The Standard - 2015 May 12 - Tuesday

VOL. XXIX  NO. 84  3 Sections  32 Pages  P18  TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2015  www.manilastandardtoday.com  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

A3

Pag-IBIG head calls Trillanes’ claims baseless

A5

Grace Poe as LP bet still iffy

BBL VOTE RESET, OPENED TO PUBLIC Next page

Vote postponed. Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, head of the ad hoc committee on the Bangsamoro Basic Law, bangs the gavel to start the voting for the passage of the proposed law in the House of Representatives Monday. The vote has been rescheduled for today. LINO SANTOS

Lebron rescues Cleveland

A16

JaDine celebrates first year

C8

t u e s D AY : m AY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

A2

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Vote on BBL reset, made open

By Maricel V. Cruz THE 75-man ad hoc panel tasked to scrutinize the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) reset the vote it was supposed to take on Monday and decided to open to public the session on proposed amendments and the actual voting on the measure today.

The vote was originally scheduled to be taken at 4 p.m.

Monday, but Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, the panel chairman, said it had to be re-scheduled because the panel still has to make way for individual amendments to the measure.

Rodriguez also shot down earlier proposals to hold secret voting on the measure even as hundreds of supporters of the BBL gathered at the gate of the House of Representatives to pressure lawmakers to pass the controversial measure.

Each member of the panel is allowed to introduce amendments to House Bill No. 4994 provision by provision of the 101-page bill.

The leader of the independent minority bloc, Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, welcomed the open voting process for the sake of transparency.

“We should allow the public to witness the crucial voting for this very controversial peace of legislation,” Romualdez said.

Romualdez earlier warned that conducting the BBL voting behind closed doors, as some lawmakers proposed, would create uncertainties and further erode public support to the measure.

Rodriguez said his panel vowed to pass the measure with amendments.

“We will pass a BBL measure that is acceptable to all parties concerned,” he said.

He added he is optimistic that the BBL will pass in Congress “without the questionable provisions.” “It is our best shot at peace in Mindanao, and everyone of us is for bringing peace and development to Mindanao,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez’s panel is expected to have the bill approved by Wednesday. House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. and House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II attended the session of the ad hoc panel Monday to observe the proceedigs.

Rodriguez had earlier vowed to excise from the measure the controversial provisions such as those on national defense and security; the provisions on public order and safety; establishment of the Bangsamoro Police; powers of the Chief Minister on the Bangsamoro Police; and the operation of the Armed Forces in the Bangsamoro area and on the normalization and decommissioning agreement.

Rodriguez said his panel would not dilute the power of the Philippine National Police over the Bangsamoro territory and would remove the BBL provision allowing the latter’s internal police to be the primary party responsible for the public peace and order.

Malacanang expressed hope that the House ad hoc panel would vote for peace.

“The welfare of our brothers and sisters in Mindanao has always been part of the administration’s agenda of inclusive growth. This commitment is embodied in the different programs of our agencies and in the President’s various activities,” said presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.

Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles also called on legislators to fulfill their historic role in bringing good governance, peace, prosperity and security in Mindanao through the passage of the BBL. “The Philippines is faced with the historic opportunity to finally fulfill the constitutional mandate and promise of true autonomy; bring to an end four decades of violent conflict in Mindanao; install and strengthen democratic institutions to overcome deprivation and lawlessness; and collectively embrace and celebrate the richness of our multiple identities, cultures, and narratives,” Deles said in a statement.

Deles pointed out that fulfilling the promise for a genuine autonomy in the Bangsamoro is an opportunity given to the members of the House in their lifetime.

“I hope and pray that our legislators will wholeheartedly claim—and not deny nor squander—their key role in fulfilling this opportunity that may not come again within our lifetime,” the peace adviser said.

Deles also emphasized that the constituencies in the Bangsamoro need a law that will embody their best hopes for the future of their children.

“We need a BBL that will embody our best hopes and not give in to our worst fears. In the coming vote on the BBL, please let the children be the focus of attention and concern—their lives, their future—the children of Mamasapano equally with the children of Metro Manila,” Deles said.

– With Sandy Araneta

March for the BBL. Thousands of peace advocates trooped to the House of Representatives on Monday as

they joined a peace march dubbed “Bangsamoro Para Sa Bayan, Para sa Lahat” and reiterated their demand for Congress to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law. Lino SantoS

Comelec junks Smartmatic proposal to supply poll gear

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) Bids and Awards Committee has once again disqualified Smartmatic-Total Information Management (TIM) from bidding for a contract to lease of 23,000 optical mark readers (OMRs) to be used in the 2016 polls.

The Comelec disqualified Smartmatic-TIM during the post-qualification evaluation after the company failed to submit valid articles of incorporation.

The bid panel also said Smartmatic-TIM’s demo unit failed to meet the Comelec requirement that the unit have at least two storage devices and the capability to write to the same all data or files, audit logs, statistics and ballot images simultaneously.

With the disqualification, the committee declared a failure of bidding for the first round for the OMR machines.

It said it will continue with the second round of bidding, which was suspended after Smart-TIM’s bid was revived.

On Feb. 25, the committee disqualified Smartmatic-TIM after it submitted a “non-responsive” bid that featured several items left without price offers in their financial proposals, and subsequently declared a failure of bidding for the first round.

The first round was revived by the Comelec en bac on March 26, after the poll body accepted SmartmaticTIM’s protest.

Smartmatic-TIM president Cesar Flores said he was surprised by the committee’s decision, insisting that they had complied with all the requirements.

Flores also said that Smartmatic-TIM is ready, willing and capable to demonstrate its OMR units before any forum to prove to the Comelec that they comply with the technical requirements.

t u e s D AY : m AY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

A3

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Filipinos welcome, Canada tells PNoy

By Sandy Araneta MALACAÑANG said Monday British Columbia in Canada will offer jobs to up to a million migrants—including Filipino migrants—during the next seven years.

The Palace quoted British Columbia Premier Christy Clark following President Benigno Aquino III’s three-day state visit to Canada.

“All of you, all of you can become part of that, should be a part of that in running businesses,” Malacañang quoted Clark as saying.

“In becoming people who are going in inter-trainings—lawyers, doctors, accountants, managers, pipe fitters, drivers—all of those jobs, all of those bleachers are available for British Columbians and people who want to participate.”

Clark also referred to temporary migrant workers as “potential new Canadians,” and in her speech commended the Filipinos for being “strivers.”

“People with a sense of adventure, people who are brave, people who are loyal and patriotic, people with resilience and a capacity for hard work and, most of all, the thing that we know the Filipino community best: strivers,” she said.

With the presence of Clark and Minister of National Defense and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney, and Minister of International Trade Edward Fast, Aquino thanked Canada’s government for taking care of the Filipinos living and working in Canada.

“Their respective works in the aspects of cultural relations and trade have contributed in bringing our two nations closer to each other,” Aquino said.

He described Clark as a “partner” of the Filipino people.

He cited the Memorandum of Understanding concerning Cooperation in Human Resources Deployment and Development, which the Philippines signed with the Province of British Columbia.

“We indeed laud her efforts, and we hope to see more of her initiatives translate into the mutual benefit of our countrymen here and the rest of the province and its communities,” Aquino said.

Heated exchange. Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Pag-IBIG President Darlene Marie Berberabe cross swords over the allegedly anomalous loans the state housing agency extended to Vice President Jejomar Binay’s friends and allies.

Fund head calls claims of bad loans ‘baseless’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE president of the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG denied allegations Monday by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV that loans were granted improperly to four companies linked to Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Testifying before the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee’s long-drawn investigation against Binay, PagIBIG President Darlene Marie Bernabe also challenged Trillanes, who defended Delfin Lee, owner of Globe Asiatique who is now in prison for allegedly defrauding the government of P6 billion in housing loans to fictitious home owners.

At the hearing, Trillanes identified the companies as Astra Realty Corp., Bumbaran Development Corp., Major Homes Inc. and Prosperidad Real Estate Development Inc. while the insurance firm was identified as Lockton Philippines Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Inc.

But Bernabe said the Pag-IBIG had already been investigating the companies since Trillanes first came out with his allegations in January.

She went on to explain the rules on loans when Trillanes cut her off, saying: “You are making matters worse.”

“With all the good things I said, it’s still worse?” Berberabe shot back.

“Pag-ibig is not in the business of awarding loans,” Berberabe said, adding that Pag-IBIG has different parameters on the intended beneficiaries of these loans and they screen developers in addition to applying underwriting guidelines.

At the same hearing, Trillanes defended Lee, saying Bernabe allowed Pag-IBIG to be used against the developer, and claimed there were no actual victims complaining against Lee and Globe Asiatique.

But Bernabe denied that Lee was framed.

“I take exception to your statement that I am being used as an instrument of abuse. I know what shame means and honor is very important to me,” she said.

One of the complainants in the syndicated estafa case against Lee was also on had to testify during the hearing, and denounced Trillanes for defending Lee. Evelyn Niebres, who paid P1.5 million in cash for a house and lot at GA’s Xevera project in Mabalacat, Pampanga but has yet to get her title, denied Trillanes’s claim that Pag-IBIG threatened residents like her into filing complaints against Lee. “How can he say we were threatened. We are here in front of you all saying no one threatened us,” said Niebres, speaking in Filipino.

Niebres said Trillanes was misrepresenting Lee “who defrauded many people.”

“It infuriates me that we appear to be invisible [to Trillanes],” she added.

Among the people Trillanes linked to Binay are Prosperidad’s Rodolfo Plaza, Binay’s ally, and Shirley Plaza, a consultant at the Office of the Vice President; Major Homes’ Mario Oreta, a donor in Senator Nancy Binay’s senatorial campaign, Gilberto Garcia, and Irineo Sison; Bumbaran’s Brigido Simon, Binay’s campaign coordinator in Mindanao during the 2010 elections; Astra Realty’s Nora Bitong, a former top executive of the holding firm of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile’s family; and Lockton’s Raoul Angangco, Maria Concepcion Simundac, and Leo Bernard Samaco, who are all from the Villaraza & Angangco law firm.

Trillanes said Pag-IBIG awarded loans to Prosperidad Real Estate Development Inc. worth P40 million, Major Homes, P20 million, Bumbaran Development Corp., P14 million, and Astra Realty, P60 million.

Another highway named ‘Cory’

Back in Manila. President Benigno Aquino III is welcomed by his official family led by

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin upon his arrival at the airport on Monday from his visits to the United States and Canada. Malacañang Photo Bureau

THE Department of Public Works and Highways said Monday it is rushing to complete a new boulevard named after the late President Corazon Aquino in Camarines Norte, which is meant to support the eco-tourism industry in the Bicol Region.

“We are currently implementing the construction and improvement of a newly converted national road, the President Cory Aquino Boulevard, which will serve as an access road to various tourism destinations in the province of Camarines Norte,” Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said.

He said the 8.7-kilometer boulevard will be the longest

in the country when completed because it will stretch from Daet, Mercedes, to Talisay in Camarines Norte.

Meanwhile, a proposal to rename the North Luzon Expressway into the President Corazon C. Aquino Expressway is closer to becoming a law after the House committee on public works and highways approved House Bill 4820 filed by Nueva Ecija Rep. Magnolia Rosa Antonio-Nadres in August 2014.

Antonino-Nadres said renaming the NLEX after the late President would “bestow distinct honor [on her]” and “perpetuate [her] memory.”

The 84-kilometer NLEX conncets Metro Manila to the provinces in Central Luzon.

It is maintained by the Manila North Tollways Corp., a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corp.

The Camarines Norte road project includes the rehabilitation and improvement of the San Jose Section in the municipality of Talisay, the Bagasbas Section in Daet, the MercedesBagasbas Road, and the construction of two other bridges.

Singson said the project was 58-percent complete.

The boulevard covers the area declared as a tourism destination by the Department of Tourism as it is situated along the shores of Bagasbas Beach with a wide boardwalk intended as a view deck for tourists. Vito Barcelo

A4

tuesday: m ay 12, 2015

news

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

‘Dolphin’ expected May 16

By Rio N. Araja

TWO people were killed as Typhoon Dodong grazed the Philippines’ northeastern tip, but a new storm (international codename “Dolphin”) is developing over the Pacific Ocean and is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility by the weekend, on May 16 or May 17, when it will be renamed “Egay.”

As of 4 p.m., the eye of Dodong was located at 220 kilometers north northeast of Basco, Batanes and is forecast to exit the country today, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

Many of the thousands who fled the storm’s path started to return home after Dodong, (international codename “Noul”) -- the fourth and strongest storm to hit the Philippines this year -- whipped the coast with wind gusts of up to 220 kilometers (137 miles) per hour.

Eighteen months after super typhoon Haiyan devastated the central Philippines, churning up tsunamilike waves and leaving more than 7,350 people dead or missing, authorities credited the greater awareness with saving lives.

“People listened to our warnings. They’ve learned their lesson from past storms,” Norma Talosig, civil defense director for the northeastern region, told AFP. The two confirmed deaths were a 70-year-old man and his 45-year-old son who died after being electrocuted while fixing their house in Aparri town early Sunday as Typhoon Noul started to bear down.

The evacuations had begun on Friday, with more than 3,000 people leaving coastal fishing communities in Isabela and Cagayan province, and hundreds more from villages near the slopes of Bulusan volcano in the central region.

Authorities had feared heavy rains could trigger volcanic mud flows after the volcano started belching ash earlier this month.

And with civil defense authorities warning of dangerous storm surges of up to two meters (6.5 feet), coastal residents were taken inland in buses and truck, even ambulances.

Most of the evacuees started to return home Sunday night, local authorities said.

In the coastal town of Santa Ana strong winds broke power lines and peeled off palm thatch roofs, but there were no casualties reported after residents fled exposed areas, including 700 holdouts who finally abandoned their seaside huts as winds began to blow violently on Sunday.

Priority project. Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez (left) personally inspects the construction of the P135-million 2.4-kilometer Palo West By-Pass Road which is one of his priority projects. The congressman was accompanied by project engineer Wilma Mesias (right) and District Engineer Angel Sia. VER NOVENO

MRT-3 aggravates commuters anew

By Joel E. Zurbano and Darwin G. Amojelar COMMUTERS endured long lines before reaching the platforms of major Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT-3) stations after the railway system was able to operate only eight out of 20 trains on Monday morning.

Sidewalks and pedestrian overpasses were also filled with passengers going southbound lined up to get the stations in North Edsa, Quezon Avenue, Kamuning, Cubao and Shaw Boluevard.

Makati City-based art director Aidee de Guzman, 44, said it took her more than 30 minutes before reaching the MRT platform in Shaw Boulevard

Station because of the long line.

Another passenger CJ Torralba said “Eight out of 20? It’s terrible! I left the house at 6:40 and I arrived 8:15 at the office. Fresh umalis, stress dumating.”

“Long queues at this hour, in this heat.

We’re doomed,” Jaques Jimeno said.

Some passengers were forced to take other means of transportation along EDSA to reach their destination.

Anak Pawis party-list Rep. Fernando Hicap denounced the decision of the MRT management to limit its operation to only eight trains from 20, saying the move is a total disservice to commuters.

“What happened to the other 12 trains?” Hicap asked.

Hicap said train operations in gen-

eral seemed to have worsened and that the government’s Public-Private Partnership program has only preserved the interest of private corporations for profit while sacrificing the welfare of the commuting public.

“For months commuters have been squeezed dry by unjust MRT fare hike even as the quality of train service has diminished or has even become practically hazardous,” Hicap said.

The MRT management, however, said 12 trains were operational yesterday and that long line of commuters is a normal situation on a Monday morning. It admitted it deployed only eight trains, which is a normal routine MRT operation from 5 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.

De Lima, Peña defend acts

By Rey E. Requejo

Defending the environment. Members of Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment picket the Chinese Consular office in Makati to demand an end to the ecological destruction being wrought by Chinese reclamation in the West Philippines Sea. DANNY PATA

JUSTICE Secretary Leila de Lima told the Court of Appeals on Monday that she can not be held liable for contempt for issuing the legal opinion that the Department of Interior and Local Government and Makati Vice Mayor Romulo “Kid” Pena used to defy the temporary restraining order issued by the Court of Appeals stoppong the suspension of Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay.

Appearing before the Court of Appeals hearing on the contempt charges filed by Binay, De Lima’s private lawyer Josef Liroi Garcia stressed that rendering a legal opinion is part of its mandate pursuant to Executive Order No. 292.

“Secretary de Lima has obligation and function to render legal advice and opinions to government agencies that are in

need of legal guidance as to certain legal matters,” Garcia told the CA magistrates.

He stressed that the Justice Secretary contrary to the claim of the Binay’s camp is “incapable of defying the restraining order because she is not a party of the case.”

“She (de Lima) is not a party to the case and the temporary restraining order was not directed at her,” the lawyer said, adding that the Justice Secretary also did not “unlawfully interfere with the order of the Court.”

De Lima also did not disrespect the appellate court when she issued her legal opinion. “The legal opinion, aside from the fact that it was a legal obligation, is treated as an ordinary comment made in public, a fair and factual assessment of one’s personal opinion without however being disrespectful or contumacious of the power of the Court,” the lawyer stressed.

tuesday: m ay 12, 2015

A5

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Veloso’s hubby turns witness

By Rey E. Requejo

Mary Jane Veloso’s husband on Monday showed up at the Department of Justice to become a witness to the criminal charges filed against the recruiters who allegedly sent his wife to death row in Indonesia.

On automated polls. Newly appointed Commission On Elections chairman Andres Bautista,left,and Commission on Human Rights chief Etta Rosales answer questions from newsmen on the election automation during the Kapihan sa Diamond Hotel’ forum in Manila. EY ACASIO

Grace Poe as LP presidential bet still ‘iffy’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOr Grace Poe on Monday revealed that she asked President Aquino if the Liberal Party would support her if chosen as an “alternative candidate to the opposition” in the May 2016 elections.

“I am not prepared for whatever position. But this was my clear question to him — Mr. President, if I might be considered, or whatever, I am not a Liberal, will you support me?” Poe asked the President when they met before the Chief Executive left last week

for a four-day visit in Canada and the United States.

In response to her query, Poe said the President informed her he wanted to consult his group.

The President also said their “candidate” may not necessarily be a Liberal Party, but the candidate must have the same principles being pushed by his administration. He will give his support on a personal level. “And that was his commitment.”

Asked if the LP can adopt her, Poe replied, “I think the very fact that he called me to a meeting might indicate that.”

Luy amassed P152m—Estrada

By Rio N. Araja WHISTLEBLOWEr Benhur Luy was able to amass P152 million in just nine years, according to Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, who is facing plunder and 11 counts of graft charges before the Sandiganbayan for his alleged involvement in the P10-billion Priority Development Assistance Fund scam.

During his hearing at the Sandigan on Monday, Estrada presented documents obtained from the Anti-Money Laundering Council showing Luy had enriched himself with P152 million from 2004 to 2013.

Luy, a cousin and bookkeeper of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles, has savings deposited in several bank accounts with Metrobank, Air Materiel Wing Savings and Loan Association and United Coconut Planters Bank.

Estrada earlier requested the Sandiganbayan to subpoena the bank accounts of Luy and allow him to look into Luy’s bank records in his defense in the plunder and graft charges he is facing.

He also urged the Sandiganbayan to summon AMLC. Last February, the anti-graft court granted his plea.

“Of course, it will depend in the end, if that will happen. I mean, at the end, the party decision will prevail. But the President mentioned the (LP) party is not strictly political,” she said.

She also remembered the President told her they have NGOs involved as well, private citizens who give them advice .

“So if they will really listen to what the President meant by a least common denominator, something that will unite the party, then you don’t necessarily be a sworn member of the party, just like what they did in the senatorial elections in 2013,” explained Poe.

Michael Candelaria submitted to Asst. State Prosecutor Susan Azarcon a three-page affidavit narrating how his wife supposedly fell prey to Ma. Kristina Sergio and her live-in partner Julius Lacanilao.

According to him, Sergio recruited Mary Jane for a work in Malaysia in April 2010. He said they trusted Sergio because Lacanilao is son of their godfather in their wedding.

Candelaria recalled that they even paid Sergio P2,000 and pawned to her their motorcycle to cover for the P20,000 expenses for his wife’s plane ticket, which was issued by Adventure Travel Agency in Talavera, Nueva Ecija.

Mary Jane left for Malaysia on April 22, 2010 and that he thought she was in good condition as Sergio claimed when they met five days after, he said, in his affidavit in Filipino.

Veloso’s husband also said he only learned about Mary Jane’s ordeal on May 12, 2010 after being informed by her family that she was in jail in Indonesia.

“On that same afternoon we went to Tintin (Sergio) and she told us not to worry because they could spend millions for Mary Jane’s release. She then threatened us not to talk to the media or their syndicate would go after us and the life of Mary Jane would be in danger. She admitted being a member of a big syndicate,” he added.

“Because of her threat, we decided to keep everything to ourselves. But after several months, she failed to fulfill her promise and we decided to seek help from the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) and the media,” Candelaria said.

The complainants, the parent of Mary Jane, offered Candelaria to the DOJ as corroborating witness in the charges of illegal recruitment, human trafficking and estafa by swindling against Sergio and Lacanilao.

Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation formally submitted more evidence in the criminal charges against Sergio and Lacanilao.

ANNOUNCEMENT ABOITIZ EQUITY VENTURES, INC. (AEV) hereby announces the release of its Interim Unaudited Financial Statements (IUFS) with Management Discussion and Analysis (MDA) for the first quarter of 2015. AEV shareholders can download the IUFS and MDA from the company’s website at www.aboitiz.com under Investor Relations/Investor’s Kit/Downloads or may request for a printed copy of the said reports. Shareholders who wish to receive printed copies may contact: For Luzon-based shareholders ABOITIZ EQUITY VENTURES, INC. Attention: Atty. Bryan Joseph L. Mallillin 18th Floor, NAC Tower Bonifacio Global City Taguig City, Metro Manila Telephone No.: (632) 886-2728 (632) 886-2800 local 2728 Fax No.: (632) 886-2407 Email Address: bryan.mallillin@aboitiz.com

For Cebu-based shareholders ABOITIZ EQUITY VENTURES, INC. Attention: Ms. Marinel E. Mangubat Aboitiz Corporate Center Gov. Manuel A. Cuenco Avenue Kasambagan, Cebu City Telephone No.: (6332) 411-1757 (6332) 886-2800 local 21757 Fax No.: (632) 886-2407 Email Address: marinel.mangubat@aboitiz.com

___________________________________________________

ANNOUNCEMENT ABOITIZ POWER CORPORATION (AboitizPower) hereby announces the release of its Interim Unaudited Financial Statements (IUFS) with Management Discussion and Analysis (MDA) for the first quarter of 2015. AboitizPower shareholders can download the IUFS and MDA from the company’s website at www.aboitizpower.com under Investor Relations/Downloads or may request for a printed copy of the said reports. Shareholders who wish to receive printed copies may contact: For Luzon-based shareholders ABOITIZ POWER CORPORATION Attention: Atty. Bryan Joseph L. Mallillin 18th Floor, NAC Tower Bonifacio Global City Taguig City, Metro Manila Telephone No.: (632) 886-2728 (632) 886-2800 local 2728 Fax No.: (632) 886-2407 Email Address: bryan.mallillin@aboitiz.com (TS-May 12, 2015)

For Cebu-based shareholders ABOITIZ POWER CORPORATION Attention: Ms. Marinel E. Mangubat Aboitiz Corporate Center G ov. Manuel A. Cuenco Avenue Kasambagan, Cebu City Telephone No.: (6332) 411-1757 (6332) 886-2800 local 21757 Fax No.: (632) 886-2407 Email Address: marinel.mangubat@aboitiz.com

t u e s d ay : m ay 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

A6

news

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Police CPA ousted for dishonesty

By Rey E. Requejo THE Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal from service of the National Police’s chief accountant for grave misconduct and serious dishonesty in connection with the anomalous repair and maintenance of 28 units of V-150 PNP Light Armored Vehicles.

The repair was done in 2007 and valued at P400 million, court records showed.

In a 46-page decision, the CA’s Fourteenth Division through Associate Justice Maria Elisa Sempio Diy denied the appeal of Antonio Retrato, then PNP chief accountant, seeking the reversal of the January 18, 2013 resolution issued by the Ombudsman finding him liable for grave misconduct and serious dishonesty and ordered his dismissal.

The appellate court ruled that Retrato failed to diligently perform his duties when he signed disbursement vouchers for the project despite the lack of supporting documents.

Associate Justices Ramon Bato, Jr. and Manuel Barrios concurred with the ruling.

The appellate court observed that with regard to the purchase of 40 tires for 10 of the 28 V-150 LAVs, there was no purchase request made, there were no bidders bond and performance bond posted, no notice or letter of award as attached, and no bid tender of other participants and acceptance of the bid were submitted to support the abstract bids.

The CA noted that the invitation to bid did not indicate what items are to be procured.

With respect to the procurement of spare parts for the V-150 LAVs, there was no Purchase Request, the Bid Tender of the winning bidder was merely indicated in the Minutes of the Bidding, there were no Bidder’s Bond and Performance Bond posted, and the Abstract of Bids was not supported by the Bid Tender of the participants.

As to the repair, refurbishing, and maintenance of 18 V-150 LAVs, there was no request for repair and/or servicing of the vehicles.

Anvil Gold Legacy. Only two years after bagging the Anvil Hall of Fame Award, Petron Corporation marked another milestone as it won the Gold Legacy Award from the Public Relations Society of the Philippines for its Vision Petron Art Collaterals. Petron, one of only three awardees, was recognized at the 50th Anvil Awards for its consistent wins over the years.

Oxalic-laced milk tea kills—PNP; ban eyed

By Joel E. Zurbano

EcoWastE coalition on Monday urged the city government of Manila to ban the sale of oxalic acid, which was blamed for the death of a milk tea shop owner and his customer last month.

The group said that oxalic powder, a product used for multi-purpose bleaching and cleaning, is being sold by street vendors along Ilaya Street in Divisoria for less than P100 per kilo.

“Oxalic acid, as far as we know, is allowed for industrial applications and should not be sold to unauthorized users and much more sold on the streets by ambulant vendors,” said Thony Dizon, EcoWaste Coalition coordinator.

“The white Oxalic powdery substance looks similar to iodized salt or refined sugar that food preparers can use by mistake, especially if improperly stored,” he said.

Last April, the Manila City government led by Vice Mayor Isko Moreno padlocked two milk-tea houses in Sam-

paloc, Manila for lack of sanitary and health permit.

The closure came in the wake of the death of two persons who had ingested the beverage, said to be contaminated by poisonous substance.

The fatality—Suzaine Dagohoy, 28, vomitted and collapsed after taking a sip of the milk tea bought from Ergo Cha Milk Tea House located along Bustos Street.

Her boyfriend Arnold Aydalla, who was rushed to the Philippine General Hospital, survived but the shop’s owner William Abrigo, 57, also died when he took a sip after the couple complained that the tea tasted different.

Police Chief Supt. Theresa Cid, director of the PNP Crime Laboratory, said the victims were tested positive

Toxic tea. Manila Police District Director Rolando Nana fields questions from mediamen on the filing of two counts of murder and frustrated murder cases against Loyd Abrigo, son of the Ergo Cha milk tea owner who died along with a female consumer after ingesting an oxalic acid-laced tea. DANNY PATA for oxalic acid based on the findings of forensics from the Crime Laboratory in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

On the other hand, medi-

cal records of Aydalla from the PGH showed that he was diagnosed for “Toxic Ingestion of Unknown Substance.”

EcoWaste recalled that in

2011 two pupils of Larion Bajo Elementary School in Tuguegarao City were killed and 44 others were hospitalized due to oxalic-related food poisoning.

Kindergarten pupils Eloisa Ballad and Jessica May Bangayan died after eating “miki” noodles in the school canteen that was mistakenly “salted” with oxalic powder by the teacher who prepared it.

Citing online material safety data sheet (MSDS) of oxalic acid, the EcoWaste Coalition said that the substance is very corrosive to the human body and may be fatal if inhaled, swallowed or absorbed through the skin.

“Inhalation of dust or mist may cause irritation or burns to upper respiratory system, nose, mouth or throat. Ingestion may cause irritation or burns to mouth throat or stomach. Contact with skin or eyes may cause irritation or burns,” the MSDS warns.

Water is added to oxalic powder to create the acid used for bleaching and for removing rusts and stains. with Francisco Tuyay

Senate urged to name solons violating consultants’ salary cap

By Maricel V. Cruz THE opposition United Nationalist Alliance on Monday dared the Senate leadership to name senators who have practically violated the provisions on compensation for consultants, and disclose the names of these consultants and their qualifications.

“The senators should practice what they preach. It would be fitting if the Senate, in the spirit of transparency and public accountability, should name the senators identified by the Commission on Audit particularly the one who pays a consultant P94,000 and the senator who maintains 60 consultants,” UNA interim president and Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco said.

Tiangco said some senators should be able some senators seemed not to adhere in this principle as the Commission on Audit (COA) last week questioned the Senate about the P231.8 million in consultancy expenses, and its continuously increasing spending for consultants.

“Mas mabuti kung ang Senate leadership mismo ang magbigay ng

detalye for the sake of transparency.

Nakakatawa dahil may ilang mga senador who style themselves as moral guardians questioning how government money is spent but they are the ones clearly spending people’s money,” Tiangco said.

Tiangco said that as public servants, the senators should be examples as how the public’s money is spent.

“These senators are leading the charge in pushing for transparency and following the rules, so they should be paragons of moral ascendancy. Apparently, for some senators the principle of ‘practice what you preach’ is only lip service and simply talk about it to gain media mileage for their own political and personal agenda,” Tiangco said.

T U E S d ay : m ay 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

A7

news

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Hotels, inns needed in Pangasinan

By Johanne Margarette R. Macob LINGAYEN—Accommodation establishments in Pangasinan especially in and near this capital town are insufficient to cater to the tourists.

Provincial tourism officer Malu Eduayan made this claim as she encouraged businessmen to invest more in accommodation establishments.

“We have been receiving inquiries on the conduct of special events and conventions here particularly at the Sison Auditorium, but the hotels in the area are insufficient to cater to the participants,” she said.

Just last week, the province held its biggest festival dubbed “Pista’y Dayat” (sea festival) and same issue has been raised.

To address the matter, Elduayan said their promotion for investments particularly on accommodation establishments is still ongoing. “We appreciate the expansion project of the existing hotels,” she added She thanked the participants and organizers of the festival, citing their established working relationship among the different departments of the provincial government and other organizations for its success.

Elduayan also said road construction projects leading to tourist spots in the province as in Dasol are still ongoing, with some yet to begin.

Task force uncovers 43 suspected Ponzi firms

By Dexter A. See

The Anti-Investment Scam Task Force, a multi-agency body composed of representatives from the Securities and exchange Commission, Department of Trade and Industry, National Bureau of Investigation and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, has discovered that at least 43 companies in the Cordillera region have used Ponzi schemes in luring victims to invest millions of pesos over the past several years.

SEC director for Baguio lawyer Annie Gonzales Tesoro said that 12 of the companies were registered with the commission as engaged in trading. The rest are listed with the Department of Trade and Industry; the rest are not registered at all.

The task force has filed

19 multiple estafa charges against Three Angels General Merchandise manager Sukil-ap Pagaduan following complaints that the company collected P2 million from its investors and then closed its office for no known reason.

Thirteen complainants who collectively shelled out more than P4 million also

filed syndicated estafa charges against Ely Morales and six employees of Stiforp Trading which also stopped operating after collecting the money.

Meanwhile, 22 estafa charges were filed against ADSHUB.Com Ventures Inc. and 21 cases were filed against Infintewealth Touchtone.

Tesoro said the con-

cerned agencies are conducting information and education campaigns to warn people about such companies, but some just become too greedy.

Other companies involved in similar schemes, according to Tesoro, are Zoom Unlimited, Medra Direct Sales Corp., Medra Distribution International, Global Medra Resources, Inc., Winlife, Speed Cash, Mimshack, Mimshack Security Agency, Mimshack Trading Center, Mimshack Trading International, United Wellness Hub Co., Unlimited Wellness Hub, PC Wellness, Diamond Lifestyle Corporation, RJR DLC Diamond Trading, Inc., KFC

International Trading, Inc., Supreme Unlimited Network, Swiss Golden Trading Co., Reciente International, Wisdom Expressweath Trading and Marketing, Greenwealthgold, Greenwealthgold Wellness, Greenwealthgold Automotive Services, Greenwealthgold Real Estate Services, Greenwealthgold Salon and Spa, Suncore Supreme Unlimited Network Corporation, ARL Marketing Wellness and Services, Inc., Keyworld International Ventures, Inc., General Revelation Ventures, Inc., HB Global Corp, HBC Global, Inc ., Buena Dinero, Satara Welness Marketing, Stara Investment Group.

Next generation.

These youngsters from the Kankanaey tribe of Benguet learn and practice a bamboo flute during the annual Tamawan international art festival. DAVID CHAN

Davao mayor denies presidential run, pushes federalism instead

By Junex Doronio

Reclaimed. A boy tries to catch fish with a stick and a thread in Cordova City, Cebu. This area is being reclaimed by the government; there will soon be a port allowing big fishing vessels for import and export of seafood. RALPH PIEZAS

CEBU CITY—Davao City Mayor Rodrigo yesterday said the next President should order Congress to come up with a measure for a Constitutional Convention that will consider a federal form of government.

Reiterating that he is not interested to run for president, Duterte, at a forum themed “Is Federalism Better for the Philippines?” said the federal system would be a better alterna-

tive to prevent the outbreak of violence in case Congress junks the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law. “I am not going around the country to campaign for the presidency. I do not covet the presidency. I don’t want to,” Duterte said.

The mayor said he never dreamed that he would ran for president but admitted that it was the idea broached by former Cebu governor Lito Osmeña, former Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Reuben Canoy that prompt-

ed him to take interest in promoting federalism.

Duterte said he would like to see the elected president next year to embrace federalism and ask Congress to pass a measure for a Constitutional Convention to shift the form of government from unitary to federal type.

He noted that in Asia, only the Philippines is not federal while the rest of countries, especially the economically developed, have federal-parliamentary governments.

A8

T H U R S D AY : A P R I L 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

A9

ADELLE CHUA CHUA ADELLE CHUA ADELLE EDITOR

M O N D AY, A P R I L 2 7, 2 0 1 5 lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph T U E S D AY, M AY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

EDITOR EDITOR

VIEW FROM MALCOM ATTY. HARRY ROQUE JR.

HAS OUR COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS MADE A DIFFERENCE?

[ EDI TORI A L ]

SEVILLA’S AN IDEAL GENIE WORLD

EMBLEMATIC of the lawmakers hypocrisy and mismanagement IN AN ideal world, craft and decide that have become the hallmarks of this administration, on the fate of laws based on these laws’ merit and the chief of the Bureau of Customs, John Phillip benefit to their constituents.

Sevilla, resigned last week with disturbing allegations These government officials are aware of the fact of political pressure and attempts to turn his agency that werecow elected intocampaign office, not to champion into athey milking to raise funds for favored their own personal interests, but to represent the candidates in the 2016 elections. people as they assert their will.

Sevilla was the third Customs commissioner HANOI, Vietnam—I am in the capital of course, must first the be politics.

One mustof to Of leave the there agency under administration Vietnam as a resource person in a semimake his Benigno name known and President Aquino III,remembered, who has madeenough the fight nar on “National Human Rights Comto get elected and sworn in. After that, all against corruption the touchstone of hishowever, leadership. missions: Experiences from the Region” political debts be considered There will Sevilla’s twomust predecessors had leftpaid. the bureau amid sponsored by the Konrad Adenaer Stifallegations of corruption, tarnishing Mr. Aquino’s claims tung. I accepted the invitation because of be no “utang na loob” to consider and determine of good governance. tookprofessional over in December 2013 a long desire to evaluate the affectivity of decisions best madeSevilla in a purely manner. with the promise of cleaning up and whatdecisions is widely perceived our own Commission of Human Rights From Day One, all actions should as the corrupt agency the bureaucracy. since its establishment through the 1987 be in most performance of theinlegislative mandate – no Thatnopromise Constitution 28 years ago. This invitation more, less. came crashing down less than two years later with Sevilla’s resignation. finally gave me to the opportunity to finalAffiliation to any political party must be on the In announcing his resignation, Sevilla said he was ly conduct this long-delayed study. basis of fundamental beliefs and positions on issues. being pressured to appoint certain people to “very The starting point has to be the very Jumping ship from one group to another, because sensitive” positions ahead of the 2016 elections, and high expectations of the people that the of access to funds or endorsement from more admitted that he could not finish the job of ending CHR will help promote and protect huinfluential should not be an option unless a corruptionbackers, at the bureau. man rights in the country when they falling out over principleson were involved.the resigning “I don’t compromise morality,” created it in the Constitution itself. Its Lawmakers’ conduct during congressional Customs chief said.

“The law is clear on what is first head, Chairperson Mary Bautista, sessions – [what hearings, deliberations, voting and allowed and is] not.” should be credited for safeguarding the others – reflects only their firmly held beliefs and is In its first statement following the resignation, the independence of the constitutional body independent of whetherignored these would be favorable to Palace conspicuously Sevilla’s allegations, from political interference. Congress then the andpowers-that-be. simply announced his replacement, a person took the appointment of the Chair and comments on FB posts—manythe of Commissioners BBL, underscored theCommission moral right from sector with extensive of the Butthe the private ideal world is precisely that hereinterests – an them betray the pathetic ignorance of be a State to its integrity.

None of in several brokerage-related companies. A Palace should submitted for conformation ideal, and quite different from reality.

PENSÉES behind them. But again, they to are the these points of social justice theory spokesman the public that there Commission on Appointments.

It is said assured that members of Congress, thewould Housebe red flags that invite close scrutiny,Rightfully if and moral theology were addressed no Representatives, conflict of interest, as the newhold Customs chief, so, the Supreme Court ruled of in particular, the purse FR. RANHILIO only because, in their sheer irratioby the posted comments.

The Alberto D. Lina, would divest himself of his interest that Chairperson Bautista and her comstrings of the government because the General CALLANGAN nality, they sound the alarm to the in his brokerage company—but said nothing of his bishops were rather reminded that missioners were not among those public Appropriations Act emanates from the Lower AQUINO holdingsWhat in at is least other corporations. intellectual bankruptcy that makes officers whose appointments needed They consome priests were pedophiles.

House. not10commonly known is that they The announcement did little to engender firmation byalso Congress.

Thisit insulated the were told that was shametoo are dependent on – subservient to – the national FIRST, a disclaimer. One national confidence. chair ful andformembers thebeen Commission them to of have involved leadership that decides whether accessreplacement to funds daily, through an online post, atAre we expected to believe that Sevilla’s from in political interference. the Pajero scandal. It would be tributed to me the statement ONCE that again, I’m hav- sioner-designate Rowena would be easy, or not.

Guanzon is so identified with Intewould truly divest himself of all his lucrative The Constitution enumerates powless bothersome merely to the laugh off the Chief Justice had, in effect, ing pre- a serious Cory rior and Local Government Support of thetonational government is also Secretaryillogicality, MarThese Roxas include that had LOWDOWN business interests take a job in the government ers ofsuch the Commission. the obvious butshe if this judged the Binay case by her line of Aquino flashback.

It’s to declare, upon power her appointment, she “not ato We can and ought crucial – especially these in an administration withdays onlywhen a yearelections left? Or are, is his investigate, thewas power is to how ourthat countrymen, or member a issue good got everything except of the Liberal Party”; and Abas, well, we already know where questioning at JOJO the oral A. argument. again, just around corner. that Sevilla resisted to appointment part the of efforts summons, cite in contempt and power to part of them, reason (or, better, fail to raise the bar of the tanks threatening he came from.

I made no such statement. SomeWhat then, to stays the pledge to uphold the ROBLES make surehappens, the ruling party in power after 2016? ask assistance from any branch of governdo so!), that of Malacañang’s Used to be, choicetoappointments likedemonstration Comelec commisone did call me up howevertoforcrash public discourse and principles theyfirst believe are right?commissioner, who Aquino’s Customs ment. we have obstacle in aHere, dreadful wanta serious in thoughtfulness gates – which is really sionerships were given to traditionally influential political an interview on the subject. I gave resigned under a cloud voting of suspicion 2,000 a mystery In today’s scheduled on thewhen proposed the task evaluating theshould performance of moregroups stringent and reasonability makeand us to me, given what I know about howset the military like the Iglesia niofCristo, prominent fraternities him onIy curt replies though he container vans vanished from the bureau in 2011, feels the Commission.

For while courts and Bangsamoro Basic Law, lawmakers are expected about the civilian government organizations likethe the Freemafearful of democracy’s future instandards for the DOJ did attempt, by leading was a express close associate Lina. or rejection of a whose performance mayand be meaconsorting with “enemies of thequestions, state.” sons and Rotary Clubs other to their ofsupport deed.

When irrationality prevails, to make me agree with him on Lina was also Customs chief but during previous suredanything in terms of case disposal its The story has all but disappeared such associations.

But and/ this or is the exchange in public measure, intended for peace, hasthe ironically frightful is possible! thistheassessment—an media, but it stillenticement bears not- I first time in a long while that hisI’ve administration, before he left abruptly as partEven of the from conviction rate, the CHR can only investihighlighted divisions among our people.

Tracing in broad strokes the resisted. made clear: here: The Moro IslamicI Liberation heard an important position be“Hyatt 10” members who abandoned the ingsteadfastly gate but power to prosecute.

This isspaces. the first time toryhas ofno theof condonation doctrine in before the Cabinet Mamasapano incident in January, I did not think it was right for me Front has now gotten so powerful that ing given to a group once dedicated Arroyo government over an election-related scandal In the case of Carino vs.

Commission of this jurisdiction, I pointed out that there were already nagging questions about the cancomment wangle choice appointments to bringing down the government on on-going proceed- in a long while that an in 2005, and who now hold considerable influence in it to Human Rights, the Court defined it has been inSupreme our jurisprudence for constitutionality of the BBL. Recent events have from the Aquino that isofnow, admittedly, its invesdesigings.

What administration.

I did, however, was the Aquino administration. the full extent the Commissions’ important position is given some time now—carried over from putAdministration in question, too, theinsincerity and good of I’m talking about Commission nated “partner for peace. write a Facebook post on theon docallies the Senate have beenfaith fulsome tigative powers: “The function of ”receiving it impossible fordedicated a genuine democAmerican jurisprudence, it Elections Commissioner-designate It was not too longand ago,that after the Moro Islamic Liberation Front with which the to a group to trine of condonation.

Justice Adolf in their praise for Sevilla, but have shown none of their Sheriff Abas, the nephew of chief evidence and that ascertaining therefrom the racy to long endure.

When Archactually has roots in our democratic all, such controversial apPhilippine government has inked a peace deal. surveys show that Aquino’s poll offinvestigation survey data with was dismissive elections Azcuna the first to comment: usualremains eagernessundiminished. to launch a congressional facts of a controversy notnot a up judicial MILF peace negotiator Mohagher bringing pointments stirred morefuncthan bishop Socdown Villegasgovernment. issued a stateconvictions.

I is was advocating Inallegations an asideal would knowabout He thought that I had captured numbers are continuing to plumb statements just continuing to Theinto reality, survey afterlawmakers survey of world, corruption in the Bureau of Customs, tion, properly speaking.

To be considered Iqbal, of course. The only qualification just controversy.

One of theof main ment on the draft BBL, an almost the perpetuation of this piece juthat theisBBL is not equivalent of ofofgovernance, the doctrine succinctly.

Heofagreed particularly since suchnecessarily a probe such, risprudence. the gripes facultyofof the receiving evidence and new, unfamiliar depthscomment despite his do the“friendly work Comhas shown, that Aquino is might justthe expose Abas, whom no one outside his restive military durcommon was: “Bakit I was however arguing An unjust, illegal measure in fact have Secretary withhas myheard analysis thatisefforts, the doctrine forces” rather than political opponents. making factual conclusions in ayears, controverfamily of before, his blood ing Cory forand inI expect the campaign to ang simHerminio barelypeace. keeping his head above themaymunications nakikiaalam na naman that it the was not Aquino unreasonable adverse consequences, foreseen or not.

They would has its roots in our understanding But there can be no doubt that Sevilla must be sy must be accompanied by the authority ties to Iqbal, who was also known as stance, was the appointment byapthe waters of negative acceptability and Coloma now says that “there is further intensify. bahan dito?”. Nowhere was there had in fact been consistently be circumspect enough knowname thatsignificant despite encouraged—or compelled—to names the and offor popular note of Datucan Abas sovereignty. long before heThat adopted mother of to thethose current President of of applying the law factual concluThere is no room improvement popularity.

And there is to nothing any other serious option analysisfor of the arguplied by the High Court.

The comname and stirred new interest in the laws governing the high-profile leftists liketoAugusto and Joker provide a detailed account of what he knows.

His failure a new sions the end“Bobbit” that the Sanchez controversy may concurrence, I consider priceless! administration’s ramming it down their throats, Butadvanced, history and the to important ment no serious exami- Cabinet and...he[a] need to continually ascer- Aquino, really. that he cansodo, it seems, to reverse ments and I got labeled mepositions. a lackey of useThe of aliases.

Arroyo sub-Cabinet to domust would a betrayal of the for morality claims be decided or determined authoritatively, next day, I wrote an extended they havebe insist on thinking themselves.

If nation and rebuttal of the reasons the Binays, a fraud, a charlatan— “stickiness” of the popular perceptain the needs of our people. ” the trend.

Last Friday, new Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista fiThe far-right factions of the Armed Forces actually led totruly his resignation, and the service vowed finally and definitively, subject to suchused aparticle for this paper—and earned a they believe the BBL in itspublic current formhewould adduced.

Nothing more than an pathetic benally admitted that his colleague in the commission was relatthe naming of Sanchez, and other ifleft-leaning tion that he is a failure as President What Aquino seems hell-bent on It isbe significant that Malacanang to uphold whenmust he took office at thepass Bureau of Customs. peals orArroyo modesactually, of review ashilarious, may be activprolot of flak for it. I do not mind the good, they go ahead and it. But if their attack on bishops and priests.

The cause they were attacks on me, not ed to the MILF negotiator.

Bautista’s admission finally put to ists to high positions as a reason for their frequent attempts are against him. doing is toand continue making seemsdecision toInhave abandoned thebystratopening hisclouded mouth about corruption vided by law. This function, to repeat, the criticism, butpublic I am alarmed that the would be other considerations, rest speculations about the provenance of the new poll body tonumbring down Cory by The Communist Party of the Archbishop, in a personal capacity, on force. my argument.

In” stark contrast I see no reason why Aquino’s appearances to prove that he is still egy ofnot pretending to ignore the reinfluence peddling in the bureau, Mr. Sevilla has Commission does not have. kind I got is symptomatic of a more the least of which considerations of convenience, official, about whom precious little was known before. the necessity Philippines and the National Democratic Front,Jemy for those discussed of inclusivewere the posts of Prof.

Gatlet the the genie outwhich of confidence the show bottle,an and working, no amount of much It is this lack of also prosecutorial would in new the coming very sults of surveys insidious that bers is lethal toallimprove Andin so,control wemalady now and understand where three of the whoequating may havepeace forgotten, hadofby then graduated –powers likeand the then they betray the entrusted to them ness, warned against dula the University of Asia doubletalk from him or his former employers now democracy: of intolerance for dissent! possessor game-changing en- come irreversible his popularComelec from. Bautista is definitelywith MILF –passage from being groups dedicated to bringing down the and willdecline perhapsin jeopardize the kind the of peace that ofcommissioners in Mindanao the of Continued on A11 can put it back There good reason to Aquino ignore himself; CommisContinued on A10 the choice ofisPresident Noynoy If subsequent ity. Where once thein. palace shrugged dorsement powers.

Continued on A11 is ideal.

THE REAL THREAT

A CORY FLASHBACK

Standard TODAY Manila

527-2057 (Credit and Collection). Fax numbers: 521-8340 (Advertising) 5275550. P.O. Box 2933, Manilaand Central 6406 P.O. Box 2933, Manila Post(Subscription).

Office, Manila.

Website: www.

Central Post Office, Manila.

Website: www. manilastandardtoday.com E-mail: manilastandardtoday.com E-mail: mst@ contact@thestandard.com.ph PublishedMonday MondaytotoSunday Sundaybyby Philippine manilastandardtoday.com Published Kamahalan nd Manila Standard Publishing at 6/F Publishing Corporation at 2 Inc. Floor PJI canbe beaccessed accessedat: at: Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo Roxas, can Building, Railroad corner 20th de Streets, www.manilastandardtoday.com ONLINE www.manilastandardtoday.com corner PereaManila.

St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. ONLINE Port Area, Telephone numbers MEMBER Telephone(connecting numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, MEMBER 521-8507 all departments), Philippine Press Institute 832-5558521-5581, (connecting all departments), (Editorial), (Editorial Fax) 521-7381 Philippine Press Institute The National Association (Advertising), 521-8507(Advertising), (MIS) 521-5591 (Editorial), 832-5546, 832The National Association of Philippine Newspapers of Philippine Newspapers (Sales and Distribution/Subscription) and

MST MST

PPI PPI

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

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Jojo A. Robles Editor-in-Chief Jojo A. Robles Editor-in-Chief Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Managing Editor Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Managing Editor Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Associate Editors Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Associate Editors P. Palacios News Editor FrancisJoel Lagniton News Editor Francis Lagniton Editor Joyce Pangco Pañares CityCity Editor Arman Armero Senior Deskman Adelle Chua Senior Deskman Leo A. Estonilo Senior Deskman Romel J. Mendez Art Director Romel J. Mendez ArtPhotographer Director Roberto Cabrera Chief Roberto Cabrera Chief Photographer

A10

T U E S D AY, M AY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

INDIGENOUS OUR 60TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY PEOPLES’ RIGHTS IN THE BBL MINDANEWS asked me to share EAGLE my expectations of the Bangsamoro EYES Basic Law that DEAN TONY would be votLA VIÑA ed on this week by the House of Representatives Special Ad Hoc Committee. My message to legislators: ‘‘This is a critical decision you are about to make. Mindanao is so ready to move forward, to fulfill its promise, to fly like the Philippine Eagle it is home to. Please make that happen. The wrong vote that leads to the wrong BBL will stop that and ground us again in war conflict and despair.’’

I also said: “I would like an improved BBL that preserves most of the ideas in the draft and that complies substantially with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. I do expect changes, even deletions, but hopefully not too many and especially not the provisions on power and revenue sharing if lowered, form of governance and fiscal autonomy.”

These are my four tests of a good BBL (all equally important): (1) It complies substantially with the CAB, although I acknowledge that for sure, some matters will have to be politically renegotiated (easier to do than amend the Constitution); (2) It does not violate any provision of the Constitution which means it must be consistent with both spirit and letter of the 1987 Constitution on autonomous regions and is guided

by Supreme Court jurisprudence, which means many terms have to be redefined and some provisions deleted or modified substantially; (3) It does not create an entity that is weaker than the current Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao; if this happens, and the Bangsamoro has diminished powers, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front will be repudiated by its mass base and we are better off just keeping the ARMM law and amending it piece meal; (4) Indigenous peoples rights must be assured legally and particularly and not just by general principles.

In this column, I will address the last test, as it is probably the easiest to address. Indigenous peoples (IP) have been advocating their positions to the negotiating panels for years now and during the drafting stage but feel that they have not been heard. I really hope Congress would listen to them and revise the relevant provisions in the draft so that their concerns are met. I will wait for the draft approved by the Committee before suggesting further improvements based on the other tests.

Under the 1987 Constitution, the State recognizes and promotes the rights of indigenous cultural communities within the framework of national unity and development. Further, the State, subject to the provisions of the Constitution and national development policies and programs, shall protect the rights of indigenous cultural communities to their ancestral lands to ensure their economic, social, and cultural well-being.

In 1997, the Philippine Congress enacted Republic Act No. 8371, or the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA).

The IPRA recognizes the four (4) bundles of IPs’ rights, namely: a) Right to Ancestral Domains and Lands; b) Right to Self-Governance and Empowerment; c) Social Justice and Human Rights; and d) Cultural Integrity.

Section 3(g) of IPRA also requires that there be a “free and informed prior consent” by the indigenous peoples concerned to be exercised through consultations before any decision relating to their ancestral domain is made. This rule not only guarantees the right to information of the people in these areas, but also the right of the indigenous peoples to “free and informed prior consent” as an element of due process. In this case, in order to comply with the provisions of IPRA, consultations with the IPs concerned in the proposed Bangsamoro territory must be shown to have been made.

All these provisions and those of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples must be included in the BBL. The Preamble to the draft BBL does speak of the “Bangsamoro people and other inhabitants of the Bangsamoro”, which presumably, would be comprised of non-Muslims such as IPs, Christians, and other per-

pursue her after I met her again in a blind date? My THIS week is memTO THE gulay, there were times when she was visited by four or orable for me. On POINT five suitors. But I was not discouraged.

May 14, Thursday, It was finally when she came back to Manila to take my wife and I will EMIL P. her oath as a newly-passed pharmacy graduate taking mark our 60th wedJURADO the Board when I met her again. Before that, I used ding anniversary. to write letters to her daily. I was really smitten and They call it Diamond Anniversary and I’m supposed to gift my wife a dia- determined to maker her my wife.

Then, one night, to the tune of Serafin Payawal’s mond ring, necklace or bracelet – all of which are be21-man orchestra, playing “Love Letters,” “Autumn yond my means.

Leaves,” and “Stranger in Paradise,” I proposed and I’d rather give her a medal for bearing with me.

Months ago, my wife and I listed the names of rela- she accepted me. We got married on May 14, 1955 tives, friends and people we have known for years to in Cotabato City at the Cathedral with the late OMI invite to our celebration. Santa Banana, we found out Bishop Gerard Mongeau officiating. The rest is history, to our dismay that most of them are dead, sick, wheel- as they say.

If my wife and I have lived this long chair-bound, or suffering from some kind and have lasted for 60 years, it’s all God’s of dementia. Even my former classmates, will. We have dedicated our marriage to save only three or four, have gone ahead Him and the Blessed Mother long ago. of me.

Believe it or not, there’s nothing like Thus, my wife and I decided just to mark I insist on prayers to sustain marriage. Prayers can this week, our diamond anniversary, with our children and grandchildren. Besides, having the last move mountains. word in the I tell you, marriage entails sacrifices. we don’t really care about big parties and Thus, when the young get married and celebrations. With the high cost of having house: ‘Yes, expect it to be wine and roses, they are parties at some five-star hotel in Makati, dear.’ mistaken. That’s why when married Santa Banana, my wife and I could spend couples go through hard times and feel a fortune. And I’m no Manny Pacquiao, burdened financially, they break up, not much less a movie star or senator. realizing that marriage is a lifetime comMy friends have been asking me, when I tell them I’ve been married for 60 years to the same mitment, for better or for worse.

I always advise newly-married couples that the first woman: “How did you do it?” My standard answer is that I’ve found a secret formula. I tell them that I insist years of marriage is the most difficult stage since adjusting to one another entails understanding, love, on having the last say in the house - “yes, dear.”

My wife and I have been married 60 years because faith and trust. Marriage is not just a long honeymoon. both of us have placed God first and foremost in our That will pass. Soon enough, temptation gets in when married life. We are committed to each other 100 per- man starts looking at beautiful young things and a cent, having faith in God, trusting one another and woman dreams of a husband like Richard Gere and giving each other enough space to grow. We don’t be- Liam Hemsworth.

Modern technology has in fact erased what’s truly lieve in restricting one another to be himself and herimportant about a man and a woman who are in love. self.

Sure, there have been dark clouds in our married The man no longer courts women, and realize what life. Marriage cannot be all a bed of wine and roses. kind of a person he is in love with. In the Philippines, Believe me, there were even times when we could not when one gets married, he also is married to one’s say where our next meal would come from. But there family. So it’s important to know their family. Thus, with simply a text message like “Si u at mall,” man and were some generous relatives, friends and neighbors.

Frankly, I was the poorest of all suitors of my woman meet, without knowing each other’s families.

Many may find me Jurassic or a dinosaur, but I still wife when she was studying at the University of the Philippines taking up pharmacy, her father being believe that it’s not all that easy to find your right parta doctor. But I was fast and she was furious when I ner in life. Many failed marriages can be traced to the fact that men and women do not know each other well courted her.

I first met my wife in Cotabato City when she was enough. Education counts a lot in a marriage because 18, on a summer vacation from Philippine Women’s with education, there will be no surprises.

My wife and I have simple needs and wants. We have University. I was then an editor of the Mindanao Cross, a provincial weekly published by the Oblates of attended lots of wedding anniversary parties with osMindanao. From Day One, I knew that she was the girl tentatious display of wealth. At times like now, it’s almost a sin to splurge on one event just to show people of my dreams and that I would marry her someday.

When she came back to Manila, I lost track of her. that you belong, or that you can afford it.

Thus, this weekend (not on Thursday), my whole I was finishing my law studies then, and teaching at the Ateneo High School. Then, I found out through family will be having dinner at some restaurant in the grapevines that she had transferred to UP, which Makati to mark our diamond wedding anniversary. gave me the break since the state university was close We thank God for all the blessings and graces He has poured on our married life, especially the gift of lonto Ateneo de Manila.

Would you believe that it was destiny that made me gevity.

sons living in the Bangsamoro territory, all of whom “[affirm] the distinct historical identity and birthright of the Bangsamoro people to their ancestral homeland and their right to self-determination”.

I know for a fact that many Lumads (as IPs in Mindanao collectively call themselves) assert their identity as non-Moro indigenous peoples and that this should be explicitly recognized in the BBL. In fairness, some IPs self-ascribe themselves as Bangsamoro.

I have always assumed that the late Antonio Kinoc, a giant of a leader and who represented IPs within the MILF panel, was one of these.

One way of assuring IP rights in the BBL is by revising Section 5, Article IX of the draft BBL should as follows: “The Bangsamoro Government recognizes the rights of the indigenous peoples, and shall adopt measures for the promotion and protection of their rights, the right to their native titles and/ or domains, indigenous customs and traditions, justice systems and indigenous political structures, the right to an equitable share in revenues from the utilization of resources in their ancestral lands, the right to free and prior informed consent, right to political participation in the Bangsamoro Government including reserved seats for the indigenous peoples in the Bangsamoro Parliament, the

right to basic services and the right to freedom of choice as to their identity. The Bangsamoro shall further ensure that all rights of indigenous peoples, including the rights guaranteed under the 1987 Constitution, the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Republic Act No. 8371, or the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act, shall be fully and completely respected and shall not, in any way, diminished or derogated by any act of the Bangsamoro Parliament and Executive.”

The suggested amendment would ensure that the Bangsamoro Parliament may not enact any laws that will deviate from the provisions of IPRA. While the Parliament may enhance or augment the rights already granted to the IPs, it may not diminish these.

This places the IPRA in a separate plane of laws, together with the Bill of Rights and human rights provisions in the 1987 Constitution that the Bangsamoro Parliament from which may not derogate.

As I have written before, the creation of the Bangsamoro is a response to a historical injustice committed to the Bangsamoro people. It would be perverse and distorted to correct that injustice by doing another injustice to the Lumad peoples of Mindanao.

Facebook page: Dean Tony La Vina Twitter: tonylav

T U E S D AY, M AY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

ARE WE THERE YET? BONG C. AUSTERO “DOH ang bahala sa inyo” (DOH will take responsibility for you), says Health Secretary Janette Garin in the television advertisements that aim to generate public awareness about the importance of knowing one’s HIV status and consequently, submitting to HIV testing. The DOH is organizing free HIV testing in various centers nationwide next week in an effort to encourage people to get tested for HIV. The DOH purportedly wants to have a more accurate picture of the real state of HIV infections in the country – supposedly so they can manage better.

There’s a part of me that is somehow heartened by the fact that a health secretary has once again broke the surface to talk about the HIV/AIDS situation in the country. Media have been raising the alarm button for the longest time now and many organizations have been frantically

A11

GARIN’S BLANKET ASSURANCE trying to get government to be a little more proactive and decisive in addressing the runaway cases of HIV infections in the country, to no avail. The former health secretary played deaf, blind, and mute to the emerging crisis. It’s actually been quite some time since a top-ranking government official deigned to display empathy and concern for people living with HIV/AIDS and individuals affected by the crisis. So yes, we’re happy Garin has taken out TV ads to appeal to people not to be scared or ashamed to submit themselves to HIV testing, although more proactive and comprehensive responses to stop the prevalence are required.

I must express serious concerns about Garin’s blanket assurance that government would take responsibility - although I truly, honestly, and genuinely wish government would and could.

But let’s get real, not since Juan Flavier was Secretary of Health have we seen real and sincere ef-

forts to address the HIV/AIDS problem in the country. Sure, it can certainly be argued that things were completely different back then – the infection rates were really slow. The tragic truth however is that government has not been in control of the HIV/AIDS crisis in the country and has not shown deliberate efforts to want to assume responsibility – at least not until now, it seems. In the last five years, the health department has been content with issuing alarmist press releases every month showing just how infection rates have increasingly gone from bad to worse. Something could have already been done, but no cigar. So we went from being a best practice in HIV prevention, to being one of only a handful of countries where HIV infections continue to rise.

And now comes the politician health secretary who says government will now take responsibility. First, I hope Garin really means it and that she has the political will to see her resolve

through and that she has the full support and blessings of her boss, who has so far, been impervious to the HIV/AIDS situation in the country. Second, I really hope the Department of Health has found a way to marshal the necessary resources needed to put in place a decent manifestation of Garin’s assurance that government “will take responsibility.”

Third, I truly and sincerely hope Garin is able to get everyone – the whole bureaucracy within her own department, local governments, community groups, and non-government organizations to rally behind her. HIV/ AIDS is a complex social issue that requires multi-sectoral and collaborative approaches.

The cost of managing high incidence of HIV/AIDS infections can be really high. And for a developing country such as the Philippines where incidence of tuberculosis, measles, dengue, and a host of other common diseases has remained high, resources spent on managing HIV/

WINDOW-DRESSING THE MILF TO DEODORIZE THE BBL tion’s propaganda that the MILF can be a trusted partHAIL TO ner in the peace process is THE CHAIR plain and simple non sequitur for numerous reasons.

VICTOR For starters, the story that AVECILLA the MILF actually cooperated with the AFP is conjectural because of the numerous IN A rapidly organized press opposing accounts of what acconference held at Camp Aguinaldo early last week, top tually happened. Next, the exofficials of the Armed Forces of tent of the alleged cooperation the Philippines announced the given by the MILF is unclear. death of the dreaded terrorist Even assuming that the MILF Basit Usman, the bomb expert guerillas steered out of the way hiding in Maguindanao who of the offensive launched by the was supposed to be arrested by AFP against Usman, the MILF police authorities last January. side-step seems more like an Although Usman’s death was act of self-preservation instead confirmed, the identity of his of cooperation. Finally, it is killers remained a mystery for possible that the MILF “coopover a day. One account had erated” not really to help the it that soldiers killed Usman. AFP, but to collect the bounty Another story put it that the offered by the United States for terrorist was killed by his own the head of Usman.

Considering that the BBL bodyguards who betrayed him.

Hours after the press confer- is not assured of smooth sailence, the official government ing in Congress, particularly line indicated that the Moro in the Senate, and taking into Islamic Liberation Front co- account the mounting public operated with AFP troops in outcry against the BBL after eliminating Usman. The pro- the Mamasapano massacre, the paganda suggested that because MILF “cooperation” story was the MILF cooperated with the obviously concocted to projgovernment in getting rid of ect to the public a positive imUsman, the MILF is a genu- age of this rebel group. In doine partner in the peace pro- ing so, Malacañang hopes that cess in Mindanao, and that the public opposition to the BBL Bangsamoro Basic Law should will eventually dissipate. What be given a chance. Other simi- is extremely annoying is that lar motherhood statements to Malacañang is starting to bethat effect flooded the news lieve its own propaganda.

History teaches that when media.

Given the stealth and equivo- a lawless group desperately cation by which the MILF had wants to project a positive imbeen comporting itself to the age of itself for the public to public in its desperate attempt see, it will stop at nothing in orto get its unconstitutional ver- der to achieve that goal, includsion of the BBL approved in ing making a pretentious claim Congress, and considering that to virtue.

The story of Nazi Germany the Mamasapano massacre remains an indicator of the du- provides a perfect example. plicity by which the MILF had After Adolf Hitler and his been dealing with the national Nazi Party seized power in government, the administra- Germany in 1933, they openly

displayed their violent intolerance towards dissent and opposition, and their hatred for non-Aryans. By 1935, the official persecution of the Jews in Nazi Germany had begun. To the Nazis, the Jews were a subhuman species which must be eradicated from the world. The Nazi hate list included blacks, gypsies, and orientals.

Soon, the international community led by the United States and Britain began expressing their disdain for the Nazi regime. News of this sort was disturbing to Hitler because Berlin was hosting the 1936 Olympics, and it was important to the Nazis that the Berlin Olympics is made a showcase of German success and superiority to the world. To avoid an international boycott of the games, Hitler ordered the Nazi Party and its members to undergo some cosmetic changes.

A year before the Berlin Olympics, Hitler commissioned the production of two major documentary films to promote the games at home and to the world.

Weeks before the games began, Nazi Germany and its officials transformed into showcase examples of sugar and spice and everything nice. The systematic persecution of the Jews and other “undesirables” came to a complete halt. AntiJewish propaganda which used to be commonplace in Berlin was replaced with messages of world peace. Even black athletes were allowed to enter the country to compete in the games.

During the Olympics and in the days thereafter, top officials of the Nazi Party were very friendly towards all foreigners, including those from countries they despised. As a consequence, many diplomats who

were skeptical about the Third Reich changed their minds and openly expressed kind words for Hitler and Nazi Germany.

As expected, the Nazi propaganda ministry lost no time in heralding the success of the Berlin Olympics to the world.

Right after the Berlin Olympics ended, the Nazis returned to their old ways and anti-Semitism, racial discrimination, and religious intolerance were back as state policies.

The persecution of the Jews, momentarily halted during the games, resumed with even greater intensity. Hitler’s regime eventually came up with the Final Solution – the blue print for the total elimination of all Jews in Europe.

The years that followed saw Nazi Germany annex Austria, seize bordering lands, conquer Czechoslovakia, and invade Poland. The Nazi invasion of Poland triggered World War II in Europe – which led to death, destruction, and racial hatred of unprecedented proportions.

Hitler’s successful expansionism in Europe also encouraged Imperial Japan to bring the fighting to the Pacific. Millions of lives were lost in that international conflict.

At the end of the fighting, Hitler’s Third Reich lay in ruins.

For the next 44 years, Germany was a divided country during the Cold War. President Benigno Aquino III should learn from the story of Nazi Germany and stop his misleading campaign to promote the MILF as a partner of the government in the peace process in Mindanao.

If Aquino does not, then he may end up like the infamous Benito Mussolini of Fascist Italy, Hitler’s devoted ally in World War II and who, like Hitler, is vilified in history.

AIDS cases can be prohibitive.

Right now, medications designed to prolong the progression of HIV to AIDS have continued to be provided free of charge by government. We all know this is not sustainable.

The country cannot afford to foot the bill on medication for hundreds of thousands, or millions, of HIV/AIDS cases. The official count have remained in the tens of thousands so far, but unless government really gets its act together, the infection rates will soon breach the hundred thousand mark.

It cannot be overemphasized – it is imperative that adequate focus be given to education and prevention programs; not just care. The best way to stem the rising incidence of infections is to put in place an aggressive, comprehensive, and ably supported education and prevention programs. And we need to do these now. We need to move beyond shocking people with headlines.

A CORY...

From A8

government to “peace partners” of the Cory administration.

There is one key difference, of course, between Cory’s appointment of the leftists and the appointment of Iqbal’s nephew by her son: People knew Sanchez, Arroyo and almost all the others tarred as leftists by the ultra-rightists in the military as prominent lawyers and advocates in their chosen fields who just happened to be sympathetic to the CPP-NDF; Abas is a nobody from Cotabato City whose appointment was pushed by his uncle.

That just smacks of nepotism to me. Oh, and if the true purpose of having Abas in Comelec is to ensure the approval of the Bangsamoro Basic Law in a plebiscite that the poll body will conduct, that’s just plain wrong – and probably criminal. *** I also get that the situation of the military during Cory’s time is way different from the one prevailing today. The Armed Forces in the Cory years felt proprietary about the installation of the first woman President and the overthrow of her predecessor through what is now known as the 1986 people power revolution.

Simply put, the men in uniform felt that Communists were stealing the revolution simply because they made up the majority of the members of Cory’s cordon sanitaire. Their frequent upheavals were large, firepower-backed gestures of disappointment with the President, whom they felt would never have gotten her high position without their help.

But I submit that the sentiment of the military now is virtually the same with what it was in the Cory years. A large portion of today’s military, which has been fighting the Moro rebellion for decades, is of the belief that the current Aquino’s peace-at-all-costs policy towards the MILF is a betrayal of their sacrifices and an insult to all those soldiers who gave their lives to fight for the government against the Muslim rebels.

Of course, you never hear reports these days of the military plotting to overthrow the government anymore. But maybe the current Aquino just hasn’t pushed them far enough; maybe if the President appoints more people like Abas and again takes the side of the rebels over his own security forces like he did in Mamasapano, they will.

t ue s day : m ay 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

A12

sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

Jungolf Chairman’s Cup set in 2 courses

Free cage clinics. San Juan City Vice Mayor Francis Zamora and Philippine Basketball Association player agent Sheryl Reyes conducted a free basketball clinic and outreach program in Brgy. Batis, City of San Juan, featuring Ginebra’s Mike Dunnigan, Talk ‘N Text’s Willie Miller, San Beda’s Ola Adeogun, Kia’s Leo Avenido, Rain or Shine’s Arizona Reid, and De La Salle University’s Renren Ritualo.

Andy: Don’t write Rafa off MADRID—Andy Murray insists it would be a mistake to write off Rafael Nadal as a claycourt force and expects the Spaniard to still be favorite for a 10th French Open.

World number three Murray stunned Nadal 6-3, 6-2 to win the Madrid Open on Sunday, his first Masters title on clay and a second claycourt title in a week.

It was also the Scot’s first victory over the Spaniard on clay in seven attempts, but he believes Nadal will still be the man to beat come Roland Garros at the end of the month.

“I think there were periods of the match where he played like he usually does, but there were also periods where he made more mistakes,” said Murray, who had never won a claycourt crown before his victory in Munich last Monday.

“On that court (in Paris) he has

only ever lost one match, so when the French Open comes round he’ll be one of the favourites. It is maybe closer than it’s been in previous years, but I wouldn’t write him off.”

“He showed enough this week to suggest that with two good weeks of work and good results in Rome (at next week’s Italian Open), he can go all the way at Roland Garros.”

Sunday’s defeat means Nadal will drop to seventh in the latest world rankings on Monday, the first time he has been out of the top five in 10 years.

The 14-time Grand Slam champion is also defending 600 ranking points in Rome having

Nadal

made last year’s final.

He stressed his priority was not dropping further down the rankings which could seriously affect his seeding at Roland Garros.

“Nothing changes going from five to seven,” he said.

“I need a result in Rome to not drop below the top eight which could really affect Roland Garros. If you are not in the top eight you can get a top player in a really early round.”

Nadal, plagued by injury and illness at the end of last season, is still searching for his first title on the European clay in 2015.

But he is hopeful for more improvement in Rome after playing some of his best tennis of the year in reaching the final in Madrid.

“I cannot leave Madrid unhappy. I have to forget what happened today and remain with the positives,” said the 28-year-old.

“There were more good things than bad this week and I will try to recover those good sensations in Rome.

“I think I’ve made a step forward, I am playing better. This season I haven’t played two good weeks in a row and now is the time to do that.” AFP

ANOTHER exciting week is in store for jungolfers when they compete in a new leg of the summer tour, the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines Chairman’s Cup Challenge in two Ayala courses, starting today.

The tourney honoring Gerry Handog, chairman and longtime patron of the JGFP, starts with the stroke play qualifying today at the Ayala Greenfield course in Calamba, Laguna with about 80 juniors seeing action.

The top 64 players will then advance to the match play phase of the event for the next three days (May 13 to 15) at the hazard-laden Ayala South Links course in Las Pinas.

Handog is hosting the event through his group of companies – Cleanpak, Inc., IWSI, IWS Cleantech, Inc. – with the support of International Container Terminal Services, Inc., Philippine Airlines and the Philippine Golf Foundation.

“Gerry has always been known for his concern for jungolf and this event is just an extension of his support,” said JGFP president Luigi Tabuena.

Carl Corpus and Jolo Magcalayo, two of the big winners this summer after topping their respective brackets in the Philippine Airlines Junior World qualifier, head the entries for the unisex play although girls tee off from the red boxes and the boys from the white.

Corpus is also a recent winner in the True Vision International in Bangkok, Thailand.

Also among the players to watch are recently crowned Manila Southwoods club champion Ryan Monsalve, Lanz Uy, Philippe Palanca, Ira Alido and young challengers Josh Jorge, Sean Granada and Sean Jean Ramos.

The girls’ entries, among them Mariel Tee, Jona Magcalayo and Laia Barro, will also try to pull surprises and prevent a boys domination.

Fowler is Players’ champ

Age-group netfest. Butuan City, former capital of Agusan del Norte, hosted the on-going Cebuana

Lhuillier Age-Group Tennis Championship Series, one of the country’s longest-running tennis grassroots program initiated by sportsman/businessman Jean Henri Lhuillier to discover young and promising chess talents in the provinces. The event, backed by Dunlop Sport, attracted 138 participants in the Mindanao region, including familiar names of former age-group champions now making a name for themselves. Photo shows the champions in their respective age groups.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH —Rickie Fowler captured The Players Championship by vanquishing Spain’s Sergio Garcia and fellow American Kevin Kisner in a thrilling playoff that lasted through four holes on Sunday.

It was the first win in three years for Fowler, who survived the tournament’s first three-hole aggregate playoff before toppling Kisner in a sudden-death hole at number 17 at the TPC Sawgrass course.

“I had to wait a long time for this,” Fowler said. “I would say this is a pretty big one.

“I am happy about the week. This is one to look back on for sure.”

Fowler, who was recently voted by his peers as one of the most overrated players on tour, played

the final six holes of regulation in six-under par to close out a fiveunder 67. That run got him into the clubhouse at 12-under-par 276.

At 17, Kisner’s tee shot stopped 12 feet past the hole. Fowler then stuffed his tee shot to about five feet.

Kisner missed his birdie putt on the left and Fowler rolled in his putt for birdie and his second career PGA Tour title.

Ben Martin and Bill Haas shot two-under 70s and shared fourth place at 11-under-par 277.

Rory Sabbatini (69) and Kevin Na (71) tied for sixth at nine-under, while world number one Rory McIlroy closed with a 70 to end in a share of eighth at eight-underpar 280. AFP

t ue s day : m ay 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

A13

sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

Lambunao tops US memo games

Filipino memory athletes (from left) GMM Mark Anthony Castaneda, IMM Axelyancy Cowan Tabernilla, IMM Jamyla Lambunao and GMM Johann Randall Abrina display the Philippine flag.

INTERNATIONAL Master of Memory Jamyla Lambunao, 13, bagged two gold medals to spearhead the Avesco-Philippine team’s campaign in the 1st US Open Memory Championship held on May 5 and 6 in Los Angeles, California.

Lambunao, the youngest participant in the tournament, finished at seventh place overall and won two gold as champion in the 13 to 17- years-old-juniors’ division in the first and second round of competition.

The incoming Grade 9 stu-

Nevada commission chief Brady resigns; Pacman faces inquiry

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

COMMISSIONER Bill Brady has resigned effective immediately from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, saying his heart is no longer in it.

At the same time, he praised eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, who is facing an inquiry by the NSAC sometime next month.

Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review Journal reported that Pacquiao may be summoned to explain, why he might have perjured himself on his pre-fight medical questionnaire prior to his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand Garden last May 2.

Pacquiao re-injured the tear in the rotator cuff of his right shoulder in Round 4 of his loss to undefeated pound-for-pound No. 1 Floyd Mayweather Jr. after his request to the Commission to have an anti-inflammatory shot administered prior to entering the ring, was denied because he indicated on his form that he was not hurt.

Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz admitted that he filled up the questionnaire, which Pacquiao signed.

Pacquiao underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in Los Angeles last Wednesday and is expected to return home with his family on Wednesday.

Brady said the Pacquiao incident and the aftermath may have been the final straw for him.

“I know this man, he has always been an hon-

orable person. I find it offensive that he’s being sued and ridiculed. It truly breaks my heart,” said Brady, who made much of his legacy as a commissioner about fighter safety.

He indicated he does want to see cheating stopped in boxing and mixed martial arts, but has publicly stated that he’s uncomfortable taking away larger portions of a fighter’s purse in order to get the message across.

“I think there’s a difference between someone like Mayweather, who made millions and millions of dollars, and some kid who’s making a thousand bucks. To have the same penalties applied equally, I have a real problem with that,” said Brady.

Boxing writer Carp noted that by taking himself out of the process, Brady won’t have to deal with whatever criticism comes the NAC’s way from its pending decisions on Pacquiao and the plan to increase penalties for those who break the rules. And he’s fine with that.

“The best part of this job was getting to know these fighters as people,” Brady said. “I had no idea about all the hard work that goes into preparing for a fight. But this position allowed me to see things much differently and gain a true appreciation for what these fighters go through, both in boxing and in MMA. I also had no idea how hard it is to put on a fight and the hard work the people on the commission pit in just so we can have a fight.”

In his letter of resignation to Governor Brian Sandoval, Brady said “It’s time to move on. The thing is I’ve always given 110 percent to anything I’ve ever done .Its been an honor to serve on the commission. But the energy’s just not there anymore.”

Meralco spikers eye semis slot Game tomorrow 4 p.m. – Meralco vs Coast Guard

MERALCO tries to formalize its stint in the semifinal round of the Shakey’s V-League Season 12 Open Conference as it faces winless Coast Guard today at the close of the elims at The Arena in San Juan City.

The Power Spikers checked a three-game skid with a straight-set romp over Perpetual Help last Sunday, improving their record to 3-3 heading to their final elims match with the Lady Dolphins.

Navy is actually in fourth with a 3-4 mark but even if Meralco loses, the Power Spikers will still clinch the last Final Four slot via tiebreak with superior rank points over the

Lady Sailors, according to the organizing Sports Vision.

Game time is at 4 p.m.

PLDT Home Ultera (7-0), Army (6-1) and Cagayan Valley (5-2) took the first three semis slots with Meralco completing the power-packed Final Four cast of the season-opening conference of the league sponsored

by Shakey’s and presented by PLDT Home Ultera and backed

by Mikasa and Accel.

The match can be viewed live via streaming on www.vleague.ph.

Despite being assured of the last semis berth, the Power Spikers are still expected to go all-out and use their advantage in manpower and talent to the hilt with aces Aby Maraño, skipper Steph Mer-

cado and Charleen Cruz raring to step up their respective games after yielding the spotlight to Maica Morado against the Lady Altas.

The troika settled for a combined 20-hit output as coach Brian Esquibel designed big plays for Morada, who responded and fired 17 hits, including 14 kills and two aces.

But the Power Spikers will also have to toughen up on net defense, particularly against Rossan Fajardo, the league’s No. 2 in scoring with a 14.6hit norm. Backing Fajardo are Kath Magsumbol, Hyrize Macabuhay, Mary Rosale and Ann Montero and the league’s leading setter Sarah Jane Espelita and No. 2 digger Lea Acepcion.

dent of St. Scholastica’s Academy Marikina handily outpointed 16-year-old American Malcolm Burdorf for the juniors’ crown.

The three other members of the Avesco-Philippine team did not go home empty-handed as Grandmaster of Memory Johann Randall Abrina bagged a silver; GMM Mark Anthony Castaneda, who reached the quarterfinal round in the second Extreme Memory Tournament held in San Diego, California last week, collected three bronze medals; and IMM Axelyany Cowan Tabernilla

copped a bronze medal.

Some of the world’s top memory athletes from Germany, United Kingdom, Sweden and the host country including two former world champions competed in the Memo Games organized by the Memory Athletes Association.

Topping the tournament was Simon Reinhard of Germany followed by Lance Tschirhart of USA. The Avesco-Philippine team’s trip to the USA was sanctioned by the Philippine Mind Sports Association and supported by Avesco Marketing Corporation.

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR THE BIDDING OF PROJECT NO: 2015-03 PROCUREMENT OF CONSULTING SERVICES FOR THE DETAILED REQUIREMENT STUDY (DRS) 1.

The Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) intends to apply the sum of Five Million Pesos (P 5,000,00.00), being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) for the Procurement of Consulting Services for the Detailed Requirement Study (DRS). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the opening of the financial proposals.

2.

The SHFC expects the consultant/firm to accomplish a set of tasks/deliverables according to the following goals and objectives: a. b. c. d. e. f.

Determine the detailed requirements for the enterprise information systems as described in the ISSP; Formulate criteria for the selection of appropriate technologies and generate shortlist of candidate technologies; Determine the development, technology and procurement strategies; Prepare documentation ready for development; Determine areas that need an improvement and arrive with proper recommendations; Prepare the TOR/Request for Proposal for the systems development phase. The RFP shall serve as guide in the generation of Bidding documents.

3.

SHFC now calls for the submission of eligibility documents for the above-mentioned project that will achieve the objectives indicated in item 2.

4.

The Consultant/Consulting Team must have the following qualifications: a.

b.

c.

5.

Systems/Business Process Analyst/Team Leader a.1 At least 10 years relevant experience, of which at least 4 years is as Team Leader/ Project Manager; and a.2 Preferably with advanced degree in Management Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science or Information Technology.

Database Management Specialist b.1 At least 8 years relevant experience in Database design and development; and b.2 Preferably with advance degree in Computer Science, Information Technology and Mathematics or Statistics.

Senior Programmer/Software Specialist c.1 At least 8 years relevant experience in programming/software application; and c.2 Preferably with advance degree/relevant training in Information and Communication Technology.

Interested consultant must submit their formal Letter of Interest, Curriculum Vitae of the project consultant and its technical staff and eligibility documents on or before 19 May 2015 at 10:00 am (also the date of opening of eligibility documents) at 5th Floor Board Room, Banco De Oro Plaza, 8737 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City. Applications for eligibility will be evaluated based on a nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion.

The required documents and criteria are provided in Section 24. Eligibility Requirements and Short Listing for Consulting Services of the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act.” The BAC shall draw up the short list of consultants from those who have submitted Eligibility Documents/ formal Letter of Interest and have been determined as eligible in accordance with the provisions of RA 9184 and its IRR. The short list shall consist of five (5) prospective bidders who will be allowed to purchase the Bidding Documents and are entitled to submit bids. Should less than the required number apply for eligibility and short listing, pass the eligibility check, and/ or pass the minimum score required in the short listing, the BAC shall consider the same The criteria and rating system for short listing are: Applicable experience1 Qualification of project leader& technical staff Current workload relative to capacity Total

6.

= = = =

40 % 40 % 20 % 100 %

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the IRR of RA 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.

7.

The Procuring Entity shall evaluate bids using the Quality-Cost Based Evaluation/ Selection (QCBE/QCBS) procedure. The bidders shall be ranked in descending order based on the combined numerical ratings of their technical and financial proposals and identify the Highest Rated Bid. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of bids shall be provided in the Instruction to Bidders (ITB).

8.

The contract shall be completed within six (6) months from receipt of the Notice to Proceed.

The Consultant will conduct its work subject to the agreed upon study framework, schedules, and deliverables.

The SHFC shall provide records, reports and program of data as may be requested by the consultant.

9.

Interested Bidders may obtain further information from SHFC and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hours, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

10. Short Listed Bidders may purchase a complete set of Bidding Documents from 22 May 2015 until 08 June 2015 at the address below, for a non-refundable fee of Five Thousand Pesos (P 5,000.00).

The fee for the Bidding Documents must be paid to the SHFC Cashier only.

11. SHFC will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on 26 May 2015 at 10:00 am, at the SHFC Board Room, 5th Floor, BDO Plaza 8737 Paseo De Roxas, Makati City, which shall be open only to all short listed bidders who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

12. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before 08 June 2015 at 10:00 am. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be on 08 June 2015, 10:00 am, at the SHFC Board Room, 5th Floor, BDO Plaza 8737 Paseo De Roxas, Makati City. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend. Late bids shall not be accepted.

13. SHFC assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify Bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of the bid. SHFC reserves the right to waive any or all formal requirements, and it shall likewise not be held liable for any defects or typographical errors in all documents received by the Bidder, which shall be presumed to have been read and understood by the bidders to be mere defects in form only.

14. SHFC reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject a bid at any time prior to the contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

15. For further information and submission of Expression of Interest before the scheduled eligibility check on 19 May 2015, please communicate with: Ms. Ethel S. Bugho Head, BAC Secretariat Social Housing Finance Corporation 2nd Floor BDO Plaza, 8737 Paseo De Roxas Makati City Trunkline: 750-6337/46 loc. 421 (Sgd.) ATTY. JOSE D. MELGAREJO Chairman, BAC 1.

May be a consulting firm, partnership or individual practitioner.

(TS-May 12, 2015)

T U E S D AY : m AY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

A14

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Petron takes Game 1, extends win run to 12

Jr team hopeful surpasses World Youth qualifying long jump mark

By Peter Atencio

PALARONG Pambansa standout Jerry Belibestre cleared 7.26 meters in the long jump in the Asian Youth Athletics’ meet held in Doha, Qatar over the weekend.

An honor student and an aspiring member of the national junior team, Belibestre surpassed the qualifying standard (7.25 meters) of the World Youth Championships set July 15 to 19 in Cali, Colombia.

The feat made Belibestre the seventh Filipino athlete to make it to the World competitions, according to pinoyathletics.info.

Only last week, the multi-titled Belibestre, who graduated a salutatorian, saw action in the 2015 Palarong Pambansa in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.

He 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 to help Western Visayas clinch third place overall with a medal tally of 42 golds, 48 silvers and 41 bronze medals.

He, howeveer, decided to cut short his stint in Palaro to compete in Doha.

Belibestre, who plans to enroll at the University of Negros Occidental Recoletos in college, is still 29 cms short of the Philippine national junior, which belongs to Joebert Delicano.

Still, Belibestre’s feat in Doha, was his bet performance in an international meet.

Last month, he took home the gold after leaping to 6.93-meter in the long jump in the 10th Southeast Asian Youth Athletics’ Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Peter Atencio

IMUS—The Petron Blaze Spikers got right down to business yesterday, smothering the Shopinas Lady Clickers, 25-18, 25-14, 25-19 in Game 1 of the Philippine Super Liga All Filipino Conference finals at the Imus Sports Complex here.

Led by Dindin SantiagoManabat and Maica Morada, the Blaze Spikers pounced on the Lady Clickers’ unforced errors right from the opening set.

Santiago-Manabat and Morada tallied 16 and 9 points, respectively to lead the Blaze Spikers to their 12th straight win.

In the first set, it was Manabat and Frances Molina who joined forces to put the Blaze Spikers in

front with their attacks.

After trailing 7-8, Petron picked up the pace, and moved ahead, 11-8. A series of reception errors allowed the Blaze Spikers to move away 17-10.

Imus City Mayor Emmanuel Maliksi the watched game with PSL chairman Philip Ella Juico as the Blaze Spikers took a seven-point lead, 17-10, behind an ace from Mary Grace Masangkay.

Petron's Rachel Ann Daquis jumps to the arms of teammate Abby Marano after a winning play in the Super Liga All Filipino Conference at the Imus Sports Complex. The Blazer Spikers crushed the Shopinas Lady Clickers in Game 1 of the finals. ROMAN PROSPERO NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION OF MOBILE TRAVEL TECHNOLOGIES, INC. Notice is hereby given on the amendment of the Articles of Incorporation of Mobile Travel Technologies, Inc., shortening the term of its corporate existence and thereby dissolving the said corporation as of February 15, 2013. All persons having claims against the corporation are requested to present the same at its principal office at Unit 1703 Hanston Square, 17 San Miguel Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City for immediate settlement.

This announcement will serve as a notice to all parties concerned of the legal dissolution of the said corporation.

InvItatIon to BId

Signed this 30th day of April, Makati City, Philippines.

Rest./RehaB. of JoRdan-nagcavItIan cIs ( T S - M AY 5 & 12 , 2 0 15 )

The National Irrigation Administration through the General Appropriation Act of 2015 now invites bids for the Rest./RehaB. of JoRdan-nagcavItIan cIs under GAA 101. The project is located in Sinait, Ilocos Sur. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

Contract Ref. No.

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)

Description of Work

Php 11,325,607.18

Contract Duration

Pre-bid Conference

Opening of Bids

Location of Pre-bid & Opening of Bids

I. Canalization, A.Canal Lining: Main Canal, B. Canal Lining: Lateral A II. Canal Structures A. Main Canal B. Lateral A

150 c.d.

May 15, 2015, 2:00 PM

May 27, 2015 at 2:00 PM

NIA-Reg. Office Conf.

Room, Urdaneta City, Pangasinan

I.Canalization A.Main Canal B.Lateral B II.Canal Structures A.Main Canal B.Lateral

150 c.d.

Republic of the Philippines

Province of Bataan MUNICIPALITY OF LIMAY

INVITATION TO BID

A. PACKAGE 1

R1-ISIMO-15-04-093

B. PACKAGE 2 R1-ISIMO-15-04-094

PHP 7,674,392.72

May 15, 2015, 2:00 PM

May 27, 2015 at 2:00 PM

NIA-Reg. Office Conf.

Room, Urdaneta City, Pangasinan

__________________________ President

The Bids and Awards Committee of the Municipality of Limay through the SPECIAL EDUCATION FUND Budget CY2015 invites registered contractors to apply for eligibility and if found to be eligible to bid, hereunder the projects/contracts. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

Cost of Approved Bid Doc’s.

Sources Duration Budget Name of Project/ Location of FUNDS Cost(ABC) Contract Replacement of Brgy. Reformista, at Limay 1 Ceiling Limay, Bataan Polytechnic College Construction of Ten(1) Classroom Two Storey Building Type A Francis Construction Brgy. St. 2,, 2 and of Ten Classroom Limay, Bataan Two(2) Storey Building Type B at St. Francis Elementary School

SEF FUND

120 Days

2,622,000.00

5,000.00

SEF FUND

180 Days

39,543,500.00

25,000.00

1.

Bidder must have an experience of having completed, a single contract that is similar to the contract to be bid, must be at least 50% of the ABC. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II, Instructions to Bidders.

2.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

3.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from National Irrigation Administration, Urdaneta City, Pangasinan (office of the Head, BAC Secretariat) and inspect the Bidding Documents from 8:00 A.M to 5:00 PM:

Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II, Instruction to Bidders.

4.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the above address and upon payment at the NIA Cashier of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of ELEVEN THOUSAND PESOS (Php11,000.00) for Package 1 and EIGHT THOUSAND PESOS (8,000.00) for Package 2 .

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

5.

Issuance & Availability of bidding documents is from the first day of advertisement/ Posting of Invitation to Bid/ Request for Expression of interest until submission and receipt of bids. Late bids shall not be accepted.

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

6.

The National Irrigation Administration shall not be allowed contractors to participate in the procurement of civil works with at least 15% negative slippage on their on-going NIA Contracts at the time of advertisement or posting in the PhilGEPS/NIA Website of the Invitation to Bid in accordance with Rule X, Sec. 34.3 (b) (ii) of the Revised Implementing Rules & Regulation of Republic Act No. 9184.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Municipality of Limay at the address given below from 10:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.

7.

All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

8.

Special Power of Attorney (SPA) shall no longer be allowed in the procurement of projects within the Agency.

9.

All bids must be accompanied by a Certificate of Site Inspection issued by the implementing office.

10. The National Irrigation Administration reserves the right to reject bids, declare a failure of bidding, and not to award the contract without incurring any liability if the funds/ allotment for the project to be bid has been withheld or reduced through no fault of its own.

11. Awarding of Contract shall be held in abeyance prior to receipt of the Agency Budget Matrix (ABM) or Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) for the full cost of the project.

For further information, please refer to: ENGR. MYRNA C. MARTINEZ - Head BAC Secretariat NIA-Regional Office No. 1 Barangay Bayaoas, Urdaneta City, Pangasinan Telefax No: (075)568-8442 E-mail address: niaengineeing@yahoo.com (Sgd.) FRIDA L. NIDOY BAC Chairman (TS-May 12, 2015)

The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Municipality of Limay will hold a PreBid Conference on May 14, 2015, 2:00 P.M. at Limay Municipal Building, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before May 29, 2015 until 1:00 P.M. and to be opened at 2:00 P.M. of the same day at the Limay Municipal Building All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in Clause 18 of Bid Data Sheet.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidder’s representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

Submission of Class “A” documents and Financial Statements at least seven (7) calendar days and the Technical Documents (completed/on-going projects) at least fifteen (15) calendar days before the deadline for the submission or opening of bids.

The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Municipality of Limay reserves the right to accept or deny any bid, to annul bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, refer to: RONNIE LATANAFRANCIA BAC TWG Tel. No. : 613-8026 (TS-May 12, 2015)

(Sgd.) ROMARIO C. PANANGUI Chairman

PSA Forum resumes session AFTER a hectic first week of May, the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum resumes its regular session today with the Philippine touch football team heading the panel of guests appearing at Shakey’s Malate.

The women’s and mixed teams will share before the public sports program aired live over DZSR Sports Radio 918 and presented by San Miguel Corp., Shakey’s, Accel, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., the results of their respective campaigns in the recent World Cup held in Australia.

Joining them in the forum are former Immigration commissioner Andrea Domingo, who will promote the fun run and fun walk for women’s education presented by the UP Alpha Sigma Sorority Alumnae Association, and Philracom commissioner Atty. Dondon Bagatsing and executive director Andrew Buencamino as they discuss the photo contest for media regarding the Triple Crown.

The PSA Forum canceled its session last week to give way to the coverage of the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather welterweight unification title match, the Palarong Pambansa, and the Asian U-23 Women’s Volleyball Championship.

T U E S D AY : M AY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

A15

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

LOTTO RESULTS

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

Lim still upbeat despite Kings’ 0-2 PBA start Finals MVP. Ranidel De Ocampo of Talk ‘N Text emerged as the Holcim-Philippine Basketball Association Press Corps Finals MVP of the recent Commissioner’s Cup title series against Rain or Shine. De Ocampo is shown in photo receiving his plaque from Holcim Vice President for Commercial William Sumalinog, PBAPC secretary Waylon Galvez of the Manila Bulletin, PBAPC treasurer Richard Dy of Spin.ph and Holcim Sales Head Institutional Group Edwin Villas.

Batang Pier seek lead; Painters face Beermen

By Jeric Lopez

TWO weeks after suffering a heartbreaking Game 7 loss in the finals of the Commissioner’s Cup, Rain or Shine plunges back into action to start another campaign, while GlobalPort attempts to earn solo lead as the two teams play separate foes in the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup. It’ll be a clash of unbeaten teams right away at 4:15 p.m. as the red-hot Batang Pier (2-0) shoot for a third

Martinez on a roll in net meet

straight victory when they face their stiffest test so far—defending champion Purefoods (1-0) in the opener

JYLE Cyrin Martinez pocketed two titles in the recent ninth leg of Globe 17th HEAD Graphene XT Junior Tennis Satellite Circuit after winning against separate opponents in the final round at the Lapaz Plaza tennis courts in Iloilo City.

Martinez crushed Tim Gumban, 6-1 (retired), to capture the boys’ 16-under singles’ crown. He also swept the same opponent in the boys’ 14-under singles’ division after scoring a 6-0, 6-0 win to gain his second title in the annual tournament organized by the Dynamic Sports.

Martinez also won the 16- and 14-under singles’ division crowns in Bacolod City.

Mark Crisosto and Herra Jean Sunio took the trophy in the 18-under singles’ events after besting their respective rivals. Crisosto whipped Nico Ong, 6-3, 7-6 (3), to win the boys’ title, while Sunio bashed Stephanie Crisosto, 6-1, 7-5, for the girls’ crown.

The competition was sponsored

by Globe Telecommunications, Chris Sports, Head ATP Tennis Balls, Graphene XT, Toalson, Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Tennis Association, along with Sports Radio 918AM, Home Radio 97.9FM Natural, Boracay Informer, Todo 88.5FM Aklan, Radyo Inquirer 990AM, Power Wheels Magazine, Motorcycle Magazine, Balikbayan The Asian Journal Magazine, Wazzup Pilipinas, Reach Magazine, Oishi and AMAX Inn Makati.

at the Smart Araneta effort,” said Jarencio.

Games Today Coliseum today.

Catching fire right (Smart Araneta Coliseum) In the main course, 4:15 p.m. • Purefoods vs. GlobalPort out of the gates, Glothe Elasto Painters (0- 7 p.m. • San Miguel vs. Rain or Shine balPort proved to be 0) hit the court again too much in its first to start a new chapter, taking on San two games as it averaged a winning Miguel Beer (0-2) at 7 p.m. margin of 21.5 points in victories GlobalPort is one of the surprise against Meralco and Blackwater in early leaders in the tourney thus far its initial assignments. as it is making a strong statement The last time out, GlobalPort with its play. Coach Pido Jarencio smoked Blackwater, 100-76, last explained the reason behind his Friday. team’s explosive start.

Star guard Terrence Romeo “Lumalalim na kasi ‘yung rota- continues to sizzle, averaging 23.5 tion namin. Nagko-contribute la- points so far this conference to hat and we’re having a good team spearhead his squad’s attack.

ROOKIE Ginebra coach Frankie Lim believes the changes that he wants to instill in his team are slowly being absorbed by his players.

And despite a 0-2 start, Lim said he saw a semblance of the new Brgy. Ginebra that he wants to see, one month since assuming the post as head coach of the league’s crowd favorites.

“Napapabago ko na little by little. You can see good things right away. Hindi mo naman matatawaran ‘yung mga efforts ng players ko. Nakita mo naman, ‘pag takbuhan they try to make stops, play zone,” said Lim. Lim said it was encouraging to note that they out-hustled Alaska in fastbreak points, 22-6, in their 108-99 loss to the Aces Friday last week before losing by one rebound in their 95-91 defeat to Talk ‘N Text last Sunday.

“Good thing is, nakita mo ‘yung effort ng players. Doon ang isang bagay na natutuwa ako kasi talagang binibigay nilang lahat. Ginagawa naman natin ng paraan kung ano yung tingin natin na mga weaknesses,” said Lim. Lim has been utilizing a depleted line-up as star center Greg Slaugther recently twisted his right ankle, while high-flying forward Japeth Aguilar has been bothered by a pulled hamstring. Dennis Principe

Republic of the Philippines

Intal named Best Player BARAKO Bull is off to a flying start in the seasonending PBA Governors Cup, thanks to veteran wingman JC Intal’s inspired plays early in the conference.

The athletic Intal, who is expecting his first baby with actress wife Bianca, averaged career-high numbers of 20.5 points and 9.0 rebounds during the Energy’s 2-0 start for the Governors’ Cup. Energy coach Koy Banal believes Intal’s energetic

start has a lot to do with his commitment to improve his game this season.

“Ibang iba ang mindset niya (Intal) coming to this conference kasi even sa practice, he’s going hard,” said Banal, whose team whipped NLEX, 101-96 to kick off its Governors Cup campaign, before waylaying Blackwater, 105-90 on Sunday.

Intal’s fiery start this conference made him the first Accel-PBA Press Corps.

Player of the Week.

ABS-CBN wins ratings’ war ABS-CBN posed a higher rating than its competitors for the overall household shares in urban and rural according to Kantar’s data during for the “Battle for Greatness: Pacquiao vs Mayweather.”

The Kapamilya network posted an average of 24% for their airing of the fight as opposed to GMA’s and TV5’s 20.4% and 2.5%, respectively, according to Kantar Media.

It peaked at 26.7% when the main bout featuring the

undefeated American and the People’s Champion took to the ring. GMA posted 23.4% and TV5, 2.8% in their respective airings.

ABS-CBN actually enjoyed consistent ratings even through the undercard bout between Gamalier Rodriguez and Vasyl Lomachenko where they clocked in at 21.2% as opposed to the GMA and TV5 airing.

GMA posted 17.1% while TV5 is at 2.1%.

TARLAC COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE Camiling, Tarlac

INVITATION TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO BID The TARLAC COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites contractors to apply for eligibility and if found eligible, to bid for the hereunder contract: 015-009 INFRA “CONSTRUCTION OF R & D ANNEX BUILDING” TARLAC COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE The scope of work includes personal protective equipment, safety and health officer, project billboard, temporary facilities, signage and barricades, clearing and grubbing, reinforcing steel, steel trusses, steel railings, excavation work, backfilling of common borrows, reinforced concrete, masonry works (CHB 6“), masonry works (CHB 4”), termite control works, plumbing, plumbing fixtures, carpentry (ceiling and partition works), aluminum window, door frames and accessories, panel doors, pre-painted metal sheets, tiles, cement floor finish, cement plaster finish, masonry painting, wooden painting, conduit, boxes and fittings, wires and wiring devices, panel board and cabinets, lighting fixtures and HVAC. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php30,000,000.00 Contract Duration : 300 Calendar Days Prospective bidders are required to submit the following: Name of contract Location Brief Description

: : :

1.

2.

3.

DTI business name registration Valid and current Mayor’s permit/municipal license Statement of the prospective bidder of all its ongoing and completed government and private contracts, including contracts awarded but not yet started, if any, whether similar or not similar in nature and complexity to the contract to be bid.

4.

Valid Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) license and registration for the type and cost of contract to be bid.

5.

Tax Clearance 6.

Computation of Net Financial Contracting Capacity (NFCC) 7.

Philgeps Registration All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference, Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of RA 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulation (IRR).

The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of Bids.

The BAC will conduct post-qualification of the lowest calculated bid.

The schedule of BAC activities is a follows: BAC Activities Schedule 1.

Receipt from prospective bidders of Letter May 9-22, 2015 of Intent (LOI) including application for Eligibility 2.

Deadline for Receipt of Letter of Intent (LOI) May 22, 2015 including application for Eligibility 3.

Issuance of Bid Documents May 11-26, 2015; 10:00 A.M. 4.

Pre-bid Conference May 14, 2015; 10:00 A.M. Main Library AVR Room TCA Camiling, Tarlac 5.

Receipt and Opening of Bids May 26, 2015; 10:00 A.M. Main Library AVR Room TCA Camiling, Tarlac 6.

Bid Evaluation May 27, 2015 The BAC will issue to prospective bidders Eligibility Forms at TCA, Camiling, Tarlac, upon submission of Letter of Intent. Prospective bidders shall submit the Eligibility Requirements to the BAC at the said address and they may also obtain the results of the Eligibility Check by the BAC at the same address.

The BAC will likewise issue Bidding Documents only to bidders declared by the BAC to be eligible for the bidding at TCA, Camiling, Tarlac, upon payment of a non-refundable amount of TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND PESOS (P25,000.00) for the Registration Fee and Cost of Bid Documents to the TCA Cashier.

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

For details, prospective bidders are advised to get in touch with: ZENAIDA C. SAHAGUN BAC Secretariat Tel. No. (045) 934-0716 CP#09083279655 E-mail address: zenysahagun72@yahoo.com.ph (Sgd) JEREMIAS DC. RODRIGUEZ, Ph.D. Vice President for Adm. & Fin. Services B A C Chairman A p p r o v e d: (Sgd) MAX P. GUILLERMO , Ph.D.

President

(TS-May 12, 2015)

T U E S D AY : M AY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

A16

RIERA U. MALL ARI EDITOR

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

sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS

PH boxers upbeat on SEAG chances

By Dennis Principe

LeBron comes to Cavs’ rescue

LeBron James (left) of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots the game-winning, shot against Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2015 NBA Playoffs at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The Cavaliers defeated the Bulls, 86-84. AFP

CHICAGO—LeBron James made a baseline jumper as time expired to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to an 86-84 win over the Chicago Bulls in game four of the NBA playoff quarter-finals on Sunday.

Two-time finals MVP James caught an inbounds pass with 1.5 seconds left and drained a fadeaway shot from the left side with Jimmy Butler hounding him, to even the Eastern Conference series at two games apiece.

Teammates mobbed James after he drilled the shot from 21 feet following a pass from Matthew Dellavedova.

“He was in attack mode all night. He took responsibility, and he led his guys,” Cavaliers coach

David Blatt said of James.

In the Western Conference contest, DeAndre Jordan tallied 26 points and 17 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers put the Houston Rockets on the brink of elimination with a 128-95 win.

James finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists while center Timofey Mozgov contributed 15 points and nine rebounds in the win.

Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 31 points and four assists. Guard Butler scored 19 points, and center

Joakim Noah tallied eight points with 15 rebounds.

Cleveland trailed by as many as 11 points in the second half before going on a 23-5 burst that made it 80-73 with just over four minutes left in the fourth.

Guard J.R. Smith ignited the rally with a trio of baskets from beyond the arc early in the fourth quarter.

James improvised on the gamewinning play, telling Blatt to get him the ball and he would do the rest.

“To be honest, the play that was drawn up, I scratched it,” James said. “I told coach, ‘Just get me the ball. We’re either going to go into overtime, or I’m going to win it for us.’ It was that simple.”

The shot marked the second straight buzzer-beater in the series.

Andy: Don’t write Rafa off TURN TO A12

In game three, Rose banked in a three-pointer as time expired to win that contest for Chicago.

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said back-to-back buzzer-beaters were an indication of just how close the two teams are. “(James) made a great play,” Thibodeau said. “That’s what great players do. Derrick made a great play the other night, and LeBron made one tonight.”

James also had to do more than usual Sunday with Kyrie Irving hampered by a foot injury.

Jordan finished six-of-seven from the field and 14-of-34 from the foul line for the Clippers, who took a 3-1 series lead and can advance to the next round with a victory Tuesday in Houston. AFP

ASSOCIATION of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines Executive Director Ed Picson is upbeat that the 10-man boxing team can still deliver the goods despite the absence of two of the country’s elite fighters in next month’s Southeast Asian Games in Singapore.

Picson bared that while it’s a no-brainer to include Olympian Mark Anthony Barriga and veteran internationalist Charly Suarez in the biennial meet, current rules by the sport’s governing body AIBA make the two ‘overqualified’ to campaign in the SEA Games.

“Ang AIBA naman ang nagdidikta kung anong level na ang boxers. Barriga and Suarez are in the top eight in the world as far as AIBA is concerned and they are no longer allowed to fight in subcontinental games. It’s not our choice because AIBA nagsabi niyan,” said Picson.

Barriga and Suarez are also participants of the AIBA Professional Boxing, the federation’s first-ever pro league, which had its inaugural tournament last November.

For being competitors of their pro tour, Barriga and Suarez are allowed to compete only in AIBA-sanctioned event like the World Championships and the Olympics when representing the country.

Still, Picson has good reasons to feel positive as two of the three gold winners in 2013 are still part of the squad namely lightflyweight Josie Gabuco and bantamweight Mario Fernandez.

Recent President’s Cup gold winner and 2013 SEA Games silver medalist Nesthy Petecio will be part of the women’s squad, while 2011 World Junior champion Eumir Felix Marcial will make his biennial meet debut.

“We feel that the team has the same potentials or opportunity to win kung ikukumpara natin when Barriga and Suarez were still around,” said Picson.

Joining Gabuco and Petecio in the women’s team are flyweight Irish Magno and featherweight Rizza Pasuit, while lightflyweight Rogin Ladon, flyweight Ian Clark Bautista, lightweight Junel Cantancio and middleweight Willy Lopez complete the men’s cast.

Lambunao tops US memory games TURN TO A13

B1

TUESDAY: MAY 12, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

Car sales rose 18% in April

By Othel V. Campos

VEHICLE sales grew 18 percent in April from a year ago, as the domestic market entered the “motorization stage,” the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. said Monday.

A joint report by Campi and the Truck Manufacturers Association showed combined sales of members reached 21,259 units in April, up from 18,015 vehicles they sold in the same month last year.

The figure brought total vehicle sales in the first four months of

2015 to 84,141 units, up 21 percent from 69,737 vehicles sold in the same period in 2014.

“This continuing increase in passenger car sales is an indication that the country has entered the motorization stage. This is also consistent with economists’

projection that consumer spending growth will remain strong as per capita income hopefully reaches $3,000 in 2015,” Campi president Rommel Gutierrez said.

Passenger cars sales grew 24.4 percent to 8,331 units in April from 6,697 in April 2014, while commercial vehicles sales went up 14 percent to 12,928 units from 11,318 units in the same period.

Campi said in the commercial vehicle category, all segments posted higher sales, with 3.2 percent incremental sales for Asian utility vehicles, 16.9 percent for light commercial vehicles, 13.8 percent for light trucks, 33.3 per-

cent for category 4 trucks and buses and 113.5 percent for category 5 trucks and buses.

The group said in terms of the four-month sales, there was a noticeable increase in the share of the passenger car segment.

Total passenger cars sold in the first four months hit 33,382 units, or 34.5 percent higher than 24.824 units sold during the same period in 2014.

Meanwhile, commercial vehicles sales in January to April reached 12,928 units, slight up from 11,318 units in January to April 2014.

Gutierrez said despite the year-

on-year growth, April sales were lower by 10 percent across all product segments to 21,259 units from 23,557 units sold in March.

He said the decline was due to the shorter number of working days in April as well as general seasonality.

Gutierrez said the industry remained confident that sales would pick up in the coming months.

Toyota Motors Philippines Corp. remained the industry leader with 44.3 percent market share, followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines with 19.2 percent.

PSe comPoSite index Closing May 11, 2015

8500 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000

7,777.90 14.69

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing MAY 11, 2015 46

P44.650

45

CLOSE

44 43 42

HIGH P44.565 LOW P44.655 AVERAGE P44.609 VOLUME 547.400M

P500.00-P650.00 LPG/11-kg tank P39.65-P45.25 Unleaded Gasoline

PH-Canada accord. President Benigno Aquino III (standing, left) and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (standing, second from left) witness the signing of the mutual accountability framework by Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan (seated, left) and Canadian Minister of International Development Christian Paradis. The Philippines expects greater opportunities to strengthen its poverty reduction programs and promote broad-based growth while enhancing diplomatic affairs and economic ties with Canada, with the signing of the mutual accountability framework. This is the third MAF that Canada signed with another government and the first with an Asian country. The other two MAFs were with Senegal and Ghana.

Petron’s net income shrinks 88% to P257m

By Alena Mae S. Flores OIL distributor Petron Corp. said net income shrank 88 percent in the first quarter to P257 million from P2.2 billion a year ago, dragged down by a sharp drop in oil prices and inventory losses.

Petron said in a statement the first-quarter net income would have been much higher if not for the inventory loss of about P3 billion in the quarter.

Revenues decreased 31 percent to P86.7 billion, reflecting the drop in oil prices.

Volume sales, however, increased 10 percent to 22.9 million barrels in the first quarter from 20.7 million barrels in the same period last year.

Philippine volumes surged 20 percent to 14.3 million barrels as Petron saw growth in key market segments.

Petron said in the first quarter of 2015, benchmark Dubai crude averaged $52 per barrel, down from $104 a barrel in the same period last year.

“While the drop in oil prices put pressure on our margins, efforts to increase sales volumes, the completion of strategic projects, and our disciplined approach to risk management moderated its impact,” Petron president and chief executive Ramon Ang said.

“We fully understand that long-term growth will always be disrupted by short-term instability and our investments will enable

us to grow, even thrive in this challenging business environment. With RMP-2 expected to be fully commissioned in the next few months, margins will be more stable despite volatility in crude prices,” Ang said, referring to the upgraded Bataan refinery.

Petron said the sales growth in the first quarter was anchored on retail expansion program and maximizing sales in its existing network.

Petron has an additional 300 service stations in the pipeline over its current 2,800 to ensure its premium fuels and services benefit more customers in the Philippines and Malaysia.

Petron is the largest oil refining and marketing company in the Philippines and is a leading player in the Malaysian market.

P28.00-P31.30 Diesel

oPriceS il P today

P35.40-P39.15 Kerosene P23.70-P24.40 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, May 11, 2015

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

44.6900

Japan

Yen

0.008354

0.3733

UK

Pound

1.545700

69.0773

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128964

5.7634

Switzerland

Franc

1.074345

48.0125

Canada

Dollar

0.826788

36.9492

Singapore

Dollar

0.753125

33.6572

Australia

Dollar

0.790701

35.3364

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652238

118.5285

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266667

11.9173

Brunei

Dollar

0.750300

33.5309

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000076

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.029878

1.3352

UAE

Dirham

0.272257

12.1672

Euro

Euro

1.120700

50.0841

Korea

Won

0.000919

0.0411

China

Yuan

0.161046

7.1971

India

Rupee

0.015690

0.7012

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.278164

12.4311

New Zealand

Dollar

0.747217

33.3931

Taiwan

Dollar

0.032565

1.4553 Source: PDS Bridge

TUESDAY: MAY 12, 2015

B2

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

MST BuSineSS Daily STockS Review Monday, May 11, 2015

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

7.88 75.3 124.4 104 63 2.49 4.2 18.48 31.6 9.5 2.95 890 1.01 99.4 1.46 30.5 94.95 137 361.2 59 174.8 1700 127.9

2.5 66 84.6 84.5 45.8 1.97 2.03 12.02 23.55 6.3 1.75 625 0.225 78 0.9 18.02 76.5 95 276 45 107.6 1200 66

AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. Bright Kindle Resources COL Financial Eastwest Bank Filipino Fund Inc. I-Remit Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp.

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

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

7.5 70.5 111.20 101.00 47.25 2.51 2.05 15.34 22.8 7.40 1.78 820.00 0.440 93 0.98 18.30 76.00 94 317 45 169.4 1440.00 66.20

35.6 1.04 1.41 7.92 32 14.6 62.5 10.08 29.15

1.04 10.72 8.44 9.79 5.43 9.54 1.06 8.61 18.06 67.9 14 0.0076 13.24 3.12 0.395 168 8.65 34.1 2.3 24.4 16.2 7.62 250.2 3.37 3.87 9 3.7 9.94 3.03 2.22 1 4.72 1.65 6 201.6 4.1 1.67 0.122 1.02 2.01 143.4 4.28 0.670 1.39

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

Asiabest Group C. Azuc De Tarlac Century Food Chemphil Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Concepcion Crown Asia Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) EEI Euro-Med Lab Federal Res. Inv. Group First Gen Corp.

First Holdings ‘A’ Ginebra San Miguel Inc. Greenergy Holcim Philippines Inc. Integ. Micro-Electronics Ionics Inc Jollibee Foods Corp.

Lafarge Rep Liberty Flour LMG Chemicals Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A’ Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp.

Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Petron Corporation Phil H2O Phinma Corporation Phoenix Petroleum Phils.

Phoenix Semiconductor Pryce Corp. `A’ RFM Corporation Roxas and Co. Roxas Holdings San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ SPC Power Corp.

Splash Corporation Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp.

Trans-Asia Oil Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

42 1.08 2.07 11.32 90.00 19.56 135 27.4 62 2.41 1.77 12.94 20.800 11.42 8.05 10.28 1.88 15 27.55 93.9 14.10 0.4300 14.20 6.1 0.590 210.00 10.18 36.45 2.55 24.85 28.65 7.600 265.00 4.08 4.15 9.71 4.4 11.60 4.00 2.30 2.35 5.06 1.86 6.2 187 4.16 1.61 0.167 1.38 2.19 202 4.47 0.69 1.35

0.45 48.1 20.85 6.62 1.4 1.6 600 7.390 14.18 2.6 4.25 0.144 818 5.3 46.6 3 4.43 0.59 12 0.580 4.22 1.23 0.450 66.7 709.5 1.13 85.2 0.200 0.173

Abacus Cons. `A’ Aboitiz Equity Alliance Global Inc. Anscor `A’ ATN Holdings A ATN Holdings B Ayala Corp `A’ Cosco Capital DMCI Holdings F&J Prince ‘A’ Filinvest Dev. Corp.

Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Keppel Holdings `A’ Lopez Holdings Corp.

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

LT Group Mabuhay Holdings `A’ Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

Prime Media Hldg Prime Orion San Miguel Corp `A’ SM Investments Inc. Solid Group Inc. Top Frontier Unioil Res. & Hldgs Wellex Industries

0.460 57.65 24.50 7.04 0.310 0.31 805 8.21 14.60 3.5 4.32 0.285 1293 6.40 70.75 6.39 8.72 0.72 15.5 0.67 4.61 1.400 1.180 66.85 906.00 1.23 97.00 0.3700 0.2350

6.01 12 0.91 29.1 4.1 4.96 0.89

8990 HLDG 8.840 Anchor Land Holdings Inc. 9.46 A. Brown Co., Inc. 0.71 Ayala Land `B’ 39.80 Belle Corp. `A’ 4.12 Cebu Holdings 5.13 Century Property 0.89

47 1.66 2.36 15.3 148 20.6 125 32 65.8 4.57 23.35 21.6 12.98 9.13 12.34 2.89 17 31.8 109 20.75 0.820 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 12.5 79 3.95 33.9 90 13.98 292.4 5 5.25 13.04 6.8 14.5 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.68 7.86 8.1 253 5.5 3.28 0.315 2.5 2.68 226.6 5.5 1.3 2.17 0.7 59.2 31.85 7.39 3.4 3.35 800 11.06 84 3.35 5.14 0.66 1380 6.68 72.6 5.29 9.25 0.9 18.9 0.73 5.53 2.31 0.84 87 934 2.2 156 0.710 0.435 10.5 26.95 1.99 40 6.15 5.4 1.54

Close

High

Low

FINANCIAL 7.51 7.5 70.85 70.5 111.90 111.00 102.00 101.20 48.45 47.3 2.54 2.33 2.05 2.03 15.36 15.34 23.15 22.45 7.40 7.40 1.78 1.77 833.00 805.00 0.400 0.445 94.6 93 0.99 0.98 18.24 18.24 76.00 75.25 94 94 319 316 45.75 44.75 171 169.4 1470.00 1450.00 66.85 65.00 INDUSTRIAL 42.5 42.05 1.08 1.07 2.08 2.04 11.56 11.3 90.00 90.00 19.6 19.52 125 125 28 27.5 60.95 58 2.53 2.41 1.77 1.73 13.16 12.8 20.950 20.6 11.48 11.36 8.10 7.96 10.40 10.30 1.88 1.75 15.1 14.5 28 26.9 94 91.8 14.38 14.10 0.4150 0.4100 14.20 14.20 6.2 6 0.590 0.590 211.80 210.00 10.36 10.16 32.25 32.00 2.62 2.5 24.95 24.5 28.65 27.55 7.75 7.4 266.60 262.80 4.29 4.09 4.2 4.15 9.95 9.70 4.4 4.4 11.80 11.60 4.04 3.95 2.30 2.26 2.4 2.31 5.06 5.00 1.93 1.9 6.21 6.18 193.1 190 4.45 4.44 1.66 1.61 0.167 0.161 1.37 1.37 2.36 2.19 203 199.6 4.5 4.47 0.69 0.67 1.33 1.31 HOLDING FIRMS 0.465 0.465 57.90 57.55 25.00 24.55 7.04 7.00 0.315 0.290 0.31 0.29 810 799.5 8.25 8.19 14.94 14.40 3.6 3.6 4.37 4.32 0.280 0.270 1306 1293 6.40 6.40 71.50 70.80 5.07 5.07 8.75 8.1 0.74 0.72 15.46 15 0.67 0.67 4.65 4.54 1.400 1.400 1.210 1.150 68.10 66.75 905.00 894.50 1.42 1.28 98.45 95.00 0.3750 0.3650 0.2330 0.2330 PROPERTY 8.880 8.770 10.30 9.38 0.73 0.70 40.40 39.65 4.12 4.08 5.2 5.18 0.89 0.87

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

7.5 70.85 111.70 101.50 47.8 2.54 2.04 15.34 23 7.40 1.78 815.00 0.445 94.5 0.98 18.24 76.00 94 318.8 45 171 1450.00 65.00

0.00 0.50 0.45 0.50 1.16 1.20 -0.49 0.00 0.88 0.00 0.00 -0.61 1.14 1.61 0.00 -0.33 0.00 0.00 0.57 0.00 0.94 0.69 -1.81

50,100 9,810 2,002,540 631,330 115,500 11,000 8,000 4,700 2,984,800 10,000 28,000 960 280,000 2,067,110 27,000 1,100 2,070 30 38,840 92,100 23,240 220 16,510

42.3 1.08 2.04 11.3 90.00 19.52 125 28 58.15 2.41 1.76 12.8 20.650 11.40 8.00 10.36 1.75 14.5 27.1 92 14.10 0.4150 14.20 6 0.590 211.60 10.22 32.25 2.62 24.6 27.55 7.4 263.80 4.29 4.16 9.73 4.4 11.80 3.95 2.29 2.31 5.01 1.93 6.21 193 4.44 1.66 0.162 1.37 2.36 200 4.5 0.68 1.31

0.71 0.00 -1.45 -0.18 0.00 -0.20 -7.41 2.19 -6.21 0.00 -0.56 -1.08 -0.72 -0.18 -0.62 0.78 -6.91 -3.33 -1.63 -2.02 0.00 -3.49 0.00 -1.64 0.00 0.76 0.39 -11.52 2.75 -1.01 -3.84 -2.63 -0.45 5.15 0.24 0.21 0.00 1.72 -1.25 -0.43 -1.70 -0.99 3.76 0.16 3.21 6.73 3.11 -2.99 -0.72 7.76 -0.99 0.67 -1.45 -2.96

2,266,100 53,000 1,455,000 7,900 10 102,300 30 98,100 155,210 6,569,000 1,246,000 61,800 2,438,200 725,600 15,040,300 65,300 54,000 79,900 4,387,500 183,120 11,600 320,000 900 746,900 200,000 419,790 2,386,200 200 103,000 3,061,200 263,500 516,300 142,360 186,000 604,000 445,000 10,000 100,300 884,000 561,000 351,000 303,700 9,000 70,500 8,670 4,000 59,000 520,000 1,000 14,956,000 7,858,330 86,000 399,000 366,000

0.465 57.90 24.80 7.00 0.300 0.3 804.5 8.21 14.46 3.6 4.35 0.270 1300 6.40 70.95 5.07 8.1 0.72 15.04 0.67 4.62 1.400 1.180 67.95 898.00 1.30 98.45 0.3650 0.2330

1.09 0.43 1.22 -0.57 -3.23 -4.84 -0.06 0.00 -0.96 2.86 0.69 -5.26 0.54 0.00 0.28 -20.66 -7.11 0.00 -2.97 0.00 0.22 0.00 0.00 1.65 -0.88 5.69 1.49 -1.35 -0.85

20,000 658,060 8,177,300 11,500 14,640,000 1,760,000 77,970 1,029,200 2,899,300 5,000 62,000 250,000 100,470 51,300 1,418,100 1,000 12,686,400 569,000 7,509,700 1 13,524,000 1 1,329,000 225,910 169,070 3,723,000 37,670 2,070,000 60,000

8.800 10.30 0.70 40.35 4.09 5.2 0.88

-0.45 8.88 -1.41 1.38 -0.73 1.36 -1.12

253,600 3,800 2,805,000 2,933,900 807,000 26,000 2,615,000

531,054.00 -11,463,705.00 -15,540,497.00 33,705.00

5,741,315.00 367,095.00

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

High

Low

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

1.48 0.201 0.98 2.25 1.87 1.8 6.34 4.88 0.180 0.470 27 8.54 31.8 2.29 20.6 1.02 7.56 1.96 8.59

0.97 0.083 0.445 1.4 1.42 1.19 2.8 2.75 0.090 0.325 23 2.57 21.35 1.64 15.08 0.69 3.38 1 5.69

Cityland Dev. `A’ 1.10 Crown Equities Inc. 0.156 Cyber Bay Corp.

0.450 Global-Estate 1.36 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.87 Interport `A’ 1.43 Keppel Properties 5.48 Megaworld Corp.

5.3 MRC Allied Ind. 0.127 Phil. Estates Corp.

0.3400 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 24.05 Primex Corp.

7.3 Robinson’s Land `B’ 29.10 Rockwell 1.76 SM Prime Holdings 19.64 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.76 Starmalls 6.56 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 0.990 Vista Land & Lifescapes 7.410

1.04 1.04 1.04 0.160 0.156 0.159 0.450 0.450 0.450 1.40 1.36 1.37 1.92 1.88 1.90 1.41 1.40 1.40 3.68 3.33 3.68 5.42 5.31 5.37 0.125 0.121 0.125 0.3350 0.3250 0.3350 24.00 21.05 21.90 7.37 7.29 7.35 29.10 28.80 28.95 1.74 1.71 1.72 19.78 19.56 19.64 0.77 0.76 0.76 6.9 6.85 6.9 1.000 0.970 0.970 7.480 7.400 7.400 SERVICES 6.5 6.5 6.37 6.5 62.1 62.5 61.5 61.5 1.04 1.09 1.04 1.04 0.660 0.690 0.670 0.670 13.7 13.96 13.54 13.96 11.50 11.84 11.58 11.70 0.1010 0.1010 0.1000 0.1000 4.23 4.17 3.98 4.05 84.3 86 84.5 85.7 10 10 10 10 7.00 7.14 7.00 7.00 2.98 2.87 2.87 2.87 946 961 961 961 2184 2238 2186 2238 6.21 6.25 6.20 6.20 30.40 30.40 22.00 22.00 1.45 1.44 1.41 1.44 109 110.2 108.5 109.9 12.4 12.4 11.66 12.38 0.013 0.013 0.013 0.013 0.226 0.227 0.223 0.225 1.2500 1.2600 1.2500 1.2600 2.43 2.45 2.38 2.4 9.42 10.00 9.45 10.00 1.29 1.28 1.25 1.28 2.13 2.14 2.14 2.14 46.85 46.80 25.00 25.00 0.670 0.680 0.680 0.680 2 2 2 2 9.14 9.9 8.98 9.9 0.360 0.360 0.355 0.355 0.430 0.440 0.435 0.440 18.5 18.42 18.42 18.42 4.85 4.85 4.50 4.50 3.05 3.25 3.05 3.25 139.90 140.60 138.00 140.60 14.74 14.74 14.70 14.72 2836.00 2850.00 2820.00 2832.00 0.660 0.700 0.640 0.680 1.610 1.670 1.600 1.650 39.55 39.60 38.90 38.95 85.50 86.00 85.50 86.00 10.30 10.56 10.24 10.32 0.66 0.68 0.68 0.67 6.65 6.68 6.6 6.6 0.325 0.330 0.330 0.330 MINING & OIL 0.0054 0.0055 0.0053 0.0054 3.04 2.90 2.80 2.89 8.20 8.21 8.14 8.15 15.00 14.50 14.50 14.50 0.255 0.255 0.255 0.255 8.0000 7.4000 7.4000 7.4000 1.03 1.05 1.01 1.05 0.89 0.89 0.87 0.89 7.73 8.24 7.88 8.02 1.85 1.88 1.75 1.79 0.365 0.370 0.340 0.350 0.232 0.233 0.230 0.231 0.241 0.241 0.235 0.241 0.0140 0.0150 0.0140 0.0140 0.0150 0.0160 0.0150 0.0150 4.34 4.4 4.25 4.29 26.7 27 26 26.5 3.92 4 3.93 3.95 0.7100 0.7100 0.7100 0.7100 2.150 2.120 2.090 2.100 0.0130 0.0130 0.0120 0.0130 0.0130 0.0130 0.0130 0.0130 4.49 4.59 4.45 4.45 7.09 7.15 7.01 7.02 1.5 2.25 1.5 2.11 0.016 0.016 0.016 0.016 162.80 162.80 161.50 162.00 5.73 8.38 5.78 7.8 0.0100 0.0110 0.0100 0.0100 PREFERRED 62.75 62.8 62.15 62.7 515 520 518 520 525 525 524.5 525 119 119.1 119.1 119.1 513 520 515 520 5.95 6 5.95 6 1.09 1.09 1.09 1.09 108.1 115.5 109 115 1045 1048 1044 1048 76.1 76.1 76 76 84 83.5 83.5 83.5 87 87 86.5 86.95 WARRANTS & BONDS 4.160 4.700 4.180 4.650 SME 9.89 9.92 9.6 9.61 8.24 8.4 6.5 8.4 9.13 9.39 9.13 9.35 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 126.2 126.9 126.3 126.7

-5.45 1.92 0.00 0.74 1.60 -2.10 -32.85 1.32 -1.57 -1.47 -8.94 0.68 -0.52 -2.27 0.00 0.00 5.18 -2.02 -0.13

13,000 14,120,000 290,000 2,714,000 10,449,000 251,000 1,100 7,268,800 720,000 630,000 19,400 39,400 994,800 339,000 7,752,900 105,000 109,400 460,000 1,685,200

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 12.46 15.82 0.1460 4.61 99.1 12.3 9 4 1700 2090 8.41 33 1.97 119.5 12.5 0.017 0.8200 2.2800 5.93 12.28 2.2 3.2 5.9 1.97 2.46 15.2 0.62 1.040 22.8 6.41 4 110.2 14 3486 0.710 2.28 48.5 90.1 11.6 0.87 10.2 0.490

1.97 32.5 1 0.6 10 9.61 0.0770 2.95 46.55 10.14 5.88 2.58 830 1600 5.95 30 1.36 105 8.72 0.012 0.036 1.200 2.34 6.5 1.1 2 1.05 0.490 1.8 8.7 0.34 0.37 14.54 3 2.28 79 4.39 2726 0.380 0.32 31.45 60.55 7.59 0.63 6.45 0.305

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

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

DFNN Inc. Easy Call “Common” FEUI Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Grand Plaza Hotel Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. IPeople Inc. `A’ IP E-Game Ventures Inc. Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones Leisure & Resorts Lorenzo Shipping Macroasia Corp.

Manila Broadcasting Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey Melco Crown MG Holdings NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

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

Philweb.Com Inc. PLDT Common PremiereHorizon Premium Leisure Puregold Robinsons RTL SSI Group STI Holdings Travellers Waterfront Phils.

0.00 -0.97 0.00 1.52 1.90 1.74 -0.99 -4.26 1.66 0.00 0.00 -3.69 1.59 2.47 -0.16 -27.63 -0.69 0.83 -0.16 0.00 -0.44 0.80 -1.23 6.16 -0.78 0.47 -46.64 1.49 0.00 8.32 -1.39 2.33 -0.43 -7.22 6.56 0.50 -0.14 -0.14 3.03 2.48 -1.52 0.58 0.19 1.49 -0.75 1.54

111,900 26,810 17,000 369,000 3,600 13,716,200 26,880,000 815,000 157,140 7,000 25,100 15,000 1,300 24,875 39,600 1,500 145,000 679,810 10,400 10,500,000 7,130,000 129,000 211,000 3,674,800 17,000 1,000 29,500 7,000 40,000 9,578,900 310,000 90,000 11,200 43,000 2,000 930 89,800 62,795 28,107,000 27,404,000 4,071,000 30,150 1,920,500 377,000 1,622,300 10,000

0.0098 5.45 17.24 25 0.330 12.8 1.2 1.73 10.98 4.2 0.48 0.455 0.475 0.023 0.026 8.2 49.2 4.27 1.030 3.06 0.020 0.021 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9 0.016

0.0043 1.72 8.65 9.43 0.236 6.98 0.61 0.78 5.99 1.08 0.330 0.2130 0.2160 0.014 0.014 3.660 20.2 2.11 0.365 1.54 0.012 0.013 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67 0.0100

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

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

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

TA Petroleum United Paragon

0.00 -4.93 -0.61 -3.33 0.00 -7.50 1.94 0.00 3.75 -3.24 -4.11 -0.43 0.00 0.00 0.00 -1.15 -0.75 0.77 0.00 -2.33 0.00 0.00 -0.89 -0.99 40.67 0.00 -0.49 36.13 0.00

423,000,000 583,000 195,000.00 85,000 1,700 50,000 1,600 267,000 336,000 43,500.00 18,800 -824.00 24,571,000 3,506,570.00 5,190,000 2,690,000 900,000 800,000 30,900,000 -30,200.00 304,000 -226,580.00 4,118,500 -52,879,400.00 762,000 3,940.00 83,000 331,000 -414,010.00 6,200,000 900,000 465,000 211,000 22,713,000 -522,330.00 304,100,000 -3,409,600.00 161,730 -11,383,121.00 10,354,900 455,948.00 19,800,000

70 553 525 120 515 8.21 12.28 111 1047 76.9 78.95 84.8

33 490 500 101.5 480 5.88 6.5 101 1011 74.2 74.5 75

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ First Gen G GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. Leisure and Resort MWIDE PREF PF Pref 2 SMC Preferred A SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C

-0.08 0.97 0.00 0.08 1.36 0.84 0.00 6.38 0.29 -0.13 -0.60 -0.06

192,600 9,110 9,400 500 2,140 3,000 207,000 43,500 7,820 63,570 6,000 20,540

11.78

3,941,000

-45,100.00

-2.83 1.94 2.41

1,387,700 600 749,100

779,988.00 4,403,375.00

0.40

15,100

64,617.00

-1,684,390.00 5,475,050.00 -29,647,090.00

5,961,955.00 -444,750.00 -3,851,200.00

MST

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

SHARES 8,406,117 83,002,045 78,395,929 57,410,938 142,940,022 860,133,923 1,232,441,474

37,485,177.00 -14,312.50

4,806,160.00 -638,425.00 2,654,539.00 145,000.00 -152,297.00 -10,700.00 120,950.00

-7,403,181.00 -447,630.00

1,136,785.00 -2,894,082.00 13,715,439.00 362,262.00

105,700.00 -77,514,020.00 1,675,696.00

-73,800.00 18,010.00

42,060,032.00 -6,154,464.00

6,829,990.00 -926,205.00 -25.00 20,805,522.00 -42,000.00 448,920.00

-2,013,050.00 34,260.00 614,700.00 398,661.00

30,590.00

-430,450.00 -709,601,050.00 26,820.00

-2,986,474.50 -100,296,945.00 -10,560.00

163,500.00 1,306,933.00 1,306,933.00 -21,202,672.00 130,500.00

24,633,065.00 128,000.00 -1,457,398.50

-42,713,212.00 -31,390.00 -1,150,930.00 239,190.00 10,576,360.00 12,600.00 -316,880.00 -3,043,138.00 -69,457,720.00 13,260.00 -3,565,880.00 200,750.00 1,405,823.00 -2,152.00 77,000.00 4,530,775.00 -280,310.00

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

10.96 15 12.88

2.4 3.5 5.95

-1,450,290.00

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

Double Dragon Makati Fin. Corp.

Xurpas

T op g ainerS VALUE 579,449,194.70 2,380,997,580.12 1,124,348,993.20 389,321,120.98 912,882,487.795 323,916,344.718 5,733,354,953.51

STOCKS

FINANCIAL 1,806.08 (up) 13.14 INDUSTRIAL 12,032.28 (down) 52.35 HOLDING FIRMS 6,935.78 (down) 14.71 PROPERTY 3,203.50 (up) 16.97 SERVICES 2,137.67 (up) 13.39 MINING & OIL 15,407.90 (down) 68.32 PSEI 7,777.90 (up) 14.69 All Shares Index 4,487.48 (down) 0.33 Gainers: 85 Losers: 96; Unchanged: 43; Total: 224

-7,247,811.00

-99,960.00 40,118,238.00 100,000.00 -4,430,333.00

16,780,740.00

4,076,184.00

15,576,084.00

60,518,456.00

14,450.00 6,300.00 104,184.00 203,136.00 66,477,360.00 -488,700.00 10,965,980.00 -44,595,260.00 2,150,121.00 1,150,572.00 -3,251,989.00

-152,030.00

116,630.00 -805,000.00 52,200.00 761,000.00 -546,360.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

PhilexPetroleum

2.11

40.67

Manila Broadcasting

25.00

-46.64

TA Petroleum

7.8

36.13

Keppel Properties

3.68

-32.85 -27.63

LR Warrant

4.650

11.78

Grand Plaza Hotel

22.00

Anchor Land Holdings Inc.

10.30

8.88

Keppel Holdings `A'

5.07

-20.66

Melco Crown

9.9

8.32

Liberty Flour

32.25

-11.52

Trans-Asia Oil

2.36

7.76

Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry

21.90

-8.94

SPC Power Corp.

4.44

6.73

Benguet Corp `B'

7.4000

-7.50

Paxys Inc.

3.25

6.56

Chemphil

125

-7.41

MWIDE PREF

115

6.38

PAL Holdings Inc.

4.50

-7.22

Leisure & Resorts

10.00

6.16

Lopez Holdings Corp.

8.1

-7.11

TUESDAY: MAY 12, 2015

B3

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

Federal, Alveo investing P2.5b

By Jenniffer B. Austria

FEDERAL Land Inc., the property unit of tycoon George Ty, and Alveo Land Corp., the high-end residential unit of Ayala Land Inc., will spend P2.5 billion for the joint development of a 45-hectare prime property in Laguna province.

GT Capital president Carmelo Bautista said in an interview at the sidelines of the annual stockholders’ meeting that Federal Land and Alveo Land were finalizing the master plan for the property, which will involve the sale of residential lots to the middle to high-end market.

“We hope to launch it in two to three months,” Bautista said.

Baustista said the joint venture partners were securing land from several owners, including properties owned by the Ty family and other private companies.

He said the Federal Land’s decision to enter into a joint venture

partnership with Alvao Land was part of the group’s strategic partnership model.

“We feel Alveo will be right partner for this property,” Bautista said.

Federal Land last month announced it had teamed up with Alveo Land to develop a 45-hectare property in Biñan, Laguna into a master-planned residential community.

The property is a few kilometers from the planned Laguna Boulevard interchange of the proposed Cavite-Laguna Expressway and in the general vicinity of Ayala Land’s Ayala Westgrove Heights and Nuvali projects.

The property is strategically located in Biñan, a highly progres-

sive, first-class component city of Laguna. Biñan hosts several large industrial parks and commercial establishments.

“Through this strategic partnership with Alveo, we look to deepen our involvement in horizontal property development, inasmuch as the historical focus of Federal Land was mostly on highrise condominium projects,” Federal Land president Alfred Ty earlier said.

“In tandem with Alveo’s proven expertise and track record, we expect to provide much-needed quality homes in a secure, wellplanned and efficient community that will benefit not only the City of Biñan but other nearby areas of

Southern Luzon as well,” Ty said.

Meanwhile, Bautista said Federal Land would unveil seven real estate projects in line with its thrust to step up step up the launching of new plans in order to provide innovative and highquality residential, office and retail developments.

Federal Land in 2014 launched four new vertical residential projects as well as an open-air lifestyle hub project called Blue Bay Walk in Pasay City.

Federal Land posted a net income of P1.5 billion in 2014, up 48 percent from P1 billion recorded in the 2013, while revenues increased 19 percent to P9.4 billion from P7.9 billion a year ago.

Stocks advance; Alliance climbs

Electrolux campaign. Electrolux, a global leader in home appliances, launched its ‘Do More With Less’ campaign in AbensonGlobal City to empower mothers to be more creative and resourceful at home. Shown at the alunching are (from left) Andrea Pionilla, Electrolux Philippines marketing manager; Kai Pioquinto, Electrolux marketing communications manager; Cheska Garcia-Kramer; chef Rosebud Benitez-Velasco; and chef Bruce Lim. Electrolux is a global leader in household appliances and appliances for professional use, selling more than 50 million products to customers in more than 150 markets every year.

Cebu Pacific rebrands Tigerair PH as Cebgo

By Darwin G Amojelar THE operator of Cebu Pacific has rebranded Tigerair Philippines to Cebgo as part of the airline’s strategy to reduce expenses.

“The new Cebgo brand clearly identifies us as part of the CEB group, and streamlines our operations further. Cebgo will continue to leverage on CEB’s distribution channels and network, and work together to serve more guests,” Michael Ivan Shau, Cebgo president and chief executive, said.

Cebgo will continue to operate flights from Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 4 and Clark International Airport.

It flies to 16 destinations--Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Clark, Cebu, Davao, General Santos, Iloilo, Kalibo, Legazpi, Manila, Roxas, Puerto Princesa, Tacloban, Tagbilaran and Hong Kong.

Since Cebu Pacific’s acquisition of Cebgo

in March last year, the Gokongwei-led carrier managed to quickly turn around its wholly owned subsidiary, narrowing its financial losses significantly.

The company posted a net loss of P159.8 million from March to December last year, down from the P1.69 billion in 2013.

Tigerair Philippines’ posted revenues of P2.8 billion from March to December last year, driven by the airline’s launch of eight new domestic routes, namely Cagayan de Oro, Tagbilaran, Roxas, Butuan, General Santos, Clark Cebu and Davao.

In 2013, the company recorded revenues of P2.88 billion, up 81.13 percent from P1.59 billion in the previous year.

Tigerair Philippines currently had a domestic market share of 6.4 percent last year from 4.8 percent in 2013.

The airline carried 1.3 million passengers last year, using five Airbus A320.

Parent Cebu Pacific has a 55-strong fleet comprising of 10 Airbus A319, 31Airbus A320, 6 Airbus A330 and 8 ATR 72-500 aircraft.

Between 2015 and 2021, CEB will take delivery of seven more brand-new Airbus A320 and 30 Airbus A321neo aircraft.

Tigerair has tapped on Cebu Pacific’s Web site as a sales and distribution platform for all its routes, and vice versa. Both airlines are working to upgrade their Web sites to facilitate such cross-booking of flights.

“Our intention is to grow Tigerair Philippines as an independent franchise.

We are reviewing opportunities to increase Tigerair Philippines’ fleet. We are very excited to embark on this partnership and we look forward to working closely with Olive, who will continue with her leadership position at Tigerair Philippines,” said Cebu Pacific president and chief executive Lance Gokongwei.

THE stock market rose Monday in step with the regional market, following a healthy US jobs report last week.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added 14.69 points, or 0.2 percent, to 7,777.90 on a value turnover of P5.7 billion. Losers, however, beat gainers, 96 to 85, with 43 issues unchanged.

Alliance Global Group Inc. of tycoon Andrew Tan gained 1.2 percent to P24.80, while Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., the second-biggest lender, climbed 1.6 percent to P94.50.

Ayala Land Inc. rose 1.4 percent to P40.35, while casino operator Melco Crown (Philippines) Resorts Corp. jumped 8.3 percent to P9.90.

Lopez Holdings Corp. sank 7.1 percent to P8.10, while LT Group Inc. of tobacco and airline tycoon Lucio Tan fell 3 percent to P15.04.

The rest of Asian markets mostly rose Monday, while investor sentiment was also boosted by China’s decision to cut interest rates for the third time in six months.

The euro retreated against the dollar and yen before a crucial eurozone meeting later in the day which Greece hopes will pave the way for a loan deal.

Shanghai jumped 3.04 percent, or 127.66 points, to 4,333.58 and Hong Kong added 0.51 percent, or 140.86 points, to close at 27,718.20.

Tokyo rallied despite heavy losses in Sharp and Toshiba owing to fears about their balance sheets. The Nikkei added 1.25 percent, or 241.72 points, to close at 19,620.91.

Seoul ended 0.57 percent higher, adding 11.86 points to 2,097.38 but Sydney finished 0.17 percent, or 9.4 points, lower at 5,625.2.

China’s central bank on Sunday cut rates by 25 basis points-after two similar moves since November--as it tries to support the world’s number two economy, which grew last year at its slowest pace since 1990. With AFP

B4

BUSINESS

PSALM president cries foul over board’s 90-day suspension order

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE head of Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. has cried foul over the 90day suspension imposed by the agency’s board, saying he was not given due process.

PSALM president and chief executive Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. said the board’s statement on his suspension was “malicious and suppressed the truth and circumstances of his preventive suspension.”

“Notwithstanding that the very issue that has been present-

ed to the appointing authority, the President, for his consideration and action, the PSALM board issued the patently illegal preventive suspension against Mr. Ledesma,” his lawyers said in a statement.

Ledesma was appointed by President Aquino as the president and chief executive of PSALM in September 2010.

Ledesma, in a separate letter to the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary of Legal Affairs, sought clarification whether PSALM board had the authority to issue the suspension and desig-

nate an officer-in-charge.

“Moreover, I have to respectfully request the Office of the President to take action or issue directives to rectify the situation created by the action of the PSALM board of directors, in the event that my legal position is upheld,” he said.

The PSALM board said it acted on the recommendation of the Governance Commission for GOCCs which made a recommendation to replace Ledesma based on an alleged complaint, which, according to the official was never shown to him.

The GCG findings was forwarded and brought to President Aquino who referred the same to his legal group.

“As the appointing authority, it is the Office of the President which is the proper authority to conduct an investigation and issue the corresponding preventive suspension order, if warranted.

The PSALM Board has no authority to do so,” Ledesma said.

Ledesma said the PSALM board made it appear that the May 5 meeting was a mere board meeting, but instead it was converted into an administrative pro-

ceeding.

“The PSALM board never conducted an investigation where evidence, witnesses or position papers were presented. Despite Mr. Ledesma’s protestations that the matter was already before President Aquino, the PSALM Board proceeded to issue his preventive suspension,” his lawyers said.

Ledesma said the suspension was “double illegal” because there was no pending investigation by the PSALM board.

“A preventive suspension is supposed to be issued pending an investigation,” he said.

Foreign capital up 17% to $359m

By Julito G. Rada

FOREIGN investors infused more capital in the Philippines in February amid the sustained confidence in the economy, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Monday.

Data from the Bangko Sentral showed net inflows of foreign direct investments rose 17.9 percent in February to $359 million from $305 million recorded a year ago.

The February figure was also 37-percent higher than $263-million net inflow recorded in January this year.

“This was due largely to the 184.7-percent increase in net equity capital to $179 million as gross equity capital placements expanded by 103.6 percent while withdrawals declined by 59.4 percent,” Bangko Sentral said.

The bulk of these equity capital investments came mainly from the United States, Spain, the United Kingdom, Japan and Singapore.

These were channeled to manufacturing; electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply; financial and insurance; transportation and storage; and professional, scientific and technical activities.

Non-residents’ investments in debt instruments or lending by parent companies abroad to their local affiliates to fund existing operations and business expansion amounted to $122 million, lower by 29.5 percent than

the level registered in the same month in 2014.

Reinvestment of earnings declined 15.9 percent to $58 million.

Net inflows in the first two months fell 48.6 percent to $622 million from $1.2 billion a year ago, as all FDI components posted lower net inflows.

Non-residents’ investments in debt instruments, which accounted largely for the decline, contracted 61.8 percent from $757 million to $289 million on lower debt availments during the twomonth period.

Net equity capital declined 22.4 percent to $205 million from $264 million. Equity capital investments during the two-month period came mostly from the US, Spain, Singapore, Japan and Germany.

These were channeled mainly to manufacturing; electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply; financial and insurance; real estate; and transportation and storage facilities.

Reinvestment of earnings in the first two months of 2015 reached $128 million, down by 32.1 percent year-on-year.

Eastwood City’s award. Eastwood City, the country’s first cyberpark and integrated urban township developed by Megaworld Corp., bagged the ‘highly commended mixed-use development’ award at the 2015 Asia Pacific Property Awards in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 18-hectare township development was recognized for its contribution to the growth of the business process outsourcing industry in the country. Receiving the award is Megaworld first vice president and head of commercial division Kevin Tan (second from left).

Solid Group sells Balintawak lot for P1.2b

By Jenniffer B. Austria SOLID Group Inc., the holding company of businesswoman Elena Lim, said a unit sold a 3.1-hectare property in Balintawak, Quezon City to an undisclosed buyer for P1.23 billion.

The value of the transaction represents 9 percent of the consolidated total assets of the company.

“We advise that Solid Manila Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Solid Goup Inc., has sold its property located in Balintawak, Quezon City, with a total area of 31,432.50 square meters at an agreed purchase price of P1.23 billion,” SGI in a disclosure to the stock exchange.

SGI said the sale reflected an increase of P1.2 billion in cash assets and corresponding decrease in real property assets.

Sources said the property is located in front of the Balintawak market and just across the P25billion mixed use development called Cloverleaf being developed by property developer Ayala Land Inc. The company did not disclose the identity of buyer of the property because of a non-disclosure agreement.

SGI’s property in Balintawak is currently being partially occupied by several tenants including Hyundai which is operating a dealership and service center. The lease agreements with the tenants

will expire by the end of 2015.

SGI’s Balintawak is conveniently located along Edsa and is accessible through the LRT Line 1 Balintawak station.

SGI, formerly United Paracale Mining Co., is a holding company with interests in various businesses.

These include the sale of mobile phones; trading of prefabricated modular house and office units; trading of professional audio and video equipment; real estate; manufacturing of injected plastics; logistics and assembly consumer electronics products; repair services for audio and video products; financing; broadband, cable, and satellite services; and sale of LCD televisions.

T U E S D AY : M AY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

B5

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

Inside the Marissa Mayer story WHEN Marissa Mayer was plucked from Google to CHIN WONG head Yahoo in 2012, she was seen by many as the fairhaired savior of an Internet pioneer that had lost its way. Since its heyday in the late 1990s, advertising revenue was down, it had already lost the search market to Google, and it had burned through four CEOs since its first chief executive Tom Koogle.

These included Terry Semel, a movie industry executive who didn’t know how to use e-mail; founder Jerry Yang, whose 18-month stint covered Microsoft’s hostile takeover attempt; Autodesk’s Carol Bartz, who was famous for dropping f-bombs but who had no experience in running an online company; and Scott Thompson, who left Yahoo after only five months when an activist investor accused him of embellishing his academic qualifications.

The book “Marissa Mayer and the Fight to Save Yahoo!” by journalist Nicholas Carlson covers this ground and Mayer’s first two years and her attempts to turn around a $35 billion company.

The title of the book seems to overpromise, as Carlson dedicates only about 100 pages—or about a third of the entire volume--to Mayer’s stint in Yahoo. At the end, we are left wondering if Mayer will succeed after all, which makes for a somewhat unsatisfying conclusion.

The rest of the book traces the company’s history, as well as Mayer’s meteoric rise and eventual demotion at Google.

Carlson, who writes for Business Insider, admits that Mayer refused to cooperate with his book and that he uses anonymous sources to tell the story.

“The reason I used anonymous sourcing was that I needed those kinds of people to speak with me to get the unbiased (either way) truth about Yahoo and Marissa Mayer,” Carlson writes in his “Notes on Sources.” “Mayer is a very powerful person and Yahoo is a very powerful company in Silicon Valley. Many of my sources only agreed to speak with em on the condition that Mayer and Yahoo never find out they did. Many of the sources who provided me documents and agreed to be interviewed by me did so at the risk of their careers inside Yahoo, Google, and around the Internet industry.”

This week, this practice came back to haunt Carlson and one of his sources. Bloomberg reports that Yahoo! sued former employee Cecile Lal for “brazenly” divulging confidential information about the company to Carlson.

Lal, a former senior director of product management, broke a confidentiality agreement when she leaked proprietary information that she learned during “FYI” meetings with Mayer, according to the complaint filed in state court in San Jose, California.

Lal’s assistance last year to Carlson for his book included searching confidential archives to support his writings and giving him her credentials to a password-protected site, the complaint said.

She slso provided Carlson with transcripts of question-and-answer sessions between employees and the CEO that were stored in Yahoo’s password-protected intranet. The information “inevitably ended up in the hands of Yahoo’s competitors,” which caused Yahoo to lose a competitive advantage, according to the complaint.

Carlson declined to comment on the suit, but tweeted that he’s “looking for a very good First Amendment lawyer.”

All this takes away nothing from Carlson’s book, which is chock-full of industry information.

Detailed here are how Mayer’s predecessors passed on acquiring hot new companies like Google, Facebook Twitter and YouTube, which would all go on to overshadow Yahoo.

Carlson tracks Mayer’s achievements and failures.

He credits her for instituting weekly FYI meetings where she would take questions from employees and answer them herself or ask one of her direct reports to field the question.

But he also takes her to task for instituting quarterly performance reviews that forced managers to grade a certain percentage of their workers as under-performers, causing demoralization among the staff.

The book also includes telling anecdotes.

In one scene Mayer meets with Vogue’s iconic editor Anna Wintour, who tells her that Yahoo’s content on fashion and style was “dreadful.”

This eventually leads Mayer to push the company’s media brands upmarket—even though they were generating more traffic than Vogue. com.

Of course, since Carlson didn’t talk to Mayer at all for the book, we do wonder how he was able to recreate scenes like this, and how faithful they are to what really happened.

Still, Marissa Mayer and the Fight to Save Yahoo! is an interesting read, even though it doesn’t really tell you the outcome of the fight in the end.

Digital life

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

Consumer protection. Trade Undersecretary of consumer protection group Victorio Mario

Dimagiba (third from left) signed a memorandum of agreement with Muntinlupa City Mayor Jaime Fresnedi (third from right) on May 8 to install five units of ‘Timbangan ng Bayan’ facilities in the city markets. The weighing scales will provide the consumers with standard measurement to protect their rights in fair sales practices. Also shown are (from left) Muntinlupa business permits and licensing office chief Gary Llamas, senior trade and industry development specialist Cristina Bungay, city administrator Allan Cachuela and city treasurer Al Miñosa.

ICTSI’s net profit rises 3% to $54m

By Darwin G. Amojelar

PORT operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. said Monday net income rose 3 percent in the first quarter to $54 million from $52.4 million a year ago, supported by an improvement in international and domestic trade.

ICTSI attributed the higher net profit to the continued margin improvement at Contecon Manzanillo S.A. in Manzanillo, Mexico and Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana S.A. de C.V in Puerto Cortes, Honduras, as these two container terminals entered their second full year of commercial operations.

ICTSI booked a $13.2-million onetime gain in January 2014 from the sale of non-core asset when it divested its holdings in Cebu International Container Terminal Inc. The port operator handled consolidated volume of 1,982,773 twenty-foot equivalent units in the January to March period, or 13 percent more than the 1,757,095 TEUs it handled in the same period in 2014.

“The increase in volume was mainly due to the improvement in international and domestic trade in most of the company’s terminals, new shipping lines and services, continuing volume ramp-up in the company’s terminal operations in Mexico and Honduras, favorable impact of terminal consolidation at Yan-

tai, China, and the contribution of the company’s new terminal in Basra, Iraq which began commercial operation in November 2014,” ICTSI said.

Operating expenses increased 11 percent in the first three months to $119.7 million from $108.2 million recorded in the same period in 2014.

ICTSI said the increase was driven by the expenses and startup costs of the new terminal in Iraq and projects in Australia, Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo, higher manpower costs arising from volume growth and

government-mandated and contracted salary rate adjustments in certain terminals and increased business development activities.

Capital expenditures in the first quarter reached $64.2 million, or 12 percent of the $530 million capital expenditure budget for 2015.

The capex for the year is mainly allocated for the completion of development at new container terminals in Mexico and Iraq, capacity expansion in terminal operation in Manila, and to start the development of the new terminals in Democratic Republic of Congo and Australia.

Phoenix Petroleum’s profit up 20% to P230m

By Alena Mae S. Flores Independent oil player Phoenix Petroleum Philippines Inc. said Monday consolidated net income grew 7 percent in the first quarter to P230 million from a year ago, on the back of higher sales.

Phoenix Petroleum said in a disclosure to the stock exchange sales of petroleum products climbed 20 percent year-on-year in the January-March period.

“The growth in sales volume came primarily from a 33-percent growth in its retail station sales segment,” the company said.

Phoenix said its retail station network grew from 418 stations as of end-2014 to 435 stations as of end-March, 2015.

It said of the 435 stations, 222 were based in Mindanao, 61 in the Visayas and 152 in Luzon.

The company said sales to commercial accounts, primarily to the shipping, fishing, mining, power and transportation sectors, registered a continuous growth.

Phoenix Petroleum said despite a decline in volume in the wholesale/distributor segment, the company posted overall volume growth.

Phoenix Petroleum supplies about 50 percent of Cebu Pacific’s jet fuel requirements and handles all their logistics needs in Mindanao and many parts of Visayas.

The company said it continued to expand its logistics, storage, and infrastructure to support both its network expansion and commercial and industrial clients.

TUESDAY: MAY 12, 2015

B6

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

DoubleDragon sells P5-b notes

By Jenniffer B. Austria

DOUBLEDRAGON Properties Corp., a joint venture between Edjar Sia II and Tony Tan Caktiong, said Monday it raised another P5 billion in fixed rate corporate notes to finance ongoing real estate projects that will strengthen the company’s thrust to become one of the top leading property firms in the country.

“This signifies strong confidence in DoubleDragon’s strategic direction and will add momentum to the company’s targeted rollout of 100 CityMalls by 2020,” DoubleDragon said in a disclosure to the stock exchange.

The corporate notes have a tenor of seven years.

The company expects to have 25 CityMalls in different stages of completion By June 2015. The wider base will ensure the company to meet its target completion of 25 CityMalls by the end of this year.

DoubleDragon has envisioned

CityMall to become the largest independent chain of community malls in the country .

“DoubleDragon has already secured more than half of the land required to develop its targeted 1 million square meters of total leasable space within the next five years. Only a little over a year since its initial public offering in the Philippine Stock Exchange, the company has been able to consolidate a string of prime commercial properties across the country totaling to about 35.2 hectares,” said Sia, who is the chairman of Double-

Dragon.

DoubleDragon last year also issued P7.4 billion from the issuance of seven-year fixed rate corporate notes.

Despite issuing another P5 billion, DoubleDragon said the company would continue to have healthy financial leverage ratios.

DoubleDragon chief investment officer Marianna Yulo earlier said the company preferred to raise funds through the debt market, instead of the equities market. He said the future valuation of the company’s shares would significantly increase, with the completion of community mall projects and office and real estate developments in the pipeline.

Aside from the completion of 25 CityMalls, DoubleDraong is set to open next month Dragon 8 Shopping Center in Divisoria.

DoubleDragon is developing a 33.4-hectare property located at the corner of Edsa and Macapagal Avenue in Pasay City into a mixed-use development.

GSIS art tilt. The Government Service Insurance System opened its 2015 Annual Art Competition. Vice president Margie Jorillo of the GSIS corporate communications office and manager Ryan Palad of the GSIS corporate social advocacies and public relations facilities department turn over to Fidel Sarmiento, president of Art Association of the Philippines, the entry forms to be used for the 2015 art competition during the opening ceremonies at the GSIS Museo ng Sining in Pasay City. Witnessing the turnover are other AAP officers (from left) Roger Santos, Mark Louie Gonzales, Marge Lim, Ral Arrogante, Danilo Santiago and Jo Florendo. AAP has been GSIS’s partner in holding the art contest for over a decade now.

Davao del Sur rural bank closed down

By Julito G. Rada THE Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas placed another rural bank under the custody of state-run Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. because of unhealthy financial condition, the fifth bank closed this year.

The Community Rural Bank of Magsaysay (Davao del Sur) Inc. was placed under the receivership of PDIC on May 7, 2015. PDIC took over the bank the following day.

Community Rural Bank of Magsaysay is a single-unit rural bank with head office located in Roxas Blvd., Magsaysay, Davao del Sur.

Based on the bank information sheet filed with the PDIC as of Dec. 31, 2014, the bank is owned by Romualdo Caparida (26.95 percent), Dvo. Caparida Credit Inc. (14.15 percent), Grace Caparida (12.46 percent), Josephine Manliguez (12.01 percent), Gracelyn Yñiguez (9.58 percent), Jeffrey Caparida (8.97 percent), Carter Caparida (8.82 percent) and Land Bank of the Philippines (4.24 present). The bank is led by president Josephine Manliguez and chairman Romualdo Caparida.

Community Rural Bank of Magsaysay as of March 31, 2014 had 772 accounts with total deposit liabilities of P5.7 million, all of which are insured.

Prior to closing down Community Rural Bank of Magsaysay, the Monetary Board placed four smaller banks under the custody of PDIC also due to unhealthy financial status.

These were the Surigao Citybased Surigaonon Rural Banking Corp.; Rural Bank of Labrador (Pangasinan), a single-unit rural bank with head office in Poblacion, Labrador, Pangasinan; Rural Bank of Magsingal (Ilocos Sur) Inc. in January; and Alfonso, Cavite-based Community Bank (Rural Bank of Alfonso Inc.) in February.

Fourteen 14 rural banks were placed by the Monetary Board under the custody of PDIC in 2014.

Wash and other noted nonagenarians THE number of nonagenarians in this country RUDY ROMERO has been steadily growing over the years, thanks largely to lifestyle improvements, better nutrition and greater medical knowledge about gerontology. Not so long ago, a nonagenarian was an object of much curiosity and intense interest, but today nonagenarians, while still attracting much attention, have ceased to be regarded as extraordinary people.

Needless to say, not all of today’s Filipino nonagenarians have been public figures or have carved out outstanding careers for themselves.

Most have been content to make modest contributions to Philippine society. But a good number of Filipinos 90 years old and above clearly have been outstanding citizens and have made valuable contributions to this country’s development and progress.

I would like to cite the contributions to Philippine nationhood made by four of today’s outstanding nonagenarians. The four are Washington Sycip, David M. Consunji, Victor Buencamino Jr. and Gabino Tabunar Jr. Washington Sycip--Wash to his countless admirers, colleagues and friends--is one of the three sons of a co-founder of China Banking Corp.. Trained as a certified public accountant, Sycip spent World War II in the service of the forerunner of today’s US Central Intelligence Agency, ending his service with a high rank. After the War, he contacted his close friends Ramon Gorres and Alfredo Velayo and invited them to join him in organizing an accounting firm. When the two gentlemen accepted the invitation, the accounting firm SGV (Sycip Gorres Velayo & Co) was born.

From its startup office along Ermita’s TM Kalaw St., SGV went from strength to strength. By the end of the 1950s Wash Sycip’s establishment had become the biggest accounting firm not only in the Philippines but also in East Asia outside Japan. It now had as clients almost four out of every five corporations in the Philippines.

With an SGV affiliate in every East Asian country from South Korea to Indonesia, SGV became one of this country’s first multinationals.

His biography, published a few years ago, was titled “Just A Bookkeeper,” but Wash Sycip clearly has been far, far more than a mere keeper of corporate books. He has become a national icon.

Sycip is asked to grace numerous boards of director here and abroad, and his advice is sought by Presidents of the Philippines and business tycoons in other countries. Wash Sycip has left his mark on this country, particularly on the development of its economy.

So has David M. Consunji, who is the founding chairman of DMC Inc., the flagship of his business conglomerate. DMCI today ranks as one of the Big Five of the Philippine construction and real estate development industry.

A proud Kapampangan, civil engineer Dave Consunji was already looming large in the Philippine business firmament when President Ferdinand Marcos chose him to be Minister of Public Works and Highways in the 1970s. Martial law made no difference to Consunji’s construction business, which kept right on booming, thanks to his topnotch operating methods. It is said that DMCI always seeks to finish projects ahead of schedule so as to be able to earn bonuses from clients.

With a long professional record untainted by corruption, David Consunji can now afford to sit back and enjoy his well-deserved laurels. He does. Forbes Magazine, in its latest ranking of the world’s richest men, has Dave Consunji among the 20 richest Filipinos.

Another nonagenarian who remains very much aware of, and continues to make a valuable contribution to the course of business in this country, is Victor Buencamino Jr., who bears the name of one of the leading public figures of the Quezon era. Vic Buencamino was an active figure in the Philippine business community--in real estate development and automotive parts manufacturing--but in recent days has adopted a more relaxed attitude towards his business involvements.

Like Wash Sycip and Dave Consunji, Vic Buencamino believes that the key to long life--especially to life beyond eighty--is a balanced and healthy attitude to daily living. Buencamino is still good for a spirited game of tennis.

Last but by no means least in this short selection of the nation’s well-known nonagenarians is Gabino Tabunar Jr. Gabby Tabunar has long been a pillar of broadcast journalism, and until his retirement not so long ago, was the man in Manila of one of the US’ top news organizations, CBS News. Like the other nonagenarians in this piece, Ilocano Gabby Tabunar has seen it all. He was a co-founder of FOCAP (Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines), and because of his combination of geniality and firmness has become the virtually-permanent master of ceremonies at FOCAP events. If you are faint of heart, you may not want to ride in a car with Gabby Tabunar behind the wheel, for the man disdains driving tunder 90 kph.

The personalities that I have chosen to write about in this column remind me of the tagline of the famous ad for Energizer batteries, “Going, going, going …” For the valuable contributions that they continue to make to Philippine society, I can only say, praise the Lord.

BUSINESS CLASS

E-mail: rudyromero777@yahoo.com

t u e s D aY : M aY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

WORLD

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

cesar barrioquinto EDITOR

B7

Insolvent Greece to plead for leeway BRUSSELS—Greece will plead for leeway from an unwavering Europe on Monday, in a fresh effort to free up cash after months of deadlock in bailout talks.

The eurozone’s 19 ministers meet in Brussels one day before Greece must pay a 750 million euro ($840 million) debt bill to the IMF that some fear the Mediterranean nation cannot afford.

But Greece’s partners are unswayed by the threat of financial catastrophe in Athens, ruling out any chance of imminent compromise that could unlock even a portion of the money still owed from its bailout.

“We have made progress, but we are not very close to an agreement,” said the head of the Eurogroup ministers, Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, in an interview at the weekend.

“We need more time,” he said.

Led by Germany, eurozone ministers demand that Greece impose a rigorous regime of reforms, which the leftist government in Athens, in power since January, has so far baulked at adopting.

With no overall deal in sight, officials said Greece is hoping for a “positive statement” on negotiations that will allow for a section of 7.2 billion euros ($8.1 billion) in remaining bailout loans to be released.

The symbolic gesture would also help persuade the European Central Bank to keep emergency funds flowing to Greece’s fragile banks at the current pace.

“We want a clear confirmation of the progress that has been made” in the talks, Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told a cabinet meeting on Sunday.

No one outside the Greek government knows for sure how long Athens can go without a deal to end Greece’s 240 billion euro bailout, which began in 2010 and expires at the end of June. AFP

Sit-in. Family members of Chinese passengers from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 gather for a sit-in outside the Chinese foreign ministry building in Beijing on May 11 to demand the reopening of the service center in Beijing for families to get the latest information. The search area for flight MH370 will double in size to encompass a vast Indian Ocean corridor if the wreckage remains elusive. AFP

France’s Hollande arrives in Cuba for historic visit HAVANA—Francois Hollande arrived in Havana Sunday, the first French president to visit Cuba in more than a century, cementing Paris’s lead in the EU rapprochement with the communist island.

Hollande is the first Western leader to visit Cuba since a surprise announcement in December by Havana and Washington that the former Cold War foes would move to normalize relations after half a century of bad blood.

Hollande arrived at Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport at 22:50 (0250 GMT Monday) and was greeted by Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister Rogelio Sierra, the latest leg of a whirlwind five-day tour of the Caribbean.

“I come to Cuba with great emotion because it is the first time that a president of the French Republic has come to Cuba,” he has said on arrival.

No French leader has visited Cuba since the island nation gained independence in 1898.

“There are historic ties, deep ties, between the people of France and the people of Cuba,” said Hollande, applauding Cuba’s long-time commitment to independence.

The visit is aimed at boosting French and European Union interests in Cuba, which has undergone gradual economic and social reforms under Castro.

France is seeking to “be the first among European nations, and the first among Western nations, to be able to say to the Cubans that we will be at their side if they decide themselves to take needed steps toward opening up,” Hollande told reporters before arriving in Havana.

The French president said the easing of a decades-long economic embargo by the United States will help Cuba’s cash-strapped economy.

“Cuba wants to move on to a new phase, a new period, a new time for this island that was victim of an embargo,” Hollande said on a stop in Guadeloupe, referring to the US sanctions in place since 1962.

The French leader said removing the em-

bargo was key to opening Cuba up to the rest of the world, adding that despite the move toward thawing relations with Washington, economic barriers remain.

“There are still a lot of measures in place that block trade and business,” Hollande said.

Several agreements will be signed during the trip, though the details of the deals were not made public.

Hollande said the accords would focus on improved access to Latin American markets.

Hollande has already made stops in Saint-Barthelemy, Saint-Martin, Martinique, Guadeloupe and will end his regional visit in Haiti on Tuesday.

The French president is due to meet on Monday with his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro, whom he last met with in December 2013 in South Africa at Nelson Mandela’s funeral.

Hollande’s office has said he is available to meet with revolutionary icon Fidel Castro as well, but Havana has not confirmed that face-to-face talks between the two will take place.

The visit follows a meeting Sunday between Raul Castro and Pope Francis at the Vatican, where the Cuban leader thanked the pontiff for his role in brokering the historic detente between Havana and Washington. AFP

Canadian gives birth aboard a plane TOKYO—A Canadian woman gave birth aboard a plane to Tokyo after going into labor over the Pacific Ocean, a spokesman for Air Canada said Monday, an event the baby’s father described as “completely unexpected.”

The 23-year-old woman delivered a baby girl mid-air with the help of a doctor who volunteered after crew asked passengers for medical help.

The plane was given priority to land at Narita Airport, just outside the Japanese capital, but by the time it taxied to a halt, it had one more passenger than it had started with.

“I couldn’t imagine. This happened completely unexpectedly,” the father, whose name was not revealed, told Japanese television.

“It turned out to be a beautiful baby girl,” he added, showing a snap of the little bundle taken on his smartphone.

The Air Canada plane from Calgary bound for

Narita landed 30 minutes ahead of schedule after being bumped up the queue by air traffic controllers.

The new mom was seen emerging from the plane in a wheelchair, while her partner carried his daughter in his arms.

Mother and baby were taken to hospital, where they remained overnight, but where both are said to be doing well, the Air Canada spokesman said.

The flight crew smiled and waved to the press as they got off the plane.

“Everyone was clapping their hands,” a woman passenger told one television program.

“She’s such a cute baby with big eyes.” AFP “This is a happy thing,” a male passenger said.

Air Canada allows women with a normal pregnancy and no previous history of premature labor to travel up to and including their 36th week.

AFP

Signing event. Rita Ora at the PacSun And Rita Ora Celebrate her new adidas Originals Collection With an In-Store Signing event at PacSun on May 9 in Santa Monica, California. AFP

B8

T U E S D AY : M AY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD

Replica. This picture taken on May 10 shows tourists visiting the replica of the Old Summer Palace in Hengdian, eastern China’s Zhejiang province. A full-size replica of parts of Beijing’s nationally sensitive Old Summer Palace has opened 1,000 kilometers away from China’s capital, state media reported on May 11. AFP

2,000 boat people rescued KUALA LUMPUR—Nearly 2,000 boat people from Myanmar and Bangladesh have been rescued or swum to shore in Malaysia and Indonesia, authorities said Monday, warning that still more desperate migrants could be in peril at sea.

The spate of arrivals comes as Thailand, their usual destination, cracks down following the discovery of mass graves that has laid bare the extent of a thriving human-smuggling ring in Southeast Asia.

Thousands of impoverished Muslim Rohingya—a minority unwanted by Myanmar’s government—and Bangladeshis have been braving a perilous sea and land trafficking route through Thailand and into Malaysia, Indonesia and beyond every year.

Malaysian police said peoplesmugglers had dumped more than 1,000 hungry migrants in shallow waters off the coast of the resort island of Langkawi

since Sunday.

“We think there were three boats that ferried 1,018 migrants,” said Langkawi deputy police chief Jamil Ahmed.

He added that one boat was confiscated but the others are believed to have fled to sea.

Jamil said more of the castaways were expected to emerge from the island.

In Indonesia, a boat was found off the far west coast early Monday with more than 400 people aboard, authorities said, a day after 573 people described by one official as “sad, tired and distressed” came to shore off the northwest province of Aceh.

At least 92 children were among those brought ashore in the two countries.

Aceh provincial search and rescue chief Budiawan, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told AFP authorities were bracing for further arrivals and have recruited fishermen to assist in patrolling coastal areas.

“We are on standby and ready to rescue them when we receive an alert,” Budiawan said.

Activists and refugee groups say the Thai crackdown may be imperiling migrants already in the pipeline, leaving them stuck in appalling conditions with little or no food on overcrowded ships, or at risk of being dumped at sea by nervous smugglers.

“Thailand has tried to prevent traffickers from continuing their business... so that has forced them to go somewhere else,” said Chris Lewa from The Arakan Project, a Rohingya rights group, who believes

thousands may be at sea.

Migrants are “just trying to disembark before they die”, she added.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar views its population of roughly 800,000 Rohingya as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, and they have been targeted in outbreaks of sectarian violence there in recent years, prompting many to flee.

Boatloads of Rohingya have arrived off Aceh in the past, typically after becoming lost or running out of fuel.

One passenger who straggled ashore in Aceh on Sunday told local journalists their vessel had set out from Thailand for Malaysia.

Indonesian officials said the passengers were tricked and told to swim to land.

“One of the migrants who could speak Malay told me that their agent had told them they were in Malaysia, and to swim to shore,” Darsa, a local disaster management agency official, told AFP. AFP

Statue returns to Cambodia PHNOM PENH—An American museum has returned a 10th-century sandstone statue of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman to Cambodia, decades after it was looted from a jungle temple during the kingdom’s civil war.

The meter-high statue was stolen in the 1970s from the Koh Ker temple site near the famed Angkor Wat complex.

The artwork, which had been in the possession of the Cleveland Museum of Art since 1982, was received by Cambodian officials late Sunday, an official said.

Buddhist monks chanted blessings and scattered flowers over the statue upon its arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport, according to an AFP photographer.

“We welcome back the statue of Hanuman from the Cleveland Museum of Art in the US,” Chan Tani, Cambodian Secretary of

State for the Cabinet Office, told reporters.

The museum agreed to return the artwork after negotiations, but Chan Tani did not say how the museum originally came into possession of the artifact.

Last year Cambodia received three ancient statues looted from the kingdom more than 40 years ago, including one Duryodhana that was retrieved after a long legal battle in the US. The statues, part of a nine-strong ensemble, depict warriors Duryodhana and Bhima locked in combat—as well as a bystander called Balarama.

In June 2013 two other 10th-century Khmer-era statues known as the “Kneeling Attendants” were returned. They were also looted in the 1970s from the Koh Ker temple site and were on show for 20 years at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. AFP

Back for the trash. Activists pick up trash on May 11 in the Testet area of

the controversial dam project in southern France, which they left after being expelled by riot police on March 6 from a camp area they called a “zone to defend.” AFP

T U E S D AY : M AY 1 2 : 2 0 1 5

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

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

LIFE

C1

TR AVEL & HOSPITALIT Y

HALO-HALO, JAPANESE STYLE

Colors and flavors meld at Dusit Thani → TURN TO NEXT PAGE

T U E S D AY : M AY 1 2 : 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

TR AVEL & HOSPITALIT Y

HALO-HALO, JAPANESE STYLE From C1

It’s the merry month of May. In the Philippines, that means a cascade of colors and celebrations as the country plays host to Santacruzan and Flores de Mayo festivities.

Inspired by the festive mood of the season, Dusit Thani presents a mouthwatering selection of food that is as delectable as it is colorful.

At the Italian restaurant Tosca, Chef Maurizio created a new menu focusing on a seasonal staple, asparagus.

This vegetable becomes the main ingredient in three must-try dishes that are served for both lunch and din-

ner: Risotto con Asparagi, Asparagi alla Milanese, and Spaghetti con Asparagi.

At Benjarong Thai Restaurant, Chef Suwanna Puangdee recommends Gai Tom Coke, which, intriguingly exotic as it sounds, is actually braised chicken in Coke and chilli sauce.

And, at UMU, the Japanese restaurant, the beloved Filipino desert Halo-Halo gets a Japanese makeover.

Called “Kakigori”, the desert comes in three variations: Azuki Kakigori, Coconut Kakigori and Macha Kakigori.

For inquiries, you may call Dusit Thani at (02) 238 8888.

PRIVATE DINING ANYWHERE AT ACACIA

Intimate Dining

Some occasions deserve something more special like a sumptuous five-star dinner in an elegant setting plus a butler that will attend to your every need. Acacia Hotel Manila has these to offer.

The stylish Acacia Hotel Manila provides exclusive areas inside the hotel such as the captivating Samanea outdoor garden, the jacuzzi porch which overlooks the bustling commercial district and the Mezzanine floor that offers a top view of the gorgeous hotel Lobby. These areas provide exclusivity for a most romantic ambiance.

The main highlight of the Intimate Dining Experience is the exquisite food. The service comes with a three-course menu which features

the hotel’s most popular a la carte dishes such as the Mushroom Soup, Caesar Salad, Charcoal Grilled Rib Eye, Altlantic Salmon Fillet and Oreo Mudpie. To further ensure a perfect evening, a butler will be on hand to personally serve guests.

This intimate dining experience is available for only Php 2,500 nett per person. It is highly recommended to visit Acacia Hotel Manila to personally see the places and plan the special setup with the Food and Beverage Manager. Guests may avail of this offer any day of the week with prior reservation required. Please call 720 2000 local 1911 or email raffy.santos@acaciamanila to plan your very own intimate dining experience.

Make memories that last with Acacia’s Intimate Dining

T U E S D AY : M AY 1 2 : 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

A FESTIVAL OF FLAVOR

BY ED BIADO

Watching a live cooking demo by Sabrina Artadi, creator and host of the show Sabrina’s Kitchen, and Chef Xavier Btesh of Nuvo bar and restaurant is always a treat. Their chemistry is incredible and it makes you feel like you’re just hanging out with buddies who are fantastic in the kitchen.

The duo, who are close friends in real life, showed off their culinary skills at the media launch of the McCormick Flavor Nation Festival last Thursday. The miniset previewed the actual demo that they will be conducting at the main event.

The Festival, scheduled for this Saturday, aims to pave the way for a whole new

gustatory adventure with the Flavor Nation Specialty Food Stalls and the Spiced Beverage Bar where guests can feast on the array of delectable dishes and cocktails all infused with McCormick herbs, spices and meal mixes.

Several stalls will be pairing their dishes with McCormick’s featured product, the Rice Cookers range, which comes in three variants—Hainanese Chicken Rice, Biryani Rice and Nasi Lemak Coconut Pandan Rice.

On the invite, it says that the Festival is a celebration of the “fusion of good food, music and entertainment.” Gunning

Chef Xavier Btesh

for a truly festive vibe, the event will feature street magicians, poi dancers, human mannequins, artworks and flair bartending, as well as live musical performances by Basti Artadi, Brad Go and Ukulele Philippines Ensemble.

The highlight of the event is, of course, the demo by Sabrina and Chef Xav, who promise to present gourmet dishes that are easy and quick to make. At the launch, they shared chicken and meat kebab recipes made aromatic and flavorful by different spices, which were served over rice cooked with Rice Cookers. On

Saturday, they will be preparing more innovative dishes to really showcase how effective herbs, spices and pre-prepared meal mixes are in elevating the homecooking and dining experience.

The McCormick Flavor Nation Festival will happen on Saturday, May 16 from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Bonifacio High Street activity center near Krispy Kreme.

Entrance is free but if you buy P150 worth of McCormick products on-site, you’ll get an event passport that entitles you to free samples from the food and drink stalls at the venue, join the raffle and get a chance to participate in the stage games.

For more information, go to facebook. com/friendsandflavor.

Brad Go

Sabrina Artadi

Basti Artadi

SERVING LIQUID GOLD

O&CO Releases Limited Edition Affiorato Extra Virgin Olive Oil

E

picurean connoisseurs of French cuisine may find liquid gold in premium oil brand Oliviers&Co.’s newest product, the limited edition Affiorato Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Deemed the “oil of Advent”, the Affiorato stands out with a taste reminiscent of the very first harvests of the year. With stores located in Central Square at Bonifacio High Street and Greenbelt 5 at Ayala Center, O&CO. brings you the latest in gastronomic delights with this top grade ingredient.

Since 1996, Oliviers&Co. has been producing superior oil from worldclass mills, just as fine wine was produced from reputable vineyards. It then began expanding its reach with over 300 partner mills across Europe and the production of various gourmet oils, seasonings, and condiments exported worldwide. Today, the company has become a household name, filling kitchen shelves both at

home and at restaurants with their delectable products for everyone to experience fine dining.

Oliviers&Co. owes much of its success to sensory analyst Eric Verdier for his hand at strategic planning and ensuring only the best quality in the products. Albert Baussan also plays a critical role as chief olive grower, CEO, and major stockholder of the company. Together, the two worked to position the company as a dependable name in the culinary scene with celebrated chefs like Éric Fréchon, Alain Passard, MichelRoth, and Gérald Passédat patronizing Oliviers&Co. goods.

With Oliviers&Co. in Manila, restaurant-quality dishes can easily be cooked up at home. With summer officially upon the metro, Oliviers&Co.’s many premium ingredients become essential for the season’s countless dinner parties, picnics, and lunches to be had with

Limited Edition 2015 Affiorato Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1L. Retailed at P3,395

friends and family. Every meal becomes unforgettable for true aficionados of taste.

Produced in the Tarragone province in Catalonia, Spain, the grassy Affiorato Oil contains notes of freshly cut grass and sap with a hint of lettuce and green asparagus. The unctuous and creamy texture finishes strong with a profound intensity in its flavor. You can certainly feel the branch that bore the olive in its rich and powerful taste.

The Affiorato Oil works best in recipes with poultry, vegetables and cooked viands. In fact, all the courses in a meal can use this oil.

However you like it, the luscious Affiorato Extra Virgin Olive Oil could be used in almost any dish by anyone.

Discover world-class flavors and delectable delights in Oliviers&Co., located at the 2nd floor of Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City or the Central Square Mall, Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City.

Limited Edition 2015 Affiorato Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Gift Box Collection

SLICE IT UP Sbarro’s new pizza promotion

MAMMA MIA! THE WAIT IS OVER! Sbarro launches its new delivery hotline with an offer you can’t refuse! With every purchase of a 10-inch regular pizza, customers can get another regular 10inch pizza for FREE! This limited time offer is valid through the new delivery hotline 812-1000 until August 11, 2015. The following branches deliver: SM Megamall, SM City North EDSA, SM Southmall, Market Market, Ayala KPMG, The Strip at SEA Residences.

Have an extra bite of Eataly with just one call! For more information visit Facebook: SbarroPhilippines; Twitter: SBARROPH; Website: www.sbarro.ph.

T U E S D AY : M AY 1 2 : 2 0 1 5

C4 FOR PARTY ANIMALS ONLY

LIFE PACIFIC NORTHWEST DISCOVERIES

1

2

This seaport city is the largest in the state of Washington. Bustling with activity, even its busiest streets are lined with healthy, green trees, a glowing tribute to the city’s almost non-existent pollution level. The metropolitan area has close to 4 Million residents and Seattle itself is the fastest growing major city in the US. It is one of the major US gateways for trade with Asia. This part of the mainland was originally inhabited by Native Americans for 4,000 years, which explains why most of the names of places here are named after Indian tribes.

Although logging was Seattle’s first major industry, it is now more popularly known as the headquarters of many big businesses. I know it to be the home of Microsoft, but I’m surprised to discover that many other commercial giants consider metropolitan Seattle their home: Amazon.com, Starbucks, Nordstrom, Costco, Nintendo of America, Expedia Inc. and, of course, Seattle’s Best. Boeing also had its headquarters near Seattle for many decades, before it decided to move to Chicago. The city has also been chosen as the locale for many popular entertainment films, lately, the long-running TV hit, Grey’s Anatomy, and the controversial movie, 50 Shades of Grey.

But what makes metropolitan Seattle really special to me is that my only daughter lives here and she has just made me a certified grandfather! I now have a precious and adorable little charmer who, ev-

eryone claims, is a “mini-Me.” Naturally, all grandfathers say the same thing of their grandchildren – that they are the most adorable creatures on earth!

My grandson is no exception.

While my son-in-law is busy at work, my daughter and I have been driving around to her usual haunts. Most of the time, she takes me to her favorite restaurants as she knows me and my appetite too well, but we stay away from shellfish, which I am allergic to. Too bad because the area is known for its delicious crawfish. Nevertheless, I can now say I’ve had steak at the best and most popular steakhouse in the entire Washington state, the upscale John Howie Steak. It is located in the outskirts of Seattle. right in the center of Bellevue, side by side with the luxury shops of Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, Salvatore Ferragamo and many others. I also enjoyed the best Fish and Chips you’ll ever find in the state, inside a simple, non-pretentious tavern in Kirkland, Spud Fish & Chips. It is right in front of the scenic and very relaxing Juanita Beach.

Of course, what is a visit to Seattle without passing by the iconic Space Needle. I have actually been there in my previous trips but, this time, I made sure my daughter took me there again so I could have a “selfie” with this very popular landmark. With all these nice places to see, plus the endless charming antics of my “mini-Me,” small wonder I am always Sleepless In Seattle.

5

6

8

7

1 Pink blossoms come to life all over Seattle in spring 2 My daughter’s home is surrounded by tall pine trees 3 The sign says it all 4 My selfie at the iconic Space Needle 5 Juanita Beach provides a relaxing interlude for your daily routine 6 My grandson and I enjoy the refreshing and scenic Juanita Beach 7 Healthy trees line the busy streets in downtown Seattle 8 The best Fish n’ Chips in town 9 Crawfish is actually a small lobster, a specialty in the city

YOUR TUESDAY CHUCKLE

:-D

The Woodburn Outlet Luxury Shops

3

SEATTLE

9

EDITOR

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

I was excited planning my US trip this year because some cities I have never been to are in my itinerary. Starting my mainland sojourn with a visit to the Pacific Northwest is the way to do it. Seattle and Portland certainly loosened up all the tension knots in my muscles and kicked out the accumulated stress that my daily office routine had dumped into BOB ZOZOBRADO my system. It’s not only because these cities are inhabited by the nicest people in the USA, they are also very clean and green compared to the much bigger, more commercialized US cities that I’m familiar with.

4

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE

A man went inside the biggest and most popular bookstore in the city. He asked the saleslady, “Miss, do you have the book, Husband – Master of the House?” Without batting an eyelash, she answered, “Fiction and Comics are on the 2nd floor.”

For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrad@gmail.com

The majestic Nike arch

Inside St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

The clean and green freeways of Portland

PORTLAND I have not been to this city at all simply because I never found a reason to pass through it. However, just this month, my younger sister decided to accept a lucrative job offer in Portland and moved there from New York. Since it’s only a 3-hour leisurely and scenic drive from Seattle, my daughter, grandson and I made a quick 3-day visit to my sister.

Portland is the largest city in the state of Oregon, which is south of Washington state. It is known as the “City of Roses” as, all throughout the city and the outskirts, there are many rose gardens, thanks to the city’s warm, dry summers and cool, damp winters which are conducive to growing these blooms. The city also has the most number of breweries of any city in the world, with 58 active breweries within city limits.

Not too many people know that Intel has its headquarters here in Portland, employing more than 15,000 residents in its premises.

Neither did I know that The Original Pancake House and The Old Spaghetti Factory have their headquarters in this city. Of course, ask any blue-blooded sportsman and he will immediately shout with joy the brand known throughout the world as Oregon-bred, Nike. But there must be something about this state that has made it a headquarters magnet for businesses related to sports because Adidas, Under Armour, Jantzen, and La Crosse Footwear also have their main offices here.

Not knowing what to do in Portland, I checked online what tourist attractions we could visit. They were the usual museums and nature parks, but what caught my attention was the outlet stores that sold luxury brand items... completely tax-free. So, after Sunday Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, one of the many Catholic churches in the city, we decided to go shopping in Woodburn Outlet Shops in the outskirts of the city. The “No Tax” sign was just too overwhelming to ignore. This time, trade won over culture and history.

With this new discovery, you can bet Portland will be a mainstay in my future US itineraries, as the Pacific Northwest will now be my de-stressing primary stopover.

T UES DAY : M AY 1 2 : 2015

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

Lea Salonga

Heart Evangelista

SHORT FILM ABOUT WORLD-CLASS FILIPINAS LAUNCHED

A

t The Theatre at Solaire, a short film by documentarian Marie Jamora was screened to guests in little black dresses and business suits that were all invited to the premiere.

The film is called Cream Silk Portraits: A Celebration of the #WorldClassFilipina and it weaves the inspiring stories of four women – Toni Gonzag, Heart Evangelista, Anne Curtis, and Lea Salonga.

The film took the audience through an intimate journey of the struggles and triumphs of the four women. Their stories have a common plot, reminding the Filipina that the journey to becoming world-class is never easy. There will be roadblocks along the way, but unique to these four women and to countless other Filipinas is how they have overcome the obstacles and turn them into opportunities for success.

At the start of their careers, Toni, Heart, Anne, and Lea couldn’t imagine being recognized as worldclass. And although they may differ in passions and interests, their superior beauty, exceptional ability, and winning confidence empowered them to conquer the world stage, and prove that no dream is too big for the Filipina.

THE CELEBRATION Every year since Cream Silk Hair Sonata in 2013 and the Cream Silk 30th Anniversary Ball in 2014, Cream Silk has tried to train the spotlight, not only on women of beauty, but also on inspiring women of strength, empowerment and substance.

On April 21, Cream Silk held a special celebration at The Theatre at Solaire to launch the #WorldClassFilipina movement. Attended by some of the most beautiful and successful women in the country, the event left the audience inspired and invigorated as they, too, declared their support for the movement.

World-class prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde opened the night with an inspiring speech about her journey to becoming world-class.

Lisa expounded on her dreams of becoming a ballerina and owning the world stage at a time when it seemed nearly impossible for this to happen.

This year it was only apt that along with the premiere of the short film, Cream Silk also gave tribute to some of the country’s well-respected, worldclass figures, honoring them in a special performance given by none other than Salonga. Amongthe honorees were beauty queens Shamcey Supsup, Bea Rose Santiago, and Bianca Manalo, artist Olivia d’Aboville, business woman Angelly Dubb, athlete Christine Jacob, social entrepreneur Reese Fernandez, humanitarian Alexandra Eduque, jewelry designer Joyce Makitalo, and many more.

The time is now for the Filipina to rise and take on the world stage.

Together with Cream Silk, help spark and fuel the #WorldClassFilipina movement to inspire Filipinas to go beyond their limits and to stand proud, believe, and declare “there is no dream too big for the Filipina because she is world-class.”

Cream Silk Portraits: A Celebration of the #WorldClassFilipina was aired on ABS-CBN on April 25, at 10 p.m. and on GMA7 on April 26 at 9:30 p.m. and was seen in millions of homes nationwide.

This year Cream Silk, the Philippines’ No. 1 hair care brand, sets out to spark a movement to inspire Filipinas to dream big and achieve limitless possibilities on the world stage. Having been a brand that has stood for superior beauty and empowerment, Cream Silk believes that no dream is too big for the Filipina because she is world-class.

To take part in this worthy #WorldClassFilipina movement, like Cream Silk Philippines on Facebook and follow @CreamSilkPH on Twitter and Instagram.

Anne Curtis

Bianca Manalo

Christine Jacob- Sandejas

Bea Rose Santiago

Former Bb. Pilipinas winners, Yvethe Marie Santiago, Kris Janson, MJ Lastimosa, and Parul Shah

C5

Sam Pinto

Marie Lozano

Former Ms. Universe, Margie MoranFloirendo with daughter Gabbi

T UES DAY : M AY 1 2 : 2015

C6

SHOWBITZ

EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

UNLIMITED FUN, EXCITEMENT IN SARI-SARI STORE OWNERS’ CONVENTION

T

HE long wait is finally over as Puregold Priceclub Inc. mounts the biggest and grandest installment of its annual Tindahan Ni Aling Puring (TNAP) Sari-Sari Store Convention on May 20 to 24 at World Trade Center in Pasay City.

This year’s convention is a fiveday extravaganza that offers unlimited savings and fun to every member of Puregold’s TNAP program.

In the last 12 years, Puregold has been steadfast and extremely passionate in its advocacy to assist and empower every Filipino in leveling up, through sustained success of their individual businesses.

Puregold has initiated sari-sari store and/or reseller packages to support small entrepreneurs. More so, it initiated the complete business package for sari-sari store start-up or re-launch that includes store design and promotion, technological assistance, a crash course on basic retail, and media exposure. In previous years, sari-sari store owners across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao have been considered and acknowledged as trusted sellers because of its affiliation with Puregold

and Tindahan Ni Aling Puring.

One of the major highlights of the convention is the official launch of TNAP’s new membership card with improved benefits for its members.

Lifetime membership to TNAP is free of charge to everyone who wishes to be part of the program. Members of TNAP can earn points from every item purchased in Puregold. Members may earn one point for a minimum purchase of P200 and one point is equivalent to P1.00. Accumulated points are valid for two years and members can redeem points directly from the cashiers of every Puregold branch across the country. Cardholders can also access other exciting rewards and exclusive events.

As an added bonus in this year’s convention, Puregold has assembled an amazing line-up of the country’s biggest and brightest stars to perk-up the event with fabulous performances.

Leading the pack of artists who will grace the convention are Puregold’s longtime endorsers Joey De Leon, Jose Manalo, Ruby Rodriguez, Boy Abunda, and Vic Sotto.

Vic, Jose, Ruby, and Joey will officially open the event and launch the new

and improved TNAP membership card. TNAP members can also look forward to special performances by Zsa Zsa Padilla; Voice Of Asia grand winner Dessa; popular actors KC Concepcion, Maja Salvador, Julia Barreto, John Lloyd Cruz and Diego Loyzaga; comedians Giselle Sanchez, Ramon Bautista, Donita Nose, MC, Lassy, Chad Kinis, and Negi; pop rock groups Kamikazee, Mitoy & The Draybers, and Parokya Ni Edgar; rapper Gloc , and with the special appearance of Gary Valenciano.

Members can learn valuable tips and methods in the free trainings and seminars offered by esteemed negosyo gurus. Puregold will also reward its top purchasers with fantastic prizes such as one-minute shopping sprees, Puregold gift certificates, gadgets, and cash prizes. Tindahan Ni Aling Puring members may simply present their membership card to participate in the convention for free.

For more information visit Puregold official website at www.puregold.com.ph, like Puregold on Facebook, follow @Puregold_PH on Twitter, and follow @puregold_ph on Instagram.

‘OK! TV’ NOW ON COLOURS

C

ignal’s Colours channel, dedicated to today’s Filipino women and their wide and dynamic lifestyles, will make every Filipina’s viewing habit more interesting and intriguing as it offers OK! TV - one of America’s most talked about entertainment shows, as first & exclusive on Philippine TV. This show gives viewers an intimate look at the world of Hollywood’s A-list celebrities - red carpet events, films, music, TV, fashion, hottest trends, celebrity weddings, babies, romance, break-ups and everything you need to know about the world’s foremost entertainment capital.

42 44 45 46 50 52 53 54 55 57 58 59 60 61 ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE 25 26 27 30 33 34 36 37 38 39 40 41

Julie Alexandria host OK TV! seen on Cignal’s Colours

What makes OK! TV extraordinary is its unique format; a faster pace compared to the conventional talk shows but nonetheless, comprehensive and well-researched enough to allow the viewers to look at the different dimensions of every subject.

The show is top billed by Julie Alexandria, one of Hollywood’s most admired online and TV personalities. She is an accomplished TV host and voice artist who had been featured in a number of showbiz channels like MTV, Spike, TLC, SNY, Fox Sports and CBS. Her voice can also be heard in various national and global campaigns.

Joining Alexandria in bringing the world’s hottest entertainment

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ACROSS 1 Broncos do it 5 Mythical archer 9 Cousin’s dad 14 Funny Bombeck 15 Benches for masses 16 Gemsbok moves 17 Easily broken 19 Tall tales 20 K+, e.g.

21 Sorrowful wail 22 — Park, Colorado 23 Horse, updated

ISAH V. RED

Threat ender Record, as mileage Firm, as pasta (2 wds.)

Poultry purchase Some pens Constantly, to Poe Lagoon protector Cast member DNA component Off — — tangent Dieter of rhyme Obie relatives

62

Medicine chest item That means —!

Edit out Seedling’s abode (2 wds.)

Like crazy Kind of eagle — Dawn Chong Solemn watch Tentacle possessor Kind of angle To — — (exactly) Yves’ girl I thought — never leave!

Shakespeare, for instance Nave neighbor

DOWN 1 Overhaul 2 Faux pas 3 Iowa commune 4 Hightailed it 5 Play wrap-up (var.)

6 Concrete reinforcer 7 Mouse catchers 8 NNW opposite 9 Homer’s seafarer 10 Spruce up 11 Give a darn 12 RN assistants

news to Filipino households are correspondents Alex Miranda, Megan Telles, Jaymes Vaughan, Mayleen Ramey, and Viviana Vigil. They spice up your nights (the show premieres tonight and airs Tuesday and Saturday, 6 p.m.) in the first and only local female lifestyle channel in high definition.

OK! TV is the newest addition to Colours’ line-up of outstanding programs targeting females aged

TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2015

13 18 22 24 25 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 35 37 38 40 41 43 44 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 54 55 56

Double curve Swamp critter Tribal adviser Musical sign George who was a she It makes scents New driver, maybe Start of a count Back again Rip apart Once around the sun Fallen-rock debris Thing, in law Fill out a form Gourmand’s malady Took turns Curry favor Peculiar thing Gave a holler More ashen Groom excessively Camel pit stop Giggle (hyph.)

Wis. neighbor Feverish chill Phi — Kappa Cistern Elbow LAX regulators

Ivan Mayrina anchors #GMA Newsfeed on Facebook

#GMANEWSFEED ON FACEBOOK

Puregold’s Tindahan ni Aling Puring’s endorsers Ruby Rodriguez, Jose Manalo, and Joey de Leon

25 to 35 years old - working women and hip young mothers out there who want the best in life and are willing and able to make their presence felt, be it in business, the home, and the community. This lifestyle channel is produced and distributed by Cignal TV – the Philippines’ biggest and leading pay TV service provider. Subscribe now to Colours and enjoy OK! TV and the rest of the channel as your guide to a fab living.

Colours is seen on Cignal Channel 27 (SD) and 102 (HD) and is now available in over 200 local cable operators nationwide. Like and follow @colourstvph on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more channel updates and promos. Visit www.cignal.tv today!

What happens when traditional newscast merges with today’s technology? The result is a very convenient news program for people on the go.

Enter GMA News’ #GMAnewsfeed—the first-ever Facebook-only newscast in the Philippines.

Anchored by broadcast journalist Ivan Mayrina, #GMAnewsfeed is a two-minute newscast that offers a quick recap of the day’s most important news and trending stories.

It premiered at 9 p.m. on the GMA News Facebook page (facebook.com/ gmanews) yesterday. Produced by GMA News, the same team that created original Facebook content, like Ask Away and Sparring Session during the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, #GMAnewsfeed is designed specifically for the country’s more than 32 million mobile Facebook users.

It is part of GMA Network’s efforts to adapt to the constantly changing media landscape. It aims to reach not only the millenials and yuppies, but also viewers across age groups.

GMA News, which inspired Filipino netizens to “Think Before You Click” and be #IMReady, remains a social media leader in the Philippines.

It is the country’s most-followed news organization on Twitter (twitter.com/ gmanews) with 2.93 million followers. Its Facebook page, with 4.8 million likes, is also among the top pages in the country.

With 120 thousand users following GMA News’ public chat, it is also the top Philippine news organization on Viber. GMA News is also on Instagram (instagram.com/gmanews) and FireChat (firech.at/gmanews)

T UES DAY : M AY 1 2 : 2015

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

C7

Manny Pacquiao’s bout with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. earns top ratings on its telecast on GMA Network

Susan Enriquez and Cesar Apolinario mark their fourth year as hosts of I Juander

FameUS made of Hansaem, Kudom Jonghoon, Daeyoung Doa, and Hanyoung

‘I JUANDER’ CELEBRATES FOURTH ANNIVERSARY IN PALAWAN

A

fter years of exploring the rich Filipino culture, solving mysteries and even busting myths, GMA News TV’s I Juander celebrates its fourth year this month.

Week after week, Susan Enriquez and Cesar Apolinario embark on carefully researched episodes aiming to get to the bottom of widely accepted Filipino notions and take with them the viewers on a journey through the nation’s dynamic and ever evolving culture and society.

With the help of field experts, Susan and Cesar also break misconceptions and break age-old Filipino myths by investigating to find out the truth.

This month, I Juander sails to the magnificent islands of Palawan for its two-part anniversary special.

Susan and Cesar discover the stories about the Philippines’ “last frontier” and why Palawan was nicknamed as such. Susan takes a dip in what is possibly the country’s most pristine lake, with its immaculate emerald water. Cesar, for his part, plunges deep into the Palawan waters and sees for himself the ship wreck and learn about the story behind it.

The second part of I Juander’s

From C8

fourth anniversary special finds the hosts engrossed in a food trip showcasing the best cuisines of the Palawan Island from the famous nido soup to the bountiful and freshest catch the sea has to offer.

The two-part anniversary special of I Juander airing pnMay 13 and 20 only on GMA News TV. HHHHH GMA Network is proud that Kapuso talent Manny Pacquiao fought Floyd Mayweather, Jr. like a true hero in their recent match.

Despite the outcome, Manny still emerged as the People’s Champion and won the hearts of people around the world with his audacity and sportsmanship in the ring.

Throughout his two-month training in Los Angeles and especially in the days leading to the fight, GMA delivered the most comprehensive coverage of what was touted to be the biggest bout in boxing history dubbed “Pacquiao vs. Mayweather: Battle for Greatness.”

In support of the Pambansang Kamao, GMA also launched the Laban para sa Pilipino #GoManny campaign, providing fans across the globe the latest news on Pacquiao and updates on his fight

preparation on various platforms.

Meanwhile, more Filipinos tuned in to GMA to watch the epic match as the Network’s airing of the Pacquiao-Mayweather match became most-watched telecast based on National Urban TV Audience Measurement (NUTAM) ratings (based on overnight data).

According to the industry’s widely-trusted ratings service provider Nielsen TV Audience Measurement, GMA won in NUTAM ratings with an average household audience share of 47.4percent, higher than ABS-CBN’s 31.5 percent by 15.9 points and TV5’s 6.9 percentby 40.5 points.

The airing of the fight on GMA also attracted the most number of viewers in Urban Luzon and Mega Manila, where it beat competition by even bigger margins.

Moreover, the May 2 airing of the weekend edition of GMA’s flagship newscast, 24 Oras Weekend, which provided in-depth coverage on the biggest sporting event in boxing, also recorded a 13.3 percent audience share in NUTAM with its ABS-CBN counterpart scoring 11.6 percent.

HHHHH It’s only their second official performance in the country (the

first being in February 2014 when they had their promotion concert tour for their debut single “Crazy”) but already this group of six good looking and young Korean guys has amassed a great number of following among the Filipino youth.

Proof of their growing popularity in the country was the wildly cheering, shrieking and adoring young Filipinos who trooped to Rizal Park for their performance on May 2 in Concert at the Park.

After the show, the members of FameUS had autograph and CD-signing session with their fans.

The group - composed of Hansaem, Kudom Jonghoon, Daeyoung Doa, and Hanyoung – was truly overwhelmed by the very warm and enthusiastic reception given them, especially when they rendered some Filipino songs which they patiently memorized and sang from the heart .

FameUS shot the music video of their mini-album You Can Play With It in tourist spots in the Philippines specifically the Luneta, Tagaytay, SM Mall of Asia and other scenic places. The album was digitally released on March 17.

With the great success of their promotional visit to the Philippines, FameUS will make a come-

back in September. So, watch out for the return of this new K-Pop superstar - the FameUS. HHHHH Get ready for heart-stopping adventures as The Amazing Race Australia returns with a thrilling second season this month on Lifetime with 11 teams racing around four continents covering 12 countries and 23 cities.

From dizzying heights to heavy loads, language barriers and money concerns, witness how each team conquers each task with strategy, skill, and teamwork to win the $250,000 grand prize as the new season premieres 9 p.m. tonight and tomorrow.

At 10 p.m., another one of Lifetime original films entitled Back to School Mom is featured. The movie tells the story of Mary Thomas, a free-spirited musician who’s been on the road for the past 20 years and who finally decides to go back to college and finish her degree. In this heartwarming tale, Mary again attends her old university and becomes close friends with a charming peer tutor who she finds out is the son she gave up 20 years earlier.

Lifetime is available on HD on SkyCable.

‘WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? SEASON 14’ ON TV5

T

V5 premiered Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Season 14 on Sunday.

Vic Sotto hosts the show as the new season brings back famous lifeline “Phone-a-Friend” along with a new and improved set.

It is now P2 million jackpot prize by reducing the number of questions asked

this new season -- from the usual 15 questions to 12.

Since it started airing on TV5 in 2009, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? has been able to rekindle the Pinoy viewers’ game show craze. To note, the show has consistently maintained its status as a top-rating show of the Kapatid Network. Viewers

have seen how ordinary Filipinos tried their luck in the game show and saw the biggest change in their live. Several celebrities also gamely played for their chosen charities – Sharon Cuneta, Dina Bonnevie, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Coney Reyes, Ruffa Gutierrez, and Lucy Torres-Gomez, to name a few.

Vic Sotto returns as host of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire on TV5

T UES DAY : M AY 1 2 : 2015

C8

ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ Nadine Lustre is in a stable spot in the firmament of stars

James Reid is now the favorite leading man in the movies

AJ Muhlach moves from singing to acting and hopes he’d succeed

Shy Carlos is being built up to follow in Nadine Lustre’s footsteps

JADINE CELEBRATES FIRST YEAR WITH ANOTHER MOVIE ISAH V. RED James Reid and Nadine Lustre, also known among fans as JaDine, was launched to stardom via the blockbuster Diary ngPanget in April last year.

Twelve months later, their love team is one of the most solid in show business.

The two are marking a big career milestone in Para sa Hopeless Romantic. Three other rising stars from VIVA Artists Agency – Shy Carlos, AJ Muhlach, and author Marcelo Santos III who wrote the novel of the same title upon which the movie was based join them.

The film marks the fourth onscreen pairing of the two popular young stars in one year. After Diary ng Panget, they were together in Talk Back And You’re Dead in July, and then later on with the top-rating four-part TV mini-series Wansapanatym Presents: My App Boyfie.

This time, they bring to life beloved characters from the page as written

by Marcelo, who started out as an internet star with his romance videos before conquering the literary world as a bestselling author with Para saHopeless Romantic, his first novel.

In the movie, James and Nadine play high school sweethearts whose romance ends abruptly when James’ character decides to end it without much explanation, sending Nadine’s character looking for answers and pining for closure or rec-

onciliation. She finds an outlet for her pent up emotions with the fiction stories she writes for her school paper, and finds a shoulder to cry on with her best friend, a spirited, happy-go-lucky, even more hopeless romantic girl played by Shy Carlos. Likewise, James’ character finds a helping hand in his best friend, played by AJ Muhlach.

Shy is best known for her role in the toprating series Be Careful With My Heart and is carving a name too as a VJ in MTV Pinoy.

She will next be seen in VIVA’s upcoming horror movie, Chain Mail, and the movie adaptation of another bestselling book, Bob Ong’s comedy LumayoKaNgaSa Akin. AJ co-starred with James and Nadine in both Diary and Talk Back.

Marcelo continues to be a favorite among local book lovers. His second novel, last year’s Para sa Broken Hearted, a sequel to Para sa Hopeless Romantic,” was also a bestseller, as well as his most recent release, Mahal Mo Siya, Mahal Ka Ba?, a collection of essays about love and relationships. He also continues to take the Internet by storm with his popular love quotes.

Para sa Hopeless Romantic opens in cinemas on May 13 from Star Cinema and VIVA Films.

HHHHH The Pagcor stage is now ready for the much-awaited special celebrity shows of the country’s topnotch performers.

Chokoleit will unleash his comic power on May 20 at Casino Filipino Pavilion for another dose of fun and entertainment.

Ace rapper Gloc 9 will rap his way to Casino Filipino Tagaytay on May 15. Be amazed as you listen to his poetic lyrics performed in his signature rapid-flowing vocal style. If once is not enough, then go and watch him again on May 23 at Casino Filipino Angeles.

Mark your calendar for Janno Gibbs’ special shows on May 22 (Casino Filipino Cebu) and May 28 (Casino Filipino Malate).Janno will surely captivate the romantic at heart with his gentle and soothing voice.

Acoustic singer Nyoy Volante takes centerstage on May 27 at the Carmona Satellite. The audience will fall in love all over again as he serenades them with romantic songs.

For inquiries, call the Entertainment Department at (02) 7082046, 526-0337 loc 2401 or 2403. ➜ Continued on C7

The JaDine love team is marking a big career milestone in Para sa Hopeless Romantic.

Three other rising stars from VIVA Artists Agency

– Shy Carlos, AJ Muhlach, and author Marcelo Santos III who wrote the novel of the same title upon which the movie was based join them

The JaDine love team is one of the most formidable in the industry