.00 340.00 177.00 47.00 CLASS 3 (Trucks with 3 or more axles and a height greater than 7 feet) ENTRY/EXIT La Paz Victoria Gerona Paniqui La Paz Victoria 91.00 Gerona 175.00 84.00 Paniqui 237.00 146.00 62.00 Moncada 296.00 206.00 122.00 60.00 Carmen 492.00 401.00 317.00 255.00 Urdaneta 648.00 557.00 473.00 411.00 Binalonan 704.00 614.00 530.00 468.00

Moncada

Carmen

Urdaneta

195.00 351.00 408.00

156.00 213.00

57.00

Any interested expressway user shall have the right to file, within a period of ninety (90) days from the date of the first publication of this notice, a petition for review of the applicable toll rates for Segment 7, Section 3A-1 (Urdaneta to Binalonan) with the TRB at the 2nd Floor. Integrated Bar of the Philippines Building, Dona Julia Vargas Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

By Authority of the Board:

(TS-JUNE 30/JULY 7/14, 2016)

(Sgd.) ATTY. EDMUNDO O. REYES, JR. Executive Director

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 14 , 2 0 1 6

A8

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

DUTY CALLS FLORENCIO FIANZA

THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST ILLEGAL DRUGS

[ EDI TORI A L ]

STAKING A RIGHTFUL CLAIM RIGHTLY WE SHARE the jubilation of most Filipinos at the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration on the territorial row between the Philippines and China over the South China Sea. According to the tribunal, China has no legal basis to claim historic rights within the sea areas falling within the nine-dash line.

The Philippines brought the issue to the PCA in 2013 which immediately assumed jurisdiction over the case, even as China refused to participate in the proceedings and vowed to ignore the eventual ruling.

China claims nearly all vital waters in the South China Sea and insists it has had historic claims to the disputed territories.

True to form, on Tuesday, China’s foreign ministry said: “The award is null and void and has no binding force... China neither accepts nor recognizes it.”

Such a reaction is not surprising given China’s expressed preference for bilateral solutions to the dispute. This, even as it is—like the Philippines—a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea. But a bigger issue than the decision itself is how the Philippines, under the two-week old administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, would proceed with its claims amid pressure from China—our militarily mighty, commercial giant of a neighbor—to hold two-party talks instead.

Mr. Duterte’s appreciation of the issue has swung wildly in recent months. During a presidential debate, he said he would mount a jet ski and wave the Philippine flag to assert our claim on the waters. This hewed closely to the tough stance that his predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, tried to show—something many frowned upon as exaggerated, unnecessary and laughable.

In recent days, however, President Duterte and his Cabinet members have indicated a willingness to go into bilateral talks with China, saying they did not want to antagonize it. In fact, there has been talk of possible joint exploration of resources between the two countries.

We hope the arbitration court ruling would douse some cold water over these silly plans.

The Philippines must stand by its commitment to international agreements and be firm in its decision to assert its rightful claim before the global community. Our foremost consideration must be the nation’s interest; we must not walk on eggshells for fear of antagonizing anybody so long as our claims have sound basis.

Abandoning our confidence in a multi-lateral solution will not only make us look ridiculous before the international community. It will make us appear weak and indecisive, something China can exploit and turn to its own advantage—if it has not already.

The previous administration’s legal team did a good job at putting together a petition, tempering the unnecessary fighting words of Mr. Aquino. Mr. Duterte’s team should avoid squandering these gains by going to the other extreme of pandering to China’s wishes.

Succeeding moves should be guided only by the recent decision of the court in The Hague.

WHAT WE WON’T WIN LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES JUST about the best argument against the brain-dead calls for the Philippines to escalate the situation in the South China Sea—or the West Philippine Sea, if you want—that I’ve heard goes this way: If we can’t even evict squatters using valid court orders in our own cities, what makes you think we can remove the Chinese from their reclaimed military installations, now that we have a favorable

verdict from a tribunal in The Hague?

The truth of the matter is, the orphaned Yellow faithful have gone on a jingoistic rampage on traditional and social media, calling stridently for aggressive counter-measures against the Chinese, now that we have in our possession a unanimous and resounding verdict from the UN’s Permanent Court of Arbitration. And these are the same Yellows who have betrayed their true political colors by accusing the newly installed Duterte administration of “going soft” on China and implementing a “policy of

appeasement” over the sea dispute.

It is best to explode the potentially dangerous saberrattling of the Yellows— online and in traditional media—before they do some real damage, much like you detonate abandoned land mines before they kill or maim noncombatants. Like most rightthinking Filipinos, the Yellows don’t really want war; their objective is simply to point out how much better the previous administration was, compared to the new one.

But they do get carried away in their desire to illustrate how

Aquino’s followers are attempting to incite us to go to war with China, just to prove how great their idol is.

A9

great Noynoy Aquino is. Even if what he did was just to mouth the US line in the whole dispute, in exchange for a couple of decommissioned former Coast Guard cutters.

First, they started calling for a “Chexit,” as if Facebook posts and petitions would make the Chinese quake in their combat boots and abandon their newly formed “islands.” Then, as soon as the verdict came out, they published the list, complete with photographs, of the entire team that went to The Hague to file the depositions before the tribunal in 2013.

(People close to the case recounted how the usually staid and sparsely populated The Hague court got a full dose

of the Filipino fiesta mentality when an entire battalion of government officials descended on it during the filing, which is ordinarily done only by lawyers. It was similar to the sight of entire jeepney-loads of people going to the airport to send off a Middle Eastbound migrant, I’m told—except that those who accompanied the lawyers were really traveling on government expense and went along only to squeeze in a freebie tour of Europe.)

In the meantime, the Aquino orphans started attacking Duterte

and his Foreign Affairs secretary, Perfecto Yasay, for being “pro-China” and even for not reacting nearly as sanguinely as they did to the issue and the eventual verdict. Yasay, in particular, was singled out for espousing the official government position that Manila will have to study the verdict and use bilateral diplomacy—as against, say, the vaunted might of our navy and air force—to resolve the dispute.

But when the Yellows began turning warlike as a natural progression of

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their paeans to Noynoy (a.k.a. “the architect of our great foreign policy,” as one washed-up singer declared), they may have crossed the line. It’s one thing, after all, to get a know-nothing slacker like Aquino elected to the highest office in the land and to inflict him on the nation for six years with the help of social media and quite another to go to war with the biggest military and economic power in the continent, simply because the same keyboard warriors say so.

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

THE number of criminal suspects that killed by the police in its illegal drug campaign is now about 316. At this rate, the number could easily top 1,000 in another two months.

Even with this number, the public still does not have any idea whether the effort is having any effect on the price of methamphetamine. If the price is increasing, it means that supply is diminishing as a result of the police campaign. This is important because if the price of methamphetamine or shabu is stable, the PNP is not doing the right thing and should review and evaluate the current strategy of killing small-time dealers. It should improve its intelligence and go after the big-time manufacturers and dealers.

The arrest of three Chinese nationals in what is called a floating laboratory in Subic is significant and this is where more of the police effort should be intensified. It is no secret that most of the big-time drug lords are foreign nationals who seem to be operating with impunity.

It has been this way since I, as a law enforcement officer, can remember.

It stands to reason, therefore, that the effort should be in this very important area. Cut the source and the supply will eventually dry up.

But as I have written in the past, the money involved in the illegal drug trade dwarfs anything that one can ever imagine. This is why the campaign is admittedly difficult. It used to be that methamphetamine, the drug favored in this country as opposed to cocaine, was being smuggled into the country mostly from China—until some enterprising foreign operators thought of simply manufacturing the drug here.

This was the start of the huge jump in the number of users in the country in the early 1990s. It has been almost a quarter of century and the problem of illegal drugs has taken root. Now, it is extremely difficult to stamp out. But the problem can be reduced. The question is, by what strategy?

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 H U R S D AY : J U LY 14 , 2 0 1 6

A8

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

DUTY CALLS FLORENCIO FIANZA

THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST ILLEGAL DRUGS

[ EDI TORI A L ]

STAKING A RIGHTFUL CLAIM RIGHTLY WE SHARE the jubilation of most Filipinos at the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration on the territorial row between the Philippines and China over the South China Sea. According to the tribunal, China has no legal basis to claim historic rights within the sea areas falling within the nine-dash line.

The Philippines brought the issue to the PCA in 2013 which immediately assumed jurisdiction over the case, even as China refused to participate in the proceedings and vowed to ignore the eventual ruling.

China claims nearly all vital waters in the South China Sea and insists it has had historic claims to the disputed territories.

True to form, on Tuesday, China’s foreign ministry said: “The award is null and void and has no binding force... China neither accepts nor recognizes it.”

Such a reaction is not surprising given China’s expressed preference for bilateral solutions to the dispute. This, even as it is—like the Philippines—a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea. But a bigger issue than the decision itself is how the Philippines, under the two-week old administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, would proceed with its claims amid pressure from China—our militarily mighty, commercial giant of a neighbor—to hold two-party talks instead.

Mr. Duterte’s appreciation of the issue has swung wildly in recent months. During a presidential debate, he said he would mount a jet ski and wave the Philippine flag to assert our claim on the waters. This hewed closely to the tough stance that his predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, tried to show—something many frowned upon as exaggerated, unnecessary and laughable.

In recent days, however, President Duterte and his Cabinet members have indicated a willingness to go into bilateral talks with China, saying they did not want to antagonize it. In fact, there has been talk of possible joint exploration of resources between the two countries.

We hope the arbitration court ruling would douse some cold water over these silly plans.

The Philippines must stand by its commitment to international agreements and be firm in its decision to assert its rightful claim before the global community. Our foremost consideration must be the nation’s interest; we must not walk on eggshells for fear of antagonizing anybody so long as our claims have sound basis.

Abandoning our confidence in a multi-lateral solution will not only make us look ridiculous before the international community. It will make us appear weak and indecisive, something China can exploit and turn to its own advantage—if it has not already.

The previous administration’s legal team did a good job at putting together a petition, tempering the unnecessary fighting words of Mr. Aquino. Mr. Duterte’s team should avoid squandering these gains by going to the other extreme of pandering to China’s wishes.

Succeeding moves should be guided only by the recent decision of the court in The Hague.

WHAT WE WON’T WIN LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES JUST about the best argument against the brain-dead calls for the Philippines to escalate the situation in the South China Sea—or the West Philippine Sea, if you want—that I’ve heard goes this way: If we can’t even evict squatters using valid court orders in our own cities, what makes you think we can remove the Chinese from their reclaimed military installations, now that we have a favorable

verdict from a tribunal in The Hague?

The truth of the matter is, the orphaned Yellow faithful have gone on a jingoistic rampage on traditional and social media, calling stridently for aggressive counter-measures against the Chinese, now that we have in our possession a unanimous and resounding verdict from the UN’s Permanent Court of Arbitration. And these are the same Yellows who have betrayed their true political colors by accusing the newly installed Duterte administration of “going soft” on China and implementing a “policy of

appeasement” over the sea dispute.

It is best to explode the potentially dangerous saberrattling of the Yellows— online and in traditional media—before they do some real damage, much like you detonate abandoned land mines before they kill or maim noncombatants. Like most rightthinking Filipinos, the Yellows don’t really want war; their objective is simply to point out how much better the previous administration was, compared to the new one.

But they do get carried away in their desire to illustrate how

Aquino’s followers are attempting to incite us to go to war with China, just to prove how great their idol is.

A9

great Noynoy Aquino is. Even if what he did was just to mouth the US line in the whole dispute, in exchange for a couple of decommissioned former Coast Guard cutters.

First, they started calling for a “Chexit,” as if Facebook posts and petitions would make the Chinese quake in their combat boots and abandon their newly formed “islands.” Then, as soon as the verdict came out, they published the list, complete with photographs, of the entire team that went to The Hague to file the depositions before the tribunal in 2013.

(People close to the case recounted how the usually staid and sparsely populated The Hague court got a full dose

of the Filipino fiesta mentality when an entire battalion of government officials descended on it during the filing, which is ordinarily done only by lawyers. It was similar to the sight of entire jeepney-loads of people going to the airport to send off a Middle Eastbound migrant, I’m told—except that those who accompanied the lawyers were really traveling on government expense and went along only to squeeze in a freebie tour of Europe.)

In the meantime, the Aquino orphans started attacking Duterte

and his Foreign Affairs secretary, Perfecto Yasay, for being “pro-China” and even for not reacting nearly as sanguinely as they did to the issue and the eventual verdict. Yasay, in particular, was singled out for espousing the official government position that Manila will have to study the verdict and use bilateral diplomacy—as against, say, the vaunted might of our navy and air force—to resolve the dispute.

But when the Yellows began turning warlike as a natural progression of

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their paeans to Noynoy (a.k.a. “the architect of our great foreign policy,” as one washed-up singer declared), they may have crossed the line. It’s one thing, after all, to get a know-nothing slacker like Aquino elected to the highest office in the land and to inflict him on the nation for six years with the help of social media and quite another to go to war with the biggest military and economic power in the continent, simply because the same keyboard warriors say so.

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

THE number of criminal suspects that killed by the police in its illegal drug campaign is now about 316. At this rate, the number could easily top 1,000 in another two months.

Even with this number, the public still does not have any idea whether the effort is having any effect on the price of methamphetamine. If the price is increasing, it means that supply is diminishing as a result of the police campaign. This is important because if the price of methamphetamine or shabu is stable, the PNP is not doing the right thing and should review and evaluate the current strategy of killing small-time dealers. It should improve its intelligence and go after the big-time manufacturers and dealers.

The arrest of three Chinese nationals in what is called a floating laboratory in Subic is significant and this is where more of the police effort should be intensified. It is no secret that most of the big-time drug lords are foreign nationals who seem to be operating with impunity.

It has been this way since I, as a law enforcement officer, can remember.

It stands to reason, therefore, that the effort should be in this very important area. Cut the source and the supply will eventually dry up.

But as I have written in the past, the money involved in the illegal drug trade dwarfs anything that one can ever imagine. This is why the campaign is admittedly difficult. It used to be that methamphetamine, the drug favored in this country as opposed to cocaine, was being smuggled into the country mostly from China—until some enterprising foreign operators thought of simply manufacturing the drug here.

This was the start of the huge jump in the number of users in the country in the early 1990s. It has been almost a quarter of century and the problem of illegal drugs has taken root. Now, it is extremely difficult to stamp out. But the problem can be reduced. The question is, by what strategy?

Continued on A11

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

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OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

WHAT IS NEXT? TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

SO, THE Panatag or Scarborough Shoal and other islets claimed by China is ours. The ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague upheld the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas, the charter on oceans and international waters.

The problem is that China, although a signatory (like the Philippines) to Unclos, calls the ruling null and void. It won’t recognize the decision and insists it will not take a step back from its claim of a nine-dash line. It claims almost the whole South China Sea, encroaching on the territorial claims of the Philippines and other Asean countries.

But in the wake of the exultation, the question is: What is next?

The Duterte administration may have treaded the path softly.

It did not taunt China in the aftermath of the court decision since that would only create more tension.

Some analysts say China’s refusal to recognize the ruling of the arbitration court does not change the fact that the decision is binding.

Santa Banana, if Washington escalates the dispute over the South China Sea, it will certainly have its impact on the Philippines. If the US and China get into direct confrontation, it will be like two elephants fighting and we in the Philippines, like ants, will get trampled on.

The only way for the Philippines to go is to continue bilateral talks with China. So long as we talk with China, tension will not escalate. Perhaps we may even agree on some-

thing beneficial for both countries.

On the part of China, it must be noted that “loss of face” is paramount. There is a need for a special envoy to China for conciliatory, “back channeling” purposes.

President Duterte must name someone who speaks the same language as the Chinese as special envoy.

Remember when BS Aquino appointed a politician to do the job? He failed miserably.

So long as we talk with China, tension will not escalate.

Perhaps we may even agree on something beneficial for both countries.

*** Retired Dagupan and Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz said that illegal gambling—specifically jueteng—should also pursued by authorities. This is because illegal gambling is pervasive and is tolerated by local government units.

The Duterte administration seems to agree. Illegal gambling is also included in the vow to eradicate all forms of crime and corruption.

But the reason past administrations have not been able to do anything about this is that every municipality or town is involved

A LANDMARK VICTORY ON TUESDAY, an international tribunal in The Netherlands issued a ruling on the Philippines’ case against the People’s Republic of China. The decision was a resounding success considering that the major points raised by our country were resolved in its favor, such as: 1) The nine-dash line map being used by the PRC to bully its smaller neighbors was declared invalid and incompatible with the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea, considered as the Constitution for the oceans of our planet, a treaty ratified by 167 States, including China and the Philippines, 2) PRC’s accession to the Unclos means it accepted the limited zones of maritime entitlements in the convention, hence, PRC cannot assert its theory of historic rights to living and non-living resources in the West Philippine Sea, 3.)

Most important for our fishermen, The PRC’s law enforcement activities in the area were declared illegal, 4.) China’s land reclamation and island creation activities were declared illegal and 5.) Geographic features do not generate maritime zone entitlements that support PRC’s claims into 89 percent of the West Philippine Sea. The decision is now being in it. Corruption prevails among the police and the military. In fact, would you believe that some gambling lords share their profits with priests? All residents of the community are also involved in jueteng because it is the easiest way to rake in some money. A P1bet could translate to a hundred pesos.

Gambling lords in many provinces and regions have remained untouchable because the police, all the way to Camp Crame, get their cut. Even the military gets its own, and it goes all the way up to Camp Aguinaldo.

Santa Banana, if you think illegal drugs can corrupt people, jueteng can do the same to mayors, governors and members of Congress.

It’s as pervasive and prevalent as the illegal drugs trade.

With the Duterte administration now going against jueteng, the President’s vow to

MINORITY REPORT DANILO SUAREZ considered a landmark case that will be studied extensively by future international scholars and policy makers. In the near future, this will most likely dictate the terms of engagement in this highly disputed region. It is no secret that the aggressor in this area is a Goliath in terms of military prowess, but in this age of interrelated trade and economic connections regulated by Treaties and Conventions like the Unclos, no single country can risk becoming an international pariah. Hence, having the weight of an Unclos ruling for the Philippines is a definite advantage in any future state-tostate negotiations.

We take this opportunity to laud the past administration for this feather on our country’s cap. In our quest for national unity after the recently held national elections, it is wise to give credit where credit is due. The present dispensation should consider tapping the expertise of past administration officials who contributed to the presentation of our case such as So-

end criminality, illegal drugs and corruption within three to six months seems more unrealistic. The authorities certainly need more time. The culture of jueteng includes almost everybody; it is a menace which has existed in the Philippines since the Chinese started trading.

Jueteng is a Chinese word, by the way. *** The Duterte administration’s push to cut red tape is doable.

I cannot understand why anybody who wants to start a business in Metro Manila needs 16 signatures to get the process going. It’s worse outside the National Capital Region—there are all sorts of clearances: barangay, environment, sanitation, construction, power, police and others.

I have an example very close to home. My son wanted to put up an art gallery. It took him months to get the mayor’s permit because of all

licitor General Florin Hilbay and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario. Supreme Court Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza, who was then SolGen when the pleadings for the case were being prepared, and Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio should also be commended. These four are veritable intellectual giants whose experience in the handling of this case should be further tapped when international negotiations involving the results of this decision come up in the future.

Of the four, I especially commend Justice Carpio for his hard-fought advocacy for this case. I remember that Justice Carpio has been going around in speaking circles in the past couple of years to present his own research on the Philippines’ own historical claims over Scarborough Shoal or Panatag. His lectures debunked China’s claims of entitlement through “historic rights,” saying that even if they were true, these rights have been superseded by the Unclos. His advocacy for the protection of our territorial integrity goes beyond the call of duty required by his position as a justice of the Supreme Court.

these clearances. At the mayor’s office, he was told that he must fork over P50,000 which was supposed to be shared by everybody.

My son told me all about his ordeal when he had already given as much as P200,000 to government people and was told he had to give more. I then called up a businessman-friend who said he only needed to call somebody in the city government to facilitate everything.

When I called up this official, he told me that my son would get the permit he needed.

If the Duterte administration can only cut all these by 50 percent —doable, I think—that would be real change.

This would raise the country several notches in the esteem of the international community in terms of ease of doing business.

Red tape is a scourge in business, and local and foreign businessmen know it.

*** Business taipan Manny V. Pangilinan said that Gina Lopez as secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is like an elephant in the room.

Pangilinan could not have said it better. Lopez, a self-proclaimed environmentalist and staunch anti-mining advocate, is now going, guns blazing against mining.

President Duterte said that he is not against responsible mining. But here comes Lopez claiming that there’s no such thing as responsible mining.

Santa Banana, she has suspended permits for new mining applicants and gone gung-ho against some mining firms, suspending them.

I don’t know if the President realizes it, but making Lopez DENR secretary is like having Dracula in charge of the blood bank. All she has done so far is to make the mining industry look bad.

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OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

POP GOES THE WORLD JENNY ORTUOSTE WE SINCERELY thank The Hague arbitral tribunal for its fair decision on the Philippines vs. China maritime case on the Spratly Islands, a monumental outcome the effects of which will be felt far into the future.

Immediately after the announcement, Filipino and Vietnamese groups held a joint celebration along Roxas Boulevard on Tuesday, complete with balloons and victory signs. Some of the signs read: “Congratulations to the PH’s victory,” “Vietnam supports peaceful solution to disputes,” and “Tribunal rulings: fair and objective.”

Japan, also wary of China’s intrusions into other nations’ waters, released a statement welcoming the result. “Japan strongly expects that the parties’ compliance with this award will eventually lead to the peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea,” said Japan Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida last Tuesday.

(By the way, it’s the West Philippine Sea, not that other name, all right? Thank you.

From now on, I will be using WPS bracketed in other people’s quotes in lieu of SCS.)

NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP Former President Benigno Aquino III, called by some the “chief architect” of foreign policy that led to this historic case, and who has consistently reiterated Philippine sovereignty over the disputed territory, said the decision “…establishes better conditions that enable countries to engage each other, bearing in mind their duties and rights within a context that espouses equality and amity.”

The key words in these three instances are peace, equality, and amity.

It is therefore disappointing and alarming, although it is to be expected, that China rejected The Hague’s decision. Their foreign ministry declared it “null and void,” “a farce,” and “not legally binding.” The Chinese ambassador to the United States warned: “It will certainly undermine or weaken the motivation of states to engage in negotiations and consultations for solving their dispute. It will certainly intensify conflicts and even confrontation.”

Taiwan, which also insists on ownership of an island in the Spratly chain, was furi-

ous when The Hague tribunal classified Taiping island a “rock,” and therefore not entitled to an exclusive economic zone on it nor to the waters around it. Taiwan launched a warship to Taiping rock on Wednesday to “defend their territory.”

Ahead of time, we certainly knew that China (and apparently, Taiwan) would not back down on their position especially now that they have lost major global face.

We also knew that we would have to brace ourselves for the impact—and these aggressive words and actions are only the smallest of initial salvos.

China, however, should reflect its belligerent stance.

It has enough problems of its own. Once the fastest-growing economy in the world on the strength of its manufacturing capacity, it is now experiencing its biggest slowdown in seven years, down to 6.6 percent in the second quarter as its industrial sector declines. The yuan dipped to its lowest rate in the last five and a half years.

Analysts say the Chinese economy will lose further momentum in the last two quarters of the year.

What... From A9

The campaign... From A9

The last thing any party in the dispute right now needs is escalation of the already-tense situation.

And even the hawkish Yellows must understand that the PCA verdict in no way alters the actual balance of power in the region; we won a ruling but we will still not win a war.

Indeed, even publicly gloating about the verdict should remain a fad among the Yellow minority and not be construed as the national attitude. It doesn’t look good for Filipinos to laugh at our neighbors, especially since an international tribunal has already slapped them in the face; let the “decent” followers of Aquino engage in this unseemly pastime alone.

What the remaining followers of Aquino are doing is attempting to incite us to go to war with China, just to prove how great their idol is. And to this proposal—as to most proposals coming from that idolatrous political cult—the only sensible reaction should be: “Thanks, but you’ve done enough.” *** One proposal that does bear mentioning here calls for the Philippines to do its own reclaiming around one of the rocks or features that the PCA ruling says is clearly within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. But with a twist: The reclaimed Philippines island will be transformed into an Alcatraz-like prison for the convicts currently in the New Bilibid Prison.

Priority accommodation will be given to the socalled “Bilibid 19” VIPs of the penitentiary, who will no longer be able to communicate by cellular telephone or enjoy Internet connections in their new prison in the middle of the sea. From time to time, just like she used to, Senator Leila de Lima should be allowed to “raid” the prison to see if the convicts have been stocking up on sex dolls and other contraband.

How about it, Manay Leila?

Is it by killing small-time drug pushers the way it is being done now? Perhaps the authorities can concentrate on the big-time drug lords and the destruction of the laboratories that manufacture the illegal drugs by the thousands of kilos that flood the country. Perhaps, at this stage of the illegal drug campaign, the PNP brass might take time to pause “go to the balcony,” sit down and evaluate what has been accomplished so far because although there have not been too many questions being raised, it is prudent on the part of the PNP that this be done. With the number of suspects killed, has the PNP even conducted some kind of investigation to fully justify the operation so that at some future date, those involved will not be subjected to law suits? Already, there are claims that innocent people are being killed. An after-operation report after every incident that involves killing is not only right; it is the wise thing to do. The PNP must realize that as the number of suspects getting killed increase, as it surely will, it must take all the precaution to ensure that

Air pollution is so bad in Beijing and other cities that people buy fresh air in cans.

They have problems with food safety—plastic rice, melamine in milk. Illegal drug use is rife—according to a 2015 New York Times article

by Dan Levin, drugs in China are an $82-billion business, with an estimated 13 million addicts, half of whom are suspected of using methamphetamine (shabu).

Given these problems and others, can China sustain a war against the world? Or— probably worse—a boycott of its goods and services? China would do better to concentrate on fixing its home rather than encroaching on foreign lands and waters.

As Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop warned, if China does not respect the arbitral court’s decision, “There would be strong reputational costs. China seeks to be a regional and global leader and requires friendly relations with its neighbors.

That’s crucial to it’s rise.”

The Hague’s decision gives the Philippines an extra advantage in resolving this territorial and economic dispute. It was hard-fought and

the dead were justifiably killed and were not simply eliminated because police units are being pressured to increase the body count as a sign of success.

Like in many similar operations of this sort, the body count will not ensure that the illegal drug campaign is a success. The PNP might also want to look at the Thai experience—basically the same as what is happening here today. In the end, the Thai strategy of killing all known drug suspects had minimal effect in solving the problem in Thailand. Perhaps the PNP should also keep the public informed on how the campaign is affecting the illegal drug industry instead of simply informing the public of the number of suspects that are being killed.

Perhaps the number of suspects killed is already enough to strike fear in the minds of drug dealers, big and small. The PNP might like to consider shifting to the next phase of the campaign by concentrating on big-time drug lords. The sight of the body of that dead policeman in Bulacan who was killed by unknown people for being a

we must not let our gains from this slip.

That is why Acting Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay’s recent statements on the matter to foreign and local press are disturbing.

He seems bent on appeasing China at all costs. Why? As for President Duterte’s statement that he would press for infrastructure projects with China. Again, why?

China is a big bully. We cannot buckle down and have them walk all over us. Whatever happens, we must stand firm and never give up our rights.

While we strongly support peaceful and amicable measures to resolve this issue, Yasay and Duterte’s seemingly pro-China attitudes are a bend in the wrong direction.

Any actions that the present government might take that will favor China will result in a protest by the people.

The West Philippine Sea is part of our home. The Hague’s decision is a step towards establishing our sovereignty in our territories. Let us not render this for naught.

Facebook: Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, Instagram: @jensdecember

drug pusher was depressing.

That policeman was armed and trained to protect himself, yet he was killed and his body was displayed for all to see. Will the PNP in Bulacan try to find out who did it, or not do anything at all? After all, he was a drug pusher and will simply be part of the statistic. Who had the capability to do this?

A vigilante group? Perhaps it is the urban NPA who are known to be operating in that province. If it was the NPA, the campaign is now really a freefor-all and this could only lead to dire consequences.

The PNP which is the principal operating arm in this campaign must come out with some kind of guidelines, if we want to call it that. It cannot be that anybody or any group can get into the act. Surely, even if there are not too many people contradicting what the government or police is doing, it is always right that the parameters of this campaign be laid out clearly so that the campaign will be done in an orderly manner and not degenerate into a wild west. If it does, the reputation not only of the police but the country will irreparably suffer.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Crosby presents 3rd fitness expo

By Robbie Pangilinan

Anti-doping body clears Wilder, Arreola

THE Gemmalyn Crosby Sports Festival presents the third Philippine Fitness & Wellness Expo on Sept. 3, at the SMX Convention Center, following the highly successful 2015 sports event attended by over 2,000 participants and guests.

By Ronnie Nathanielsz THE Volunteer Anti Doping Association under the renowned Dr. Margaret Goodman has cleared heavyweight world boxing champion Deontay Wilder and challenger Chris Arreola following random drug tests.

The tests were conducted under the Clean Boxing Program of the World Boxing Council, the only professional boxing organization that conducts random drug tests.

The World Boxing Council heavyweight world champion, American Deontay Wilder, defends his crown this Sunday (Manila time) against Chris Arreola in the main event at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, with the challenger painfully aware this is his third and last chance to win the title.

The fight is presented

by DiBella Entertainment and TGB Promotions and broadcast via FOX Sports.

This will be the fourth defense of Wilder after he won the title defeating Bermane Stiverne in January 2015.

The champion says he`s extra motivated to fighting on home turf in Alabama, promising a truly memorable show.

The WBC reported that Arreola comes from drawing with Fred Kassi, but due to his aggressiveness, strength, and a slice of luck, which he admits he didn`t deserve and must justify, he got an unexpected last chance.

Gemmalyn Crosby is an IFBB professional athlete and businesswoman. She holds an Advanced Personal Training Certification guru, is a certified sports nutrition specialist, a fitness model, book author, actress, Muay Thai and Kick Boxing instructor, and Mixed Martial Artist.

Shell Visayas chess listup ongoing THE chase for berths in the Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship grand finals shifts to Cebu next week when the Visayas stop of the five-leg regional circuit is staged July 23 and 24 at SM City Cebu, Cebu City.

Coming off a successful staging of its first two legs in NCR and Southern Luzon, organizers of the country’s longest-running talent-search brace for another huge field with

maximum entries of 300 expected in each of the three divisions, including the battle for the female berths in each side.

Visayas has been one of the biggest sources of chess talents in the country with the region boasting of a number of masters and upcoming stars, thus guaranteeing a banner cast in the kiddies, juniors and seniors categories of the event sponsored by Pilipi-

nas Shell.

The kiddies division will feature players from 7 to 12 years old (born between 2004-2009) while the juniors category is open to players 13 to 16 years old (born between 2000-2003. The seniors category, introduced last year to widen the base of the talentsearch, is for players 17 to 20 years old (born between 1996-1999).

For details, con-

tact tournament director Alex Dinoy at 0918-3705750 or 09228288510 or Visayas leg coordinator Odilon Badilles at 0933-6190210.

Registration forms can also be downloaded at the Shell website www.shell. com.ph/shell_chess.

Previous grand finals winners are also allowed to join in their respective divisions provided they are still within the age limit.

World Series of Fighting slated July 30 at Big Dome WITH the 50-year anniversary of The India-Pakistan War of 1965 recently passing, World Series of Fighting-Global Championship is reigniting the fuse, as Pakistan’s Uloomi Karim (5-3) looks to end the undefeated streak of India’s Yadwinder Singh (5-0) at WSOF-GC 3: PHILIPPINES on July 30 at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Manila, Philippines.

Karim, who has finished all five of his professional victories, is the current, reigning Underground Battle MMA Bantamweight Champion, having captured the title earlier this year.

During his post-fight interview, he gave a very heartfelt speech dedicated his title to some of his fellow students that had recently been victimized by a terrorist at-

tack in his home country. It was an emotional affair for all. With the crowd fully behind him, he made a bold challenge by calling, “Yad Singh, I’m coming for you.”

WSOF Global veteran Singh is certainly not running and answered the challenge. Singh made his debut with the organization in November 2015, with an impressive victory over a previously unbeaten American and Roger Huerta protégé’, Alex Schild. Singh is currently the #1 ranked flyweight in India and will be welcoming Karim to the 125-pound division.

Despite the challenge from Karim, and the history between the two nations, there is a mutual respect from both camps.

Majid Gilani, from Paksitan’s Team Fight Fortress, recently wrote

on social media, “Although there is animosity between nations, there is no animosity between Team Relentless and TFF as we are all legit martial artists.” Jitendra Khare, from India’s Team Relentless, responded, “I have utmost respect for you and your team. This is a big challenge and we really respect Uloomi and his skills.”

“When you issue a challenge, you had better be prepared to answer when the person you challenged responds,” said Jason Lilly, Vice President of Operations and Matchmaker for WSOF-GC. “I was very impressed with Uloomi when I saw him fight earlier this year.

Calling out someone like Yad shows that he feels he is ready for a big step up in competi-

tion. I’m not sure what prompted it, but the despite the mutual respect between the two camps, the tension between those countries is very intense.

There will certainly be some blood boiling that night and international pride will be on the line. Fight fans from Pakistan and India, as well as from around the world, can watch the fight LIVE at wsofgc.com.”

WSOF-GC will host WSOF-GC 3 Philippines at Smart Araneta Coliseum on July 30, 2016.

Tickets start at PHP300 with ringside seats available for PHP4000.

Tickets are now on sale at http:// www.etix.com/ticket/p/2988982/ wsof-global-championship-3philippines-q uezon-city-smart-aranetacoliseum.

“This is going to be better than the past two years combined. It is the most exciting fitness and wellness event for the whole family,” said the founder of GCSF, celebrity athlete Gemmalyn Crosby, a fitness enthusiast and bodybuilder superstar in the USA and the Philippines.

The multi-sport event will feature the best, as well as promote the latest trends in the fitness, sports and wellness industry.

Athletes, sports enthusiasts and celebrity guests from all around the Philippines and the world will participate in and grace the event.

The GCSF has partnered with boxing champion Gerry Peñalosa, Regine Tolentino, the Philippine Karatedo League, the Philippine Table Tennis Federation, and Filipino Martial Arts & Arnis Championships to bring Bodybuilding Championships, Karatedo Championships, Arnis Best of the Best of the Philippines, Filipino Martial Arts, Table Tennis Games and Exhibitions, Yoga Classes, Boxing, Zumba and much more.

“I believe in Gemmalyn’s advocacy and passion. I support her fully and I know she inspires and motivates many in the sports industry,” said former junior bantamweight and bantamweight titleholder Peñalosa.

Crosby is an IFBB professional athlete and businesswoman. She holds an Advanced Personal Training Certification guru, is a certified sports nutrition specialist, a fitness model, book author, actress, Muay Thai and Kick Boxing instructor, and Mixed Martial Artist.

“One of my many passions in life is to promote fitness and wellness in my hometown, the Philippines,” said Florida-based Crosby, who is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Nutrition.

Tickets are now available at SM Tickets (www.smtickets.com). For booth info and other inquiries, visit the website at www.philippinefitnessexpo.com or call 09226882982.

The GCSF’s Instagram is @ philippinefitnessexpo and on Facebook page PhilippineFitnessandWellnessExpo.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Will Rio Olympic games be a security hell?

RIO DE JANEIRO—Right as a top Brazilian official was confidently guaranteeing safety at next month’s Olympics, Rio cops were about to head to their latest nerve-jangling assignment: body parts discovered on Copacabana beach.

Officially, Rio de Janeiro is all ready to provide security for the some half million people expected to flock to the biggest sporting event on the planet from August 5-21.

Addressing journalists with a month to go before the opening ceremony, Andrei Rodrigues, secretary for major events at the justice ministry, declared his “total confidence.”

“I am completely calm,” he said.

That’s a claim that has since been repeated by everyone from the Rio mayor to the minister of defense.

But as demonstrated by the discovery that same day of an unidentified, dismembered body next to the Olympic beach volleyball site on Copacabana, not all is well in Brazil’s “Marvelous City.”

And Rio police—who’ve seen more than 50 of their colleagues killed just this year and have been protesting against late salary payments -- appear far from calm.

There have been 2,083 murders in Rio state in the first five months of this year, up 14 percent on the same period last year. The number of muggings has exploded and carjackings are also on the rise.

In an embarrassing incident, a truck crammed with more than $400,000 worth of television equipment imported by German broadcasters covering the Olympics was hijacked. It was later recovered.

The real mayhem is isolated in the north and in huge slums known as favelas, rather than in the coastal areas of Barra, Copacabana and Ipanema where tourists congregate.

But with an ambitious eight-year-old community policing project in those favelas facing growing troubles, drug lords are expanding control.

Last month, a gang of about 20 armed men shot their way into a central Rio hospital to rescue a detained boss nicknamed Fat Family. Police have reportedly killed as many as nine people in the brutal ensuing manhunt, but the fugitive remains at large.

Brazil’s lack of involvement in any wars and sheer distance from jihadist strongholds like Syria could be the best defense against any repeat of the kind of mass attacks claimed by or blamed on the Islamic State group in Bangladesh, Belgium, Iraq, Turkey and the United States this year. AFP

NBA balance eyed after Durant’s move

LOS ANGELES—NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday that the league might look at ways of maintaining competitive balance following Kevin Durant’s blockbuster move to join the Golden State Warriors.

Silver expressed concern at the signing which creates another super team and indicated that the NBA’s parity might be better served if changes were made to the collective bargaining agreement.

“Just to be absolutely clear, I do not think that’s ideal from the league standpoint,” Silver said of lopsided teams during a news conference at the league’s annual board of governors meeting.

Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder to sign a twoyear deal worth $54 million to join the Warriors, creating another NBA powerhouse. Silver added that Durant did not break any rules by exercising his right to change teams.

“I don’t think having two super teams is good for the league,” he said. “For me, part of it is designing a collective bargaining agreement that encourages the

distribution of great players throughout the league.

“On the other hand, I absolutely respect a player’s right to become a free agent and in this case for Kevin Durant to make a decision that he feels is best for him.

“I have no idea what’s in his mind or heart in terms of how he went about making that decision.

“In a way, the good news is that we are in a collective bargaining cycle, so it gives everybody an opportunity -- owners and the union -- to sit down behind closed doors and take a fresh look at the system and see if there is a better way that we can do it. My belief is we can make it better.”

The league’s current agreement runs through June 30, 2021. Either side can opt out June 30, 2017, if it notifies the other side by December 15. It was negotiated during the lockout five years ago.

Silver also said the league hasn’t made a decision on moving the 2017 NBA all-star game from Charlotte in protest of North Carolina’s controversial restroom privacy protection law.

“We’re not prepared to make a decision today,” Silver said. “But we recognize the calendar is not our friend. February is quickly approaching, especially in terms of big events like the all-star games if we’re going to make alternative plans.”AFP

Homefield advantage. Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals reacts after hitting a home run during the 87th Annual MLB All-Star

Game at PETCO Park in San Diego, California. Eric Hosmer and Perez blasted home runs as the American League claimed home field advantage in the World Series with a 4-2 win Tuesday over the National League in the annual all-star game. AFP

McIlroy and Co. brace for Troon test in British Open TROON—Treacherous and unfamiliar challenges lie in wait as the British Open returns to Royal Troon this week and Rory McIlroy returns to the hunt for the Claret Jug. McIlroy, who leads a host of the sport’s biggest names to have withdrawn in controversial circumstances from next month’s Rio Olympics, is bidding to win his fifth major and second Open after his victory at Hoylake in 2014.

Twelve months ago McIlroy was missing from the field in St Andrews after suffering an ankle injury while playing football but he will tee off on Thursday morning in the same group as Bubba Watson and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama.

“I’m excited to be back and to a golf course that I’ve never played before,” the Northern Irishman, number four in the world, told re-

porters on Tuesday.

“I don’t really have any experience here at Troon, so it was good to get a couple of good looks at it last week, and then I just played another 18 holes this morning.”

Troon is where Tiger Woods first played in the Open as a professional in 1997. The ailing 14-time major winner is not in this year’s field and instead the focus is on the current ‘Big Four’ of McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and recent US Open winner Dustin Johnson.

They have all withdrawn from the Rio Games amid much-publicised fears about the Zika virus, with Spieth pulling out at the last minute on Monday.

The 22-year-old Texan will be relieved to be able to focus on the Open now after being hit with a barrage of questions about the

Olympics on Tuesday.

He is targeting the Claret Jug and a third major title having won the Masters and US Open last year.

“This is a very, very special tournament; everybody knows that.

“I crave to have that trophy in my possession at some point, and to reach a third leg of the Grand Slam this week would be a fantastic achievement and a life-long goal of mine,” said Spieth, who is not in the best of form but has history on his, or at least his country’s, side.

The Open has been played at Troon eight times, with the last six winners all American, most recently Todd Hamilton in 2004. In 1997 the winner was Justin Leonard, a Texan just like Spieth.

“I don’t think it impacts you, but I think it’s

very cool to walk through the clubhouse halls to see that,” said Spieth of Troon’s history.

Dustin Johnson may be the favourite and Day the world number one, but all of the sport’s leading players must beware the potential pitfalls in store.

Troon is home to one of golf ’s most iconic and deeply unpredictable holes, the 123-yard par-three eighth known as the Postage Stamp. Here is where German amateur Herman Tissies took 15 in 1950 but also where a 71-year-old Gene Sarazen had a hole-in-one in 1973.

“I think I took an eight or a nine, so that didn’t go too well,” McIlroy said of his efforts in practice.

“If you make four threes there this week, you’re probably going to gain a bit of ground on the field.” AFP

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

RC Cola trounces Petron, keeps share of PSL lead

3-game bill starts Fr. Martin cagefest

A WELL-OILED more fluid RC Cola-Army squad showed up, reducing erstwhile unbeaten Petron to a pulp with a 25-22, 25-23, 25-11 victory in the 2016 Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference women’s volleyball tournament Wednesday at The Arena in San Juan.

A THREE-GAME bill will kick off the start of the 14th Fr. Martin Division 2 Cup basketball tournament when it gets going on Saturday at the Arellano University gym in Legarda, Manila.

Last year’s finalist Arellano University battles Centro Escolar University-B at 9:30 a.m., while Far Eastern University meets Centro Escolar University-A earlier at 8 a.m.

In the final game of the day, San Benildo clashes with FEU at 11 a.m.

On Sunday, another finalist last season, Manila Patriotic School, will meet San BedaRizal in the junior matches at 9:30 a.m. over at the St. Placid gymnasium of the San BedaManila campus in Mendiola.

San Beda-Manila fights Makati Gospel College at 8 a.m., while Letran confronts Xavier School at 11 a.m.

A total of 29 school teams will see action in the senior and junior divisions of this three-month cagefest.

Fifteen college teams, led by defending champion Ateneo and 14 high school squads have confirmed their participation to chief organizer Edmundo “Ato” Badolato and commissioner Robert de la Rosa.

Listed in the senior division with the Blue Eagles are Letran, St. Michael, Adamson University, San Sebastian College, Arellano University, San Beda College and Mary the Queen College.

There’s Colegio San Agustin of Binan, Diliman College, Far Eastern University, Centro Escolar University-A and CEU-B, and University of Perpetual Help-Cavite.

Set to join MPS in the junior division are reigning UAAP champion National University, La Salle-Zobel, St. Michael, San Benildo and San Beda-Mendiola.

San Beda-Rizal is also confirmed, along with Xavier School, Hope Christian School, Chiang Kai Shek College, Makati Gospel College, CSABinan, Adamson and FEU.

The Lady Troopers fought champions all throughout the tooth and nail in the first two 75-minute battle. sets before taking advantage Gonzaga had 13 kills and a of the Tri-Activ pair of blocks to finSpikers’ numerous ish with 15 points, Games Saturday errors and erratic while Daquis had 2 p.m. – Amy’s vs Petron reception in the 4 p.m. – Foton vs RC Cola-Army 10 markers for the 6 p.m. – Cignal vs Generika third set to rip the Lady Troopers, who game wide open are looking for anen route to an easy win in this other crown after clobbering tourney bankrolled by KLab the Thailand juniors’ team last Cyscorpions, Asics, Mikasa, April to clinch the Invitational Mueller and Senoh with TV5 as Conference title. official broadcaster.

“We’re not good; we’re just It was RC Cola-Army’s fourth lucky. It just so happened that straight win, giving it a share of we were at the right place and the lead with idle F2 Logistics. at the right time,” said RC ColaOn the other hand, Petron suf- Army coach Kungfu Reyes, givfered its first setback after roar- ing credit to the gallant stand ing to a 3-0 start.

Petron displayed in the first Jovelyn Gonzaga and Ra- two sets before completely unchel Anne Daquis, the first raveling in the third set. two members of the PSL All“It was a tight ballgame in the Star team that will see ac- first two sets. But we showed tion in the FIVB Women’s great teamwork in the third set Club World Championship while they succumbed to errors in Manila this October, were and bad reception. They are the stars of the show as they such a talented team. Unforpunched holes on the defen- tunately, all of them had a bad sive blanket of the reigning game in the fourth set.”

Honey Royce Tubino (right) of RC Cola scores against Petron’s Kyle Negrito.

ROMAN PROSPERO

Bayrons take charge in ICTSI golf

Rufino Bayron hits his tee-shot on No. 8

BACOLOD—Brothers Rufino and Jay Bayron rode on a pair of explosive frontside windup and took the 1-2 posts with 63 and 65, respectively, as Tony Lascuña and Miguel Tabuena found the going tough and matched 69s at the start of the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club here.

There were no fireworks from the two fancied players in the elite field as Lascuña, coming off a three-leg win, failed to sustain a threebirdie string from No. 5 and stumbled with three bogeys

O R I E N TA L M I N D O R O E L E C T R I C C O O P E R AT I V E , I N C .

(O R M E C O) Simaron, Calapan City I N V I TAT I O N T O B I D All interested parties are invited to participate in the actual bidding for this two (2) LOTs listed below: LOT-

I Supply of KWH Meter 10(60)A Approved Budget Cost: Php8,100,000.00 Source of Funding: 5% Reimvestment Fund

Delivery Schedule: To be announced during the pre-qualification proper.

LOT-II Supply of KWH Meter 10(100)A Approved Budget Cost: Php4,482,500.00 Source of Funding: 5% Reimvestment Fund

Delivery Schedule: To be announced during the pre-qualification proper.

GENERAL GUIDELINES 1. Interested parties may secure BID DOCUMENTS / INFORMATIONS from the Procurement Section, ORMECO, Inc., Simaron, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro. A non-refundable fee of Php25,000.00 and shall be collected as payment for BID DOCUMENTS. 2. Interested Bidder must be accredited as contractor before joining the pre-bidding conference and accreditation will start on July 18, 2016 of 8:00am until July 22, 2016 of 5:00p.m.. You can call at telephone number 043-2882349 or email at ormeco_coop@yahoo.com.

3. PRE-BID CONFERENCE will be held at ORMECO, Inc. compound at 2:00 p.m. of July 26, 2016.

4. SEALED PROPOSALS will be received at 2:00 p.m. of August 11, 2016, immediately after which, the said proposals will be opened during the actual bidding in the presence of the attending bidders.

5. ALL BIDS must be accompanied by a BID BOND payable to ORMECO in the form of CASH, CASHIER’S CHECK, MANAGER’S CHECK or BANK DRAFT issued by a reputable bank equivalent to TWO PERCENT (2%) of the ABC. No Bid Bond in the form of Surety Bond shall be accepted.

6. The winning bidder shall issue FIVE PERCENT (5%) in the form of CASH, CASHIER’S CHECK, MANAGER’S CHECK or BANK DRAFT from a reputable bank, representing the PERFORMANCE BOND. 7. If the bidder who submitted the best offer refuses to push through with his / her proposed BID during and after the bidding, his / her Bid Bond shall be forfeited, and failure of bidding shall be declared.

8. ORMECO reserves the right to reject all Bids, declare failure of bidding and not to award the contract without incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. ORMECO also has no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnity bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of their bids.

ORMECO, INC. (TS-JULY 14, 2016)

ENGR. PATROCINIO M. PANAGSAGAN, JR. General Manager

against one more birdie and Tabuena, back in the fold after a two-month stint abroad, also mixed four birdies against three bogeys despite ideal playing conditions at the tight, hazard-laden par-70 layout.

Clyde Mondilla, back-toback winner at Eastridge and Calatagan, outgunned Lascuña and Tabuena in the featured flight, recovering from an opening hole bogey with six birdies, including on the par-5 18th to card a 65.

But that still put the rising Del Monte star two strokes off Rufino Bayron, who rattled off

five birdies coming home at the front to string nines of 30-33 for a seven-under card and wrest control five days after missing the cut at Binitin.

It was indeed a big rebound by the former Asian Development Tour winner at Orchard in 2014 as he grabbed a two-stroke lead over Jay, a consistent top five finisher in the last five legs of the circuit sponsored by ICTSI, who gunned down four birdies to complete a 31-34 round and lead four others with five-under cards, including Mondilla, Zanieboy Gialon, Joenard Rates and Dutch Guido Van der Valk.

Northern Marian pushes PH to brink CLARK—Host Philippines suffered a stinging 1-6 loss to Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands yesterday to find itself on the brink of elimination in the 2016 Asia Pacific Senior League Baseball Tournament at Clark International Sports Complex at The Villages here.

Philippine representative ILLAM failed to get its hitting going and surrendered three costly runs in the third inning that gave the 2015 champs the momentum to score their first victory in three starts.

ILLAM slid to its second straight loss and would need to sweep its last two games and hope for favorable results in the other matches to possibly salvage a place in the finals of the tournament sponsored by Mister Donut and the Philippine

Sports Commission.

Australia had put a lock on the gold medal game as it stormed to its third straight win via an emphatic 33-0 rout of Indonesia in the day’s opening-encounter. Idle Guam (2-0) stood at second followed by embattled CNMI (1-2), Phl (0-2) and Indonesia (0-2).

Over in the Intermediate Baseball hostilities, Phl bet Sarangani blew an early 3-1 lead as it bowed to defending champion Korea, 3-20, in regulation.

The Sarangani batters, who came off a 21-2 spanking of Indonesia, dropped to 1-2 and virtually bowed out of contention.

With its second win in a row, Korea caught up with idle Japan at the top. Hong Kong, which drubbed Indonesia, 9-5, in the other game, stood third with a 1-1 card.

ILLAM battled CNMI on even terms after two innings, 1-1, but the Saipan batters gained the upperhand with a three-run binge off Phl’s fielding errors and a hit in the fateful third.

“Our hitting didn’t click again; we were making solid hits but they (CNMI) managed to defend it. They got one good inning where they made three runs and we’re not able to retaliate and they got the momentum going,” said ILLAM coach Egay de los Reyes.

For its part, Sarangani jumped the gun on the Koreans with three error-aided runs in the bottom first for a 3-1 margin. But the Koreans countered with an 11-run splurge in the top second to turn the tables around and made it a one-sided affair the rest of the way.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

BaliPure nears 3rd place; Air Force is S’ Turf champ PENANG, Malaysia—Blackwater worked on its suffocating defense and overwhelmed the Malaysia Dragons, 94-52, to win the 2016 Penang Chief Minister Cup International Basketball Invitational Championship on Tuesday at the Han Chiang Indoor Stadium here.

BALIPURE weathered Alyssa points, including a killer of a spike Valdez’s absence and Laoag’s tough that snapped the Power Smashers’ last-ditch rally in the stand to pound out a 23Games Saturday fifth set which the Water 25, 25-21, 25-21, 19-25, 4 p.m. – BaliPure Defenders dominated af15-11 victory and move vs Laoag (for 3rd) closer to a third place 6:30 p.m. – Pocari vs ter racking up four of the finish in the Shakey’s V- Air Force (for crown) first five points.

They held sway from League Season 13 Open Conference at the Philsports Are- there with Amy Ahomiro and Dzi Gervacio joining the attack while na in Pasig last night.

Janine Marciano put on a gem of pouncing on their rivals’ back-toa game and rammed in 23 attacks back errors that gave the Water for a 25-hit output while Gretchel Defenders an 11-4 lead.

The Power Smashers did fight Soltones backed her up with 20

back as skipper Relea Saet came away with a couple of aces and Jessica Galanza scored on a hit that made it 11-14 only to be stopped

by Soltones’ hard spike.

“We got a little bit worried after the match reached the fifth set.

But we were able to pull through and I’m happy for the team,” said Marciano, who went on to bag the game’s best player honors.

Meanwhile, Air Force bucked some pre-game distractions and Cignal’s gritty stand in the third set, hacking out a 25-19, 25-17, 2826 victory yesterday to clinch the Shakey’s V-League Season Two Spiker’s Turf-Open Conference crown.

Fauzi Ismail and Howard Mojica, rookie recruits from National U and Emilio Aguinaldo, respectively, redeemed themselves from pre-game gaffes as they combined

for 28 hits to power the Jet Spikers to the 75-minute victory and the championship via sweep of their best-of-three series.

Air Force also took Game One, 25-19, 25-16, 25-19, last July 4 before the league took a break to give way to the FIBA Manila OQT staging.

The victory, Air Force’s first championship in the league, also atoned for its heartbreaking defeat to the same Cignal side in last year’s Reinforced Conference where the Jet Spikers took Game One only to lose the last two to the resurgent HD Spikers.

BaliPure shoots for third place in the season-opening conference of the league sponsored by Shakey’s and backed by Mikasa and Accel on Saturday with coach Charo Soriano stressing the need for her wards to toughen up on reception and polish their serves.

Cage clinic. Former US WNBA basketball player Sue Wicks (right) hands the ball to a Cambodian youth during a demonstration at a school in Phnom Penh on. Wicks is in Cambodia from in her capacity as US sports envoy. AFP

BUDAPEST 2016 THE ongoing 53rd European Bridge Team Championship is being held SYLVIA LOPEZ in Budapest from ALEJANDRO the 16th to 25th June 2016.

The Europeans Teams Championships act as the qualifier the for the World Team Championships, whereby the top teams in all categories qualify to represent Europe in the Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup and Senior respectively.

The 2017 World team Championships will be held in Lyon (France) from Aug. 12-26, 2017.

• Posted in Neapolitan Club June 24, 2016 • Open Teams France’s Five Cent Lead In Open Teams, after the thirty round of thirty-seven, there is a very “cheap” situation.

France is leading over Monaco 0.05 VP (five cents). Within the top seven exited England and entered Italy.

First to seventh standing: (30/37 rounds) France 396.99 Monaco 396.94 Sweden 388.72 Netherlands 379.83 Germany 372.89 Italy 366.75 Bulgaria 365.09

-oOoThe 2015 Trial Semifinals, II

By Mark Feldman from the Bridge World (May 2016) I feature an excellent account by Mr. Feldman from the Semifinals. Trial: Second Segment After CAYNE picked up 2 imps on a close penalty double by Grue, Board 17 offered an offbeat mixture of a mild double-dummy exercise for fans of the genre and ironies of bidding decisions: North dealer Neither side vulnerable North ♠KQ3 ♥Q85 ♦865 ♣8763 West East ♠A754 ♠10986 ♥J73 ♥2 ♦AQJ2 ♦1094 ♣Q9 ♣KJ1054 South ♠J2 ♥JAK10964 ♦K73 ♣A2

Room 1 South Platnick 1♥ 3♥ Pass

DIAMOND vs GORDON West Gordon Double Pass Pass

North Diamond Pass 2♥ Pass Pass

Room 2 South Dwyer

West Bathurst

1♥ 4♥

Double Pass

Room 3 South Hurd

East Rajadhyaksha Pass Pass 3♠

North Psczcolla Pass 2♦* Pass

East Lall Pass 3♣ Pass

FIREMAN vs. CAYNE West Cheek

1♥ 3♥

Double Pass

Room4 South Seamon

West Wolpert

1♥ 3♦ Pass

Double Pass Double

North Wooldridge Pass 2♥ Pass

East Grue Pass 2♠ Pass

North East Cayne Fireman Pass Pass 2♥ 2♠ 3♥ Pass (All Pass)

LOTTO RESULTS

6/55 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M+ 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M 4 DIGITS 0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

Female referees to officiate pro league games DON’T be surprised if you see women referees working the games in the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup, which begins on July 15 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Edith Boticario and Janine Nicandro will be a common sight in the league’s season-ending tournament after PBA commissioner Chito Narvasa stamped his approval on the inclusion of the two officials in the roll of referees that will work the import-laced conference.

“We believe in the ability of women and we want them to play a more active role in the league. I think having women referees in our games will be good for the league long term. Gone are the days when the game of basketball was confined to just the men,” Narvasa said.

“The role of women in society transcends beyond the confines of home and office.

Women of this generation are actively involved in just about anything and everything and their presence and achievements have been acknowledged the world over. In the field of sports, women are just as successful as the men. Their impact in the global market is simply awesome. So I think tapping women referees will be good for the PBA.” Boticario, 29, and Nicandro 23, were picked from among the 15 trainees of the PBA referees academy that included five women.

It will be the first time in the PBA’s rich 41-year history that female referees will be tasked to work official games.

PBA Chairman Robert Non, Narvasa said, is very supportive of the innovation.

Narvasa said the chairman believes it about time women referees are given an opportunity to work on the big stage.

Boticario and Nicandro underwent extensive training in the PBA D-League, the women 3x3 tournament and the league’s Campus Tour under the watchful eyes of the league’s Technical Committee.

Except for Cayne, each responder had a choice of raises: two diamonds constructive or two hearts obstructive. The dividing line is a partnership issue, but the stronger action usually conveys solid values-the intent is to signal support and approximate strength immediately, so no further action will be required if opener doesn’t encourage.

In Room 3, Grue judged that the upside of bidding two spades, out-weighed the downsides of selling out to two hearts and the potential lead directing ill effect. Cheek didn’t find a double-dummy opening lead, so Hurd scored 140, an excellent North-South result. In Room 1, Rajadhyaksha’s more-conservative pass turned out to be more effective when Platnick, not expecting to be allowed to play in two hearts, preempted. This had the opposite of the intended effect, stimulating Rajadhyaksha to bid at a higher level than he had passed up earlier and thus to score 140 for East-West. In Room 2, Psczcola upgraded, Lall gave weight to lead-directing advantages, and Dwyer, envisioning a somewhat different hand opposite, took what turned out to be a cheap save against the otherwise-likely to have been reached three spades, winning 3 imps for GORDON. In Room 4, Wolpert made a mysterious second double and did not find a double-dummy lead; plus 530 gave CAYNE 9 imps.

Comments to: sylvia.alejandro@yahoo

T H U R S DAY : J U LY 14 , 2 0 16

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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

No Pacquiao fight, for now Jio tries to sustain fiery form JIO Jalalon has done practically everything to help Arellano University win games.

Games Thursday He’s probably (The Arena, San Juan) their 10 a.m.- Perpetual Help doing dirty laundry, vs San Sebastian (jrs) 12 nn.- Letran vs too.

Arellano U (jrs) Averaging 2 p.m.- Perpetual Help vs San Sebastian (srs) league-highs 4 p.m.- Letran vs in points, Arellano U (srs) assists and steals, Jalalon will try to sustain his stellar, MVP-like play as his Chiefs take on the Letran Knights, the defending champions, today in the 92nd NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City.

In his first two outings, Jalalon has piled statistics in stratospheric level with norms of 28 points, seven assists and five steals, all league-best, on top of his seven rebounds a game to help his team stay unscathed.

The proud son of Cagayan de Oro City will need to do more of that when Arellano faces off with Letran at 4 p.m.

“I will do everything to help my team win games, that’s all I want to do,” said Jalalon, who is also part of the Gilas Cadet team that topped the SEABA Championship in Thailand a couple of months ago.

Jalalon terrorized San Sebastian in dropping season-highs 33 points and 11 assists and a league-record eight steals in a one-sided 99-91 victory on July 1.

He will be a marked man against a Letran team coming off two close shaves against Emilio Aguinaldo, 76-72, and St. Benilde, 56-52.

Manny Pacquiao, shown here during his WBO international welterweight title bout with Timothy Bradley Jr. , has denied plans to come out of retirement to fight a yet to be named opponent later this year. AFP

LOS ANGELES—Filipino boxing star Manny Pacquiao denied any firm plans on a fight.

“There is no truth to media reports that I’m planning to take a leave from my senate duties just to fight again atop the ring.

I want to make it clear—my priority is my legislative works,” said Pacquiao, who has a record of 58-6-2 with 38 knockouts.

“My next fight has not yet been discussed. Should there be any, I’ll make sure it will not interfere with my senate duties.”

The boxer said all his training would take place in the Philippines so that he can keep participating in senate proceedings. Pacquiao typically spends half his time training in the Philippines and the other half in the US. “Boxing is my only means of livelihood to support my family and to help those who are in need,” he said.

NBA eyes balance after Durant’s move TURN TO A12

“Politics, to me, is a vocation not a means to eke out a living.

“I want to maintain that belief.

I want to keep my dignity intact while in public service.”

The 37-year-old Pacquiao last fought in April, when he won a unanimous decision over Timothy Bradley. Pacquiao said at the time that the bout would be his last.

But his promoter Bob Arum told American sports broadcaster ESPN that the former welterweight champion plans to fight on either Oct. 29 or Nov. 5 as a main event bout in Las Vegas as long as it doesn’t clash with his senate duties in the Philippines. No opponent has been named thus far.

“Manny wants to come back,” Arum said. “The problem is he can only come back if it doesn’t

interfere with his senate duties.”

Arum had previously planned an Oct. 15 fight in Mandalay Bay Events Center, but scrapped it due to upcoming votes in the senate in Pacquiao’s native Philippines.

“The question is building availability because we want to do the fight in Las Vegas,” Arum said about the new dates.

Arum said the most difficult part of setting up a fight is working around the boxer’s busy political schedule.

“He now has given us the goahead to shop for a venue and an opponent and see if we can do it on a particular date or dates,” Arum said.

“We’ve been trying to work out a date that doesn’t interfere with his senatorial responsibilities and his ability to train.”

‘We are doing this properly’ Pacquiao’s advisor Michael

Bayrons take charge in ICTSI golf TURN TO A14

Koncz told ESPN that he working with both Arum and Pacquiao on fight plans.

“Manny’s primary concern and obligation is to fulfill his senatorial duties,” Koncz said.

“But he misses (boxing). He misses the training. He misses being in the gym. You can see when he trains it’s like a stress reliever for him.

“So I am working with Bob and Manny is working closely with the senate president to make sure the dates are OK. We are doing this properly.”

Adrien Broner (32-2, 24 KOs) was being considered as a possible opponent, but Arum said that would not happen because Broner wanted too much money for the fight.

Other potential opponents could be undefeated Terence Crawford or Viktor Postol, who meet in a July 23 fight. AFP

B1

THURSDAY: JULY 14, 2016

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

business@thestandardtoday.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

BUSINESS

Oil drilling moratorium stays

By Alena Mae S. Flores

The government is not in hurry to explore the West Philippine Sea for oil and gas, after it received a favorable decision from the international tribunal in The Netherlands over a territorial dispute with China.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said the agency would not immediately lift the moratorium on exploratory drillings in the West Philippine Sea as it still needed to asses the impact of the decision by the United Nations-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration.

“Not so fast. We still need to study the decision and its impli-

cations,” Cusi told reporters.

“We will still be evaluating what would be our actions in relation to the decision,” the energy chief said.

Cusi said the Foreign Affairs Department along with all other government agencies concerned would thoroughly study the verdict of the Permanent Court of Arbitration under Annex VII of

the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the arbitration proceedings initiated by the Philippines.

“The DOF [Department of Finance] will be assessing the overall implications of the verdict in coordination with other agencies of the government, among them the Department of Energy,” Cusi said.

“The Philippines reiterates its abiding commitment to pursue a peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea and promote peace and stability in the region through diplomacy and consultations,” Cusi said.

Several oil and gas contracts in the West Philippine Sea were suspended, pending the resolution of

the territorial dispute with China.

These include Forum Energy Plc’s service contract 72, which covers an 8,800-square-kilometer area west off Palawan and is estimated to contain prospective resources of as much as 16.6 trillion cubic feet of gas and 416 million barrels of oil.

Philex Petroleum Corp., a subsidiary of Philex Mining Corp., controls majority of Forum Energy, which owns a 70-percent stake in SC 72, viewed as rich in petroleum reserves located at the Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea. Philex Petroleum’s stock jumped 14.5 percent to close at P5.38 Wednesday while the share price of Trans-Asia Petroleum

Corp., another oil and gas exploration company, climbed 4.3 percent to P4.17.

The Energy Department last year granted a force majeure to Forum Energy on SC 72 due to the territorial dispute with China even as the company already spent P1 billion in pre-development activities.

Aside from SC 72, the department granted Philex Petroleum a force majeure on service contract 75 also northwest off Palawan, as the area is also located near SC 72.

Nido Petroleum Corp. of Australia and PNOC Exploration Corp. also suspended their work program under service contract 58 near the same area.

PSe comPoSite index Closing July 13, 2016

8300 7840 7380 6920 6460 6000

7,944.02 6.07

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing July 13, 2016 48.00 46.00 45.00

P47.210

44.00

CLOSE

43.00

HIGH P47.170 LOW P47.320 AVERAGE P47.248 VOLUME 598.000M

P427.00-P620.00 LPG/11-kg tank

Best low-cost airline.

AirAsia is awarded the world’s best low-cost airline by Skytrax for eighth year in a row, while AirAsia X clinches the world’s best low-cost airline premium cabin and premium cabin seat for the fourth consecutive year. Dubbed the ‘Oscars of the Aviation Industry,’ the Skytrax Awards are the global benchmark of airline excellence. Shown receiving the awards are executives led by Air Asia Group chief executive Tony Fernandes and AirAsia Berhad chief executive Aireen Omar.

P36.35-P43.45 Unleaded Gasoline

Tetangco downplays impact of ruling vs China

P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene

By Julito G. Rada BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. downplayed any significant financial impact of an international tribunal’s ruling that favored the Philippines over its terriorial dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea. Tetangco said at the sidelines of an event at Bangko Sentral Wednesday the markets were more worried about developments elsewhere, such as in the US and Japan.

“I guess what markets are looking at is how China will react to this decision. Markets are reacting to developments elsewhere,” Tet-

angco said.

“Looking at the behavior of the markets today, the conditions here continue to be more affected by developments in US and Japan. For instance, in the case of exchange rate, the peso opened stronger this morning compared yesterday [Tuesday] and that was because of the improvement in sentiment given the announced additional stimulus to be provided by the Japanese government,” Tetangco said.

The peso opened Wednesday’s trading at 47.22 against the greenback, 16 hours after the milestone ruling. It was stronger than 47.35 at the opening of trade on Tuesday.

Tetangco also said the US Feder-

al Reserves seemed “not in a hurry to tighten interest rates.”

“Remember at the beginning of the year, we expect four increases.

Some Fed officials are now saying there will only be one hike. So the peso is being affected more by developments in the US and Japan,” he said.

The International Tribunal on the Laws of the Sea based in The Netherlands on Tuesday ruled against China in a bitter row over territorial claims in the South China Sea, or West Philippine Sea. The court concluded that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights within the sea areas falling within the so-called “ninedash line.”

Earlier, ING Bank Manila senior economist Joey Cuyegkeng said in a report prior to the landmark decision that it would not unduly create significant sustained volatility in the domestic financial markets.

“But both nations have sent signals they would be open to bilateral talks about the contested area. The new Philippine administration has been clear that the next step is for negotiations,” Cuyegkeng said.

“Meantime, near-term volatility cannot be swept aside. We believe that it would be limited and could be fleeting as long as Philippine and China reiterate willingness to dialog,” Cuyegkeng said.

oPriceS il P today

P24.75-P29.60 Diesel

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday, July 13, 2016

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

47.3940

Japan

Yen

0.009552

0.4527

UK

Pound

1.324400

62.7686

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128912

6.1097

Switzerland

Franc

1.011429

47.9357

Canada

Dollar

0.766812

36.3423

Singapore

Dollar

0.742997

35.2136

Australia

Dollar

0.762100

36.1190

Bahrain

Dinar

2.650411

125.6136

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266645

12.6374

Brunei

Dollar

0.740247

35.0833

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000076

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.028466

1.3491

UAE

Dirham

0.272264

12.9037

Euro

Euro

1.106200

52.4272

Korea

Won

0.000875

0.0415

China

Yuan

0.149412

7.0812

India

Rupee

0.014937

0.7079

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.252525

11.9682

New Zealand

Dollar

0.729500

34.5739

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031136

1.4757 Source: PDS Bridge

THURSDAY: JULY 14, 2016

B2

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Wednesday, July 13, 2016

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 4.2 4 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 8.7 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

AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. Bright Kindle Resources Citystate Savings 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

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 89 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 74 33.9 90 13.26 293 0.62 5.25 12.98 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.86 7.34 1450 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 5.28 1.3 26 2.17

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 40.3 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 33 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 0.335 3.87 8.45 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 1.65 5.9 801 1.55 0.138 1.02 2.09 152 4.28 0.640 10.02 1.2

0.59 59.2 30.05 2.16 7.39 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 3.35 3.68 4.92 0.66 1455 7.5 76 5.29 6.66 9.25 0.85 17.3 0.71 5.53 9.66 0.0670 1.61 84.9 3.5 974 1.66 1.39 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

0.44 48.1 20.85 1.6 6.62 0.23 0.23 634.5 7.390 12.8 2.6 1.15 2.26 0.152 837 5.3 49.55 3 3.52 4.84 0.59 12 0.580 4.2 3 0.030 0.550 59.3 1.5 751 1.13 0.93 80 0.211 0.179 0.310

10.5 26.95 1.99 1.75 0.375 41.4 5.6 5.59 1.44 1.97 1.48

6.74 12 0.65 1.2 0.192 30.05 3.36 4.96 0.79 1.1 0.97

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.84 3.69 47.5 46.1 115.60 113.30 101.00 98.50 38.05 38 4.15 4.07 1.37 1.32 9 9 15 14.2 19.46 19.1 6.80 6.80 1.98 1.97 620.00 620.00 0.560 0.550 94.15 93.5 0.91 0.91 15 14.8 23.15 23.10 60.00 58.30 105 101.5 273 270.6 32.25 32.05 199.7 194.4 1410.00 1389.00 67.00 65.00 1.5 1.48 INDUSTRIAL Aboitiz Power Corp.

44.65 45.35 44.8 Agrinurture Inc. 3.9 3.95 3.79 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.85 0.85 0.81 Alsons Cons.

2 2.02 1.97 Asiabest Group 12.18 12.2 11.5 Bogo Medelin 52.5 52.5 52.5 Century Food 16.18 16.5 16.2 Chemphil 169.9 169.9 169.9 Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ 148.4 156 150 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 19.68 21.4 19.26 Concepcion 48 50 47.6 Crown Asia 2.09 2.11 2.07 Da Vinci Capital 5.53 5.61 5.5 Del Monte 12.54 12.6 12.38 DNL Industries Inc. 9.850 9.890 9.700 Emperador 7.35 7.40 7.16 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.55 5.72 5.59 EEI 7.80 7.95 7.70 Euro-Med Lab 1.83 1.75 1.75 First Gen Corp.

24.7 25.45 24.85 First Holdings ‘A’ 70 70.5 70 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 12.20 12.20 11.94 Holcim Philippines Inc. 15.22 15.26 15.22 Integ. Micro-Electronics 5.54 5.6 5.55 Ionics Inc 2.400 2.450 2.360 Jollibee Foods Corp.

250.00 251.00 247.00 Mabuhay Vinyl 3.25 3.25 3.25 Macay Holdings 35.70 35.95 33.30 Manila Water Co. Inc. 27.5 27.65 27.1 Maxs Group 28.75 28.75 28.3 Megawide 7.31 7.36 7.23 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 311.00 311.60 308.40 MG Holdings 0.295 0.280 0.280 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 3.42 3.44 3.42 Petron Corporation 10.76 11.10 10.76 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 6.40 6.46 6.33 Phoenix Semiconductor 1.66 1.69 1.66 Pryce Corp. `A’ 3.07 3.12 3.03 RFM Corporation 4.17 4.18 4.17 Roxas and Co. 2.4 2.3 2.3 Roxas Holdings 3.98 3.99 3.89 San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’ 210 210 210 Splash Corporation 3.02 3.02 3.01 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.150 0.149 0.149 TKC Steel Corp.

2.12 2.20 2.12 Trans-Asia Oil 2.52 2.54 2.50 Universal Robina 200 201 199.9 Victorias Milling 4.4 4.4 4.4 Vitarich Corp.

0.97 0.99 0.95 Vivant Corp.

30.50 30.55 30.55 Vulcan Ind’l.

1.32 1.32 1.25 HOLDING FIRMS Abacus Cons. `A’ 0.400 0.410 0.390 Aboitiz Equity 79.00 79.00 78.60 Alliance Global Inc. 15.28 15.74 15.30 Anglo Holdings A 1.30 1.28 1.25 Anscor `A’ 6.09 6.20 6.04 ATN Holdings A 0.370 0.375 0.365 ATN Holdings B 0.375 0.375 0.365 Ayala Corp `A’ 870 883.5 870 Cosco Capital 7.8 8.08 7.83 DMCI Holdings 12.78 12.84 12.78 F&J Prince ‘A’ 5.5 6.15 5.56 F&J Prince ‘B’ 5.7 6.59 5.74 Filinvest Dev. Corp.

6.55 7.11 6.58 Forum Pacific 0.260 0.265 0.245 GT Capital 1520 1530 1500 House of Inv. 6.44 6.45 6.32 JG Summit Holdings 86.70 87.65 85.20 Keppel Holdings `A’ 5.05 5.3 5.06 Keppel Holdings `B’ 5.55 5.55 5.55 Lopez Holdings Corp.

7.78 7.85 7.79 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.71 0.75 0.71 LT Group 16 16.06 15.98 Mabuhay Holdings `A’ 0.520 0.490 0.470 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 7.1 7.2 7 MJCI Investments Inc. 3.12 3.3 3.3 Pacifica `A’ 0.0320 0.0330 0.0320 Prime Orion 1.900 1.910 1.880 San Miguel Corp `A’ 78.00 78.40 77.80 Seafront `A’ 2.27 2.40 2.36 SM Investments Inc. 1005.00 1011.00 998.00 Solid Group Inc. 1.20 1.23 1.20 South China Res. Inc. 0.92 1.00 0.89 Top Frontier 189.000 193.000 189.000 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.3050 0.3050 0.3050 Wellex Industries 0.2060 0.2060 0.2010 Zeus Holdings 0.290 0.300 0.290 PROPERTY 8990 HLDG 7.500 7.640 7.500 Anchor Land Holdings Inc. 7.44 7.39 7.39 A. Brown Co., Inc. 1.33 1.33 1.30 Araneta Prop `A’ 2.280 2.400 2.250 Arthaland Corp.

0.275 0.290 0.285 Ayala Land `B’ 39.700 40.250 39.700 Belle Corp. `A’ 3.39 3.44 3.44 Cebu Holdings 5.02 5.02 5.02 Century Property 0.510 0.52 0.510 City & Land Dev. 1.09 1.10 1.03 Cityland Dev. `A’ 1.070 1.070 1.050

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

Close

SHARES 14,236,621 90,658,701 171,537,211 281,504,044 226,639,901 1,079,385,032 1,876,929,927

3.8 47.5 114.80 98.40 38 4.14 1.36 9.04 14.3 19.38 6.80 1.97 620.00 0.540 93.8 0.91 14.9 23.50 58.65 102 270.4 32.05 197.3 1350.00 65.60 1.48

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3.8 47.4 113.40 99.00 38 4.07 1.36 9 15 19.38 6.80 1.97 620.00 0.560 93.85 0.91 14.82 23.10 59.35 105 272 32.2 197.4 1410.00 66.75 1.5

0.00 -0.21 -1.22 0.61 0.00 -1.69 0.00 -0.44 4.90 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.70 0.05 0.00 -0.54 -1.70 1.19 2.94 0.59 0.47 0.05 4.44 1.75 1.35

114,000 30,900 3,038,880 3,195,930 192,800 36,000 42,000 600 165,600 472,800 8,100 95,000 90 55,000 5,303,040 28,000 112,000 5,900 433,140 3,150 1,680 89,000 645,890 1,045 152,600 12,000

44.95 3.84 0.85 2.02 12.18 52.5 16.22 169.9 151.5 21.4 48.2 2.11 5.5 12.4 9.730 7.16 5.70 7.92 1.75 24.9 70.3 11.94 15.22 5.57 2.400 249.80 3.25 35.60 27.5 28.5 7.31 309.00 0.280 3.44 11.10 6.42 1.67 3.08 4.18 2.3 3.89 210 3.01 0.149 2.16 2.54 200 4.4 0.96 30.55 1.28

0.67 -1.54 0.00 1.00 0.00 0.00 0.25 0.00 2.09 8.74 0.42 0.96 -0.54 -1.12 -1.22 -2.59 2.70 1.54 -4.37 0.81 0.43 -2.13 0.00 0.54 0.00 -0.08 0.00 -0.28 0.00 -0.87 0.00 -0.64 -5.08 0.58 3.16 0.31 0.60 0.33 0.24 -4.17 -2.26 0.00 -0.33 -0.67 1.89 0.79 0.00 0.00 -1.03 0.16 -3.03

1,941,000 1,569,000 267,000 2,467,000 1,100 10 1,493,300 10 930 6,937,800 10,300 1,335,000 9,646,700 66,000 4,946,100 1,345,600 10,962,900 725,100 1,000 6,425,100 368,840 14,300 7,200 426,300 826,000 928,800 8,000 2,400 1,083,500 573,700 3,575,100 375,100 570,000 713,000 11,541,300 346,100 489,000 568,000 42,000 3,000 139,000 100 2,396,000 460,000 1,474,000 2,018,000 2,041,210 156,000 8,631,000 200 491,000

0.400 78.80 15.60 1.25 6.04 0.370 0.365 876 8.01 12.80 5.88 6.59 6.75 0.250 1510 6.45 85.65 5.3 5.55 7.83 0.71 16 0.490 7 3.3 0.0320 1.910 78.00 2.4 998.00 1.21 0.89 191.000 0.3050 0.2010 0.295

0.00 -0.25 2.09 -3.85 -0.82 0.00 -2.67 0.69 2.69 0.16 6.91 15.61 3.05 -3.85 -0.66 0.16 -1.21 4.95 0.00 0.64 0.00 0.00 -5.77 -1.41 5.77 0.00 0.53 0.00 5.73 -0.70 0.83 -3.26 1.06 0.00 -2.43 1.72

810,000 2,234,700 6,111,000 118,000 3,500 4,340,000 50,000 388,570 3,356,800 3,715,400 460,400 77,500 3,001,900 820,000 94,655 600 3,545,040 11,100 5,500 5,693,400 514,000 14,473,500 15,000 92,478,300 1,000 21,600,000 358,000 108,320 2,000 422,435 50,600 356,000 2,460 1,320,000 600,000 570,000

7.640 7.39 1.30 2.280 0.290 40.000 3.44 5.02 0.520 1.09 1.050

1.87 -0.67 -2.26 0.00 5.45 0.76 1.47 0.00 1.96 0.00 -1.87

1,449,000 1,000 2,266,000 2,928,000 220,000 28,023,000 1,605,000 7,700 6,465,000 46,000 33,000

258,830.00 102,788,184 126,452,256.50 2,204,000.00 41,400.00 -17,728.00 -1,755,478.00

209,228,897.00 -8,602,274.50 288,296.00 1,191,315 -24,347,772.00

60,131,435.00 2,448,400.00 -4,727,978.00 -92,988.00 -25,000 10,400.00 93,060.00 -33,606,205.00 995,608.00 19,489,723.00 3,588,006.00 82,194,540.00 2,038,853.00 -56,322.00 56,533,912.00 2,390,290.00 -6,651,100.00 10,406,319.00 -48,504,724.00 824,500.00 -10,673,298.00 -74,450.00 25,200.00 -33,360.00 -364,210.00 -12,251,438.00 180,400.00 -31,040.00 63,500.00 72,492,452.50 19,140,442.00 7,450.00 158,007,720.00 15,402,404.00 28,136,818.00 18,795.00 -3,280,333.00 99,304,690.00 -44,039,077.00 11,109,316.00 -112,128,632.00 363,071,920.00 256,000.00 -362,412.50 -26,127,850.00 45,000.00

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

High

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 0.188 1.15 1.42 1.27 3.1 4.13 0.090 0.290 0.39 23 2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 3.38 0.83 5.73

Crown Equities Inc. 0.131 Cyber Bay Corp.

0.710 Double Dragon 62 Empire East Land 0.800 Ever Gotesco 0.158 Global-Estate 0.98 Filinvest Land,Inc. 2.00 Interport `A’ 1.25 Keppel Properties 5.20 Megaworld 5 MRC Allied Ind. 0.105 Phil. Estates Corp.

0.2800 Phil. Realty `A’ 0.440 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 36.50 Primex Corp.

12.98 Robinson’s Land `B’ 31.00 Rockwell 1.77 Shang Properties Inc. 3.3 SM Prime Holdings 29.40 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.98 Starmalls 6.99 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 1.080 Vista Land & Lifescapes 5.850

0.00 -2.82 1.37 1.25 -5.06 3.06 0.00 -0.80 -1.92 0.00 -0.95 0.00 0.00 1.37 11.71 -1.29 -2.26 -0.61 1.87 0.00 0.86 -4.63 0.17

6,960,000 13,061,000 1,397,000 2,936,000 20,000 24,911,000 11,036,000 53,000 8,900 102,735,900 6,860,000 20,000 60,000 100 1,222,200 5,504,700 554,000 77,000 45,673,300 3,142,000 6,000 5,237,000 6,971,300

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 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 18.2 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 10.14 1.6 4.8 2.58 1600 5.95

70.5 1.97 119.5 7 12.5 0.017

17.02 1.23 102.6 3.01 8.72 0.011

0.8200 2.2800 5.93

0.041 1.200 2.34

12.28 3.32 2.53 3.2 2.46 15.2

6.5 1.91 1.01 1.95 1.8 6

1.040 22.8 6.41 4 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

0.37 14.54 3 2.28 79 4.39 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. 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 Grand Plaza Hotel Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. Imperial Res. `A’ IPeople Inc. `A’ IP E-Game Ventures Inc. IPM Holdings Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones LBC Express Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Lorenzo Shipping Macroasia Corp.

Manila Jockey Melco Crown Metro Retail NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

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

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

SSI Group STI Holdings Travellers Waterfront Phils.

Yehey

-0.27 0.10 -1.57 -1.67 -3.70 1.19 -1.67 -0.35 -0.20 0.10 -0.49 1.01 0.00 -1.53 0.31 -1.56 -0.47 0.00 -0.16 -4.70 1.74 -1.09 0.11 -1.41 5.33 -1.21 1.56 0.31 1.00 12.38 2.25 -1.49 -1.45 1.71 1.03 0.33 -1.89 -1.60 -1.47 6.14 0.68 -1.10 -1.65 0.87 1.73 -0.16 -1.07 0.00 0.59 1.49 -1.74

60,400 66,500 1,000 237,000 42,300 19,329,500 29,850,000 3,190,000 813,580 3,900 31,000 162,000 1,000 83,790 150,000 678,600 2,400 30,000 2,550,540 87,700 1,100 14,000,000 338,000 47,690,000 12,216,000 870,000 4,700 146,400 467,000 1,000 28,000 124,000 18,202,000 25,578,000 8,953,000 82,800 6,400 17,000 60 2,216,900 132,785 8,110,000 10,974,000 3,742,000 1,019,700 422,700 6,190,000 1,689,000 1,880,000 600,000 115,900

0.0098 5.45 17.24 0.330 12.7 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 0.236 6.5 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’ Basic Energy Corp.

Benguet Corp `A’ 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

0.00 -5.17 -0.23 -0.44 -3.08 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.14 0.00 0.00 -1.92 -7.69 0.00 1.09 3.42 3.64 -1.75 0.84 0.00 8.33 2.28 -0.46 14.47 -7.69 0.41 4.25 0.00

440,000,000 3,534,000 106,150.00 234,000 112,310.00 2,240,000 23,400 11,000 1,391,000 500.00 47,300 19,190,000 1,791,110.00 110,000 46,610,000 2,460,000 307,700,000 113,900,000 366,000 27,221,500 13,691,526.00 2,688,000 508,000 93,000 1,700,000 1,700,000 5,000 12,840,800 15,854,792.00 65,718,000 31,224,210.00 10,100,000 281,270 17,912,041.00 2,599,000 17,040.00 15,800,000

70 525 120 8.21

33 500 101.5 5.88

1047

1011

78.95 84.8

74.5 75

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ First Gen G GMA Holdings Inc. PCOR-Preferred B PF Pref 2 PNX PREF 3A SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred D SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F SMC Preferred G SMC Preferred I

1.13 0.00 0.00 -1.61 0.09 0.00 0.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.26 -0.13

23,100 500 51,110 130,300 50 45 20,000 10,650 55,350 40,220 24,690 44,820 138,930 50,740

-1.52

624,000

13.38 -0.81 1.59 0.12

10,426,000 -2,050,740.00 10,000 891,000 43,200.00 1,603,200 -769,250.00

0.39

15,570

10,321,742.00 0.00 -327,160.00 -55,100.00 212,564,270.00 2,393,020.00

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

15

3.5

27,030.00

12.88

5.95

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

Alterra Capital Makati Fin. Corp.

Italpinas Xurpas

STOCKS

FINANCIAL 1,791.13 (down) 1.38 INDUSTRIAL 11,918.33 (up) 33.62 HOLDING FIRMS 7,769.80 (down) 24.29 PROPERTY 3,619.83 (up) 35.13 SERVICES 1,656.21 (up) 5.58 MINING & OIL 11,326.77 (up) 47.98 PSEI 7,944.02 (up) 6.07 All Shares Index 4,803.38 (up) 7.53 Gainers: 102; Losers: 87; Unchanged: 57; Total: 246

Close

0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 0.305 2.22 2.1 1.8 8.4 5.94 0.180 0.470 0.72 27 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 7.56 1.62 8.59

0.131 0.130 0.131 0.720 0.690 0.690 63.8 61.25 62.85 0.820 0.800 0.810 0.150 0.150 0.150 1.02 0.98 1.01 2.00 1.99 2.00 1.24 1.20 1.24 5.16 4.50 5.10 5.15 5 5 0.105 0.103 0.104 0.2800 0.2800 0.2800 0.440 0.440 0.440 37.00 37.00 37.00 14.5 13.16 14.5 31.55 30.60 30.60 1.78 1.73 1.73 3.3 3.17 3.28 3015.00 29.60 29.95 0.99 0.96 0.98 7.05 6.57 7.05 1.080 1.020 1.030 5.900 5.780 5.860 SERVICES 7.35 7.35 7.3 7.33 48.95 49.2 48.9 49 1.27 1.25 1.25 1.25 0.600 0.600 0.590 0.590 6.75 6.74 6.41 6.5 6.75 6.99 6.73 6.83 0.0600 0.0600 0.0580 0.0590 2.85 2.88 2.82 2.84 99.9 101 99.7 99.7 9.83 9.84 9.8 9.84 2.06 2.05 1.85 2.05 4.95 5.00 4.92 5.00 3.22 3.22 3.22 3.22 2350 2370 2290 2314 6.35 6.37 6.33 6.37 17.98 18.30 17.52 17.70 21.10 21.10 21.00 21.00 1.17 1.18 1.17 1.17 63.1 63.75 62.65 63 14.48 14.50 13.80 13.80 11.5 11.7 11.64 11.7 0.0092 0.0093 0.0091 0.0091 9.39 9.40 9.38 9.40 0.355 0.365 0.345 0.350 1.6900 1.8500 1.7500 1.7800 2.48 2.64 2.45 2.45 12.8 13.34 12.64 13 6.51 6.60 6.52 6.53 2.99 3.05 3.00 3.02 1.05 1.18 1.18 1.18 2.67 2.73 2.59 2.73 2.02 1.99 1.98 1.99 4.15 4.25 4.09 4.09 4.68 4.84 4.69 4.76 3.880 3.970 3.870 3.920 11.96 12 11.74 12 5.30 5.26 5.20 5.20 2.5 2.46 2.45 2.46 136.00 134.00 127.00 134.00 14.98 16.80 14.60 15.90 2074.00 2100.00 2074.00 2088.00 0.455 0.465 0.445 0.450 1.210 1.220 1.180 1.190 46.20 46.85 46.00 46.60 86.50 89.00 86.50 88.00 6.39 6.40 6.33 6.38 3.73 3.72 3.64 3.69 0.590 0.600 0.580 0.590 3.41 3.46 3.39 3.43 0.335 0.340 0.330 0.340 6.310 6.300 6.100 6.200 MINING & OIL 0.0040 0.0040 0.0040 0.0040 3.48 3.50 3.25 3.30 4.34 4.34 4.29 4.33 0.228 0.229 0.227 0.227 6.5000 6.7 6 6.3000 0.62 0.62 0.62 0.62 0.500 0.510 0.490 0.500 8.75 8.90 8.65 8.75 0.880 0.910 0.890 0.890 0.290 0.290 0.285 0.290 0.246 0.247 0.238 0.246 0.260 0.260 0.249 0.255 0.0130 0.0130 0.0120 0.0120 0.0130 0.0130 0.0120 0.0130 1.84 1.88 1.83 1.86 5.55 5.88 5.69 5.74 2.75 2.85 2.69 2.85 0.5700 0.5600 0.5200 0.5600 1.1900 1.2000 1.1800 1.2000 0.0120 0.0120 0.0110 0.0120 0.0120 0.0130 0.0130 0.0130 3.94 4.03 3.93 4.03 8.71 8.86 8.39 8.67 4.70 5.70 4.95 5.38 0.0130 0.0130 0.0120 0.0120 120.50 121.60 120.40 121.00 4 4.3 4.02 4.17 0.0110 0.0110 0.0100 0.0110 PREFERRED 48.8 49.95 48.9 49.35 545 545 545 545 115.4 115.4 115.4 115.4 6.2 6.2 6.02 6.1 1120 1121 1121 1121 1022 1022 1022 1022 106.2 106.3 106.3 106.3 78.5 78.5 78.5 78.5 79.8 80.5 79.8 79.8 77 77 77 77 78 79 78 78 78 78 77.5 78 78.3 78.55 78.3 78.5 77 77 76.8 76.9 WARRANTS & BONDS 2.640 2.700 2.530 2.600 SME 4.56 5.2 4.6 5.17 3.7 3.69 3.67 3.67 4.39 4.49 4.28 4.46 16.42 16.5 16.38 16.44 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 129.8 131 129.8 130.3

T op g ainerS VALUE 1,354,277,073.74 1,672,058,727.301 2,602,790,716.36 3,430,185,998.68 1,543,295,811.2744 724,160,460.019 11,410,943,082.341

Low

10,400.00 151,800.00 8,292,774.50 -1,701,000.00 -3,391,400.00 -9,262,680.00 192,330,814.00

-1,186,952.00 23,312,660.00 742,277,330.00 -327,420.00 4,232,551.00

-9,302,065.00 282,000.00 17,007,962.00

-75,305,270.00 33,230.00 -91,852,468.50 2,613,200.00 24,500.00 -3,580.00 32,400.00 21,546 69,460.00 -52,000.00 -3,892,460.00 68,273,480.00 168,450.00 2,540.00 -6,767,482.00 68,241,720.00 -3,133,840.00 66,749,005.00 32,279,534.00 262,304.00 -6,644,650.00 -2,413,390.00

296,215.00 -704,130.00

-26,180.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

F&J Prince 'B'

6.59

15.61

Manila Mining `A'

0.0120

-7.69

PhilexPetroleum

5.38

14.47

Philodrill Corp. `A'

0.0120

-7.69

Alterra Capital

5.17

13.38

Mabuhay Holdings `A'

0.490

-5.77

Lorenzo Shipping

1.18

12.38

Apex `A'

3.30

-5.17

Primex Corp.

14.5

11.71

MG Holdings

0.280

-5.08

Cirtek Holdings (Chips)

21.4

8.74

Ever Gotesco

0.150

-5.06

Oriental Pet. `B'

0.0130

8.33

Imperial Res. `A'

13.80

-4.70

F&J Prince 'A'

5.88

6.91

Suntrust Home Dev. Inc.

1.030

-4.63

Philweb.Com Inc.

15.90

6.14

Euro-Med Lab

1.75

-4.37

MJCI Investments Inc.

3.3

5.77

Roxas and Co.

2.3

-4.17

THURSDAY: JULY 14, 2016

B3

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

Govt reviewing MRT buyout

By Darwin G. Amojelar

The Department of Transportation and Communications said it is reviewing the previous government’s plan to buy out the private investors of Metro Rail Transit Line 3 as well as the new proposal of Metro Pacific Investments Corp.. to expand and operate the system.

Aboitiz donor. Fundacion Solventia, a Madrid-based non-government organization and Aboitiz Group donor, pledges to donate 15

computer units to the Anonang Sur Elementary School in Bogo City, Cebu, a school whose repair the NGO funded two years ago. Fundacion Solventia director Javier Iturralde Lind (center) and Aboitiz Foundation executive vice president and chief operating officer Sonny Carpio (far right) pose before the Anonang Sur Elementary School in Bogo City, Cebu, which was repaired after the onslaught of typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

PPA readies plan to expand RoRo operations STATE-RUN Philippine Ports Authority said Wednesday it plans to expand the operations of roll-on roll-off, or RoRo, to improve inter-island connectivity and build a port facility to serve foreign cruise ships.

“The immediate plan is to address the concerns of our public for their transportation. We will improve the RoRo facilities. In fact from the side of the Transportation Department, they are trying to encourage additional investments in RoRo operation,” PPA general manager Jay Daniel Santiago told reporters in a briefing.

Santiago also said that the port authority was expanding the RoRo ports operation in areas where

there was a huge traffic volume.

In 2003, the government issued a policy to promote Ro-Ro, a system designed to carry rolling stock cargo that does not require cranes for loading or unloading.

The Strong Republic Nautical Highway is one of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s priority programs to ensure fast and economical movement of goods and people, and to boost domestic tourism and trade.

The Asian Development Bank earlier said the RoRo system had cut the cost of the transport system as well as the travel time in the Philippines.

Santiago also said that PPA planned to build a world-class

cruise ship facilities in key areas, probably in Metro Manila and Davao under the agency’s longerterm plan.

Ports considered as major cruise arteries are Bohol, Puerto Princesa, Caticlan and Currimao.

The new PPA general manager added the marching order of President Rodrigo Duterte and Transportation Secretary Arthur Secretary Tugade was to make sure there would be no major accidents under its watch.

“What I would like to concentrate within the first 100 days is to make sure that we follow all safety protocols on our passenger terminals. We will audit all our safety protocols and safety measures to

address security threat in our port facilities particularly on the passenger terminal,” Santiago said.

“We want to make sure that they are safe and comfortable and they have the amenities that they need and they deserve such as improvements of toilet facilities and free Wifi access,” he added.

The port authority earlier allotted P6 billion this year to finance locally-funded projects, such as the upgrade and rehabilitation of ports in Iloilo, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga.

PPA said it had completed nine infrastructure projects worth P313.03 million as of end-March.

Darwin G. Amojelar

“We are studying it and I promise that there would be less analysis. We will make a decision that would benefit the majority,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade told reporters.

Former President Benigno Aquino III issued Executive Order No. 126 in 2013, directing the Transportation and Finance Departments to buy MRTC out of MRT 3, under the build-lease-transfer agreement.

The planned buyout of the private investors aimed to wind down the 15 percent equity rental that the government is paying under the contract.

The Transportation Department under the Aquino administration earlier estimated that the MRT3 buyout would cost the government over P40 billion.

Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines own a combined economic interest in MRT 3, while creditors of Metro Rail Transit Corp. hold the balance.

Metro Pacific earlier said it submitted a new proposal to Tugade to expand and maintain the MRT 3.

Metro Pacific first submitted a proposal to the Transportation Department in 2011, offering $523 in million investments to rehabilitate and upgrade MRT3. The Aquino administration rejected Metro Pacific’s proposal and opted for an equity value buyout of MRT 3.

Metro Pacific signed a cooperation agreement in 2011 with several groups holding rights and interests in MRT 3, including MRTC, Metro Rail Transit Holdings Inc., Metro Rail Transit 2 Inc. and Monumento Rail Transit Corp., giving the First Pacific unit an option to acquire 48 percent. It did not exercise the option.

Stock market extends rally; Philex, SM Prime lead gainers THE stock market rallied again Wednesday along with the rest of the region, with investors taking heart from another record close on Wall Street and talk of central bank stimulus, while China released better than expected export figures for June.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added 6.07 points, or 0.1 percent, to 7,944.02 on a value turnover of P11.4 billion. Gainers beat losers, 102 to 87, with 57 issues unchanged.

SM Prime Holdings Inc., the biggest integrated property devel-

oper, rose 1.9 percent to P29.95, while Philex Petroleum Corp. jumped 14.5 perent to P5.38 after an international tribunal ruled that China’s efforts to assert control over the South China Sea exceeded the law.

Philex and other local oil exploration companies own oil contracts to drill in parts of the contested West Philippine Sea. Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which has investments in toll roads, water and electricity distribution, and hospitals, retreated 1.4 percent to P7, while JG

Summit Holdings Inc. of industrialist John Gokongwei lost 1.2 percent to P85.65.

Japan’s Nikkei was once again the stand-out market, soaring on the back of a weaker yen and wiping out almost all the losses suffered after the shock of Britain’s June 23 vote to leave the European Union.

The Nikkei index ended up 0.8 percent to finish just short of its June 23 close, before it dived almost eight percent in reaction to the Brexit vote.

Hong Kong ended up 0.5 percent

and Shanghai was 0.4 percent higher.

Soon after the markets closed in China, the government said exports rose 1.3 percent in yuan terms in June, better than the 0.3 percent forecast in a survey by Bloomberg News and up from May. However, imports fell more than expected, indicating weak demand at home.

An optimistic tone has filtered through trading floors all week, after US data Friday showed the world’s number one economy created far more jobs than expected last month.

A landslide win for Japan’s rul-

ing party at the weekend and the sooner-than-expected choice of a replacement for Britain’s David Cameron as prime minister has also lifted confidence.

Australia’s ruling party was also confirmed at the weekend as winners of a general election held eight days earlier.

The vote in Japan has fanned expectations the country’s leaders will push through a giant stimulus program to reignite stuttering growth, with reports saying it could be as much as 10 trillion yen. With Bloomberg, AFP

B4

Govt reviews SSS pension hike

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

The Finance Department said Wednesday it will review the proposed increase in Social Security System monthly pension.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III told reporters he would study the political and technical issues over the proposed P2,000 across-the-board pension hike.

“We’ll see what they file. I haven’t seen it. We’ll read first what they have to say. You know this is a technical issue. It’s not legislation. I mean in insurance, you need an actuary to look at

all of these,” Dominguez told reporters in an interview.

Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Cynthia Villar on Monday filed separate bills that aim to increase the amount SSS pensioners receive every month.

Trillanes refiled Senate bill No. 91 which will be tackled by 17th Congress when it opens on July 25. Under SBN 91, all SSS pensioners shall receive an across-

Tarlac solar plant secures FIT rates

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Energy Regulatory Commission issued a certificate of compliance to PetroSolar Corp.’s 50 megawatt Tarlac-1 Solar Power Project, ensuring that it will enjoy feed-in-tariff rates for 20 years.

PetroSolar said in a statement the approval followed ERC’s grant of provisional authority to operate as a feed-in-tariff eligible power plant on March 30.

The Tarlac-1 solar facility covers 55 hectares of industrial land within Central Technopark in Tarlac City.

The project is the first solar plant of PetroSolar, a joint-venture firm 56 percent-owned by PetroGreen Energy Corp. and 44 percentowned by EEI Power Corp.

PetroGreen is the renewable energy holding company of publicly-listed PetroEnergy Resources Corp.

“ERC’s COC-FIT approval for our Tarlac-1 solar facility testifies to our satisfactory compliance to all technical, organizational, legal and financial requirements to operate a solar power plant. As important, it

guarantees FIT payments to PetroSolar from Feb. 10, 2016 to Feb. 9, 2036 at the approved FIT rate of P8.69 per kilowatthour,” PetroEnergy president Milagros Reyes said.

“Along with the FIT payments for our 36-MW Nabas wind facility and the long-term energy supply contract for our base-load 20MW Maibarara-1 geothermal power station and its ongoing 12-MW expansion [Maibarara-2], these assured revenue streams boost PERC’s expansion from our Gabon oil production towards renewable energy development and power generation,” Reyes said.

She said the company should continue to assess new investment opportunities in the country’s renewable energy industry under the current leadership of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.

PetroGreen vice president and chief operating officer Francisco Delfin Jr. said the Tarlac-1 solar project attained 80-percent electro-mechanical completion on Dec. 23, 2015 and started delivering power to the Luzon grid on Jan. 27, 2016 ahead of the March 15, 2016 deadline for the 500MW solar FIT allocation.

the-board increase of P2,000 regardless of the date of effectivity of their retirement.

Trillanes and Villar said the last SSS pension increase was implemented through Republic Act 8282 19 years ago.

A bill that pushed for an increase in the monthly pension was passed in the 16th Congress, but former President Benigno Aquino III vetoed the bill, following a recommendation from the Finance Department.

Former Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said the proposed increase would cut the actuarial life of the pension fund to 2029 from 2042.

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Za-

rate filed a separate bill at the House of Representatives on July 2.

Zarate said the pension hike bill could now be fast-tracked in the 17th Congress so that pensioners would finally “receive the long-delayed benefit due them.”

Dominguez said there were many issues surrounding the proposal. “I understand there is a lot of issues with the fact that SSS has not been up to date with their collections. We have to talk to them to ask what is really the situation,” Dominguez said.

“There is a bit large technical dimension to this thing. It is an actuarial dimension and we have to look at that. I am not saying

no, but I am just saying we really have to study the issue,” Dominguez said.

SSS saw net income fall 8.5 percent in 2015 to P40.7 billion from P44.5 billion in 2014.

Latest unaudited financial statement showed that SSS revenues reached P162.1 billion last year, up 4.5 percent from P155.2 billion in 2014.

Members’ contributions rose to P132.6 billion from P120.7 billion in the previous year.

Investment and other income declined to P29.5 billion from P34.5 billion a year ago.

Total expenditures increased 9.7 percent to P121.4 billion from P110.7 billion in 2014.

Harvard students’ visit.

Convergys Corp., the largest private sector employer in the Philippines, hosts Harvard Business School students on Philippines field immersion. Convergys vice president for business development and operations deployment Rain Tan (first row, left) and Convergys Philippines chairman Marife Zamora (first row, second from right) welcome the HBS group led by senior lecturer Dr. Andy Zelleke (last row, second from right) and assistant director of finance and operations at Harvard University Walfred Arenales

Concepcion to spend P11b for expansion

By Jenniffer B. Austria Appliance maker Concepcion Industrial Corp. is spending P11 billion to finance expansion and possible acquisitions over the next few years in line with the target to increase net income and revenues fivefold by 2020.

CIC president Raul Joseph Concepcion said in an interview at the sidelines of the company’s annual stockholders meeting that of the total amount, P1 billion would be for capital expenditures while P10 billion would be earmarked for potential acquisitions.

Concepcion said to achieve the 2020 targets, the company should continue to invest in existing businesses while exploring acquisitions

to accelerate growth.

Concepcion said the company was particularly interested in acquiring appliance firms with strong brands and other services and IT firms with synergies with the group’s existing operations.

“We are not afraid to make investments for as long there will be synergies with our existing businesses. We are investing for the future given the overall positive outlook on the economy,” Concepcion said.

“We will grow robustly to five times where we are now in both sales and profit by continuing to focus on core, expanding peripheral offerings and solutions and exploring opportunities for synergistic acquisition,” he said.

Under the company’s fiveyear plan, CIC expects to achieve a net income of P5 billion and revenues of P50 billion by 2020.

Concepcion Industrial chief finance officer Victoria Betita said this year, the company was poised to beat its target of 15-percent growth in sales and net income.

Betita said preliminary figures showed the company posted a strong profit growth in the second quarter, on increased sales of airconditioning units during the summer season, resulting in strong first-half performance.

Betita said the company was also expected to sustain the growth momentum in the second half of the year.

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 14 , 2 0 1 6

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

BDO signs deal with Shizuoka of Japan

Dematic’s PH expansion.

Dematic, a leading supplier of integrated automated technology, software and services to optimize the supply chain, signs a strategic partnership with warehouse solutions provider Prime Sales Inc. to exclusively distribute automated logistics technology and solutions in the Philippines. Shown sealing the agreement are Dematic Austrlia, New Zealand and Asean chief executive Glen Borg (left) and Prime Sales vice president Jun Pascual.

By Julito G. Rada BDO Unibank Inc., the country’s largest lender, teamed up with Shizuoka Bank Ltd., Japan’s 10th largest bank, to serve the requirements of Japanese clients planning to expand operations in the Philippines.

BDO said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Wednesday it signed a memorandum of understanding with Shizuoka. BDO’s partnership with Shizuoka is the first case of a Japanese regional bank entering into a second nonexclusive partnership with a Philippine bank.

Shizuoka said most clients interested to invest in the Philippines were small and medium enterprises. Given BDO’s strong foothold across all markets, Shizuoka said the the former had the strongest capability to provide clients the products and services suitable for their needs.

Shizuoka is the 10th Japanese bank that tied up with BDO, joining the other eight Japanese regional banks which aligned independently or under the Japan Bank for International Cooperation in 2013, and commercial bank Aozora Bank Ltd. which sealed a partnership with BDO in May. Shizuoka ranks third among the 64 Japanese regional banks.

It provides various banking and other financial services covering not only its home region but also Japan’s three major economic centers such as Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.

It currently operates 174 branches and 25 sub-branches in Japan; three overseas branches in Los Angeles, New York and Hong Kong; two representative offices in Shanghai and Singapore; and a subsidiary in Brussels, Belgium.

BDO was ranked as the country’s largest bank in terms of assets, loans, deposits, capital and trust funds under management as of March 2016.

B5

Meralco eyes SMC’s Ilijan power contract

By Alena Mae S. Flores

Manila Electric Co. is in talks with San Miguel Corp. to acquire the independent power producer contract of the 1,200-megawatt Ilijan natural gas power plant in Batangas province.

Meralco president Oscar Reyes said “talks are very preliminary” on the Ilijan IPPA contract sale.

San Miguel president Ramon Ang did not confirm the negotiations.

Meralco chairman Manuel Pangilinan and Ang recently forged a first joint venture in power generation. Meralco Powergen Corp., a subsidiary of Meralco, acquired a 49-percent stake in Mariveles Power Generation Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SMC Global Power Holdings Inc., the power arm of

San Miguel Corp.

South Premiere, a whollyowned subsidiary of SMC Global Power Holdings Corp., won the contract as the independent power producer administrator of the Ilijan plant during a bidding conducted by Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. in 2010 with an offer of $870 million.

South Premiere has an ongoing dispute with PSALM over the Ilijan contract. The dispute arose from interpretations of certain provisions related to generation

payments under the Ilijan IPPA agreement.

PSALM advised South Premiere on Sept. 4, 2015 that it was terminating the Ilijan IPPA agreement because of the latter’s alleged failure to settle the alleged outstanding generation payments. PSALM was demanding payment of unpaid obligations amounting to P6.6 billion from South Premiere.

The Mandaluyong City regional trial court issued last year a preliminary injunction in favor of South Premiere enjoining the government from further proceeding with the termination the IPPA contract for the Ilijan natural gas power plant.

PSALM called on the performance bond in the form of a stand-by letter of credit of South Premiere with ANZ Bank in the amount of $50 million.

South Premiere filed a com-

plaint before the court on Sept. 7, 2015 to nullify the termination notice of PSALM and the drawing of the standby letter of credit “for lack of factual and legal basis.”

The TRO previously issued in favor of South Premiere prevented PSALM “from disposing in any manner of the payment received from ANZ under the performance bond except as directed by the Court.”

The court also prohibited PSALM from treating South Premiere “as being an administrator in default and from performing any act to pursue the collection of supposed unpaid generation payments.”

It also prohibited the agency from collecting “VAT on generation payments for Meralco nominations under the MeralcoNational Power Corp. power supply contracts to service Sunpower and Ecozone requirements.

FDC Misamis plant to start distributing power in Mindanao FDC Misamis Power Corp. of the Filinvest Group said Wednesday it successfully synchronized the first unit of its 405-megawatt coal-fired power project with the Mindanao grid.

The start of operations of the power plant is expected to support the increasing power needs in the region, the company said.

“This is in line with the Duterte’s administration’s thrust to promote regional growth most especially in Mindanao,” FDC Misamis vice chairman Andrew Gotianun Jr. said in a statement.

The power plant at Phividec

Industrial Estate in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental is a multibillion-peso investment of the Gotianun Group that uses the circulating fluidized bed boiler technology.

FDC Misamis is a subsidiary of FDC Utilities Inc. and a member of Gotianun’s Filinvest Development Corp.

“Commercial operation is expected after the completion of reliability tests in the coming weeks,” FDC Misamis head Juan Eugenio Roxas said.

Roxas said the project was critical in bringing in much needed

power to the Mindanao grid.

“We deeply appreciate the commitment and dedication of our FDC team, as well as our contractors, to meet our assurance to deliver power to our customers at the soonest time possible,” Roxas said.

FDC Misamis secured contractual commitments for more than 80 percent of the project’s net capacity with various distribution utilities and large industrial customers in Mindanao.

“This will help ensure the supply of reliable and competitivelypriced power for the province

and the rest of the region,” Roxas said.

FDC Utilities president and chief operating officer Mario Pangilinan said the power plant was also expected to help secure investment potentials in Mindanao.

“Mindanao needs to grow like the rest of the country like Luzon and Visayas. And one of the things needed for the growth is attraction of investors through more power facilities,” he said.

Pangilinan said the project would support the direction of newly appointed Energy Secre-

tary Alfonso Cusi said.

Cusi said he was tasked by President Duterte to ensure the electrification of the countryside.

“I will strive to do my best to help the Duterte administration achieve electrification of the entire country, ensure reliable, steady and affordable power supply and work towards greater energy self-sufficiency as part of its agenda of sustained economic growth, social progress and political stability in the next six years,” said Cusi.

Alena Mae S. Flores

B6

THURSDAY: JULY 14, 2016

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

BSP may hike weekly auction

By Julito G. Rada

BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said the high oversubscription in term deposit auctions may prompt the bank regulator to increase the weekly volume from the current P50 billion.

“We will make an assessment.

If the oversubscription continues, then we might increase but that is not final. We will have to make

an assessment first whether there will be a need to adjust,” Tetangco said at the sidelines of an awarding ceremony.

The Gina and Manny Show MOST public discussions of national policy issues are staid and unexciting until they are personified by passionate individuals representing the two or more sides of the issue. This is true of the issue on responsible mining, which has been declared to be one of the principal concerns of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

True, such questions as whether this country should derive more of its energy supply from coal or whether mining folk are generally irresponsible are by no means unimportant. But until lately they have not engaged the excitement and intense interest of the Filipino people. But now they do, and that’s because the two sides of the debate now have names. The names are Gina and Manny. The public is now more interested in the progress of the debate—and the issues involved—because of the Gina and Manny Show.

Gina is, of course, the newly appointed head of DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) Regina Lopez. Manny is, of course, Manuel V. Pangilinan, chairman of one of the largest and oldest mining companies in this country, Philex Mining Co. Inc. The public personas—or is it personae?—of these two individuals differ greatly. Secretary Lopez is a persistent and super-articulate expounder of opinions and ideas, while Manny Pangilinan—commonly referred to by the media as MVP—is the consummate corporate CEO: proper, measured and protocolconscious. On the subject of mining—more specifically, what she refers to as irresponsible mining—Gina Lopez is an immovable object. But on the issue of law-abiding mining companies’ right to operate with a minimum of government interference, MVP is an irresistible force. Thus, we have a perfect example of an irresistible force meeting an immovable object. Irresistible Manny versus immovable Gina.

Using media parlance, the first episode of the Manny and Gina Show aired during a 2014 multi-organization conference on the policies of the Aquino administration and the state of the Philippine economy. In the course of the question-andanswer portion of the conference, a spirited—somewhat nasty, actually—exchange erupted between Gina Lopez and Manny Pangilinan. The incident appeared to have ended amicably, but some people close to MVP say that he let the conference with bruised feelings.

That was the only public airing of the Manny and Gina Show.

Since then the show’s two stars have skirmished only indirectly, i.e., through the media. The show’s latest episodes took place at the recently held annual meeting of Philex Mining stockholders and at recent interviews given by the new DENR (and Mines and Geosciences Bureau) head. Manny Pangilinan’s remarks to the Philex stockholders were along the lines of “We’re abiding by the laws. Let’s see what Secretary Lopez does.” Gina Lopez’s remarks have invariably included the phrases “will never allow” and “will close down.”

Rudyard Kipling wrote that “East is East and West is West and never the ‘twain shall meet.” At the present juncture of the Philippine mining industry, will the ‘twain never meet? Or will the future episodes of the Gina and Manny Show feature mutual accommodation, greater flexibility and a generally more genial environment?

I am optimistic.

E-mail: rudyromero777@yahoo.com

The sixth term deposit auction Wednesday was highly oversubscribed. Data posted on the Bangko Sentral website showed that the P10 billion offered with a sevenday tenor attracted total tenders of P55.04 billion, while the 28-day P40 billion auction received total bids of P140.77 billion.

Both tenors fetched a weighted average accepted yield of 2.5 percent, matching the floor rate in the deposit facility.

“This continues to indicate that there is ample liquidity in the system and we are closely monitoring this because this will allow us to better gauge the liquidity requirements and we will consider that when we adjust the volume,” Tetangco said.

He said the liquidity was a proof that monetary conditions were supportive of economic growth.

Tetangco also said the Bangko Sentral might consider lowering the reserve requirement of banks.

The term deposit facility is Bangko Sentral’s latest tool to siphon off excess liquidity in the financial system.

The first TDF auction on June 8 attracted much interest from banks and trust entities. The P10 billion offered under the 7-day tenor generated total bids of P82.438 billion, while the P20 billion auctioned under the 28day tenor drew total tenders of P117.271 billion. Both tenors fetched a 2.5-percent weighted average yield.

The second auction on June 15 was also highly oversubscribed. Total bids for the P10billion offered for the week-long tenor reached P63.937 billion, or more than six times over-

subscribed. Meanwhile, total tenders for the P20 billion offered for the month-long tenor stood at P92.847 billion, or more than four times oversubscribed.

Both tenors fetched a weighted average accepted yield of 2.5 percent that matched the floor rate in the overnight deposit facility.

The third, fourth and fith auctions were likewise oversubscribed.

On July 7, Bangko Sentral increased the weekly volume of the auction to P50 billion from the previous P30 billion to be more effective in siphoning off excess money in the system.

ING Bank Manila senior economist Joey Cuyegkeng said the earlier P30 billion weekly auctions had been oversubscribed by more than five times, which was an “indication of system’s liquidity.”

Skyjet in Boracay. Aida Tieng (from left), wife of Solar Entertainment chairman, Skyjet Airlines president Dino Reyes Chua and Skyjet Airlines chief operating officer Joaquin Po lead the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new Skyjet Airlines ticketing office at the ground floor of Naya Building, Barangay Balabag, Boracay island, Aklan province. The airline company established ticketing office in Boracay to ease up the booking and ticketing of tourists and travelers in the area.

Insurance premium dropped 16% in Q1

By Gabrielle Binaday THE income of the insurance industry fell 16 percent in the first quarter of the year following the money laundering controversy that rocked the Philippine banking industry in April, a top executive of the Insurance Commission said Wednesday.

Latest data from the IC showed that the industry’s performance lagged in the January-to-March period of 2016, with total premiums dropping 15 percent to P47.7 billion from P56.3 billion yearon-year.

“In Q1 there was a dip in the production.... the variable life production suffers. I think it’s also related to the issues affecting some banks, because some major players and producers are related to some banks which have undergone some problems and it affected the industry,” Insurance Com-

missioner Emmanuel Dooc said.

The life sector insurance declined 20 percent year-on-year to P38.6 billion.

The non-life sector, meanwhile, rose 11 percent to P9.1 billion.

“The life suffers loss in premium income, but the non-life I think posted growth,” Dooc said.

“But if you look at the cycle, normally, the first quarter in the past couple of years showed growth in the past. But the second or third dipped, and recovers again in later part of third quarter, and the final quarter is always positive,” Dooc added.

The industry’s total net income decreased 3.7 percent to P5.03 billion from P5.2 billion on year.

The life sector’s net income increased 3 percent year-on-year to P4.5 billion, while the combined profit of nonlife insurance firms slid 39 percent to P518.4 million.

The industry booked P1.2 tril-

lion worth of assets in the January-to-March, up 9.6 percent from P1.1 trillion a year ago.

First-quarter liabilities stood at P949.9 billion, up 8.3 percent year-on-year.

Total investments of insurance companies increased 12 percent to exceed P1 trillion at the end of the first quarter.

Despite the negative growth in the first quarter, Dooc remains bullish about the industry.

“My target that I indicated is a low of P280 billion to a high of P300 billion. I think P280 billion is still achievable,” Dooc said.

“The political development will have a lot of influence or impact.

We are seeing positive development ater President Duterte assumed office. Even the business sector has been very buoyant, and they express support to the 10-point economic agenda,” he said.

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 14 , 2 0 1 6

WORLD

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

May gets ready to take over in Britain LONDON—Theresa May will become Britain’s second ever female prime minister on Wednesday when David Cameron steps down after a seismic referendum to leave the European Union that sent shock waves around the world and wrecked his career.

Cameron is to hold his final weekly question-and-answer session in parliament before tendering his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

The monarch will then call on May, currently the interior minister, to form a government, and the newly-anointed prime minister will make a statement outside her new Downing Street residence.

European leaders have asked the government to move quickly to formalize its divorce from the EU but May has indicated she will not be rushed into triggering the formal procedure for Brexit.

The 59-year-old vicar’s daughter, who will be Britain’s second female premier after the steely Margaret Thatcher with whom she is often compared, must also attempt to bridge Conservative Party divisions and deal with a potential economic downturn.

Her other daunting challenges include keeping pro-EU Scotland from bidding for independence in order to stay in the 28-nation bloc, and weaving new global trade and diplomatic alliances to prepare for a post-Brexit future.

For The Guardian daily, “she comes to office at a time that would have challenged a Churchill.”

May campaigned, albeit it quietly, with Cameron for Britain to stay in the EU and she will have to convince euroskeptics within her party and the country at large that she has no intention of ducking out of implementing the June 23 vote to quit the bloc.

“Brexit means Brexit—and we’re going to make a success of it,” the politician, who is reputed for being a tough negotiator, has said.

After six years in office, Cameron announced he would resign the day after the vote. He will chiefly be remembered for organizing a referendum aimed at stopping his party “banging on about Europe” and then spectacularly failing to clinch it. AFP

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South Korea confirms site of missile system SEOUL—Seoul said Wednesday an advanced US missile defense system will be deployed in a remote southern county and will have the capacity to protect two thirds of the country against feared attacks from the North.

Protest. South Korean residents hold up red banners reading ‘We absolutely oppose THAAD deployment’ during a rally againt the planned deployment of the US-built Terminal High Altitude Area Defense in Seongju town, 217 km southeast of Seoul, on July 13, 2016.

Seoul said July 13 an advanced US missile defense system will be deployed in a remote southern county and has the capacity to protect two thirds of the country against feared attacks from the North. The move prompted objections from Russia and China, who accused Washington of flexing its military muscle in the region. AFP

The plan to deploy the powerful system, which fires projectiles to smash into enemy missiles, came last week after the United States placed North Korea’s “Supreme Leader” Kim Jong-Un on its sanctions blacklist for the first time.

The move prompted objections from Russia and China, who accused Washington of flexing its military muscle in the region.

Tensions have soared since Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test in January, followed by a series of missile launches that analysts say show the North is making progress toward being able to strike the US mainland.

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, will be deployed in Seongju county about 200 kilometers southeast of Seoul, agreed by US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and his South Korean counterpart Han Min-Koo, according to the defense ministry in Seoul.

The deployment will be completed by the end of next year and will be able to cover up to two thirds of South Korea from North Korean missiles. It will also protect key industrial facilities, including nuclear power plants and oil depots, the ministry added.

“We hope the people and residents in Seongju... render support” for the decision, the ministry said in a statement.

Angry residents fearing harmful economic and environmental effects staged protests in Seongju ahead of the official announcement after reports said the remote, melon-growing country would likely be selected as the site.

Thousands took to the streets Wednesday in Seongju town, carrying banners reading “We absolutely oppose THAAD deployment”, Yonhap news agency reported.

The head of the county Kim Hang-Gon and some 10 others staged a hunger strike, cut their fingers and wrote slogans in blood on banners at the Wednesday’s rally.

“The THAAD deployment threatens the livelihood of the country’s 45,000 residents, 60 percent of whom are engaged in watermelon agriculture”, a group against the deployment said in a statement.

North Korea threatened Monday to take “physical action” against the planned deployment of the powerful anti-missile system.

The move has also angered Beijing and Moscow, which both see it as a US bid to boost military might in the region. China on Friday said the move would “seriously damage” regional security in northeast Asia.

The US and South Korea began talks on deploying the THAAD system to the Korean peninsula in February after the North fired a long-range rocket.

AFP

Greece struggles for a brighter future ATHENS—A year after it fought and lost a tug-of-war with its creditors, Greece remains a country that seems adrift, and many of its citizens view the present as joyless and the future as grim.

Summer 2015 saw Greece’s youthful left-wing prime minister Alexis Tsipras wage an extraordinary battle between the mighty European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Over five months, Tsipras and his firebrand finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, took Greece and Europe to the brink as they de-

manded the creditors ease reforms imposed under two previous bailouts agreed since 2010.

As the EU, ECB and IMF took a hard line, Greece’s financial flows shrank and a bank crisis loomed— but Tsipras, instead of buckling, stunned the world by announcing a referendum on the new deal proposed by creditors.

On July 5, 62 percent of voters rejected the package.

But even with the mandate of the Greek people behind him, Tsipras backed down: the risk of seeing Greece thrown out of the eurozone was too much.

Instead, in a dramatic U-turn, he let go of Varoufakis, replaced him with the more moderate Euclid Tsakalotos—and just over a week later, signed the third bailout.

The deal was worth 86 billion euros over three years and laden with conditions, such as tax hikes and pension reforms, considered by critics to be so tough that social media buzzed with talk of a coup d’etat.

Since then, Greece has soldiered on, weathering popular unrest and the consequences of the 2015 migration crisis, while Tsipras strives to defend his leftwing credentials.

AFP

On the sidewalk. Bicycle vendors sell lotus flowers by a roadside in downtown Hanoi on July 13, 2016. AFP

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 14 , 2 0 1 6

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CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD

Mourners identify the dead in train crash ANDRIA, Italy—The relatives of the victims of one of Italy’s worst rail accidents gathered to identify their dead Wednesday, as rescue workers at the scene of the headon collision between two trains dismantled the wreckage in search of missing bodies Shell-shocked families at the Policlinico hospital morgue in the southern Italian city of Bari were being called in turns to search among the dead for their loved ones in the wake of Tuesday’s tragedy, which left at least 25 people dead and some 50 others wounded.

The civil protection agency said 25 bodies had been recovered and two people were still known to be missing.

Red Cross workers asked for details to help identify the most badly mutilated bodies, from tattoos to scars and clothing colour.

“We can’t rule out finding other people in the wreck. It’s slow work,” said Luca Cari, spokesman for the firefighter department, as emergency services used a crane and diggers to clear crumpled carriages from the track near the town of Andria.

Sniffer dogs were being used to search through the wreckage.

Officials said they had recovered the black box from one of the trains which investigators hope will throw light on the high-speed collision, which happened on a stretch of single track in open countryside, slinging some carriages into bordering olive groves.

One of the drivers was confirmed dead, with rescue workers recovering a hand and a leg from the mangled mess of his cabin.

Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi visited the site late Tuesday, saying it was “a time to cry, be close to the families, show humanity in our pain,” and vowing to “throw light on what happened and who is responsible”.

Investigators said at least one of the trains had been traveling very fast, and it was possible the collision was caused by human error.

One of the four-carriage trains was supposed to have waited at a station for a green light before heading down the track between the towns of Corato and Andria.

Only five of the victims had identity documents on their person, the rest presumably in wallets or bags sent flying across carriages on impact, making it more difficult for authorities to name the dead, La Stampa said. AFP

Danger. A wildfire threatens Hotel Aldiana in the seaside resort of Alcaidesa, near Sotogrande, in the province of Cadiz, Spain, on July 12, 2016.

About 420 guests staying at the hotel, mostly German and British, were forced to take shelter at a nearby sports complex. AFP

Egyptian police accused of kidnapping dissenters LONDON—Egyptian police have been implicated in an “unprecedented spike” in enforced disappearances since early 2015 aimed at quashing dissent, Amnesty International said in a report Wednesday.

“Enforced disappearance has become a key instrument of state policy in Egypt. Anyone who dares to speak out is at risk,” Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa director, Philip Luther, said.

The London-based human rights group said abuses had surged since the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 and unleashed a crackdown on Islamist and secular dissidents.

Children were among those being kept at undisclosed locations for up to several months at a time “to intimidate opponents and wipe out peaceful dissent,” the report said.

The report documents 17 cases, including five children, who had disappeared for periods of “between several days to seven months.”

One of them, Mazen Mohamed Abdallah, who was 14 in September, had been subjected to “horrendous abuse” including “being repeatedly raped with a wooden stick in order to extract a false ‘confession’,” Amnesty said.

Another child of the same age when arrested in January, Aser Mohamed, “was beaten, given electric shocks all over his body and suspended from his limbs in order to extract a false ‘confession’,” the

human rights watchdog said.

Egyptian authorities have denied they practice torture, but say there have been isolated incidents of abuse and those responsible have been prosecuted.

The foreign ministry accused Amnesty International of bias in its report, which relies on “sources expressing one side, and people and quarters who are hostile to the Egyptian state, while ignoring the judiciary’s treatment of the cases mentioned.”

The National Council for Human Rights, the country’s official human rights watchdog, said on July 3 it had raised 266 cases of enforced disappearances with the interior ministry between April 2015 and the end of March.

Many of them have since been accounted for.

Amnesty’s report “exposes... the

collusion between national security forces and judicial authorities,” Luther said.

He accused them of being “prepared to lie to cover their tracks” or failing to investigate torture allegations, “making them complicit in serious human rights violations”.

An average of three to four people disappeared each day, Amnesty said, citing Egyptian non-governmental organizations.

It said they were usually detained at their homes by heavily armed security personnel, adding that investigations were rarely opened when family members complained.

Even then, authorities closed the investigations once they acknowledged the people were in the custody of the National Security Agency, the secret police apparatus. AFP

Solar plane lands in the penultimate stop of its world tour CAIRO—The Solar Impulse 2 landed in Cairo on Wednesday for its penultimate stop as the solarpowered plane nears the end of its marathon tour around the world.

After the two-day flight from Spain, just one final leg lies between it and its final destination, Abu Dhabi, where it started its odyssey in March last year.

The aircraft landed in Spain last month, after completing the first

solo transatlantic flight powered only by sunlight.

After setting off from Seville on Monday morning, the plane passed through Algerian, Tunisian, Italian and Greek airspace, and flew over the Giza Pyramids before touching down at Cairo airport at around 7:10 am (0510 GMT).

Its support crew cheered as the plane, no heavier than a car but

with the wingspan of a Boeing 747, landed, and trailed after it on bicycles.

It had finished the 3,745 kilometer journey with an average speed of 76.7 kilometers (47.7 miles) an hour, the flight organizer said in a press release.

“It was fantastic, everything worked well,” pilot Andre Borschberg told the control tower, as a live stream from the cockpit

was broadcast on Solar Impulse 2’s Facebook page.

He emerged from the cockpit and hugged Bertrand Piccard, with whom he has taken turns flying the plane around the world.

Solar Impulse is being flown on its 35,400-kilometer trip in stages, with Piccard and his Swiss compatriot Borschberg alternating at the controls of the single-seat plane.

Piccard, who had arrived early to greet the aircraft, told reporters that flying Solar Impulse 2 showed what new technologies can do.

The 58-year-old had flown the plane across the Atlantic in a 6,765 kilometer journey.

It had completed its flight from New York to Seville in 71 hours, flying through the night with the energy stored in its 17,000 photovoltaic cells. AFP

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 14 , 2 0 1 6

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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

T

he fight against cervical cancer became a family affair as mothers and daughters trooped to City Central School in Cebu City early morning to take part in a free screening and immunization initiative organized by the Philippine Obstetrics and Gynecological Society (POGS) in cooperation with the Department of Health.

The event, entitled “Scarlet May,” provided free VIA (Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid) screening to women aged 25 to 65. VIA has been proven as an effective screening method in detecting incidence of cervical cancer, and a viable alternative to Pap Smears in low resource settings.

Josie Guinawon, 35, of Cebu City, was among the 195 women screened.

She brought along her daughter 10, who was given the first of two doses of the quadrivalent vaccine to prevent HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), the virus that causes cervical cancer.

Despite the availability and accessibility of the vaccine, it continues to be stigmatized in conservative communities, as it often implies sexual activity.

Guinawon even shared that a neighbor of hers did not allow her daughter to be vaccinated because her husband believed it was simply too early for the girl. However, for Guinawon, it is never too early to protect her daughter from cancer.

“Dati sa amin, wala man mga ganyan, mga anti-anti cervical sa aming panahon.

Sabi ng asawa ko, bakit dati, wala man? Sabi ko, makisabay ka lang kasi ngayon, iba na ang panahon (in our time, we didn’t have anti-cervical cancer vaccines. My husband said we didn’t have this before. I told him to just go with the flow because times are different now),” she shared.

“Nagpa-screening ako para sabay na kami, (I got screened so we can go together)” Guinawon shared. “Masaya ako. Dahil pareho kami na mas safe. (I am happy, because we are safer now).”

As part of its National Immunization Program, the DOH provides free vaccines against HPV to girls aged 9 to 10 in 47 provinces across the Philippines.

“Age(s) 9 to 10 is the best time [to get vaccinated] because the antibody is very high compared to the older population,” explained Dr. Pherdes Galbo POGS – Cebu Chapter. He also pointed out that girls of this age are not yet exposed to the virus, which is acquired through sexual activity.

Early vaccination is also more economical, as younger girls only require two doses for the vaccine to be effective.

Anyone older than age 13 up to 45 would require three doses.

At the event, nine girls from Cebu City

isahred @ gmail.com

W EL L NES S & EN V IRONMEN T

LIFE

MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS JOIN FIGHT AGAINST

CERVICAL CANCER received their first dose, while six girls from Mandaue received their second dose.

Charmaine Rama, 31, also brought her daughter Felicia Rose, 9, to get vaccinated.

As Charmaine shared, her kids have complete immunizations against various diseases, so it was only natural for her to take the opportunity to get her only girl immunized against cervical cancer.

“Palagi namin siya pinapa-vaccinate.

Yung dalawang anak ko complete vaccine na, sa anti-pneumonia, ganyan. Yan lang

cervical cancer wala so ginrab na namin yung opportunity (We always have her vaccinated.

My two kids have complete vaccines, anti-pneumonia and all that. It’s just cervical cancer that was needed, so we grabbed the opportunity),” Rama added.

“Para sa akin i m p o r t a n t e magpa-check at mag pa-vaccinne, para healthy, iwas sakit (for me it is important to get checked and vaccinated so we can stay healthy and avoid the disease)” Rama shared.

A lecture was also held to raise awareness on cervical cancer. As the women waited to be screened, Dr. Esther Ganzon, of the Philippine Society for Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy (PSCPC), talked to them about the various factors that put women at higher risk for cervical cancer. These include smoking, early sexual activity, multiple sexual partners, and childbearing.

Ganzon and other doctors stressed the importance of yearly pap smears or VIA screening, highlighting the fact that early detection, along with vaccination, is key to surviving cervical cancer. “[Cervical cancer] is 100 percent curable if it is premalignant. The only reason we can’t detect it is because of the lack of screening. The objective of this particular activity is to bring as many women as possible and detect early lesions,” POGS Region VII Regional Director Dr. Charisse Tan explained.

Cervical cancer survivor Cristina Casaña who is now a member of She Matters, a cervical cancer foundation

‘Cervical cancer is 100 percent curable if it is pre-malignant. The only reason we can’t detect it is because of the lack of screening’ –– Dr. Charisse Tan, POGS Region VII Regional Director

Protecting them early. Young girls in Cebu City receive their HPV vaccine from the Philippine Obstetrics and Gynecological Society Cebu chapter and the Department of Health

Josie Guinawon gets her VIA screening while her daughter Mary Joy receives her first dose of HPV vaccine

Charmaine Rama and daughter Felicia Rose join the fight against cervical cancer

shared her story as well. She was diagnosed with stage 1B cervical cancer in December 2014 and is now cancer-free. Prior to her diagnosis, regular screening was not much of a big deal for her. However, after surviving the dreaded disease, she now urges women to get checked religiously.

“You have that thinking in mind that it’s not going to happen to me. But cancer can happen to anybody,” she said.

According to Casaña, screening should be a priority for women. “It’s really important for women to get yourselves checked. Don’t just get your hair done, your nails done. See a doctor, have yourself checked.”

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 14 , 2 0 1 6

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LIFE isahred @ gmail.com

THE TRUE TRANSITIONS

ue to the proliferation of ophthalmic lenses claiming the “transitions lenses” tag in the market, Essilor Philippines has issued an advisory warning consumers to be more discriminating when buying lenses.

Transitions is a trademark brand of photochromic lenses that perform as everyday clear lenses indoors and darken when exposed outdoors especially to UV light.

The brand—among other flagship labels Varilux, Crizal, Xperio and Optifog—is owned by Essilor International, which designs, manufactures, and distributes a wide range of lenses in over 100 countries worldwide.

Here in the Philippines, the Transitions brand is partnered with Crizal, a globally recognized brand owned by Essilor International, known for its range of anti-reflective, anti-smudge and antistatic lenses.

Anti-reflective lenses reduce glare from daytime lights and reflections from blue lights. They also provide protection against scratches, smudges, dust, water and other enemies of clear vision.

In essence, the real Crizal Transitions lenses provide optimum vision solution. These genuine lenses are 30 percent faster to fade back to their clear state and conveniently offer a great contrast perception though glare reduction in any light.

To help buyers determine if the lenses they’re buying are real, the genuine Crizal Transitions comes with an authenticity card upon purchase.

Visit www.essilor.com.ph to learn more about Crizal Transitions and other high-quality vision solutions provided by Essilor.

Transitions is a brand of photochromic lenses that perform as everyday lenses indoors and darken when exposed to UV light

Newborn screening ensures baby’s quality of life There is no bond stronger than parents and their children. Parents even grow a deep relationship in the pregnancy stage.

And when they give birth, the bond and the protection that they give to their offspring grow stronger.

And when it comes to health, they are more than willing to get the best treatments or preventive measures including making sure that their baby undergoes the New Born Screening (NBS) that doctors and other medical professionals strongly suggest to parents. However, there is always the issue on the cost of these examinations.

But the benefits far outweigh the cost especially for NBS. NBS is used to find out if the baby is at an increased risk for certain serious medical conditions. The usual technique is to draw blood by pricking the baby’s heel and sending the blood sample to a laboratory. A hearing test will also be done to ensure immediate preventive treatment once a disorder is discovered.

It is definitely a must and early detection is crucial for disorders and other medical conditions even if the family has no history of any serious medical condition. Though deemed costly, NBS prevents risk of any intellectual or physical disabilities.

In fact, there are two main advantages of NBS. One, early diagnosis and intervention can help identify potentially life-altering disorders in newborns. Studies show that 99 percent of all babies will have normal results, but if he or she is included in the slim one percent and they don’t get NBS, they could develop serious and lifelong complications.

But another advantage of doing NBS is reducing the family’s financial burden in the long run. Undetected medical disorders may lead to physical disabilities and even mental retardation. But if NBS is done, the cost is dramatically reduced compared to the expense of a series of tests in the future.

NBS also screens for metabolic disorder, which lessens, if not obliterates, medical expenses in the future. “Our results show that newborn screening remains costeffective after accounting for the measured loss in quality of life associated with a false positive screen,” said Lisa Prosser,

Masimo SET Pulse Oximetry's features help medical physicians and other medical practitioners perform New Born Screening

Ph.D., research associate professor in the Division of General Pediatrics, University of Michigan Health System.

Meanwhile another study shows that NBS is more effective and shows increased detection for yet another major illness like Congenital Heart Disease (CHD). The study revealed that in using the Masimo SET Pulse Oximetry, a higher percentage of detection is achieved.

“CHD affects five to 10 of every 1,000 newborns, resulting in three percent of all infant mortalities. Improving early detection and treatment is critical because up to 30 percent of all CHD-related deaths in the first year of life are due to failure to detect the condition,” the study stated as per Biospace.

The Masimo SET Pulse Oximetry features noninvasive sensors, which, instead of pricking the baby, will simply place sensors on the right or left foot. And from there, the results will be reflected in just two to five minutes.

“We have implemented pulse oximetry screening of all newborns with very positive results and believe that, based on the evidence and real-world success of CHD screening programs, physicians should advocate this approach as a standard of care in all nurseries,” Dr. Balaji Govindaswami, chief of Neonatology and

director of the NICU at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center stated in the study.

HealthSolutions distributes Masimo SET Pulse Oximetry and if further inquiries are needed, the following contact

details are active: G/F Tao Corporate Center, 2291 Don Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City. Telephone (02) 8365858 to 62; Fax (02) 8365863; and Service Hotline (02) 8365853.

H E A LT H N E W S

Raising awareness on mental illness According to Edmundo Isidro, president of Open Minds Foundation, “Stigma against mental illness can only be addressed by promoting education and awareness about it among individuals, families and communities.”

For people suffering from mental health problems, the social stigma attached to their illness can make it even harder to recover. Their conditions are also made worse with the discrimination they experience not just from the society but from their families and friends as well Open Minds Foundation seeks to have relatives and friends of mentally ill patients gain a deeper understanding of mental illnesses, as well as help and train them to find ways to cope. The support group’s objectives also complement other private efforts, such as an advocacy program dubbed as the “Patient’s Equity to Support

‘Out-of-Pocket Expense’ Value” (PESO Value). Funded by Johnson & Johnson (Philippines), Inc., (JJPI), it seeks to develop models of healthcare financing including for mental illness.

Since 2002, Open Minds Foundation has been hosting a forum each month at the Quezon City General where a psychiatrist talks about mental illness on specific topics. Their participants, composed of 30 to 40 patients and caregivers, learn more about schizophrenia, depression, bipolar and anxiety, among others. In addition, the support group also has a regular radio program to reach out to more mental ill patients and their families, as well as a call center that provides a directory of psychiatrists.

Through these efforts, they hope to make the public aware that mental illness is a disease that is curable and can be managed, Isidro said.

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 14 , 2 0 1 6

LIFE isahred @ gmail.com

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REVOLUTIONIZING

PRESCRIPTION EYEWEAR

BY BERNADETTE ANDREA CATALAN

T

he tedious process of getting prescription eyewear is promised to be a thing of the past as Sunnies Studios’ new line of prescription eyewear, Sunnies Specs, introduces a simpler and more affordable way of obtaining a pair of graded specs.

Acknowledging the growing demand for affordable and stylish eyewear, the Sunnies Specs team designed a process that would only take two hours for the eyeglasses to be ready.

“The real reason why we made it is because people asked us to,” reveals Sunnies Specs Marketing Director Georgina Wilson.

She continues, “When you go to the store, you pick your frame, you get your eyes tested in less than five minutes and get your eyeglasses after two hours. That’s how we wanted it.”

To make the simple process possible, Operations Director Bea Soriano says that all of their glasses are curated—with one look and one brand—compared with other optical shops, which offer several eyewear brands. Sunnies Specs’ frames are especially designed by the same lifestyle brand.

“The thing that sets us apart is our one price for all. So any frame that you choose, whether it’s a different material, it has the same price,” explains Finance Director Eric Dee. The Specs basic package worth P1,999

includes an eye exam, frame and graded lenses.

The lenses are multi-coated single vision with UV protection, and are anti-glare, anti-scratch, anti-reflective and water resistant.

Lenses can also be upgraded depending on the customer’s eye test. Blue light protection lenses help protect the eyes from blue lights emitted from devices. Light protective glasses double the sunglasses’ glare protection for easy transition from light to dim places. High index lenses are lightweight with high grade. And polycarbonate lenses are tough, perfect for kids and people with active lifestyle.

To make it easier for the customers, Dee says “we put so much effort in pairing the frames with quality lenses for everyday wear.”

The brand’s creative director, Martine Cajucom shares her process of curating Sunnies Specs eyewear. “I combined things that really inspired me from color stories, cities I’ve been to, art references, music, culture, and I match them all together to create Sunnies Specs.”

The Sunnies Studios team expressed how they wanted to create a completely different look from the Californian and beach-y style Sunnies is known for into a more classy and adult Specs. “We always want to curate things that are fun, effortless and design-driven,” says Cajucom.

Hence, the 70s, American collegiate

Sunnies Specs' first collection is inspired by the '70s, American collegiate, Japanese vibe and Scandinavian design

Sunnies Specs offer a basic eyewear package that includes eye exam, frame and graded lenses for P1,999 Sunnies Specs team is composed of Finance Director Eric Dee, Marketing Director Georgina Wilson, Operations Director Bea Soriano, and Creative Director Martine Cajucom

experience, with playful Japanese vibe and clean modern Scandinavian design, inspired the first collection of Specs.

Aside from plans on shipping Sunnies and Specs worldwide, the Sunnies team is launching soon its Sunnies Cafe inspired

by the 70s, mid-century architecture, and music that the team loves. The cafe will transform the Sunnies store into a lifestyle setting, where their inspirations, from furniture to style, will be showcased and shared to their customers.

Fainting spells can be a dangerous condition In Victorian times, wearing a corset was said to be the cause of women’s frequent fainting spells. Today, the temporary loss of consciousness, medically known as syncope (pronounced sin-ko-pee), is a symptom of a variety of health concerns, some more serious than others, that may also affect young and healthy men and women.

“Most fainting is benign or harmless, but it is also not normal and could be a red flag to an undetected disease or life-threatening condition,” says Darwin A. Dasig, MD, Head of the Section of Neurology under the Department of Neurological Sciences.

“Proper diagnosis, treatment, or preventive methods and measures are important to prevent fainting spells.”

Understanding differences between fainting spells Typically, fainting or passing out happens when the brain and heart don’t receive a sufficient amount of oxygen due to low blood pressure causing the blood vessels to dilate, and blood is stored in the lower part of the body. This is called vasovagal attack or neurocardiogenic syncope, which is common among children and young adults. Several triggers, including intense pain, emotional distress, hunger, fatigue, alcohol, drugs, bright lights, extreme heat, and even standing for long periods, are at the root of this type of syncope, which is usually preceded by lightheadedness, nausea, and blurred or tunnel vision. This is generally benign and does not leave sequela (a condition that is the consequence of a previous disease or injury) or aftereffect.

On the other hand, if these sensations happen when you suddenly get up

Health experts advise people who feel like passing out to lie down and elevate their legs to allow blood to flow to their brain

from a lying or sitting position, you just experienced postural or orthostatic hypotension, which, among older people, could result in fainting. This may be caused by dehydration, or an underlying heart, endocrine or nervous system disorder.

Elderly males are also vulnerable to carotid sinus syncope, which occurs when the carotid sinus—a dilated portion of one of the major arteries supplying blood to the head—is stimulated, such as when turning the head, looking up, or wearing tight collars.

Though exercise-induced syncope calls to mind the recent stories of long-distance runners collapsing after crossing the finish line of a marathon, the term actually refers to fainting during exercise—a rare and more serious condition. Athletes who experience this should undergo a battery of tests to rule out pre-existing health issues

such as heart anomalies or hypertension, as well as conditions brought about by external factors, such as medication use.

Have you ever lost consciousness during or after urination? This strange but true occurrence is called micturition syncope, and it is more common among males.

The strained effort when relieving oneself apparently affects a nerve that slows the heart rate, brings blood pressure down, and reduces oxygen supply to the brain.

Tussive syncope, or fainting that comes after coughing hard, is another condition experienced more by males, particularly overweight men with obstructive airway issues.

What to do when you feel like passing out If you feel like you are about to lose consciousness, lie down and elevate your legs

to allow blood to flow to your brain. If you’re in a public place and lying down isn’t possible, sit down and put your head between your legs. Engaging in physical counter pressure maneuvers also helps avert syncope: cross your legs, tense your arm muscles, clench the muscles in your lower body, or make a fist the next time you experience the early signs of a fainting spell. Avoid going to warm places or places with poor air circulation, and refrain from standing for a long time during shopping, parties or other events.

“It is very important to keep yourself hydrated all the time,” advises Noel L. Rosas, MD, chairman of the Department of Medicine. “We also recommend drinking beverages high in sodium (salt) content.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol as much as you can. For those with neurocardiogenic syncope, wearing compression stockings can help in proper blood circulation.”

A person who passes out regains consciousness after a couple of minutes.

If you are with a person who has fainted, check the person’s airway and breathing.

If the person has vomited, turn him or her onto their side to prevent choking.

Call for medical assistance if the person is bleeding or injured and hasn’t regained consciousness after a couple of minutes.

Equipped with the latest diagnostic machines and a roster of highly qualified, board-certified medical specialists, Makati Medical Center can get to the bottom of your fainting episodes.

For more information, please contact MakatiMed On-Call at (02) 8888 999, email mmc@makatimed.net.ph, or visit www.makatimed.net.ph.

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WELLNESS FESTIVAL CELEBRATES JOURNEY TO HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE

Robinsons Supermarket's Wellness Festival engages Filipinos to take the healthier route by participating in physical activities and consuming healthy food options

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ontinuing the path to a healthy lifestyle becomes even more rewarding at Robinsons Supermarket (RSC) this July. From the Explore and Learn legs, the yearlong "Route to Wellness" journey reaches an eventful checkpoint with its third leg –the Wellness Festival.

The Wellness Festival was recently launched with a larger-than-life FRESH salad bowl and lots of fun and engaging booths on healthier choice and practices.

An afternoon Fitness glow party, led by coaches Jim and Toni Saret, perfectly captured the joyful feel of the celebration.

For this promo, shoppers can get an exclusive Healthy You Rolled Oats bundle for every P3,000 single receipt purchase inclusive of P750 worth of participating products from Nestle and Johnson & Johnson, Abbott, Wyeth, Fontera, Nivea, Delfi, Del Monte, Federated, Unilever, Unilab and P&G, among others. All these brands share RSC’s mission to bring health and wellness options to all Filipinos. Promo is until July 31.

Healthy You is Robinsons Supermarket’s exclusive healthy brand. The product line ranges from nuts, juices, oats, brown rice, coffee and many more. DOST-Food Nutrition

and Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) have evaluated all of these products as healthy, and loyal customers will also get an additional 15 Robinsons Rewards Card points for every purchase of P500 worth of Healthy You products for the whole month of July.

“A truly healthy and fulfilling lifestyle takes genuine commitment and follows a process that requires the will to say ‘yes’ to what it takes to achieve it. And Robinsons Supermarket’s role is to keep everyone on the right track by offering an accessible and fun route to their desired lifestyle,” said RSC General Manager Jody Gadia.

There’s also more reason to celebrate in July as RSC also holds its annual festivity highlighting the Fresh department called “Freshtival.” The festivity features daily exciting offers of fresh items – from discounts and additional Robinsons Rewards points, to amazing freebies. This complements the ongoing wellness program as it encourages shoppers to choose more fresh items for a healthier lifestyle.

RSC’s Route to Wellness campaign is a testament to its commitment to ease access to healthier food options and alternatives for Filipinos.

Bike Together booth at the Wellness Festival

Find out more about RSC’s year-long Route to Wellness series of promos and activities.

Like it on Facebook www.facebook.com/RobinsonsSupermarketOfficial or visit its official website at www.robinsons-supermarket.com.ph to stay updated on the activities that it has in store, and learn more about the #ILoveWellness campaign.

Nike LunarEpic Flyknit enables runners to #RunForever

Nike LunarEpic Flyknit is designed to allow runners to go beyond every mile they take

The Nike LunarEpic Flyknit offers a virtually vanishing fit, fluid feel, and superior softness to help every runner push themselves to go beyond their beyond in every mile they take.

The LunarEpic Flyknit was conceptualized 18 months ago when Nike’s running designers took insight and inspiration from the Nike Magista football boot. Working with the Magista’s idea of allowing the foot, ankle and lower leg to work together as a single unit to emphasize natural movement and fluidity, they set out to create a running shoe that imparted the same sensation

while serving the runner’s key needs.

With a Flyknit-constructed upper for a locked-down fit and a Lunarlon midsole for lightweight cushioning, the LunarEpic Flyknit delivers a secure and smooth ride that will enable the wearer to #RunForever.

It is also incredibly versatile and is ideal for distance workouts, progression runs and recovery runs.

The LunarEpic Flyknit is now available in Low version for women. Both Mid and WMNS Low versions are available at Nike Stadium, Glorietta 2 and at Nike Park, Fort at P8,845 and P8,095, respectively.

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Earth Warriors. (From left) Actor Cesar Montano, riathlon veteran Alexandra Faith Garcia, beauty queen Cynthia Thomalla, and newly-crowned Miss Philippines Earth Imelda Schweighart

CELEBS AT MANILA BAY

CLEANUP RUN

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ctor Cesar Montano, triathlon veteran Alexandra Faith Garcia, 2016 Reyna ng Aliwan Fiesta Cynthia Thomalla, and reigning Miss Philippines-Earth Imelda Schweighart along with her court were at the various races in this year’s Manila Bay Clean-Up Run held on July 10.

In turn, Mocha Babes and DJ Tanya Chinita of 101.1 YesFM top-billed the mini concert that capped the fun run, held to generate funds for Land Bank’s cleanup drive to save Manila Bay. Popular radio personalities from the country’s top FM stations 90.7 Love Radio, 101.1 Yes FM and 96.3 Easy Rock flaunted their jerseys to harness massive support for initiatives to save marine and coastal resources through the public’s participation in the funrun, MBC employees and Operation Tulong volunteers from DZRH – the flagship station of Manila Broadcasting Company, which organized the event – were also in full force as the country’s oldest radio net-

DJ Tanya Chinita

Taking a break from performing onstage, Mocha Babes join the environmental fun run to save Manila Bay

work celebrated its 77th anniversary.

Running clubs, school groups, corporate teams and individual running enthusiasts all pitched in to support the campaign The 2016 Manila Bay Clean-up Run was

co-presented by Star City along with the cities of Manila and Pasay, with the support of Enervon, Petron, M. Lhuillier, Silka Papaya, Tapa King, Shakey’s, 555 Tuna, Kenny Rogers, Maynilad Water, and Lice Alis.

Modern-day Robin Hood in ‘Marauders’ A brutal bank heist sets into action. All evidence points to the owner (Bruce Willis) and his high-powered clients. But as a group of FBI agents (Christopher Meloni, Dave Bautista and Adrian Grenier) dig deeper into the case — and the deadly heists continue — it becomes clear that a larger conspiracy is at play.

Bruce Willis portrays Jeffrey Hubert, president and owner of Hubert National Bank, and the target of repeated heists.

An air of entitlement and authority, he goes ballistic when the local newspaper smells a scandal beyond simple robbery.

“Marauders explores the idea of to what lengths you go to right a wrong, and then where does that place you.

Does that place you on the side of wrong? It’s almost revenge. And then when does revenge go wrong, or is revenge ever right, or are you avenging something?” Meloni states.

“I knew that I wanted Marauders to be gritty and dark and to have a lot of rain,” recalls director Steven C. Miller, of his first read through the script. “As soon as I got to Cincinnati, it really matched what I wanted to see. I love movies that always have rich architecture and everything in the scene has got a lot of substance to it.

You can almost touch the texture in the scenes. Cincinnati is just rich with that; I mean the history of the city, the buildings and the architecture are just a great

“Marauders” is a crime-thriller starring Christopher Meloni, Bruce Willis, Dave Bautista and Adrian Grenier

backdrop.

Miller’s previous film with Bruce Willis proved invaluable, “I understood his process and how he’s gets into the character and moves through a scene.”

When casting the rest of the roles, Miller found that a lot of the actors he

liked were on producers Randall Emmett and George Furla’s list. Miller gave them a call. “We kind of hashed out what their character was about, their arc and where they were going in the story, and really what they as actors wanted to do. Bringing their own style

to the mix, their own thing to the game, gives the movie its own personality.”

Shooting in Cincinnati was somewhat of a homecoming for Bautista. “I not only spent a lot of time here wrestling, but my MMA coach is from here, my boxing coach is from here, so throughout the years training I’ve spent a lot of time in the city and the arenas. It doesn’t feel like I had to leave home and come to a strange town; as soon as I got here I went straight from the airport to the grocery to stock up on food. It is a comforting to see familiar places and familiar faces.”

“We’re running and gunning, its very high paced, high energy and we just have to be on top of it, and the style of film making and the production really reflects the energy that you’re going to feel on the screen,” assures Grenier. “One thing I really love about this particular shoot and working with Steven Miller is he’s nimble, he’s lean and it really does allow for a vitality, a sort of visceral quality to the filmmaking and in this day and age, you don’t need a lot of fancy lights or set ups to get good story and good action. He’s almost like a Special Forces operative – he gets in, gets the job done and gets out.

That’s really exciting to watch that kind of energy; it’s guerilla film making, but on a high, high level,” adds Grenier.

Marauders is now playing in cinemas, from OctoArts Films International.

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

RICHARD YAP STARS IN NEW ‘MANO PO’ FILM

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egal Entertainment is producing a new installment of the breakthrough franchise Mano Po that highlighted the Chinese Filipino culture in the Philippines.

A couple of weeks ago, Lily Y. Monteverde (a.k.a. Mother Lily) and her daughter Roselle Monteverde welcomed to the Regal lot Kapamilya star Richard Yap and presented him to members of the press who came to witness the contract signing between the Regal matriarchs and the actor.

“We are signing him up to star in Mano Po: Chinoy,” said Lily. “We will be shooting soon so we can make it to the deadline of the new MMFF.” Lily added that some scenes in the upcoming movie would be shot in Xiamen, where

Regal Baby. Actor Richard Yap is welcomed by Regal matriarch Mother Lily Monteverde to Regal lot

the forebears of the character Richard will play came from. “Yes, we will shoot in China. We are

preparing for it as early as today,” she added.

Roselle announced that the film compa-

ny has been negotiating with other actors as the movie is being cast. Chinese Filipino actors were mentioned but she said that there have been some who expressed interest in going on board.

Asked what took Regal this long to film another installment to Mano Po, Lily said, “I was waiting for Richard.” Of course she was kidding, but the members took the answer as it was. Richard was visibly flattered.

“I am very honored that the central figure in the movie was offered to me. I couldn’t believe at first but when I was asked to attend an initial meeting with Mother, Roselle, the writer and director of the movie, I realized that it was indeed true.”

This will be Richard Yap’s biggest film so far.

SKY’s exciting cable shows, events

DLS-CSB resident choral group Coro San Benildo

Coro San Benildo triumphs in UK Coro San Benildo, the resident choral group of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLSCSB), returns home victorious from its participation at the recently concluded 70th Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod in Wales, United Kingdom.

The group won First Place in the Youth Choir competition, second in the Adult Folk category, and was a finalist in the culminating Choir of the World event.

In addition to Coro’s achievements, tenor soloist Mark Bautista also bagged Second Prize in the Open Folk Solo contest.

The guild took part in four divisions at the sing-off: Adult Folk Song Choirs, Youth Choirs, Mixed Choirs, and Open Bracket.

They likewise performed at the St. Mary’s

Church in Chester City, St. Collen’s Church in Llangolen, Wales, and the All Saints Church in London.

Under the leadership of Choirmaster Lorenzo C. Gealogo, the team’s strong sense of showmanship and innovation has garnered numerous awards and recognitions. In 2012, they won in the First Xinghai Choir Competition in Guangzhou, China.

The Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod in Wales is one of the largest music festivals worldwide. Held annually since 1947 over 50 countries and 4,000 performers participate in the six-day celebration, as a way of healing wounds after World War II. Choir groups all over the world vie for the prestigious Pavarotti Trophy for the Choir of the World each year.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ANSWER PREVIOUS PUZZLE

ACROSS 1 Be pouty 5 Traffic stopper 9 Orange seeds 13 Take out to dinner 15 Herr’s spouse 16 Break suddenly 17 NASA rocket 18 Made a loan 19 Enormous 20 Of course!

21 Clown around 23 Looked daggers at 25 500 sheets 26 Like tea 27 Go wild at the mall 30 London lav 31 Emulates Galen 32 Winter warmer (2 wds.)

37 Handel contemporary

38 Adjust the wheels 40 Pleasant 41 Have doubts about 43 Nulls 44 Rainbow, for one 45 Taps 47 Hands-on-hips 50 Lie in wait 51 Thinner 52 Wine served warm 53 Repartee pro 56 Woofs 57 Luau strings 59 Knock it off 61 Comic strip’s — Nomad 62 Grocery container 63 Spiral shape 64 Tempo 65 Whisper loudly 66 Perchance DOWN 1 Wait 2 Yen 3 Wine sediments 4 Colo. neighbor 5 Burning 6 Heavy hydrogen discoverer 7 Neutral color 8 Too small now 9 Bah! 10 Habituate 11 Leafed through

THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2016

12 14 22 24 25 26 27 28 29 32 33 34 35 36 38 39 42 43 45 46 47 48 49 51 52 53 54 55 58 60

Exceeded the limit Slacks off Fall behind Uris of “Topaz” Decrees Online journal Hoops nickname Altiplano locale Beatles hit “Penny —” Noise T-shirt type (hyph.)

Colleen’s home Kilt wearer Hardy’s dairymaid Paint sprayer Kind of weed Blah Swiss financial hub Flattened bottles Puffin kin Condor nest “The Castle” author Map within a map Elia was his cover Jiffies Corduroy rib Osiris’ beloved Written material Chiang — -shek Sushi fish

For leading cable provider, SKY, learning opportunities abound even beyond the walls of classrooms. They can be found in worlds that encourage discovery, even inspire them to get into a hobby, or simply expand their imagination – worlds that only SKY, thanks to its breadth of content, can give.

That’s because with SKY, viewers can explore more via its exciting shows and unlimited access to content.

The curious mind would definitely be excited to learn about evidence of human and extra-terrestrial contact in ancient times in Ancient Aliens season 8 on History Channel beginning 11 a.m. weekdays Foodies who want to harness their culinary skills can also begin July on a high note as SKY brings the best of lifestyle shows like Inspired with Anna Olson on Asian Food Channel premiering 9 p.m. on July 29 and Giada Entertain” 9 p.m. Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Food Network.

Chef Anna Olson will also share her culinary knowledge to Filipinos this month as she visits Manila on July 16 at the Eastwood Atrium. To meet and greet Anna Olson, SKYcable and Destiny Cable postpaid subscribers just need to have the Asian Food Channel (AFC) as part of their channel lineup and enter the SKY promo on the web-

site (mysky.com.ph).

Cineastes can chill out and appreciate a mix of foreign and local blockbusters and hit events like the John Lloyd-Jennylyn Mercado rom-com starrer Just The 3 of Us on SKYcable Box Office Pay-PerView, the Lav Diaz eight-hour epic Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis on SKYcable Critics’ Choice Pay-Per-View, and Pinoy Pride 37 on SKY Sports Pay-Per-View.

Kids meanwhile, can join in the fun and imaginative adventures of Spongebob Squarepants on Nickelodeon and Elsa and Anna’s icy escapades in Frozen, 8 a.m. on Disney Junior on July 9.

Cartoon Network and SKY meanwhile, will launch a school tour titled “Superstars Laugh Out League” featuring the best of Cartoon Network in select areas in Metro Manila.

Families that love to bond over reality shows can also check out RTL CBS Entertainment’s X Factor UK that will air 9 p.m. on July 31.

Enjoy a world of endless possibilities starting this July only on Sky. SKY aims to bring a wide array of premium content closer to Filipino families that they can conveniently watch using multiple devices. Sky Cable Corporation is a unit of ABS-CBN, the country’s leading media and entertainment organization. For more information, visit mysky.com.ph.

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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JENNYLYN MERCADO

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Solid Kapuso. Sexy actress Jennylyn Mercado renews her ties with GMA-7

STAYS WITH KAPUSO NETWORK

he star that is now known as The Ultimate Star continues her journey as a Kapuso. Jennylyn Mercado renewed an exclusive contract with GMA Network on July 4.

The multi-awarded actress’ career blossomed with numerous TV projects - film, music, endorsements - that showcased her versatility and flair thirteen years after being hailed as Starstruck’s first season ultimate female survivor.

Present in the contractsigning were GMA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Atty. Felipe L. Gozon; GMA President and Chief Operating Officer Gilberto R. Duavit, Jr.; GMA Network Executive Vice

President and Chief Financial Officer Felipe S. Yalong; GMA Films President Annette M. Gozon; GMA Consultant of the Business Development Department II of Entertainment TV Marivin T. Arayata; GMA Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Communications Angela Javier Cruz; GMA Senior Assistant Vice President for Alternative Productions Gigi S. Lara; GMA Assistant Vice President for Entertainment TV Darling de Jesus; GMA Assistant Vice President for Drama Cheryl Ching-Sy and Senior Program Managers Charles Koo and Cathy Perez and other GMA Network executives.

Jennylyn expressed her grati-

tude to the Kapuso Network with the support they gave her even after she gave birth to her son, Jazz. “I feel so blessed and since then kasi GMA is my home so wala akong plano na umalis kasi I don’t see myself anywhere. Lalo sa tulong nila na ginawa sa career ko. I never expected to reach this far lalo na after ko manganak, so mahal ko talaga sila.”

Meanwhile, Gozon recognized Jennylyn’s passion and love for work through the years which is why he feels the same amount of delight as well. “Tingnan niyo ang aking smile, ear to ear. Sapagkat si Jennylyn, homegrown ‘yan. Product yan ng Starstruck at ‘yan ang pinagmamalaki natin-na marun-

ong tayo mag-discover at magdevelop ng mga napakagaling na mga artista.”

Duavit promised, “GMA will always be open to Jennylyn because this is her home. We cannot imagine her anywhere else talaga.”

Treating her as a gem that was discovered and treasured, Yalong said he is happy that the GMA Prime Star Artist’s heart still belongs to the Kapuso network. “We are so happy kasi finally Jennylyn is continuing her successful career growth here with us. As we all know, siya ay isang discovery ng network. So masaya ako na we’ll be able to see her shine once more.”

Will Melai and Pokwang fulfill their ultimate friendship goals?

Don’t miss the end of the story of best friends Wilma (Pokwang) and Maricel (Melai Cantiveros) as they prove the beauty of love and friendship in the finale week of the Kapamilya afternoon series We Will Survive.

From Albay, the friendship of the characters Wilma and Maricel has come a long way. From their major heartbreaks to their adventures in Manila, the best friends stood by each other’s side and faced life’s challenges together.

Despite having faced a lot of struggles, their friendship blossomed even more as they helped each other achieve their dreams.

Wilma already put up her own

salon and is happy living with her husband Edwin (Jeric Raval).

Maricel, meanwhile, has successfully raised her son Jude (Josh De Guzman) on her own and is set to walk the altar with her boyfriend Pocholo (Carlo Aquino).

However, Wilma still faces the biggest test of their friendship as her best friend is still in a coma after getting involved in a tragic accident.

Will Maricel wake up? Will Wilma and Maricel still fulfill their ultimate friendship goals?

Could they still say, “We will survive?”

Under the direction of Jeffrey Jeturian and Mervym Brondial,

also starring in the series are Bea Saw, Regine Angeles, Ahron Villena, Viveika Ravanes, Bing Davao, Alcris Galura, Joshua Zamora, Regine Tolentino, and Vangie Labalan.

More exciting scenes are set to surprise the viewers in the finale of We Will Survive, the teleserye that shows however ugly the world gets, there is beauty in life as long as we are together, weekdays after Tubig at Langis on ABSCBN or on ABS-CBN HD (SkyCable ch 167).

Viewers may also catch up on the program’s past episodes on iWanTV.com and onskyondemand.com.ph for Sky subscribers.

“We Will Survive” BFFs Melai Cantiveros and Pokwang

‘I-Bilib’ in ‘Yan ang Morning’

Broadcast journalist Karen Davilla

Karen Davila’s trip to Omakase KBP Golden Dove Awards Best Public Service Program host Karen Davila met the men behind phenomenal Japanese restaurant Omakase in last Tuesday’s episode of the award-winning ABS-CBN current affairs program My Puhunan.

Founded by Ed Encisa and Rico Rosales, the restaurant whose name means bahala na si Chef in Filipino gained popularity by serving authentic Japanese dishes much to the delight of the public.

Ed had a budding career as a chef in a Japanese restaurant in the United States when the 9-11 bombing broke out, forcing him to come home earlier than he expected due to the threat of terrorism. With his brother in-law Rico, they opened an over-the-counter sushi takeout, which later burgeoned to be the restaurant that every Japanese foodloving Filipino raves about.

Las Tuesday, I-Bilib host Chris Tiu joined Marian Rivera and Boobay in a morning of food trip, music, and basketball. He welcomed the Primetime Queen and her BFF to his new business venture in Greenhills, San Juan—Tuantuan.

Translated as round and round, Tuantuan is the first Chinese Brasserie in Metro Manila. It originated from Hong Kong in the early 1960s as a small food joint serving quick and hearty Chinese comfort food.

The episode opened with Chris show-

ing Marian and Boobay the process of making the restaurant’s most popular and best selling product, its pork bun.

While going through the process, Chris shared his passion for business as well as tips for aspiring entrepreneurs.

For the first time on television, Chris also talked about fatherhood and married life. While showing Marian and Boobay some of his most personal and unpublished family photos, he talked about the excitement and challenges of being a new father to his first born Amanda. During their chat

over food, the audience learned that Marian gave Chris and his wife an advice while they were still praying for a child months after their wedding.

Chris is also a trained pianist. In the episode, he played the keyboard while Boobay and James of Moymoy Palaboy sang.

From his restaurant, Chris brbrought Marian to his regular basketball practice. He taught her the basics of the sport, which Marian applied in a twoon-two game together with one of his coaches and Rain or Shine teammate.

Kapuso Primetime Queen Marian Rivera joins cager and “I-Bilib” host Chris Tiu

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR NICKIE WANG WRITER

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SHOWBITZ

‘ENCANTADIA’ DAZZLES DAVAOEÑOS AND CEBUANOS ISAH V. RED

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few days before the pilot airing of GMA’s much anticipated primetime series, Encantadia further stirs the public’s excitement by mounting successful Kapuso Mall Shows in Visayas and Mindanao.

The cast of Encantadia, led by the Sang’gres themselves, went beyond the familiar turf of Manila and cast spell in Davao and Cebu.

Fans met the much-talked about Kapuso celebrities Kylie Padilla, Gabbi Garcia, Sanya Lopez, and Glaiza de Castro, together with Rocco Nacino and Ruru Madrid.

On June 26, around 6,000 Davaoeños gathered at the Gaisano Mall in Tagum City to warmly welcome the Encantadia stars. On July 3, Cebu also caught up with the Encantadia fever, with 7,000 Cebuanos eagerly convening at the South Town Centre in Talisay City.

The actors who will play the keepers of the gems and warriors in the series were introduced one by one through an audio visual presentation that also showed a teaser of the ground-breaking telefantasya.

Each Kapuso star treated their fans to song and dance presentations.

In Davao, Kylie enthralled the fans when she sang “Wag na Wag Mong Sasabihin” by Kitchie Nadal. The new Amihan also made Cebuanos feel they were indeed special when the actress serenaded them with Paramore’s “Only Exception”.

Gabbi, who will play the softspoken Alena, mesmerized the crowd when she sang Up Dharma Down’s “Tadhana” during the

mall shows.

Sanya thrilled the fans in Tagum City when she sang and danced to Fifth Hamony’s “Work from Home”. The Kapuso star that will be Danaya in the series, then tugged the hearts of the Cebu crowd when she sang Carol Banawa’s “Stay”.

Glaiza proved to be as feisty her character Pirena, singing Lorde’s “Royals” during the Davao mall show. She also surprised the Cebuano crowd when she sang the Bisaya hit song “Hahasula” by Kurt Fick.

Kapuso hunk Rocco, meanwhile, made the audience sing and dance with his performance that featured Jason Derulo’s “Talk Dirty”.

Meanwhile, young actor Ruru left the crowd swooning when he sang One Direction’s “Perfect”.

Before the cast entertained their fans in Davao and Cebu, they also met the members of the local press together with Encantadia director Mark Reyes.

The media eagerly asked Direk Mark about his experience in directing what the network calls “the requel,” which the awardwinning director happily shared.

He also answered questions that pertain to the technical aspect of the series, allowing the press to take a closer look at the process of creating the multi-million peso project which boasts of massive set designs and amazing costumes.

GMA Senior Assistant Vice President and Head of Regional Business Development Division Oliver Amoroso said the successful Davao and Cebu mall shows is a clear indication of how excited the whole country is for Ecantadia.

“We hope our Kapusong Davaoeños, Tagumeños, and Cebuanos enjoyed the Kapuso Mall Shows as much as the cast did. We

“Encantadia” lead stars pose with the crowd after a very successful Kapuso Mall show at the Gaisano Mall in Tagum City

Around 6,000 Davaoeños gathered at the Gaisano Mall in Tagum City to warmly welcome the “Encantadia” cast

know the stars are very busy with their tapings but we made it a point to really bring them to the regions because we know their fans are very excited to meet them,” Amoroso said. “We would like to thank all

6,000 Davaoeños gathered at the Gaisano Mall in Tagum City to warmly welcome the “Encantadia” cast

the fans who went to Tagum City in Davao Del Norte and Talisay City in Cebu to welcome the cast of Encantadia,” he added.

To know more about the Network’s regional events, follow

GMA on Facebook at www. facebook.com/gmanetwork and GMA Regional TV at www. facebook.com/GMARegionalTV and on Twitter and Instagram via @GMARegionalTV.