The Standard - 2015 May 17 - Sunday

VOL. XXIX  NO. 89  3 Sections  24 Pages  P18  SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015  www.manilastandardtoday.com  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

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Court sentences Morsi to death

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Reds blast Aquino govt peace tack

BINAY UNFAZED: NO TURNING BACK Next page

SCHOOL OPENING BLUES. Early birds try to get heftier discounts from ambulant stores at Carriedo Street in Quiapo, Manila on school supplies whose prices are expected to rise ahead of the opening of classes in June. DIANA NOCHE

HOW LAZADA BUILT A MALL ON INTERNET

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DAQUIS FACES NEW CHALLENGE

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NEWS

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AMLC sCored As LiberAL AttACk dog

By Maricel Cruz and sara susanne fabunan

Out Of the shadOws. Members of the shadow mime group el gamma Penumbra went home to tanauan City on saturday and showed off a Batangas provincial board resolution citing their performance in the first Asia’s Got Talent television competition where they were named grand champions. daNNY Pata

BinaY UnFaZed: nO TURning BaCK

By Vito Barcelo and sara susanne fabunan

Vice President Jejomar Binay on Saturday said he will not back out from the presidential race in 2016 despite persistent reports of alleged corruption against him and his family which he branded as mere “political black propaganda.”

“All negative reports and lies being spread against me and my family will not deter me from running,” Binay said during the national Conference of Employers held at the Marriott Hotel, Pasay City.

“The fight will go on. Inumpisahan niya, tatapusin ko,” he added.

Binay also said that he will respect the decision of former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada to support Senator Grace Poe should she decides to seek the highest post in the 2016 elections.

Binay made the statement even as a Palace official admitted that President Benigno Aquino III has had meetings with Poe and presumptive Liberal Party standardbearer Manuel Roxas II. “We should respect their decision. There is no need to interfere on the decision of Estrada. If he wants to support Poe, then so be it. Let’s respect it,” Binay said.

Poe is the daughter of the late Fernando Poe Jr, Estrada’s best friend.

Estrada’s political party Partido ng Masang Pilipino, is part of the opposition’s United nationalist Alliance – Binay’s political party.

The Vice President said, however, that UnA is still considering Poe to be his running mate.

Still, Binay did not give a direct answer when asked whether he is ready if Poe decides to run under

the administration’s Liberal Party.

Presidential deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte, who admitted that Poe has been meeting with the president, said that Poe and Roxas has an ongoing separate discussion with Roxas.

“Well you know, we’ve seen that it is an on going discussion as Senator Grace Poe met with Secretary Mar Roxas earlier, and then met with the President along with Secretary Mar Roxas,” Valte said in a radio interview.

She added that it comes as no surprise if Poe would seek guidance from the President since the lady Senator, an independent candidate, ran on the Liberal Party’s ticket during the last midterm elections in 2013.

She also disclosed that Poe will have another meeting with Aquino in the coming weeks.

“I do know that there is supposed to be another meeting as the President mentioned, if I’m not mistaken, but I don’t know when the schedule is going to be,” she admitted.

On Friday, Poe admitted that she would seek Aquino’s guidance in whatever role she may find herself in, Aquino met with Poe before he left for a four-day visit to the United States and Canada.

While Aquino did not directly tell Poe that the LP wanted her to be either its standard bearer or

its vice presidential candidate in next year’s election, the senator said the President told her the LP needs an alternative candidate.

She added that Aquino also made it clear to her the alternative candidate need not be an LP member, but someone who has the chance of winning the elections and who can carry out the current reforms of the present administration and its fight against corruption.

On Thursday, the President said he believes Poe would be among those who can continue the reforms that he said his administration has started.

He added that as of this time, his party has yet to finalize everything, including its campaigning strategies.

The President has earlier assured the public that he will endorse the LP’s standard bearer in June, but added that he would still need to consulting with several sectors, including the non-government organizations, the civil society organizations, among others, on who the administration should choose to represent them in the next presidential polls.

The president also said he is open on getting an independent candidate to represent the LP in the elections.

“I get everybody’s inputs eh, not just the established political parties but also, di ba, yung again the nGOs (non-government organizations), the civil society organizations, peoples organizations, other support,” Aquino said.

Based on the previous Social Weather Survey result, Poe retained her position as the top vice presidential bet for the May 2016, while also trailing Binay on a separate survey for Filipinos’

choice for the next president.

Roxas, on the other hand, landed at 7th place as the Filipinos’ choice for president.

Following the survey, Aquino admitted that he was worried with the performance of Roxas in surveys.

“Parang yung pangamba ng bayan aspect ay talagang kailangang pakinggan ko, lahat ng boses ng bawat isang sangay, ng bawat sanga nitong samahan na ito, at ma-preserve nga yon,” Aquino said.

“Kapag na-preserve natin yon, talagang lalakas ang tulak ng pangangampanya ng kung sino man ang mapili ng buong samahan,” he added.

Last month, during the general assembly of 1,490 municipality mayors, Aquino has listed the criteria that he was looking for from his successor.

He said that he was not only looking for a presidential candidate who can continue his program of “straight path” but someone who has “integrity, honesty, and confidence” in running the Philippines.

The President, whose term would end in May 2016 also added that the Philippine economy will remain robust if his successor will continue the reforms that he has started since 2010.

“Kung ngayon pa lang, halos limang taon matapos manumbalik ang pag-asa ng ating mga Boss, ay napakalayo na ng ating narating, gaano pa kaya katayog ang mga pangarap na maabot natin kung magtutuloy at dadami pa ang mga repormang ipapatupad ng susunod na magiging pinuno? (We’ve gone this far, nearly five years after hope was restored to our bosses.

We can go even higher if reforms are pursued by the next president) ,” the President added.

An opposition leader has accused the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) of serving as an “attack dog of the Liberal Party” to erode the chances of Vice President Jejomar Binay in the 2016 presidential polls.

United nationalist Alliance interim president and navotas City Rep. Tobias Tiangco challenged the AMLC to show its independence by looking into the bank accounts of LP officials and administration allies who are also implicated in various graft cases.

“If the AMLC is not being used by the Liberal Party, it should show proof that it also made an effort to look into the bank accounts of the administration allies who are also involved in large-scale corruption scandals and scams,” Tiangco said.

Doing so would prove that the AMLC is not playing politics in running after politicians who are perceived as threat to whoever will be the administration standard bearer for next year’s elections, he added.

Malacañang, for its part, said it will be leave it up to the Vice President on whether he should resign from the Cabinet following the AMLC’s decision to freeze his bank accounts.

“That’s a decision that is left up to him,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a radio interview over state-run Radyo ng Bayan.

“Whenever we’re always asked about resignations, that is a question that is better posed to the person who is the subject of the call to resign,” she added.

Valte was mum when asked if the controversies surrounding Binay has affected his working relationship with President Benigno Aquino III. “I am not aware of any personal statement that has been expressed by the President relative to this, apart from the Liberal Party does not have anything to do with the AMLC report,” Valte said.

“Whether it has affected their relationship, I have not seen them in the last few times that they have met, so I am not in a position to judge whether it has been affected,” she added.

Tiangco maintained that AMLC should also train its guns on administration officials and allies who have been implicated in the alleged misuse of lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) as well as the discredited Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

Businesswoman Janet Lim napoles earlier tagged Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, an LP stalwart, as the mastermind of the pork barrel scam.

“High-ranking members of the Liberal Party have been involved in a string of multi-billion peso under-the-table deals since President Aquino assumed office in 2010 but the administration has not lifted a finger to file and pursue cases against them,” Tiangco said.

Tiangco said he believes the scandal does not stop with Abad but could even go to the top of the LP hierarchy.

He accused the administration of using the Binay issue as a smokescreen to deflect attention from the wrongdoings of LP officials and allies.

The militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said Binay “should not be used to cover-up the far bigger systemic corruption” committed by the administration.

“Even as we seek truth and accountability with regard to the Binays, we reiterate our demand that everyone involved should be held accountable,” Bayan said in a statement.

“Those who have long misused public funds and/or juggled the national budget for illegal and self-serving ends should also be held accountable, from President Benigno Aquino III to Budget Secretary Butch Abad as well as the administration allies who have been tagged as clients of Janet napoles,” the leftist alliance added.

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NEWS

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REDS HIT GOVT PEACE TACK By florante s. solmerin

COMMUNIST Party of the Philippines founder Jose Ma. Sison questioned President Benigno Aquino III’s sincerity in pursuing peace talks with communist insurgents after Aquino claimed that the rebels backed off special negotiations aimed at an indefinite ceasefire.

Meet My not-so-little friend. A crocodile wrangler leads the transfer of a 16-foot crocodile from its cage in Pasay City to Bacolod City on saturday. dAnny PAtA

CHINA lAsHes At Us over seA row CHINA foreign minister told top US diplomat John Kerry on Saturday that Beijing was “unshakeable” in its defense of sovereignty, as tensions between the powers mount over Chinese islandbuilding in strategic but disputed waters.

The United States is weighing sending warships and surveillance aircraft within 12 nautical miles -- the normal territorial zone around natural land -- of artificial islands that Beijing is building in the South China Sea. Such a move could lead to a standoff on the high seas in an area home to vital global shipping lanes and believed to be rich in oil and gas deposits.

Beijing regards almost the whole of the South China Sea as its own and after talks in the Chinese capital foreign minister Wang Yi said: “The determination of the Chinese side to safeguard our own sovereignty and territorial integrity is as firm as a rock and it is unshakeable.”

“It is the request of our people on our government as well as a legitimate right of ours,” he added sternly at their joint press conference.

Kerry was less assertive in public, saying Washington was “concerned about the pace and scope of China’s land reclamation” and urged it “to take actions that will join with everyone to reduce tensions”.

The region needed “smart

diplomacy”, he said, rather than “outposts and military strips”.

Senior State Department officials had said ahead of the meeting that Kerry would take a tough line and “leave his Chinese interlocutors in absolutely no doubt that the United States remains committed to maintain freedom of navigation”.

“That’s a principle that we are determined to uphold,” the official added.

The world’s top two economies have significant commercial ties and Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to pay a state visit to the United States in September.

But China’s ambitions for a place on the world’s

political stage commensurate with its economic role have seen it cross the United States in multiple fields, and the two have long-running disputes over issues ranging from trade to cyberspying to human rights.

At the same time the United States is China’s secondbiggest trading partner after the European Union, with two-way commerce worth $555 billion last year, according to Chinese figures.

Beijing is the heavily indebted US government’s biggest foreign creditor, figures from Washington showed Friday, reclaiming top spot from Japan with more than $1.26 trillion in Treasury bonds. AfP

“He is out of his mind if he thinks that he can get an agreement on indefinite ceasefire without complying with the existing agreements and without a Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms at the same time,” Sison said in a statement.

He said the government has violated the The Hague Joint Declaration, Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CAHRIHL), the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) and the Joint Agreement on the Formation, Sequence and Operationalization of the Reciprocal Working Committees.

“It is Aquino who lacks sincerity in peace negotiations between the [government of the Philippines] and NDFP,” Sison said. “He shows his bad faith, selfishness and incorrigible penchant for cruelty by putting in advance of formal talks his precondition that he will continue to violate JASIG and CAHRIHL.” Sison issued the statement after Aquino claimed in a radio interview that Sison had proposed a “special track” aimed at an indefinite ceasefire, but the communist leader supposedly “took it back.”

But Sison said it was Aquino who was being insincere because of the government’s pursuit of NDF consultants in connection with “the baseless and false” Hilongos charge involving mass executions of communist rebels in the 1980s.

“He seems to be obsessed

with going down in history with a legacy of cruelty comparable to that of Marcos and Arroyo in collecting political prisoners and allowing the military, police and paramilitary in perpetrating forced disappearances, torture, mass dislocation, demolition of homes and landgrabbing under Oplan Bayanihan,” Sison said.

Sison also accused Peace Process Secretary Teresita Deles of sabotaging the special negotiation track with the NDF. “Now, Deles wants to humiliate and insult the NDFP by putting forward the selfproclaimed designer of Oplan Bayanihan as the chief negotiator of the GPH,” he added, referring to former military chief Emmanuel Bautista.

In his own statement, chief peace negotiator Luis Jalandoni said the NDF is wary of more arrests of its consultants after Aquino revealed his “intention not to comply with existing peace agreements and avoid substantive negotiations.”

“President Aquino destroys the chances for resumption of peace negotiations between his lame-duck administration and the [NDFP]. Aquino’s act of sabotage comes at a time when the NDFP was undertaking steps towards a possible resumption of formal peace talks,” he lamented.

Last month, Jalandoni told the media in a press briefing somewhere in Quezon City the intention of the CPPNPA-NDF to resume peace talks with the government.

sAlCeDA eYes retUrN to HoUse AFTER reaching the limit of three terms, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda announced on Saturday he will run for congressman of Albay’s second district next year to finish the development projects he had started and bring in new and bigger ones.

Salceda, whose third term as governor ends in 2016 made the announcement after registering Friday morning as a voter of this town. He posted his statement in his Facebook account Saturday to end speculations regarding his political plans beyond his governorship.

Salceda opted for a congressional post in his province where he said he could work to finish many large development projects he had started and bring in many more, which could make Albay one of the leaders in the country’s economic development.

“I wanted it to be totally my own decision. Yesterday

alone and having told no one, first thing in the morning and without fanfare I registered as voter in Daraga, Albay where, over the past eight years I have resided and own a house, to effectively perform my tasks as governor” he said.

Previous to his three terms as governor, Salceda also served as congressman of Albay’s third district for nine years. Barring other developments, his 2016 political pursuit in the second district will likely be uncontested since incumbent Rep. Al Francis Bichara will also complete three terms next year.

“I listened for two years and our people lead me here as the best way, and with the biggest challenge, to level up the Albay transformation workin-progress focusing on: the completion of the Daraga International Airport which I began in 2006 when I was

chair of the House Appropriations committee; continue the tourism work in terms of infra, marketing and events and critical mass of Albay tourism is in the 2nd district, essentially the Camalig-DaragaLegazpi nexus; and initiate and complete the process towards the Cityhood of Daraga which is a legislative act,” he explained.

Salceda said he will work to create the 4th district of Albay since it provides new access to national resources and proportional representation of 1.3 million Albayanos; and help pursue the South Railways Project or the ManilaAlbay-Matnog rail line where I participated in its project formulation and now for PPP bidding. The project would have its South Central station in Comun, Camalig town with spur lines to Legazpi City and to Matnog, Sorsogon.

Cheers euroPA. Ambassador Guy ledoux of the european Union accepts the toasts of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary linglingay lacanlale and Brunei Ambassador Malai Halimah during the celebration of europe Day last May 9. MAnny PAlMero

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ADELLE chuA edITor S u N D AY, M AY 17, 2 0 1 5

opinion [ EDI TORI A L ]

Marred roxas

The Secretary of the Interior and Local Government must be bristling these days from the apparent wandering eye of his boss, President Benigno Aquino III, whom he has loyally served since 2010, most of the time at the price of his self-respect.

Remember that Roxas had already given way to Aquino before the elections that installed the latter, when the Liberal Party realized it had better field the son of the justdeceased former President Corazon Aquino because he seemed to enjoy the public’s sympathy if it were to have any real chances of winning the race for the top spot.

And Aquino did win, riding on Filipinos’ dangerous trait of translating sentiment to vote, on the vague promise of eradicating poverty by eradicating corruption, and on the portrayal of the outgoing president as evil.

Roxas for his part had been angling to be president for a long time now, marrying a broadcaster and ditching his polished, investment-banker image for one much closer to the people - visiting wet markets, shaking the hands of vendors, and even cursing to high heavens at a rally.

All these did not fly and he was made to wait his turn.

When Aquino won, Roxas was given opportunities to show he could shine, but didn’t. he succeeded only in convincing us he was desperate.

And now, Grace Poe. No less than Aquino himself has said he felt the neophyte senator would be able to continue the gains made by his administration, and that she is going in the right direction. In short, she meets the primary requirement to be his successor.

Poe ran as an “independent” but under the senatorial ticket of the LP in 2013, taking everyone by surprise by topping the senatorial race. She is a fresh face without political baggage, and she has conducted herself well in the past two years she has been at the Upper house.

Remember that MRT-riding feat she pulled that seemed to shout “This is how you do it?” And remember the committee hearings and the subsequent report on the Mamasapano incident? She has shown she could be independent, or at least appear to be.

We can only try and get into Roxas’ mind and feel his panic. Poll surveys do not show his ratings improving significantly, not even after the series of exposes on the alleged corruption committed by the Binay family whose patriarch, Vice President Jejomar Binay, is perceived as the front-runner for the 2016 presidential elections. Binay’s numbers did suffer, but only served to open up the race to new names.

Names like Poe’s.

We were taught that if we want something badly enough, we should do everything to work for it and that we would eventually get it. Perhaps that is not true at all in the case of Roxas. We can imagine his frustration, but soon realize that is just a monster he created for himself.

Public service and genuine leadership do not allow raw ambition to get in the way of performing one’s everyday tasks simply, but well. had Roxas simply done his work, sincerely and without thoughts of his much sought-after presidency, and without his natural arrogance peeking every once in a while, he would have come across as a viable choice amid the circus that is Philippine politics.

Then again, that’s his problem. Ours is how to get through the rest of this administration and do better than being the emotional voters that we were the last time, every time.

Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City.

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Loose change are We THere YeT? BoNG C. aUsTero We were in Tagaytay the other weekend and on our way back we got momentarily confused at the toll gates of South Superhighway because all the gates were labelled “exact Toll.” We thought all lanes had been turned into “exact Toll Only” so we rummaged around the car and in our bags to come up with the exact amount.

It turns out the signs basically asked people to pay the exact toll in each of the gates, an appeal that made perfect sense because people can really prepare in advance and in the process reduce both queuing and travel time. This is particularly relevant for people who use the expressway every day – instead of whining about how the long queues invariably make travel time longer, they can prepare in advance the exact money for their toll, the amount of which

they already know anyway. I am told the “request” was triggered by the observation that queuing time in our expressways is significantly reduced when more people pay the exact toll and by the fact that there is now an imminent shortage of coins in this country.

The shortage of coins in this country is aggravated by the

The shortage of coins in this country is aggravated by the tingi (retail) system that is predominant in our culture.

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

Chairman President & Chief Executive Officer Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Director of Operations Finance Officer

Ma. Editha D. Angeles Advertising Manager Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager

tingi (retail) system that is predominant in our culture. There are now many micro-businesses that essentially operate on coins - from the so-called piso-net Internet and gaming machines, to videoke singing machines, and to various types of vending machines that dispense coffee and other types of beverages, bathroom supplies in public toilets, and even snacks. The thing is, the people who operate these machines do not return the coins back into general circulation. They keep the coins for the exclusive use of their machines.

I saw the phenomenon for myself a couple of weeks ago when I attended a fiesta celebration early this month in a remote barangay in Cebu. Our host owned a number of pisonet machines and some coffee and water-vending machines. I was shocked to see bags of one peso coins in his house; he said he needed to stock up on peso coins to ensure the sustainability of his businesses. What happens is that his customers exchange their bills for coins Continued on A6

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

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

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OPINION

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Loose..From A4

CHASING HAPPY

FACTORY DEFECTS

ADELLE CHUA SEVENTY-two people died and many more are missing in a fire Wednesday in Barangay Ugong, Valenzuela City. From what remains of the place, and from the narrations of its workers who survived and the loved ones of those who did not, working conditions in the factory producing slippers were far from ideal.

The windows were draped with chicken wire, which prevented the people from climbing out as the fire broke out. There was also talk that the doors were locked on purpose so the workers could stay inside the compound during the time they are supposed to work.

There are many factories in Valenzuela City, which forms the periphery of the entire Metro Manila area.

Businessmen prefer it because while it is still, technically, located in the National Capital Region, it straddles the border with the province of Bulacan, already in Region 3. Naturally, the price of real estate is not as high as it is, say, in Quezon City or Makati. The question in, how many of these factories employ the basic minimum in prescribed safe and humane working conditions?

The Department of Labor and Employment found that indeed, Kentex Manufacturing violated the Labor Code by engaging with a manpower provider

without a proper registration. This is not unique. Factories apply the “endo” scheme in hiring their workers. The people apply to an employment agency which has an existing agreement with the factory to supply its employees.

Some factories prefer male workers, and logically for the nature of the job.

For “lighter” work, females are ideal.

But not just any female. Some factories do not like married women, especially those with small children, because they tend to be absent when the children get sick or have an event in school. They also do not like lesbians, because they say they will only spend their time courting the girls.

The contracts are good for less than six months, for obvious reasons. No benefits, no coverage. The wages are below minimum and often, the people have to work long hours to take home an adequate amount.

It’s difficult to complain, too. These workers must be thankful they have jobs in the first place. And since the workers know they are not going to be on the job for long, they must be on their “best behavior” lest they lose what little opportunity they have to earn money. *** It’s tragic that dozens of workers burned to death in that factory. What is doubly tragic is how politicians seem to

ride on the issue just because they know it’s a gut issue for workers, who by the way comprise bulk of the voters here.

The Valenzuela factory incident has all the ingredients of a perfect tug-at-yourheartstrings narrative: oppressive working conditions, rich versus poor, failure of relevant agencies to monitor compliance with certain standards.

It is jarring nonetheless to see personalities descending on Valenzuela— which by the way nobody paid attention to before—commenting on the incident, calling for an investigation, slamming the owner and feigning oneness with the victims’ families. Of course, this is the hot issue of the day. They were the same after disasters. The same after Mamasapano. How can we tell who is genuine or not?

The test of whether they are sincere in their condolences is the attention they give the issue long after it ceases being hot copy. Until then, we can just wait and see who is really going to do something about the issue.

Sadly, to these posers, what happened in the factory is just a peg on which to base their next statements. For the families, who don’t care much for politics as much as putting food on the table, that’s really something to get angry about. adellechua@gmail.com

KIM JONG UN’S PENCHANT FOR PURGES

By Andrei Lankov PLENTY of doubts have been raised about claims that North Korea executed its defense minister by anti-aircraft gun at the end of April. Whether or not General Hyon Yong Chol met such a grisly end, though, the fact remains that top officials face increasingly uncertain fates in Pyongyang. Since coming to power three years ago, dictator Kim Jong Un has presided over a large-scale and very violent purge of North Korea’s military and civilian leadership. Some 70 high-level officials and generals have reportedly been executed during Kim’s brief reign.

This marks a dramatic reversal of the strategies Kim’s father and grandfather used to stay in power. As dictators’ courts go, the palaces of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il were remarkably safe places for their inner circle.

After an initial period in which he exterminated all hostile factions, Kim Il Sung surrounded himself almost exclusively by the former guerrillas who had fought under his command in 1930s Manchuria.

Compared to Stalin, who had a habit of killing half of his clos-

est associates every few years, North Korea’s founder was relatively forgiving of trespasses.

Disgraced officials might lose their jobs and disappear, but then in many cases reappeared a few years later back in the top ranks of the state and party hierarchy. The system encouraged loyalty. While a general or minister might suddenly find himself a clerk in a rural office or even a miner, he also knew that if he braced himself for humiliation and kept professing his devotion to the regime, he’d likely survive and prosper again.

At the same time, both Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il adopted a much more brutal approach toward ordinary North Korean citizens, hundreds of thousands of whom were dispatched to prison camps and execution grounds even for minor deviations. The strategy worked: The Kim family survived the collapse of other communist regimes, nearly all of whom were much softer on their populations.

Thrust into power in his 20s, Kim Jong Un seems to perceive the threats to his rule differently.

It’s entirely likely that the old guard didn’t take him seriously at first, given his lack of politi-

cal experience or even knowledge about the country he runs.

Previously, the rank of four-star general, or blood relations with the First Family, served as virtual security guarantees and perhaps encouraged disrespect.

Kim appears to have decided that only a campaign of terror would ensure obedience: Under his watch, disgraced officials aren’t merely sent to retirement or low-level office jobs, they’re frequently killed.

By contrast, Kim appears to have come around to the idea—long promoted by ally China—that the best way to control average citizens is to distract them with money. Incipient market reforms have given farmers the right to keep more of the profits from their crops—up to 60 percent—and factory managers the freedom to hire and fire, buy necessary supplies and pocket a significant part of whatever they sell.

For now, this gives average North Koreans more of a stake in maintaining the status quo: They can legitimately aspire to owning a cell phone or even a motorbike, while having less fear of being carted away for minor infractions. While still

guilty of appalling humanrights abuses, the regime has over the last few years steadily reduced the size of its gulags.

The strategy seems to be working: There’s little sign of any real opposition to Kim’s rule among the Pyongyang elite. But it’s likely to prove destabilizing in the long run. Previously, officials under suspicion knew their best bet was to remain calm and redouble their professions of loyalty, hoping to be rehabilitated. Now, when a purge means almost certain death, threatened officials might well consider actions which would have been unthinkable before -- fleeing overseas with bags of compromising documents to trade, or even trying to foment a conspiracy or coup in Pyongyang.

Meanwhile, the more economic freedom average North Koreans are given, the more their aspirations will grow. It’s long been known that revolutions seldom happen during periods of despair and economic collapse, but rather when commoners have tasted a bit of the good life and long for more. Kim’s efforts to stabilize his regime could just be what end up provoking a crisis.

Bloomberg

they use to play games in the piso-net machines, or to buy beverages or snacks from vending machines. I wanted to point out to him that what he was doing was not fair as he was essentially abrogating public resources for personal gain, but I bit my tongue. It’s difficult to argue with people with a paradigm that says being poor gives people license to take certain liberties when they could.

Add to these the fact that more and more people seem to dislike carrying coins with them and therefore store coins in various receptacles at their houses and offices. I am told most people now empty their pockets or their designer bags of weight-adding coins as soon as they reach their houses or their offices. And then there are those who use coins illegally as material for making jewelry and other decorative stuff.

A clear manifestation of the shortage is the fact that cashiers everywhere invariably ask customers for change at checkout stations in malls and restaurants. If one’s purchases include loose change, cashiers have made it a habit to ask customers to cough up the loose change, often triggering an amusing exchange akin to a negotiation. “Sir, do you have 75 cents?” “Sorry I only have 25 cents.” “Can I have the 25 cents and I’ll give you 50 cents?” And so on.

Coins are actually expensive to produce as they require certain types of metals -resources that are getting scarce as they are not inexhaustible. I wonder when our leaders will address the situation with proactive solutions? For example, retailers can be encouraged to do away with pricing strategies that require loose change.

Our legislators can study the possibility of regulating the production of machines that operate on coins rather than specially-designed tokens that can be produced separately and exclusively for such businesses. We can also shift to paper- or plastic-based currency. We can plan to do away with coins altogether although that would require a comprehensive transition plan.

Our options are many, but first things first: We need to recognize there is a problem looming in the horizon.

S U N D AY : m AY 17, 2 0 1 5

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NEWS editorial@thestandard.com.ph

bureau sets june deadline for aliens

CoMMunity press AwArds. the winners of the 2014 Civic journalism Community Press awards from mindanao, Visayas and luzon hold their trophies during the awards night held at diamond Hotel in manila. from left: bohol Chronicle (tagbilaran City), baguio midland Courier(baguio City),baguio Chronicle(baguio City), Cebu daily news(Cebu City), sun star davao(davao City),edge davao(davao City, sun star Cebu(Cebu City), mindanao Cross(Cotabato City) and businessWeek mindanao(Cagayan de oro City). MAnny pALMero

house panel okays labor code revisions

By Maricel Cruz

A House panel has approved a proposal to amend the Labor Code and require foreign nationals to secure a working permit from the labor department while raising penalties for violators.

The committee on labor and employment chaired by Rep. Karlo Alexei B. Nograles of Davao City approved House Bill 5470 seeking to amend certain provisions of the Labor Code of the Philippines with a view to enhancing the employment rules for foreign nationals and the transfer of technology to the country.

The amendment to Article 40 of PD 442 pertains to all non-resident foreign nationals seeking employment in the country.

Under the proposed changes, an employment permit may be issued

to a non-resident foreign national subject to the Labor Market Test on the non-availability of qualified and willing Filipino national, the bill provides.

The DOLE Secretary is authorized to grant exemptions from the LMT to foreign nationals as well as in industries or occupations or practice of professions where there is short supply, after tripartite consultation.

Foreign nationals issued employment permits shall transfer technology to Filipino understudies within a prescribed period, the bill provides.

For an enterprise registered in preferred areas of investments, said employment permit may be issued upon recommendation of the government agency charged with the supervision of said registered enterprise.

Meanwhile, the proposed amendment to Article 41 of PD 442, which pertains to prohibition against transfer of employment, provides that after the issuance of an employment permit, the foreign national shall not transfer to another job or change his employer without prior approval of the DOLE Secretary.

Any non-resident foreign national who shall take up employment in violation of the provision of this Title and its implementing rules and regulations, as well as the employer or the responsible person representing the employer, shall be punished with a fine of PHP50,000 to PHP100,000, or imprisonment

of six months to six years, or both such fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the court.

In addition, the foreign national shall be subject to deportation after service of his or her sentence, the bill provides.

The DOLE Secretary is authorized to impose a fine of PHP50,000 for every year or fraction thereof to both the foreign national found working without valid employment permit and to the employer.

As to the amendment of Article 42 of PD 442, which pertains to submission of list, the bill provides that any employer employing non-resident foreign nationals shall submit a list of such nationals to the Regional Director of the DOLE which has jurisdiction on the employer, within 30 days after hiring, indicating their names, citizenship, foreign and local addresses, nature of employment and status of stay in the country.

THE Bureau of Immigration gave all foreigners who were holders of visa under RA7919 until June 30, 2015 to avail themselves of the re-stamping program of the bureau or face arrest and deportation.

BI spokesperson Elaine Tan said the re-stamping of the implementation for permanent resident visas under RA 7919, otherwise known as the Alien Social Integration Act of 1995, was supposed to end May 11, 2015 but BI Chief Siegfred Mison extended the program.

“The extension was allowed in response to requests by various chambers and individuals to allow more beneficiaries to comply with the requirement,” Tan said.

“This is the final extension and no further extension will be given. All holders of the RA 7919 visa are sternly warned to comply; those who fail to do so shall face deportation charges after the deadline”, she said.

As of May 8, 2015, only 6,129 of the 14,000 visa holders have complied with the re-stamp requirement. Out of the 8,549 Chinese nationals granted with the RA 7919 on record, 65% have not yet complied with the requirement.

The relatively low turnout may have been caused by various reasons. Tan said that it may indicate that the holders may no longer be interested to maintain their status, or some may have doubts on the authenticity of their visa stamps.

“We encourage all concerned to come forward and allow the BI to assist them should they have apprehensions on the integrity of the visa that they possess”, added Tan. Under the Alien Registration Program (ARP), those who have doubts on the authenticity of their visas but believe in good faith that they are entitled to it may proceed directly with the BI to assist them in regularizing their status.

Under the ARP, foreign nationals without valid immigration status may come forward and present themselves to the BI without risk of arrest or detention.

The directive to holders of the RA 7919 visa to have their visa implementation restamped in their passports was issued with the intention to have an accurate census of foreign nationals with active visa status.

Visa holders must submit the following documents to process the restamping application: 1. Duly accomplished RA7919 Restamping form; 2. Photocopy of passport pages showing: a. Bio-data page; b. Latest admission as 7919 visa holder; c. Old RA 7919 visa imprint; d. New/amended name of the applicant, if any; and 3. Photocopy of ACR I-Card (front and back). Vito Barcelo

Court restrains sbma, dealer

By Arman Armero

THE Regional Trial Court in Subic, Olongapo City recently issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), two of its senior executives, and a metal scrap dealer from seizing and assuming ownership over the junk materials in an old power plant located inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ), after a petition for injunction was filed by a local businessman who bought the property but was barred by respondents to enter.

In a five-page decision, Judge Richard Paradeza of RTC Branch 72 identified

the respondents as SBMA chairman and administrator Roberto Garcia, SBMA’s Law Enforcement Department manager Orlando Maddela, Bonifacio Aporo, owner of Bonapor Metal Contractor Services and General Merchandise, and its representative, Annabelle Magno.

The respondents were temporarily restrained for a period of twenty days and ordered from preventing Fahrenheit Co. Ltd. from exercising its rights as owner of the remaining machineries, equipment and furniture, found inside Building 1800, a power plant used during the US Navy times, found along Argonaut Highway inside the Freeport.

The TRO was issued after Fahrenheit filed a petition for injunction with damages with “urgent prayer for the issuance of 72-hour and 20day TRO” on April 24.

In the petition, FCL states that on September 2012, Bonapor bought Building 1800 from SBMA in the amount of P36.5 million for all the machineries, equipment and furniture found inside the building.

On March 13, 2015, the remaining materials in the building were sold to FCL through Magno by way of Deed of Sale. Magno holds a Special Power of Attorney (SPA) dated March 4, 2015 given by Bonapor to dispose the remaining materials.

port AreA Mosque. a new religious landmark benefiting nearby muslim com-

munities is rising at the Port of manila through the assistance of listed port operator asian terminals inc. ati president andrew Hoad (seated from right) hands over the symbolic check to barangay chief mike salik arongo and ibrahim dimakuta, mosque president and barangay 650 treasurer, while imams, other community leaders and senior ati officials look on.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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SUNDAY: MAY 17, 2015

editorial@the standard.com.ph

PAg-AsA ResIDents wARn OF ILLegAL FIshIng AROunD 200 residents of Pagasa Island, one of the islands lying in the disputed West Philippine Sea, expressed concern over the illegal fishing activities being done by foreigners around the island.

Meldy Pernia, Secretary for the Island Administrator, said foreign fishermen, particularly the Chinese and Vietnamese, were always seen using illegal means in fishing around Pagasa Island (Thitu Island. She said the Philippine Coast Guard, Pagasa barangay officials and their fishermen would regularly chase or warn these illegal fishers away.

“They are engaged in blast or dynamite fishing. They also use cyanide,” Pernia said in a statement issued by the military.

Mary Joy Batiancila, Pagasa Island Administrator, said these activities ruin the natural ecosystem and physical makeup of the “bahura” or the coral reefs around Pagasa.

“This leads to a drop in the fish catch or incomes of our own fishermen,” she said.

Kalayaan town mayor Eugenio Bitoon-on said that these illegal fishing activities are made local officials of Kalayaan and Palawan Province alert and concern over the condition of the marine ecosystem in the West Philippine Sea. The presence of such illegal fishing activities endangers the West Philippine Sea which is considered as one of the richest fishing grounds of the Philippines.

Batiancila said the area around Pagasa alone is abundant with turtles, dolphins, manta rays and various kinds of fish.

Pagasa is surrounded by around twenty (20) to thirty (30) hectares of rich coral reefs home to aquarium and commercial fish.

Pahiyas festival. Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez admires the items on display during the 2015 Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Quezon.

Romualdez is one of the judges in the Pahiyas Competition. Inset: Lucban Quezon Mayor Celso Oliver Dator (center) and Vice-Mayor Ayelah Deveza (right) hand over a plaque of appreciation to Romualdez for his support for the sucessful staging of the 2015 Pahiyas. ver NoveNo

pnoy to bishop: no sacred cows in govt By sara susanne D. fabunan

The Palace assured the Catholic Church that it will prosecute all government officials including the President’s allies if the Department of Justice finds evidence of their wrongdoings.

Presidential deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte reiterated the instructions of President Benigno S. Aquino III to DOJ secretary Leila De Lima to charge all accused not just for “PR” stunt so long as the evidence will stick in court.

Valte was reacting to the call of Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo for Aquino to go after the grafters who amassed wealth through the pork barrel system, formally called priority development assistance fund.

Valte noted that De Lima is now looking for evidence to pin down officials involved in the third batch of cases related to the pork barrel scam.

“Because if you file a case based on flimsy evidence, then that results in a disservice to the public because the respondent can actually get away with it (crime),” she added.

The accused, Valte said, may invoke double jeopardy in some cases.

“So it’s really about making sure that the investigations are thorough and are backed by evidence that will hold up in court,” she stressed.

On Friday, Pabillo urged Aquino to use his remaining time of his term to fulfill his promise of “tuwid na daan (straight path)” and prosecute all officials involved in the pork barrel scam even if it means charging his own allies.

“It’s more believable if they do that. They should not use ‘tuwid na daan’ in taking down their enemies,” Pabillo said, noting the persecution of those perceived to be against the Aquino administration.

With only a year to go before Aquino’s term ends, Pabillo said the people have yet to see “if the path is really straight” because “many are still corrupt and poor.”

“They can no longer undo what they failed to do in the last five years but at least they can show that they are serious about it,” Pabillo said.

The government has been able to file plunder and malversation charges against only eight nGOs directly linked to Janet Lim napoles, the alleged mastermind in the pork barrel scam, but has taken no action against the 74 other nGOs who account for an even larger sum of public funds.

In the first week of May, Lawyer Levito Baligod said that three former and incumbent legislators reportedly eyeing Senate seat in 2016 polls under the administration Liberal Party are supposed to be among the respondents in the third batch of pork barrel scam cases that were shelved by the Department of Justice.

stAte wORKeRs get InCentIVes

autistic-frieNDly city. Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur Abalos joins the Children of Mandaluyong with Autism aduring a press conference. the city has been adjudged the “2015 United nations Public service Award winner” said to be the most prestigious international recognition of excellence for its innovative program. MaNNy PalMero

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

STARTInG next month, government employees will get their Productivity Enhancement Incentive bonuses with President Benigno Aquino III having signed the corresponding Executive Order no. 181, a Palace official said on Saturday.

Presidential Communication secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said Aquino finally signed the order giving government employees a one-time grant of the PEI which is equivalent to either P5,000 or one month basic salary as of May 31,2015.

He said that employees under national goverment agencies such as Congress; Judiciary; Civil Service Commission; Commission on Elections; Office of the Ombuds-

man; Government Owned or Controlled Corporations; Local water districts; Government Financial Institutions; and Local Government units will receive the benefits.

“The EO also sets forth the guidelines for the payment of the PEI, which will be released not earlier than June 1, 2015,” Coloma said.

The EO states that civilian personnel occupying regular, contractual, or casual positions, whether appointive or elective, on full-time or part-time basis, provided they have employer-employee relationship with the agencies concerned and whose compensation are charged against Personnel Services appropriations.

Palace deputy spokesperson Abi-

gal Valte for her part said that the state universities and colleges will also receive the incentives.

She however noted that not all employees will be given some incentives unless their agencies have met the requirements of “achievement of at least 90-percent of their fiscal year 2015 target”.

Valte said that they should be compliant with the “transparency seal” and able to post or publish such feat in their respective agencies’ Citizen’s Charter.

For Local Water Districts, the EO requires them to achieve positive net balance in the average net income for the 12 months of operations prior to May 31, 2015.

sara fabunan

SUNDAY: MAY 17, 2015

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

B1

BUSINESS HOW LAZADA BUILT

A MALL ON THE INTERNET

I

NANC Balci, a banker from Turkey, was only 26 years old when he first came to the Philippines in 2012 to establish a startup company selling goods online.

That company has quickly thrived on the expanding market of tech-savvy Filipinos and turned into a giant shopping site, which now employs 1,700 individuals and sells hundreds of thousands of items every month.

Balci is the chief executive of Lazada Philippines, the largest electronic commerce website or online shopping mall in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, a feat it has achieved it less than three years. He calls Lazada a one-stop online shopping destination, available on computers and smart phones.

To build an online mall, Lazada has teamed up with vendors, telecommunication companies and

Lazada employs 1,700 and sells hundreds of thousands of items a month.

LAZADA Philippines chief executive Inanc Balci, together with Alcatel OneTouch executives.

banks. Supported by foreign investors, Lazada also formed its own express delivery service. For promotion, it became one of the largest advertisers on Facebook.

“I am now 29. I also started Lazada in India. But I was doing investment banking in London before,” Balci says, in introducing himself to journalists who attended a regional partnership between Lazada and Alcatel OneTouch at Seda Hotel in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

Lazada sells mobile phones, cameras, gadgets, consumer electronics, household appliances, kitchenware, baby essentials, toys, fashion and sports equipment, with multiple payment methods including cash on delivery, extensive warranty commitments and free returns.

“Yes, we are the largest [e-commerce site]. You can check that. We have the significant market share,” Balci says, during the launch of the exclusive partnership with Alcatel OneTouch for the sale of Flash Plus smartphone. Flash Plus, which boasts of a 13-megapixel rear camera and 8-MP front camera, is sold at Lazada for P6,490.

Lei Zhang, country manager of Alcatel OneTouch Philippines, says he expects to sell 500,000 units of the new phone through the Lazada platform in six Asean countries where it operates, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore.

Balci says the Philippines is one of Lazada’s biggest markets in the region.

In Southeast Asia, Lazada employs 3,000 in the six countries. The company gets more than two million daily visits to its websites and has a following of over nine million in the region.

“We picked Lazada as an exclusive partner because of their reach across Southeast Asia, making it easy for us to have one partner to connect to approximately 550 million consumers,” Zhang says.

Lazada, backed by the Rocket Internet Group of Germany, has changed the Philippine retail market, engaging Filipinos to buy items online, instead of going to shopping malls. Balci says a Filipino living on the most remote island can now buy any product he wants through a smart phone and have the product delivered to his door.

“Rocket Internet is one of our investors. We have several other investors based in the US, Europe and Asia,” Balci says. Rocket Internet AG, which is 8-percent owned by Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., also has stakes in other Philippine startups such as Zalora, Lamudi, Carmudi, FoodPanda and Easy Taxi.

CONTINUED ON B3

B2

SUNDAY: MAY 17, 2015

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

TELUS International Philippines inaugurated its fourth center in Metro Manila at the corner of Edsa and Mckinley Road in Makati City. Shown during the inauguration ceremony are (from left) Ambassador of Canada to the Philippines Neil Reeder, Philippine Economic Zone Authority director-general Lilia de Lima, Telus International president Jeffrey Puritt-Telus and Telus International Philippines regional vice president for operations and general manager Rajiv Dhand. MANNY PALMERO

NEW TELUS CALL CENTER HAS GYM, GAME ROOMS TELUS International, a major business process outsourcing company from Canada, has recently opened its fourth site in the Philippines, a state-of-the-art facility complete with a fitness center, library, theme rooms, game rooms, food pantries and a pharmacy.

Telus International president Jeffrey Puritt says the company, which has been in the Philippines for a decade now, is expanding with the opening of Telus House McKinley Exchange in Makati City. The site is located at the corner of Edsa and McKinley Road near the posh Forbes Park, otherwise known as the subdivision of billionaires.

Telus International provides contact center outsourcing services and IT solutions for companies in the telecommunications, financial services, computer electronics, gaming, energy and utilities industries.

It is the global arm of Telus, a leading telecommunications company in Canada. Telus International has more than 16,000 employees around the world, including in Canada, the United States, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Philippines and the United Kingdom.

The new McKinley site will have more than 2,500 new employees. “It is five floors and 10,000 square meters of the quickest, sharpest minds in the industry,” says Puritt.

He says the opening of the new site is the company’s expression of confidence in the Philippines as the world’s call center capital. “We

found Manila to be a natural fit with the culture of caring we pursue through our core values; focusing on growth, teamwork, innovation and opportunity,” he says.

“It is with the guidance of these core values that we continue to expand the Telus International footprint in the Philippines, aptly known as the call-centre capital of the world,” he says.

We found Manila to be a natural fit with the culture of caring we pursue through our core values; focusing on growth, teamwork, innovation and opportunity.

Puritt says as of February 2015, more than one million Filipinos were working in call centers, citing data from the Call Center Association of the Philippines which show that the industry is growing at a rate of 15 percent to 18 percent each year.

The local BPO sector saw revenues increase 19 percent to $18.4 billion in 2014 from $15.5

billion in 2013. The figure accounted for 6 percent of the Philippine economy.

“We are proud to be a part of that growth,” says Puritt. “Telus International Philippines has established itself as one of the leading business process outsourcing companies in the industry.

And we plan to keep that title - globally; through strategic growth, through relentless progress and through new ideas.”

Telus House McKinley is strategically located in the heart of Makati commercial business district, at the corner of Edsa and MCKinley Road. It is near a jeepney station and Metro Rail Transit station.

He says the location of the new site was considered for the sake of the Telus team members.

“When selecting a new site, we consider many factors beyond location. The most important elements are related to the team member experience. Is it easy for them to get to? Is it a safe environment? Is it conducive to inspiring workspaces that will engage our team members and reflect the brands of our clients?” he says.

Puritt, however, says to sustain growth, the company needs to evolve. “We need to try new things, take risks, and seek out change so that we can continue to grow,” he says.

He says Telus International is a team that embraces progress. It recently opened a new building in Romania and the Telus House McKinley is its fourth site in Metro Manila.

“I have no doubt that we will continue to grow together, because we aren’t afraid to try new things, take risks, and seek out change,” he says.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

SUNDAY: MAY 17, 2015

B3

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

HOW LAZADA BUILT A MALL ON THE INTERNET FROM B1

“Over 50 percent of our mobile traffic is already coming from the mobile platform.

We want to offer our customers the best mobile technology, the best mobile devices.

That is why we partnered with Alcatel, which is a very strong brand all over the world. Our customers are looking for the best products,” says Balci.

Balci says the Philippines saw the rapid growth of e-commerce over the past couple of years.

“It is growing very fast, not just e-commerce, but also m-commerce [mobile commerce].

When we first came here, the numbers are not really high. What intrigued us is that the number was increasing very fast. So that was very exciting for us and the growth over the last three years has been double-digit monthon-month, which already reflects the growth of Lazada,” he says.

Balci says the Philippines is a market with a huge growth momentum. “The smart phone penetration in the Philippines is not really high, which is another opportunity for us,” he says.

He says Lazada is open to more partnerships with vendors, banks and telecom companies to widen the offerings for Filipino consumers. “We are open to all partnerships that make sense for us, that make sense for our customers. We had previous collaborations with Alcatel, but this is the first exclusive regional partnership with Alcatel. So far, it is going very well, with a very good momentum,” he says.

Balci says Lazada operates on three pillars, including largest assortment of products, lowest price and best customer service. “We want to have all products available on the market on Lazada,” he says.

He says Lazada is the first e-commerce company to have a nationwide coverage in the Philippines.

“We have nationwide coverage. We have nationwide cash on delivery network. We deliver for free products with at least P1,000.

For those less than P1,000, there is a small charge, but we are the first company to offer this. Even if you live on the remotest island, we deliver the product at your doorstep and you can pay cash for it.

And if you don’t want the product, just say ‘I don’t want it’, then return it and there is no charge,” he says.

Balci says despite the zero cost for returned items, “our return rate is less than 1 percent.”

Lazada’s top three selling categories are toys and products for kids and babies as well as home and living and fashion items, according to Balci.

“In terms of revenue, electronics category is bigger than the other categories. After electronics, we have home appliances,” he says.

Lazada has a main office in Makati, a main warehouse in Muntinlupa City and eight distribution centers, including those in Metro Manila, North Luzon, Batangas, Cebu and Mindanao.

“By the end of the year, we will have 20 distribution centers. We have our own delivery company, which is called Lazada Express,” he says.

Lazada employs 1,700 individuals in the Philippines. “By the end of the year, we expect to have more than 2,000 employees.

Majority of them are in operations, but almost all our teams are expanding,” he says.

Lazada, he says, expects to sustain its rapid expansion in the coming months, as sales continue to increase. “Our overall orders or transactions are several hundreds

IMAGES of Alcatel Flash Plus, captured using the smartphone’s 13-MP rear camera.

of thousands every month. The growth is double-digit month-on-month,” he says.

“We expect to continue our double-digit month-on-month growth. Year-on-year, it is several times growth, since we started. The second year, we had several times growth.

This year, we want to be higher. We do everything we can, with partnerships with banks, telcos,” he says.

Balci says Lazada has two business models, including retail and market sales. The company earns commissions from the sale of goods, with the rate depending on the category of the products.

“We set the commissions, depending on the category, between 2 percent and 15 percent. For mobile phones, for example, it is a 2-percent commission, which is quite lower than our competitors,” he says.

E-commerce in the Philippines has a large room to grow, he says. “We forecast this number [e-commerce penetration rate] to be between 0.5 percent and 1 percent of retail,” he says.

Driving the growth of e-commerce in the Philippines is the growing economy, according to Balci.

“The growth rate here is amazing. There are several things that affect our revenues.

First, the economy is growing. On top of that, the consumption or spending is growing. On top of that, retail is growing and on top of that, Internet is growing. So everything is contributing to e-commerce growth. That is why we are growing double-digit month over month,” he says.

Balci says Lazada is not afraid of competition.

“In the Philippines, the majority of the competitors are daily deal websites. It is healthy competition. We will be more than happy to have more competition because more competition means the market is getting bigger,” he says. Roderick T. dela Cruz and Darwin G. Amojelar

We want to have all products available on the market on Lazada.

Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE Roxas Boulevard Corner Pablo Ocampo, Sr. Street Manila 1004

Request foR expRession of inteRest foR the pRocuRement of A consultAncy seRvice foR the chAnGe mAnAGement pRoJect foR the Boc 1. The Government of the Philippines through the Department of Finance (hereinafter referred to as “DOF” or the “Procuring Entity”), has received a Grant (hereinafter called “funds”) from the Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbu (KfW) of the German Government toward the cost of hiring Consultancy Service to Change Management Project for the BOC. The DOF intends to apply a portion of the funds in the amount of Twelve Million Pesos (Php12,000,000.00), being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC), to eligible payments under the contract for Consultancy Service to Change Management Project for the BOC (hereinafter referred to as the “Project”). Bids received in excess of Twelve Million Pesos (Php12,000,000.00) shall be automatically rejected at the opening of the financial proposals.

2. The Procuring Entity’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) now calls for the submission of eligibility documents for the procurement of consulting services for the Project. Interested consultants must submit their eligibility documents on or before May 25, 2015, 9:45 am at the BAC Secretariat, 7th Floor EDPC Building, BSP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Malate, Manila. Applications for eligibility will be evaluated based on a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion.

3. The BAC shall draw up the short list of consultants from those who have submitted eligibility documents and have been determined as eligible in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 9184 (R.A. No. 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”, and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The short list shall consist of at least one (1) prospective bidder who will be entitled to submit bids. The criteria and rating system for short listing are: I. Applicable Experience II. Quality of Personnel to be Assigned III. Capacity to Execute the Consultancy Project Total

– – – –

30% 20% 50% 100%

The minimum required passing score is 70%.

4. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the IRR of R.A. No. 9184.

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

5. The Procuring Entity shall evaluate bids using the Quality Based Evaluation/ Selection (QBE/QBS) procedure. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of bids shall be provided in the Instructions to Bidders.

6. The contract shall be completed within a period of nine (9) months from issuance of Notice to Proceed.

7. The Procuring Entity reserves the right to reject any and all bids, annul the bidding process, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

8. For further information, please refer to: Ms. Lilia Tan, Tel No. 526-84-75 (Sgd.) GIL S. BELTRAN Undersecretary and Chairman Bids and Awards Committee (TS-MAY 17, 2015)

B4

WORLD

Iraqi Sunni volunteers from the Anbar province, who joined Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation force as part of government efforts to make the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group a cross-sectarian drive, take part in their first training session at a training base in Amriyat al-Fallujah. AFP

IS EXTREMISTS SEIZE IRAQI GOVT COMPOUND 6 BODIES FOUND IN COLLAPSED MINE RESCUERS Friday said they had found six bodies in a collapsed, unlicensed gold mine on an indigenous reservation in a central Colombian town.

Another nine miners were believed to still be missing after the accident on Wednesday in the northwestern town of Riosucio, where authorities are carrying out an investigation of the mine.

Rescuers were working into the evening to retrieve the sixth miner’s remains, hours after the recovery of a separate body sapped the hopes of anxious relatives that more of the missing might still be found alive.

The first two bodies were spotted Thursday, with rescuers finding two more several hours later.

The workers are believed to be trapped in shafts 17 meters (55 feet) below ground.

The bodies were taken to the city of Pereira to be identified.

Search and rescue operations are due to be completed over the weekend, according to government disaster relief agency UNGRD. The mine collapse occurred after a power failure prevented the operation of the pumps that drew water from the nearby Cauca River.

The head of the National Mining Agency told Radio Blu the organization would look into the the owners of the mine, which was in the process of legalization but was prohibited from digging the shafts that were involved in the collapse. AFP

ISLAMIC State extremists made key gains Friday, seizing a government compound in the strategic Iraqi city of Ramadi hours after allegedly massacring dozens of civilians as they closed in on Syria’s ancient metropolis of Palmyra.

Women and children were among 23 people executed in cold blood outside Palmyra, monitoring groups said, as fears grew that advancing IS troops would destroy the ancient city renowned as a world heritage site.

Following the latest reported IS atrocity in Syria, jihadists raised their black flag over Ramadi’s government headquarters after launching a wide offensive using suicide car bombs that sent civilians fleeing the western city, edging closer to what would be their biggest victory in Iraq this year.

IS “now occupies the government centre in Ramadi and has also raised its flag over the police HQ for Anbar”, a police major told

AFP on condition of anonymity.

The loss of the capital of Anbar province would be a major setback for Iraq’s government, which has struggled to gain the upper hand against the IS group in the region and Baiji, north of Baghdad, despite months of USled bombing raids.

Iraq’s government said Ramadi had not fallen yet and a major counter-offensive was under way.

The jihadists already hold Mosul, Iraq’s second city and the capital of the neighbouring Nineveh province, and US Vice President Joe Biden on Friday pledged to expedite supplies to Iraqi forces in a phone conversation with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

The IS gains in Iraq came as rights groups reported the group had massacred 23 people as it advanced on Palmyra, and it now held positions within one kilometre (less than a mile) of the UNESCO world heritage site.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP IS fighters had “executed by gunfire 23 civilians, including nine children, in the village of Amiriyeh, north of Tadmor,” adding that relations of government officials were among those killed.

Palmyra, a 2,000-year-old desert oasis site known in Arabic as Tadmor, is one of Syria’s most prized historical gems and experts fear IS plans to destroy the city after it sacked the Iraqi archaeological sites of Nimrud and Hatra.

“It is our responsibility to alert the (UN) Security Council so that it will take strong decisions,” UNESCO chief Irina Bokova said, adding that the world body was “very worried”.

Syria war ‘heartbreaking’ Since the IS offensive in Anbar province began early Wednesday, more than 138 combatants—73 soldiers and 65 jihadists—have been killed. There were also reports of at least 26 civilians executed by IS, the Observatory said.

The militant Islamists group has taken advantage of unrest in Syria— where a four-year civil war has killed more than 220,000 people—and Iraq to seize huge swathes of both countries, which it rules under its own harsh interpretation of Sharia law.

US President Barack Obama said Friday Syria would not likely see peace before he leaves office in early 2017 and reaffirmed his belief that there is no “military solution” to the conflict.

“The situation in Syria is heartbreaking but it’s extremely complex” Obama told the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television network, adding that “too often in the Middle East region, people attribute everything to the United States”.

B. HARAM RECAPTURES KEY NIGERIA TOWN BOKO Haram Islamists have recaptured the strategic town of Marte in northeastern Nigeria’s restive Borno state, a regional official said early on Saturday.

“It is sad as we have been made to understand that Marte has today completely fallen under the control of the insurgents, which to us is a very huge setback,” said Mustapha Zannah, vice governor of the Borno state.

The town, located along a strategic trading route between Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon and Chad, has traded hands between the jihadists and government troops numerous times since 2013.

A regional military coalition of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon has claimed a series of major

victories against Boko Haram since launching sweeping offensives against the jihadists in February.

But the Islamist fighters, which recently pledged allegiance to the Islamic State extremists who’ve captured swathes of Iraq and Syria, have been pushing back.

The jihadists killed at least 55 people in two raids on villages near Maiduguri, the first assault on the northern city in three months.

“Even if 90 percent of our communities have been liberated, the war is not yet over,” Zannah cautioned early on Saturday.

Boko Haram’s six-year insurgency has claimed some 15,000 lives and displaced about 1.5 million people.

A man walks by a tank left by Boko Haram militants between Michika and Marabara, two cities recaptured from Boko Haram by the Nigeria military early this year, on May 10, 2015. AFP

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WORLD editorial@thestandard.com.ph

POPE FRANCIS TO MEET PALESTINE’S ABBAS POPE Francis was to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Saturday, days after the Vatican said it was preparing to sign its first accord with Palestine, drawing Israeli anger.

The meeting at the Vatican also comes a day before the pontiff is due to canonise two Palestinian nuns, who will become the first Palestinian Arabs to gain sainthood.

On Wednesday the Holy See announced that it was preparing to sign its first treaty with Palestine, two years after officially recognising it as a state.

A bilateral commission is putting the final touches to the agreement, on the Catholic Church’s life and activities in Palestine, which then “will be submitted to the respective authorities for approval ahead of setting a debate in the near future for the signing,” the Vatican said on Wednesday.

Some observers speculated that the agreement could be signed during Abbas’s visit.

The news of the treaty immediately drew ire from Israel.

“Israel heard with disappointment the decision of the Holy See to agree a final formulation of an agreement with the Palestinians including the use of the term ‘Palestinian State’,” said an Israeli foreign ministry official.

“Such a development does not further the peace process and distances the Palestinian leadership from returning to direct bilateral negotiations. Israel will study the agreement and consider its next step.”

The agreement, 15 years in the making, expresses the Vatican’s “hope for a solution to the Palestinian question and the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians according to the Two-State Solution,” Antoine Camilleri, the Holy See’s deputy foreign minister, said in an interview earlier this week. AFP

COURT SENTENCES MORSI TO DEATH

EGYPT’S ousted president Mohamed Morsi, already jailed for 20 years for inciting violence against protesters, faces the death penalty Saturday for espionage and jailbreak nearly two years after his overthrow.

A file picture taken on December 7, 2014 shows Egypt’s deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi waving inside the defendant’s cage during his trial at the police academy in Cairo. Morsi, already jailed for 20 years for inciting violence against protesters, faces the death penalty on May 16, 2015 for espionage and jailbreak nearly two years after his overthrow. AFP

The country’s first freely elected president was toppled by then army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in July 2013 following mass street protests demanding the Islamist’s resignation after just a year in power.

His overthrow triggered a government crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood movement in which hundreds of people have died and thousands been imprisoned.

Defendants in both trials were brought into the caged dock on Saturday ahead of the verdict.

“We are free revolutionaries, we will continue the march,” they chanted.

Morsi was not brought in yet, but Brotherhood leader Mahmud Badie, a co-defendant, was present wearing the red uniform of those convicted to death after a previous sentence.

Rights groups accuse Sisi’s regime—widely backed by Egyptians tired of years of political turmoil—of using the judiciary as a tool to repress opposition.

Morsi was sentenced last month to 20 years in jail for inciting violence against protesters in 2012 when he was president, in a verdict Amnesty International denounced as a “travesty of justice”.

On Saturday, a judge will issue verdicts in two other trials on charges that could mean the death penalty. AFP

US JURY METES DEATH PENALTY VS BOSTON MARATHON BOMBER A US jury on Friday sentenced 21-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death for his role in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, one of the worst assaults on American soil since the September 11, 2001 attacks.

It took the jury more than 14 hours to choose death rather than life imprisonment for the ex pot-smoking college student of Chechen descent, who came to the United States as a child and took citizenship in 2012.

The death penalty decision on six of 17 counts handed a stinging defeat to the defense, who argued for a “lost kid” who would never have committed such horrors without being manipulated by his older brother.

The double bombing carried out by the brothers killed three people and wounded 264 others, including 17 who lost limbs, near the finish line at the northeastern city’s popular marathon.

Tsarnaev went on the run and was arrested four days later, hiding and injured in a grounded boat on which he had scrawled a bloody message defending the attacks as a means to avenge US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He showed no emotion as the court clerk took 20 minutes to read out the verdict form that culminated in the death penalty verdict. He stood hands clasped before him, wearing an open-necked shirt

and a dark blazer.

The decision caps a 12week trial that relived the horror of the attacks through grisly videos and heartbreaking testimony from those who lost limbs and loved ones.

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch called the sentence a “fitting punishment,” while prosecutors and law enforcement in Boston said they were satisfied, but urged commemoration rather than celebration.

The death sentence was possible only under federal law. The state of Massachusetts outlawed capital punishment in 1947 and opinion polls had suggested residents favored a life sentence for Tsarnaev. AFP

BOSTON, MA.—Bombing victim Karen Brassard speaks to the media as Carlos Arredondo, Melida Arredondo, Liz Norden, Jean Marie Parker, and Michael Ward listen outside the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse May 15, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Ortiz announced the death penalty sentence for the convicted Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. AFP

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SPORTS

REUEL VIDAL EDITOR

sports@thestandard.com.ph

GlobalPort Batang Pier Asian import Omar Krayem (center) glides to the hoop against Meralco Bolts defenders Mike Cortez (left) and Cliff Hodge.

Krayem has helped add firepower to the Batang Pier.

By Reuel Vidal

GLOBALPORT Batang Pier is no doubt the biggest beneficiary of the option to bring in an Asian import with a height limit of 6’3” this 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Governors Cup. Though the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters, the Meralco Bolts, the NLEX Road Warriors, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the Kia Carnival also have an Asian import on their roster.

But if you ask the Star Hotshots, the San Miguel Beermen, the Alaska Aces, the Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters and even the Barako Bull Energy Cola, they will probably say that they will not bring in an Asian import. Being only an option these teams have wisely opted not to bring in Asian imports.

And why should they bring in an Asian import who stand no taller than 6’3” in height?

For one, could you find an Asian import just that tall who could make a positive impact on their teams? With their loaded local lineups, probably not.

Plus, this being a short conference, bringing in a second import for this short period could do more harm in terms of the chemistry, harmony and bonding you’ve already created in your team.

No doubt teams like GlobalPort have benefitted from having an Asian import primarily because of their thin local bench. This is especially true of newcomers NLEX and Kia (and relative newcomer GlobalPort) who have not yet had the benefit of years in the league to fill out their local lineup.

Talk N Text, Meralco and Ginebra on the other hand are both parading benches hobbled by injuries to key players.

GlobalPort’s import Omar

PBA TEAMS EXERCISE OPTION ON ASIAN IMPORTS

Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters Asian reinforcement Sam Daghles (13) fires a jumper over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel defender Mac Baracael (left). Daghles was one of the key players who led Jordan to a silver medal finish in the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship in Wuhan and the 2009 edition of the same tournament in Tianjin.

Krayem has helped add firepower to the Batang Pier.

Krayem, Terrence Romeo and Stanley Pringle form a threeheaded monster for the Batang Pier which has proven unstoppable in their past three games propelling GlobalPort (3 wins, 0 losses) to the top of the heap.

NLEX Asian import Michael Madanly has also helped at the offensive end. He scored 26 points through three quarter before suffering an injury in his first game. Expansion team Kia tallied a victory over PBA Philippine Cup champions San Miguel with Taiwanese import Jet Chang playing a key role.

The Meralco Bolts received help where they needed it the most at the point guard spot.

With a rotation of Anjo Caram, Simon Atkins and Mike Cortez Meralco coach Norman Black brought in help where he needed it most with Japanese rein-

forcement Seiya Ando.

The 5’11” point guard had 18 points and three assists in his PBA debut. The Bolts may have lost to NLEX but Black is no doubt happy with his reinforcement who arrived just three days prior to playing his first PBA game.

But the man who will most probably make the biggest impact for his team is highly-touted

Sam Daghles of Talk ‘N Text.

Daghles was one of the key players who led Jordan to a silver medal finish in the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship in Wuhan and the 2009 edition of the same tournament in Tianjin. He was also a member of the Jordan national team which competed in the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

With such glowing credentials is it any wonder Talk ‘N Text brought in Daghles so early he was even able to watch the Tropang Texters win the recently-concluded Commissioner’s Cup. If Daghles or Krayem or any of the other Asian imports lead their teams to the title this conference no doubt next year we’ll see all the PBA teams opting to bring in Asian imports.

Otherwise, expect the powerhouse teams who have no lineup issues - like the Star Hotshots, San Miguel Beer, Alaska and Rain Or Shine to just stand pat and play the next Governors Cup with just one regular import.

Kia’s Jet Chang (left) drives strong to the hoop SMB’s Gabby Espinas (27).

BELIBESTRE LEAPS TO GLORY

By Peter Atencio BACOLOD discovery Jerry Belibestre thought winning the gold in the long jump after a winning leap of 7.15 meters in the recent 2015 Palarong Pambansa was going to be the highlight of his year.

It’s turning out to be just the start of big things for him.

He now has bigger goals after clearing 7.26 meters in the long jump event of the Asian Youth Athletics meet in Doha, Qatar last Saturday, May 9. Belibestre surpassed the qualifying standard of 7.25 meters and will next compete in the World Youth Championships set from July 15 to 19 in Cali, Colombia.

This will make Belibestre the seventh Filipino athlete to make it to the World competitions.

An honor student and aspiring member of the national junior team, Belibestre skipped his last two events in the 2015 Palarong Pambansa athletics meet in Tagum City, Davao del Norte just to be in Qatar.

His gamble paid huge dividends for him.

Because of this achievement, Belibestre said he now aspires to become a member of the national pool.

“Happy ako at nabura ko ang personal best ko (7.15) sa 7.26 ko. Sana makapasok ako sa national team,” said Belibestre after arriving from Qatar.

The multi-titled Belibestre, braved the early morning heat in his effort to show his best in the Palarong Pambansa.

Belibestre, who graduated a salutatorian, battled leg cramps during his fifth attempt and cleared 7.15 meters in the secondary boys long jump action at the Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex field.

Because of his stint in Qatar, Belibestre had to cut short his campaign in the Palaro and gave up his slot in the 4x400 meter relays team and 4x100 meter relay squad to his teammate Alexis Soqueno.

Belibestre, who will go to University of Negros Occidental Recoletos in college, is still short of the Philippine national junior record which belongs to Joebert Delicano.

Nevertheless, for the high school graduate from Ramon P. Maravilla National High School in Bacolod, the more important consideration is his steadily improving performance.

His two coaches, the brother and sister tandem of Luis Miguel and Adriana Arca are making sure that Belibestre is on the right track with his preparations.

Last month, he took home

the gold with 6.93-meter in the 10th Southeast Asian Youth Athletics champonships over the weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Last December, he earned a silver in the 2014 ASEAN School with his 6.96 meter performance, before he cleared 7.05 meters in the Palaro regionals last February.

Belibestre, an incoming freshman at University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, was actually ahead after he cleared 6.94 meters.

Coach Adriana said Belibestre felt pressured when Martine James Esteban, who is from Region III, outperformed him with a 6.96-meter performance.

His coaches told Belibestre to use the “hang style” approach in his leap, in which he will just keep his legs firmly in place while in midair.

His quest for greatness this year is not over yet.

He now has bigger goals when he goes to Cali, Colombia next month.

Jerry Belibestre proudly wears the three gold medals—Asean School Games, Palarong Pambansa and Asian Youth Athletics Meet—he has won so far in a productive and competitive year. PETER ATENCIO

Belibestre wants to jump a distance of 7.50 meters and get closer to Delicano’s national junior mark of 7.55 meters.

At his age Belibestre said he won’t be able to surpass 7.55 meters. Not yet anyway at his age.

“Malayo pa. Sa edad ko, malayo pa,” said the 17-year-old Belibestre who has a full year to mature and become strong enough to beat Delicano’s junior mark.

After Delicano’s record the next goal Belibestre will try to get close to is Henry Dagmil’s 7.99 meters, which is Philippine men’s record.

Coach Luis Miguel said that if Belibestre is to jump farther, he will have to fix his landing techniques.

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SPORTS

ARMAN ARMERO EDITOR

sports@thestandard.com.ph

B7

ALPHA SPORTSFEST 2015

LAGUNA EMPLOYEES PLAY BALL

By Arman D. Armero Photos by Henry Vargas

ALL work and no play makes Jack (or Juan dela Cruz for that matter) a dull boy, and so employees of at least 14 companies located inside the huge Laguna Techno Park in Binan, Laguna took time out from their work to play ball in the ALPHA Sportsfest 2015, which opened over the weekend at the Laguna Saikai Covered Court.

Recognizing the need to promote physical fitness, friendship and camaraderie among their employees, members of the board of ALPHA or Association of Laguna Practitioners in Human Resource and Administration, have institutionalized the annual sports festival among its member-companies that now number 84, according to board member Maan Moralde, head of employees and labor relations of AMKOR. Moralde, along with comembers Dhon Cabanban of Laguna Saikai, Joseph Cano of HSGT Phils.

Gellen de Mesa of JX-NMPH, JB Gestiso, also of AMKOR, and Rodolfo Caringal, also of Laguna Saikai and chairman Louie Soriano, who arrived a little later, were on hand to oversee the opening rites of the sportsfest, which also features men’s and women’s volleyball competitions

among the employees.

Cano, who has been managing the sportsfest in its last three stagings, said the tournament actually started way back in the late 80s, but was not consistently held because of misunderstandings among the people who first organized the event.

“Matagal na ito, noong 1980s pa. Pero maraming naging problema, pero so far naman mula noong minage na namin, wala nang nangyaring mga untoward incidents, said Cano, a senior HR manager of HGST. Cano said for this year, out of the 14 companies participating in the tournament, 14 teams are seeing action in basketball and another 12 in the men’s and women’s volleyball These are Futaba, Superflex, Toshiba, Jx Nippon Mining, Laguna Saikai, Fujitsu Ten, Honda Cars, HGST, Amkor, Laguna Metts, IMI, Laguna Dai-Ichi

INDEPENDENT groups clamoring for Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to seek the highest post in the country have organized a huge fun run event that will simultaneously fires off in Manila, Cebu City and Davao City.

MINSUPALA Research and Development Center in cooperation with the National Multi- Sectoral Alliance for Peace and Development and the Duterte for

Joseph Cano, lead organizer of 2015 ALPHA Sportsfest, performs the ceremonial toss marking the start of the first game between HGST and Laguna Saikai. Also in photo are ALPHS board members Dhon Cabanban of Sakai, Gellen de Mesa of JX-NMPH, Jojo Rosal of Honda and Celso Losico, member of the sports committee.

Below, (from left) board members Cabanban, Cosico, Cano. Rodolfo Caringal, De Mesa, Maan Moralde of Amkor Tech, JB Gestiso, also of Amkor pose for posterity. At right, Cano shares his thoughts in an interview.

and Nidbo, all located inside the Laguna Technopark.

He added that basketball, which will be played in two venues (Laguna Saikai and Amkor) will be played during Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while volleyball, which will be played alternately at Fujitsu Ten and Honda Cars, will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Cano said the tournament format for both sports is singleround eliminations, with the top four teams meeting in the crossover semifinals, and the top two teams clashing for the titles. The format will mean that the tournament will be finished by July.

“Gusto kasi ng mga teams magkalaban-laban sila lahat,” said Cano, in explaining the format.

‘RUN DUTERTE RUN’

President Movement and other advocacy groups have joined hands in organizing the Run Duterte Run event, which will start simultaneously in three key cities of Luzon , Visayas and Mindanao.

In Manila, the fun run will start which expected to be joined by competitive, fun and advocacy runners will start near the Coastal Mall (Uniwide) in Paranaque City and finish at the Philippine International

Convention Center grounds in Pasay City.

The Manila event will be held simultaneous with the Cebu version of RunDuterteRun that will take off from Talisay City Fishport and end at the Cebu City Port Area Authority on May 23,2015.

The following day (Sunday), it will be Davao City’s turn to hold the event, with the race starting from the Victoria Mall up to Rizal Park where Mayor Duterte’s

Officiating and technical matters will be handled by the Basketball Association of the Philippines-Region IV A & B, led by Commissioner Leonardo “Ding’ Andres.

In fact, Andres, despite his busy schedule officiated the opening game between HGST and last year’s finalist Laguna Saikai with his trusted lieutenant Andrew Ayson.

supporters are expected to gather to voice their aspirations for their leader to run as president in May 2016.

“We are cordially inviting those who are united as one in pushing him [Duterte] to run for presidency next year. Come and join us in this historic run so that together we can urge him to throw his hat in 2015 Presicential race for the sake of our country”, event organizers said. Danny Simon

B8

BIKEFEST

LURES 200 BETS OVER two hundred cyclists from around the country will converge at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone to vie for honors and prizes in the AboitizPower Tour of Subic today at 6 a.m.

Organized by Bike King, headed

by Raul Cuevas, and presented by AboitizPower, the event will have a 90-kilometer cycling course that will stretch from Maritan Highway inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, all the way up to the turning point located at an area in Bataan province near the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. The competitive categories are Category 2 Advance, Category 3 Intermediate, Category 4 Novice, Female Open and Non Competitive.

Teams that have confirmed their participation include the AboitizPower Cycling Team, Unilab Active Health Cycling Team, Sante Barley, Corratec, Bike King, Team Excellent Noodles and Giant Racing Team, among others.

At stake in the event supported

by AboitizPower, SN Aboitiz Power Group, Sante Barley, WeatherPhilippines, Subic Holiday Villas, Gatorade, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, GU and media partners Multisport, RaceDay, SwimBikeRun. PH and SPIN.ph, are trophies and giftpacks to all Top 3 male/female category winners. The awarding ceremony will be held at the Subic Holiday Villas at 12 noon, with lunch and drinks to be served to participants.

Interested parties are free to send to the organizers their queries of the race by sending email to registration@bikekingphilippines.com. Details of the race can be viewed online at www.Bikekingphilippines.com

S U N D AY : M AY 17, 2 0 1 5

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

SPORTS

Rachel Anne Daquis crushes the opposing team’s defense with powerful kills. ROMAN PROSPERO

DAQUIS’ NEW CHALLENGE

By Peter Atencio

F

OR Rachel Anne Daquis, helping the Petron Blaze Spikers win a second straight Philippine Superliga title is over and done with. Now, it’s time to embark on a new challenge.

Daquis is looking forward to joining the practice sessions of the national women’s team bound for the Southeast Asian Games in Singapore, with her Petron teammates Aby Marano and Dindin Santiago-Manabat. “’Yan ang dream ko as an athlete, to be a part of the national team,” said Daquis, who said that she wasn’t able to join past tryouts and scrimmages of the team due to her hectic schedule.

But this time, she has plenty of time to catch up with the team.

The national team already started practices last Monday and it will be the first time that the Philippines gets ready to compete in the SEA Games after a decade.

The 12-woman roster of national coach Roger Gorayeb also consists of Jovelyn Gonzaga, Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, Maika Ortiz, Rhea Dimculangan, Gretcel Soltones, Jia Morado and Denden Lazaro.

Giving it her all Daquis said she has given her best when the Blaze Spikers retained the Philippine Super Liga All Filipino Conference last Thursday.

“Walang masakit, walang pagod.

Basta naglaro lang kami,” said Daquis as they Rachel Anne Daquis is ready for another challenge. ROMAN PROSPERO claimed their second successive league championship with a 25-17, 22-25, 30-28, 25-17 win

over the Shopinas Lady Clickers in Game 2.

Daquis still emerged as the league’s Most Valuable Player despite leaving the court complaining of leg cramps and coming from another tournament.

“Nanalo kami dahil lahat ay nakapagcontribute,” added Daquis, who left the court when she felt pain right after the Lady Clickers threatened at 16-17 off Rizza Jane Mandapat’s hit past Marano.

However, it did not matter to Petron coach George Pascua that Daquis was absent in the final phases of the game.

Fille Cainglet-Cayetano was there and filled in the void for Daquis. A kill by Cayetano set the Blaze Spikers back on track, and so did a drop shot from Mary Grace Masangkay, handing Petron a 19-16 lead.

That was when Marano came into the picture when she put Petron ahead by six, 22-16, with her three kills. Marano and Santiago-Manabat powered the Blazers to a 2-game sweep of their best-of-three finals series with 18 points apiece.

Historic romp It was an amazing run for the Blaze Spikers, who finished the season with 13 straight wins, a performance organizers consider historic and may not be repeated in a long while.

Their 12th triumph came in Game 1, when the Blaze Spikers clobbered Shopinas, 25-18, 25-14, 25-19.

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BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

g l w e e ke n d @ g m a i l . c o m

LIFE

C1

Step into My Kitchen Cutleries Crate & Barrel

S U N D AY : M AY 17 : 2 0 1 5

C2

LIFE

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

g l w e e ke n d @ g m a i l . c o m

Sub-Zero and Wolf create an inspired kitchen by fusing infinite design possibilities with unparalleled top-notch performance.

KITCHEN TALK: EDMUND K. SCHORR Sub-Zero But Way Above Par by bAMbINA OLIvARES WISE

Sub-Zero and Wolf Sales Director for Asia Pacific Edmund Schorr

“So what have you got in your kitchen?” I ask Edmund K. Schorr, Director of Sales for Asia-Pacific for the SubZero Group, who is in Manila for the inauguration of the Philippine distributor Focus Global’s sprawling new showroom at Twenty-Four Seven McKinley at the Fort.

“Sub-Zero and Wolf, of course,” he replies, barely skipping a beat. “In fact, my kitchen in Bangkok is under construction now. And these kinds of kitchens take a while to finish.

They don’t happen overnight. You’ve got to order the cabinetry from Germany to house the appliances in; everything is custom-made. Our products are made-to-order.”

With prices starting at P300,000 each, Sub-Zero and Wolf both represent the pinnacle of their respective categories: cooling and cooking appliances. Think of SubZero as the Rolls Royce of refrigerators, and Wolf, the Roll Royce of stoves. Sub-Zero has been around since 1943 and remains 100% made in America, as does Wolf, which started out in 1933 as a leading manufacturer of commercial cooking equipment. Sub-Zero acquired the residential business of Wolf in 2000.

“One of the unique and special things about us,” he con-

Wolf Sealed Burner Rangetops give you precise control for consistently delicious results!

tinues, pointing around the 11-kitchen showroom, “is even the most expensive unit is built into the cabinet, so there’s an integration that has to take place, a marriage between the cabinet and the unit. So everything has to be designed perfectly, however long it takes.”

In the interim, he is making do. “You’ve got to plan your renovations and work with what you have while waiting.”

Both he and his wife cook, and he confesses that the Wolf stove with the built-in steamer “is my favorite item. There are two types of steamers, the one for the wall and the inbench steamer, which is what we have. We love using ours.

We find it more user-friendly, we can prepare vegetables and stuff. Or like a risotto, you can just throw the stock in and the rice and let that go. It’s more forgiving. You don’t have to worry about things like burning.”

In fact, you can prepare virtually everything in the steamer – noodles, dimsum, spaghetti, soups. “Think about anything you cook with water – a lot of things!”

“Custards?” I ask, thinking of desserts cooked in a bainmarie.

“I suppose you could!” he says, “But I haven’t tried that yet.”

“So how did you decide on which model to get for your home?”

He pauses for a moment. “Cooking is very specific. Let’s just take the Philippines. What you want to cook, your comfort food and your recipes, and what you like are different from your neighbors. And maybe it’s different in Cebu as well. And what you cook is different from the Taiwanese, the Thais, and the Singaporeans want something else… So each customer is different and we have many more models on the cooking side. You kind of pick and choose and do combinations of what specifically works for you.”

His favorite in-bench steamer, he acknowledges, may not work for someone “who prefers a teppanyaki plate next to an induction cook top next to a wok. It’s that kind of mix-and-match that sets us apart.”

The same goes for gas or electric: it’s up to you. “The Chinese, for instance, believe that you can’t get flavor in cooking unless there’s a flame involved. I mean, Chinese

Sub-Zero and Wolf ensure your food stays fresh and flavorful.

food on an induction cooktop? It’s not on.”

The choices for ovens, believe it or not, are just as dizzying. “We have ovens that match not just your cooking needs but your size requirements and your style.”

Like Wolf, Sub-Zero integrates flawless design with exceptional performance and innovative technology. It’s easy to get excited about a sleek, stainless steel-encased stateof-the-art refrigerator. Energy-saving capabilities, check.

Frost-free interiors, check. Consistent cooling abilities, check. Well-designed compartments and racks, check. Icemaking and water-dispensing functions, check.

All that is pretty much standard in refrigerators today, but at Sub-Zero, that’s basic. To start with, a Sub-Zero fridge is beautifully designed, with a level of sophistication not found in your bog-standard appliance store brand.

Second, it is the only refrigeration system equipped with dual compressors. Which means that each compartment – freezer and refrigerator – cools separately and functions independently, yet seamlessly, of each other.

Another defining feature of Sub-Zero fridges is that the compressors are positioned at the top of the unit, not at the bottom, like most brands.

Like Wolf, the built-in character of each Sub-Zero unit lends itself to endless customization.

“What width do you need? Do you want it to sit proud or do you want it to totally disappear beneath the cabinets?

There could be a refrigerator behind here, “ he indicates a row of cabinets, “but you would never know.”

The technology inherent in a Sub-Zero is so innovative and advanced that food does stay fresher longer, and uncovered at that.

“These flowers can last a week inside this fridge,” Schorr declares. “Or cheese, without any mould developing. And in the freezer, ice cream keeps without any ice crystals forming on the top.”

He’s not exaggerating. As I’ve learned in the hour I’ve spent with Schorr, neither Sub-Zero nor Wolf make claims that cannot be substantiated. For a peek into Sub-Zero and Wolf kitchens, turn to C4 www.focusglobalinc.com

Make your kitchen the best it can be! Sub-Zero and Wolf, industry leader in premium refrigeration, wine storage and cooking equipment.

S U N D AY : M AY 17 : 2 0 1 5

LIFE

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

g l w e e ke n d @ g m a i l . c o m

C3

In ThE MOOD FOR FOOD Chef JP Anglo of Sarsa Kitchen explains the concept behind his new cookbook, Mood Food, which which he conceptualized together with British small kitchen appliance brand, Russell Hobbs, and TOCOMS, the exclusive distributor of the brand in the Philippines.

It’s the Spotify approach to food. Basically, it depends on your mood. Say it’s DVD Night on a Friday or Saturday night. So we came up with dips, stuff that’s easy to do when you’re in the mood to stay in. Taro chips, camote chips… stuff like that.

And then we also have stuff for, like, Hangover Night. It’s really for the younger generation.

There’s a lot of comfort food in this cookbook.

You could even say it’s sinful food.

It’s not really about indulging in those foods in a healthy way, though of course some recipes are pretty healthy. I would say, it’s about indulging in those foods in a satisfying, happy way. It’s mainly for people who live alone, and when you’re alone, you want to be happy.

There’s also the ease of preparation, as the recipes were based on Russell Hobbs appliances. There’s a blender, so we have smoothies and dips. There’s a panini presser, so we have a lot of sandwiches. We even have steak, because there’s a griddle.

There many other categories, again inspired by Spotify, which is amazing. Like road trips, we have stuff for road trips, but nothing too complicated. I guess the fun part about the book is, for example, you buy chicken wings at your favorite fast food place. And we have a recipe that shows you how to jazz it up, just like a Bon Chon fried chicken, which is basically a fried chicken wing with a glaze.

There’s a bit of a paradigm shift with this cookbook. It’s the reverse of conventional wisdom. Rather than the food dictating your mood, your mood dictates the food. Even if you’re alone, it doesn’t mean you have to be miserable.

lOnganIZa-chEEsE PanInI

Prep Time 10 mins Cooking Time 8 mins

IngREDIEnTs 4 pcs 1 tsp 4 slices 4 slices 4 slices pinch

square bread butter longaniza mozzarella cheese cheddar cheese chives

PROcEDuRE

■ Preheat your Russell Hobbs Purifry to 160°C. ■ Butter each slice of bread, top with 2 slices each of longaniza and each kind of cheese, and bake at 180°C ■ When cheese fully melts, about 8 minutes, take them out and garnish with chives.

Serves 2 From Mood Food by Chef JP Anglo and Russell Hobbs

The Panini Presser

by Russell Hobbs

“Walang KuWenta Kung Walang KuWento”: the genius of Chef Claude tayag At the Vamos a Comer event of The Rockwell Club, Chef Claude Tayag crafted a 12-course tapas-style menu made with the best of MARGARITA Philippine flavors and MARTY ingredients. As each dish was being served, he took the time to explain each course, complete with its origin and inspirations.

True to his declaration: “walang kuwenta kung walang kuwento,” his detailed anecdotes were a perfect accompaniment to an otherwise complicated meal. The Adobo de Cerdo con Adlay was the final course served, this dish was featured at the 2015 Madrid Fusión Manila.

EnsalaDang Pakô, kEsOng PuTI aT PInausukang BIhOD

The Bihod (fish roe) was cured like the Italian Bottarga but less salty, then smoked to give it a tinapa flavor.

TIlaPIa, BalO-BalO aT MusTasa

Pampanguenos have been eating tilapia for centuries. This dish was served with a balo-balo dipping sauce. The rise in export of tilapia fillet produced an abundance of tilapia skin which is then air-dried and deep fried to crunchy perfection.

PaTITa cOn PaTanI

Perfectly cooked pieces of pata with patani (broad beans) cooked callos-style. This dish would not be complete without a side of pan de sal to wipe the plate clean so as to savor the sauce up to the last drop.

aDOBO DE cERDO cOn aDlay

sIsIg TERRInE

Sisig prepared the original Kapampangan way. It is also known as kilawin na Baboy: boiled pigs face, chopped and soaked in vinegar and made into a terrine.

unI MOchI

Inspired by the Tausug’s traditional dish of rice cooked in the shell of a sea urchin with the notes of the sea urchin meat at the bottom. He recreated the dish by wrapping sea urchin in squid ink mochi then covered it in fried noodles with a hint of wasabi and soy sauce on a bed of agar-agar.

Adobo, according to Chef Claude is “the most popular yet the most problematic Filipino dish,” but it is best understood as a cooking technique braising meat or vegetable in garlic and vinegar.

The pork belly was marinated in the Spanish tradition then cooked in the French technique of confit (slow cooking in lard.)

After several days of soaking, the pork was fried, allowing the adobo sauce to caramelize and a crispy skin to develop. This was served with a mango tomato relish and native grain called adlay (Job’s tears) originally from Bukidnon.

S U N D AY : M AY 17 : 2 0 1 5

C4

LIFE

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

g l w e e ke n d @ g m a i l . c o m

Sub-Zero But Way Above Par From C2

A complete lineup of fully integrated and built-in Sub-Zero and Wolf products makes the kitchen a powerful playground for culinary minds - hobbyists and professionals alike.

The all-new generation of Sub-Zero and Wolf products introduces even more powerful features and meticulous craftsmanship.

IN THE KITCHEN WITH: PATRICIA PANLILIO

Wolf cooking appliances give you precise professional-grade instruments to ensure consistently delicious results.

The force behind The Gourmand Market, a weekend-long outdoor culinary fair that debuted along Bonifacio High Street last March, Patricia Panlilio isn’t just a lady who lunches; she makes lunch as well. She runs a much-in-demand home catering business, nawwTy’s kitchen, offering what she calls “luxe comfort food.”

Q: How would you describe your dream kitchen?

A: I would love an open kitchen, one that isn’t separated from the dining area by walls. It would be rustic, with high ceilings, cast-iron and copper skillets hanging above an oven situated in the middle, and potted herbs by the window sills.

Q: Now that you run a homebased catering business, what gadgets and kitchen utensils have proven indispensable?

A: I have a collection of pepper mills and I am absolutely lost with-

out my cast-iron grills and scented smoking boards. nawwTy’s kitchen wouldn’t be what it is today without my paellera.

Q: Which dishes are the most popular with customers?

A: Our paellas, ribs and meat dishes are loved by most.

Q: Anything that requires special preparation or equipment?

A: My industrial oven and paelleras are worth every penny invested in them.

Q: Are you one of those cooks who can’t eat what she cooks?

A: I guess I am the exception to that rule; I enjoy everything I make and taste constantly whilst cooking. I don’t follow recipes, so everything is “a matter of taste.”

Q: Finally, do you see a restaurant in your future?

A: I am planning for a commissary, but would like to maintain nawwTy’s kitchen services from

home. Besides, I now have The Gourmand Market by nawwTy’s kitchen as a platform for the many clients who long for our dishes.

The next Gourmand Market takes place from May 22 to 24 along Bonifacio High Street. @TheGourmandMarket

S U N D AY : M AY 17 : 2 0 1 5

C5

LIFE g l w e e ke n d @ g m a i l . c o m

Dinnerware Crate & Barrel Salad Servers Crate & Barrel

Drinking Glass Crate & Barrel

Multi-colored Napkins Crate & Barrel

Pitcher & Glass Crate & Barrel

Glassware Crate & Barrel

Dinnerware Crate & Barrel

TABLE MANNERS

Dinnerware Crate & Barrel

Plate it, fete it, above all, enjoy it.

Our picks for the happiest meals.

Wine Glasses Crate & Barrel

Wire Serving Bowls Dimensione

Glass Footed Bowl Dimensione

Metal Thumbrest Dimensione

Freedom Bird Teapot Dimensione

iittala Tumbler Dimensione

Freedom Bird Teacup Dimensione

Dimensione at Bonifacio High Street, Power Plant Mall, Greenbelt 5, Glorietta 4, Trinoma, SM Megamall, Alabang Town Center, Mall of Asia, Robinsons Place, SM City North Edsa John Lewis at SM Makati Crate & Barrel at SM Megamall Mega Fashion Hall, SM Makati and SM Aura Russell Hobbs nationwide at selected stores Sub-Zero at Focus Global, The Fort, Greenbelt, Mandaluyong and Cebu City

Assorted Glassware John Lewis

SUNDAY : M AY 17 : 2015

C6

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

MARK BAUTISTA’S GRAND HOMECOMING CONCERT After a run of sold-out Mark Bautista shows at West End’s Nation- holds a homecoming al Theater in London, Mark concert Bautista returns triumphant and is featured in Here Sings Love, a special homecoming show for fans. Bautista lights up the stage with Jon Santos, Anne Curtis, and Sarah Geronimo.

Special guests include Cris Villonco and Monica Cuenco who are in Resort World’s Bituing Walang Ningning: The Musical.

Bautista’s show will be on May 29.

Here Sings Love is Bautista’s way of saying thanks for the overflowing support he got when he was in Here Lies Love, a theater production by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim. It was nominated at the Sir Laurence Olivier Awards for Best New Musical.

Bautista shined on the big stage playing one of Philippine history’s most polarizing personalities, former President Ferdinand Marcos.

“The London’s West End is the playground of famous actors like David Suchet and Benedict Cumberbatch, so I feel like

TALENTS IN VISIT THE PHILIPPINES YEAR 2015 Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) together with MTV brings Pinoy talents to a global audience

I have to keep up and make good of my acting,” Bautista said during the press launch of Bituing Walang Ningning: The Musical.

For his next theater role, Bautista will in Bituing Walang Ningning as Nico Escobar, a part originally played by Christopher De Leon in the 1985 movie.

Bautista will be opposite Villonco, who will play Lavinia Arguelles, and Cuenco, winner of RWM and VIVA Communications’ talent search for the lead role of Dorina Pineda.

The upcoming musical will mark the first time a contemporary drama has crossed over mainstream Filipino media. From print, cinema, television, and now on stage, ‘Bituing Walang Ningning: The Musical’ promises to shine anew under the bright lights of RWM’s NPAT with Santos also at the helm.

Tickets for Mark Bautista’s Here Sings Love concert are available at the NPAT Box Office (908-8000 loc. 7700), Ticketworld (891-9999), and Ticketnet Online (www.ticketnet.com.ph).

with the MTV Music Evolution, raising the country’s international profile with its Visit the Philippines Year (VPY) 2015 campaign.

Today at the Quirino Grandstand, the MTV Music Evolution is a major concert that brings life to the evolution of hip-hop through the years. The event will feature both local and international acts headlined by Gram-

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 76 77 80

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Chic or brainy 6 Argentina’s Gran— 11 Basketball move 16 Cupboard 21 Painter — Matisse 22 “Sour grapes” coiner 23 Take place 24 Griffith or Zola 25 Surrealist Max — 26 Coup de — 27 Viennese dessert 28 Lox go-with 29 — Baba 30 Put to work 32 Hunter of myth 34 Unable to walk 36 Beldam 37 Party animal 39 Junk food, maybe 40 Non-flying bird 41 Bluesy — James 42 Insect resin 43 Sharp 44 Astronauts’ contact

46 49 50 51 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74

Muppet grouch 100 smackers Meander Crowd together Man-goat deity Brief upturns Cholesterol raisers Account DJ gear Backspace, maybe Woofs Anagram for rats Pump fuel Margot Kidder role (2 wds.)

One of those Dovetails In — (as found) Beneficent beetle Dickinson opus Practically forever Agile Miss Piggy’s refusal Backfire

81 82 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 106 107 108 111 112 113 117 118 119 120 121 122 124 126 128 130 131 132 133 134 135

Type of wrestling U-shaped river bend Type of champagne It once was wild Brandished Pinochle combo Impartial — de vivre With caution Temple — Simbel — fu Silo companion Copland ballet Longing Motion detectors Branch off Yawning Kind of pool Director’s shout Mild expletives Loom Mystiques Allure Lionesses’ lack ER personnel Bakery fixture Lacking warmth Went spelunking Royalty recipients Crew leader Kind of portrait Seraglio On the briny Majors or Remick Glittering adornment “Ghosts” play wright Arrive at Skilled force First name in glue A Judd Cheesy treat “— — You Knocking” Physicist Nikola — Libya neighbor

Pusong Bato by Martika Ramirez Escobar

10 ENTRIES MAKE IT TO CINEMALAYA 2015 Apasol by Ryan Joseph Murcia, Gatilyo ng Baril by Glenmark Doromal, Kyel

by Arvin Belarmino, Lisyun Qng Geografia by Petersen Vargas, Mater by Annemikami Pablo, Nenok by Rommel Tolentino, Papetir by Darwin Novicio, Pusong Bato

by Martika Ramirez Escobar, Sanctissima by Kenneth Dagatan, and Wawa by Angelie Mae Macalanda are the ten finalists selected from a total of 150 entries.

Cinemalaya 2015 will be held on Aug. 7-15 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and other festival venues.

my-winning group Naughty by Nature and Philippines’ Gloc-9 and Abra. Co-presented by TPB, the event will be taped as live for global broadcast under the MTV World Stage global series.

The global event is expected to attract potential tourists from around the world to celebrate with Filipinos their shared love for urban music. More acts will

For this year, the competition will be held only in the short film category. The winner of the short film category will receive Php150,000 cash prize.

In 2016, the full-length feature category will resume.

There will be no subcategories for the full-length feature category as in past Cinemalaya festivals. Ten finalists will be chosen for the full-length feature category which will be announced during the Awards Night of this year’s Festival. Finalists will receive production grants of Php750,000 each, up from the previous Php500,000 of previous years. The Best Film will receive a cash award of Php250,000. Cinemalaya 2016 will be held on August 5-14 at the CCP and other Festival venues.

After a successful decade and attaining premiere status as the Philippines’ leading independent film festival and competition, Cinemalaya is now expanding its mission to the training of practitioners in key aspects of film production and serving as an

be included in the roster of hiphop artists in the concert to be hosted by MTV Asia VJs Alan Wong and Hanli Hoefer.

“We are happy to team up with MTV Music Evolution for it presents a unique opportunity to spotlight Filipino talents, as well as our love for music and the arts,” said TPB Chief Operating Officer Domingo Ramon Enerio III. “With

inspiration to independent filmmaking in Asia.

While it has sought to nurture Filipino filmmakers through the yearly competitions, Cinemalaya now wants to inspire Asian filmmakers by showcasing the Philippines as the cinematic center of creativity and free artistic expression and to professionalize film practitioners in various aspects of film production.This year, Cinemalaya is launching the Cinemalaya Institute which will offer a three-semester program of intensive training in writing, directing and producing; cinematography, editing, sound and production design, music score and acting. Cinemalaya Institute will open with the first cluster of courses in writing, directing and producing to be offered in June at the DLSU College of St. Benilde, one of the partners of Cinemalaya Foundation for this project.

For more information, please visit www.culturalcenter. gov.ph, www.cinemalaya.org and the CCP facebook page.

this partnership, we are hoping to spread the spirit of “More Fun in the Philippines” to more than three-quarters of a billion households in over 160 countries.”

VPY2015 continues to unveil more exciting events in the country. To help share with the world the unique experiences and adventures the Philippines has to offer, visit www.visitph2015.com.

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015

136 Winter precip 137 Repairs a tear DOWN 1 Clip sheep 2 — Haggard of music 3 Happy occasion, for short 4 Amtrak et al.

5 In name only 6 Hoopster 7 Rustler’s target 8 Quiet — — mouse 9 Hard-shelled fruits 10 Function 11 Writer Chaim — 12 Desktop symbol 13 DVD predecessor 14 Audibly (2 wds.)

15 Tire surfaces 16 Goddess of spring 17 “Pulp Fiction” name 18 Very snug 19 Football shoe part 20 Hagar’s comics wife 31 Brief time 33 Hard water?

35 Hen and Goose 38 Verve 39 Range 40 Puts on 41 Comes to a halt 43 Biscotto flavoring 44 Strikes 45 Not his and hers 46 — — the nerve!

47 Mead subject 48 Amorous archer 49 How trolleys go 50 Blow gently 52 Finger or toe 53 Reluctant 54 Follow upon 56 Wernher von — 57 Scaffold 58 Winery supply

60 61 62 65 66 67 68 70 71 72 74 75 76 77 78

Jostle Polite cough Bell sound Bishops’ powwow Harbor alert Document choice Edge past Come down hard Cut some slack “Hasta —, amigo!”

Admiral’s jail Bronco “brake” Quarried Bovine stomachs Corsair’s vessel

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Plain-spoken Makes taboo Dentist’s request Where clothes spin “Maria —” Units of force Basement fixture Grates Injures a matador — -Aid Afrikaner Propelled a bireme Leo or Libra Big quarrel

98 Bulb food (2 wds.)

99 Spurt 101 Tiger’s tote (2 wds.)

102 Pubs 103 Digestive aid 105 Illinois city 106 Put a dent in 107 Curse one’s folly 108 Vocal group 109 Sheer fabric 110 Quizzes 112 “Oh, shut up!”

(2 wds.)

113 It’s worth — —

114 Longer of tooth 115 Placed the same ad 116 Clairvoyants 118 Poet — Teasdale 119 Fiber plant 120 Hurt all over 123 CSA monogram 125 Sauce in a wok 127 Breeze through 129 Caught ya!

SUNDAY : M AY 17 : 2015

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

C7

FINALISTS IN QCINEMA

T

From C8

his year’s line-up includes Water Lemon by Lemuel Lorca, Kapatiran by Pepe Diokno, Iisa by Chuch Gutierrez, Patintero: Ang Alamat ni Meng Patalo by Mihk Vergara, Gayuma by Cesar Hernando, Si Malakas by RA Rivera, Matangtubig by Jet Leyco, and Ang Huling Habagat by Mario Cornejo.

“We are happy with our Circle Competition finalists, which we selected from out of the 168 entries we received. These eight films will highlight our QCinema International Film Festival, which will run from Oct. 22-31 in Trinoma, Gateway, and UP Film Center,” says Festival Director Ed Lejano.

Water Lemon, co-written with Lilit Reyes, is set in a coastal Quezon town where the mundane lives of a grieving widow, her socially-handicapped son and a helpless grandfather interconnect to create bumps in their flat line lives. Lorca’s previous film, Mauban, competed in last year’s Circle Competition.

Pepe Diokno megs his third feature, Kapatiran. Focusing on an elite law school fraternity, it follows a week in the lives of a neophyte, a master, and a lawyer alumnus.

The film shows the interconnecting lines of money, power and connections within Manila’s society.

Iisa by Chuck Gutierrez is a thriller set in the never-ending war in a town ravaged by a devastating storm and the woman caught in between. It marks Gutierrez’ first feature as a director, with last year’s QCinema grantee, Arnel Mardoquio, as co-writer.

Another debuting filmmaker is Mihk Vergara with Patintero: Ang Alamat ni Meng Patalo, with director Dan Villegas as line producer.

This first feature is about a young neighborhood underdog or a “patalo” who assembles an unlikely team of losers to join her in the ultimate battle for the streets: patintero.

D

Award winning production designer and graphic artist, Cesar Hernando also makes his first fulllength feature after his past collaborations with directors Raymond Red, Mike de Leon, and Lav Diaz.

A dark tale of fatal obsession and erotic passion, Gayuma centers on a young student artist mesmerized by a beautiful and mysterious figure-drawing model in his art school.

Music video director, RA Rivera, make up the fourth debuting filmmaker in the Circle Competition.

Si Malakas centers on the happygo-lucky Monra, who is afflicted with a rare congenital condition of being impervious to pain. Together with his freeloading friend, Jun, their seemingly simple co-existence is rocked to its core when an enigmatic and beautiful lady enters their lives and hatches a devious plan for both of them.

Jet Leyco’s Matangtubig tells the story of how a violent crime disrupts a quaint rural town in Batangas. A girl’s dead body is discovered and puts the whole town on trial while the former’s companion remains missing. The ensuing media spectacle slowly exposes the town’s secrets.

As they celebrate its yearly festival by the lake, an unknowing sleeping evil unravels and haunts the townsfolk.

Completing the eight finalists is Ang Huling Habagat, a partnership between director Mario Cornejo and producer Monster Jimenez.

Both collaborated on movies since their first film, Big Time at the 2005 Cinemalaya Film Festival.

The film is set in surfing town of Baler where Ford is wasting his youth away. Named after Francis Ford Coppola, his mother continuously hopes that the Hollywood director would someday acknowledge her son. As another surfing season is ending, he is forced to confront his past, including the myths about his life.

RA Rivera’s Si Malakas

Pepe Diokno’s Kapatiran

Mario Cornejo and Monster Jimenez’s Ang Huling Habagat

Mihk Vergara’s Patintero Ang Alamat ni Meng Patalo

Chuck Gutierrez’s Iisa

Lem Lorca’s Water Lemons

Jet Leyco’s Matangtubig

INNOVATIVE NETWORKING SOLUTIONS

ell announced an enhanced networking portfolio designed specifically to meet the needs of small to medium-sized businesses, including the new X-series family of smart managed switches and an expanded N-series family with the addition of the Dell N1500 for smaller fully managed environments.

IT departments of all sizes are looking to create a network infrastructure that is able to manage this new generation of computing and workload processing but are often constrained by limited resources. To provide small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with a competitive edge and the ability to grow their networks at a flexible and affordable rate, Dell has introduced these innovative networking solutions

that combine cost effective, enterprise-level network control with consumer like ease.

“Dell brings decades of experience delivering enterprise-class features in technology solutions specifically designed for small and medium-sized customers,” said Arpit Joshipura, vice president, Strategy and Product Management, Dell Networking. “Today’s announcement is another example of our commitment to enable customers to break free of outdated networking paradigms.”

The Dell Networking X-Series is a family of smart web-managed 1 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and 10GbE switches specifically designed for SMBs that offer intuitive, enterprise-class features, as well as multiple flexible configurations. SMB customers can enjoy advanced network management

without requiring professional IT support thanks to step-by-step wizards and customizable dashboards that make configuration, calibration and troubleshooting quick and accurate.

The Dell Networking N1500 family offers fully managed 1GbE switches optimized for smaller networks. The switches utilize a comprehensive enterprise-class Layer 2/3 feature set, common command-line interface (CLI) for consistent management and standard 10GbE SFP+ transceivers and cables for stacking, providing up to 200 1GbE ports in a 4-unit stack. SMBs can deploy a secure network that is optimized for VoIP and social environments, and prioritize network traffic for maximum efficiency.

To reassure wireless customers and partners, Dell announced

Chin Wah Mak, general manager, enterprise solutions business, Dell South Asia and Yonas Seme, enterprise network technologist, Dell Asia Pacific and Japan

extended support for the W-series family of wireless access points and controllers. Dell is committed to supporting the W-series without interruption throughout the product lifecycle.

“As a Dell Premier Partner, we are excited to see the release

of the X-series and the N1500 switches. This will provide new opportunities for our mid-market customers and enable us to continue the growth of our Dell partnership,” Karen Penticost, director Vendor Relations, CorpIT Solutions.

SUNDAY : M AY 17 : 2015

C8

ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

1

PHILIPPINE PAVILION IN VENICE BIENNALE ISAH V. RED Senator Loren Legarda expressed elation over the inclusion of the Philippine Pavilion in at least two lists of must-see national pavilions in the 56th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia.

“Our return to the Venice Biennale after 51 years of absence is a great achievement already and for the Philippine Pavilion to be regarded as a must-see pavilion is very rewarding. It makes me even prouder of our artists,” said Legarda, principal advocate of the Philippine Art Venice Biennale (PAVB) project.

Fine arts auction house Christie’s and a-n The Artists Information Company have both picked the Philippine Pavilion as one of the must-see national pavilions in the 2015 Venice Biennale.

London-based artist and curator Pippa Koszerek made the list for a-n, a non-profit organization that seeks to stimulate contemporary visual arts practice and affirm the value of artists in society.

Koszerek takes note of the Philippines’ comeback after a 51-year hiatus and says “The exhibition spans this gap, bringing together three generations of practitioners. Taking Manuel Conde

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and Carlos Francisco’s 1950s feature Genghis Khan as a starting point and curatorial reference, the exhibition also introduces work of Jose Tence Ruiz and Manny Montelibano who both explore socioeconomic issues of sea nations, global politics and the volatility of borders through installation and film, respectively.”

While the exhibition hints at the West Philippine Sea issue arising from China’s activities in the region, curator Patrick Flores brings the issue to a broader perspective by tying the four artists’ works together to make a poetic and political reflection on the history of world making, the links between geography and politics, and the notions of nation, territory and archipelago.

Two years ago I was just asking why we were not in the Venice Biennale.

Today, we open the Philippine Pavilion for the world to see –Senator Loren Legarda

“Art is politics; art is global politics. Both Okwui Enwezor’s All The World’s Futures and Patrick Flores’ Tie A String Around the World are grounded in urgent geopolitical issues,” Legarda explains.

Meanwhile, the Senator expressed her gratitude to those who supported and believed in the PAVB project.

“Two years ago I was just asking why we were not in the Venice Biennale. Today, we open the Philippine Pavilion for the world to see. I am so much grateful to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) under the leadership of Chairman Felipe de Leon, Jr. and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) led by Secretary Albert del Rosario for joining me in this endeavor.

Without their immense support and equal determination, this comeback would not have been possible,” she said.

“I am proud of Patrick for his brilliance, immense creativity and dedication. Both Manny Montelibano and Jose Tence Ruiz did a great job. Their works converse so brilliantly with Carlos Francisco and Manuel Conde’s Genghis Khan. Sixty-three years after the film was screened in Venice, the Philippines has come full circle.

And I assure you, it will not be as long for the next time we return,” Legarda concluded.

Vernissage of the Philippine Pavilion at the 56th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia 1 Senator Loren Legarda with Mami Kataoka (left), chief curator of Mori Art Museum, and Mrs Yoshiko Mori (right), chairperson of Mori Art Museum 2 Honorary Consul General Fabio Fanfani 3 Senator Loren Legarda with Father Luigi Ramazzotti, Chaplain of the Filipino Community in Venice 4 Senator Loren Legarda with Isa Lorenzo of Silverlens Gallery and Rudolf Kratochwill of 1335 Mabini 5 Senator Loren Legarda, curator Patrick Flores, and artists Manny Montelibano and Jose Tence Ruiz enter the Philippine Pavilion during its vernissage on May 8, 2015 6 Sarina Tang and Renaud Proch of Independent Curators International 7 From left: Manny Montelibano (artist), DFA Undersecretary Evan Garcia, Patrick Flores (Curator of the 2015 Philippine Pavilion), Senator Loren Legarda (principal advocate of the Philippines’ return to the Venice Biennale), Jose Tence Ruiz (artist), and Prof Felipe de Leon, Jr (Commissioner of the Philippine Pavilion) 8 Senator Loren Legarda with Philippine Ambassadors in Europe 9 Guests at the vernissage of the Philippine Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2015 10 Anselm Franke (curator from Berlin) and Hyunjin Kim (curator, Arko Art Center, South Korea) 11 Russell Storer (in striped shirt), Curator of National Art Gallery Singapore 12 Qinyi Lim (left) Curator of Hongkong’s Para/Site Art Space 13 Senator Loren Legarda (center) with Consul General Marichu Mauro (2nd from right), Philippine Ambassador to Rome Domingo Nolasco (3rd from right) and Philippine Ambassadors in Europe

➜ Continued on C7 13

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