The Standard - 2016 February 2 - Tuesday by Manila Standard

VOL. XXIX NO. 355 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 TUESday : FEBRUaRy 2, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Palace: No debating between Noy, JPE

milf: bbl killEd by hoUsE bossEs By maricel V. Cruz

THE Moro Islamic Liberation Front blamed House leaders Monday for their failure to pass the Palace-backed Bangsamoro Basic Law and said the lack of time was merely an excuse. “Why did the leadership in the House allow the enemies of BBL to filibuster its passage?” the MILF said in a statement posted on its website, one day after the administra-

tion gave up on the law’s passage. Without naming Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. or Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez who headed the ad hoc committee on the BBL, the MILF said “the man who was supposed to be the defender of the BBL in the… House was the one causing so much confusion, short of… open defiance.” The MILF also acknowledged the impact of public outrage over the killing of 44 Special Action Forces troopers in Mamasapano in January 2015, but said it should not have been branded a massacre, since the commandos were in combat, “ready to kill and be killed.” The group also blamed sacked SAF com-

mander Getulio Napeñas Jr. for violating the ceasefire between the rebels and the government, when he failed to coordinate the troop movement with the MILF. “Nobody wanted the incident to happen, especially the MILF, but it happened. This is the reason the MILF, without distinction, expressed deep sympathy and condolence to all those who have fallen in Mamasapano on that fateful day of January 2015,” the MILF said. “There are countless exceptions, but generally Filipinos are not ready for reconciliation. Congress had just shown it.” The MILF made clear it did not blame President Benigno Aquino III, who

pushed for the passage of the BBL. It also praised the efforts of Muslim lawmakers, particularly Deputy Speaker Pangalian Balindong, and Reps. Tupay Loong, and Bai Sandra Sema. Opposition lawmakers, on the other hand, said the administration had nobody else to blame but itself for the failure to pass a meaningful peace agreement with the Muslim rebels. “The failure to pass a meaningful basic law was killed by President Aquino when he allowed the installment… emasculation by his allies of the original basic law submitted by the drafting commission,” said Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate. Next page

Disappointed. Members of the group 1Bangsa and other Moro chieftains express dismay over Congress’ failure to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law during a media forum in Quezon City on Monday. Jansen RomeRo

Judge issues warrant for Trillanes’ arrest By Joel e. Zurbano A MAKATI City judge issued an arrest warrant Monday against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV in connection with the libel complaint filed by suspended Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. last year. Judge Dina Teves of the Regional

Trial Court Branch 142 issued the warrant after finding probable cause in the libel case. Trillanes may post P10,000 bail for the libel case, a clerk of court said. The senator’s lawyer, Renaldo Robles, said they have not yet received an official copy of the warrant. “Unfortunately, Senator Trillanes is

on official trip abroad attending an international forum. The moment he arrives, he will voluntarily submit himself to the jurisdiction of the honorable court, if so required,” Robles said. In a separate text message, Trillanes affirmed his readiness to continue his personal crusade to expose what Next page

Unknown bet for president quits race

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Palace nixes Noy-Enrile debate By Sandy Araneta

THE Palace rejected Monday a challenge from Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile to debate President Benigno Aquino III on the Mamasapano massacre, saying he had already had his chance to raise his issues at last week’s Senate hearing.

Saved. An eagle owl that was confiscated from an officer of Transport Security is sheltered at the Wildlife Rescue Center in Manila on Monday. Airport authorities have taken possession of 47 rare animals and birds that the officer was allegedly trying to ship to Japan. AFP

MILF: ... From A1

Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III, on the other hand, said the negotiating panels were to blame. “If the negotiating panels from the government and the MILF submitted to Congress a perfectly legal peace document, then it would be easy for Congress to work on this,” he said. Parañaque Rep. Gus Tambunting defended Belmonte, saying it was unfair to blame him for the failure to pass the BBL. “The Speaker did his best,” he said. Earlier, Belmonte admitted that the BBL had no chance of being passed in the 16th Congress. “[There is no] question that it won’t become a law even if we pass our version, [because] the Senate has not been acting on it,” Belmonte said. BBL advocates in the House such as Balindong said Congress wasted too much time, and admitted that he was no longer hopeful that the bill would pass with only two session days left. The BBL, the lynchpin in the government’s peace accord with the MILF, was supposed to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with a new Bangsamoro region with more autonomy. The proposed BBL, if passed into law, shall abolish the current ARMM by creating a new Bangsamoro region which will be given additional autonomy. But lawmakers objected to provisions that they said were unconstitutional, and efforts to pass the bill were derailed by the Mamasa-

pano massacre. Senate President Franklin Drilon said even if this Congress does not pass the BBL, the peace agreement is not dead. “I think it is to the national interest that whoever is the next president should pursue the peace process,” he said Monday. The BBL, he said, should be filed again in the 17th Congress. The Palace said the government is continuing to strengthen the mechanisms for a peaceful transition from the ARMM to the Bangsamoro. Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the non-passage of the BBL meant the rebels would not surrender their weapons under the provisions of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. “So what we are doing is strengthening the mechanisms for the peaceful transition from the ARMM to the Bangsamoro, which is the core of roadmap for the full settlement of the armed conflict,” Coloma said. The government’s chief peace negotiator admitted Sunday that the Bangsamoro Basic Law was dead and urged the next administration to pick up where the Aquino administration left off. In an interview over radio dzBB, Miriam Coronel Ferrer, who headed the peace negotiations with the MILF, said there was no hope that Congress would pass the Palacebacked BBL with a few session days left. She also urged the MILF not to use its 10,000 firearms during the coming elections. With Macon Ramos-Araneta and Sandy Araneta

Enrile last week blamed Aquino for keeping his Cabinet and top military officials in the dark about the covert operation on Jan. 25, 2015, which killed 60 people, including 44 Special Action Force commandos. On Sunday, the senator mocked the President as stupid for depending on incompetent officers to lead the operation, and challenged him to a debate. But a Palace spokesman said Monday Enrile had had his chance, and the public has seen enough. “Senator Enrile has had the opportunity to present his case,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. “It is best that our people focus their energies instead on how to sustain the momentum of our reform and transformation efforts that have gained the respect and admiration of the global community,” Coloma also said. Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda also rejected Enrile’s challenge. “All that were needed to be asked by the senators have been asked. All that were needed to be answered by the resource persons have been responded to. Perhaps, the results of the Senate

Judge... From A1

he said were “massive anomalies” in Makati, despite the libel charge against him. “If the Binay family believes that I can be intimidated and threatened from exposing them, they are badly mistaken. I will do everything I can to make sure that plunderers will not rule this country again,” Trillanes said. Robles added that he is confident that any attempt to intimidate his client will not succeed. “In 2003, Senator Trillanes was jailed for exposing anomalies in the government. I believe he is ready to face any consequence, including facing malicious cases and possible imprisonment, just to let the people know the truth regarding the massive corruption in Makati. This is especially true since Senator Trillanes’ exposés about corruption are well within the scope of his mandate and his immunity as senator of the republic,” Robles said. The case stemmed from the complaint of Binay against the senator who accused two Court of Appeals justices of receiving P50 million to stop the Office of the Ombudsman from carrying out its suspension of the mayor over corruption charges last year. Trillanes alleged that Binay bribed members of the appellate court’s 6th Division in exchange for favorable action on his petition for a temporary restraining order and a writ of preliminary injuction against the suspension

reopening of the Mamasapano should speak for itself,’’ Lacierda said. Enrile earlier requested a reopening of the Senate investigation into the Mamasapano incident, claiming he had ‘’new evidence’’ that would show the culpability of the President over the botched anti-terror raid. However, some critics said Enrile failed to present any new evidence. The President has consistently blamed dismissed Special Action Force commander Getulio Napeñas for the deaths of the 44 police commandos in Mamasapano, calling him stupid and incompetent. But Enrile said in a radio interview on dzBB that it was the President who was stupid for depending on someone he later considered incompetent. He also hammered at the President for keeping his Cabinet and the military in the dark about the operation to neutralize two high-profile terrorists. “He took it upon himself. He thought he could do it, but he was incompetent,” Enrile said in Filipino. In planning the covert police operation to get Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan, and Filipino bomb maker Basit Usman, Enrile said the President did not even talk to his Cabinet. Instead, he deliberately compartmentalized Oplan Exodus to himself, then suspended PNP chief Alan Purisima, and Napeñas. In doing so, he hid his involvement behind Purisima, Enrile said. In last week’s reopening of the Mamasapano investigation, Enrile said the President could be held criminally liable for his actions—and inaction—during the Mamasapano massacre. “He will be charged the moment he stepped down. That’s for sure,” Enrile said.

order. The senator also accused Binay and his family as being “part of a syndicate” that has committed various crimes and irregularities. “The damaging and ruinous claims spewed out by respondent Trillanes are mere concoctions and fabrications with no other purpose than to malign, discredit, ruin my reputation and besmirch my good name as well as that of my family,” said Binay in his six-page complaint filed with the Makati City Prosecutors Office. He added Trillanes’ allegations “have no factual basis and were not made in response to duty, but only with obvious intention to injure my reputation as well as those of my family.” Binay said the acts of Trillanes in connection with the defamatory statements made against him constitute a violation of Article 355 in relation to Article 353 of the Revised Penal Code. In a statement, the Court of Appeals 6th Division denied Trillanes’ allegations and warned the senator against making baseless accusations that were tantamount to harassment. Binay’s father, Vice President Jejomar Binay, also lambasted Trillanes for making false and malicious allegations. Quoting unnamed sources, Trillanes said lawyer Arthur Villaraza facilitated the bribe, with Appeals Court Justices Jose Reyes Jr. and Francisco Acosta receiving an initial P20 million each for issuing a TRO against the Office of the Ombudsman. He added when the Office of the Ombudsman and the De-

partment of Interior and Local Government did not heed the TRO, Reyes and Acosta were given P5 million each to issue a writ of preliminary injunction. Villaraza also denied his involvement and challenged the senator to show proof to support his allegations. The writ of preliminary injunction prevented the Ombudsman, the DILG and their agents from enforcing the March 10, 2015 six-month preventive suspension of Mayor Binay. The Ombudsman came up with the suspension order against Binay and other city government officials in connection with the alleged overpriced Makati City Hall Building II, which is also the subject of a Senate investigation. Acosta was among the two other members of the Sixth Division who concurred with Reyes’ decision. The other member is Justice Eduardo Peralta Jr. The controversy on the alleged overpriced building started when a number of Makati officials, including Binay, were asked to attend the Senate hearing to shed light on the anomaly. The irregularities includes the city government’s failure to conduct a public bidding when it awarded the P11.9 million contract for the design and architectural services to MANA Architecture, and the lack of detailed engineering plan for the project. The construction of Makati City Hall Building II started in 2007 while the elder Binay was city mayor. It continued until 2013 under the incumbent mayor. With Macon Ramos-Araneta

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High court asked to speed up hearings on Grace Poe’s cases

Livelihood assistance. The family of executed Filipino worker Joselito Zapanta is one of the recipients of livelihood assistance from Senator Cynthia Villar and the Villar Sipag (Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance). On Monday, Zapanta’s parents Jesus and Mona Zapanta, went to the Senate to receive the sari-sari store starter package from Villar’s Sipag. Joselito, 35, was executed in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 29, 2015, for killing his Sudanese landlord over a rental dispute. EY ACASIO

Age 12, not 15, eyed for criminal liability THE lowering of the minimum age for criminal liability to age 12 from 15 is among the amendments presidential aspirant Rodrigo Duterte and his running mate Alan Peter Cayetano said they will push in the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act. They said the provision on the age of criminal liability was being exploited by crime and drug syndicates who use children for illegal activities. They said moral autonomy usually developed as early as age 10. For repeat offenders, they said, a

new provision should be inserted so that those more than 15 years old but below 18 who were subjected to a diversion program and were not first-time violator should be treated as adult offenders. “There’s too much chaos so that there’s too much suffering of our people,” Duterte said. “In many cases, drug traffickers use minors as couriers, a modus operandi made rather convenient by the law. Oftentimes, these guys just go scot-free and grow up with no sense of accountability. “It’s time to bring back order and keep our kids off the streets as we wage an allout war against organized crime.” But Cayetano said minors should be placed in separate detention facili-

ties and given the same rehabilitation to ensure their normal growth. He said tough anti-crime measures must go hand in hand with restorative justice when it came to children in conflict with the law. Duterte and Cayetano said they were also studying the possibility of increasing the punishment for adults trying to exploit minors and using them in criminal activities. “Our goal in pushing for these amendments is to end the disorder in the streets,” Cayetano said. “Through this, we reduce the number of crimes committed by minors and protect them from notorious criminals and syndicates who take advantage of their vulnerabilities.” Macon Ramos-Araneta

ONE of the petitioners seeking the disqualification of Senator Grace Poe from the presidential race has asked the Supreme Court to hold daily hearings on the consolidated petitions that Poe had filed to hasten the resolution of the cases. Lawyer Estrella Elamparo said holding oral arguments daily on Poe’s cases would avoid delaying the May 9 national and local elections. “Considering that time is of the essence... petitioner most humbly requests that oral arguments be set continuously on a daily basis if possible until completion,” Elamparo said in her petition. She said the Commission on Elections had delayed the printing of the ballots to Feb. 8 because of the oral arguments on Poe’s petitions. She filed her petition to cancel Poe’s Certificate of Candidacy on Oct. 16 last year on the grounds she did not meet the citizenship and residency requirements for a presidential candidate. The Comelec’s Second Division granted her petition on Dec. 1, and it was upheld by the Comelec en banc a few days after the first decision was released. The high court held two oral arguments on the case involving Poe’s camp. Another one will be held today, Tuesday, when six Comelec representatives and the private respondents—including Elamparo—are expected to present their sides.

Elamparo aside, the other petitioners are former Senator Francisco Tatad, De La Salle University professor Antonio Contreras, and former University of the East Law Dean Amado Valdez. Poe’s camp did not object to the motion. “From Day One, we have always emphasized that resolving the case with finality is a stabilizing factor to our upcoming electoral exercise,” said Rex Gatchalian, Poe’s spokesman. He said they would abide by all the decrees set forth by the Court when it came to dates and deadlines. Meanwhile, Senator Sergio Osmeña III said he believed Poe would regain her lead in the presidential surveys if the Supreme Court dumped the disqualification cases against her over her citizenship and residency. “It will definitely help because she’s being accused now of having abandoned her country,” Osmeña said. He said if the Supreme Court would say that Poe had not abandoned her country and that she was really a Filipino citizen, then it would help her in her standing. However, if the Supreme Court still had no decision on her cases when the campaign period started on Feb. 9, then “It will weigh her down.” Osmeña said Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who is also running for president, would benefit if Poe will be disqualified from the race. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Escudero called credit grabber AKBAYAN Rep. Barry Gutierrez on Monday slammed Senator Francisco Escudero for allegedly “credit-grabbing” from Camarines Sur. Rep. Leni Robredo, the administration’s candidate for vice president in this year’s elections. Gutierrez, the spokesman of Manuel Roxas II, the administration’s candidate for president, said Escudero was grabbing credit for a bill pushing for an “on-site, in-city” housing for squatters to allegedly advance his candidacy. But a check on the website of the House of Representatives showed that Robredo wasn’t even a co-author of the House bill passed in Congress as Gutierrez claims. “If he’s serious with that, why didn’t he pass the “onsite, in-city bill” during his Senate tenure?” Gutierrez

said in a statement to reporters. “It seems that Chiz [Escudero] is clueless. Even before May 2015, Cong. Leni [had] passed that in the House. “Is that what you’ll be doing always, taking credit for the work of others?” Escudero, who is running as Senator Grace Poe’s vice president, said Sunday he would push for such a program in order to provide squatters decent housing they needed without having to relocate them in areas without jobs and livelihood opportunities. “Through on-site resettlement, you will be able to upgrade and rehabilitate blighted slum urban areas and at the same time minimize [the] displacement of dwellers in said areas where they have enough access to basic social services and livelihood,” Es-

cudero said in a statement. The House passed in May 2015 House Bill 5144, or the proposed “On-site, In-City, Near-City Resettlement Act” that aims to upgrade squatter settlements “with enhanced physical living conditions and improved quality of life” and to “fully [integrate them] into a city’s or an urban area’s physical and socioeconomic fabric and urban governance system.” Sought for clarification, Gutierrez said that, being the principal sponsor of the measure, he could “vouch 100 percent that Robredo was a co-author of the bill.” “Rep. Robredo pushed for that bill, that being an initiative pushed by her late husband Jesse Robredo when he was still Interior Secretary,” he said in a phone interview. John Paolo Bencito

Unfinished. This delayed project at the Maysilo Circle near the Mandaluyong City Hall has been inconveniencing the residents and businesses in the area for three years. JOHN PAOLO BENCITO

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DoJ seeks spook’s transfer By Rey E. Requejo THE Department of Justice has sought the transfer of detained Marine Lt. Col. Ferdinand Marcelino and his co-accused from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility in Taguig City to the detention centers of the National Bureau of Investigation or the Philippine Navy.

All in the line of duty. Retired military chief and former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency director Dionisio Santiago tells

journalists the accomplishments of Marine Col. Ferdinand Marcelino, a military intelligence official who was among those arrested in a drug raid in Sta. Cruz, Manila on Jan. 21. EY ACASIO

Navy Seals end Flash Piston By Florante S. Solmerin EIGHTY naval commandos from the Philippines and United States ended on Monday two weeks of joint exercises at Naval Station Sangley Point in Cavite City. Dubbed “Flash Point 16-1,” the exercise quietly started Jan. 18 and involved maritime interdiction operations, like vessel boarding and seizures, in addition to medical evacuations and human rights training. “The activity [was] a great training opportunity for both nations to gain significant experience and strengthen our interoperability,” said Capt. Alfonspin Tumanda Jr., commander of the Philippine Naval Special Operations Group. “Enhancing capability through this kind of exercise enables the Philippine

Navy to assert more efficiency and effectiveness in the conduct of our mandated tasks,” he added. The US Seals, on the other hand, said the American servicemen not only strengthened interoperability, but also improved cohesiveness of both forces. “We do Flash Piston exercise to build camaraderie with our counterparts here in the Philippines and to build capacity between ourselves and the NAVSOG. By working together, we exchange our tactics, techniques and procedures,” said Lt. Lowell Bruhn, who lead the Naval Special Warfare Unit 1 that joined the exercises. According to Philippine Navy spokesperson Capt. Lued Lincuna, the Philippines and the US have been holding the Flash Piston exercise since 2008. “To maximize the learning opportunity, more than 60 sailors from the

PN participated in the exercise and 20 personnel from the US side,” Lincuna said. During the first week of the exercise, participants from both nations exchanged their best practices on different topics on medical evacuation procedures, combat military marksmanship, and human rights training during a series of military seminars ashore, he said. The second week focused on maritime interdiction operation activities, like Visit Board Search and Seizure and Gas/Oil Platform operations and planning. Joint naval exercises between the Philippines and US is just one of the many exercises that would be conducted under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement that allows US forces and war equipment to be stationed in the country.

The DoJ made the appeal as Marcelino asked the Quezon City Regional Trial Court hearing his case to grant him bail because the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency had a weak case in charging him with drug trafficking. Marcelino also claimed that the bank statements the PDEA claimed would prove Marcelino’s guilt were actually operation funds Marcelino received when he was still with the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. In a three-page letter to the BJMP, dated Jan. 29, Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Theodore Villanueva proposed the transfer of Marcelino to the NBI or the PN due to the threats against the respondent’s life. “As publicly known, Lt. Col. Marcelino has caused the detention of many people involved in illegal drugs, some of whom are currently being detained at Camp Bagong Diwa,” Villanueva said in his letter. Villanueva cited the testimonies of both Marcelino’s counsel, lawyer Dennis Manalo and Philippine Navy Vice Admiral Caesar Taccad, who both expressed concern for the safety and security of the arrested ex-PDEA official. According to Manalo, Marcelino, a former officer of the PDEA and an incumbent military officer conducting intelligence operations against drug syndicates, is now “more fearful of his personal safety and security on account of the deep seated anger of prisoners in the QC-BJMP annex who have been arrested by respondent arising in the performance of his duty.” Taccad, on the other hand, said Marcelino’s safety and protection will be better secured if he is detained in the PN detention facility. However, Taccad clarified that they do not tolerate the supposed misdeeds of Marcelino, if they are proven to be true. “We are one with the government in bringing to the bar of justice our personnel who are involved in criminal activities. We will also be conducting parallel investigation on the said incident to determine LTC Marcelino’s liability under the Articles of War,” Taccad’s letter stated.

Presidential bet backs out By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan and Vito Barcelo PWERSA ng Masang Pilipino presidential candidate Rommel Mendoza announced on Monday his withdrawal from the May elections and declared support for the presidential bid of Vice President Jejomar Binay. In a press conference in Manila, Mendoza said he decided to withdraw so that he will not cause any confusion in the elections. “I am withdrawing my candidacy as President. We will officially notify the [Commission on Elections] so that my name will no longer cause confusion in the official list of candidates to be printed in the ballots,” Mendoza said. He said he only filed his Certificate of Candidacy for president in order to provide an avenue for Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada to run for president via substitution but that option is no longer possible because it is already beyond the deadline set by the Comelec. The camp of Binay, however, declined to

comment on Mendoza’s announcement that the PMP-KMP will fully back Binay’s presidential bid who now top the recent Social Weather Stations poll rate survey. Mendoza, a resident of Barangay Minuyan in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, worked as an assistant project officer. The Comelec had ruled that a substitute for one that withdraws his or her candidacy or is disqualified would have until Dec. 10, 2015 to file a Certificate of Candidacy. The Comelec also junked the petition filed by the poll body’s law department declaring Mendoza as a nuisance candidate as he was duly nominated by PMP president Senator Jinggoy Estrada. With the withdrawal of PMP’s Mendoza, the Comelec said that the May 9, 2016 preidential elections will likely be a sixway fight among Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senator Grace Poe, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, former ambassador Roy Señeres and former Interior secretary Manuel Roxas II.

Out of the running. Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino presidential candidate Rommel Mendoza announces his withdrawal from the May election during a press conference in Manila on Monday. EY ACASIO

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Romualdez scores Noy inaction on Paris accord

Malasakit in Caloocan. Senatorial candidate and Leyte Rep. Martin ‘Mr. Malasakit’ Romualdez (right) and Caloocan City Mayor Oca Malapitan lead the ceremonial cutting of ribbon to open the new Caloocan City North Medical Center. Looking on is Vice Mayor Macario Asistio (2nd left). VeR NoVeNo

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‘PNoy liable for SSS veto’

By Maricel V. Cruz

President Benigno Aquino iii should be held liable for his decision to deprive at least 1.5 million Filipino pensioners by vetoing House Bill 5842 or the P2,000 increase in pension of members of the social security system, three militant lawmakers said on Monday .

one of the lawmakers, party-list rep. Fernando Hicap of anakpawis said that primacy should be given to the mandate of the SSS to give social protection to its members as a manifestation of social justice, as stated in Section 2 of republic act no. 8282 or the SSS law. “the veto on the SSS pension hike is symptomatic of aquino’s anti-people governance. He ruled against the interest and

welfare of the workers, farmers, urban poor, government employees, calamity victims, youth-students, even sending government forces to their deaths. now, he is heartlessly spoiling the pension hike for the elderly section of our population,” Hicap said. “aquino and his KKK [ally, classmate, shooting buddy] at the SSS are drowning the people with figures which are basically excuses not to provide the

pension hike, in the process, violating the very mandate of the institution and the right of its pensioners for social welfare,” Hicap added. Hicap said that it is an opportune moment to expose aquino’s creed that he prefers that the institution, funded by about 33 million members, would invest in big private corporations such as the ayala land, rather than improve the pension it provides. “SSS fund is a provident fund not a hedge fund, it is a provision for the future and the pensioners’ future is the present,” Hicap stressed, adding that “Ceo and President emilio De Quiros Jr. is a commercial banker, his entirety is a total contradiction of providing service to SSS members, but rather how to rake up profits from giant firms owned by the few rich.”

Bayan Muna party-list reps. Carlos Zarate and neri Colmenares vowed to fight to reverse the veto of the President on the pension hike bill during the last three session days of Congress before the election campaign kicks off this month. “this Congress’ last shot to side with the people and override the veto on the pension hike is on Wednesday, February 3, the last day of session of the 16th Congress before we go on recess during the campaign period,” Zarate said. “We strongly urge our colleagues to stand for social justice and make good on their former stance for the pension hike. i call on our colleagues to vote for the override on aquino’s veto on the pension hike—let us make this as our legacy, our monumental move to make our society more just for our seniors,” Zarate added.

Ex-MRT head presses for Abaya’s role in train mess By Rio N. Araja ForMer general manager al Vitangcol iii of the Metro rail transit 3 has asked the Sandiganbayan to challenge transportation Secretary Joseph emilio abaya to explain why he was spared from the graft charges over the Mrt maintenance contract mess. in a motion, Vitangcol asked the third Division to order the office of the ombudsman’s office of the Special Prosecutor to produce material evidence regarding the acquittal of the other officials of the Department of transportation and Communications. Vitangcol appealed to the government prosecutors to provide him with authenticated copies of the counter-affidavits of abaya and the other personalities who had been cleared of the Mrt deal mess.

He urged the anti-graft court to furnish him with abaya’s counter-affidavit so he would know the grounds of abaya’s acquittal. according to Vitangcol, there were 15 DotC officials included in the preliminary investigation of the ombudsman AL ViTANgCOL iii in the supposed questionable awarding of Mrt-3 maintenance deal. Despite such, those investigated were spared from the charges, he said. “During the preliminary investigation conducted by the office of the ombudsman, 15 other officials of the Department of

transportation and Communications were initially charged but were subsequently acquitted except for accused Vitangcol,” the motion read. those cleared of the graft charges were abaya, assistant Secretaries ildefonso Patdu and Dante lantin, and Undersecretaries rene limcaoco, Jose Perpetuo lotilla and rafael antonio Santos. “the ombudsman deliberately and maliciously withheld the said affidavits, all to the detriment of the herein accused,” Vitangcol told the court. “Said affidavits would show the

innocence of accused Vitangcol and negate the wrongful accusations of the ombudsman.” abaya and five incorporators of Philippine trans rail Management and Services Corp. are facing charges of violation of Sections 3 (e) and 3 (h) of republic act 3019 or the anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices act and Section 65 of republic act 9184 or the Government Procurement reform act in connection with the alleged anomalous awarding of Mrt-3 maintenance contract in october 2012. Vitangcol said transportation legal officer Geronimo Quintos, in a counter-affidavit, maintained the DotC-Mrt 3 negotiating team was created pursuant to a resolution approved by the DotCBaC and that “Vitangcol did not dictate the composition of the negotiating team.”

Senatorial candidate and leyte rep. Martin romualdez has called on President Benigno S. aquino iii on Monday to step up efforts to fulfill the country’s commitments in the P21st Conference of Parties in the wake of what romualdez said was the President’s apparent support for the development of coal plants. at the beginning of the year President aquino inaugurated a 300 megawatt coal power plant in Davao just a month after the CoP21, also known as the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, where the parties talked about how to implement the agreements set by the United nations Framework on Climate Change to lessen greenhouse gas emissions to solve climate change. a total of 195 countries, the Philippines included, eventually committed to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions conditionally by 70 percent by 2030. “President aquino was applauded for committing full decarbonization by 2050. this means that the country will be entirely powered by renewable energy by then. this is a huge leap, to be honest––and to achieve this, all government projects should already be aligned as early as now toward reducing carbon emissions,” explained romualdez, a member of the House Committee on Climate Change. aside from the new coal plant inaugurated in Davao, 23 new coal plants are set to be completed by 2020. “While these coal plants were in the pipeline before the Paris agreement, the signing of the accord requires us to revisit past and present agreements to ensure that we meet our obligations in the future. that is the essence of committing to an agreement like this,” stresed the UP-trained lawyer. romualdez pointed out that asean neighbor Vietnam has already committed to shift away from coal plants, with Vietnam Prime Minister nguyen tan Dung announcing in January that his government would “review development plans of all new coal plants and halt any new coal power development.” the Vietnamese chief executive also said that Vietnam needs to “responsibly implement all international commitments in cutting down greenhouse gas emissions; and to accelerate investment in renewable energy.” according to romualdez, prior to the signing of the historic accord, “President aquino even delivered a speech expressing the country’s commitment to reduce its carbon emissions. He reiterated this commitment at the Climate Vulnerable Forum, and stated that the government is diversifying its energy resources and increasingly tapping into renewables. this appears to be inconsistent with the administration’s support for the development of coal plants.”

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High court unseats Surigao solon By Rey E. Requejo

THE Supreme Court has ordered the ouster of Congressman Philip Pichay after finding that his rival Mary Elizabeth Ty-Delgado was the rightful winner in the May 13, 2013 congressional race in the first district of Surigao del Sur.

Dignity. In the wake of President Aquino’s veto of a bill raising the pension payment for SSS retirees,

representatives of labor groups and other non-government organizations under the DIGNIDAD demand state subsidy for premium payments of workers and indigents to the SSS during a press conference in Quezon City on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. JANSEN ROMERO

‘Poverty is public enemy number one’ IN THE wake of pronouncements from various church denominations that slammed the widening gap between the rich and the poor, the Iglesia ni Cristo has called for a “multi-sectoral, cross-religious effort to combat poverty,” which the INC referred to as “public enemy number one.” “While we have different beliefs, we agree wholeheartedly that we should wage all-out war against growing social inequity,” said INC general auditor Glicerio B. Santos Jr. “Poverty is a problem that confronts us all, one that all faiths universally condemn,” stressed Santos. Santos said that under the leadership of Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo, the homegrown Filipino church has intensified its anti-poverty and socio-

civic initiatives, which are all conducted through the INC’s own Felix Y. Manalo Foundation. Its pilot livelihood projects, EcoFarming Sites all over the Philippines, were launch two years ago by the present Iglesia Ni Cristo administration. “Our Lingap Pamamahayag is a year-round program that’s been actively providing material and spiritual help to Iglesia and non-Iglesia members all over the country. We envision an expansion of this initiative through the participation of our brethren from other socio-civic and religious groups so we can have a bigger impact on poverty reduction,” the INC official explained. An example of this, Santos said, was the Lingap activity in General

Santos, held at the city’s Polomolok Gymnasium on Jan. 29, where 12,000 “goodie packs,” 7,500 pieces of clothing and 10,000 toys were distributed to both Iglesia and nonIglesia beneficiaries. Close to 30 doctors and dentists also provided free medical and dental assistance. “Poverty is an enemy that we should all, regardless of political and religious affiliations, wage an unrelenting war against. We can better combat poverty if we work and pull our resources together,” added Santos. Public sentiment from the last quarter of 2015 showed that economic issues top the list of concerns for ordinary Filipinos. An October 2015 survey released by Pulse Asia revealed wages, inflation and job creation as the most important issues Fili-

1,300 students ask Canada to take back toxic shipment By Joel E. Zurbano AT LEAST 1,300 Filipinos have signed a petition letter asking Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to bring back to Canada the smuggled shipment of hazardous waste that have been rotting in Manila and Subic ports. “We would never allow our country to be treated as Canada’s dumpsite,” said the petitioners, mostly students from Manila’s universities and colleges, in their urgent appeal signed during the 2nd Zero Waste Fair held on Jan. 30-31 at the Rizal Park in Manila. The event, highlighting the government-proclaimed observance of the Zero Waste Month, was organized by environmental groups led by Ecowaste Coalition, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Health Care Without Harm Asia and Mother Earth Foundation.

“Our government officials, our legislators, our environmental, labor and church leaders and our fellow citizens, as well as the media, have spoken against the shameless dumping scandal, emphasizing in clear and strong terms that the Philippines is not a global landfill and that Canada has no option but to take its garbage back,” the petitioners reminded Trudeau. Ecowaste Coalition last year urged the Canadian government to take back the illegally-shipped 50 40-foot container vans of hazardous waste abandoned at the Manila International Container Port. The shipments—which were labeled as recyclable plastics—arrived in batches from Canada between July and August of 2013. Customs officials said the shipper— Chronic Inc.—based at 95 Regency Crescent Whtby, Ontario, Canada—declared the shipment in its import document as plastic scraps.

pinos were most concerned about. Social Weather Stations findings compiled last year, meanwhile, showed that 11.4-million families remain poor. Fifty-one percent of Filipinos consider themselves poor, and 36 percent are lumped as “food poor.” “The Iglesia says it has been trying to do its small share in helping those who have less in life. A bigger program that involves our brothers and sisters from other socio-civic and religious groups would generate added interest and have a bigger impact on our target communities. That’s the direction we want to pursue with Lingap.” The Lingap Pamamahayag program has benefited communities in needy areas all over Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

In an en banc decision penned by Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, the SC reversed and set aside the resolutions dated March 18, 2015 and Aug. 3, 2015 of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal upholding the proclamation of Pichay as the duly elected representative of the first district of Surigao del Sur. Instead, the SC declared Delgado as the winner for the position of member of the House of Representatives representing the First District of the province in the last local elections. Considering that the term of the present House of Representatives will end on June 30, 2016, its decision is “final and executory,” the tribunal said. Associate Justices Presbitero Velasco, Diosdado Peralta and Lucas Bersamin did not take part in the voting, as they were members of the HRET. “The Court found that the HRET committed grave abuse of discretion when it failed to disqualify respondent Pichay for his conviction for libel, a crime involving moral turpitude. Since Pichay’s ineligibility existed on the day he filed his Certificate of Candidacy, he was never a valid candidate for the position and his votes are considered stray votes. Thus, the qualified candidate for the position of Member of the House for the First Legislative District for Surigao del Sur who received the highest number of valid votes shall be declared the winner. Based on the Provincial Canvass Report, that person is petitioner Mary Elizabeth Ty-Delgado,” the SC said, in its decision. Delgado had sought the dis-

qualification of Pichay under Section 12 of the Omnibus Election Code on the ground that the latter had been convicted of libel, a crime involving moral turpitude. She asserted that when respondent Pichay paid the fine on Feb. 17, 2011, the five-year period barring him to be a candidate had yet to lapse. In his defense, Pichay admitted the libel convictions, but claimed, among others, that libel was not a crime involving moral turpitude and that he did not perform the acts that constituted libel and that his liability arose only out of his being publisher of the publishing company. Pichay was earlier proclaimed as the winner in the congressional race after obtaining a total of 76,870 votes. In its 2015 decision, the HRET concluded that Pichay had no hand in writing the libelous publication and thus the convictions were not for a crime involving moral turpitude. In ruling against Pichay, the SC disagreed with the HRET decision, and ruled to reverse and set aside its decision on the grounds that he is disqualified under Section 12 of the Omnibus Election Code. Citing its previous ruling, the SC held that libel is a crime involving moral turpitude. Noting that Pichay had admitted the convictions for libel, the tribunal noted that another libelous article had been published after the filing of the complaint, which indicates malice. According to the tribunal, the law provides that all those charged with libel shall be punished to the same extent, thus leaving no room for differentiation.

Velasco takes oath as House member By Maricel V. Cruz HOUSE Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Monday administered the oath of office on Lord Allan Velasco as Marinduque’s representative, unseating Regina Ongsiako-Reyes after a protracted legal battle that had reached the Supreme Court. Velasco, a stalwart of the National Unity Party, replaces Ongsiako-Reyes, a member of the ruling Liberal Party, as the real winner in the province’s lone congressional district during the 2013 polls. House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II, in plenary session, announced that the House effec-

Rep. Lord Allan Velasco

tively deleted Ongsiako-Reyes’ name in the roster in compliance of Supreme Court order recognizing Velasco as the legitimate representative of Marinduque.

The SC’s order stemmed from Velasco’s petition for mandamus which sought to compel the Lower House to comply with the high court’s final ruling upholding the disqualification of Reyes on grounds that Reyes is an American citizen. Reyes then brought the case before the High Court after the Commission on Elections nullified her win and proclamation. Velasco, son of SC Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr. was eventually proclaimed by the Comelec. But the House then refused to honor Velasco’s proclamation until the SC order.

t u e s D AY : f e b r u A r Y 2 , 2 0 1 6

NEWS

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Pope’s envoy: Filipinos have special role in gospel spreading Cebu—The special envoy of Pope Francis told a gathering of hundreds of thousands in the Philippines on Sunday that they had a special role to play in spreading the gospel, even to developed nations. Cardinal Charles Maung bo of Myanmar delivered a homily at the closing mass after a weeklong International eucharistic Congress. “This nation holds great promise to the Catholic world,” he told a crowd in a fenced enclosure estimated by police to number about 450,000. even more were listening from outside, police say. bo said Catholicism faced problems of empty churches and dying vocations in other nations, and the Philippines held a unique position as the world’s third-largest Catholic nation with a largely young population. “Christianity, they say, is in a twilight zone,” he said. “Take heart, my brothers and sisters. The Philippines can take the twilight zone into an exciting dawn.” While the Philippines suffered from poverty, richer nations were facing “the destruction of the family,” he warned the crowd, many of whom stood in the burning sun for two hours. “Some countries have chosen a path to destroy families through laws,” bo told an enthusiastic crowd, adding there was “a deliberate attempt to divert attention from the survival rights of the poor to the lifestyle rights of the rich countries.” The cardinal did not specify “lifestyle rights” but the Catholic church campaigns against samesex marriage, abortion and other practices largely legalized in Western nations. In contrast, the Philippines, which is about 80 percent Catholic, still outlaws abortion, samesex marriage and even divorce. Quoting the bible, bo told the crowd: “A prophet to the nations, I appoint you.”

Government troops nab suspected Abu member ZAMBOANGA CITY—Operating troops had captured an alleged member of the Abu Sayyaf Group and seized a firearm in the province of Sulu, a top military official announced Monday. brig. Gen. Alan Arrojado, Joint Task Group Sulu commander, identified the captured ASG member as basir Aden, from whose possession a caliber .45 pistol with

ammunition was seized. Arrojado said Aden was captured around 4 a.m. Monday in Sitio Tubig Patong, barangay Danag, Patikul, Sulu. Arrojado said the troops from

the Army 35th Infantry battalion were “moving by foot” from Sitio Kantitap, barangay buhanginan to a detachment in barangay Danag when they chanced upon Aden and two others. “They attempted to run upon seeing the approaching government forces that led to a chase that resulted to the capture of one of the suspects,” he said.

he said the troops have coordinated with the police in Patikul town for the filing of appropriate charges to include violation of the election gun ban. The gun ban took effect on Jan. 10 that also marked the start of the election period for the May 2016 local and national elections. The election gun ban ends on June 8. PNA

Firefight. Residents of Barangay Kilada, Matalam, North Cotabato assist firemen in extinguishing a grassfire destroying hectares of sugar cane plantation along the Matalam national highway. OMAR MANGORSI

DoST leads launch of ICT-based business centers in Mimaropa By Macon Ramos-Araneta

Developments. Mayor Alfred Romualdez (right) presides over a meeting on the construction of a new hospital and a new mall in Tacloban City. MEL CASPE

The first-ever international information and communication technology business incubator in the Mindoro-MarinduqueRomblon-Palawan region was opened at the Palawan State university-Main Campus in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan to provide Filipino technology entrepreneurs in Palawan a hub to incubate and accelerate ICT business enterprises. The ICT business incubator was launched by the Department of Science and Technology-Mimaropa Palawan State university, Palaweño ICT Association, and Make a Difference Industries of Malaysia. The Palawan International Information and Communications Technology business Incubator

cum Start-up hub, also known as Palawan ITbI, caters to the growing number of technology-based start-ups. The TbI provides start-ups a platform where they can develop their tech-relevant ideas into products that will be able to compete in the global market. Josefina Abilay, DOST-Mimaropa regional director, said the newly launched start-up hub is where “ideas can be transformed into products and start-ups can be guided to become fully-fledged entrepreneurs.” “It is timely that this initiative is finally offering incubation services to young professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs so that their ideas or start-up products will be accelerated through the Palawan TbI,” she added.

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OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

EAGLE EYES DEAN TONY LA VIÑA

LAW AND POLICY IN THE POE CASE

[ EDI TORI A L ]

A BETTER BILL, LATER IT IS safe to assume that the Bangsamoro Basic Law, at least in its current form, has run out of time. The Aquino administration has lobbied long and hard for this piece of legislation—the result of its talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The common, nay, universal goal was lasting peace in Mindanao. Along the way, however, various other vested interests surfaced, mangling the lofty ideal of ending the decades-old strife that has marred the image and stunted the development down South even as it boasted of the best natural resources. And now that failure is a momentary certainty, blame and recrimination are quick to follow. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front blames House leaders, saying they allowed the enemies of the BBL to filibuster its passage. It likewise blamed the former Special Action Force commander for violating the ceasefire between the Moro rebels and the government. But this time we pass up the opportunity of joining the blame bandwagon and repeat instead the lessons we should pick up from the journey of the ill-fated measure. Foremost, a law should be passed because it is good and not because it would make a good legacy. It is too tempting for an official to want to leave something behind once he or she steps down. The President zeroed in on this legacy early on. He wanted to be remembered for being the leader who brought peace into Mindanao. Perhaps it is human nature. Likely, it is hubris. Second, there is no single group of stakeholders. A consultation is precisely that—an exchange of ideas, not a lecture or a one-way seminar. The BBL encountered opposition because it did not equitably represent the aspirations and fears of those whose lives it would affect. Third, good faith must be a constant. What happened with the BBL was that changes to the original were introduced almost stealthily, when the public was not watching too closely anymore. The BBL is dead but the hope for peace certainly is not. Long after the frenzy of the elections has quieted, and people are back to sobriety, perhaps the new set of leaders would be as committed to passing a law with the same objective, but first to crafting it judiciously, carefully and transparently. We have to do better next time around, and the task will begin by choosing well from the pool of candidates three months from now.

NOYNOY KILLS BBL LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES THE administration of “Boy Sisi” Aquino can look around for someone to blame for its failure to get its heart’s desire. But it will have no one to blame this time but itself and itself alone. If there was something that was doomed to fail from the very beginning, it’s the Palacebacked proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law. And what was conceived in subterfuge and hubris

in Tokyo will, by tomorrow, the last session day of the 16th Congress, be declared officially dead in the Batasan. I’m aware that there are still, at this late date, some members of the House of Representatives who are still holding out the hope that BBL will pass, like Malacañang, the government peace negotiating panel and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front want. And theoretically, it’s possible for the House to pass (after huge infusions of funds and projects to the usual lawmakersuspects—even on third and final reading) the pet law of President Noynoy Aquino.

But that’s as far as BBL will go. For all intents and purposes, the draft law is as dead as Aquino’s topmost follicles. My apologies to Senate Franklin Drilon (who also still insists that BBL is not yet dead), but the Senate will simply not be able to pass any version of the law. Not the House-backed version, not the version—way different from that first one— proposed by Senator Bongbong Marcos. Now that Congress is closing shop to plunge headlong into the elections 97 days from now, there is simply no more time. BBL is as defunct as the 44 members

BBL is dead now—and Aquino couldn’t have killed it more effectively if he had shot it himself.

of the Special Action Force butchered by Muslim rebels in Mamasapano—a reference that Drilon himself made, when he called the draft law “the 45th fatality” in the massacre. But the Mamasapano killings only dealt the death blow, what they used to call the proximate cause, to the BBL. The draft law was dying from the beginning and has been dying ever since. And the remote cause—or the root of the BBL’s failure to pass—is the unmitigated and totally unjustified pride of Aquino and his men that they (and only they) held the final solution to war in Mindanao. Now, if only the spectacular failure of the BBL to pass could instill some humility in this

most prideful of presidents, maybe they could learn something from this debacle. *** The original sin, of course, is the belief of Aquino that only he and only through his BBL could peace be attained in Mindanao. This is what led him to call the Organic Act on the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao “a failed experiment,” what made him repudiate both the Tripoli Agreement and the Jakarta Accords and what brought him to a hotel near

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Tokyo’s Narita airport to make a deal with the MILF. That’s where it all began: When Aquino surreptitiously, with the help of the Japanese government, met with the head honchos of the dominant rebel group in 2011 in order to sell his peace deal—or, to be more precise, to offer the MILF the exclusive peace franchise. Then, upon his return, Aquino proposed his MILF-approved BBL to the House, knowing full well that that craven chamber could be bribed

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into passing practically anything. And Aquino’s confidence was not limited to the Lower House; he was certain that he had the Senate (the well-larded majority there, in any case) in the palm of his hand. Congress would soon show just how subservient it was to Malacañang when, a year after Tokyo, it impeached and convicted Chief Justice Renato Corona simply because Aquino wanted to terrorize the entire Judiciary. BBL, Aquino was assured, would be a walk in the park. Continued on A11

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TODAY, For the third week in a row, I will be listening to the oral arguments on the Poe disqualification cases that are pending before the Supreme Court. In the first two sessions, we heard the lawyer of Grace Poe, the able and excellent lawyers’ lawyer Alex Poblador, argue persuasively the case of Grace Poe. The Chief Justice and other justices asked hard questions during the arguments and I would say Poblador acquitted himself and his client well. I would also praise the Chief Justice and her colleagues for their professional and thorough questioning. I expect the same today when the Comelec, represented by Commissioners Rowena Guanzon and Arthur Lim, and private petitioners Estrella Elamparo, Francisco Tatad, and Antonio Contreras, argue their case for the disqualification of Poe. I do not know Lim personally but he has a good reputation as a litigator. I know personally and count as friends Bing Guanzon and Star Elamparo—they are definitely excellent lawyers. Tatad and Contreras, whom I assume will give statements, are certainly very articulate. Even as I differ with these women and men on their views on Poe’s qualifications to be a candidate for president, I am objective enough to know that they have raised issues that must be resolved by the High Court. While I have condemned the political machinations behind the disqualification cases, especially by some candidates who think they could gain from Poe’s disqualification, I do not necessarily attribute evil motivations to the private petitioners. I presume that Elamparo, Tatad and Contreras have filed these cases out of a sense of patriotism and as a service to the country. The rules of sub judice restrain me from commenting on the merits of the Poe case. Instead, in this column, I will reflect on the nature of judicial decision making. In this case, we are faced with classic dilemmas about how to interpret law: Should the Supreme Court limit itself to the black-letter law, to the actual text of the Constitution and other laws? Or should it actually look beyond such letter and look at the outcomes of its decision in terms of justice for the persons involved and for all society as well? As Justice Marvic Leonen framed it: are the members of the Court just “legalists” or are they also “Justices”? As a long-time professor of legal philosophy and as a veteran legal practitioner, I have always believed that law and policy cannot be divorced from each other. My main intellectual influence on this matter is Continued on A11 Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

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T U E S D AY : F E B R U A R Y 2 , 2 0 1 6

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

EAGLE EYES DEAN TONY LA VIÑA

LAW AND POLICY IN THE POE CASE

[ EDI TORI A L ]

BBL is dead now—and Aquino couldn’t have killed it more effectively if he had shot it himself.

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A10

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

A CASE AGAINST AQUINO TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

SENATE Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile was a “disappointment.” Contrary to expectations, at the reopening of the Mamasapano massacre investigation, Enrile not say anything new. An editorial of a pro-administration broadsheet called it “Enrile’s Dud.” The military claimed that sacked PNP Special Action Force head General Getulio Napeñas was “incompetent” in directing “Oplan Exodus.” There was no stand-down order, the military generals intoned. Former Chief of Staff Gregorio Catapang said he could not micromanage the operation of the 6th Battalion nearby because he was not aware of “Oplan Exodus” in the first place.

The President must remember: What goes around comes around.

On cue, Santa Banana, BS Aquino III’s lapdogs in the Senate, notably Senate President Frank Drilon and Senate Yellow Ribbon Chairman Teofisto Guingona III, came to the defense of the President. Aquino was misinformed about what was happening to the SAF commandos, who were slaughtered by a combined force of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and its breakaway group, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and other Moro groups surrounding them. The 44 men died without any support from the military. Then came Senate chairperson Grace Poe trying to cut Enrile’s line of questioning and ending the investigation, claiming that her report as chair-

person of the committee on Public Order and Illegal Drugs stands—the President was “ultimately responsible” for the massacre. She then adjourned the hearing. The way Mrs. Mary Grace Natividad Kelly Poe Llamanzares acted confirmed my suspicion that she is the “Manchurian Candidate” of BS Aquino III. I listened to the hearing and formed the following conclusions. First, as Enrile claimed, BS Aquino III was in charge of Oplan Exodus from beginning to end. My gulay, as President, Chief Executive, top cop in charge of the Philippine National Police and Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces of the Philippines, he certainly knew what was happening. When he woke up at seven o’clock in the morning of Jan. 25, the birth anniversary of his late mother, former President Cory, he was already monitoring the SAF operation. He continued to monitor it even inside the plane bound for Zamboanga City, ostensibly to look into a bombing incident which killed one person. I cannot believe that some members of the Cabinet, like Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, who were with BS Aquino III at that time, were also unaware of what was happening. To claim that it was only at seven o’clock in the evening inside the plane coming back to Manila that the President informed them about what was happening (facts revealed that the slaughter took place at around one o’clock to two o’clock in the afternoon) is unacceptable. Santa Banana, what kind of officials do we have? For one thing, if BS Aquino III could not trust Mar, keeping him out of the loop in an operation which killed 44 police commandos directly under the Interior Secretary, why should we trust Mar to lead our country for the next six years? There’s also the fact that as Enrile said that BS Aquino III “compartmented” Oplan Exodus with his best friend, dismissed Police Chief Alan Purisima,

POE WANTS SPECIAL TREATMENT; THE DEATH OF THE BBL THE campaign strategists of Senator Grace Poe, who is running for president in May 2016 as an independent candidate, are at it again. Several days ago, they came out with a television advertisement featuring four characters discussing Poe’s election campaign. In the end, the advertisement suggested that the four disqualification cases currently pending against Poe in the Supreme Court have already been dismissed, and that there are no more legal obstacles for Poe’s presumptive election to the presidency. The advertisement was broadcast in several television channels. Ex-Senator Francisco Tatad, who filed one of the disqualification cases against Poe, quickly sensed a subliminal message in Poe’s advertisement and called it a clever attempt to influence the justices of the Supreme Court into ruling in her favor. Tatad instructed his lawyer to submit a recording of the advertisement to the Supreme Court for its own evaluation. Meanwhile, Poe’s camp continuously insists that the electorate, not the Supreme Court or the Commission on Elections, should decide on whether or not Poe is qualified for the presidency. This is, of course, an indirect way of urging the Supreme Court to violate the Constitution. To support their unconstitutional agenda, Poe’s supporters argue that sovereignty resides in the people. Indeed, but then, Poe’s supporters conveniently fail to mention that the Constitution is the most articulate voice of the people, and it mandates that only natural-born citizens of the Philippines who have been residents of the Philippines for the past 10 years prior to the election, are eligible for president. In fact, the Constitution begins with the line—“We, the sovereign Filipino people ...” Poe’s camp is also conveniently quiet about the fact that Poe’s husband is an American citizen, and that who was suspended at that time without any authority, together with Napeñas, and that all time the President was hiding behind Purisima. Santa Banana, I believe that the whole shebang was scripted. The generals had been instructed not to implicate the President, much less hold him culpable and liable for the death of 44 police commandos. Also present during the hearing were Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras and even communications Chief Sonny Coloma. They were strategically seated as they informed the President of what was happening. It was BS Aquino holding the baton to make the probe look like a dud. The military generals started blaming Napeñas

A ruling in favor of Poe is obviously devoid of support in the Constitution. As the guardians of the Constitution, the justices of the Supreme Court are duty-bound to uphold the provisions of the fundamental law, especially when its if Poe is elected, the first gentleman of provisions are very clear. They are the Philippines will be an alien. not allowed to create any ambiguity Just recently, the Supreme Court where none exists. upheld the decision of the ComeIn the same vein, the justices must lec to disqualify several individuals rule in accordance with the Constiwho wanted to run for president in tution, and refrain from entertaining May 2016. Most of them were dis- populist views. They are justices, not qualified on the ground that they do legislators. Under a regime of connot have sufficient financial means stitutionalism and the rule of law, to maintain a presidential cam- an exception in favor of Poe, may be paign. By affirming the action taken one exception too many. by the Comelec, the Supreme Court ------------------ sustained the power of the Comelec At last, Senate President Frankto decide who are qualified to and lin Drilon and Speaker Feliciano disqualified from running for presi- Belmonte, Jr. acknowledged that dent. This also means that Poe’s des- the controversial Bangsamoro Baperate hope of getting the Supreme sic Law, so desperately endorsed by Court to “let the people decide her President Benigno Aquino III, is fate” is virtually nil. dead—dead because it has absoluteWhile the Constitution explicitly ly no chance of being enacted by the provides that only natural-born citi- outgoing Congress. It appears that zens of the Philippines who meet the for the past three weeks, the House 10-year residency requirement may was unable to muster a quorum to run for president, there is nothing in tackle the draft legislation, and Conthe Constitution which states that a gress will no longer be in session any candidate cannot run for president if time soon. he does not have the financial means Nobody is mourning the BBL’s to maintain a presidential campaign. demise. Most candidates are not There is also the equal protection even talking about it, and those clause of the Constitution, which who do so only mention it in passmeans that people similarly situated ing. Even its rabid endorsers seem should be treated similarly. to avoid discussions in that regard. Evidently, if the Supreme Court On the other hand, many Filipinos goes out of its way to accommo- are happy that the nightmare is over. date Poe and lets the people decide The BBL’s demise is not surprising whether Poe should be president, an because it was a bad idea from the very equal protection issue will inevitably beginning. It was created in stealth, arise—why is Poe, who was disquali- and without prior consultation with fied by the Comelec (on two grounds key officers of the Armed Forces of explicitly stated in the Constitution) the Philippines and representatives of allowed to run for president, while other legitimate interest groups. The the other candidates disqualified by Commission on Audit also reported the Comelec (on a ground nowhere that the agency behind the draft BBL to be found in the Constitution) re- overspent its own budget. main disqualified? Continued on A11

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA

for the massacre, saying that he was “incompetent.” But as Enrile correctly intoned, if the one being ordered is incompetent and stupid, the one giving the orders is an idiot. As a lawyer myself, from the way Enrile was asking questions and laying predicates on the culpability and liability of BS Aquino III for the slaughter of the “Fallen 44” I suspected he was also laying the predicate for filing a criminal and civil suit against BS Aquino III. Since Enrile himself is also stepping down as a senator, he will be BS Aquino III’s special prosecutor. As a mere lawyer, he would not be accused of having political motivations. These are all the developments in the reopening of the Mamasapano mas-

sacre. But since the “Machurian Candidate” of BS Aquino said that there’s nothing new in Enrile’s revelations, shall we interpret this as her attempt to shield BS Aquino III from any criminal and civil culpability the moment he steps down on June 30? Wasn’t that obvious? As for the presence of Americans in Mamasapano, who on cue carried the dead and the wounded into helicopters to the hospital, the question is why. Oplan Exodus was purely a police operation. The American Embassy came out with the copout (excuse) that the Visiting Forces Agreement provided intelligence and humanitarian aid to the police. For the military, yes. But not for the police. These are questions that continue to linger.

In any case, the Mamasapano massacre has become a big campaign issue against the Aquino administration and against BS Aquino III himself, who wants his candidate, Roxas, to continue his footsteps. The President needs to remember: What goes around comes around. *** I mourn the death of Cipriano Roxas, who was The Standard’s editor-inchief when the Sorianos took over from the late Manda Elizalde, who originally owned the publication. Cip was not only a very close friend. I used to drop by his office at Port Area where the publication was printed to share a drink or two of his collection of Scotch. This was around the time I got in trouble Continued on A11

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OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

HOW NOT TO START A STARTUP CULTURE resilient economy. In fact, Chinese companies don’t have much all that dif“RISK-AVERSE venture capitalficulty attracting venture capiist” might sound like a contratal right now. In 2015, Chinese diction in terms, but in Shanghai startups attracted $41.8 bilit’s precisely the sort of financier lion in investments, accordthe city is looking to attract. ing to Tech In Asia, while the Starting Feb. 1, the city plans to rest of Asia received $13.5 bilreimburse venture capitalists for losses up to 6 million yuan lion. Good data on startups and ($912,000) per year, incurred VC funding are thin in China, investing in the city’s early-stage but what exists suggests that startups. The policy is intended Shanghai trails. Last year, PwC to accelerate Shanghai’s transfor- reported that Shanghai startmation into a science-and-tech- ups received only 18 percent of nology hub of “global influence.” “total deal volume” from venShanghai isn’t alone among ture capital and private equity Chinese cities in seeking to de- investing in China. That surely velop a startup culture. As the annoys Shanghai’s city fathers, Chinese economy slows, that who have promoted the idea quest has become a near-obses- that Shanghai stands in the vansion for the government, with guard of China’s internationalChina’s top policymaking body ization and economic reform. The truth is that despite its calling for nothing less than a sparkling free-market reputation, wave of “mass entrepreneurShanghai has long lagged the ship and innovation” across the rest of China in promoting country. But as the recent deentrepreneurship. According to bacle in Shanghai’s stock market a groundbreaking 2010 study, has amply demonstrated, bailShanghai underperformed 125 ing out investors from the conother Chinese cities in the overall sequences of their decisions isn’t the way to develop a vibrant and density of private firms (defined

By Adam Minter

as the number of private firms divided by city population), giving it “an unexpectedly low level of entrepreneurship.” Instead, buoyed by central and local industrial policy, the city’s state-owned firms have largely driven its prosperity. They’ve also depressed entrepreneurship in key sectors. According to the 2010 study, private Shanghai companies competing against state-owned counterparts were smaller than in 150 other cities with similar conditions. That preference for the state sector hasn’t abated: When deciding how to redevelop Shanghai’s 2010 World’s Fair grounds, the government-designated much of the extraordinarily valuable land as a new headquarters for— yes—state-owned companies. The state sector’s influence remains dominant across China, of course. The central and local governments own some 155,000 enterprises, which together account for $16 trillion in assets, 17 percent of urban employment, 22 percent of industrial income and 38 percent of China’s

Poe... From A10

Law... From A9

Even the framework for the BBL violated a 2008 decision of the Supreme Court which disallowed an attempt on the part of the Office of the President to create a separate Bangsamoro political entity in Muslim Mindanao. Having failed in that regard back in 2008, the BBL was clearly another attempt to circumvent the Constitution. Moreover, the original draft of the proposed BBL had to be revised upon the instructions of President Benigno Aquino III. Fortunately for the people, Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. fought the threatened enactment of the BBL by subjecting it to intense scrutiny, especially after exjustices of the Supreme Court and other experts in Constitutional Law pointed out its numerous unconstitutional features. Marcos also exposed that President Aquino was dealing with a representative of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front who refused to reveal his real name, and who had numerous bank accounts under fictitious names. Without Bongbong’s unyielding opposition to the BBL, President Aquino might have succeeded in dismembering the Republic.

my Yale Law School mentor W. Michael Reisman who always emphasizes, in his writings and in conversations with him, the dialectic between power and authority. Professor Reisman describes law as a social decision process. By itself, there is nothing new in this proposition. At a superficial level, we can all agree, “A lawful decision is a choice made in conformity with appropriate procedural and substantive norms.” But Reisman points out that one does not just make a decision. Indeed, many functions or operations are concealed in the word “decision” and anyone who wants to understand as well as make effective a legal norm must deconstruct, i.e. take apart, the meaning of such a term. Concretely, this means that the judge, lawyer or legal scholar must distinguish law as myth system from law as operational code. By myth system, Reisman refers to the black-letter law, to the official legal norms recognized as such by society and by organs of the state. Thus, the constitution, statutes, administrative rules, even jurisprudence—all these form part of law as myth. But, according to Reisman: “There are enough discrepancies between this myth system and the way things are actually done by key

A case... From A10 with the Supreme Court which cited me in contempt for coming out with a headline story about an unpromulgated decision dismissing the case of “Rebellion with Murder” against the Senator Enrile in 1989. Enrile had been charged with the complete crime by then-Justice Secretary Frank Drilon upon the instigation of President Cory. It was allegedly in conspiracy with Gringo Honasan, now a senator, during a coup attempt. I got that scoop when at a wedding reception, where the late Supreme Court Justice Abdulwahid Bidin told me that a decision had already been arrived at. The Court had decided that “rebellion with murder” was an impossible crime since murder was already within the definition of rebellion. Bidin also said that a female jus-

tice, known to be close to Cory, was trying to withhold the promulgation of the decision allegedly to have some justices change their minds. It was all in my story. The Supreme Court wanted me to apologize and retract my story, but I never did. It cited me for contempt anyway for writing about the unpromulgated ruling, and fined me P10,000 or three months in jail. I was cited not as a journalist for my exposé but as a lawyer and an officer of the Court. It was a landmark decision, having been asked as a Bar question in legal ethics. Cip and The Standard supported me all the way. In fact, I never paid the fine and I challenged the Supreme Court to send me to jail. It never did. To Cip’s wife and family, I extend my deepest condolences and prayers.

Noynoy... From A9 But Aquino didn’t count on the stiff opposition his pet law would encounter from local governments like Zamboanga City and from advocates like that city’s congressman, Celso Lobregat. Because the MILF had become too greedy, it pushed for the expansion of the old ARMM territory by plebiscite, which would make new areas by simply corralling a minuscule percentage of the vote. Until Mamasapano happened,

industrial assets. Their activities range from steel to hotels, and entrepreneurs who dare compete with them for business or for bank loans (from China’s stateowned banks) do so at some risk. Until that changes—and the government’s plan to “reform” state-owned enterprises actually looks to strengthen their role in the economy—efforts to increase innovation will struggle. The good news is that in Shenzhen, China has found a model for getting around this problem. Founded as China’s first special economic zone, the city’s leadership has always favored the development of a healthy private sector over stateguided capitalism, while supporting privatization of existing state companies. Meanwhile, Shenzhen’s government—realizing that entrepreneurship will be key to the region’s future—has been proactive in creating loan programs for small and medium-sized enterprises. Shenzhen has also been unusually supportive of the small-scale maker movement, supporting the

development of several low-cost co-working spaces for entrepreneurs as well as large-scale international events to highlight the area’s maker community. (Shenzhen is host to Asia’s largest “maker faire.”) Replicating Shenzhen’s success won’t be easy or quick, for Shanghai or anyone else. Shenzhen’s unique industrial ecosystem developed over the course of three decades, and it’s not without its own problems (including dangerously lax safety oversight). But the main lesson shouldn’t be lost on Shanghai or any other Chinese city: The key to innovation isn’t venture capital bailout funds or other quick-fixes that leverage China’s deep pockets. Rather, entrepreneurs need the certainty that they’ll be competing against each other and not bureaucrats. The Chinese government would be better off creating an environment to promote that kind of open and even-handed competition, and letting markets sort out the winners and losers. Bloomberg

officials or effective actors to force the observer to apply another name for the unofficial but nonetheless effective guidelines for behavior in those discrepant sectors: the operational code. The operational code— how the legal norms are used and manipulated and enforced by the different actors in a legal system—is a ‘by-product of social complexity, generated by the increase of social divisions and specializations.” In the context of power, the operational code is a “private system of law.” Law from a policy perspective works best when the people interpreting black letter norms come from diverse backgrounds and work experiences. In the case of the Supreme Court, those who have climbed up the ranks from the Judiciary have a lot to contribute. But there should also be law practitioners, public interest lawyers, and academics in the High Court so that the right balance is achieved. In this context, I welcome the appointment of Benjamin Caguioa as the latest (and probably last) Justice of the Supreme Court to be appointed. Justice Caguioa has an excellent record in private law practice and has an impeccable personal record of integrity. He has also taught in various schools of law, including the University of Santo Tomas, Ateneo de Manila, and San Sebastian. He has served

as presidential legal counsel for the last three years, giving him necessary experience in public law. Clearly, a lawyer like the 174th Justice knows very well the operational code. It must be pointed out that the operational code is not totally divorced from the myth system. Indeed, it finds legitimacy in being able to invoke black-letter law. But it is distinct from the myth system. And to understand law as well as to make it more effective is to go beyond constitutional and statutory policy as myth and into policy as operational code. Understanding the operational code of Philippine constitutional policy is particularly important because staying at the level of constitutional, statutory and jurisprudential text alone is deceptive in a country where poverty and injustice are the norms. Applied to the Poe case, it should concern the Supreme Court that their decision on the Poe case could have enormous impact on the rights of foundlings and global Filipinos (OFWs, migrants, dual citizens, and others in our diaspora). As I have written before, this is not just about Poe but the millions who will be affected by a decision not just on law but definitely on policy as well.

the once-small anti-BBL faction in the House soon grew, in volume, if not in number. The debates delayed the law’s passage, hounded as it was by questions of constitutionality. Then, the 55 th SAF company wandered into a cornfield in Tukanalipao, Mamasapano, to meet their death at the hands of the MILF and their doppelganger, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. It was game over for the BBL—and Aquino’s supposed ambition to top his mother by get-

ting the Nobel Peace Prize that she never got. Pride comes before the fall, the Good Book says. In this case, pride was compounded by incompetence and a virtual act of God in the form of a massacre that Aquino allowed, so blinded was he by his allegiance to those who wanted Marwan caught. “Bingo,” as they said back then. BBL is dead now—and Aquino couldn’t have killed it more effectively if he had shot it himself.

Facebook Page: Dean Tony La Viña Twitter: tonylavs

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Korean edges Spieth for title; Tabuena 4th

No rest as Kerber jets off for Fed Cup

SINGAPORE—South Korea’s Song Young-Han won the $1.0 million SMBC Singapore Open on Monday, edging out world number one Jordan Spieth in a nailbiting finish.

BERLIN—There was no rest for newly-crowned Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber after a whirlwind of partying and engagements before jetting home on Sunday to prepare for the Fed Cup. The 28-year-old German earned her first Grand Slam title by shocking world number one Serena Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in Saturday’s final in Melbourne. After countless interviews, posing for pictures and undergoing a drugs test, Kerber eventually got back to her hotel around 3:00 am local time on Sunday morning, then went straight out partying. The new champion was sleepless in Melbourne, but brushed off any tiredness to celebrate on Sunday by swimming in the Yarra river next to the Rod Laver Arena, in echoes of the dip American Jim Courier took after his 1992 championship win on the same court. The new world number two made the plunge along with her team, including coach Torben Beltz and physiotherapist Simon Iden, plus a German Eurosport commentator, who made a bet with Kerber to jump in the river if she won. “It was cold, but it was worth it,” said Kerber after her dip. “I haven’t slept for a minute, I only had appointments to get to,” she told broadcaster ZDF, having become the first German since Steffi Graf in 1999 to win a Grand Slam title. “I managed to eat a banana after the final and then it was the next day. “I had never been so tired as in that moment,” she said after a night of partying as, despite only leaving the stadium in the early hours, “we still managed to go for a drink,” Kerber added with a grin. AFP

Song shot a one-under-par 70 over the final round to finish the tournament at 12-under 272, one stroke ahead of the American who wrapped up a 66 on Monday. China’s Liang Wen-Chong (69) was alone in third place on 274, while Miguel Tabuena (68) of the Philippines and Japan’s Shintaro Kobayashi (71) were tied fourth on 275. The final round at the Serapong Golf Course on Sentosa Island was suspended Sunday because of thunderstorms just as Spieth was lining up a five-foot birdie putt on the 18th green. Spieth got his birdie when play resumed Monday morning but Song, playing two groups behind, refused to buckle and parred his final three holes to secure the title. It was Song’s first career victory after six second-place finishes in Japan and Korea since 2013. Song became the first Asian to win the Singapore Open since India’s Jeev Milkha Singh took home the trophy in 2008. The South Korean never relinquished the lead after Friday’s second round when he fired a blistering eightunder 63 that equalled the course record. Spieth was playing in Singapore for the first time, but the co-sanctioned Asian Tour and Japan Tour event was no easy ride for the world number one.

Jordan Spieth of US (left) and Younghan Song of South Korea take a selfie during the final day of the Singapore Open at the Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore. The final round of the tournament was completed Feb. 1 after inclement weather disrupted the previous day’s play. AFP

Playing in his seventh competition in nearly four months, the 22-year-old Texan was plagued by inconsistent form and entered the final round trailing the South Korean by five strokes. Song said Monday he had felt the pressure building overnight. “Last night felt like a week,” the 24-year-old said. “I couldn’t eat because the whole night I was thinking about the 16th green. “I ‘hated’ Jordan last night,” he added. “The situation made me very nervous and I just left it to luck and the golfing gods.”

It was also a restless night for Spieth as he awaited the cliff-hanger finale. “It was tough to sleep on a putt that you have to come back (to), even though it wasn’t the most challenging putt,” he said. “Still a very nerve-wracking one to hit, knowing that you have to make it for what you think will be the play-off. I’m really happy I put a good stroke on it.” Despite his less-than-perfect week, the American said he enjoyed playing in the tournament, which returned from a three-year hiatus under a new sponsor.

“Overall, great experience and I had a really great time here. I fought hard in the final round but (I) was just a little too far back,” Spieth said. Selected scores: 272 - Song Young-Han (KOR) 70-63-69-70 273 - Jordan Spieth (USA) 67-7070-66 274 - Liang Wen-Chong (CHN) 71-67-67-69 275 - Miguel Tabuena (PHI) 69-67-71-68, Shintaro Kobayashi (JPN) 66-69-69-71 276 - Wang Jeung-Hun (KOR) 73-67-67-69, Hideto Tanihara (JPN) 68-67-71-70 AFP

Messi seeks to meet Afghan boy wearing plastic jersey KABUL—Barcelona star Lionel Messi is hoping to arrange a meeting with an Afghan boy who shot to fame after pictures of him dressed in a striped plastic bag jersey went viral, Kabul’s football federation said Monday.

Five-year-old Murtaza Ahmadi idolises the Argentine soccer star but a jersey of his favourite player is beyond the means of his poor family in the volatile province of Ghazni near Kabul. His elder brother Homay-

oun, 15, made him the blueand-white-striped plastic shirt with Messi’s named scrawled in marker pen and posted the photos of Murtaza wearing it on Facebook in mid-January. Jorge Messi, Lionel’s father, told AFP on Saturday

that the footballer was aware of the photos that made waves on social media and “wants to do something” for his young fan. The Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) on Monday said Messi was keen to meet Murtaza as soon as

possible, though no date or venue has so far been finalised. “Messi has been in communication with the federation to set up a meeting with the young boy,” AFF spokesman Sayed Ali Kazemi told AFP.

“We are working to see whether Messi will come to Afghanistan or the fiveyear-old will travel to Spain or they will meet in a third country.” There was no immediate comment from FC Barcelona. AFP

800 jins join Smart taekwondo tilt AROUND 800 taekwondo practitioners will compete in three different events in the 2016 SMART/MVP Sports Foundation, PLDT Home Ultera National CPJ (Carlos Palanca Jr.) and Kukkiwon Cup championships on Sunday, Feb. 7 at the Cuneta Astrodome. The country’s best jins including Francis Aaron Agojo, Samuel Thomas Morrison Harper, Ronna Ilao, Pauline Lopez and Benjamin Keith Sembrano will vie for slots on the national team in the kyorugi (free sparring) competition. Other entries will see action in the two other events—

poomsae, which means forms, and kyukpa, which means “breaking”. Kyorugi will feature Senior (those 18 years old and above), Junior (15-17 years old, and Cadet (12-14 years old) fighters, while poomsae campaigners will be divided into three divisions – individual, team and pair – with 13 categories, namely, Cadet (1214 years old), Junior (15-17), 1st Senior 1-A (18-24), Senior 1-B (25-30), Senior 2 (31-40), Master (41 and above), Cadet Pair, Junior Pair, Senior Pair, Cadet team, Junior team, 1st team and 2nd team. Kyukpa will feature two events—hand breaking and

foot breaking. Hand breaking will have two techniques – fist breaking, where one has to break the target with a straight down punch and knife hand breaking while foot breaking has three kinds of techniques: high jumping front kick breaking, flying side kick breaking over obstacles and acrobatic breaking. Poomsae is performed by following a systematic type of movements in a consecutive sequence against an imaginary opponent or multiple opponents. It consists of movements using the hands and feet and interconnected techniques like blocking, punching, string thrusting and kicking.

Tachiana Keizha Mangin of VAS gym (left), shown executing a roundhouse kick against Discovery Pluz’s Dice Refuerzo, is one of the entries in Sunday’s championships.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Caida 5 starting to show its fangs

Leandro Barbosa (left) and Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors celebrate in the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The Warriors won, 116-95. AFP

WINNING its first two games, Caida is slowly emerging as the biggest contender in the 2016 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup. With the team still finding its chemistry, coach Caloy Garcia has had the luxury of having a deep 12-man squad, which was evidenced by Jiovani Jalalon and Rey Nambatac seeing limited time in the Tile Masters’ 10384 demolition of AMA last Tuesday. “Gusto ko lahat ng players nakakapaglaro. In the long run, you have to use those players, and it’s just going to be an advantage on our part,” Garcia explained.

That depth will once again be put to the test when Caida faces Wangs Basketball on Tuesday at San Juan Arena. The Couriers are coming off of a moraleboosting 97-88 overtime win against Mindanao last Thursday. However, pulling off another shocker against the Tile Masters will definitely be a tall task, as coach Pablo Lucas and his wards will brace for the biggest favorite this conference. Game time is at 4 p.m., following the duel between Phoenix Petroleum-FEU and AMA University at 2 p.m.

Warriors click in win over Knicks LOS ANGELES—The NBA champion Golden State Warriors dominated the New York Knicks 116-95 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday with the help of forward Draymond Green’s ninth triple-double of the season. Green scored 20 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and handed out 10 assists as the Warriors notched their seventh straight victory to improve their league-leading record to 44-4.

He tied Tom Gola for most tripledoubles by a Warrior in a season and helped Golden State bounce back from Saturday’s sloppy showing against the 76ers in Philadelphia, where the league’s worst team

DepEd, Albay ink Palaro agreement THE Department of Education signed an agreement with the provincial government of Albay—the host of the 2016 Palarong Pambansa in Legazpi City—stipulating the duties and responsibilities of both parties to ensure a well-managed and professionally run annual national sporting event. DepEd Secretary Br. Armin Luistro FSC said this year’s staging of the Palaro will have many “firsts.” “I want to highlight that this is Albay’s first-ever hosting of the Palaro. This is also the first time that 18 regions will take action—not the usual 17 regions—because of the participation of the Negros Island Region,” he explained. Luistro added that this is also the first time that the Palaro will be conducted following very specific provisions of the law. Based on the Republic Act No. 10588 also known as the Palarong Pambansa Act of 2013, the elementary level would have to compete in 15 games and the secondary with 17 games and four (4) demonstration sports, namely Futsal, Wushu, Billiards and Wrestling. In addition, four special games will also be conducted for our special athletes. Participated in by elementary and secondary students from public and private

schools nationwide, the annual sporting event will be held at the Bicol University, Legazpi City from April 10 to 16. “We are institutionalizing this sports program to ensure that we are developing athletes that are of international caliber,” Luistro pointed out. Together with the Philippine Sports Commission and the provincial government of Albay, DepEd will see to it that the standards are at international level and that the coaching staff, the technical officials as well as the playing venues conform to international standards,” the education chief said. Albay Governor Joey Salceda responded by stating the province’s readiness and eagerness to host the Palaro. “We want to show that it will be a joyful Palaro. It’s something that celebrates the spirit of national unity, especially in Albay. Siguro kung mayroon isang bagay to define Albay, it is our resiliency or ability to recover from adversity—na kahit may bagyo ngayon, paggising mo kinabukasan, ni-isang pirasong kahoy wala kang makikita sa daan. Gusto naming ipakita na ang isang bayan, no matter how modest, no matter how limited its capacity, will still have the unity and ability to host the Palaro,” Salceda shared.

nearly rallied for an upset before the Warriors sealed a 108-105 win with a late three-pointer. Green admitted after that game that in chasing a triple-double against Philadelphia he made too many turnovers -- an confession that drew praise from coach Steve Kerr. “It was awesome that Draymond admitted that publicly, admitted to his teammates that he was going for a triple-double, and it kind of messed with the flow of the game,”

Kerr said. “I’ve never heard a player actually admit to that.” Green didn’t have to press for 10 assists against the Knicks, and once the Warriors got through a lowscoring first quarter in which they had eight turnovers to just seven baskets, their vaunted offense began to click. They connected on 14 of 17 shots in the second period, led by six at halftime and never trailed after the interval. Stephen Curry, the league’s top

scorer, had a quiet night with just 13 points. With his team up by doubledigits he played little in the fourth period. Guard Klay Thompson helped fill the void, posting his ninth game this season of 30 or more points with 34. - Clippers blow out Bulls Reserve guard Jamal Crawford scored 26 points as the Los Angeles Clippers’ bench came up big in a 120-93 victory over the visiting Chicago Bulls. AFP

Sea Horses join Griffins in semis THE PATTS School of Aeronautics Sea Horses repulsed the National College of Business and Arts Wildcats, 74-59, Thursday, to earn the second semifinal slot in the 8th Universities and Colleges of Luzon Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament at the Marikina Sports Complex. Arvee Capinding and John Paul Manansala made 14 and 13 points, respectively, and led the Sea Horses in finishing the eliminations with their sixth triumph in seven outings.

They joined the Colegio de San Lorenzo Griffins, who also earned a twice-to-beat incentive and the first semifinals seat with their 6853 swamping of the Philippine State College of Aeronautics Iron Eagles. Ivan Fortunato had 15 points, while Rustom Borja and James Alvarado made 13 apiece for the Griffins, who formally entered the semis via a seven-game sweep. The Wildcats, with Eljohn Limpin scoring 16 points, fell behind with their 4-3 slate.

Because of their record at fourth spot, they will meet Asian Institute of Maritime Studies in a knockout quarterfinal match at 2:30 p.m. on Monday. The third-ranked St. Francis of Assissi College Doves take on the Lyceum of Alabang Blue Sharks at 1 p.m. “We had a strong start and stayed focused after that,” said PATTS coach Renzie Aranzaso. The Sea Horses needed an 8-2 run in the second period to leave behind the Wildcats.

Test run. Movistar

Yamaha MotoGP’s Italian rider Valentino Rossi rides out of the pit lane during the first day of 2016 MotoGP pre-season test at the Sepang International. AFP

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Beristain: Pacman win inevitable By Ronnie Nathanielsz

NACHO Beristain, the Hall of Fame trainer of four-division world champion Juan Manuel Marquez, said a victory by eight-division Manny Pacquiao over World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley is “inevitable.” The two fighters clash for the third time at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 9.

Beristain trained the Mexican legend in his four fights against Pacquiao, including his

crushing sixth-round knockout in their last fight on Dec. 8, 2012. Bradley won his first encounter with Pacquiao in a bitterly criticized split decision on June 9, 2012, while the Filipino won the rematch by a lopsided unanimous decision on April 12,2014, setting up the trilogy which, according to boxing scene, doesn’t excite Beristain, who said it will be more of the same with Pacquiao

coming out victorious. One of the greatest Mexican trainers, Beristain was also in the corner of Marquez when he dropped a controversial split decision to Bradley on Oct. 12, 2013. Bradley will enter the ring with veteran trainer Teddy Atlas, who steered him to an impressive ninthround stoppage of Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios. Pacquiao earlier went twelve rounds with Rios,

before winning a one-sided decision. Beristain, however, believes the presence ot Atlas won’t make a difference and the result would be an inevitable Pacquiao victory. “Pacquiao should win because he is the better fighter,” said Beristain, who added he didn’t see any significant changes when Bradley stopped Rios. “No, I do not think Bradley will have a great-

er opportunity to get the win because Bradley is the same fighter.” Beristain commended Pacquiao for being “a good fighter and a responsible fighter. He is not going to walk away from boxing with a loss, so he chose Bradley. And Bradley is a good fighter, but we all know who will win unless Bradley becomes a very different fighter than what he has shown throughout his career.”

Macaraya named new Stags’ mentor By Peter Atencio EDGAR Macaraya will be the new coach of the San Sebastian College Stags in Season 92 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament. Macaraya, a former star player of the Stags, takes over from another schoolmate, Rodney Santos. This was confirmed after he reach an agreement with school officials, led by Atty. Reynold Munsayac, who is their management committee representative in the NCAA. Macaraya said he will still handle the successful Centro Escolar University Scorpions’ basketball program, where is he the school’s consultant. He will also retain his

job as coach of the Café France Bakers in the PBA D-League. He will be joined by Efren ‘Yong’ Garcia, who was one of Macaraya’s assistants when he was still CEU head coach. The school has also tapped Advance Solutions Inc. to support the San Sebastian basketball program. Macaraya played for the Stags in the 1990s before he moved up to the PBA. While with CEU for three years, Macaraya mentored the Scorpions to three National Athletic Association for Schools, Colleges, and Universities titles. The Stags have yet to to win an NCAA crown since Jimbo Aquino and Calvin Abueva led the squad to the 2009 championship, under coach Ato Agustin.

Uphill climb. Belgian Femke Van Den Driessche races during the women’s U23 race at the world championships

cyclocross cycling, in Heusden-Zolder. A concealed motor was found on a bike being used by Belgian cyclist Femke Van den Driessche at the world cyclo-cross championships, the head of the International Cycling Union. “It’s absolutely clear that there was technological fraud. There was a concealed motor. I dont think there are any secrets about that,” Brian Cookson told a news conference. AFP

Tap Dance too good for rivals in stakes race TAP Dance lived up to its high billing, overpowering three others to win the Philracom 4-Year-Old stakes race under veteran Jonathan Hernandez last Sunday at the Santa Ana Park in Imus, Cavite. Bought recently by sportsmanbusinessman Narciso Morales from Sandy Javier, Tap Dance seized the lead from Penrith at the far turn and steadily pulled away as he captured the second biggest race disputed in the young season. The son of imported sire Cowboy out of Faster Rapper, Tap Dance clocked 1 minute and 18.4 seconds in the short 1300-meter race and finished some five lengths ahead of the Fernando Racquel-ridden Manalig Ka. Hot and Spicy, handled by Rodeo Fernandez, and Penrith, ridden by Mark Alvarez, came in third and fourth, respectively, in the race that saw Tap Dance take off as top favorite with sales

of P300,000-plus in the popular daily double betting. The victory was worth P300,000 for Morales, who took off from where he left off in the 2015 season by posting 22 wins last month to seize the early lead in money winnings among horseowners. “A good horse. As long as he stays healthy, I’m confident Tap Dance is going to win more races,” said Morales, whose stable includes prominent runners Spectrum, Hot Dog and Dikoridik Koridak. Right from the get-go, Tap Dance stayed right behind the fast-starting Penrith and effortlessly seized the upperhand as the two horses were about to enter the far turn. In a season to remember, Morales, named as the Most Reputable Horseowner awardee by the Philracom in 2014, posted close to 200 wins last year to emerge as No. 1 in victories and earnings for the second time in the last four years.

Velezes dominate Kidapawan net meet PATRICIA Velez recovered from a second set defeat and crushed top seed Carlyn Guarde in the decider, 6-3, 5-7. 6-0, to snare the girls’ 16-and-under crown in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional tennis circuit presented by Slazenger at the Kidapawan City Tennis Club in Cotabato Province over the weekend. Velez, one of the rising stars from talent-rich Davao, sustained her form and repeated over her Sultan Kudarat rival in the premier 18-U finals, 6-1, 6-4, to lead four other players who completed a twotitle romp in the Group 2 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and hosted by Kidapawan City Mayor Joseph Evangelista. John David Velez matched her sister’s feat, beating JV Comendador, 6-3, 6-1, for

the boys’ 12-U title and thwarting Brent Andrew Magno, 7-5, 6-1, for the 14-U plum in the fourth leg of the PPS-PEPP circuit backed by Asiatraders Corp., exclusively distributor of Slazenger, the official ball of the circuit. Janus Ringia pulled off two tough wins to share the spotlight with the third seeded Koronadal bet upending top ranked Jefferson Alqueza, 7-5, 6-4, to snatch the boys’ 18-U crown. He earlier held off Magno, 6-4, 6-4, for the 16-U title. Sultan Kudarat’s Minette April Bentillo posted the other two-title exploit, surviving Jonn Nadela, 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, for the girls’ 14-U title and sweeping Tennielle Madis, 6-3, 6-2, for the 12-U crown. Madis, from M’lang, Cotabato, earlier took the 10-unisex title with a 4-0, 1-4, 4-2 decision over

Reyman Saldivar. “While some fancied bets prevailed, the number of reversals only underscored the level playing field with the lowerranked players gaining headway and stunning their more favored rivals. This is what this circuit is all about, to discover fresh talents, especially in the countryside,” said Palawan Pawnshop COO Bobby Castro. Meanwhile, action shifts to Cebu this week with the staging of the fifth leg in Consolacion, Laray while Koronadal City hosts the sixth stop of the 52-stage nationwide circuit on Feb. 11-15. For details, call tournament organizer and supervisor Bobby Mangunay, also the PPS-PEPP sports program development director, at 0915-4046464 or log on to www.palawanpawnshoptennis.com.

T UE S DAY : F E B RUA RY 2 , 2 0 1 6

A15

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

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

P0 M+ P0 M

Finding ways to win THE Golden State Warriors, who lead the NBA with a 44-4 ARMAN D. ARMERO (win-loss) slate, are a great team, but they will not always win. In fact, they have lost four times this season against lightly regarded teams, except for the Dallas Mavericks. But one admirable trait of the Warriors is their ability to find ways to win, and to field in players, who will deliver when the chips are down. This trait was in full display in their last two games, against the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks. On Saturday, (Sunday, Manila time) the Warriors nearly stumbled to their fifth loss, but Harrison Barnes rescued them with a 3-pointer in the last 0.2 second for a 108-105 win over the 76ers. If they had lost that match, it would have been a huge story, since the 76ers currently own the worst record (7-41) in the NBA. Last Sunday, (Monday in Manila), the Warriors were off to their slowest start, scoring only 18 points to the Knicks’ 20 in the first quarter. But the Warriors were a different team in the next quarter, with Klay Thompson and triple-double specialist Draymond Green alternating in puncturing New York’s defense with timely baskets. Interestingly, Dubs superstar Stephen Curry finished with only 13 points, and didn’t even score in the second quarter. He was used sparingly in the fourth quarter, as the Warriors coasted to a 116-95. This is not the first time that Curry wasn’t his explosive self, and will certainly will not be the last. But this only shows that even without their superstar scoring heavily, Golden State will always find a way to win. While Curry remains an important cog in Warriors’ offense, the team concept of team ball and team defense are actually their greatest weapons. They keep on winning because the players believe in their system and have the confidence to deliver when other players, yes even Curry, fail. *** Speaking of winning, it’s going to be winning time for either San Miguel or Alaska in Game 7 of the PBA Philippine Cup tomorrow (Wednesday) at the Mall of Asia Arena. Given up for dead after trailing 0-3, the Beermen racked up three straight wins to tie the series and come knocking on history’s door. No PBA (or NBA team for that matter) has come back from a 0-3 deficit in a best-of-seven title series, but the Beermen have the golden opportunity to rewrite basketball history, and it is understandable while the San Miguel community, from the management, coaches and players, are excited to seal the deal on Wednesday. Still, the Beermen should bear in mind that until they wrap up the series with a win, history is still on the side of the Aces. Game 7 is a war, and expect both teams to leave it all on the floor when they clash for the final time tomorrow. Because of the high stakes, expect Game 7 to be highly physical. Knowing this, the PBA should also make sure that the officiating would be both decisive and fair and would not undermine the flow of the game. I’m not predicting which team will win, but in the end, the biggest winners should be the basketball fans themselves who had surely enjoyed the series since Game 1. For reactions, e-mail me at armero_23@yahoo.com.

STEP BACK

SMB’s Chris Ross (right) chases Alaska’s Chris Exciminiano in Game 6 of their teams’ PBA Philippine Cup Finals. The Beermen won, 100-89.

Game 7 pressure is on Beermen, says Compton By Jeric Lopez

THOUGH he is going up against a tough competitor on the opposite side, Alaska coach Alex Compton still managed to give credit where credit is due. After starting the best-ofseven finale of the 2015-16 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup with a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 lead, the Aces suddenly found themselves on the ropes and now with only a single chance to win the championship after San Miguel dramatically racked up three straight wins to level the series a 3-3.

While fans praised Best Player of the Conference June Mar Fajardo’s return and the improved contributions from the other Beermen as main factors in this improbable San Miguel Beer run, Compton commended his coaching opposition Leo Austria for his part in the defending champion’s resurgence. Compton believes that Austria’s fingerprints were

all over the three wins that San Miguel has racked up in the series. ‘’I would like to commend Coach Leo Austria,’’ said Compton. ‘’He’s a good coach and he deserves credit for what San Miguel is doing. He’s doing a great job.’’ As for his thoughts on who has the pressure entering Game 7 tomorrow, where the championship will be on the line, Compton didn’t hesitate in pointing towards the Beermen’s direction. ‘’I think the pressure is really on them,’’ he said. ‘’They’re the defending champions.’’ Compton obviously wants to cop a 15th championship for Alaska and end its 16-

year All-Filipino conference drought as well as avoid being at the wrong side of a potential historic feat that San Miguel is gunning for. The Beermen can put themselves in the history books as the first ever team in the PBA, and perhaps anywhere, to comeback from a 0-3 deficit in a best-of-seven series and win it. Of course, Compton and his Aces have other plans. ‘’All is not lost for us. We still have one shot at the championship and I’m hoping this can be our time,’’ said Compton. The deciding Game 7 is set tomorrow, 7 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Philracom racing sales hit P7.7 billion PH squash team at Forum

THE Philippine Racing Commission recently confirmed that the Thoroughbred horseracing industry earned gross sales of P7.7 billion in 2015, some P1.15 billion of which went to government coffers as direct taxes. The gross prize money for first placers averaged P12,936.68, with the net to horseowners at P76,419.35. Among its accomplishments in 2015 as horseracing’s regulatory body, the Commission licensed 1,563 industry members, including 30 new horseowners and four new racehorse trainers, and registered 2,348 racehorses. Their Stud Book division

listed 88 active Thoroughbred stallions and 1,116 active broodmares, and 587 new runners (novatos). In exercise of its regulatory powers under its charter, Presidential Decree No. 420, Philracom suspended the licenses of 128 industry members. With strict implementation of racing rules and regulations, the collection of fees, fines, and penalties amounted to P15.25 million, which was promptly remitted to the Bureau of Treasury. The Commission allotted P43.32 million in prizes for its sponsored stakes races in 2015, and conducted 20 charity races with proceeds to the

beneficiaries amounting to P3.5 million. “Our biggest challenge in 2016,” said Philracom Chairman Andrew A. Sanchez, “is to help stakeholders find ways to increase revenue. The sport has tremendous potential and is a steady and reliable contributor of funds to government by way of direct and indirect taxes. “The sport and its allied activity, Thoroughbred breeding, accounts for thousands of jobs in the racing clubs, breeding ranches, and racing organizations. It also provides business opportunities for suppliers, caterers, and other entrepreneurs.”

THE victorious Philippine team to the second South East Asian Cup Squash Championship in Myanmar will be the special guest in today’s session of the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Shakey’s Malate. Squash Rackets Association of the Philippines president Bob Bachmann and two members of the squad which won a gold, silver, and two bronze medals in the Jan. 11-17 meet, are gracing the session being aired live over DZSR Sports Radio 918 and presented by San Miguel Corp., Shakey’s, Accel, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. This will be the last holding of the weekly session before the PSA—the oldest media organization in the country— stages its Annual Awards Night on Feb. 13 at the One Esplanade in Pasay City. PSA president Riera Mallari of the Manila Standard enjoins members to attend the public sports program which starts at 10:30 a.m.

T U E S DAY : F E B R U A R Y 2 , 2 0 16

A16

RIERA U. MALL ARI EDITOR

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

sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic kisses The Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after his 2016 Australian Open tennis tournament victory in the men’s singles final against Britain’s Andy Murray. AFP

No boundaries for Novak

MELBOURNE—Another overpowering win kept him head and shoulders above his peers at the Australian Open, but Novak Djokovic said fears of a “ big slap from karma” make him humble as he continues his quest for Grand Slam history. The achievements keep coming for the supreme Serb after he smashed world number two Andy Murray 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) in two hours, 53 minutes Sunday to lift his fourth trophy in five Grand Slams. It moved the 28-year-old to 11 Grand Slam titles, joint fifth on the all-time list and, at his current rate, closing fast on Roger Federer’s alltime record of 17. Not only has Djokovic become the first man in

Song edges Spieth; Tabuena places 4th TURN TO A12

nearly 50 years to win six Australian titles, he has also established himself as a class apart from his main rivals: Murray, Federer and Rafael Nadal. Murray never recovered from a first set which passed in a blur 6-1—suffering the same fate as Nadal and Federer, who lost the first set by the same scoreline in their heavy defeats to Djokovic this year. But Djokovic said he refuses to accept that he has

separated himself from the top echelon of men’s tennis, previously dubbed the ‘Big Four’, although results may show otherwise. “I don’t want to allow myself to be in that frame of mind,” he said, sitting next to the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup for the sixth time in the depths of Rod Laver Arena. “Because if I do, the person becomes too arrogant and thinks that he’s a higher being or better than everybody else. You can get a big slap from karma very soon. I don’t want that. “I try to still follow the same kind of lifestyle and routine, things that I’ve been doing all these years that have been helping me to get to where I am.” He added: “I hope this kind of approach will help me to

get to where I am. I don’t want to step away from it.” The hungry wolf Djokovic said he sets no “boundaries” as he contemplates a career which could yet outdo anything previously achieved on a tennis court. Last year he put together one of the best seasons ever seen, winning three Grand Slam titles—a feat he also managed three years earlier in 2011. This season, the first ever men’s ‘Golden Slam’, which is the four major titles plus Olympic gold, is on the table, a fact which will not have gone unnoticed by Djokovic. But the main priority is completing the career Grand Slam by winning his first French Open title, the only big trophy to elude him

Compton: Pressure is on SMB TURN TO A15

last year when an inspired Stan Wawrinka left him in tears in the final. He said: “I’ve heard actually one nice metaphor yesterday. It’s much easier for the wolf that is going uphill and running up the mountain... he was hungrier than the wolf standing on the hill. “You can observe it from different sides, but I believe that all the guys that are out there fighting each week to get to number one are very hungry to get to number one, and I know that. “I can’t allow myself to relax and enjoy. I mean, I can. Of course I want to enjoy, and I will, but it’s not going to go more than few days. “After that I’m already thinking about how can I continue on playing well throughout the rest of the season each tournament.” AFP

Tigers’ coach: My conscience is clear By Peter Atencio MY conscience is clear. This was the statement of University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers’ coach Segundo “Bong” dela Cruz III as he brushed aside allegations that he and members of the team were involved in game fixing. De la Cruz, who also denied physically and verbally abusing his players, said he chose to keep silent on the issues hounding the team for the last two weeks. “Alam ko sa aking sarili na malinis ang aking konsensya, subalit mas pipiliin ko na kung kinakailangan ay sa tamang lugar o sa proper forum ako magsasalita upang maipahayag ko ang aking panig,” said Dela Cruz, who added that he decided to break his silence after his family got affected. Fr. Ermito de Sagon, O.P., director of the Institute for Physical Education and Athletics, said that Dela Cruz is under investigation, but not suspended from the team, which lost its championship battle to the Far Eastern University Tamaraws last month. Dela Cruz has complied and waiting for the decision of the University administration on his fate. Turn to A14

TUESDAY: FEBRUARY 2, 2016

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

BSP: No need to adjust rates By Julito G. Rada

BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas said Monday it will not join other central banks in adjusting interest rates, given the country’s strong economic fundamentals. Bangko Sentral Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. made the statement, after Bank of Japan followed the European Central Bank in imposing negative rates in a bid to revive lending. The US Federal Reserve, meanwhile, increased its rate in December last year. “We monitor what AE [ad-

vanced economies] central banks and central banks in the region do as these affect risk appetite of global investors and therefore capital flows also. Authorities will do what they believe would work for their specific circumstances,” Tetangco said in a text message. “Also, we don’t have to move

in sync. So far, our fundamentals have held up against these and other headwinds, aggregate demand remains firm and inflation expectations are well anchored. Thus, there is no real urgency to change stance of policy now,” Tetangco said. The Philippine gross domestic product grew 6.3 percent in the fourth quarter and 5.8 percent in the whole of 2015, making it one of the fastest growing economies in the region. Inflation rate also averaged 1.4 percent last year, one of the lowest on record. Tetangco said election spend-

ing this year would have a small positive impact on GDP and could raise inflation slightly. “But these are not expected to persist. Many of the critical economic reforms have been institutionalized, so we can expect continuity of policies,” Tetangco said. Moody’s Analytics, a division of Moody’s Corp., said the Philippines was in a good position to ride out the external headwinds associated with economic and financial market volatility. Moody’s Analytics said in a report the strong growth in services including business process

outsourcing was helping offset weakness in merchandise exports amid sluggish global demand and crop production because of drought. Tetangco said economic expansion was achieved last year amid a low inflation environment. Inflation in 2015 averaged 1.4 percent, below the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent. The manageable inflation encouraged Bangko Sentral to keep policy interest rates unchanged last year. Benchmark interest rates were retained at 4 percent for overnight borrowing and 6 percent for overnight lending.

PSe comPoSite index Closing February 1, 2016

8000 8340 7880 7420 6960 6500

6,701.36 13.74

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing February 1, 2016 48.00 46.00 45.00

P47.690

44.00

43.00

HIGH P47.620 LOW P47.745 AVERAGE P47.685 VOLUME 509.200M

P417.00-P627.00 LPG/11-kg tank P33.30-P40.75 Unleaded Gasoline

oPriceS il P

Falling exports.

today

A man carries boxes at a traditional market in Seoul on February 1, 2016. South Korea’s exports, the main driver of the national economy, suffered their sharpest drop in more than six years in January, extending what is now a 13-month losing streak. AFP

P20.40-P23.80 Diesel P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, February 1, 2016

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

47.6850

Japan

Yen

0.008260

0.3939

Pound

1.424800

67.9416

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128454

6.1253

Switzerland

Franc

0.977613

46.6175

Canada

Dollar

0.714796

34.0850

Singapore

Dollar

0.702247

33.4866

Australia

Dollar

0.707014

33.7140

Bahrain

Dinar

2.657101

126.7039

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266667

12.7160

Brunei

Dollar

0.699790

33.3695

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000073

0.0035

Thailand

Baht

0.028012

1.3358

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

12.9833

Euro

1.083800

51.6810

Korea

Won

0.000827

0.0394

China

Yuan

0.152054

7.2507

India

Rupee

0.014736

0.7027

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.240964

11.4904

New Zealand

Dollar

0.646789

30.8421

Taiwan

Dollar

0.029922

1.4268 Source: PDS Bridge

PAL restructuring operations in China—Bautista By Darwin G. Amojelar PHILIPPINE Airlines said it plans to restructure its operations in China in preparation for the delivery of brand new aircraft this year. “We have plans to do some reorganization in our China operation and the objective is to really look at the markets on which new cities we can fly,” PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said. Bautista said the company was set to take delivery of five Airbus

321s and two Boeing 777 this year. “We are hoping that we can mount some of these airplanes to new destinations in China,” he said. Sources said PAL was looking at the viability of Chengdu and Chongqing markets. PAL already flies to Guangzhou, Beijing, Xiamen, Shanghai, Macau, Hong Kong and Jinjang. Bautista added the Chinese market was normalizing after China issued a favorable travel advisory on its residents in September 2014. Data from the Department

of Tourism showed that visitors from China increased 17 percent to 415,868 in January to October last year from 354,202 in the same period in 2014. PAL will be flying to Los Angeles from Cebu on March 15 and from Manila to Saipan on June 15. Bautista earlier said PAL was set to sign a $1-billion deal with an aircraft manufacturer for six long-range, twin-engine widebody jets next month. Bautista did not identify the aircraft manufacturer, but he earlier said the company was looking

at either Airbus A350 or Boeing 787 Dreamliner. PAL Holdings Inc., the holding company of PAL, posted a net income of P6.55 billion in the first nine months of 2015 from P169.1 million in the same period in 2014. PAL’s total revenues for the nine-month period reached P81.99 billion, up 10.8 percent from P73.98 billion year-on-year. PAL attributed the favorable performance to higher passenger revenues and other sales generated during the period.

TUESDAY: FEBRUARY 2, 2016

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Monday, February 1, 2016

52 Weeks

High Low 7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 4.2 17 30.45 0.92 2.6 890 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 91.5 361.2 57 180 1700 124 47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 20.6 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 2.89 31.8 109 20.75 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 79 3.95 74 33.9 90 13.26 293 5.25 12.98 15 7.03 3.4 4.5 7.86 238 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 1.3 2.17 0.59 59.2 30.05 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 3.35 4.92 0.66 1455 76 9.25 0.85 17.3 0.71 5.53 0.0670 2.31 1.61 2.99 84.9 974 1.66 156 0.710 0.435 0.510 10.5 1.99 41.4 5.6 5.59

STOCKS

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.6 2.9 44.75 44.75 103.00 100.70 88.50 86.60 35.3 35 1.45 1.40 14.32 14.22 16.2 15.9 0.72 0.72 1.81 1.81 580.00 570.00 0.450 0.450 74.1 72.7 0.88 0.87 15.28 15.00 50.00 49.50 280 270 32.85 32.75 145.2 141.9 1280.00 1270.00 56.90 56.10 INDUSTRIAL 35.9 Aboitiz Power Corp. 41.6 41.75 41.4 1.11 Agrinurture Inc. 4.33 4.53 4.35 1.01 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.63 0.65 0.57 1.86 Alsons Cons. 1.27 1.31 1.26 7.92 Asiabest Group 9.5 9.5 9.21 15.32 Century Food 15.58 16.78 15.58 10.08 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 19.72 19.9 19.6 29.15 Concepcion 40 40.3 39.7 1.5 Crown Asia 2.08 2.18 2.08 1.5 Da Vinci Capital 2.29 2.44 2.28 10.72 Del Monte 11.82 11.9 11.74 9.55 DNL Industries Inc. 8.100 8.250 7.700 9.04 Emperador 7.34 7.47 7.31 6.02 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.48 5.57 5.43 8.86 EEI 5.58 5.55 5.28 1.06 Euro-Med Lab 1.79 1.79 1.79 20.2 First Gen Corp. 18.4 18.9 18.28 71.5 First Holdings ‘A’ 55.8 56.9 55.8 13.86 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 11.84 11.04 11.04 13.24 Holcim Philippines Inc. 14.30 14.28 14.00 5.34 Integ. Micro-Electronics 5.08 5.17 5.14 2.250 0.395 Ionics Inc 2.250 2.380 173 Jollibee Foods Corp. 205.20 209.80 205.60 LBC Express 7.44 7.45 7 34.1 Liberty Flour 25.00 25.00 25.00 2.3 LMG Chemicals 1.7 1.8 1.8 33 Macay Holdings 39.35 38.95 35.85 23.35 Manila Water Co. Inc. 24.3 24.9 24.5 17.3 Maxs Group 13.7 14.38 13.8 5.88 Megawide 5.5 5.6 5.52 250.2 Mla. Elect. Co À’ 310.00 312.00 303.40 3.87 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 2.95 3 2.93 8.45 Petron Corporation 6.50 6.78 6.50 10.04 Phinma Corporation 11.50 11.50 11.10 3.03 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 3.50 3.60 3.50 1.95 Phoenix Semiconductor 1.35 1.39 1.32 1 Pryce Corp. À’ 2.32 2.69 2.33 1.65 Roxas and Co. 2.43 2.3 2.3 161 San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ 138.6 147 138 1.55 Splash Corporation 2.49 2.65 2.47 0.138 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.146 0.146 0.145 1.02 TKC Steel Corp. 0.98 0.98 0.98 2.09 Trans-Asia Oil 2.10 2.15 2.13 152 Universal Robina 193 195 192.2 0.640 Vitarich Corp. 0.6 0.6 0.6 1.2 Vulcan Ind’l. 0.98 1.00 0.96 HOLDING FIRMS 0.44 Abacus Cons. À’ 0.290 0.295 0.290 48.1 Aboitiz Equity 58.5000 58.6500 55.0500 20.85 Alliance Global Inc. 14.80 14.82 14.70 0.23 ATN Holdings A 0.200 0.230 0.230 0.23 ATN Holdings B 0.180 0.230 0.230 634.5 Ayala Corp À’ 679.5 684 660 7.390 Cosco Capital 7.37 7.4 7.34 12.8 DMCI Holdings 11.40 11.42 11.00 2.6 F&J Prince ‘A’ 5.75 5.6 5 2.26 Filinvest Dev. Corp. 4.51 4.90 4.54 0.152 Forum Pacific 0.223 0.225 0.211 837 GT Capital 1290 1300 1281 IPM Holdings 9.53 9.67 9.50 49.55 JG Summit Holdings 67.00 67.05 65.00 4.84 Lopez Holdings Corp. 5.25 5.52 5.25 0.59 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.54 0.58 0.52 12 LT Group 15.9 16.1 15.9 0.580 Mabuhay Holdings À’ 0.48 0.51 0.51 4.2 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 5.5 5.7 5.38 0.030 Pacifica À’ 0.0280 0.0300 0.0280 1.23 Prime Media Hldg 0.940 0.950 0.950 0.550 Prime Orion 1.940 2.050 1.930 2.26 Republic Glass ‘A’ 2.7 2.74 2.55 59.3 San Miguel Corp À’ 72.90 73.85 71.55 751 SM Investments Inc. 827.50 836.00 804.50 1.13 Solid Group Inc. 1.00 1.01 1.00 80 Top Frontier 104.900 108.000 101.500 0.211 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.2650 0.2850 0.2550 0.179 Wellex Industries 0.2100 0.2100 0.2050 0.310 Zeus Holdings 0.275 0.275 0.250 PROPERTY 6.74 8990 HLDG 6.760 7.000 6.740 0.65 A. Brown Co., Inc. 0.72 0.81 0.73 30.05 Ayala Land `B’ 31.400 31.900 31.150 3.36 Belle Corp. À’ 2.37 2.45 2.33 4.96 Cebu Holdings 4.6 4.6 4.6 2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.68 12.02 19.6 0.74 1.02 625 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 62 276 41 118.2 1200 59

AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank Bright Kindle Resources COL Financial Eastwest Bank First Abacus I-Remit Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp. MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp. PB Bank Phil. National Bank PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank

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

SHARES 16,652,557 61,135,003 111,172,974 185,865,888 230,987,744 97,839,477 705,763,873

2.9 44.7 102.00 87.65 34.6 1.42 14.32 15.88 0.72 1.81 580.00 0.450 71 0.92 15.58 50.00 270 32.75 141.8 1260.00 56.90

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3.25 44.75 102.60 88.50 35.2 1.40 14.22 16.04 0.72 1.81 570.00 0.450 73.95 0.87 15.28 49.50 280 32.85 144.8 1270.00 56.20

12.07 0.11 0.59 0.97 1.73 -1.41 -0.70 1.01 0.00 0.00 -1.72 0.00 4.15 -5.43 -1.93 -1.00 3.70 0.31 2.12 0.79 -1.23

1,863,000 20,200 2,698,460 3,679,080 55,100 182,000 600 1,965,800 1,000 3,000 350 40,000 3,043,880 31,000 6,400 24,570 920 261,300 1,587,990 100 4,030

41.75 4.45 0.57 1.29 9.5 15.6 19.6 39.9 2.09 2.31 11.78 7.800 7.35 5.43 5.37 1.79 18.4 56.65 11.04 14.28 5.17 2.300 207.80 7.44 25.00 1.8 38.95 24.75 14 5.6 310.00 3 6.69 11.50 3.51 1.34 2.51 2.3 146 2.5 0.145 0.98 2.14 194.8 0.6 1.00

0.36 2.77 -9.52 1.57 0.00 0.13 -0.61 -0.25 0.48 0.87 -0.34 -3.70 0.14 -0.91 -3.76 0.00 0.00 1.52 -6.76 -0.14 1.77 2.22 1.27 0.00 0.00 5.88 -1.02 1.85 2.19 1.82 0.00 1.69 2.92 0.00 0.29 -0.74 8.19 -5.35 5.34 0.40 -0.68 0.00 1.90 0.93 0.00 2.04

3,970,500 204,000 618,000 483,000 600 264,800 120,900 29,000 510,000 1,350,000 28,400 11,337,900 1,748,600 10,895,200 454,700 1,000 4,140,700 758,630 100 300 62,500 1,455,000 1,911,460 108,500 500 20,000 200 536,400 4,156,600 52,000 450,460 58,000 3,475,400 3,100 1,089,000 194,000 2,903,000 1,000 21,740 2,435,000 530,000 7,000 1,003,000 3,676,410 14,000 41,000

0.295 58.0000 14.78 0.230 0.230 670 7.37 11.26 5.2 4.78 0.225 1299 9.63 67.00 5.4 0.55 16 0.51 5.42 0.0290 0.950 2.050 2.74 72.00 830.00 1.01 108.000 0.2700 0.2100 0.250

1.72 -0.85 -0.14 15.00 27.78 -1.40 0.00 -1.23 -9.57 5.99 0.90 0.70 1.05 0.00 2.86 1.85 0.63 6.25 -1.45 3.57 1.06 5.67 1.48 -1.23 0.30 1.00 2.96 1.89 0.00 -9.09

160,000 2,581,230 11,487,300 100,000 50,000 338,820 1,474,300 7,371,600 58,300 250,000 30,000 834,455 2,507,100 3,251,720 5,136,100 190,000 5,794,400 50,000 38,899,100 14,200,000 2,000 5,814,000 183,000 1,401,730 256,510 475,000 123,210 6,070,000 160,000 1,800,000

7.000 0.79 31.400 2.38 4.6

3.55 9.72 0.00 0.42 0.00

2,600,200 5,926,000 15,044,200 2,603,000 60,000

37,680.00 415,735.00 44,210,151 24,343,682.50 -24,585.00 141,000.00 4,296.00 -3,244,498.00 114,500.00 7,500,969.50 -8,760.00 -535,542.00 5,425,720 97,840,557.00 -175,821.00 6,099,550.00 -289,420.00

2,008,496.00 -159,200.00 -3,970 -2,310.00 -235,472.00 5,715,643.00 -6,239,297.00 -19,214,000.00 11,220.00 -6,824,780.00 12,066,478.00 1,400.00 283,150.00 111,316,578.00

4,718,830.00 2,107,970.00 -93,584,406.00 -1,203,181.00 -3,600,000.00 12,200.00 135,258.00 7,300.00

233,923,788.00

34,008,088.00 -16,994,114.00 -9,200.00 -15,858,165.00 1,743,486.00 -5,940,778.00

-75,065,310.00 43,531,946.50 -275,193.00 -66,979,396.00 -6,388,427.00 -298,530.00 20,644,219.00 -58,246,160.00 -2,825,170.00 -56,400.00

8,710,165.00 39,500.00 26,111,935.00 -25,160.00 0.00

52 Weeks

High Low

STOCKS

1.44 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 2.22 2.1 1.8 8.4 5.94 0.180 0.470 0.72 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 7.56 1.62 8.59

0.79 0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 1.15 1.42 1.27 3.1 4.13 0.090 0.290 0.39 2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 3.38 0.83 5.73

Century Property Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp. Double Dragon Empire East Land Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Interport `A’ Keppel Properties Megaworld MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Estates Corp. Phil. Realty `A’ Primex Corp. Robinson’s Land `B’ Rockwell Shang Properties Inc. SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Starmalls Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 12.3 7.67 2720 8.41 1.97 119.5 0.017 0.8200 2.2800 12.28 3.32 95.5 1 2.46 15.2

1.97 35.2 1 0.63 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 10.14 4.8 1600 5.95 1.23 102.6 0.011 0.041 1.200 6.5 1.91 3.1 0.650 1.8 6

0.62 1.040 22.8 6.41 4 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

0.335 0.37 14.54 3 2.28 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

11.6 0.85 10 1.9

7.59 0.63 5 1.14

2GO Group’ ABS-CBN Acesite Hotel APC Group, Inc. Bloomberry Boulevard Holdings Calata Corp. Cebu Air Inc. (5J) Centro Esc. Univ. DFNN Inc. Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. IP E-Game Ventures Inc. Island Info ISM Communications Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Manila Broadcasting Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey Melco Crown Metro Retail MG Holdings NOW Corp. Pacific Online Sys. Corp. PAL Holdings Inc. Paxys Inc. Philweb.Com Inc. PLDT Common PremiereHorizon Premium Leisure Puregold Robinsons RTL SBS Phil. Corp. SSI Group STI Holdings Travellers Yehey

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

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

Abra Mining Apex À’ Atlas Cons. À’ Benguet Corp `B’ Century Peak Metals Hldgs Coal Asia Dizon Ferronickel Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. Lepanto À’ Lepanto `B’ Manila Mining À’ Manila Mining `B’ Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. Nickelasia Nihao Mineral Resources Oriental Peninsula Res. Oriental Pet. À’ Petroenergy Res. Corp. Philex À’ PhilexPetroleum Philodrill Corp. À’ Semirara Corp. TA Petroleum

70 120 515 8.21 1060 1047 78.95

33 101.5 480 5.88 997 1011 74.5

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. First Gen G GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. PCOR-Preferred A PF Pref 2 SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

12.88

5.95

Alterra Capital Italpinas Xurpas

130.7

105.6

First Metro ETF

High

VALUE 1,187,435,888.75 1,837,588,262.45 2,684,039,001.102 1,294,280,413.50 1,361,951,047.422 167,838,192.5625 8,556,688,695.782

FINANCIAL 1,529.49 (up) 22.95 INDUSTRIAL 10,592.31 (up) 61.66 HOLDING FIRMS 6,306.41 (down) 17.22 PROPERTY 2,676.52 (up) 14.04 SERVICES 1,515.56 (down) 4.33 MINING & OIL 9,168.00 (up) 159.04 PSEI 6,701.36 (up) 13.74 All Shares Index 3,825.85 (up) 12.98 Gainers: 105; Losers: 57; Unchanged: 40; Total: 202

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

0.500 0.118 0.390 20.9 0.790 0.89 1.48 1.16 3.75 3.57 0.076 0.2850 0.340 8.39 25.00 1.49 3.05 21.15 0.76 4.6 0.860 3.740

0.54 0.500 0.520 0.119 0.116 0.118 0.460 0.400 0.425 21.2 20 20.2 0.830 0.810 0.820 0.90 0.86 0.87 1.53 1.46 1.52 1.28 1.17 1.22 4.49 4.49 4.49 3.63 3.43 3.47 0.076 0.074 0.076 0.2700 0.2200 0.2700 0.370 0.330 0.330 8.39 8.39 8.39 25.20 24.40 24.95 1.49 1.47 1.49 3.05 3 3.05 21.60 21.00 21.45 0.76 0.74 0.74 4.59 4.01 4.59 0.940 0.810 0.900 3.910 3.740 3.840 SERVICES 6.35 6.45 6.35 6.35 55.75 56 55.6 55.65 1.2 1.22 1.13 1.13 0.400 0.410 0.400 0.405 4.10 4.45 4.11 4.11 0.0410 0.0410 0.0400 0.0410 3.3 3.28 3.06 3.24 77.1 77.95 76.8 77 9.5 9.5 9.5 9.5 6.02 6.05 5.90 6.00 1864 1893 1870 1882 6.55 6.58 6.51 6.53 1.16 1.22 1.16 1.22 60.8 62.1 59 59.9 0.0078 0.0081 0.0080 0.0080 0.147 0.150 0.142 0.142 1.3500 1.4100 1.3200 1.4000 7.10 7.30 7.05 7.30 4.00 4.05 3.91 4.00 18.00 18.00 18.00 18.00 0.500 0.500 0.500 0.500 1.97 1.98 1.93 1.98 2.26 2.46 2.14 2.3 3.15 3.40 3.23 3.28 0.250 0.255 0.245 0.255 0.640 0.780 0.650 0.750 18.4 18.88 18.4 18.88 4.35 4.60 4.40 4.40 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4 20.00 20.05 19.76 20.05 2220.00 2220.00 2154.00 2200.00 0.385 0.385 0.385 0.385 0.750 0.770 0.710 0.750 33.00 33.85 33.50 33.80 59.05 61.80 59.00 59.00 5.00 5.39 4.95 5.20 3.20 3.54 3.15 3.30 0.390 0.410 0.395 0.400 3.84 4 3.76 3.89 3.750 3.770 3.770 3.770 MINING & OIL 0.0042 0.0042 0.0042 0.0042 1.65 1.65 1.57 1.57 4.00 4.00 3.95 4.00 3.2000 4.8000 4.7900 4.8000 0.54 0.52 0.51 0.51 0.400 0.410 0.385 0.390 6.20 6.35 6.10 6.20 0.600 0.640 0.590 0.600 0.250 0.275 0.250 0.255 0.168 0.170 0.168 0.170 0.181 0.189 0.189 0.189 0.0098 0.0097 0.0095 0.0097 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 1.72 1.8 1.68 1.7 4.1 4.39 4.2 4.33 2.42 2.5 2.3 2.46 1.1000 1.1500 1.1200 1.1500 0.0094 0.0092 0.0092 0.0092 3.35 3.37 3.35 3.37 4.07 4.12 4.07 4.10 1.48 1.51 1.41 1.43 0.0110 0.0110 0.0100 0.0110 118.70 121.20 118.70 121.00 1.88 1.99 1.92 1.99 PREFERRED 55.2 55.5 55 55 113.9 114 114 114 514 525 515 525 6.2 6 6 6 1023 1023 1023 1023 1025 1026 1026 1026 80.5 80.5 80.5 80.5 78.5 78.6 78.6 78.6 79 79.2 78.8 79 WARRANTS & BONDS 2.730 2.890 2.460 2.660 SME 3.1 3.14 3.14 3.14 2.51 2.68 2.53 2.54 12.86 13.4 12.9 13.38 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 111.5 111.5 108.5 109.7

T op g ainerS STOCKS

Low

4.00 0.00 8.97 -3.35 3.80 -2.25 2.70 5.17 19.73 -2.80 0.00 -5.26 -2.94 0.00 -0.20 0.00 0.00 1.42 -2.63 -0.22 4.65 2.67

4,337,000 40,000 8,070,000 1,635,000 130,000 3,909,000 42,309,000 871,000 1,000 60,393,000 520,000 600,000 1,260,000 300 3,332,300 104,000 10,000 11,253,100 1,171,000 3,000 2,565,000 14,069,000

146,240.00

0.00 -0.18 -5.83 1.25 0.24 0.00 -1.82 -0.13 0.00 -0.33 0.97 -0.31 5.17 -1.48 2.56 -3.40 3.70 2.82 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.51 1.77 4.13 2.00 17.19 2.61 1.15 0.00 0.25 -0.90 0.00 0.00 2.42 -0.08 4.00 3.12 2.56 1.30 0.53

18,700 30,330 11,000 12,640,000 15,686,000 14,100,000 112,000 573,530 600 48,800 87,025 31,800 31,000 856,120 7,000,000 4,610,000 864,000 396,200 152,000 800 8,000 9,000 71,141,000 4,370,000 260,000 36,820,000 5,200 14,000 50,000 39,600 255,165 450,000 28,121,000 1,686,800 1,116,450 3,218,700 22,787,000 1,460,000 354,000 1,000

0.00 -4.85 0.00 50.00 -5.56 -2.50 0.00 0.00 2.00 1.19 4.42 -1.02 0.00 -1.16 5.61 1.65 4.55 -2.13 0.60 0.74 -3.38 0.00 1.94 5.85

34,000,000 15,000 348,000 14,000 10,000 1,780,000 103,400 17,530,000 80,000 300,000 20,000 26,000,000 1,000,000 326,000 9,214,000 1,049,000 45,000 1,000,000 11,000 176,000 1,428,000 1,300,000 898,370 57,000

-0.36 0.09 2.14 -3.23 0.00 0.10 0.00 0.13 0.00

170,460 5,000 2,610 100 1,000 1,055 2,500 13,400 30,070

-2.56

1,336,000

1.29 1.20 4.04

1,000 261,000 1,842,900

-1.61

5,330,583,588

16,000.00 -3,719,905.00 32,560.00 7,934,260.00 98,610.00 -27,277,480.00 110,000.00 -29,734,150.00 132,539,360.00

-7,790,820.00

-4,940,250.00 20,030,730.00 -36,900.00 3,869,029.50 -16,200.00 70,577,650.00 13,130.00 10,653,649.00

443,984.00

-19,204,320.00 1,792,820.00 -398,550.00

274,495.00 -157,279,900.00 -65,650.00 15,972,560.00 45,534,493.00 71,710.00 2,823,970.00 -32,400.00 -189,900.00 63,000.00 -463,990.00 -52,800.00

-2,532,980.00

-1,033,610.00

-208,790.00 -87,420.00 -3,000.00 -15,945,421.00 -39,800.00 -5,085,619.50 -314,150.00

7,204,334.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Benguet Corp `B'

4.8000

50.00

F&J Prince 'A'

5.2

-9.57

ATN Holdings B

0.230

27.78

Alliance Tuna Intl Inc.

0.57

-9.52

Keppel Properties

4.49

19.73

Zeus Holdings

0.250

-9.09

NOW Corp.

0.750

17.19

Ginebra San Miguel Inc.

11.04

-6.76

ATN Holdings A

0.230

15.00

Acesite Hotel

1.13

-5.83

AG Finance

3.25

12.07

Century Peak Metals Hldgs

0.51

-5.56

A. Brown Co., Inc.

0.79

9.72

Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

0.87

-5.43

Cyber Bay Corp.

0.425

8.97

Roxas and Co.

2.3

-5.35

Pryce Corp. `A'

2.51

8.19

Phil. Estates Corp.

0.2700

-5.26

Mabuhay Holdings `A'

0.51

6.25

Apex `A'

1.57

-4.85

TUESDAY: FEBRUARY 2, 2016

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

Ayala issuing P8b worth of notes

By Jenniffer B. Austria

Davao coal-fired power plant

Davao plant in full operation—Aboitiz By Alena Mae S. Flores

THERMA South Inc., a unit of Aboitiz Power Corp., has declared the second unit of its 300-megawatt Davao coal-fired power plant in commercial operations starting today. Aboitiz Power said in a statement the second unit would add another 150 MW to the Mindanao grid and augment power supply during the dry months. Therma South’s second unit has been undergoing testing and commissioning for the past several months. It suffered delays due to some technical issues but still managed to deliver to customers at discounted rates. The company earlier declared commercial operations on its

first 150-MW unit on September 18, 2015, allowing customers to receive 50 percent of their contracted supply. The coal power plant is situated in Barangay Binugao, Toril District, Davao City and Barangay Inayawan, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur. President Benigno Aquino III led the ceremonial inauguration of the 300-MW power plant on January 8. “The commercial operations of the Unit 2 could not have come at a better time as Mind-

anao suffers from power supply problems brought about by El Niño. TSI will provide much needed baseload power for our customers, hopefully contributing to the long term solution of the Mindanao power problem,” Therma South president and chief operating officer Sebastian Lacson said. Aboitiz Power said by declaring full commercial operations of the two units, Therma South’s customers comprising of 20 electric cooperatives and distribution utilities in the Mindanao region could now receive their full contracted capacity. The power plant supplies a significant portion of the supply to the cities of Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Gen. Santos, Zamboanga, Butuan, Kidapawan, Tagum, Koronadal, Digos, Pagadian and

Cotabato. It also supplies power to the provinces of Davao, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Agusan, Surigao and Zamboanga provinces, and parts of Bukidnon and Misamis. Aboitiz Power is the holding company of the Aboitiz Group’s investments in power generation, distribution, retail and power services. It owns a diversified power portfolio that includes hydroelectric, geothermal, coal and solar projects. The company also owns distribution utilities that operate in high-growth areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Aboitiz Power is also expanding its overseas projects in Indonesia to include a 127-megawatt hydro power station with two joint venture partners.

AYALA Land Inc. plans to raise P8 billion from the issuance of fixed rate bonds, documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission showed Monday. The P8-billion bond offering forms part of the P50-billion debt securities program that Ayala Land plans to implement over the next two years. The bonds will have a tenor of 10 years. It appointed BPI Capital Corp. as the lead underwriter of the offering. Joint lead underwriters include BDO Capital & Investments Corp. China Bank Capital Corp., First Metro Investments Corp. and PNB Capital and Investments Corp. Ayala Land plans to use proceeds from the offering to finance the company’s investment in Malaysia, acquire a 26-hectare property in Cebu and build various office, malls and residential projects. Ayala Land last year increased its stake in Malaysian development and construction company MCT Bhd to 32.95 percent from 9.16 percent for $92 million. Ayala Land said the investment in MCT Bhd would enable it to enter the Malaysian market with an experienced team, benefit from synergies of the partnership and further add value to MCT over the long term to enable it to become a key player in the Malaysian real estate market. Ayala Land said it would spend P1.3 billion to develop a portion of the 26-hectare reclaimed lot in Cebu City, which it won in joint venture with SM Prime Holdings Inc. Ayala Land is one of the leading and most diversified real estate conglomerates in the Philippines. It is engaged in the planing and development of large scale, integrated estates with a mix of residential lots, office buildings and commercial and industrial lots, leasing of commercial and office spaces and development and operation and management of hotels and resorts. The company also develops commercial and industrial parks and is engaged in property management, construction and other businesses like retail and healthcare. Ayala Land’s net income in the first nine months of 2015 increased 19 percent to P12.8 billion from P10.79 billion year-onyear, as the company accelerated growth through acquisitions and new project launches.

Market rises on bargain-hunting; URC, Jollibee advance THE stock market gained Monday on another bout of bargainhunting and lingering euphoria from Japan’s decision to slash interest rates to negative. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index rose 13.74 points, or 0.2 percent, to 6,701.36 on a value turnover of P8.6 billion. Gainers beat losers, 105 to 57, with 40 issues unchanged. Universal Robina Corp., the biggest snack food maker, added 0.9 percent to P194.80, while Jollibee Foods Corp., the largest fastfood chain, climbed 1.3 percent to P207.80. SM Prime Holdings Inc., the

biggest integrated real estate company, advanced 1.4 percent to P21.45, while Security Bank Corp., the seventh largest lender, rose 2.1 percent to P144.80. Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., the second-biggest bank, rallied 4.2 percent to P73.95. Shanghai and Hong Kong stocks, meanwhile, fell Monday after a gauge of Chinese factory activity hit a more than threeyear low, but the Nikkei soared. Sydney gained 0.8 percent and Seoul added 0.7 percent. There were also gains in Wellington, Taipei and Bangkok. In another example of weak-

ness in China’s economy, the official Purchasing Managers Index showed the country’s key manufacturing sector shrank for the sixth straight month in January and was now at its weakest since August 2012. The news followed a string of data indicating that the oncemighty growth rates in the Asian giant are well in the past. “The manufacturing sector will likely face a tough year ahead on the back of overcapacity, weakening global demand, and the government’s plans to tackle pollution,” ANZ economists Liu Ligang and Louis Lam

said in a report. Worries about the slowdown in the world’s second biggest economy—and its leaders handling of it—were among the key reasons for a rout across global markets in January that wiped trillions of dollars off valuations. “The headline number is a disappointment to the market as output and new orders show no signs of a rebound,” William Wong, head of sales trading at Shenwan Hongyuan Group Co. in Hong Kong said. “Trading this week will remain shallow ahead of the Chinese lunar new year holiday,” he told Bloom-

berg News. Shanghai ended 1.8 percent lower and Hong Kong lost 0.6 percent in the afternoon. However, Tokyo soared two percent, extending a 2.8-percent gain Friday following the shock announcement from the Bank of Japan that it would effectively start charging lenders to park their cash with it. The move—intended to ramp up lending to people and businesses in order to kick-start the economy and fend off deflation— spurred a rally across world markets and sent the yen tumbling. With AFP

PH is credit positive—Moody’s By Julito G. Rada

GLOBAL debt watcher Moody’s Investors Service said Monday the 6.3-percent expansion of the Philippine economy in the fourth quarter is credit positive for the country’s sovereign rating. Moody’s, which upgraded the country’s credit rating to Baa2 with stable outlook in December 2014, said it was keeping its 2016 growth forecast at 6 percent, saying the Philippines remained resilient and was in a better position than regional peers to ride out the financial market volatility. Moody’s said in its latest credit outlook on Feb. 1 the 6.3-percent gross domestic product growth in the fourth quarter showed the Philippines’ resilience to external headwinds and the government’s “ability and willingness to shore

up domestic demand amid a weak external environment.” “Even the severe El Niño dry spell, which hit farm output, failed to stymie the expansion. The strong growth is credit positive because it demonstrates the economy’s resistance to global shocks…,” it said. Moody’s said this strong performance came at a time when weak global demand was slowing growth in export-oriented Asian economies and put the Philippines in a more robust position than many of its regional peers to weather any further global

economic and financial market volatility. “Although the presidential elections create some political uncertainty, we expect economic reform and policies that foster infrastructure investment and maintain fiscal prudence to remain the key long-term goals of the government. We expect 6-percent GDP growth in 2016, up from 5.8 percent in 2015,” it said. The Philippine Statistics Authority said GDP growth in the fourth quarter accelerated to 6.3 percent from the revised 6.1 percent in the third quarter, bringing the full-year expansion to 5.8 percent, slower than the projected 7 percent to 8 percent, but still one of the fastest in the Asian region. Moody’s said stronger government spending and robust household consumption and ser-

vices exports buffered the economy against deteriorating global growth. “Looking ahead, the Public Private Partnership Program for infrastructure development and a pickup in economic activity as the country gears up for midyear elections will underpin growth,” it said. Moody’s said although the Philippines was not immune to economic slowdown in China, it was less reliant on Chinese demand than many of its neighboring countries. “Whereas many Asian countries count China as their largest export partner, it is the Philippines’ fourth-largest export destination. The Philippines is also much less dependent on commodity receipts for exports or fiscal revenues than its regional peers,” it said.

Farm tractor for MILF. Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala (driving the tractor) leads the turnover of P15.6 million worth of six units of heavy-duty 90 HP farm tractor with complete accessories for the benefit of Moro Islamic Liberation Front camps in Mindanao. Alacala is accompanied by former Agriculture Secretary and government peace panel member Senen Bacani (right) at the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute in Simuay, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.

BCDA’s cash inflow surged 51% to P10.7b in 2015 By Othel V. Campos STATE-RUN Bases Conversion and Development Authority said Monday cash inflow jumped 51 percent in 2015 to P10.7 billion from P7.1 billion in 2014. BCDA president and chief executive Arnel Paciano Casanova said in a news briefing at New World Plaza Hotel in Makati City the growth in cash inflow was led by several bigticket projects the agency pursued in 2015. “We were able to exceed our targets and realize projects that will open up economic opportunities for the country,” Casanova said. He said among the projects that contributed to robust finan-

cial performance in 2015 were the P3.5-billion upfront cash payment of Manila North Tollways Corp. for the maintenance of the 94-kilometer Subic-ClarkTarlac Expressway and the P1.5billion proceeds from the partial sale of North Central Business District lots. BCDA said it created new businesses in 2015 from the disposition of 575.16 hectares in Clark Green City, BCDA-administered special economic zones and the remaining Metro Manila military camps. The exercise yielded P312 million in cash inflow and P12.5 billion in investment commitments, it said. BCDA said cash inflow had been rising since 2011. Cash in-

flow increased from P3.5 billion in 2011 to P5.2 billion in 2012, P6 billion in 2013, P7.1 billion in 2014 and P10.7 billion in 2015. Casanova said the consistent growth in operating cash was led by efficient collection, successful business ventures and resolution of problematic accounts that affected the agency’s efficiency in previous years. “Through good governance, we were able to focus on maximizing the value of lands under our stewardship and pursue development projects that benefit both local and national economy,” he said. BCDA has generated P69.7 billion from asset disposition since 1993. The bulk of the amount, or P30.7 billion, was

remitted to the Treasury to finance the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the creation of new and better military facilities. Casanova said that in the last five years from July 2010 to December 2015, BCDA remitted P9.5 billion to the Treasury for the AFP modernization program, surpassing the P8.23 billion remitted in 17 years from 1993 to June 2010. Under Administrative Order No. 236, several government agencies are also entitled to their share of disposition proceeds. BCDA remitted P42.8 billion to the Bureau of Treasury from 1996 to 2014, where the AFP and 14 other government agencies shared the proceeds.

BSP orders closure of Lapu-Lapu rural bank

BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas has placed a rural bank in Cebu under the custody of state-run Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. because of unsound financial condition. Bangko Sentral said in a circular posted on its Web site the policymaking Monetary Board ordered the closure of Lapu-Lapu Rural Bank Inc. on Jan. 28. The bank is based in Sta. Catalina Street, Poblacion II, Carcar City, Cebu province. “Under receivership notice is hereby given that the Monetary Board, in its Resolution No. 121 dated 28 January 2016, decided to prohibit the Lapu-Lapu Rural Bank Inc. from doing business in the Philippines and to place its assets and affairs under receivership pursuant to Section 30 of Republic Act No. 7653 [The New Central Bank Act],” Bangko Sentral said. “The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. has been designated as receiver of the aforementioned rural bank,” it said. Bangko Sentral did not provide further details on the number of branches of the closed bank, its owners and total deposit liabilities. Prior to Lapu-Lapu Rural Bank, Bangko Sentral ordered the closure of Rural Bank of Villaviciosa (Abra) Inc. on Jan. 7. In 2015, Bangko Sentral closed 14 rural banks, matching the same number of banks closed in 2014. The lenders that were shut down in 2014 were the Penafrancia Rural Bank of Calabanga (Camarines Sur) Inc., the La Unionbased Rural Bank of Caba, the Pangasinan-based Rural Bank of Calasiao Inc., the Benguet-based Rural Bank of Buguias Inc., the Bukidnon-based Xavier-Punla Rural Bank Inc., the Batangasbased Farmers’ Rural Bank Inc., Rural Bank of Taysan (Batangas) Inc., the Surigao-based Siargao Bank (A Rural Bank), Rural Bank of Sta. Magdalena (Sorsogon), Community Rural Bank of Magsaysay (Davao del Sur) Inc.; the Surigao City-based Surigaonon Rural Banking Corp.; Rural Bank of Labrador (Pangasinan); Rural Bank of Magsingal (Ilocos Sur) Inc.; and the Alfonso, Cavitebased Community Bank (Rural Bank of Alfonso Inc.). Meanwhile, the 14 rural banks closed in 2014 were the Leytebased Rural Bank of Burauen Inc., the Batangas-based Synergy Rural Bank, Cooperative Bank of Tarlac Inc., the Bulacan-based Fil-Agro Rural Bank, Rural Bank of Lobo Inc. in Batangas, Rural Bank of Padre Burgos in Southern Leyte, the Cavite-based Banco Carmona Inc. (A Rural Bank), Rural Bank of Oroquieta (Misamis Occidental) Inc., Asian Consumers Bank (A Rural Bank) in Basista, Pangasinan; Gulf Bank (Rural Bank of Lingayen Inc.), Rural Bank of Pres. M.A. Roxas Inc. in Zamboanga del Norte; Rural Bank of Montevista in Davao del Norte, Rural Bank of Reina Mercedes in Isabela, and the Cavite-based Silangan Savings and Loan Bank.

Julito G. Rada

T U E S D AY : F E B R U A R Y 2 , 2 0 1 6

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

Arbitration with Aboitiz is ruled out By Alena Mae S. Flores

PHILIPPINE Electricity Market Corp., operator of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, said Monday it is not amenable to mediation and arbitration as a mode of resolving the anti-competitive behavior case against Therma Mobile Inc., a power unit of the Aboitiz group. New labor director. Incoming Labor regional director for the National Capital Region Nelson Hornilla (left) receives the symbolic key from outgoing regional director Alex Avila during the formal turnover ceremony in Manila. Avila is now the acting executive director of the National Wages and Productivity Commission.

MRT 3 to deploy China rail car in March By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Transportation Department said Monday it expects congestion at Metro Rail Transit Line 3 to ease in the second quarter, following the arrival of second light rail vehicle from China. The agency said the second of 48 new LRVs was presently undergoing static testing to be followed by dynamic testing, such as checks on acceleration and braking, which was scheduled later this week to ensure the reliability of components. The first LRV arrived last year, as a part of the MRT 3 capacity expansion project. Two more LRVs will be delivered this month, which means a threeLRV train could be completed and rolled out as early as March, after

all the necessary assessments. “The riding public will see a 67-percent increase in passenger capacity after the delivery of four LRVs per month from March until January 2017,” the agency said. The Transportation Department awarded the P3.759-billion MRT 3 capacity expansion project to China’s Dalian Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co. CNR Group. The MRT-3 capacity expansion project aims to decongest Metro Manila’s busiest railway system by boosting its capacity to over 800,000 daily passengers from its current capacity of 350,000 daily passengers. All refurbished Schindlerbrand escalators of MRT 3 are also now open for public use, providing some relief to commuters, the agency said. “Passengers can expect a more

convenient commuting experience with the rehabilitated escalators now up and running. The restoration of these conveyance facilities is a small step towards long-term progress that will make a valuable difference in the lives of daily commuters,” said Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya. The P22.11-million project was awarded to Jardine Schindler Elevator Corp. in June 2015 through the Department of Budget and Management’s Procurement Service. The contractor holds proprietary rights to rehabilitate the 12 Schindler-brand escalators as the brand’s exclusive distributor. The project also involves rehabilitating 34 Mitsubishi-brand facilities and replacing 32 elevators, which are currently under procurement by the PS-DBM.

PEMC said in a statement said it filed a motion for reconsideration with the Court of Appeals, which earlier called for mediation and arbitration between the market operator and Therma Mobile, one of the power companies accused of anti-competitive behavior. The CA’s special fifth division sustained the April 1, 2015 ruling issued by the Pasig City regional trial court granting Thermal Mobile’s petition for the issuance of an injunction stopping PEMC from demanding payment of P234.9 million, representing financial penalties for violation of the so-called must offer rule. The must offer rule requires generation companies to offer all their registered capacity to WESM, the country’s trading floor of electricity. PEMC said it found several violations of the must offer rule, with Therma Mobile found to be one of the biggest violators, liable for 3,578 counts of breach in 2013, resulting in P234.9-million fine. The appellate court, how-

ever, rejected the bid of PEMC to collect the penalties from the Aboitiz subsidiary for alleged anti-competitive behavior in November to December 2013 during Malampaya gas field shutdown, which pushed up power rates. The CA decision also “made a prima facie determination that an arbitration agreement exists between Therma Mobile and PEMC.” The CA ruling also directed the parties to continue with the dispute resolution process under the WESM rules which had commenced with the negotiation meetings conducted by the parties. “PEMC is always open to discuss any issue with the participants as long as it is consistent with its mandate under the WESM rules. We are committed to upholding the integrity of the WESM investigation process and we will remain true to our objective of creating a level-playing field among the WESM players,” said PEMC president Melinda Ocampo.

1.43 billion smart phones ALMOST one in five people in the world now use a smart phone. The latest figures from market tracker IDC shows that smart phone vendors shipped a total of 1.43 billion units in 2015, 10 percent more than the 1.3 billion units sold in 2014. While Samsung led once again in units sold (324.8 million), its market share slipped to 22.7 percent in 2015, down from 24.4 percent, despite a 2.1 percent increase in sales. The data indicates that the Korean company lost some of this share to Chinese manufacturers, who posted significant gains last year. With iPhone sales rising 20 percent during the year, Apple was the second largest smart phone vendor in 2015, shipping 231.5 million units, and accounting for 16.2 percent of the marketóup from 14.8 percent in 2014. The next three top spots went to Chinese companies, with Huawei posting an impressive growth of 44.3 percent with 106.6 million units shipped in 2015. This gave the company a 7.4 percent of the market, a strong gain from 5.7 percent in 2014. The company also became the fourth (preceded only by Nokia, Samsung and Apple) to ship more

than 100 million smart phones in a year. ìUsually the conversation in the smartphone market revolves around Samsung and Apple, but Huawei’s strong showing for both the quarter and the year speak to how much it has grown as an international brand,” said Melissa Chau, senior research manager with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. With almost half of its shipments going outside China, Huawei is poised to be a strong No. 3 over the next year, Chau added. In fourth place was Lenovo, with 74 million units shipped, a strong 24.5 percent growth from 2014. This gave Lenovo a 5.2 percent market share in 2015, up from 4.6 percent in the previous year. Rounding out the top five was Xiaomi, which shipped 70.8 million smart phones in 2015, up 22.8 percent from 2014. This gave the company a 4.9 percent market share, up from 4.4 percent in 2014. The top five vendors accounted for more than half of all smart phones sold in 2015. Other companies, which shipped a combined 625.2 million units, accounted for 43. 6 percent, the IDC figures

showed. While IDC has yet to release shipment data based on operating systems, it is easy to conclude that Android from Google continued to dominate the market in 2015, with Apple’s iOS coming in second. The absence of any Windows Phone manufacturers among the top five shows that the operating system from Microsoft continued to languish in 2015, despite its purchase of Nokia in 2014.

Wi ndow s Phone’s poor market performance is a far cry from the bold (and now embarrassing) prediction by IDC in 2011 that Microsoft’s mobile operating system would surpass Apple’s iOS by 2016. Of course, that prediction wrongly assumed that users on Nokia’s Symbian OS would merely shift to Windows Phone along with the Finnish company.

To be fair, another market watcher, Gartner, also had a similar prediction in 2011óand both companies expected Blackberry in fourth place. Which all goes to show that market projections can be a really tricky business, particularly amid rapid technology changes and the unpredictable buying preferences of consumers. Also, the year-end figures reveal a different picture for Apple when they are broken down by quarter. Apple, in fact, has reported that its fourth quarter sales of the iPhoneówhich accounts for about two-thirds of the company’s revenue--grew at less than 1 percent over the same period in 2014óthe slowest pace since its introduction in 2007. Whether that portends the end of Apple’s years of hyper growth, as some analysts think, or whether it is just a statistical result caused by the wildly successful iPhone 6 in 2014 remains to be seen. Predictions are tricky going both ways. Column archives and blog at: http://www.chinwong.com

TUESDAY: FEBRUARY 2, 2016

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

Cheap oil hurts ME workers Pryce’s net profit surges to P586m By Jenniffer B. Austria PRYCE Corp., a listed company engaged in manufacturing of industrial gases and importation and distribution of liquefied petroleum gas, said net income in 2015 nearly doubled to P586.3 million despite a slight decline in revenues. Pryce said in a disclosure to the stock exchange income surged 98 percent from 2004, while consolidated revenues declined 8 percent to P5.85 billion from P6.38 billion recorded in 2014. Pryce attributed the lower revenues to the roughly 40 percent fall in LPG prices in 2015. Sales volume of LPG business under the Pyrcegas brand, however, jumped 29 percent to 146,000 metric tons from 113,000 MT in 2014. “This volume surge parried the negative effects of the continued fall in the world price of LPG and the absence of non-recurring income from real estate sales,” Pryce said. LPG sales accounted for about 90.3 percent of total revenues in 2015. Real estate sales and other operations, meanwhile, generated revenues of P 232 million in 2015. Pryce said consolidated operating income jumped 146 percent in 2015 to P890 million from P362.million in 2014 as a result of the bigger gross margins from LPG to 24 percent in 2015 from 13 percent in 2014.

By Ditas Lopez and Lilian Karunungan

CHEAP oil should be a good thing for a country like the Philippines that imports almost all of its fuel, but there are 10 million reasons why that may not be the case. That’s how many Filipinos work overseas, many of them on rigs, tankers and as domestic help or construction workers in oil-producing nations in the Middle East. Together they sent home $22.8 billion in the first 11 months of 2015, around 10 percent of gross domestic product. The potential for a slowdown in remittances is being closely monitored, the central bank said last week. A prolonged period of oil at less than $30 a barrel could create an economic headache for the successor to President Benigno

Aquino II, who steps down in June, and may further weaken the peso, which has fallen the most in Southeast Asia this year. The negative impact on remittances and less revenue from fuel taxes will outweigh the positive effects, according to Benjamin Diokno, the country’s budget secretary from 1998 to 2001. “We’re heavily dependent on overseas Filipino workers,” said Diokno, who is now an economics professor at the University of the Philippines. “Some of them are coming home also in part due

to war, which only magnifies the problem.” The share of remittances coming from the Middle East could be as high as 40 percent, compared with 23 percent in the official data, according to a Jan. 27 research note by Michael Wan, a Credit Suisse Group AG analyst in Singapore. Remittance growth slowed to 3.6 percent in dollar terms last year through November, from 5.8 percent in 2014, central bank data show. Volumes have held up reasonably well so far, said Wan. That could change as the impact of a 29 percent drop in Brent crude over the past six months forces Saudi Arabia to cut generous subsidies to its citizens, while the United Arab Emirates’ Etihad Rail suspended a major rail project this week after firing almost a third of its workforce. Brent re-

covered to around $35 on Monday after falling to a 12-year low of $27.10 a barrel on Jan. 20. “Before, when the trouble would be concentrated in one of the countries in the Middle East and North Africa, the workers could just simply move to a neighboring country and find employment,” central bank Governor Amando Tetangco said Jan. 25. “Now the trouble is more widespread.” The Department of Labor is monitoring the situation in the Middle East in the light of the possible retrenchment of Filipino workers there, although has yet to see any major job losses, Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma said in a statement on Monday. The department “is prepared to assist workers that may be affected in securing alternative employment and livelihood opportunities,” he said.

Thrift banks’ visit. The incoming 2016 Board of Trustees of the Chamber of Thrift Banks, the umbrella organization of the country’s thrift banks, makes a courtesy call on Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. (seated, center). With Tetangco (seated from left) are CTB secretary and BPI Family Savings Bank president Natividad Alejo; Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr.; CTB and RCBC Savings Bank president Rommel Latinazo; and CTB executive director Suzanne Felix. Behind them are CTB trustees Ma. Consorcia Tamayo and Cecilio San Pedro; CTB consultant Benjamin Yambao; CTB second vice president George Martirez; CTB trustee Catalino Abacan; CTB auditor Mary Jane Perreras; CTB treasurer Alberto Emilio Ramos; CTB first VP Jose Ma. Lopez-Vito III; and CTB trustees Rogelio Florete, Alfredo Yao and Gregorio Anonas III.

Big companies must lead climate change adaptation CLIMATE change is going to be the way of life of the twenty-first century, and its impact is going to be felt by all parts of mankind—the North, the South, rich countries, poor countries, mainland countries, island countries—undiscriminatingly and with growing ferocity. Accordingly, effective responses are expected from all the countries that form part of this increasingly fragile planet. The brunt of the responding task has thus been borne, rightly, by governments. After all, it is the mandate of governments to maintain political and social stability, safeguard their citizens and protect their countries’ resources. Realizing that no one country, however powerful, can achieve the needed climate changes alone, international consultation and cooperation has been the chosen approach of the world’s countries. COP 21 (the 21st Conference of Parties on Climate Change), held in Paris in December 2015, is the latest effort of the international community to come to grips with the gravest problem faced by mankind during the last two millennia. Now a rising chorus of voices, within and outside academe, is making the point

that the job of countering climate change is not the governments’ alone and that the private sector—more precisely, the business communities of countries—has a big role to play in the effort and should be called upon to play that role in more committed fashion. After all, business enterprises extract the mineral and other resources of the Earth, plant crops and graze animals on vast tracts of farmland and process the mineral and agricultural raw materials in ways that generate carbon emissions, pollute the air and exhaust Earth’s water resources. The everyone-must-contribute-to-theeffort groups are now saying more forcefully that the business communities of the world should stop making pious statements and should begin to—in the words of one COP 21 commentator—’walk the talk’ about fighting global warming. The main target of those commentaries was the community of multinational companies, whose operations encompass countries that possess the mineral and agricultural wealth and countries that process them into industrial and consumer products. The multinationals are properly singled

out, for, after all, they are by definition the corporate sector’s biggest emitters of carbon dioxide. In point of fact, a number of leading multinationals have been doing more than pay lip service to the idea of countering climate change through what have come to be known as adaptation programs. A commentary that I read around the time of COP 21 spoke of the adaptation programs of two well-known multinationals, namely, Unilever and Mars. In this country, consumer products maker Unilever has apparently been providing calamity-hot localities with tree seedlings free of charge. And in another country in which it has extensive tea operations, Unilever has apparently been working to restore denuded land and distributing higher-yielding plants of tea growers. On the other hand, confectionery maker Mars has apparently been working to strengthen the cocoa farmers’ resilience by dramatically improving their yields and livelihoods. And Mars has also been collaborating with the major suppliers and processors of cocoa—five on the suppliers’

side and four on the processors’ side—in a pooling of knowledge designed to lead to a common platform called Cocoa Action. Mars’ chief sustainability officer was quoted by the commentary as saying that “the best (climate change) adaptation strategy requires uncommon collaboration in the market as well as time and money.” And what about this country’s own big business establishments? Are they walking their talk? Have they put together climate change adaptation strategies and have they been pursuing them determinedly? The government and the Filipino people need to know the answers to these questions. A special committee composed of the frontline government agencies (Neda, DTI, DoE and DENR) and the business and industry groups should be able to provide them. E-mail: rudyromero777@yahoo.com

T U E S D AY : F E B R U A R Y 2 , 2 0 1 6

WORLD

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

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Syria peace talks remain difficult GENEVA—The UN special envoy for Syria fought Sunday to keep alive the biggest diplomatic push yet to end the Syrian war as Washington urged both sides in fragile peace talks to seize the moment. Highlighting the urgency, a triple bombing near a revered Shiite shrine outside the capital Damascus killed 71 people in the latest bloody attack claimed by the extremist Islamic State group. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the attacks were “clearly aimed to disrupt the attempts to start a political process” to end a conflict that has killed more than 260,000 people.

In Geneva, UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura held separate talks with representatives of President Bashar al-Assad and with the High Negotiations Committee opposition umbrella group. He said he was “optimistic and determined”, but comments from both sides laid bare the enormity of the challenges ahead for ending a highly complex and bitter conflict. The HNC delegation reluctantly arrived late on Saturday in Geneva and immediately threatened to turn around and leave again unless Assad’s “crimes” stop. Among its demands are that humanitarian aid be allowed to reach hundreds of thousands of people stuck in besieged towns, a halt to the bombing of civilians and the release of hundreds of prisoners. “We only came to Geneva after written commitments on the fact that there would be serious progress on the humanitarian is-

sues,” HNC spokeswoman Basma Kodmani told reporters. “We are here for political negotiations but we cannot start those until we have those gestures.” But Damascus’s chief negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari denounced the opposition as “not serious”. “We do not know who is the other side. They don’t even have a final list,” he told a packed news conference. US Secretary of State John Kerry urged both sides “to make the most of this moment” in a statement from Washington. Kerry urged the opposition to drop their preconditions, but also had hard words for their foes, accusing Assad’s forces of deliberately starving besieged towns. He described the talks in Geneva as being at a “pivotal phase” and said the HNC represented an “inclusive opposition”. AUCTION SALE CINTHY PAWNSHOP All unredeemed pledges during the month of SEPTEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on: FEBRUARY 24, 2016 STA. MESA – 8:00 AM # 3630 Ramon Magsaysay Blvd. Sta. Mesa, Manila at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER ( T S - F E B . 2 , 2 0 16 )

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Carnival. A man disguised as ‘Intxixu’ takes part in the ancient carnival of Oiartzun on January 31, 2016. “Intxixuak” come from the mountains wearing sheepskins and big horns and appear at the main square of Oiartzun dancing and jumping around a bonfire. AFP

21 arrested over $7.6-b Ponzi scam BEIJING—Chinese authorities have arrested 21 people on suspicion of defrauding around 900,000 people of more than 50 billion yuan ($7.6 billion), state media reported, after an online peerto-peer lender turned out to be a giant Ponzi scheme. Ezubao offered investors annual returns of between nine percent and 14.6 percent on various projects, the official Xinhua news agency reported—far more than currently offered by Chinese banks’ wealth management products. The platform, launched in July 2014, had amassed more than 50 billion yuan by December, said the report late Sunday, citing police as estimating 900,000 investors had fallen victim to the scam. Ezubao was China’s fourth largest Internet P2P lender, Chinese business magazine publisher Caixin Group said in a previous report. The company fabricated

most of the projects on its website and paid old debts with money from new investors, Xinhua said. “Ezubao is a typical Ponzi scam,” it quoted Zhang Min, president of its owner Yucheng Group and one of those arrested, as saying in custody. Yucheng’s chairman Ding Ning said the company spent more than 800 million yuan buying corporate information to invent the fraudulent projects, the report said. He also splashed out investors’ money on a lavish lifestyle, including giving Zhang a 130-million-yuan villa in Singapore and 500 million yuan in cash. State media regularly carry purported confessions by detainees, a practice strongly condemned by overseas advocacy groups as violating the right to a fair trial. Illegal fund-raising is widespread in China and often involves a large number of investors who have few

investment options because of low bank interest rates, an extremely speculative stock market and uncertainties in the property sector. It is a concern of the government as it puts social stability at stake. In October, a payment crisis at state-managed Fanya Metals Exchange sparked protests in Beijing and Shanghai, with police detaining hundreds in the capital. Police said that of the 207 companies to whom Ezubao claimed to have lent money, only one actually borrowed from it. “As far as I know, 95 percent of the projects on Ezubao were fake,” it quoted Yong Lei, a risk controller at a Yucheng subsidiary, as saying. Police raided the company, based in the eastern province of Anhui, after discovering that its executives were transferring funds and planning to flee, Xinhua added. AFP

All unredeemed pledges during the month of SEPTEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on FEBRUARY 23, 2016 at the ff. branches: ST. FRANCIS 10:30 AM at # 40 Kingfisher St., St. Francis, Meycauayan, Bulacan POBLACION – 11:30 AM # 721 Barrera St., Poblacion, Baliuag, Bulacan at JUAN LANUZA & SONSAUCTIONEER ( T S - F E B . 2 , 2 0 16 )

AUCTION SALE TAMCAR PAWNSHOP CORP. All unredeemed pledges during the month of SEPTEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on FEBRUARY 12, 2016 at the ff. branches: BUSTILLOS -2:00 PM at # L2522-28 Road 216, Earnshaw Bustillos, Manila FEBRUARY 24, 2016 CALOOCAN – 1:00 PM # 434 J. RODRIGUEZ ST., at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER ( T S - F E B . 2 , 2 0 16 )

AUCTION SALE PEARLAS PAWNSHOP CO., INC. All unredeemed pledges during the month of SEPTEMBER 2015 w i l l b e sold to public auction on FEBRUARY 0 5 , 2 0 1 6 at the ff. branches: MONTILLANO 12:30 PM at 249 Montillano St., Alabang, Muntinlupa C i t y FEBRUARY 0 8 , 2 0 1 6 SUMULONG – 9:00 AM # 24 Sumulong Hway Sto. Niño, Marikina City CONCEPCION – 10:00 AM #19 Bayan Bayanan Ave., Concepcion, M a r i k i n a C i t y FEBRUARY 12, 2016 G . N U E V O – 9 : 0 0 A M Ta n H o c k B l d g . , C o r. E D S A , M a k a t i C i t y FEBRUARY 2 3 , 2 0 1 6 B . B A R R I O - 11 : 3 0 A M # 3 5 Malolos Ave., B. Barrio, C a l o o c a n C i t y FEBRUARY 2 3 , 2 0 1 6 VA L E N Z U E L A – 1 2 : 0 0 P M # 11 5 F a u s t i n o S t . , P u n t u r i n , Va l e n z u e l a City at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER ( T S - F E B . 2 , 2 0 16 )

De Mistura’s office said Sunday that further separate talks would be held on Monday with the opposition and government delegations. HNC spokesman Munzer Makhous told AFP that the group would stay in Geneva for at least three or four more days. The Syrian conflict, which began in 2011, has sucked in a wide range of actors from Turkey, Iran and the Gulf states to Western nations and since September, Russia. The chaos has allowed IS militants to overrun swathes of the country and also in neighboring Iraq, giving it a launchpad for a series of deadly attacks across the globe including the Paris massacres on November 13 which left 130 dead. Half of Syria’s population have fled their homes, forcing millions to seek refuge in neighbouring countries and also in Europe, where the influx has sparked a major political and social crisis. AFP

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All unredeemed pledges during the month of SEPTEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on FEBRUARY 18, 2016 at the ff. branches: PRITIL - 8:00 AM at 1833 N. Zamora St., Pritil, Tondo, Manila BLUMENTRITT – 10:30 AM #1687 M. Hizon St., Blumentritt, Manila VARONA – 8:30 AM 1872 F. VARONA ST., BRGY 95, ZONE 8, TONDO, MANILA FEBRUARY 23, 2016 ALTURA – 9:00 AM # 418 Altura St. Sta. Mesa, Manila at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER ( T S - F E B . 2 , 2 0 16 )

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PANG NEGOSYO PAWNSHOP

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All unredeemed pledges during the month of SEPTEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on FEBRUARY 07, 2016 at the ff. branches: COUNTRYSIDE - 12:30 PM at 49 Countryside Ave., Sta. Lucia, Pasig City JUNCTION – 2:30 PM # Star Valley Plaza Mall, Junction at JUAN LANUZA & SONSAUCTIONEER

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LUIROM PAWNSHOP CO., INC.

MAKATI LUXURY JEWELRY PAWNSHOP CO.,

All unredeemed pledges during the month of SEPTEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on FEBRUARY 4, 2016 at the ff. branches: SUCAT - 9:00 AM at #3 Dr., A. Santos Ave., Sucat, Parañaque City MUNTI – 1:30 PM #659 National Road, Poblacion St., Muntinlupa City FEBRUARY 08, 2016 SAN JOAQUIN – 1:30 PM # 9 M. Concepcion San Joaquin, Pasig City FEBRUARY 23, 2016 10TH AVE. – 2:00 PM # 245-B 10TH Ave., Brgy., 60 Zone 6, Caloocan City FEBRUARY 23, 2016 MARILAO – 1 PM #5 NETWORK AVE., MERALCO VILL. LIAS MARILAO BULACAN FEBRUARY 12, 2016 SAGRADA – 11:00AM #1978 ESTRADA ST., FORMER SAGRADA FAMILIA STA. ANA, MLA. FEBRUARY 18, 2016 GAGALANGIN – 8:45 AM #2 JUAN LUNA ST., COR. GUIDO ST., TONDO MANILA FEBRUARY 23, 2016, STO NIÑO – 9:30 AM #30 ST., THERESE COR, ST. PETER, P3 STO NIÑO MEYCAUAN BULACAN at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER ( T S - F E B . 2 , 2 0 16 )

All unredeemed pledges during the month of SEPTEMBER 2015 will be sold to public auction on FEBRUARY 04, 2016 at BF Homes – 10:00 AM # 43 President’s Ave., BF Homes, Parañaque City SPL - 3:00 PM at Casa Hacienda San Pedro, Laguna on FEBRUARY 08, 2016 at the ff. branches: ROMULO - 10:00 AM at 135 13TH Ave., Cor. P. Tuazon, Cubao, QC SANTOLAN – 4:00 PM 526 ADR Bldg., Dela Paz, Santolan, Pasig City on FEBRUARY 12, 2016 JP RIZAL – 11:00 AM # 529 Olympia St., JP Rizal, Makati City ALPHALAND – 5:00 PM G11 South Gate Towers, P. Tamo Ext., Makati City MANUELA – 3:00 PM G/F Starmall, Wack2, Mandaluyong City FEBRUARY 18, 2016 LALOMA – 11:30 AM # 67 Calavite St., Brgy., P. Bundok, QC RETIRO - 12:30 PM # 270 N.S. amoranto Street, Retiro QC. ROTONDA – 2:00 PM # 1 Sto. Tomas St., Rotonda QC at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER ( T S - F E B . 2 , 2 0 16 )

T U E S D AY : F E B R U A R Y 2 , 2 0 1 6

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD

Cologne beefs up carnival security BERLIN—Cologne is on high alert ahead of its giant carnival festivities since a shocking spate of sexual assaults, with German authorities anxious to prevent a repeat of the rampage and ward off potential jihadist attacks. Police in the western German city have been struggling to restore public confidence after it emerged that hundreds of women were groped and robbed in a mob of mostly North African and Arab men during New Year’s celebrations. Around 1,000 complaints have been filed over the crime spree that has also ignited an intense debate about Germany’s ability to integrate 1.1-million asylum seekers it took in last year. The carnival festivities kick off on Thursday with street parties—a week-long binge of beer, song and dance by revelers in fancy dress— and run through Ash Wednesday on February 10. In the run-up to carnival, German authorities are determined to put on a good show. Some 2,500 police officers have been called in to patrol the streets, three times as many as last year, as the security budget reached 360,000 euros ($390,000). Closed-circuit television cameras have been installed and bans imposed on known petty thieves, including suspected pickpockets who took part in the crime spree on New Year’s Eve. A “security point” for women will be set up in the city, to be staffed by social workers and psychologists and the local judicial system geared up to accelerate the processing of any potential offenders during the festivities. As doubts surfaced over the cultural differences of the mostly Muslim newcomers, carnival’s organizers have even printed a leaflet in both Arabic and English explaining the party to newcomers, including whether alcohol was a must. “While many Cologne locals drink beer or other alcoholic beverages during carnival, it is of course not compulsory. You can have fun, sing and dance just as easily without alcohol,” according to the flier. AFP

Rehearsal. Dutch National Ballet principal dancer Anna Tsygankova performs during the rehearsal of ‘Mata Hari’, a ballet based on the life of the Dutch spy and dancer Mata Hari, at the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam on January 19, 2016. The turbulent life of the Dutch spy and dancer Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, more commonly known as Mata Hari, will be the heart of a large-scale production by the Dutch National Ballet, with the performances scheduled to start on February 6, 2016. AFP

Cuba’s Castro makes historic visit to France PARIS—Cuba’s Communist President Raul Castro starts his official trip to Paris on Monday, his firstever state visit to Europe, seen as a key step in rebuilding his island nation’s ties with the West. The Cuban leader is to due to be welcomed under the Arc de Triomphe, decked out in Cuban colors, at the top of the Champs Elysees avenue. The 84-year-old Castro is on his first official trip to the European Union since taking over from his elder brother Fidel in 2006, and has been in the French capital since Saturday for a private visit. France has led the way in welcoming Cuba back into the dip-

lomatic fold since it restored relations last year with its longtime foe, the United States. French President Francois Hollande has described the visit as “a new stage in the strengthening of relations between the two countries”, building on his own state visit to Cuba last May, the first by a Western head of state in more than half a century. Castro is the second former pariah to be welcomed to Paris in

a matter of days, after Hollande hosted Iranian President Hassan Rohani last week. “This visit is important for Cuba’s image,” said Eduardo Perera, an international relations expert at Havana University. “It will undeniably make Cuba shine on the international stage.” Havana hopes the visit will allow Cuba to “widen and diversify its relations with France in all possible areas—politics, economics, trade, finance, investment, culture and cooperation,” said Rogelio Sierra, Cuban deputy foreign minister. Although Washington has yet to lift its half-century trade embargo on Cuba, US and European businesses are jockeying for a place in

the market as the island’s economy gradually opens up. Hollande urged an end to the blockade, which was imposed in 1962, on his Havana visit. Trade delegations have been flocking to Cuba, hoping to cash in on its highly trained workforce and natural assets such as its sundrenched Caribbean beaches, a draw for tourists. Cuba, meanwhile, needs to tap new sources of income as its main ally and financial backer, Venezuela, is mired in economic and political crisis. Castro is expected to sign an “economic road map” with France, according to officials in Paris, as well as deals on transport and tourism. AFP

Vagina kayak artist defies prosecutors

After the attack. A mother sits mourning the death of her husband after Boko Haram attacked Dalori village on the outskirts of Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria on January 31, 2016, killing 50 people. AFP

TOKYO—A Japanese artist charged with obscenity for distributing a design for a kayak shaped like her vagina scoffed Monday at a demand by prosecutors to punish her with a $6,600 fine and vowed to appeal if found guilty. Megumi Igarashi’s case has drawn widespread attention and sparked accusations of heavyhanded censorship in a country known for its multi-billion-dollar pornography industry but where actual depictions of genitalia are banned. Igarashi was arrested in July 2014 for trying to raise funds online to pay for the construction of

the kayak by disseminating a coded 3D image of her genitals. The artist, who calls herself Rokude Nashiko—slang that loosely translates as “reprobate child”—was released days later following a legal appeal and after thousands of people signed a petition demanding her freedom. But several months later, Tokyo police arrested her again on three counts of distributing “obscene” data: CD-ROMs containing computer code for a 3D printer that would allow users to make copies of the vaginashaped kayak. She was held in custody for

around a month before being granted bail. Japan has a prolific pornography industry that caters to all imaginable tastes. But tough obscenity laws ban the showing of actual genitalia, which normally appear pixellated or blacked out. Prosecutors on Monday demanded that she be fined 800,000 yen (about $6,600) at a hearing at Tokyo District Court. A defiant Igarashi, however, said that she was resigned to the fact that prosecutors wOULD probably appeal the case if she was found not guilty in May when the verdict will be handed down. AFP

TUESDAY : FEB RUARY 2, 2016

TATUM ANCHETA EDITOR

BING PAREL

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

BERNADETTE LUNAS

life @ thestandard.com .ph

WRITER

@LIFEatStandard

A RTS, CU LT U RE & T ECH

LIFE THE MIRRORLESS REVOLUTION CONTINUES Fujifilm unveils new products to celebrate the 5th birthday of its X-series BY BERNADETTE LUNAS

The new super telephoto lens' linear motor makes it ideal for shooting fast-moving objects

hen mobile phone brands started packing in high quality cameras in their handsets, many photography enthusiasts opted to leave home their big, bulky dSLRs and digital cameras with the same shooting features as their phones. As a result, regional camera market sales began to experience a decline that has been going on in the past few years. A camera company official cites data showing a 40 percent drop in sales from 2008 to 2015. But according to her, mirrorless cameras are now helping soften this trend. In essence, a mirrorless camera is smaller, lighter and mechanically simpler than a dSLR. Like its bulkier brother, mirrorless features large highresolution sensors and image processors, and most of them have interchangeable lenses (albeit relatively limited), too. Because of the many advantages, this market is now continuously growing, and Japanese brand Fujifilm is making sure it is not left out in the cold. Since the launch of its first mirrorless camera X-100, Fujifilm has been a strong contender in this division. And as the 80-year-old company celebrates the fifth anniversary of its X-series, Fujifilm also recently unveiled its new products in the Philippines, only days after the Japan launch. “We celebrate the five years [of X-series] with the announcement of five new products, the first of which incorporates the new technology that has taken us four years to develop,” shares Fujifilm Philippines marketing head Maan dela Cruz. Dela Cruz is talking about the brand’s new flagship model, X-Pro2, which, according to Fujifilm Philippines Division head Takuya Maeda, “incorporates the 80 years of Fujifilm’s histor y and technology.” X-Pro2 is the faster and more

X-Pro2

X-Pro2 is Fujifilm's newest flagship model

Little Lucy by El Bocho

Fujinon XF100-400mm super telephoto lens on Fujifilm X-T1 camera

powerful successor of the brand’s first mirrorless camera X-Pro1. In summary, the new flagship model features a new viewfinder, a new sensor and a new body. X-Pro2 boasts of the world’s only Hybrid Multi Viewfinder that incorporates both electronic viewfinder used by mirrorless cameras, and optical viewfinder which most documentary, reportage and street photographers prefer for a more natural view. With the Multi-Magnification ability, the camera automatically switches viewfinder magnification according to the lens the photographer is using. As for the sensor and processor, it packs the newly developed 24.3MP X-Trans CMOS III sensor and high-performance X Processor Pro image processing engine that can deliver stunning images. Following calls for faster X-Pro unit, the X-Pro2 now has four times the processing speed of conventional image processing engines, so aside from the increased resolution, users will get optimum write speeds, faster start-up time, and high speed continuous shooting speeds. Further, the X-Pro2 goes anywhere with you, in any situation, as the unit’s magnesium alloy body makes it dust-proof, splash-proof and capable of operating in temperatures as low as 10°C. Alongside the powerhouse flagship model, Fujifilm also released the compact, 340-grams X70. The X70 is the first X-series model to offer touchscreen display that rotates 180 degrees, perfect for those who use their unit to take selfies. The camera also comes with a Fujinon18.5mm F2.8 lens and

X-ES2 is the improved version of X-ES

APS-C sized sensor, which makes it even more ideal for group shots or spectacular landscape, seascape and sunset shots. In addition, the unit comes with a well-designed milled aluminum exposure compensation and shutter speed dials which make it easy to quickly access key features. Apertures can be changed in 1/3 or 1-stop increments. Completing the lineup of new releases are the improved X-E2S rangefinder-style camera, Fujinon XF100-400mm F4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR super telephoto lens, and a mount flash that is currently in development. An evolved version of the X-ES, X-ES2 comes with a durable, compact and lightweight body with a Real-Time Viewfinder that offers a large display magnification of 0.62x*1 and an electronic viewfinder with the world’s shortest display time lag*2 of 0.005 seconds. It is also equipped with an AF system that excels at capturing subjects in motion. This improved version is the answer to many Fujifilm patrons’ call for an X-ES upgrade. But Fujifilm Philippines officials say that those who own the older version don’t necessarily need to buy the new unit because a firmware upgrade to be released this month will give users the same features found in X-ES2. The Fujinon XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR, on the other hand, is a super telephoto zoom lens that covers a 35mm focal length equivalent of 152-609mm. The lens has been designed for handheld shooting with a 5.0-stop* image stabilization system and weighs less than 1.4kg. Linear motor for fast autofocusing makes it perfect for shooting fastmoving subjects. The lens is also both water- and dust-resistant and can operate in temperatures as low as -10°C.

Compact and powerful, X-70 is perfect for street photography

TUESDAY : FEB RUARY 2, 2016

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

ARTS AND CULTURE ROUNDUP What’s on in theaters and galleries this week

EXHIBITS Flamboyance Total Gallery, Alliance Française de Manille, Makati City Ongoing until February 26

The ever picturesque Batanes islands get a fresh, new look through the paintings of biologist and artist Victoria Abad Kerblat. The Alliance Française de Manille, with support from the Embassy of France, stages the latest solo exhibition of Kerblat featuring the breathtaking sceneries of her hometown. Kerblat weaves together the beautiful sceneries Batanes has to offer – from the violent waves to the high rocks to the stone

houses, the rolling hills and rice paddies to the strong-willed islanders – in her paintings that beam with vibrant hues, mostly reds and yellows, in contrast to the usual Batanes images of blues and greens. In this way, the Franco-Filipino artist shows her artistic maturity and vision of how fertile the land is and how rich the life found in the northern tip of the Philippines can be. For more information on this ongoing exhibit, visit www.alliance.ph.

Here is How the Transition into the Mambo Beat Looks Like 2016 Lobby, Yuchengco Museum, Makati City Ongoing until February 27

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the first People Power Revolution, Galleria Duemila and Yuchengco Museum join forces to mount the series of conceptual art installation of Roberto M.A. Robles. Through his white plaster of Paris and wood installation, the accomplished artist expresses his sentiments and personal relationship on the fight for democracy. Robles’ latest solo show alludes to the events and symbols of Martial Law and the Edsa People Power Revolution of 1986

with an intention to express the struggle of each Filipino and to remove the fence of ignorance. According to him, he hopes that the museum visitors looking at his works will think about the symbolism of fences and barriers that block freedom of mind and ideology; and of chairs and tables that offer dialogue in our fight for true democracy. Call (02) 889-1234 or visit www. yuchengcomuseum.org for inquiries and more details.

A Taste of Gutai Ground Floor Gallery, Ayala Museum, Makati City February 5 to April 10 For its opening exhibition this 2016, the Ayala Museum presents 80 paintings, made by the Gutai art movement artists, loaned from the private collection of Lito and Kim Camacho. Gutai is a Japanese art movement defined by the radical and energetic approach to art making. Founded by Jiro Yoshihara and Shozo Shimamoto in 1954, the art movement was composed of artists based in the Kansai region of Japan. The paintings and sculptures by the Gutai artists are made of unconventional and highly physical techniques such as painting with feet, wrestling in cement and gravel, and deploying paint from elevated surfaces and cannons. For more information, email hello@ ayalamuseum.org or call (02) 759-8288.

Cliché Untitled Artery Arts Space, Quezon City February 6 to February 27 What really is the value of a painting today? Is it a thing of beauty? A vessel for reflection? A tool for expression? A symbol of cultural position? Or an agency of commercial exchange? This is the question of many artists in this day and age of commodification, and Lindslee tries to illustrate the anxiety of art through his latest solo exhibit. Popular for his abstract paintings infused with a pop and conceptual basis that borders on institutional critique and postmodern eclecticism, Lindslee presents installations of paintings, sculptural objects and found materials, all marked and distressed to provoke thought and visual arrest. Visit the gallery’s Facebook page ARTERY to know more about this ongoing exhibit.

Motions and Emotions Museo Pambata, Manila February 6 to March 6 Two nonprofit organizations that empower and improve the life and skills of underserved children come together to stage Henry Lamy’s fundraising exhibit. This Museo Pambata Foundation and Stairway Foundation joint project benefits underprivileged youth as proceeds from the sale of Lamy’s art pieces will be used to fund the two foundations’ programs. The exhibit is borne out of French figurative painter Lamy’s recent travels in Brazil, and in Manila and Puerto Galera here in the Philippines. Hence, the paintings on display are his collection of everyday scenes in the places he visited.

At 2:00 p.m. on the day of the opening, Lamy will also hold an Artist Talk and Demo to showcase his latest concept that involves capoeira and live-painting. For inquiries and more details, call (02) 523-1797 local 103 or email info@ museopambata.org.

CONCERTS The Amazing Brahms Little Theater, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila February 5, 7:30 p.m. Valentine’s Day starts early as the Metro Manila Concert Orchestra stages its Valentine offering, “The Amazing Brahms,” featuring virtuoso Filipino concert pianist Dr. Jose Artemio Panganiban III. The penultimate show of the MMCO 15th Crystal Anniversary Concert Series will see Panganiban playing Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 under the baton of multi-awarded conductor-composer Josefino “Chino” Toledo. “The Amazing Brahms” is copresented by MMCO and Meralco. Capping off the concert series is “The Magnificent Rachmaninoff ” on June 10. It will feature the performance of Dr. Abelardo Galang playing Rachmaninoff ’s beautiful and formidable concerto, Concerto No. 3. Call (02) 216-6487 or 09175335747 for inquiries.

TUESDAY : FEB RUARY 2, 2016

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

Viber launches new app that makes sharing as easy as a Wink

iber, the country’s leading messaging app, is upping the ante for photo and video sharing with the launch of a brand new companion app. Called Viber Wink, the new app – which can be downloaded free from your app store – allows the over 664 million users of Viber worldwide to take photos and short videos up to 10 seconds long, and share the same with friends and family within a time limit. The

good thing about it is that the app’s timer function gives you the option to limit the amount of time your photo or video can be viewed by the recipient – anywhere from 1 to 10 seconds – after which it will be deleted. This means you can now send hilarious and even embarrassing stuff to a certain recipient – then watch it disappear, without fearing that it will be shared and re-shared to others. But you can also choose not to

set a time limit, in which case the material will be sent as a normal photo or video. With Viber Wink, you can send and share instantly to any of your Viber contacts. The message will appear within your normal Viber conversations and can be viewed once by the recipient (if that’s what you want) even if they don’t have the Viber Wink app. After the recipient has seen the message, it will disappear based

on the selected time limit – so they better be fast because the message can disappear in the wink of an eye. It’s clear that users want more control over their messages, and this can be gleaned from the highly positive reception of the recent “delete message” feature from the app which allows senders to remotely delete messages even after they have been sent. With Wink, Viber has created another cool and fun way of putting users in charge,

encouraging everyone to share more – even those moments that they don’t really wish to treasure forever! Use Wink for free on iPhone®, Android™. Wink requires Viber version 5.7 to work. Viber v5.7 offers enhanced Group Chat features, including the ability to see detailed information about which of your friends have read your message. Check out www.viber.com for more information and updates.

Viber Wink, free to download from your app store, allows Viber users worldwide to take photos and short videos up to 10 seconds long, and share these with friends and family within a time limit

Viber users can now send hilarious and even embarrassing stuff and watch it disappear after being seen only once by the recipient

Inspiration ‘Beyond All Barriers’

Kuya Kim, Alden Richards give encouraging messages during the book’s launch

ost everyone goes through daunting challenges at one time or another in their lives. Some buckle when faced by heavy trials, while others get up, shake the dust off their feet and move on to become successful. These are the individuals who become moving examples for others, their stories serving to encourage others to go for their dreams no matter the hindrances. Compiled by Flor Tarriela and Butch Jimenez, Beyond All Barriers is the fifth installment of the Coincidences or Miracles? book series

that celebrates the stories of Ombudswoman Conchita Carpio Morales, PNB vice chair Rico Alfiler, Mama Sita Foundation president Clara Lapus, Rags to Riches chief executive officer Rebecca Bustamante, Xurpas founder and Entrepreneur of the Year 2015 Nix Nolledo, Nurture Spa owner Cathy Turvill, and other notable individuals who were all on hand during the book’s recent launch at the Manila Polo Club. The launch also saw the attendance of previous book contributors UCPB Chair Menardo Jimenez, GMA 7 directors Laurie Jimenez and

Annette Abrogar, and Sonya’s Garden proprietor Sonya Garcia. The launch was made even more inspiring with the moving testimonials from such individuals as broadcaster Kuya Kim Atienza who shared how a stroke and the Guillain-Barre syndrome made him realize that more than a friend, Jesus Christ is his Lord and Savior.” An advocate of integrative medicine, former Department of Health secretary Jaime Galvez Tan spoke about his popular “ResetangWalangGastos” that encourages people to attain wellness through positive thinking. Alden Richards, the

handsome half of global social phenomenon AlDub, made a surprise appearance, to the delight of the guests. In his message, the actor described the monumental success of his career as something that is not a coincidence, but “a miracle from God through Jesus Christ.” Conquest for Christ’s Kay Jimenez, who is also Beyond All Barriers’ publisher, announced that all proceeds from the new book will be used to distribute Bibles. A sixth Coincidences or Miracle? book is now in the works. Beyond All Barriers is available in some selected National

Bookstore branches. You may also call CONQUEST FOR CHRIST FOUNDATION, Inc. at telephone numbers 847-0522 to 25 or mobile no. 0917-8699562 for additional information.

TUESDAY : FEB RUARY 2, 2016

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

Edsa Shangri-La Manila’s general manager Amit Oberoi; Makati Shangri-La, Manila’s director of communications Patricia Javier; and Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa director of sales and marketing Aris Delos Santos-Ote posing with Star Wars’ Yoda and Chewbacca

@LIFEatStandard

Stormtroopers welcome the guests

THE SHANGRI-LA FORCE AWAKENS

Every year, the Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in the Philippines holds its annual themed media appreciation party. Last year’s celebration has been postponed to this year as the company has been busy, especially with the new hotel opening in The Fort BGC. In 2014, the theme was Hunger Games and our favorite Shangri-La general managers and communications team were all dolled up in their favorite characters from The Capitol, the citizens of Panem, and the Hunger Games’ tributes. This year, the theme is Star Wars, aptly titled The Shangri-La Force Awakens, with the event held in Makati Shangri-La Hotel. The force is strong with the five Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, as everyone donned character costumes from the popular movie franchise. Stormtroopers guarded the red carpet, and guests enjoyed photo-ops with Yoda, Chewbacca and BB-8. The food was not to be missed, as guests indulged in galaxy-inspired culinary creations as evidenced by the sashimi station designed like the solar system, freshly made vegetables, meat and fish placed in cans and silver packs for that outerspace feel, colorful planet-like desserts and funky cocktails made for Jedis and the dark side of the Force. The night ended with happy guests as Shangri-La generously gave away accommodation stays from all five properties in the Philippines as well as Shangri-La properties abroad in Japan, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, China, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Maldives and many more. It was such a fun and intergalactic night, we can’t wait what Shangri-La will come up with next year.

The Shangri-La Force Awakens– the management of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in the Philippines

Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa’s director of communications Cristina del Carmen, general manager Ester Marcaida, and director of sales and marketing Aris Delos Santos-Ote Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in the Philippines’ general managers close the festivity with smiles and optimism for the year ahead

Makati Shangri-La, Manila’s director of sales and marketing Cristina Ong-Cruz, general manager Alain Borgers, and director of communications Patricia Javier

Makati Shangri-La, Manila’s director of communications Patricia Javier and (far right) Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa’s general manager Ester Marcaida together with winners of the best in costume for the night, Greggy Vera Cruz and Jun JunAblaza

Art of Space – assorted seafood on rice

Salmon confit

Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa director of communications Cassandra Cuevas, general manager Rene Egle, and director of sales and marketing Albert Lafuente

Shangri-La at The Fort’s director of sales and marketing Cecile Weber, general manager John Rice, and director of communications Lesley Tan

STANDARD columnist elected PATA chair

Bob Zozobrado

he Standard LIFE columnist Bob Zozobrado was recently elected by the Board of Trustees of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Philippines chapter as its new chairman. Bob, who writes a travel column every Monday, is currently the executive director of the Center for Career Services and Industry Relations of Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU)-Manila campus. Prior to his stint in the academe, the LIFE section columnist has had decades of hands-on management experience in all facets of the Tourism industry. He was a commercial account manager for Pan Am, director of sales of the Hyatt Regency Manila, managing director of Thomas Cook, managing director of Thai Airways-APC, general manager of Northwest Airlines-ITI, public relations

consultant for the Macau Government Tourist Office, and most recently, the senior officer-incharge of the College of International Tourism and Hospitality Management of LPU-Manila. PATA, the biggest travel organization in the world, was founded in Honolulu in 1951 and is now headquartered in Bangkok. It counts among its members governments, destinations, transport, hotels, tour operators, travel agencies, educational institutions, financial and consultancy services and media. Its mission is to enhance, encourage and support the growth, value and quality of travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific. The highly energized Philippine Chapter, as an extension of the association, is constantly seeking ways to help translate PATA’s global objectives into action in the local travel and

hospitality industry. This dynamism is reflected in the newly elected Board of Trustees together with Zozobrado as chairman. The other newly elected officers are Simon Ang (Let’s Celebrate Life Travel), head of the Membership Committee; Paz Alberto (Ark Travel), Education Committee head; Onelle Verzosa (Hotel Celeste), Programs Committee head; Arnie Bayag (Travel Experts, Inc.), PROGovernment Liaison; Isabel Garcia (Henann Group of Hotels), PRO-Travel Trade; Marlene Insigne (Southeast Travel), Treasurer; Jun Anota (Sining at Kultura Foundation), legal counsel; and Teody Espallardo (Huma Island Resort & Spa), Ways and Means Committee head. Additional information on PATA Philippines Chapter may be obtained through pataphilmemcom@gmail.com.

TUESDAY : FEB RUARY 2, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

ZAC EFRON IN ROAD TRIP WITH ROBERT DE NIRO Z

ac Efron and Robert De Niro go on a wild familial bonding in Dirty Grandpa, where Efron plays young, buttoned-up, conservative lawyer Jason Kelly who is in the final stages of preparation for a picture-perfect wedding to his seemingly ideal fiancée Meredith Goldstein (Julianne Hough) when Jason’s beloved paternal grandmother passes. Though it’s the week before his big day, everyone’s concerned for Grandpa Dick (Robert De Niro), suddenly alone for the first time after 40 years of marriage. After the funeral, Dick asks if Jason can drive him to Florida the following day, where he can grieve in the solace of their beloved getaway home. Knowing that Dick’s license has been suspended – and with the promise that he’ll be back the next day – Jason reluctantly agrees. Once the trip begins, Grandpa’s true agenda emerges and it’s decidedly not one of him moping silently in a car. Between the golf detour, the cigar chomping, hard drinking, and the Daytona Beach detour that goes completely off the rails, Jason quickly learns that the grandpa he knows and loves is not exactly the man he thought he was. Yet the pair’s crazy, debauched and revealing road trip will also help Jason come to grips with who he is too, which may be an even bigger surprise. With these very different blood relatives, learning something about how life should be lived turns out to be a two-way street. For the role of Jason, Dick’s conservative and uptight grandson tricked into serving as co-pilot to Dick’s last effort at youth-grabbing wish fulfillment, the script was sent to actor Zac Efron, whose recent foray into the comedy realm with Neighbors proved to be a huge success. Efron found the script shocking, smart, and hilarious and was all-in, particularly when presented with the possibility of working with the incomparable Robert De Niro. “It’s every guy’s dream to work with Bob De Niro,”

says Efron. “I was really curious how we would work together. He’s been doing this for so long, he’s such an icon, yet I don’t think I’ve ever seen him do a role like this. The day I heard this could potentially happen, every antenna went up. It was like, ‘Could I even work with this guy?’ Our histories are so different! There’s Robert De Niro, Taxi Driver, and then there’s me, High School Musical!” Efron continues, “being such a big fan, it was an opportunity to learn from one of the absolute greatest actors that’s ever lived. He’s such a presence on camera – formidable and dramatic and real – that when he applies all those talents and skill to comedy, the screen just blows up. I would break constantly because the stuff that would come out of his mouth was insane. Then the movie ended up being really cool, so it was a double win.” Zac Efron notes that as packed with laughs as it is, the undercurrent of family bonding and self-expression in Dirty Grandpa gives the comedy a richer texture. “At the end of the day, the movie is about family coming back together, and about being set free,” says Efron. “It’s a story of growth and happiness. It’s just that the road there is ridiculously funny and chaotic.” Guaranteed to be a boundless, wild ride, Dirty Grandpa is sure to not disappoint, either as a raucous laugh-getter or a compelling, inspiring story of two men seeking different types of fulfillment. Says director Dan Mazer, “All road trips lead somewhere. But in this case, it’s a destination of understanding, growth and bonding that points the way forward for both Dick and Jason, who come to realize how much they had to learn from each other. There may not be many dignified moments on their journey, but the ultimate indignity is tolerating a life you don’t want, and that’s where Jason grows the most from hanging out with his one-of-a-kind Dirty Grandpa.” Dirty Grandpa opens this Feb. 3 in cinemas from Pioneer Films.

Efron plays an uptight lawyer in a Dan Mazer film

Hilarious scenes from the comedy film

Zac Efron and Robert De Niro in a new comedy Dirty Grandpa

Dirty Grandpa is not just a comedy it also delves into the subject of intergenerational male bonding

‘THE REVENANT’ ADVANCE SCREENINGS

eonardo DiCaprio’s award-winning and acclaimed film, The Revenant from Academy Award winning director Alejandro Iῆarritu holds its public advance screenings in Philippine theatres (2D and IMAX screens) as last full show nationwide today hours ahead of its opening day tomorrow. Based on true events from legendary Hugh Glass’ accounts on surviving the wild, uncertain times and even returning from the dead, The Revenant is this year’s most awaited cinema event. In The Revenant, DiCaprio plays Hugh Glass, a fur trapper and frontiersman who is left for dead deep in the unchartered American wilderness by a traitorous member of his team, John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). With sheer will as his only weap-

on, Glass must navigate a hostile environment, a brutal winter and warring tribes in a relentless quest to survive and exact vengeance on Fitzgerald. Glass’s mythology began in 1823, when he was among thousands joining the fur trade, a driving new force in the US economy. Many such men died anonymously, but Glass entered the annals of American folklore by flat-out refusing to die. His legend sparked after he faced one of the West’s most feared dangers: a startled grizzly bear. In Iñárritu’s telling of the tale, a mauled Glass clings to life – then suffers a human betrayal that fuels him to continue at any cost. In spite of tremendous loss, Glass pulls himself from an early grave – clawing his way through a gauntlet of unknown per-

ils and unfamiliar cultures on a journey that becomes not just a search for reckoning but for redemption. As Glass moves through the frontier in turmoil, he comes to reject the urge for destruction that once drove him. He has become a “revenant” -- one returned from the dead. “The Revenant is a story of harsh survival but also one of inspirational hope,” Iñárritu says. “For me, the important part was to convey this adventure with a sense of wonder and discovery, as an exploration of both nature and human nature.” The Revenant opens in cinemas across the nation tomorrow (also in IMAX screens) from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros. Check your nearest theatres for schedule and advance ticket purchase.

Leonardo DiCaprio as the legendary American frontiersman Hugh Glass in The Revenant

TUESDAY : FEB RUARY 2, 2016

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

DENNIS AND SOLENN LEAD BIKERS AT OUTDOOR MOVIE PREMIERE Dennis Trillo and Solenn Heussaff with filmmaker Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil

ennis Trillo and Solenn Heussaff, stars of Lakbay2Love, a romantic movie about biking and the environment, led the outdoor premiere of the film with a bike ride around the University of the Philippines Diliman campus from the Oblation to the academic oval. The lead stars led a group of about 200 bikers on Jan. 29, 5 p.m. at the UP Diliman Ampitheater. The Lakbay2Love premiere, which was spearheaded by UP Bike Share, also had, apart from the bike ride, a concert with Dennis and Solenn singing songs from the all-OPM soundtrack of the film. Other performers that night were Joey Ayala, Gig Manila, ‘lil Noizy, The Ransom Collective and Oh, Flamingo. The event was co-organized by film producer Erasto Films and the Firefly Brigade. Highlight of the night was a raffle draw of the Trek bicycles that the stars used in the movie and especially signed by the actors. Lakbay2Love tells the story of Lianne (Solenn), a French-Filipina videographer—whose parents are separated and have families abroad—trying to make a life of her own. The film opens with her suffering from a devastating

break-up with her long-time boyfriend Macky (Kit Thompson) who is a biker. Depressed and lost, Lianne finds hope and direction when she and her best friend Monday (Patricia Ismael) are assigned to make a feature on climate change. Lianne meets Jay-R (Dennis), a forester who is also regarded as a legend in the biking community. Lianne’s eyes are opened as she learns about biking and the environment from Jay-R. But just as she is starting to carve a new path for herself, Macky returns and turns Lianne’s life upside-down again. Lakbay2Love is considered the first biking feature film in local cinema. The outdoor premiere on Jan. 29 was also a first. The film is rated G (General Patronage) by the MTRCB and the Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB) gave it an “A.” The film opens in cinemas tomorrow.

Joey Ayala at the Lakbay2Love “green” premiere night

Biking enthusiasts get ready for the start of the TRIP: Lakbay2Love bike ride in UP Diliman

Trillo and Heussaff during the film premiere at the UP Amphitheater

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Ice-skate blade 7 Funny-peculiar 10 Handfuls of cotton 14 Lift, so to speak 15 Yes, in Yokohama 16 No future — — 17 Caught sight of 18 Space widths 19 PBS series 20 End-of-winter fest (2 wds.) 23 The slow lane 26 Get a taste of

Trillo and Heussaff lead bikers at TRIP: Lakbay2Love outdoor premiere

27 Demeanors 28 Andy’s friend 29 Sauce in a wok 30 Cave, perhaps 31 Feb. predecessor 32 Janitor’s tool 33 Toes, informally 37 Develop 38 Cotton gin name 39 Wanted-poster abbr. 40 So long! 41 Medicinal brew (2 wds.)

43 Matter, in law 44 Thus, in citations 45 Vegas lead-in 46 Loop trains 47 Polite chap 48 George of “Blume in Love” 51 “Alice” waitress 52 Twinges 53 First stirrings of spring (2 wds.) 56 Force to flee 57 Half of hex58 Tided over 62 Sidle past 63 Charged particle 64 Emulate Yeager 65 Dandelion 66 Opposite of post67 Hummer lure DOWN 1 Rural addr. 2 Cousins of “um” 3 Just barely win 4 Whinnies 5 Goolagong rival 6 Overhaul 7 William S. Porter (2 wds.) 8 Beau Brummell, notably 9 Potluck choice 10 Wounding slightly 11 Battery terminal

TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2016

12 Couch 13 Corset 21 Perfect world 22 Alphas’ opposites 23 Indian ruler 24 Snapshot 25 Dead duck 29 Fixes a pump 30 Levees 32 Iron and lead 33 Seldom-used room 34 “Peer Gynt” dramatist 35 Checking out 36 Factions 42 Went through rock 46 Seinfeld pal 47 Vampire repellent 48 Tool box item 49 Form a butte 50 Overcharge 51 Uproar 52 Rub the wrong way 54 Swab (hyph.) 55 Easier said — done 59 Overly glib 60 LAX info 61 Van — Waals force

TUESDAY : FEB RUARY 2, 2016

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

Bulaga stays with Kapuso network TAPE Inc. and GMA Network Inc. renewed their block-time agreement with GMA Network Center recntly. Present during the contact signing were GMA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Atty. Felipe L. Gozon, President and Chief Operating Officer Gilberto R. Duavit, Jr., Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Felipe S. Yalong, TAPE Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Antonio P. Tuviera, and Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Malou Choa-Fagar. Also present to witness the contract signing were Eat Bulaga “Dabarkads” Sen. Tito Sotto, Joey de Leon, Jimmy Santos, Anjo Yllana, Ruby Rodriguez, Allan K., Patricia Tumulak, Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola, Paolo Ballesteros, Pia Guanio, Maine Mendoza and Alden Richards.

Tape Inc. officials with GMA Network bigwigs and cast members of Eat Bulaga

Miles Ocampo and Angel Aquino in And I Love You So

What Edward Benosa looks forward to in 2016 Based on how his 2015 turned out, singer Edward Benosa is looking forward to a really good year in 2016. In 2015, Edward—most known for his hit song “Di Man Lang Nagpaalam” which made it to the country’s top music charts and won for him a loyal following—won two awards, one a Best New Artist trophy from the Star Awards for Music and another, from the MOR Awards of radio station 101.9FM. He sees these awards as an affirmation that he is in the right place, and that he should continue pushing forward with his career in 2016. “Sa isang nagsisimula na tulad ko, o kahit sinong nagsisimula, mabigyan ka ng Best New Artist of the year, parang enough reason na ‘yon na ipagpatuloy mo itong ginagawa mo. Susundan na kailangan, ipagpatuloy ang sinimulan,” he says. Edward’s goal is to sustain the momentum of his achievements in 2016. He wants to get into new things, maybe do a concert, record another album and even try more theater. He is making the phrase “moving forward” his goal for next year. He is happy that groups like the Philippine Movie Press Club (which is behind the annual Star Awards for Music) and MOR 101.9 have seen his potential and by giving him awards and recognition, are encouraging him to do more with what he has. “Siguro nakikita ‘yung potential ko to be this person na malaki pa

yung pwede ko ma-achieve as a singer, sa craft ko, na-a-appreciate nila na ako ‘yung bago ngayon, as a pop rock balladeer.” His manager, stage and screen actor Arnold Cruz Reyes, believes that Edward will go pretty far in 2016. When Edward won the awards in 2015, he was surprised but says things aren’t going to stop there. There is much more for Edward to achieve in 2016. Arnold says it is obvious that Edward, while a newbie singer and occasional actor, is meant to go places and encourages him only to work harder and pay attention to the advice of people who want to see him succeed even more next year. “Consistent naman kasi, na-nominate siya na Best New Artist of the Year. Nu’ng nangyari nga, sabi ko, ‘Uy nakakatuwa, napapansin tayo,” says Arnold, who’s hoping Edward will be able to build on his past achievements to have an even greater year in 2016. Edward says that one way of ensuring a better year in 2016 is also to stay positive and not to mind the bashers and critics. Like when he won those two awards, there were people who didn’t think he deserved to win and asked: “Sino siya? Hindi namin siya kilala.” He just wants to be positive going into 2016. Regardless of what people say, he will keep pressing forward. Even if there

are critics, he says, he intends to see things constructively and make positivity his motto for next year. He just wants to take everything in a positive light, criticism or not. He has a goal, and he knows what he has to do to get there. He will not let negative talk or criticism get in the way. “Kung meron man mang-bash, okay pa rin ‘yon, at least napag-uusapan pa rin,” says Edward. “Hindi naman maiiwasan ‘yung gano’n, kaya sabi ko, i-positivize na lang.” Edward has high hopes for 2016. He is excited about all the new things coming his way, and is eager to get things started. “Ang daming bonus ni God para sa akin,” he says with a big smile. Edward is grateful for all the things that happened in 2015, and is looking to make an even bigger splash in 2016.

Balladeer Edward Benosa

KATRINA IS ALFONSO’S LEGAL WIFE

From C8 Katrina (Angel Aquino) won her right as the legal wife of Alfonso (Tonton Gutierrez) after changing Joanna’s (Miles Ocampo) DNA result to negative in the afternoon series And I Love You So. Michelle (Dimples Romana) was surprised to learn that the DNA test showed Joanna and his father Alfonso were not biologically matched. With this, Michelle faced Katrina and made sure she finds out her involvement with the incident. Meanwhile, as she was declared as the legal wife, Katrina forced Joanna to leave the mansion and pushed her to the ground, fueling so much anger from Michelle. Now that Katrina’s plans are happening as intended, how can Michelle defend her family, especially her daughter Joanna? Don’t miss the thrilling scenes in And I Love You So, weekdays on ABS-CBN. For more information about the program, visit the official social networking site of Dreamscape Entertainment Television at Facebook.com/DreamscapePH, Twitter. com/DreamscapePH, and Instagram.com/DreamscapePH. ****

Grace Poe can only sigh and exclaim, ‘Hay Naku’

Grace Poe, like a true fan of ABS-CBN’s FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, can only sigh and exclaim, “Hay naku!” when asked about the dirty tricks her opponents have been using to ease her out of the presidential race. “Hay naku, sabi nga ni Onyok. Hay naku,” Grace said in a press conference in Cebu recently. She said she anticipated all these when she decided to run for president instead of running as vice president under the administration ticket. “Hay naku!” is the expression of Simon Pineda, the child star that plays Onyok in the ABS-CBN drama series Ang Probinsyano. It has become very popular among fans who regularly watch the series. Grace still finds time to watch the series adapted from the 1977 movie of the same title produced by his late father, Fernando Poe, Jr, who also starred in it. She can’t say anything unfavorable to the performances of the members of the cast, especially Coco Martin and her mother, Susan Roces. Even some lines in the lyrics of the song “Wag Ka Nang Umiyak,” Grace uses in her speech while in her provincial sorties in preparation for her official campaign.

TUESDAY : FEB RUARY 2, 2016

ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED

t has been a fruitful 20 years for Jericho Rosales in the entertainment industry and today, we celebrate his success and significant contribution to the world of showbiz. People first got a glimpse of Jericho as contestant for Mr. Pogi, a talent search on noontime show Eat Bulaga. After winning the title, Jericho went on to explore the world of acting and he eventually found a home at ABS-CBN when he became part of Star Magic’s Star Circle Batch 4 in 1997. Echo has his charms that earned him a fan base in Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia and South Africa because of his teleserye Pangako Sa ‘Yo. with Kristine Hermosa. He also starred with iconic Malaysian artists Aaron Azia and Tiz Zaqyah Razak in Kusinero, a TV series shown in Malaysia’s Astro Musika HD 134 channel. From a teen idol, Jericho eventually transitioned into a hunk dramatic actor and became part of ASAP boy group “Hunks” alongside Piolo Pascual, Diether Ocampo, Carlos Agassi and Bernard Palanca. Jericho was able to express his musical side and this led him to a singing career with his band Jeans. Because of his popularity in Asia, especially in Malaysia, Jericho even did his band’s album launch in Kuala Lumpur. He launched his first album with his band titled Loose Fit in 2006 followed by a self-titled album. Change and Korona albums were released in the market. As a serious actor, Jericho continued to make quality television shows and movies. He did the remake of Fernando Poe Jr.’s Panday and Koreanovela Green Rose. He also did another soap with Kristine titled Dahil May Isang Ikaw, which was nominated for Best Telenovela in the International Emmys and New York Film Festivals in 2011. He did Kahit Isang Saglit, which was partly shot in Malaysia and also starred Malaysian actress Carmen Soo. He won Best Drama Actor in the 26th Star Awards for TV for Dahil Sa Pag-ibig. He got several nominations for his works in various award giving bodies including FAMAS, Star Awards for Movies, Golden Screen and Metro Manila Film Festival. His film Alagwa (Breakaway) won in film festivals around the world and recognized as the Most Outstanding Achievement in Film Acting Award at the 2013 Newport Beach Film Festival. Most notable are his awards for Best Actor for the said film in the country’s respected award giving bodies Gawad Urian and FAMAS in 2013. The most recent

20 MAGICAL YEARS IN SHOWBIZ from Echo’s life and how a simple dreamer was able to provide a better life for his family. Looking back at his life and career, he feels blessed and admits he is “very happy” now with the loves of his life: wife Kim Jones and son Santino. Love is definitely in the air and there’s no better way to celebrate this month of love than to feature the love story of Pinoy Big Brother 737 housemates Tommy Esguerra and Miho Nishida. From the showbiz world to the universe, get hooked on the journey of Pia Wurtzbach to being the newly crowned Miss Universe. Feast your eyes on exclusive photos of her controversial but well-deserved win. StarStudio also takes a peek at the beach-inspired surprise party of Primetime Darling Liza Soberano, who turned 18 last Jan. 4. Finally, are you getting ready for your Valentine’s Day date? Be sure to read Alex Gonzaga’s dating advice which include tips on dressing up for a date. Also, she shares the with StarStudio the story behind her unexpected love. All this and more in StarStudio Magazine’s February 2016 issue, available from ABS- CBN Publishing. (Continued on C7)

Kapamilya ace actor Jericho Rosales on the cover of Star Studio magazine

Happy couple: Echo with model-host wife Kim Jones. (In inset ) Echo with his teenage son Santino

Best Actor Award he received is for the movie Walang Forever in the 41st Metro Manila Film Festival. Following his Best Actor in MMFF, another project is already in the works and more endorsements are lined up for Echo. In his 20 years in the busi-

ness, he sees himself doing what he loves to do. “My heart is full. I’m more inspired to do more projects. I know its cliché but I am really grateful to all who supported me. The support I’m getting continues to spark the passion that I have for this industry,” the best actor ended.

**** Jericho Rosales in StarStudio February 2016 issue StarStudio kicks off the love month this year with a feature on the 41st Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Best Actor Jericho Rosales who is celebrating two decades in showbiz. Readers will draw inspiration

Echo became popular for his roles in television series like Esperanza, Pangako Sa ‘Yo and Ang Panday