Manila Standard - 2016 July 28 - Thursday

Kerry: US avoiding maritime conflict

Noy snubs Gloria at NSC meet

By John Paolo Bencito FORMER President Benigno Aquino III snubbed the woman he had thrown in jail for four years, former President Gloria Arroyo, when they both went to the Palace for a meeting of the National Security Council convened Next page

by President Rodrigo Duterte.

VOL. XXX • NO. 166 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016 • WWW.THESTANDARD.COM.PH • EDITORIAL@THESTANDARD.COM.PH

SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING. President Rodrigo Duterte presided over a National Security Council meeting in Malacañang on Wednesday that was attended by former Presidents Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Estrada and Benigno Aquino III. MALACAÑANG PHOTO

US SECRETARY of State John Kerry on Wednesday said Washington wants to avoid confrontation in the South China Sea, after meeting with Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay to discuss the Philippines’ victory over China before the Permanent Arbitration Court (PAC) over conflicting territorial claims.

“The decision itself is a binding decision but we’re not trying to create a confrontation. We are trying to create a solution mindful of the rights of people established under the law,” Kerry said.

The PAC based in The Hague this month ruled that China’s claim to most of the strategic waterway was inconsistent with international law. The decision angered Beijing, which vowed to ignore the ruling.

But Kerry said the United States saw an opportunity for claimants to peacefully resolve the row.

“We hope to see a process that will narrow the geographic scope of the maritime disputes, set standards for behavior in contested areas, lead to mutually acceptable solutions, perhaps even a series of confidencebuilding steps,” he said.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims to the South China Sea, a vital Next page

Probe killings—IBP Fishing rights for all—PH

By John Paolo Bencito THE Philippines will be pushing for fishing rights of all countries with claims to the South China Sea once a delegation led by former President Fidel V. Ramos meets with Chinese officials, a source privy to the discussions of the National Security Council meeting said Wednesday.

The initiative was raised by Ramos, who will be the country’s special envoy to China.

“He will deal with the rights of fishermen from all countries and discuss trade and tourism,” the source told the Manila Standard.

The source, who asked not to be named, said the consensus at the council meeting was for Ramos to move Philippines-China relations forward.

Another source confirmed that President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the military not to jeopardize the implementation of a unilateral ceasefire that he declared with the communist rebels during his first State of the Next page Union Address.

By Rey E. Requejo

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HE Integrated Bar of the Philippines expressed alarm Wednesday over the rising bodycount in the government’s war on drugs, and called for an investigation into the spate of killings of drug suspects by police and vigilante groups.

“The alarming spate of what are reported to be vigilante killings of suspected drug users and pushers, as well as the increasing

number of reported arrest-related deaths of drug suspects, deserves serious attention,” the IBP, the national organization of lawyers,

said in a statement.

“We are a nation of laws and not of men and, as such, must never lose sight of the very foundation of our democracy, the idea that the rule of law must prevail.

It is at times such as these, when the temptation to take extralegal measures is at its height, that our conviction to abide by this principle must likewise be at its strongest,” the group added.

US concerns Even the US government through Secretary of State John Kerrt weighed in on the extrajudicial kill-

ings. “We hope to hear more froom President Duterte about protecting human rights and maintaiing the rule of law,” Kerry said.

Duterte, even before he assumed the presidency, drew criticismfrom United Natioinas’ chief Ban Ki-Moon for his calls to kill criminals.

In seeking a probe of the killings, the IBP urged the Philippine National Police and the Office of the Ombudsman to conduct a serious and credible investigation, and to resolve the incidents and prosecute the wrongdoers.

RH Law focus reset in favor of kids, girls

By Cathrine Mae Gonzales

Party-listers go all out for House minority QUEZON Rep. Danilo Suarez on Wednesday bagged the House minority leadership after the members of the party-list groups serving as the “swing vote” got him elected, and after they said they did not want the Liberal Party to “have their cake and eat it, too.”

The 20 party-list congressmen, who abstained from voting for the speakership, were told to elect the minority leader.

They went for Suarez after they themselves tried to seek concession from House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

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“It must not be forgotten that regardless of whether or not the victim is a drug offender, unjustified killing is murder nonetheless. Likewise, while our law enforcers have every right, and even the duty, to utilize deadly force when necessary to protect themselves and innocent bystanders, the abuse of this authority is equally criminal,” the IBP said.

Earlier, the Free Legal Assistance Group (Flag), an organization of human rights lawyers, issued a similar statement. Next page

APPEAL. Members of the United Filipino Consumers and Commuters call on President Rodrigo Duterte to solve the country’s smuggling problem on Wednesday. MANNY PALMERO

Arroyo seeks amnesty for rebels FORMER president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has filed a bill that would grant amnesty to the members of the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army and National Democratic Front and other individuals and groups involved in past political conflicts.

In House Bill 490, Arroyo twitter.com/ MlaStandard

stressed that granting amnesty to the country’s political prisoners would be significant to the Duterte administration’s peace and reconciliation efforts.

“Accepting the rebels back into the folds of the law through amnesty, and eventually providing them access to the government’s existing socio-economic services, are essential to attaining

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peace and reconciliation in the country,” Arroyo said in the bill’s explanatory note.

She made her statement even as some senators urged the NPA, the CPP’s military arm, to immediately implement a ceasefire after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the Armed Forces to stop all military operations against the Next page communist rebels.

thestandard.com.ph

SOCIAL Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo on Wednesday urged the agencies involved in the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law to focus on improving the lot of Filipino women and children, citing her concern over the rising number of teenage pregnancies.

Nearly one billion young people aged 10 to 24 in Asia-Pacific region are sexually active, according to the United Nations Population Fund report.

But this rate is a result of the decline in the last two decades in all countries except the Philippines where “there has been little change.”

“I will order that all DSWD Field Offices in the country as well as units of the DSWD that Next page

Edca creates opening for AFP arms upgrade LAWMAKERS said Wednesday the Supreme Court’s final ruling affirming the constitutionality of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement will be an opportune time for the government to fully modernize the country’s military

hardware.

At the same time, former speaker and Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the ruling was expected, stressing that Edca from the very beginning fell under the ambit of the Constitution.

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5 Chinese nationals indicted over shabu T HE five Chinese nationals who were arrested in the house of alleged big-time Chinese drug lord Mico Tan, who was slain in a police operation last week, have been charged before the Valenzuela City regional trial court.

The arraignment came after the Department of Justice approved the finding of probable cause against Yinglie Xu alias Henry Co, Xiong Bo He, Xiao Zhen He, Hao He and Xu Yingmei for possession of illegal drugs.

The investigating prosecutor found sufficient basis in the complaint filed by the Philippine National Police-Anti-Illegal Drugs Group and the Phil-

De Lima ordered to answer poll protest THE Senate Electoral Tribunal in Resolution No. 16-01 gave due course to the election protest filed by former MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino against Leila de Lima, ordering the latter to answer with a non-extendable period of 15 days from date of receipt of the summons.

During the May 9, 2016 senatorial elections, De Lima placed No. 12 while Tolentino placed No. 13. De Lima ran under the administration’s (Liberal Party) while Tolentino joined the senatorial slate of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Likewise, some big religious groups such as the Iglesia Ni Cristo supported Tolentino’s candidacy while De Lima was not.

Tolentino alleged that electronic fraud marred the automated elections highlighted by the unauthorized breach of the Comelec server by a Smartmatic personnel, during the canvassing of votes.

The SET likewise directed the Commission on Elections to preserve the integrity of all election-related documents used during the May 9, 2016 elections. The result of the last senatorial spot is much awaited by the nation.

Noy...

From A1

A 34-second clip provided by state-owned PTV4 showed Duterte shaking hands with former President Fidel V. Ramos, who has agreed to serve as the country’s special envoy to China, and Arroyo shaking hands with Ramos.

In the next segment, former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and Aquino entered the reception hall.

Aquino was first to extend his hand to Duterte and Ramos, but skipped Arroyo, whom he had consistently blamed for the country’s problems during his six years in office.

The video showed Estrada shaking hands with Duterte, then Ramos. He also shook hands with Arroyo before the video ran out.

A source said the meeting of the five presidents started exactly at 3 p.m., and confirmed that Aquino “never made any effort to acknowledge Arroyo.”

Aquino pursued plunder charges against Arroyo in 2012 and put her under hospital arrest for four years.

Earlier this month, however, the Supreme Court acquitted Arroyo and ordered her released from detention, saying the state had failed to show adequate evidence of her wrongdoing.

The 69-year-old Arroyo, who is currently Pampanga representative, is the second president to be detained for plunder charges.

In April 2001, ousted President Estrada was jailed for plunder over charges because of unexplained wealth. The Sandiganbayan convicted and sentenced him to life in jail in September 2007. But only six weeks after, in October 2007, Arroyo pardoned him.

ippine Drug Enforcement Agency against the five.

Almost six kilos of ephedrine, a component for producing shabu, were seized from the five when they were arrested on July 22 in the house of Tan in Linguanan village, which is believed to be a shabu laboratory.

Tan was killed in an alleged gunfight while attempting to escape.

“The plentitude of the evidence presented adequately established that the respondents... have dominion and control of the white crystalline substance with a total registered weight of 5.8091 kilograms of ephedrine, a dangerous drug,” said the resolution approved by Prosecutor General Claro Arellano.

Tan’s group is believed to be the supplier of shabu in the National Capital Region and neighboring provinces. He was the biggest fish caught so far in the intensified antiillegal drugs drive under the Duterte administration, which has so far targeted mostly small-time pushers.

Rey E. Requejo

Probe...

From A1 The PNP has recorded over 300 killings of drug suspects—both by police and vigilante groups— since President Rodrigo Duterte took office on July 1.

On Wednesday, the Catholic Church urged the PNP to go after “the big fish” in the illegal drug trade and not merely the “small fry” drug pushers that have been showing up dead.

San Jose Bishop Robert Mallari said even suspected drug pushers should be given due process.

“I am worried about the degradation of human

Kerry...

From A1 waterway through which $5 trillion in annual trade passes. It is also believed to sit atop vast reserves of oil and gas.

Kerry, who arrived in Manila on Tuesday after attending a regional summit in Laos, met with President Rodrigo Duterte after Yasay.

On Tuesday, Kerry said he would encourage Duterte, who assumed office on June 30, to engage in dialogue and “turn the page” with China.

Kerry was also expected to raise with Duterte US concerns about human rights and the rule of law.

“The Philippines has an unhappy history of extrajudicial killings and violence [against] journalists and others,” a US official told reporters traveling with the secretary.

“We hope to hear more from President Duterte about ... protecting human rights [and] maintaining the rule of law.”

Duterte has launched a bloody war on crime, urging law enforcers, communist rebels and even the public to kill criminals.

Since he took office, police reported over 200 deaths while media tallies have said more than 300 have died, including suspected extrajudicial killings.

Even before he assumed the presidency, Duterte drew criticism from United Nations chief Ban KiMoon and human rights advocates

Party-listers...

From A1

The 52-strong Coalition of Party-list Foundation, led by Ako Bicol Rep. Rodel Batocabe, earlier signed a coalition agreement with Alvarez’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban ng Bayan or PDPLaban signifying their support for Alvarez’s speakership bid and intention to join the super majority coalition.

On Monday, however, 20 of the party-list congressmen abstained from voting for the Speaker as they demanded that they be allotted one deputy speaker post, and considering that 52 was bigger than the 30 of the LP wing led by former House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. Batocabe’s group was pushing for AAMBIS-OWWA Rep. Sharon Garin.

RH Law...

From A1 promote its different programs continue to make reproductive health concerns a part of the said programs, including the 4Ps [Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program],” Taguiwalo said.

The secretary said that their department will maximize the family development and parent effectiveness sessions of the 4Ps as avenues to discuss the benefits of the law.

This support from the DSWD comes after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a “full force” implementation

COURTESY CALL. President Rodrigo R. Duterte meets with US State Secretary John F. Kerry during a courtesy call at the Malacañan Palace on Wednesday. PPD

life, especially of the poor, addicts or pushers they may be, who are not really the ‘big fish’ and who are in the drug business only for survival,” Mallari said over Radio Veritas.

He stressed the importance of respecting human rights, even of those suspected of being involved in the illegal drug trade.

“We recognize that for the first time we see our government showing political will to fight against criminality related to drugs and we commend our present government for this. We pray that the PNP will respect the law, the rights of others, and always consider the absolute value of human life,” Mallari said. With Vito Barcelo

for his calls to kill criminals, as well as comments stating that corrupt journalists deserved to die.

At a joint conference, Yasay played down the failure of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to issue a communique that mentioned the UN tribunal’s decision during the last foreign ministers’ meeting in Laos.

The failure of Asean to issue a stronger joint communique was widely seen as a diplomatic victory for Beijing, which had pressed its ally, Cambodia, to reject a stronger draft statement that identified China.

But Yasay disagreed.

“I want to dispel reports that China came out victorious in the Asean meeting because we precisely agreed to not mentioning the arbitral award,” Yasay said, noting that the arbitral award was between the Philippines and China.

Yasay said that the landmark July 12 Award is binding and upholds the primacy of international law as the cornerstone of a rulesbased regional and international order covering all nations, large and small. The rule of law provides a good basis for a rules-based approach for resolving the South China Sea disputes, he said.

Kerry, on the other hand, reiterated the call against provocations in the disputed waters and for respect for freedom of navigation, a key aspect of his agenda for his visit to Manila.

“It’s impossible for it to be irHouse sources said the leadership was willing to accommodate Batocabe’s group and was adding two more slots for deputy speaker from six to eight. Five deputy speakers have been named already.

The party-list group was also said to be lobbying for a committee chairmanship and was pushing for Batocabe, one of the most senior party-list lawmakers, to be given the House committee on energy.

Kabayan Rep. Harry Roque, who nominated Suarez a minority leader, hailed the election of Suarez as minority leader as he slammed the members of the LP for wanting “to have their cake and eat it, too.”

“Most of those in the Majority now are the ones who jumped ship from the LP. They want to enjoy the perks of being in the Majority while at the same time they want to lord it over the Minority by having one of their members elected as mi-

of the Reproductive Health Law in his first State of the Nation Address Monday.

Filipino women need a national policy on propoor, genuine, and inclusive health care so that they will have a basis on where to assert their right to health services, Taguiwalo said.

“We want Filipino women and children to be healthier and to live longer, more productive lives,” she added.

Furthermore, Taguiwalo said the RH Law’s orientation “should be geared towards improving their health conditions, not controlling the population.”

These efforts come amid

relevant. It’s legally binding. And it’s obviously a decision of a court that’s recognized under international law. It has to be part of the calculation,” Kerry said.

Kerry reiterated the US call to all nations with competing claims in the South China Sea to respect the ruling of the PCA. “The rights of all countries under the law should always be respected. That is why international law is valued. At the same time and I want to be equally clear about this, we urge all the claimants to exercise restraint and to work to reduce tensions,” he said.

The US official said that the US hope for a diplomatic solution without coercion or the use and threat of force in the South China Sea, but without making reference to a particular claimant country.

Kerry said he was confident that the Philippines, a strong ally of US, would take its own negotiating position and decide how best to proceed forward.

“While the United States is not a claimant and the US does not take a position on the competing claims in the South China Sea, we do take a strong position on protecting the rights, the freedoms, the lawful uses of air and sea space as defined by international law. We take a strong position in support for the rule of law,” Kerry said during the press conference.

With Sandy Araneta

nority leader,” Roque said.

Roque was referring to the 110-member LP, most of whom had switched parties and joined PDP-Laban while the 30 others, led by Belmonte, earlier planned to contest the minority leadership but at the last minute backed out and signed a coalition agreement with Alvarez’s super majority coalition.

The LP-Belmonte wing was allocated one slot for deputy speaker represented by Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo.

Some eight members of the Liberals remained to contest the minority leadership.

“Had the LP controlled the minority, it would have been as if they were still the ruling party in Congress. They had their day for the last six years. The ruling party should be PDP-Laban, the party of the President,” Roque said. Christine F. Herrera and Maricel V. Cruz

the twin temporary restraining orders issued by the Supreme Court that forbids the Department of Health from selling and distributing implants and the Food and Drug Administration from renewing and authorizing licenses for all family planning commodities and devices.

The Health Department, meanwhile, said it would boost public awareness of the Responsible Parenthood Law. “The President himself said so, so we will be disseminating more information about family planning to our countrymen,” Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rossell-Ubial said in Filipino.

Fishing...

From A1 “Commanders must clearly understand the strategic implications of any actions so as not to jeopardize the implementation of the [ceasefire] and more importantly, the realization of the President’s intent for a lasting agreement with the CPP,” documents obtained by the Manila Standard read. “In cases of actual NPA violent attacks, the AFP shall treat the incidents as law enforcement operations in coordination with the PNP and immediate use of military force to repel and defeat the attack is authorized,” instructions from Armed Forces chief Gen. Ricardo Visaya said.

Oplan Bayanihan, the military’s anti-insurgency measure, will continue despite calls from leftist groups for Duterte to rescind the alleged militarization efforts by the Army. Security operations , focused on the neutralization of other threats to national security, such as the Abu Sayyaf Group and other terrorist groups, and the protection of communities, government facilities, military camps and other vital installations will continue despite the truce with the communist rebels.

Among those present during the NSC meeting were former Presidents Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and Benigno Aquino III. Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo, Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea,

Arroyo...

From A1

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, Solicitor General Jose Calida, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello, Communications secretary and presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar were also present.

Among those from the Senate were Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, Senators Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, Gregorio Honasan, Ralph Recto, Vicente Sotto III, and Franklin Drilon.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez also brought the House delegation together with Deputy Speakers Frenedil Castro of Capiz and Miro Quimbo of Marikina.

Other matters taken up were the peace and development roadmap of the Duterte administration, updates on the anti-drugs campaign, and a proposal to shift to a federal form of government.

Malacañang on Wednesday said it expects the country’s former presidents to support Duterte’s defense plans in light of the on going National Security Meeting to discuss the country’s ongoing sea row with China.

The NSC, chaired by Duterte functions to advise the President with respect to the integration of domestic, foreign, and military policies relating to the national security. It also serves as the President’s principal arm for coordinating these policies among various government departments and agencies in matters involving the national security. he signed a general amnesty.

Human rights group Karapatan has at least 543 political prisoners detained all over the country, including 18 NDF consultants.

Of the total number of political prisoners, 88 were ill while 48 others were senior citizens, the Karapatan said.

Under Arroyo’s proposal, an amnesty will cover the crime of rebellion and all other crimes in pursuit of political beliefs as defined by jurisprudence, or where the individual or group was accused because of political conflict, whether punishable under the Revised Penal Code or special laws.

“Provided, that the amnesty granted under this Act shall not cover the crime against chastity, rape, torture, kidnapping for ransom, use and trafficking of illegal drugs and violations of international law or convention and protocols, even if alleged to have committed in pursuit of political beliefs or if the individual or group was accused because of political conflict,” Arroyo’s bill says. Maricel V. Cruz and Macon

Senator Juan Edgardo Angara said the communist leadership should enforce a ceasefire to eradicate doubts on the part of the government that it is the only one observing a ceasefire.

Senator Leila de Lima said Duterte’s order for a ceasefire showed his sincerity to put an end to the conflict between the government and the NPA. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian welcomed Duterte’s unilateral declaration of a ceasefire and expressed hope it will lead to lasting peace.

Arroyo says “an amnesty program is an integral component of the Duterte government’s comprehensive peace efforts.”

She says she is hopeful the House leadership under Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez will speed up the passage of her measure.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, the chief government negotiator, earlier said President Rodrigo Duterte was committed to release several political prisoners even before Ramos-Araneta

Edca...

From A1 “As I said before, the agreement does not violate the Constitution,” Belmonte said.

“There are no constitutional infirmities in that agreement. The ruling is commendable because this will help the country establish a maritime defense.”

Belmonte made his statement even as United States Secretary of State John Kerry committed $32 million for law-enforcement training and services during his courtesy visit to President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday.

“The US committed $32 million in training and services ... basically, it will come in the form of training and stuff [for law enforcement],” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella told reporters.

Kerry, the highest member of the Cabinet of President Barack Obama to visit Duterte so

far, has “affirmed the longstanding relationship” between the US and the Philippines and discussed the maritime security in the region, including the common concerns of the US and the Philippines: “terrorism, crime, drugs, religious fanaticism and maritime security.”

The high court’s final decision came after The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration decided in favor of the Philippines in its maritime dispute with China, stressing that China’s historic nine-dash line had no historic and legal basis and that the West Philippine Sea fell within the country’s exclusive economic zone.

House Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu and Bulacan Rep. Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado said the high court ruling should be used by the Philippine government to appeal to the United States to extend further assistance to the country in modernizing its Armed Forces. Maricel V. Cruz and John Paolo Bencito

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Alvarez: Tax cuts ready by yearend

ALWAYS IN AGREEMENT. A merchant presents several bobbing dashboard puppies that he is peddling at the side of Maysan Road in Valenzuela City. Andrew Rabulan

By Maricel V. Cruz SPEAKER Pantaleon Alvarez has vowed to hasten the passage of a law lowering personal and corporate income taxes, saying the bill will be passed before the year ends.

“We will do everything we can to pass it within a year,” Alvarez said, explaining the tax cuts would be a huge relief to the people, especially the middle class.

The Davao del Norte congressman said the House leadership is committed to passing the measure at the soonest possible time after President Rodrigo Duterte asked Congress during his State of the Nation Address for lower personal and corporate income tax rates.

Alvarez said that simplifying income tax brackets would address corruption in the Bureau of Internal Revenue as this would pave the way for standard income tax rates that is away from manipulation by unscrupulous officials.

Under the current tax system, Alvarez said unscrupulous BIR officials could always find their way to “squeeze” taxpayers as the present taxation system is “complicated.”

“Right now, our law on taxation is very complicated and only those in the BIR understand it completely so some of them could extort from taxpayers,” Alvarez said.

“What they do is they’ll deliberately make tax assessments that are too exorbitant. For example, they’ll assess for P100 million only to ask you to pay P20 million. From that amount, however, only P10 million will be covered by receipts, sometimes only P5 million. That’s what happens,” he said.

Tax Management Association of the Philippines president Benedict Tugonon lauded the Duterte’s administration’s move, saying that a tax reform program was long overdue.

“We are very pleased to hear the statement of the President and this is what taxpayers have been waiting for a very long time—a mandate from the President to Congress to push tax reform, particularly towards the simpler and more equitable,” Tugonon said.

CA allows govt to buy train cars

By Rey E. Requejo

T

HE Court of Appeals has allowed the Department of Transportation and Communications to buy 48 new light-rail vehicles for the Metro Rail Transit 3, worth P3.76 billion, despite the appeal of the firm that failed to upgrade the train line.

The CA’s Twelfth Division, through Associate Justice Maria Elisa Sempio Diy, ruled that petitioners Metro Rail Transit Corp. and MRT Holdings II failed to prove that it would suffer “grave injustice and irreparable injury” if the DoTC is allowed to buy the train cars from the Dalian Locomotive and Rolling Stock of China.

The appellate court stressed

Quiapo gunman hunted over slay

By Sandy Araneta THE Manila Police District on Wednesday raised a “shoot-tokill” against an army reservist who shot dead a bicyclist with whom he had a traffic altercation in Quiapo, Manila Monday after a video of the killing went viral on social media.

The police and barangay officials identified the suspect as Philippine Army reservist Vhon Martin Tanto, 39, who was shown in the video shooting Mark Vincent Garalde in the head in Barangay 385 in Quiapo.

MPD chief Police Senior Supt.

Joel Coronel said they raised the shoot-to-kill after Tanto failed to surrender to the authorities on Wednesday afternoon.

“We [gave] him an opportunity and a chance to surrender and present himself to the Manila Police District by 5 p.m. [Wednesday]. He may be accompanied by his lawyer so he can present his side,” said Coronel.

“After 5 p.m. and he will not present himself, I will order a manhunt operation against the subject,” Coronel said. “The full strength of the Manila Police District will go after him. Dead or alive we want him.”

that MRTC’s arguments are merely “self-serving and uncorroborated” by independent witnesses.

“Thus, MRTC’s assertion that the procurement of additional LRVs by the DoTC constitutes irreparable injury and not compensable by damages is highly speculative and conjectural. [On the contrary], any damage and/ or injury that petitioners may suf-

fer due to the continued procurement of additional LRVs, is in fact, quantifiable and if proven, is fully compensable as damages,” the CA ruled.

The private owners of the MRT-3 had asked the Makati City Regional Trial Court for an injunction to protect their interests, while an arbitration is ongoing between them and the DoTC for allegedly violating the 1997 build-leasetransfer agreement on the MRT-3.

The arbitration is set to thresh out the conflict on whether MRT’s private owners can still invoke their right to first refusal to prevent the government from entering into a third-part supply contract with Dalian.

However, the appellate court affirmed the decision of the lower court that under Republic Act No. 8975, or the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act, only the Supreme Court can stop government infrastructure projects from

proceeding.

The purchase of 48 LRVs from Dalian is considered a national government project, because it was included in the Investment Priorities Plan approved by Congress.

According to the appellate court, the Makati City court may grant injunctive relief if the matter is of extreme urgency involving a constitutional issue.

“Bare allegations or invocation that MRTC suffered grave injustice and irreparable injury considering that is constitutionally protected rights were violated will not automatically result in the issuance of an injunctive relief,” the CA held.

The appellate court said its decision is limited to the issue of the injunction as interim relief, as the main dispute remains pending before the Singapore International Arbitration Centre.

Binay lands in the madding crowd

By Macon Ramos-Araneta “NAKAKALOKA [It’s maddening],” Senator Nancy Binay said on the first working day in the Senate after she discovered she will be sitting beside two other senators who had been hounding her father, former Vice President Jejomar C. Binay, after he declared his presidential bid last year.

“Ibang level ng powers ito [This needs a different level of powers],” she said when she saw in the Senate seat plan that she will be sitting beside Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who will also be beside Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. Cayetano and Trillanes were members of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee who actively investigated the former Vice President over the overpricing

of the Makati Park Building 2 and other alleged irregularities during his incumbency as Makati mayor.

The Ombudsman filed graft charges against the former vice president and his son, former Makati mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay, in connection with the building but had already posted bail after the Sandiganbayan issued warrants of arrest against them.

And as if to further raise Senator Binay’s hackles, Cayetano joked about the situation while the dismayed Binay complained to a Senate official about the seating arrangement.

Cayetano who appeared in the Senate for the first time as he was absent on Monday said he did not know if he was being punished today or it’s his two seatmates who were being punished as he will be sitting between them.

If they fail, the ministry will stop granting them any additional work permits starting from the 16th day after the date of delay.

“Two main things should be considered in this matter: firstly, salary delays occur usually if the company fails to pay wages a month from the due date, the second, which refers to completely refraining wages, starts after entering into the second month, however, the decree shall refer to each case in a different matter,” the minister said.

BI warns vs Chinese traffickers THE Bureau of Immigration on Wednesday warned the public against the activities of a human trafficking syndicate that victimizes Filipino women who are recruited and sent to work illegally in China.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente issued the warning after Chinese immigration authorities recently deported to Manila a Filipina who was victimized by a syndicate and was detained for two months in Beijing.

The victim, whose name was withheld, said her Chinese employer in Manila brought her to China but abandoned her at her workplace without securing for her a visa extension or working visa.

As a result, she said she was subsequently arrested and detained by Chinese authorities for being an illegally staying alien.

Vito Barcelo

PAL readies Hajj flights FLAG carrier Philippine Airlines announced on Wednesday it will have special flights to Saudi Arabia next month for those taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

“We are heeding the clamor of our Muslim brothers and sisters for a convenient link to a destination in the Middle East which will serve as their gateway to Mecca.

PAL looks forward to be their official carrier as they fulfill this annual religious tradition,” said PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista.

These flights, which will operate from Aug. 15 to 24, will depart from Manila and fly nonstop to Medina, from where pilgrims will travel to Mecca. PAL will mount Hajj flights utilizing the modern Airbus A330, with an average age of two years.

Joel Zurbano

BI arrests 17 Koreans

No more late wages for Filipinos in UAE FILIPINO workers in the United Arab Emirates will no longer have to deal with delayed salaries after the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation issued a new decree requiring firms to fully pay their employees’ wages within 10 days from the due date.

Minister Saqr bin Ghobash Saeed Ghobash said the new decree will take effect in October when companies employing over 100 workers will be required to fully pay employees’ wages within a period not exceeding 10 days.

IN BRIEF

PROTEST VS. EDCA. Activists protest in front of the United States Embassy on Roxas Boulevard in Manila on Wednesday as US State Secretary John Kerry met with President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang. Lino Santos

IMMIGRATION agents arrested 17 South Koreans for their alleged involvement in illegal online gaming operations in Pasig City.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the operation was conducted in coordination with representatives from the South Korean Embassy in Manila, who were aware of the raid on a posh condominium at Ortigas Center.

The arrested Koreans will be immediately deported for violating the Philippine immigration laws, Morente said.

BI spokesperson Atty. Antonette Mangrobang said the Koreans were caught in the act of operating computers inside the One Corporate Center building in Pasig City.

Vito Barcelo

A4

Opinion

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

mstdaydesk@gmail.com

‘Elder statesmen’

EDITORIAL

I

T WAS a sight to behold, one incumbent and four former presidents standing next to each other. President Rodrigo Duterte and former Presidents Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Benigno Aquino III were photographed together as they attended the first National Security Council meeting on Wednesday.

For the first meeting during his administration, Mr. Duterte led his four predecessors, the vice president, key Cabinet members and leaders of both Houses of Con-

Adelle Chua, Editor

gress in talking policy and strategy about the Philippines’ territorial dispute with China after the July 12 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in our favor, the peace process with both the Moro and the Communist rebels, and the campaign against illegal drugs.

The meeting, which started Wednesday afternoon, dragged well until the evening—which indicates either the leaders involved had difficulty finding common ground, or that they simply had too many ideas for cooperation that they could

not bring themselves to stop.

We will discover how the meeting turned out in the next few days, and whether the results would have bearing on the actual strategies and action plans to be adopted by the Duterte administration, or whether the meeting was all for show.

We’ve had enough of spectacles: For instance, the immediate past president, Aquino, showing up at the meeting still sporting a yellow ribbon, not the colors of the flag, on his chest.

This ultimate display of divisiveness was made

only worse by his snub of his own immediate predecessor, Arroyo, whose hand he reportedly refused to shake. Mr. Aquino had caused the imprisonment of Mrs. Arroyo for four years for plunder charges despite the latter’s debilitating sickness. She has been a free woman for just a week after the Supreme Court ordered her release, finding inadequate evidence to support the case against her.

Mr. Aquino was also conspicuously absent in Monday’s State of the Nation Address, saying he preferred to watch it in

the comfort of his living room so he could focus.

If we did not know any better, we would say he did not quite know how to face all the people he has alienated and unnecessarily pilloried. He would have felt alluded to when Mr. Duterte mentioned the culture of vindictiveness that prevailed in the past.

That former presidents go back to their quiet lives as civilians after their terms is really just an illusion. Some assume further responsibilities, as Mr. Ramos has agreed to do when he accepted the role of special envoy

to China. Some take on other roles in government. Others languish in jail for what they did or did not do while in office, whether or not the charges are deserved.

And then there is Mr. Aquino who cannot quite snap out of his mean, petty, childish streak even when he is now supposed to be acting like an elder statesman. In truth, there was nothing statesmanlike with how he conducted himself while in office.

It would be a stretch to expect he would act otherwise now that he is supposed to know better.

DUTY CALLS FLORENCIO FIANZA

More has to be done

POP GOES THE WORLD

and rehabilitate users. There is always hope for redemption in everyone.

In his first Sona, Duterte brought up rehabilitation of addicts, with plans to create an inter-agency committee to handle the drug menace and use military camps to accommodate drug users for rehabilitation as rehab facilities are set up around the country.

Military reservists are to help with information dissemination. Funds would be allocated for this particular endeavor.

Actually, funds for this purpose have been collected for decades. For instance, the three horseracing clubs—Manila Jockey Club Inc., Philippine Racing Club Inc., and Metro Manila Turf Club, Inc., are, under their respective franchise laws, obliged to provide 25 percent of their breakage (fractions of less than 10 centavos Turn to A5

Turn to A5

Not this way

JENNY ORTUOSTE WITH drug killings at 293 from July 1 to 24, according to the Philippine National Police, the state-sanctioned violence that executes suspected drug pushers and users has and continues to cycle to frightening levels.

Despite citizens, non-governmental organizations, activist groups, and the Church calling for a halt to the appalling murders done without due process, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte said in his State of the Nation Address the continuation of the drug war he launched, and ordered the police to ramp up their efforts to double, even triple, the present level. In previous addresses to the public, he has urged communist rebels to kill drug traffickers and ordinary folk to kill drug users.

Many of those committing murders have thus been emboldened to commit their

TRAFFIC management is supposed to be one of the focuses of the new administration to lessen the punishing traffic gridlock in Metro Manila. It seems, however, that the government’s attention has been temporarily side-tracked by other issues such as the antiillegal drug campaign and our dispute with China in the South China Sea. From what we can gather in the news, no unified national strategy has yet been crafted except for certain pronouncements by senior government officials. From these pronouncements, we can at least deduce the drift of their thinking. Also, the law granting the President emergency powers to address our traffic woes has not yet been passed. Secretary Benjamin Diokno of the Budget and Management was quoted as saying that eventually, the administration will devote seven percent of the gross domestic product from the current 4.7 percent for infrastructure development alone in order to address the backlog from the past several years. He also stated that there must be several simultaneous projects going on just to keep up with the rapid increase in motorization.

Secretary Diokno is right in his pronouncements, of course, but it always depends on how fast these projects can be implemented. Secretary Arthur Tugade for his part also mentioned some transportation ideas that he would like to consider, like the introduction of cable cars. How and where this type of transportation will be constructed, he did not say. But it will take time for this idea to even get off the drawing board if at all because it will have to be studied for its practicality as a public transport mode.

The request of the President for emergency powers was focused on short-cutting bureaucratic procedures to fasttrack infrastructure projects.

This will help, sure, but even with this, the problem will not simply go away. Years will pass before we feel and see the benefits. It takes a minimum period of at least three years to identify and implement a single major project.

What the suffering public wants right now is immediate traffic relief, which is something that is difficult for the

crimes under the blanket of the immunity granted to drug warriors and the impunity they flaunt as a consequence.

My daughters, both college students who take public transportation to and from school, describe an atmosphere of fear that has come over many young people like themselves. They are afraid of being mistaken for junkies or pushers and summarily killed, just as that criminology student and Ateneo teacher were, or be caught in the crossfire, as at least one woman was.

Thus the drug war being waged in Manila streets is unjust and unfair. No due process, innocents are swept up in the fatal net along with those presumed guilty. Human rights are being violated.

And it is the poorest who are treated this way; the elite and wealthy are untouchables, as always, with the police foiled

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And it is the poorest who are treated this way; the elite and wealthy are untouchables, as always, with the police foiled by a simple expedient of a letter from the posh subdivisions forbidding them entrance. ”

Benjamin Philip G. Romualdez Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Anita F. Grefal Maan Ilustre Edgar M. Valmorida

by a simple expedient of a letter from the posh subdivisions forbidding them entrance.

Again, one law for the rich, another for the poor. Where is the change here?

It is the abject, grinding, hopeless poverty prevalent in our country that drives many pushers to the drug trade and users to the numbing effects of hallucinogens. As of the first semester of 2015, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority, 26.3 percent—more than a fourth—of the population live below the poverty line, if you call that living. This level is roughly the same as Haiti’s, according to the Philippines Development Plan 2011-2016.

Reduce poverty by providing more jobs, social welfare and health services, and education —this will help give most Filipinos a chance to surface from the swamp of poverty. Give due process to drug suspects Chairman Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Treasury Manager Advertising and Marketing Head Circulation Manager

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Managing Editor Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Associate Editors Francis Lagniton News Editor Emil P. Jurado

Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

City Editor Senior Deskman Art Director Chief Photographer

Opinion

WHY haven’t the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency extended their antidrug drive to Metro Manila’s gated subdivisions, especially in Makati City, where they know pot sessions among the children of the rich and powerful are being held?

Certainly the police, NBI and PDEA know who among the television and movie personalities are drug users. These are often reported by journalists covering the entertainment industry. Why have they not been included when the police must know very well who the pushers and users of shabu, ecstasy and cocaine are?

My sources say that shabu factories exist in some of the gated subdivisions. They are protected by police and barangay officials themselves. This question becomes more apparent when we see photos and television clips of alleged drug pushers summarily killed.

This is why I subscribe to the move in the Senate to investigate what’s happening in President Rodrigo Duterte’s all-out war against illegal drugs. He must put to rest questions on alleged violations on human and civil rights. Santa Banana, even criminals have rights.

Yes, President Duterte as Chief Executive must execute and implement the laws. And only the courts can give people the due process they deserve.

But, to summarily kill alleged criminals can never justify the end. It can only promote the culture of violence and impunity.

Senator Leila de Lima, in proposing a probe, may of course have other things on her mind.

After all, she was—still is—the attack dog of former President BS Aquino. She also violated the rights of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who is suffering from a debilitating bone ailment. Despite her sickness, former President Benigno Aquino III made Arroyo the poster child of his fight against corruption, detaining her for four years. And it was through De Lima that this was done.

My gulay, going after drug lords and pushers is only half of the battle won. There’s the bigger problem of rehabilitating drug users. I praise President Duterte’s move to establish drug rehabilitation centers in all regions.

The thousand of drug users —rich and poor alike—must be rehabilitated so they can become productive members of society. All of them are victims of the drug menace. *** I had wanted to hear about the fight against illegal gambling in President Duterte’s Sona. This has become so pervasive not only in Luzon, but in the Visayas and even Mindanao even as it is called by different names—jueteng, masiao.

As mayor of Davao City, President Duterte must be aware of illegal gambling and the corruption that goes with it.

Jueteng, in all these years, has made many government officials richer.

It’s so pervasive, and also so tolerated. In fact, the results of jueteng and masiao are broadcast over the radio in some areas twice or even thrice a day.

In some municipalities in Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and Tarlac, even parish priests partake of the profits.

The reason why illegal drugs is such a tough nut to crack is that everybody in a municipality has a role and has a share of the profits. Many jueteng lords in Luzon have already been identified in the many congressional investigations about illegal gambling, but they continue anyway.

Jueteng has been around since pre-colonial days. I am told that if President Duterte ever goes against illegal gam-

bling people in those areas, people will protest. It’s their only form of entertainment, as well as a good source of money for their daily existence.

But if President Duterte really wants change, he must address illegal gambling as well.

I think he can if he wanted to.

He has enough resolve to be the leader we can all believe in. *** I am glad that the relationship of President Duterte and the Malacañang Press Corps has normalized such that press conferences will now be held at least once a month.

I was expecting President Duterte to also talk about the fight against illegal gambling.”

As I have written before, I think journalists are the President’s partner, not his enemy, in development and progress.

Without media, the President would be unable to relate with the people.

When Digong said that media always gave a slant on everything, it’s because he may not understand that objective reporting no longer exists.

In any case, I am glad that President Rody is now more open to media. *** Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is to sit on my desk to read almost all the newspapers I can get my hands on. That takes me almost four hours.

First, I read the headlines, and next the editorials and then the opinion pages for my favorite columnists and opinion makers. I also never miss the obituaries. I am 88 going 89, and I want to know who among my friends and batch mates have died.

That’s the reason why I got interested in Atty. Lorna Patajo-Kapunan’s column in a business newspaper. She wrote about association dues—when they are due or not due.

My interest in this subject is the result of some complaints I got from friends and relatives who bought condominiums.

Almost immediately, the builders charge them association dues.

Section 27 of Presidential Decree 957 provides that “no owner or developer shall levy upon any lot or buyer a fee for an alleged community benefit. Fees to finance services for common comfort, security and sanitation may be collected only by a properly organized homeowners association and only with the consent of a majority of the homeowners actually residing in the subdivision or condominium project.”

Thus, until and unless there’s a properly organized homeowners association and majority of its actual residents consented to the assessment and collection of association dues, no developer or subdivision owners can collect an association dues, lest they are charged with unjust enrichment, punishable under the law.

Property developers, condominium owners or any subdivision developer have this caveat.

Kapunan said that while it may be a little taxing and burdensome to comply with the requirements of PD 957, it’s still the law.

Thus, condominium and property owners and developers must be reminded of the penal clause of this law. There is a fine of not more than P20,000 and/or imprisonment of not more than 10 years for violation of this particular law.

A5

mstdaydesk@gmail.com

Words and symbols

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

A tougher nut to crack

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

MINORITY REPORT DANILO SUAREZ I AGREE with the general sentiments of the people that the first State of the Nation Address of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte was a successful undertaking. It is not only the message contained in his speech that was a significant deviation from the norm.

Consider that in my more than 20 years of attending Sonas, this was the fastest that I was able to go in and out of the Batasang Pambansa. The reason for this was that no significant barriers were put up by the Philippine National Police. The usual container vans and fire trucks, which served as a blockage along Commonwealth Ave. in years past, are now neatly parked along the side while “protesters” from the activist ranks marched in an orderly fashion, allowing for smooth flow of traffic. Metro Manila Development Authority personnel, meanwhile, directed the flow of the march. They mingled easily with our brothers from the left.

Inside the House of Representatives, there was no pompous fashion show, allowing for a more egalitarian atmosphere.

Our representatives appeared approachable to the public in their simple business attire, as required in the Sona invitations. The Presidential Security Group, ever the strict guards of our Commander in Chief, this time did not allow for a VIP Lane. Everyone was required to line up and pass through the security measures in place.

Lastly, and as widely reported in social media, after his speech, the President invited members of the left and the marginalized to a dialogue inside the House. I could only imagine the shock of the representatives of these groups. They are used to facing truncheons instead of luncheons.

The events during the day of President Duterte’s first Sona show the progressive mindset of this administration. There was mutual respect between the new administration and parties who were traditionally vigorously opposed to those in power. An open line of communication marked by mutual respect between all parties, and the leadership’s willingness to listen to the advice and opinion of various sectors, are potent symbols of a bright future for our country.

As regards the speech itself, we will abide by our previous promise that we will be a con-

structive minority. We will not oppose for the sake of opposing, and ours will always be a principled stand. Specifically, I support the President’s move to lower personal and corporate income taxes. While bureaucrats of the past administration who specialize in taxation are opposed to this move, my take on this matter is that an outright “no” answer might just be because of the lack of out-of-thebox thinking.

We have one of the highest personal and corporate income taxes in the region and we have made no moves to amend this situation, even though we are required under the Constitution to adopt a progressive system of taxation. I know this is not a simple matter in light also of the President’s promise to increase the pay of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.

The practical question is this: Where do we get the funds for the increase in pay if we are to lower our taxes?

We should realize that countries with lower personal and corporate income taxes have higher domestic consumption and are attractive investment destinations, thereby compensating for the lower tax base from this type of tax. We should also address the elephant in the room which is the perennial

lackadaisical performance of our collection agencies. Your Congress has not been remiss in its duty to address this problem: we have the Lateral Attrition Law which has not been properly implemented, especially during the last administration.

While recidivist employees and officers of the Bureau of Customs and Bureau of Internal Revenue look at it purely as a Penal Law, a progressive and productive BIR or BOC official will look at the law as an incentive. The Lateral Attrition Law provides that should revenue collections exceed the target by 30 percent, 15 percent of the first 30 percent and 20 percent of the remaining excess will form part of a rewards fund for the officials and employees of that agency. It says a lot about the people in these agencies when their majority opinion of the law is one of opposition to its implementation.

The public is so used to these agencies’ yearly report of under collection, while at the same time hearing about the outlandish lifestyle even of their mere clerks. Our country deserves better. We took a step towards making the better options for ourselves when we elected this President.

Here’s hoping for the fulfillment of President Duterte’s promises during his first Sona.

Seeing China through its economic history

By Tyler Cowen IS IT possible to better understand China today by looking back to the country’s economic history? I don’t mean the years of communism under Chairman Mao, but rather earlier times, those which seem to many Western observers like a blurred sequence of one dynasty after another.

Enter Richard von Glahn’s “The Economic History of China: From Antiquity to the Nineteenth Century,” a book likely to go down as one of the year’s best. Over the last 15 years, the economics profession has gone from a poor understanding of China’s economic history to knowing quite a bit.

Von Glahn’s exhaustive but readable book is the best guide to this rapidly growing body of knowledge.

I took away several overall lessons, noting these are my extrapolations and not necessarily the opinions of von Glahn, a professor at the University of California at Los Angeles.

First, in thousands of years of Chinese history there isn’t much of a trend toward democracy or representative government. In an age when Turkey and Russia have been rejecting open and transparent representation, it hardly seems obvious that China will move toward greater political freedom. When Chinese leaders tell their citizens that Brexit and the Trump candidacy represent failures of democracy in action, a lot of Chinese citizens believe them.

More...

From A4 government to do. Part of the

problem has always been that implementing an infrastructure project always take eternity to implement and complete. The worst was the past administration of former President Aquino which delayed several critical transportation infrastructure projects. A case in point is the SLEX/NLEX connector road. These projects were supposed to have been implemented towards the end of the last century but suffered many delays. By the time it was ready for implementation in 2010, the Aquino administration had taken over and another six-year delay had ensued.

Now, according to the latest news, the project will finally be awarded to a winning contractor in two to three months. If this schedule is followed, the project would again be delayed because construction will only start on 2018 and be completed by 2020. This is a project

Not...

From A4 eliminated from the dividends paid to the winning tickets) “for the rehabilitation of drug addicts as provided in Republic Act No. 6425” (The Dangerous Drugs Act). The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Of-

Furthermore, a lot of autocratic Chinese regimes in history have proven stable even in periods of fairly slow economic growth. It can take them centuries to fall and be replaced, and even then a foreign invasion, like ones by the Mongols or Manchus, may be required.

From today’s media, one sometimes receives the impression that a Chinese growth rate below 4 or 6 percent could mean radical instability and a rapid fall of the government, but Chinese history does not show this pattern. That is hardly proof of how things will run in the future, but it should shift our expectations in the direction of greater Chinese political stability.

It is striking how many contemporary Chinese economic policy ideas have parallels in earlier times. Going through this history, von Glahn explains the importance of state-owned enterprises, the use of fiscal policy to keep people working, commodity monopolies (then tea, now cigarettes) and population registration across many centuries. I take those continuities as signs that China today is embodying what the country was for a long time, rather than inhabiting a transitional state before morphing into something different.

The book also explains how China adopted an earlier series of modernizing, marketoriented reforms during what is called the Tang-Song transition of 755-1127. The most striking feature of this relatively suc-

cessful time is that it lasted for almost 400 years, in spite of periodic territorial losses to outside conquerors. The extreme instability of the 19th and much of the 20th century in China is the historical outlier, not the norm, and so China today may have fallen back into one of its relatively stable episodes.

If there is a single common theme running through the many centuries covered by this book, it is the never-fullysuccessful quest of the Chinese state for revenue and fiscal stability. One reason China fell behind Western Europe in the 18th century is simply that the Chinese state spent less on creating valuable public goods and infrastructure.

In 1993, 15 years after it began making market-oriented reforms, the Chinese central government’s direct revenue was only 3 percent of gross domestic product, with the usual caveat that no Chinese numbers should be taken as exact measures. Only in the last 10 years has that revenue share exceeded 10 percent of GDP; by comparison, in the US in normal times that number sits in the range of 17 to 18 percent. For all the images Americans might have of China’s government as a communist behemoth, the country’s political order is better understood as still somewhat immature.

State-owned enterprises, local governments and direct Communist Party control all filled the gap to boost the power of the rulers, and that helps

explain why the Chinese find it hard to fully modernize their economy. Their government has had too little facility in grabbing flows of revenue and thus it has overspecialized in taking, owning and controlling assets.

Given that choice, the central government is reluctant to reform, shut down or unload its state-owned enterprises, if only for fear that too much bankruptcy and unemployment would result, not to mention a broader loss of control. Furthermore, local Chinese governments often still do not have enough revenue, and so they rely too heavily on sales or rental income from land to keep things up and running, a revenue model that cannot last forever.

In the view of this reader, China’s most likely near-term economic future is that of a relatively stable political regime whose artificial schemes for raising revenue and staying in power keep the economy distorted. In this perspective, China’s recent move toward a more comprehensive value-added tax was bigger news than many observers realized, and mostly positive, though the country has not yet achieved fiscal maturity.

Like the country’s ultimate resiliency, China’s most serious economic problems may prove to be some of its most longstanding features. “The Economic History of China” may be an academic tome, but it is also an acute lens on the Middle Kingdom that you won’t find in your daily news feed. Bloomberg

delay of eight years which even in this slow-moving society of ours is totally unacceptable.

By 2020, there probably will be a need for another connector road because by then about 600,000 vehicles will be hitting our roads and 28 percent of vehicles sold will be in the Metro Manila area.

Secretary Diokno was right when he said that there is a need to turbo charge the implementation of simultaneous infrastructure projects just to cope with increasing motorization. This is the strategic solution to improving public transport. The idea being that if the government can somehow come up with an efficient public transportation system, people would be encouraged to use these facilities and leave their cars at home. It will also give the government reason to phase out the jeepneys, tricycles, and some of the old buses that are causing a lot of the gridlock.

But as we know, there is a lot more to be done. Infrastructure development is admittedly a major

part of the solution—but is not the panacea. For one, it is surprising that the Metro Manila Development Authority is not requesting that its mandate to manage traffic in the metro area be amended for the purpose of strengthening it. Although the public believes that MMDA has enough authority, it only has authority to enforce moving traffic violations. MMDA does not have enough authority to be able to solve the traffic problem in its totality.

For instance, the MMDA does not have any say when it comes to the issuance of a driver’s license in the NCR because it is the Land Transportation Office that does that. Tricycle permits are vested in the local government units, while jeepney and bus permits to operate as public transportation is with the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board. MMDA therefore, is just playing with the card that it is dealt with. Considering the magnitude of the traffic problem, MMDA needs a lot more authority.

There is a pressing need to remove the many bureaucratic overlaps that make the management of traffic in the Metro area cumbersome, inefficient and difficult. In addition, many LGUs still insist on their own prerogatives disregarding some MMDA programs. There has to be a way for some government agencies and the LGUs in the metropolitan area to get together under the auspices of the Office of the President for the purpose of improving cooperation and coordination. Agencies should be willing to give up certain prerogatives for the good of all. If not, no amount of emergency powers will do the trick.

fice also allocates an amount from its unclaimed and forfeited Sweepstakes and Lotto prizes to the Dangerous Drugs Board as a mandatory contribution. There might be other agencies and bodies also providing funds for this purpose.

With these resources, we are on our way to establishing the rehab centers that Duterte spoke of.

Rehabilitation, rather than summary execution and the rule of law, is the way to treat drug offenders.

Our country doesn’t even have a death penalty, so the killings are clearly illegal and a violation of human rights.

My objection to this drug war does not extend to Duterte’s beneficial plans and projects. I admire the sagac-

ity and energy of our new President, and his sense of humor; and I too, as we all, want an end to the destructive and negative effects of drugs on our society, but not this way.

Not this way.

Mr. Robles’ column will resume soon.

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

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard

the subject PSA, providing the terms and conditions for the supply of five (5) MW baseload power to ESAMELCO, to assure the adequate and reliable supply of power to ESAMELCO’s franchise area;

Republic of the Philippines TODAY ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION San Miguel Ave., Pasig City 14.

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF THE POWER SUPPLY AGREEMENT (PSA), AS AMENDED, BETWEEN EASTERN SAMAR ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE INC. AND GNPOWER LTD. CO. WITH PRAYER FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT OF INFOR MATION AND THE ISSUANCE OF PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY

15.

A. ERC Case No. 2016-023 RC

EASTERN SAMAR ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (ESAMELCO) AND GNPOWER LTD. CO. (GNPOWER) Applicants. x-------------------------------------------------------x

B.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES:

In support of said Application, ESAMELCO and GNPower alleged, among others, the following:

2.

Annex “A” “B” “C” “D”

Applicant ESAMELCO is a non-stock, non-profit electric cooperative existing under the laws of the Philippines, with principal office address at Brgy. Cabong, Borongan City, Eastern Samar. It is authorized to distribute and provide electricity services to its member-consumers in the City of Borongan and the Municipalities of Jipapad, Arteche, San Policarpo, Oras; Dolores, Maslog, Canavid, Taft, Sulat, San Julian, Maydolong Balangkayan, Llorente, Hernani, General MacArthur, Quinapondan, Giporlos, Balangiga, Lawaan, Salcedo, Mercedes,. and Guiuan, all in the Province of Eastern Samar (collectively, the “Franchise Area”); Copies of ESAMELCO’s Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws, Certificate of Registration, and Certificate of Franchise are attached to the Application as follows: Document ESAMELCO’s Articles of Incorporation ESAMELCO’s By-laws Certificate of Registration with the National Electrification Administration (NEA) Certificate of Franchise

3.

Applicant GNPOWER is a duly registered limited partnership existing under Philippine laws, engaged in the business of developing, constructing, operating, and owning power generation facilities and in the sale and trade of electric power.

Its principal office is at 28th Floor, Orient Square Building, Don Francisco Ortigas Jr. Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City; 4.

GNPOWER’s pertinent documents evidencing its due registration as a limited partnership are appended to the Application, as follows: Annex Document Certificate of Registration issued by the Securities and “E” Exchange Commission (SEC) “F” GNPOWER’s Amended Articles of Partnership 5.

6.

7.

Applicants may be served with orders, notices, and other legal processes of the Commission through its counsels of record; The instant Application is filed pursuant to Sections 23, 25, 43 (u), and 45 (b) of Republic Act No. 9136, otherwise known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA Law), its Implementing Rules and Regulations, and other pertinent rules and regulations. A copy of the PSA signed by Applicants on 1~• September 2015, as amended by a letter of agreement dated 16 December 2015 (Amendment Letter), are attached as Annex “G” and “G-1”, respectively, and forms an integral part of the Application STATEMENT OF FACTS The aggregated uncontracted baseload demand, of Region 8 for years 2015 to 2018 is continually increasing as shown in the table below:

Contract Year

Contract Duration

2015 2016 2017 2018

Dec. 26, 2014 – Dec. 25, 2015 Dec. 26, 2015 – Dec. 25, 2016 Dec. 26, 2016 – Dec. 25, 2017 Dec. 26, 2017 – Dec. 25, 2018

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

On 18 September 2015, ESAMELCO and GNPOWER executed

“H-3”

CC HT

= =

PHCPI0

=

ICIn-1

=

ICI0

= D.

E.

F.

Replacement Power During any Scheduled or Unscheduled Outages, GNPOWER and ESAMELCO shall cooperate to arrange for Replacement Power from, including but not limited to, other facilities of GNPOWER, third parties and the WESM. GNPOWER, at its own cost and in consultation with ESAMELCO, shall negotiate on behalf of ESAMELCO for the supply and delivery of capacity and energy from third parties for a price as close as possible to the Contract Price

G.

Prompt Payment Discount Provided ESAMELCO has no arrears from previous billings, including the Security Deposit or any unpaid charges or penalties, if ESAMELCO pays the invoice amount in full within 10 days from its receipt of the invoice, ESAMELCO shall be credited on the next subsequent bill a PPD equivalent to eight centavos per kilowatt-hour (PhP0.08/kWh).

H.

Security Deposit In the event of ESAMELCO’s failure to pay on Due Date, GNPOWER shall draw, at its option, from the Security Deposit on the working day immediately following the Due Date. Within thirty (30) Business Days from the Start of Delivery Date, ESAMELCO shall establish the Security Deposit and submit to GNPOWER documentary proof sufficient to allow GNPOWER to draw therefrom. The Security Deposit shall be in the form of cash and or irrevocable letter of credit and shall be equivalent to ESAMELCO’s projected maximum electricity bill, to be determined not later than sixty (60) calendar days prior to Start of Delivery.

the actual energy delivered, in kWh, to the Buyer at the Delivery Point for the Billing Period. is the Contracted Capacity in kW. is the total number of hours in the Billing Period.

the sum of the duration, in Equivalent Hours, of Scheduled Outages and Unscheduled Outages in such Billing Period CFCUF = the Capacity Fee in PhP/kWh for a given CUF in a Billing month.

LCRCUF = the local component of the Capital Recovery Fee in PhP/kWh at the given CUF. LFOMCUF = the local component of the Fixed O&M fee in PhP/kWh at the given CUF. PHCPIn-1 = Philippine Consumer Price Index of the calendar month prior to the month corresponding to the Billing Period, for All Income Households – All Items (2006=100), as published by the Philippine National Statistics Coordination Board (or its substitute or replacement agency, as the case may be). = the base Philippine Consumer Price Index for the month PHCPI0 of December 2014. PHCPI0 = 140.5.

CUF = the Capacity Utilization Factor between 70% and 100%, provided that if the actual CUF is below 70% (the “Minimum Capacity Utilization Factor”), the Capacity Price shall be calculated based on the Capacity Fee and quantity associated with the Minimum Capacity Utilization Factor.

The corresponding Capacity Fee price component for a given Capacity Utilization Factor is set forth in the Table below: Capacity Fees for Specific Capacity Utilization Factor CAPACITY FEE LOCAL PRICE COMPONENTS (PHP/ kWh) Fixed O&M (LFOMCUF) 0.6204 0.6267 0.6331 0.6396 0.6463 0.6531 0.6600 0.6671 0.6743 0.6818 0.6893 0.6971 0.7050 0.7131 0.7214 0.7299 0.7386 0.7475 0.7566 0.7659 0.7755 0.7853 0.7954 0.8057 0.8163 0.8272 0.8384 0.8499 0.8617 0.8738 0.8863

Capital Recovery (LCRCUF) 2.2944 2.3176 2.3412 2.3654 2.3900 2.4152 2.4409 2.4671 2.4939 2.5213 2.5493 2.5780 2.6073 2.6372 2.6679 2.6993 2.7314 2.7643 2.7980 2.8326 2.8680 2.9043 2.9415 2.9797 3.0189 3.0592 3.1005 3.1430 3.1867 3.2315 3.2777

C.U.F. 100% 99% 98% 97% 96% 95% 94% 93% 92% 91% 90% 89% 88% 87% 86% 85% 84% 83% 82% 81% 80% 79% 78% 77% 76% 75% 74% 73% 72% 71% 70%

For the resulting CUF which is not a whole number, the corresponding Capacity Fee Price C6mponent shall be computed using the formula below:

LCRCUF = LFOM CUF =

Where: LCRCUF

–

LCR@100%

–

LFOMCUF

–

LFOM@100%

–

CUF

–

LCR@100% CUF

LFOM

LFOM @100% CUF

is the local component of the Capital Recovery fee in PHP/kWh at the given CUF. is the local component of the Capital Recovery fee in PHP/kWh at 100% CUF. is the local component of the Fixed O&M fee in PHP/ kWh at the given CUF. is the local component of the Fixed O&M fee in PHP/ kWh at 100% CUF. is the Capacity Utilization Factor between 70% and 100%, provided that if the actual CUF is below 70% (the “Minimum Capacity Utilization Factor”), the Capacity Price shall be calculated based on the Capacity Fee and quantity associated with the Minimum Capacity Utilization Factor.

The Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF) shall be computed as follows: CUF = max

Where: QACTUAL

=

the actual quantity of energy, in kWh, delivered to ESAMELCO at the Delivery Point in the Billing Period

CC HT

= =

the Contracted Capacity, in kWh, as set forth in Schedule 1 the total number of hours in such Billing Period

EHTO

=

the sum of the duration, in Equivalent Hours, of Scheduled Outages and Unscheduled Outages in such Billing Period

C. 2. Energy Fee and Energy Charge The Energy Fee is the component of the Contract Price allocated to pay for the coal, including Government Charges, designated as the Energy Fee in Schedule 1 of the PSA as adjusted from time to time due to changes in the delivered price of coal and Governmental Charges. The Energy Fee shall be computed in accordance with the following formula: Energy Charge = QACTUAL x EF EF = 0.2874 x

+ 1.5256 x

Where: QACTUAL

=

EF PHCPIn-1

= =

+ 0.2375

Actual energy delivered by GNPOWER to ESAMELCO, in kWh, for the Billing Period Energy Fee in PhP/kWh Philippine Consumer Price Index of the calendar month prior to the month corresponding to the Billing Period, for All Income Households – All Items (2006 = 100),

Currency of Payment The Contract Price shall be paid by ESAMELCO in Philippine Peso only.

Scheduled and Unscheduled Outages Under the PSA, •GNPOWER shall be allowed Scheduled and Unscheduled Outages not to exceed forty-five (45) days per Contract Year, during which time reduced or no delivery will be available to ESAMELCO. Unutilized Equivalent Hours for Scheduled Outages and Unscheduled Outages.in the Contract Year cannot be carried forward to subsequent Contract Year.

=

EHTO

Thus, the Region 8 ECs decided to bid out their power supply requirements for the period 2015 - 2018. In the middle of 2014, the Region 8 ECs conducted a Joint Power Supply Planning.

Later, the Region 8 ECs decided, through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), to conduct a joint procurement of their shortterm aggregated baseload requirement, specifically, their power supply needs beginning 26 December 2015 until 25 December 2016. From September to December 2014, the competitive bidding for the region’s power requirements was held;

“H-4” “H-5” “H-6” “H-7” “H-8”

“H-1” “H-1-a” “H-2”

=

The contracts of most of the Electric Cooperatives (ECs) in Region 8 with the National Power Corporation -Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (NPC PSALM) expired on 25 December 2014; On 07 November 2013, the eleven (11) ECs of Region 8 participated in the bidding for PSALM’s 200 strips of energy from the Unified Leyte Geothermal Power Plant, but lost; Typhoon Yolanda hit the region on 08 November 2013 stalling any efforts to contract additional power supply and shifting the focus instead on the massive restoration efforts in the area;

12.5. The process followed the 2-envelope system - the legal requirements and proof of financial and technical capability in the first, and the commercial offer in the second. Bids were evaluated based on an Evaluation Framework and Evaluation Methodology released to the Bidders; 12.6. After evaluating the bids of each supplier, on 14 November 2014, the BAC declared Applicant GNPOWER as a winning bidder of a total of 43 MW for Contract Year 2016,: with a Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid with a Base Price offer of PhP5.0481/kWh and an evaluated Effective Price of PhP6.6658/kWh; 12.7. On 14 September 2015, GNPOWER and the. Region 8 ECs commenced the final negotiations for the other commercial and technical terms and conditions of the PSA and negotiated the further reduction of the Contract Price from PhP5.0481/kWh to PhP 4.9653/kWh and for the increase in capacity to 52MW; Attached to the Application are copies of the relevant documents issued relative to the Joint Competitive Selection Process undertaken by the Region 8 ECs for the supply of their aggregated base load demand: Document Invitation to Bid Copy of the page of the newspaper where the Invitation was published Affidavit of Publication of the Invitation to Bid Memorandum of Agreement among Region 8 ECs Emails confirming participation of interested suppliers in the bidding Final Instruction to Bidders Bid Forms Bid Evaluation Slips Comparison of Bids Notice of Award

Annex “H”

Where: QACTUAL

Aggregated Baseload 65 MW 78 MW 83 MW 93 MW

For such purpose, a Bids and Awards Committee was created to conduct the Region 8 Joint Competitive Power Supply Procurement (“R8 JCPSP”) as follows: 12.1 The Region 8 ECs initially prepared their respective least-cost power supply plans and subsequently their aggregated baseload demand for competitive bidding; 12.2. The competitive tender was published and announced in the coverage areas of the Region SECs. In addition, prospective bidders (Generation Companies, IPP Administrators and Wholesale Aggregators whose names are listed on the Department of Energy [DOE]. website) were invited; 12.3. The capacity offered by the winning bidder/s was allocated among the eleven (11) Region 8 ECs in proportion to their declared demand. A bidder was allowed to offer to supply capacity that is less than or equal to the aggregated baseload requirement in any or all of the contract years in increments of 1MW. In the event that some winning bidders offered less than 11 MW, the loads were optimally allocated in such a way that the blended price of generation resulting from the RS JCPSP transaction is almost the same for all ECs. In the event multiple bidders who collectively satisfy the total baseload demand of RS ECs are ‘declared winners for any contract year, all winning bidders entered into individual PSAs with each of the 11 ECs; 12.4. Bidders who signified their intention to join by buying the bid documents, attended pre-bid conferences where they gave their comments and sought clarification on the bidding requirements and process. The BAC issued bid bulletins and the Final Instruction to Bidders;

For the delivery of the contracted capacity, it shall have a term of one (1) year, starting on 26 December 2015 (12:00 A.M.) to 25 December 2016 (12:00 M.N.) Contracted Capacity GNPOWER shall sell and deliver, or cause to deliver to ESAMELCO a contracted capacity of seven (7) MW at the delivery point of the facility.

Unutilized Capacity. The unutilized capacity of the Buyer may be made available for utilization of other Region 8 ECs or sold to the WESM. Exchange of Contracted Capacities. To maximize capacity utilization, Region 8 ECs may exchange quantities of their Contracted Capacities. (Exchange in MW Capacity Protocol annexed to the PSA) C. Contract Price Under Schedule 1 of the PSA, the Total Monthly Charge, before taxes, for a Billing Period shall be computed according to the following Total Monthly Charge = Capacity Charge + Energy Charge C. 1. Capacity Fee and Capacity Charge The Capacity Fee is the component of the Contract Price allocated to pay for the cost, as well as, the operations and maintenance of the Facility and is designated as the Capacity Fee in Schedule 1 of the PSA, as amended, as• such may be adjusted from time to time based on ESAMELCO’s Capacity Utilization Factor.

On 15 March 2016, Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ESAMELCO) and GNPower Ltd. Co. (GNPower) filed their joint Application for approval of their Power Supply Agreement (PSA), with prayer for confidential treatment of information and issuance. of provisional authority.

1.

Subsequently, through the Amendment Letter, ESAMELCO requested for a two (2) MW increase in Contracted Capacity, which GNPOWER accepted and conformed to on 14 January 2016; ABSTRACT OF THE PSA AND OTHER RELATED INFORMATION The following are the salient features of the PSA: Term The Agreement shall be effective from 18 September 2015, the date of the execution of the PSA. ,

as published by the Philippine National Statistics Coordination Board (or as substitute or replacement agency, as the case may be) base Philippine Consumer Price Index for the month of December 2014 for All Income Households – All Items (2006 = 100), as published by the Philippine National Statistics Coordination Board (or its substitute or replacement agency, as the case may be) Indonesian Coal Price Index of the calendar month prior to the month corresponding to the Billing Period, in US$/ Mton Base Indonesian Coal Price Index for the month of December 2014 = US$67.28/Mton

COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGE OF THE GENERATION RATE AND IMPACT ON SAMELCO I’S RETAIL RATES 16. ESAMELCO, together with the other Region 8 ECs, needs to address the insufficiency of its power supply due to the increasing demand within its franchise area and the expiration of its contract with NPC-PSALM; 17.

18.

19.

20.

Currently, ESAMELCO receives a total of 8MW from its existing suppliers, out of its peak requirement of 13MW. With an annual average growth rate of 7.73%, ESAMELCO forecasts that its peak demand from 26 December 2015 to 25 December 2016 will be 14MW; The additional supply from GNPOWER will significantly augment the supply deficiency of ESAMELCO and will decrease the adverse effects thereof by providing a stable and adequate source of electricity; Among alternative suppliers capable of providing additional energy to ESAMELCO and the rest of the Region 8 ECs, GNPOWER’s rates proved to be more reasonable and competitive. While GNPOWER’s offer is primarily intended ‘for its base load requirements, the Capacity Factor Pricing under the PSA, as amended, provides flexibility in the DUs’ utilization of the Contracted Capacity; ESAMELCO simulated a rate impact analysis which resulted in a Php0.2167 /kWh decrease with the execution of the PSA, as amended, with GNPOWER, to wit:1

Simulation of Generation Mix Rate with GNPower for the Year 2016: Power Supplier

Forecasted 2015 Quantity (kWh)

Amount (PhP)

Percent Share (%)

FDCUI TRANS-ASIA GNPOWER WESM TOTAL

17,568,000.00 17,568,000.00 45,493,600.00 3,044,532.94 83,674,132.94

101,490,336.00 93,117,427.20 272,479,367.84 14,527,566.46 481,614,697.50

21.00% 21.00% 54.37% 3.64% 100%

Resulting Capacity Factor (%) 100% 100% 74%

2015 Average Rate (P/kWh) 5.7770 5.3004 5.9894 4.7717

Weighted Average Rate (kWh)

Resulting Capacity Factor (%) 100% 100% 0%

2015 Average Rate (P/kWh) 5.7770 5.3004 0.0000 6.2866

Weighted Average Rate (kWh)

5.7558

Simulation of Generation Mix Rate without GNPower for the Year 2016 Power Supplier

Forecasted 2015 Quantity (kWh)

Amount (PhP)

Percent Share (%)

FDCUI TRANS-ASIA GNPOWER WESM TOTAL

17,568,000.00 17,568,000.00 0.00 48,538,132.94 83,674,132.94

101,490,336.00 93,117,427.20 0.00 305,139,799.01 499,747,562.21

21.00% 21.00% 0.00% 58.01% 100%

21.

22.

ANNEX “I” “J” “K” “K-1” “L” “M” “N” “O” “P” “Q” “R” “S”

”T”

5.9725

In addition to the lower generation cost of the power supply from GNPOWER, ESAMELCO is also entitled to a Prompt Payment Discount (PPD), if conditions are met, equivalent to PhP0.08/kWh; In compliance with Rule 20 of ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure relative to the submission, of supporting documents and information for the approval of the PSA, as amended, and the rate structure embodied therein, Applicants attached to; the Application the following documents to form integral parts thereof: DOCUMENT Executive Summary of the PSA, as amended Rate Impact Simulation Sources of Funds/Financial Plans with Cost Assumptions Compact Disc containing a soft copy of Annex “K” Breakdown of the Contract Price Sample Computation of Power Rates GNPOWER’s Audited Financial Statement for 2014 GNPOWER’s Certificate of Registration No. WA-13-01-001 valid until January 2018 ESAMELCO’s Distribution Development Plan (DDP) ESAMELCO’s Actual and Forecasted Energy and Demand ESAMELCO’s Average Daily Load Curve ESAMELCO’s Board Resolution No. 80-S-2015 authorizing the filing of an application with the ERC for the approval of PSA, as amended, and designating its General Manager to represent ESAMELCO in such filing GNPOWER’s General Partner’s Certificate attesting to the resolution of the Board to execute the subject PSA with ESAMELCO, as amended, designating signatories thereto

23.

Applicants reserve their right to submit other documents, either in the course of the hearing or as may be required by’ the Commission; COMPLIANCE WITH PRE-FILING REQUIREMENTS 24. Applicants manifest compliance with the pre-filing requirements mandated under the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the EPIRA and Rule 6of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, to be established by the following: 24.1 Certifications acknowledging receipt of the Application with annexes to be issued by the Legislative Bodies of Pasig City, Municipality of Borongan, and the Province of Eastern Samar, to be appended as Annexes “V”, “W” and “X”, respectively; 24.2. Notarized Affidavit of Publication stating that the Application was published in a newspaper of general circulation within ESAMELCO’s Franchise Area, to be appended to the Application as Annex “Y’’; and 24.3. Complete newspaper issue where the Application was published, to be appended to the Application as Annex “Y-1”, and the relevant page thereof where the Application appears, as Annex “Y-2”;; MOTION FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT OF ANNEXES “H-2” to “H-8”, “K”, and “K-1” 25.

Under Rule 4 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, a party to any proceeding before the Commission may request that certain information not be disclosed and be treated as confidential, by describing with particularity the information to be treated as confidential, specifying the ground for the claim of confidential treatment of the information and, if applicable, specifying the period during which the information must not be disclosed; 26.

ESAMELCO requests for the confidential treatment of Annexes “H-2” to “H-8” of the Application, consisting of the MOA among Region 8 ECs, e-mails confirming participation of interested suppliers in the bidding, Final Instructions to Bidders, Bid Forms, Bid Evaluation Slips, Comparison of Bids, and Notice of

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27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

Award, respectively. These annexes show the individual offers of the bidders which participated in the R8 JCPSP. The Region 8 ECs, ESAMELCO included, are bound by their undertaking to secure and keep in confidence the offers and the proposed terms of supply, so as not to prejudice or pre-empt any future CSPs in which these bidders will participate. Otherwise, ESAMELCO and the rest of the Region 8 ECs may be held liable for damages for breach of confidentiality, and eventually, risk their good relations with the suppliers concerned; Similarly, GNPOWER respectfully moves for the confidential treatment of Annexes “K” and ‘’K-1” hereof, consisting of GNPOWER’s Sources of Funds and Financial Plans with Cost Assumptions. These annexes, exclusively owned by GNPOWER, contain information which are considered part of its business and trade secrets. As such, GNPOWER has the sole proprietary interest and will be unduly prejudiced should they be disclosed to the public; These annexes contain numbers, data, formula, methodology, and calculations involving valuable and sensitive commercial, financial information reflecting GNPOWER’s business operations and financial trade secrets. Therefore, GNPOWER’s confidential, proprietary, and private information included in the aforesaid annexes should be protected in public dissemination. Otherwise, such information can be illegally and unfairly utilized by business competitors who may use the same for their own private gain and to the irreparable prejudice of GNPOWER. Negotiations with prospective customers may also be affected.

The information contained in Annexes “K”: and “K-1”, constitute “trade secrets”, for which GNPOWER has actual and valuable proprietary interest. As explained by the Supreme Court, a trade secret may consist of any formula, pattern, device, or compilation of information2 that is used in one’s business and gives the employer an opportunity to obtain an advantage over competitors who do not possess the information . It is indubitable that trade secrets3 constitute proprietary rights and jurisprudence has consistently acknowledged the private character of trade secrets.

Further, as ruled in Garcia vs. Board of Investments4 trade secrets and confidential, commercial and financial information are exempt from public scrutiny; Accordingly, Annexes “H-2”to “H-8”, “K” and “K-1” be accorded confidential treatment. As such, they are to be used exclusively by the Commission and for the sole purpose of evaluating this Application, thereby protecting these data from unnecessary public disclosure; In accordance with Section 1(b), Rule 4 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, Applicants submit one (1) copy each of Annexes “H-2” to “H-8”, “K” and “K-1” in a sealed envelope, with the envelope and each page of the documents stamped with the word “Confidential”; PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY All the foregoing allegations are re-pleaded by reference in support of their prayer for the issuance of Provisional Authority (PA) to implement the subject PSA; ESAMELCO and GNPOWER pray for the issuance of • a PA or interim relief prior to final decision pursuant to Rule 14 of the• ERC •. Rules of Practice and Procedure, to wit: “Section 3. Action on the Motion. - Motions for provisional authority or interim relief may be acted upon with or without hearing. The Commission shall act on the motion on the basis •of the allegations of the Application or petition and supporting documents and other evidences that applicant or petitioner has submitted and the comments or opposition filed by any interested person, if there be any.”

Considering that a substantial amount of time is needed to evaluate the documents submitted to support the approval of herein Application, Applicants seek consideration of the Commission to approve the instant Application, immediately, albeit, provisionally; Owing to the short term of the contract, which is only for a period of one (1) year, a PA is all the more imperative to allow the timely delivery of energy by GNPOWER to ESAMELCO, which is set to start on 26 December 2015 at 12:00 A.M.; The Region 8 EC’s, including ESAMELCO, after careful evaluation if they will defer the commencement of the delivery due to delayed filing, decided and required GNPower to commence its delivery immediately after its previous power supply agreement expired last 25 December 2015, this being the reasonable plan to mitigate the risks of WESM exposure, specially with the assumption that the 2015 occurrence of El Nino has an adverse impact on the supply of electricity and the WESM price, particularly during the summer season.

ESAMELCO, Moreover, it was projected, as shown in the table below5, that the exposure to volatile market prices will cause significant increases in prudential guarantee payments which will constrain Region 8 ECs to avail of high interest-bearing loans in order to comply with PEMC requirement;

Sports

38.

The additional power from GNPOWER is needed to curtail any power interruptions that may be experienced b y ESAMELCO’s member-consumers due to inadequate power supply in the region; To further support the prayer for PA, an affidavit emphasizing the necessity thereof is attached to the Application as Annex “Z”, and form an integral part thereof; PRAYER

39.

Applicants ESAMELCO and GNPower pray before the Commission that: i. All information attached as Annexes “H-2” to “H-8”, “K” and “K-1” to the Application be treated as confidential; ii.

Pending hearing on the merits, a PA be issued authorizing the immediate implementation of the subject PSA including the rate structure therein, as applied;

iii. After due notice and hearing, the instant Application: the PSA, and the rate structure contained therein be duly approved; and iv. In the event that a Final Authority shall be issued after GNPOWER starts actual delivery of power to ESAMELCO under the terms of the subject PSA, said: Final Authority be retroactively applied to the date of such actual delivery.

The Commission has set the Application for initial hearing, expository presentation, pre-trial conference, and presentation of evidence on 25 August 2016 (Thursday) at ten o’clock in the morning (10:00 A.M.) at ESAMELCO’s Main Office, Brgy. Cabong, Borongan City, Eastern Samar.

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the proceeding may become a party by filing, at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements in the ERC’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, a verified petition with the Commission giving the docket number and title of the proceeding and stating: (1) the petitioner’s name and address; (2) the nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding, and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and (3) a statement of the relief desired.

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the proceeding may file their opposition to the. Application or comment thereon at any stage of the .proceeding before Applicants conclude the presentation of its evidence. No particular form of opposition or comment is required, but the document, letter or writing should contain the name and address of such person and a concise statement of the opposition or comment and the grounds relied upon.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Application may request from the Applicants that they be furnished with the same, prior to the date of the initial hearing. Applicants are hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Application and its attachments, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the Application and• other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the standard office hours.

WITNESS, the Honorable Chairman, JOSE VICENTE B. SALAZAR, and the Honorable Commissioners, ALFREDO J. NON, GLORIA VICTORIA C. YAP-TARUC, JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGPALE-ASIRIT, and GERONIMO D. STA. ANA, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 18th day of May 2016 in Pasig City.

ATTY. NATHAN J. MARASIGAN Chief of Staff Office ffice of the Chairman and CEO

1

Assumptions:

2

Analysis and simulations is based on ESAMELCOs forecasted 2016 hourly load profile TRANS-ASIA’s contract to ESAMELCO 100% Load Factor – 2MW FDCUI’s contract to ESAMELCO 100% Load Factor- 2MW GNPOWER’s proposal to ESAMELCO, with 100%-70% CUF- 7MW WESM Prices is based on 2013, 2014 and 2015 prices of Nodal Points of ESAMELCO. Air Philippines Corporation vs. Pennswell Inc., G.R. No. 172835, December 13, 2007.

Ibid., 177 SCRA 374 (1989 Additional equivalent rate due to additional Prudential Guarantee required by PEMC (for the undelivered contracted capacity from GNPower) with a conservative loan interest of 6% per annum and baseload load factor of 81%.

(TS-JULY 28/AUG. 4, 2016)

3 4 5

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THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016 TODAY sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

PH athletes resume training for Olympics R

IO DE JANEIRO—The seven Filipino athletes from five different sports plunged into training Tuesday, most of them doing morning and afternoon sessions, as the 2016 Rio Olympics moved just nine days away from its opening ceremony.

Table tennis bet Ian Lariba was at her venue in the morning and spent another two hours trying to familiarize herself with the tables to be used, the ball speed, the flooring and the competition venue.

Lariba, tasked to carry the flag in the Aug. 5 opening ceremony, is having mixed emotions head-

ing to the competition. It’s the first Olympics for the 21-year-old native of Cagayan de Oro and student of De La Salle University, “I’m nervous and excited at the same time. There’s pressure,” she said Tuesday evening at the dining hall of the Athletes Village, where she moves around always accompanied by her South Ko-

rean coach Mi Sook Kwon.

Swimmers Jessie Khing Lacuna and Jasmine Alkhaldi were at the pool twice in the day, and spent two hours on each visit.

They were joined by their respective coaches, Archie Lim and American Jennifer Buffin.

“I guess everybody’s feeling better now. We’re all sleeping better. We’re all rested,” said Lacuna, who headed to Rio from a three-month training stint in Australia. In that long period, he was alone. He said it was his longest overseas training.

Last Monday, members of the Philippine delegation took it easy, moving around Rio de Janeiro in

rented vans trying to shake off jet lag and familiarizing themselves with the surroundings.

Alkhaldi arrived in Rio the other day, traveling from her base in Hawaii via Dallas and Miami for a duration of 31 hours. She is entered in the women’s 100-m freestyle while Lacuna will swim in the men’s 400-m freestyle.

Unlike Lariba, both Lacuna and Alkhaldi know how it feels being in the Olympics, having represented the country in the 2012 London Games.

Weightlifters Nestor Colonia and Hidilyn Diaz also started to flex their muscles. They were at the training venue at 6 p.m.

Constantino pads lead LIPA City, Batangas —Amateur Harmie Constantino put on an amazing show of shotmaking and iron game and outgunned pros Chihiro Ikeda and Thai Chatprapa Siriprakob with a six-under 66 to pad her lead two over Saraporn Chamchoi in the second round of the ICTSI Malarayat Ladies Classic here yesterday.

The diminutive Constantino bounced back from a one-over card after seven holes with a stirring seven-birdie feat in the last 11, closing out with a five-under 31 for that 66 and a 137 aggregate counting her opening 71 at the Mt. Malarayat compos-

ite course Tuesday.

The emerging star from Bulacan flashed awesome touch off the mound and solid iron play that set up a number of birdie chances, highlighting her sizzling backside stint with a chip-in birdie on the 10th as she overshadowed Chamchoi’s equally solid 67 in a flight ahead.

“I just got lucky,” said the soft-spoken, 15-yearold Constantino, the reigning national champion who is also coming off a victory in the Gary Woodland Championship in the US last month.

Chamchoi, just one behind Constantino at the start of the round,

hit just one birdie in a bogey-free frontside to stay a stroke adrift then gunned down four at the back, including on No. 16 that tied her with Constantino in the lead at five-under in the event sponsored by ICTSI. But after the Thai holed out with two pars, Constantino birdied No. 16 to move on top again and went 2-up with a closing birdie from close range, moving 18 holes away from becoming the third amateur to win this year Bernice Olivarez-Ilas topped the ICTSI Beverly Place Classic last April and Yuka Saso dominated the ICTSI Eagle Ridge Invitational last May.

BEST JUNGOLFER. Jet Hernandez holds his trophy as he

poses with swing coach Wendy Superal after bagging the best junior golfer crown in the first SPGAP (Senior Professional Golfers Association of the Philippines) President’s Cup at Villamor Golf Club recently. The young shotmaker is set to compete in the US Kids Teen World Championship set July 28 to 30 in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Fantoni And Nunes: New Appeal LOTTO RESULTS

37.

Manila

Standard

6/55 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M+ 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M 4 DIGITS 0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0 Republic of the Philippines NATIONAL FOOD AUTHORITY REGION 10 BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE Baloy, Cagayan de Oro City

INVITATION TO BID FOR THE SUPPLY OF SECURITY SERVICES FOR NFA REGION 10 FOR CY 2017

The NATIONAL FOOD AUTHORITY (NFA) REGION-10, through its Corporate Operating Budget for CY 2017, intends to apply the sum of NINETEEN MILLION ELEVEN THOUSAND EIGHTY FIVE PESOS AND 28/100 PESOS (Php 19,011,085.28) being the APPROVED BUDGET FOR THE CONTRACT (ABC) to payments under the contract of security services for NFA Region 10 for CY 2017 as follow: NO. OF SECURITY APPROVED BUDGET FOR GUARDS THE CONTRACT (ABC) (Php) 1. BUKIDNON 26 5,143,526.08 2. CAMIGUIN 7 1,397,288.30 3. LANAO NORTE 12 2,450,455.98 4. MISAMIS OCCIDENTAL 12 2,437,813.16 5. MISAMIS ORIENTAL 37 7,582,001.76 TOTAL 94 19,011,085.28 PROVINCE

The scope of work, requirements and specifications of the Contracts include the provision and deployment of duly licensed security guards and firearms (including live ammunitions), vehicles and communication equipment and the design and implementation of security systems and procedures aimed at maximizing protection for NFA personnel, stakeholders and properties.

Bidders should have completed within the immediate last three years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the project. The description of an eligible bidder and the minimum qualification requirements are contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly in Section II. Instructions to Bidders (ITB).

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria as specified in the implementing Rules and Regulation (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested bidders on July 28, 2016 – August 18, 2016 (working days only) from the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable bidding fee of Php 25,000.00.

The NFA Region 10 Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) will hold a Pre-bid conference on August 4, 2016 at 1:30 P.M. at the 2nd Floor, NFA Building, Baloy, Cagayan de Oro City, 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 August 18, 2016 at 1:30 P.M. All bids must be accompanied by a Bid Security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Late bids shall not be accepted.

Bid opening shall be on August 18, 2016 at 1:31 P.M. at the 2nd Floor, NFA Building, Baloy, Cagayan de Oro City. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representative who choose to attend.

For further information, please inquire from: MS BEVERLY M. NAVARRO BAC Head Secretariat National Food Authority 2F, NFA Building Baloy, Cagayan de Oro City Telephone Numbers (088) 855-2721; (08822) 73-2215, Fax Number (088) 855-2723 NFA reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the 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.

(Sgd.) VICTORIA R. DURAY Asst. Regional Director/ RBAC Chairman Standard – July 28, 2016

South F U LV I O ♠AXX Fa nt on i ♥KQJTX and ClauSYLVIA LOPEZ dio Nunes ♦A ALEJANDRO ♣QXXX have appealed to CONI against the sentence of the NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST Pass Pass 1♥ Pass FIGB. Pass 2♦ Pass The Italian Olympic Committee 2♣* Pass 4♥ All Pass (CONI)has released the following 2♠ statement: Today’s hand is from the Fantoni and Nunes’ appeal Bracket 1 Sunday Swiss. My against the 3 year ban The Sport Guarantor’s Com- partner (John Burville) did not mittee of CONI has received an quite find this line of play at the appeal, jointly filed by Fantoni and table but he was close and I was Nunes against the FIGB Italian impressed that he almost got them!

Bridge Federation).

The opponents (West) led a The Federal Appeal Court, on the 18th of June, rejected the ♠. My partner won (+1), drew claims against its decision on the trump (+4) cashed the ♦A (+5) 19th of March, which banned cashed another ♠ (+6) and exeach player for 3 years. Addition- ited with a third ♠ (-1). West ally, the tribunal requested that was now on lead again. It was the players paid the tribunal ex- afraid to break the ♣ suit (reapenses (€300 each). The players’ sonably so) So tried to cash the ♦ king and my partner ruffed appeal is against this decision. (+7). He now had one trump In particular, the appeal asks: -primarily that the decision and ♣QXXX in his hand and of the appeal court on 10th of ♦QT and ♣JXX on the dummy.

June, confirming the sanction This was the moment of truth. described on 19th of March, is He need three more tricks. If the ♠ are 33 then he has 3♣ losers, annulled.

-secondly, to reject all previous down 7.

If they are 4-2 with West decisions made and to restart the examination of the case, follow- having Honor Doubleton then he can’t get the dummy if set ing the right law principles. up the ♣ and he will go down *** The EBL (European Bridge 7. But if East AX or KX he has League) has just released the a chance. Watch what happen if South leads the ♣Q. If East following statement: The Disciplinary Commis- wins his ace then we can later sion of the EBL has concluded enter dummy with the ♣J. If that Fulvio Fantoni and Claudio East wins his ace then we can Nunes have been guilty of infrac- later enter dummy with the ♣J tions of the laws of bridge. Ac- and cash the ♦Q for our 10th cordingly, they have been banned trick. So East must duct their from playing together for life, and Ace (+8). Now South continare separately prohibited from ues with a♣, ducking it to East playing in any EBL events or is now stiff ace (-Z). Unfortuactivities for a period of 5 years. nately (or so it seem), East has Additionally, the costs of the the 13th ♠ to exit with. But a investigation and hearing have careful South can discard a ♣ from both hands (-3) leavbeen awarded against them. ing East on lead to play a ♦ *** I feature from the 2015 Bermuda (stepping stone) to dummy’s Bulletin articles published on Feb- Q (+9). Declarer’s final trump now his 10th trick-making the ruary 26, 2015.

“An Interesting End Position” contract.

This is a difficult line to play Board 21 to find at the table. But if you Dealer North imagine the only ♣ distribuVul.Nos. tion where you can make the North contract then you may find it. ♠KXX The lesson is: At team, in bad ♥AXX contracts, be optimistic try to ♦QTXX think of any possible to make ♣JXX then hand and then, play for the West East cards to be that way! ♠QXX ♠JXXX ♥XX ♥XXX Comments to: sylvia.alejan♦KXXX ♦JXXX dro@yahoo ♣KTXX ♣AX

Riera U. Mallari, Editor Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor sports@thestandard.com.ph sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

A8

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

Sports

Tapales gives PH 4 world boxing champ th

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

M

ANDATORY challenger Marlon “The Nightmare” Tapales fulfilled a lifelong dream as he scored a sensational 11th-round knockout of World Boxing Organization bantamweight champion Pungluang Sor Singyu to give the Philippines its fourth world title in an explosive showdown in the historic city of Ayutthaya, some 85 kilometers north of Bangkok.

The other Filipino champions are WBO light flyweight Donnie Nietes, the longest-reigning Filipino world champion; International Boxing Federation light flyweight champion Johnreil Casimero and WBO super bantamweight and fivedivision world champion Nonito “The

Filipino Flash” Donaire.

“It was one of the best fights I’ve seen in Thailand,” WBO official fight supervisor Leon Panoncillo, w h o earlier predicted a good fight, told the Manila Standard.

Panoncillo said Pungluang dropped Tapales twice in the fifth round, but the Filipino rose from the canvas and came back to drop the Thai in the very next round.

With the Thai champion fading in going for a knockout, Tapales capitalized and went after Pungluang, the two-time world champion, who first won the vacant title with a ninth-round knockout of AJ “Bazooka” Banal at the Mall of Asia Arena.

“It was a very exciting and very competitive fight,” said Panoncillo. “Tapales won “impressively.

The Filipino, according to the WBO official, came back after he saw Pungluang tiring out and from then on, it was all Tapales before he knocked out the Thai champion at 37 seconds into the 11th round.

At the time of the stoppage, all the judges had Tapales ahead, namely Lisa

Giampa (94-93), Gerardo Martinez (9594) and the third official (96-91).

The small Filipino delegation, led by promoter Rex “Wakee” Salud, erupted in a celebration that silenced the usually noisy Thai fans in a hot and humid afternoon.

Tapales, who had to shed off one pound before the official weigh-in on Tuesday, connected with some solid combinations, although he seemed tense as a smirking, highly confident Pungluang connected with his own counter-punches.

At the start of the sixth round, Tapales, who had been forced to travel for hours to get to the venue and earlier at the official press conference appeared to have regained his strength, nailed Pungluang with a right hook to the head that dropped the champion and turned the tide of the close and explosive fight.

Local cagers to get more exposure

SMB’s Jay-R Reyes is hounded

by Mahindra’s James White and LA Revilla in a PBA Governors’ Cup game won by the Enforcers, 105-103.

Games Today

(Xinzhuang gym) 1 p.m. – India vs PH-Mighty Sports 3 p.m. – Egypt vs Sacramento State 5 p.m. – Taiwan-B vs Japan 7 p.m. – Iran vs Taiwan-A

NEW TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan — Philippine representative Mighty Sports Apparels battles lightweight India today in the 38th Williams Jones Cup with coach Bo Perasol looking to give his local players a time to shine here.

Out to conserve the energy of his seven imports in time for their much-awaited showdown with defending champion Iran on Friday, Perasol is likely to give local players, led by Rain or Shine’s Jeric Teng, quality minutes.

“The tournament is a daily thing so we have also to take into consideration their physical condition,” said Perasol. “While they (imports) are good and talented, we have to balance their playing time. So I’m expecting my locals to step up against India.”

Backed by Scratch It and Symarom, the Mighty Sports dribblers are tied for the lead with the Iranians at 3-0, while the Indians are still winless after dropping their first three games.

Teng, loaned by Rain or Shine bosses Raymund Yu and Terry Que to the team, is hopeful he can deliver this time.

“I will try my best,” said the former University of Santo Tomas star.

Also hoping to get into the offensive groove are Larry Rodriguez, Leo Avenido, and Sunday Salvacion.

Retired PBA player TY Tang proved he’s not yet over the hill as proven by his stellar showing against the Koreans as he sparked the team’s decisive second-quarter breakaway.

Indian coach Sunny Varghese is confident facing Mighty Sports is another chance for them to learn a thing or two.

Meantime, Taiwan-B emerged as newest challenger to the team’s title bid after shocking Taiwan-A, 81-80.

Enforcers for real, surprise Beermen Games Friday

(Ynares Center, Antipolo City) 4:15 p.m. - Blackwater vs. Rain or Shine 7 p.m. - Alaska vs. Tropang TNT

By Jeric Lopez MAHINDRA proved that it is for real after notching one of its biggest wins in franchise history.

The Enforcers showed that they are no pretenders as they caught a big fish, shocking defending champion San Miguel Beer, 105-103, to list their third straight win and continue to impress in the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Mahindra import James White once again put up huge numbers with game-highs of 34 points and 11 rebounds to power his squad to yet another victory.

The Enforcers, who are making heads turn with their phenomenal play, are enjoying their best start as a franchise and are now in solo first place at 3-0, while the Beermen slipped to 2-1 after tasting their first setback in the conference.

It was as if Mahindra was the more seasoned team as it came out with a methodical approach and tougher stand in the clutch. The Enforcers held the lead for most part of the game and were able to come through in crunch time despite the threat from the Beermen.

Paolo Taha’s jumper with 1:18 remaining gave Mahindra back the lead, 103-102, while Chito Jaime followed up with two more free throws with 43 seconds left to push the Enforcers’ lead to 105-102.

June Mar Fajardo’s split from the line with 36 seconds remaining kept San Miguel in it at 105-103, but the Beermen weren’t able to score anymore, allowing the Enforcers to hold on.

“Our guys showed our fortitude just like in our other games. We really treated this game as a playoff game,” said Mahindra deputy coach Chris Gavina. “It’s a great effort from our guys. Their determination and level of consistency are there.”

After being away from quite sometime, Senator Manny Pacquiao, technically Mahindra’s coach-player, was present at the Enforcers’ bench but did not suit up nor call the shots for the team.

“Nagkataong wala akong session ngayon so nagkaroon ako ng time para manood at suportahan ang team ko,” said Pacquiao.

Arizona Reid misfired on his potential game-winning three-point attempt with two seconds left.

Nino Canaleta added 17 points for Mahindra.

The scores: MAHINDRA 105—White 34, Canaleta 17, Taha 12, Agovida 10, Ramos 9, Revilla 8, Pinto 6, Yee 3, Guinto 2, Jaime 2, Zandi 2, Ballesteros 0, Digregorio 0, Aguilar 0.

SAN MIGUEL 103—Reid 43, Cabagnot 15, Fajardo 13, Arana 11, Lassiter 10, Reyes 4, Tubid 3, Mabulac 2, Ross 2, David 0, De Ocampo 0, Heruela 0.

Quarters: 28-27, 48-48, 81-74, 105-103

Aces boost Olivarez Cup tilt Amnat vows to win THE country’s top netters, leading juniors and rising stars brace for a three-week showdown of power and wits as they slug it out in the Olivarez Cup 2016 presented by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala on Aug. 4-21 at the Olivarez Sports Center in Sucat, Parañaque.

Francis Casey Alcantara and Khim Iglupas set out for a repeat of their title romps in the centerpiece Open singles division but a slew of others, including PJ Tierro, Johnny Arcilla and Vicente Anasta, and Marian Capadocia, Marinel Rudas and the Patrimonio sisters—Clarice and Christine —will be coming into the event all geared up, guaranteeing another fierce battle for top honors in the top ranking tournament held in

honor of the former Parañaque City Mayor Dr. Pablo Olivarez.

“It will be another three-week showcase of the best in the tennis with so many young, promising players raring to showcase their wares against the veterans,” said Philta president and incumbent Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez, who helped put up the event along with Rep. Eric Olivarez and Dr. Pablo Olivarez as part of the family’s long-time commitment to develop the sport and help in the talent-search.

With Palawan Pawnshop as chief backer and the Slazenger as the official ball, the Olivarez Cup will also features the junior agegroup and the interschool individual and team events.

“It is our desire to help and further develop the sport and produce

world class players because we believe that Filipino netters can be at par with the best,” said Palawan Pawnshop COO Bobby Castro.

Open listup is ongoing with deadline set on Aug. 5. To accommodate the big number of entries, organizers have scheduled qualifying rounds for men’s and women’s singles and doubles from Aug. 9-12.

For details, call tournament organizer Bobby Mangunay, also the PPS-PEPP sports program development director at 0915-4046464.

The juniors age-grouper will kick off the event on Aug. 4 with competitions in the boys and girls’ 10-unisex, 12-, 14-, 16- and 18-and-under singles and boys and girls’ 10-U, 14- and 18-U doubles.

Deadline for registration for the juniors category is on July 28.

medal for Thailand FORMER IBF world flyweight champion Amnat Ruenroeng of Thailand has vowed to win a medal in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics for his family and his country.

The Bangkok Post reported that “Amnat who lost his title in a rematch with Filipino Johnreil Casimero, who stopped the Thai in the 4th round, said: “My physical condition has gradually improved.”

He will fight in the lightweight division.

It will be the 36-year-old Amnat’s second appearance in the Olympics having lost in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he lost to Mongolia’s Purevtorjin Serdamba.

The Thai

and his camp, though, claimed they were robbed of victory.

Amnat successfully defended his IBF flyweight title against China’s Zou Shiming last year, but lost the belt to Casimero a few months ago. He planned to move up to super flyweightm but was persuaded to make a comeback to the national team after the international governing body AIBA decided to allow pro boxers to participate in the Olympics.

Amnat earned a ticket to Rio in a qualifying tournament earlier this month. He will compete along with three other male and one female boxer in the Olympics. Ronnie Nathanielsz

RC Cola Army sets sights on PSL volley title FOR coach Emilio Reyes Jr. of the RC Cola Army, it’s a big challenge to keep a team’s winning tradition intact, especially when the team boasts of battle-tested players competing with much younger opponents in the country’s premier professional volleyball league.

Again backed by ARC Refreshments Corporation, the licensed bottler of RC Cola International in the Philippines, the RC Cola Army Lady Troopers return to the Philippine Superliga with

its sights set on taking home the All-Filipino Conference crown and a possible third straight title.

Since rejoining the league earlier this year, the team has already won two straight championships—the PSL Invitational Conference held from February to April and the Beach Volleyball Challenge Cup in May. The RC Cola Army Lady Troopers have since gone undefeated in the current conference, notching five straight wins to sustain the momen-

tum of its shock upset of Thai squad EST Cola in the PSL Invitational Cup. But more than having championship caliber players, what sets the RC Cola Army Lady Troopers apart is their teamwork and winning attitude.

Reyes said one factor that has become a key contributor to their successes in the past is the motivation that his team gets from ARC. “They have been very supportive,” he said. “We try to repay the support of ARC Chairman Alfredo Yao, Senior Market-

ing Services Manager Rizza Alfonso, and Team Manager Japeth Sanchez with our best effort in representing the company in the PSL.” He added: “My team and RC Cola both have the same winning tradition. We always strive for a win-win situation, not just for RC Cola, not just for the Army, but for both organizations.”

Reyes also promised fans that RC Cola Army team will stay competitive and give volleyball fans good entertainment, every game.

The RC Cola Army Lady Troopers in action

Japan unveils stimulus plan worth $266b B4

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com

Lopez vows to prohibit Tampakan mine project

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales

E

NVIRONMENT Secretary Regina Lopez said Wednesday she will not allow the $5.9-billion Tampakan mine project to operate under her term.

Sagittarius Mines Inc., which is controlled by Indophil Resources NL, is developing the Tampakan project, which could be one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper-gold deposits. The Alcantara Group bought Glencore Plc. out of SMI last year.

“I don’t like Tampakan at all.

That open-pit mining will be on top of rice fields, agricultural lands and will affect four provinces and six rivers. Why do we

even consider it at all?” Lopez said.

Lopez said the Tampakan project was as large as 700 football fields. “I will not consider it at all. There are many poor farmers there. I have to be honest, I will have to live by my principle. There is no way I would ever, ever allow a 700 football field open-pit mine on top of agricultural land,” Lopez said.

“It’s immoral and it’s socially

unjust to allow companies to make money and put in the lives of the people there at risk,” she said.

Early estimates showed the Tampakan project had a resource of 2.94 billion tons, containing 15 million tons of copper and 17.9 million ounces of gold at a 0.2 percent copper cut-off grade.

The copper and gold mine straddles the town of Tampakan in South Cotabato and Kiblawan in Davao del Sur. Mines and Geosciences Bureau director Leo Jasareno said the mining project was facing several issues. The project is also being opposed by the provincial government of South Cotabato, because of the SMI’s plan to undertake open-pit mining.

“They still need to address the issue of the certificate of land ownership award which is issued under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. That should be resolved first. In addition to that is the open-pit ban in South Cotabato,” Jasareno said.

Jasareno said under Executive Order No. 79, CARP-covered areas were closed to mining.

Meanwhile, MGB said mineral production value fell 12 percent in the first quarter to P22.09 billion from P24.98 billion in the same period last year on lower metal prices. MGB said total gold production value amounted to P10.68 billion in the threemonth period.

Masbate Gold Project of Filminera Mining Corp. and

Philippine Gold Processing and Refining Corp. in Masbate and Didipio Gold Project of Oceana Gold Philippines Inc. in Nueva Vizcaya produced 1,640 kilograms and 1,456 kilograms of gold, respectively.

Value of direct shipping nickel ore and mixed sulfide amounted to P6.88 billion, while copper production value reached P4.34 billion.

The remaining 0.87 percent or P0.19 billion, came from the combined values of silver and chromite.

“The slow start of mine production of direct shipping nickel ore for the year was attributed to the unfavorable weather condition that generally prevailed in the areas of Dinagat and Surigao provinces,” MGB said.

Toyota bags slot in PH car program

B1

PSe comPoSite index Closing July 27, 2016

8300 7840 7380 6920 6460 6000

8,100.48 75.94

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing July 27, 2016 48.00 46.00 45.00

P47.180

44.00

CLOSE

43.00

HIGH P47.070 LOW P47.225 AVERAGE P47.156 VOLUME 474.800M

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

oPriceS il P today

P24.75-P29.60 Diesel P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday, July 27, 2016

F oreign e xchange r ate

By Othel V. Campos THE Board of Investments awarded a certificate of registration to Toyota Motors Philippines Corp. as a participant in the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy program.

Toyota is investing in the production of at least 200,000 units of Toyota Vios over the next six years.

Trade Secretary and Board of Investments chairman Ramon Lopez awarded the registration certificate to TMPC president Satoru Suzuki and vice chairman Alfred Ty on July 22, 2016.

BoI awarded a certificate of registration to Mitsubishi Motors Corp. in June for the enrollment of its Mirage/ Mirage G4 model in the Cars program.

Cars program is an incentive package providing a fiscal-capped, time-bound and performance-based support to automotive industry players.

It aims to jumpstart the development of the Philippine automotive industry and make the country an auto manufacturing hub in Asean.

It also intends to raise the production level to a competitive scale by providing $1,000 per unit fiscal support for the production of three models with a combined 600,000-unit production requirement over six years and mandatory local production of body shell and large plastic parts.

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

47.1930

Japan

Yen

0.009557

0.4510

UK

Pound

1.313600

61.9927

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128924

6.0843

Switzerland

Franc

1.008166

47.5784

Canada

Dollar

0.758380

35.7902

Singapore

Dollar

0.736323

34.7493

Australia

Dollar

0.750000

35.3948

Bahrain

Dinar

2.653153

125.2102

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266667

12.5848

Brunei

Dollar

0.733622

34.6218

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000076

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.028591

1.3493

UAE

Dirham

0.272264

12.8490

Euro

Euro

1.098900

51.8604

Korea

Won

0.000880

0.0415

China

Yuan

0.149819

7.0704

India

Rupee

0.014856

0.7011

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.246427

11.6296

New Zealand

Dollar

0.705100

33.2758

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031156

1.4703 Source: PDS Bridge

The Board of Investments awards the certificate of registration to Toyota Motors Philippines Corp. as one of the participating carmakers in the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy program. TMPC is investing in the production of Toyota Vios (full model change) over the six-year period of the program. Shown is Trade Secretary and BoI chairman Ramon Lopez (second from left) awarding the registration certificate to TMPC president Satoru Suzuki (second from right). With them are Trade undersecretary and BoI managing head Ceferino Rodolfo (left) and TMPC vice chairman Alfred Ty.

Meralco, ICTSI investing P10b in Laguna rail

By Darwin G. Amojelar PORT operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. and a subsidiary of Manila Electric Co. will invest P10 billion over two years to revive a container rail service from Manila to Calamba, Laguna, an executive said Wednesday.

Ferdinand Inacay, president and chief executive of Meralco’s MRail, told reporters the two companies revived an agreement with the Philippine National Railways to operate a rail cargo between the ports of

Manila and an inland container terminal facility in Laguna, which is operated by ICTSI. “The indications that we’ve got from the new administration is positive. We are just sorting out three minor issues on the project. [But] these are not show stopper,” Inacay said.

The consortium will raise P2.7 billion out of the projected total cost of P10 billion for the initial phases of the project.

“We are optimistic that things will happen in the next 100 days,” Inacay said.

ICSTI operated cargo trains

transporting containers from the port of Manila to Laguna using the PNR tracks from 1998 until it was discontinued in 2003.

PNR deferred the signing of non-exclusive track usage agreement with MRail and ICTSI in January 2016, after the Philippine Ports Authority raised issues on right of way.

Under the agreement, MRail will operate a freight train service along the existing PNR tracks or a minimum of eight round trips per day with an average daily container transfer

of 600 twenty-equivalent units from the ICTSI-owned Laguna Gateway Inland Container Terminal and vice versa.

The railway cargo project will involve rehabilitating the existing PNR tracks, restoring the Tutuban to the Port of Manila tracks that traverse through the center of C.M. Recto Ave. and the construction of a stabling yard in Calamba for the container trains. The company will also acquire eight locomotives and 120 trains.

It will take two years to implement the project.

Cebu LandMasters set to raise P4b from IPO

By Jenniffer B. Austria

FINANCIAL INCLUSION. Citi Philippines chief executive Aftab Ahmed (left) welcomes the participants in a workshop organized by Innovations for Poverty Action, with support from the Citi Foundation and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. (right) is the keynote speaker during the workshop.

CEBU LandMasters Inc., a real estate development company based in Cebu, plans to conduct an initial public offering to raise up to P4 billion in fresh capital, banking sources said Wednesday.

Sources said Cebu LandMasters tapped BDO Capital and Investments Corp., the investment banking unit of BDO Unibank Inc., as financial adviser and underwriter for the maiden share sale.

“The size of the IPO could range between P3 billion and P4 billion,” sources said.

The company, which is primarily engaged in the development of residential, commercial, hospitality, mixed-use and civic projects, plans to file the IPO application with the Securities and

Exchange Commission within the year, sources said. The IPO could happen either late this year or early 2017, they said.

Sources said the fund raising activity would be purely for local investors, given the domestic market’s strong appetite for IPOs, following the successful listings of Golden Haven Memorial Parks Inc. and Cemex Holdings Philippines Inc. Cebu LandMasters’ planned IPO would follow the successful public offering of another Cebu-based firm, Metro Retail Stores Group Inc. Cebu LandMasters was founded in 2003 by Cebuano entrepreneur Jose Soberano III, whose motivation was to provide for the housing needs of his employees and the middle-income earners of other small-medium companies.

Budget deficit widens to P120b

By Gabrielle H. Binaday THE government incurred a P120.3-billion budget deficit in the first half, as the former Aquino administration increased public expenditures in its last six months in office amid weak revenue growth.

Data from the Finance Department showed the fiscal deficit in the first half was a reversal of the P13.7-billion budget surplus the government posted in the same period in 2015. The budget deficit in June amounted to P45.2 billion, lower by 38 percent than P72.7-billion budget gap a year ago.

The government said netting out debt interest payments, it still posted a primary surplus of P33.4 billion in January to June, or 80 percent lower than P169.9-billion primary surplus recorded a year ago.

Revenues rose 1 percent in the first six months to P1.1 trillion, while expenditures increased 14 percent to P1.22 trillion.

Bureau of Internal Revenue collections rose 11 percent to P783.4 billion in the six-month period while Bureau of Customs’ revenues increased 7 percent to P190.6 billion. Bureau of Treasury’s collection declined 5 percent to P63.7 billion.

Meanwhile, debt interest payments, which took up nearly 13 percent of total spending, dropped 2 percent to P153.7 billion from last year’s P156.1 billion.

Finance officials said the assessment of fiscal performance against the government’s updated budget target in the first half was not yet available.

B2

Business

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stock index climbs to 8,100

S

TOCKS soared to a new 15-month high Wednesday, sending the benchmark index to 8,100 points near the record level, on signs the US and Japan will continue to reinforce their economies, buoying demand for riskier developing-nation assets.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, advanced 75 points, or 1 percent, to close at 8,100.48 Wednesday. It was the highest finish since the bellwether settled at 8,127.48 on April 10, 2015.

The heavier index, representing all shares, also advanced 44 points, or 0.9 percent, to close at 4,822.70, on a value turnover of P8.6 billion. Losers outnumbered

gainers, 100 to 93, while 48 issues were unchanged.

Fifteen of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by Megawide Construction Corp. which climbed 3.9 percent to P10.70 and technology company Xurpas Inc. which advanced 3.6 percent to P17.96. Fastfood chain operator Jollibee Foods Corp. added 3.1 percent to settle at P258.

Meanwhile, Japanese stocks also soared after the country launched a massive stimulus package to kickstart the economy, but other Asian markets were more subdued as the Federal Reserve wraps up a key policy meeting.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe unveiled the 28 trillion yen ($266 billion) program days before the Bank of Japan holds its own meeting that is widely expected to see it widen monetary policy.

The news comes after Abe promised to ramp up spending on the stuttering economy following Britain’s shock vote to leave

the EU and a landslide parliamentary election win earlier this month that solidified his power.

Promises of support from governments and central banks around the world since the Brexit ballot last month have provided the foundation for big gains across equities markets in recent weeks.

“It seems big and it should probably do quite a bit for the Japanese economy.

Whether it’s big enough, we’ll find out.

The markets seem to be a little bit undecided whether it is or it isn’t,” Lothar Mentel, chief investment officer at Tatton Investment Management, told Bloomberg TV. Tokyo stocks ended the day 1.7 percent higher, while the dollar rose to 105.70 yen from 105.01 yen in the morning before the announcement.

The BoJ concludes its gathering Friday and is widely tipped to unveil fresh stimulus as the world’s number three economy struggles and inflation is virtually non-

existent.

But while expectations of new measures have boosted Japanese stocks and sent the yen tumbling -- helping exporters -- analysts warned of a sharp sell-off if policymakers disappoint.

“The key is whether the BoJ will surprise us again on Friday,” Alex Wong, director of asset management at Ample Capital in Hong Kong, said.

It “has surprised the market several times in the past few years so they are a little bit unpredictable. There may be a disappointment” if the BoJ fails to deliver extra stimulus, he said.

The immediate focus is now on the Fed, which concludes its meeting Wednesday.

While it is not expected to announce any new policy measures, dealers are keen to find out its appraisal for the US economy and plans for interest rates in light of a string of positive data, including on jobs.

With AFP, Bloomberg

THE STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 4.2 17 30.45 2.6 890 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 75 91.5 137 80 361.2 57 180 124 3.26

AG Finance 3.73 Asia United Bank 47.4 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 114.50 Bank of PI 97.70 China Bank 38.1 Bright Kindle Resources 1.71 COL Financial 16.92 Eastwest Bank 20.7 I-Remit Inc. 1.99 Manulife Fin. Corp.

595.00 MEDCO Holdings 0.610 Metrobank 95.5 Natl. Reinsurance Corp. 0.91 PB Bank 14.8 Phil Bank of Comm 24.20 Phil. National Bank 64.30 Phil. Savings Bank 98.75 Philippine trust Co. 450 PSE Inc. 278 RCBC `A’ 32.5 Security Bank 210.2 Union Bank 71.15 Vantage Equities 1.55

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.68 12.02 19.6 1.02 625 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 58 62 88.35 52 276 41 118.2 59 2.65

Close

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 89

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 40.3

20.6 125 85 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 2.89 31.8 109 20.75 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 79 3.95 4 74 33.9 90 13.26 293 0.62 5 5.25 12.98 6.75 15 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.34 1450 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 1.3 2.17

15.32 62.5 20.2 10.08 29.15 1.5 1.5 10.72 9.55 9.04 6.02 8.86 1.06 20.2 71.5 13.86 13.24 5.34 0.395 173 34.1 2.3 1.63 33 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 0.335 3.37 3.87 8.45 3 10.04 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 5.9 801 1.55 0.138 1.02 2.09 152 0.640 1.2

Aboitiz Power Corp.

45 Agrinurture Inc. 3.5 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.88 Alsons Cons.

1.9 Asiabest Group 13.38 Bogo Medelin 51.2 Cemex Holdings 12.36 Century Food 17 Chemphil 152.5 Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ 164 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 21.4 Concepcion 60.5 Crown Asia 2.34 Da Vinci Capital 6 Del Monte 12.8 DNL Industries Inc. 10.020 Emperador 7.55 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.96 EEI 9.80 Euro-Med Lab 1.78 First Gen Corp.

25.9 First Holdings ‘A’ 72.5 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 12.00 Holcim Philippines Inc. 15.66 Integ. Micro-Electronics 5.75 Ionics Inc 2.360 Jollibee Foods Corp.

250.20 Liberty Flour 43.00 LMG Chemicals 1.94 Mabuhay Vinyl 3.9 Macay Holdings 34.50 Manila Water Co. Inc. 26.7 Maxs Group 29 Megawide 10.3 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 321.60 MG Holdings 0.270 Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp. 4.43 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 3.43 Petron Corporation 11.08 Phil H2O 3.35 Phinma Corporation 11.58 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 6.00 Phoenix Semiconductor 1.76 Pryce Corp. `A’ 3.52 RFM Corporation 4.40 Roxas Holdings 3.82 San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’ 209 Splash Corporation 3.04 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.156 TKC Steel Corp.

2.08 Trans-Asia Oil 2.37 Universal Robina 200 Vitarich Corp.

1.45 Vulcan Ind’l.

1.29

0.59 59.2 30.05 2.16 3.4 3.35 823.5 911 10.2 84 3.35 4.92 0.66 1455 7.5 76 5.29 9.25 0.85 17.3 5.53 0.0670 2.31 1.61 84.9 3.5 974 1.66 390 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

0.44 48.1 20.85 1.6 0.23 0.23 634.5 260 7.390 12.8 2.6 2.26 0.152 837 5.3 49.55 3 4.84 0.59 12 4.2 0.030 1.23 0.550 59.3 1.5 751 1.13 170 80 0.211 0.179 0.310

Abacus Cons. `A’ Aboitiz Equity Alliance Global Inc. Anglo Holdings A ATN Holdings A ATN Holdings B Ayala Corp `A’ BHI Holdings Inc. 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 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

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

0.390 80.20 16.40 1.32 0.395 0.395 889 1250.00 8.01 13.06 6 6.97 0.233 1551 6.75 85.05 6.2 7.9 0.76 16 7.34 0.0320 1.260 1.970 82.30 2.61 1005.00 1.27 207.00 193.500 0.3300 0.2060 0.295

10.5 26.95 1.99 1.75 0.375 41.4 5.6 5.59 1.44 1.97 1.48 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 2.22 2.1 1.8 5.94 0.180 0.470 0.72

6.74 12 0.65 1.2 0.192 30.05 3.36 4.96 0.79 1.1 0.97 0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 1.15 1.42 1.27 4.13 0.090 0.290 0.39

8990 HLDG Anchor Land Holdings Inc. A. Brown Co., Inc. Araneta Prop `A’ Arthaland Corp.

Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. `A’ Cebu Holdings Century Property City & Land Dev. Cityland Dev. `A’ Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp.

Double Dragon Empire East Land Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Interport `A’ Megaworld MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Estates Corp.

Phil. Realty `A’

8.340 6.70 1.27 2.340 0.290 40.200 3.21 5.13 0.680 1.02 1.040 0.133 0.740 58.5 0.830 1.15 1.98 1.22 5.05 0.114 0.2850 0.480

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.77 3.49 47.4 47.25 114.70 114.10 98.00 97.50 38.3 38 1.73 1.66 17.06 16.52 20.7 20.25 1.97 1.94 610.00 590.00 0.630 0.610 96 96 0.91 0.91 14.74 14.62 24.10 24.00 64.70 63.60 99.95 98.4 500 500 280 277 32.75 32.35 213.8 210 71.80 71.35 1.59 1.57 INDUSTRIAL 45.4 44.5 3.58 3.45 0.97 0.89 1.96 1.89 13.38 12.68 52.2 52.2 12.34 11.86 17.2 17.04 152 152 170 163 21.95 21.3 61.5 60.5 2.45 2.37 6 5.88 12.86 12.7 10.280 10.020 7.55 7.00 5.95 5.79 9.90 9.58 1.8 1.78 26 25.8 72.7 72 12.10 11.98 15.92 15.40 5.79 5.73 2.390 2.330 259.00 250.20 40.10 40.00 2.06 2 3.7 3.7 33.00 32.00 27 26.4 29 28.55 10.82 9.9 326.20 320.00 0.270 0.270 4.24 4.23 3.46 3.43 11.08 10.84 3.3 3.2 11.66 11.58 6.01 5.85 1.92 1.68 3.74 3.38 4.40 4.34 3.84 3.82 224 208.8 3.04 3.04 0.161 0.155 2.10 1.95 2.43 2.34 203.6 199.1 1.47 1.24 1.34 1.29 HOLDING FIRMS 0.415 0.385 81.80 79.80 16.40 16.20 1.30 1.25 0.410 0.390 0.410 0.390 908 889 1199.00 1001.00 8.19 8.01 13.20 12.86 6 5.98 7.00 6.96 0.229 0.225 1570 1550 6.85 6.74 86.90 84.80 5.82 5.82 7.8 7.63 0.77 0.73 16 15.86 7.54 7.4 0.0330 0.0330 1.270 1.270 1.980 1.950 83.20 81.60 2.41 2.41 1025.00 1018.00 1.27 1.26 193.00 192.00 194.500 192.500 0.3350 0.3250 0.2030 0.1990 0.305 0.290 PROPERTY 8.330 8.140 6.90 6.70 1.33 1.28 2.650 2.400 0.290 0.280 41.000 40.150 3.25 3.2 5.16 5.15 0.68 0.630 1.05 1.03 1.060 1.050 0.138 0.132 0.750 0.700 60.5 55.6 0.850 0.820 1.16 1.13 2.00 1.97 1.23 1.18 5.12 5.05 0.139 0.112 0.2850 0.2850 0.500 0.475

Close 3.61 47.4 114.30 97.70 38.1 1.70 17.04 20.4 1.94 600.00 0.630 96 0.91 14.62 24.00 63.65 99.95 500 280 32.75 213.8 71.75 1.57

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

-3.22 0.00 -0.17 0.00 0.00 -0.58 0.71 -1.45 -2.51 0.84 3.28 0.52 0.00 -1.22 -0.83 -1.01 1.22 11.11 0.72 0.77 1.71 0.84 1.29

70,000 9,700 838,870 449,490 77,200 603,000 1,565,900 459,600 131,000 430 599,000 1,398,820 106,000 87,500 4,700 171,680 10,810 40 10,770 55,400 853,430 154,060 141,000

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

High

27 1,500 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 1.62 8.59

23

Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry

2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 0.83 5.73

Primex Corp.

Robinson’s Land `B’ Rockwell Shang Properties Inc. SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

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

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

70.5 1.97 119.5 7 5.8 12.5 0.017

17.02 1.23 102.6 3.01 4 8.72 0.011

64,150.00 -257,981 -919,140.00

0.8200 2.2800 5.93

0.041 1.200 2.34

-20,347,046.00 -1,701,290.00 5,680,737.00 1,187,878.00

12.28 3.32 2.53 95.5 1 15.2

6.5 1.91 1.01 3.1 0.650 6

1.040 22.8 6.41 4 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

0.37 14.54 3 2.28 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

11.6 0.85 10 0.490 1.9

7.59 0.63 5 0.315 1.14

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

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

70 553 525

33 490 500

118 120 8.21 12.28 78.95 84.8

101 101.5 5.88 6.5 74.5 75

253,310.00 284,400.00 -44,362,496 15,130,193.50 267,300.00 290,500.00 -3,515,594.00 -2,096,555.00 6,000.00 73,200.00 54,263,506.50

1,228,902.00 -1,475,188.00 -159,705 69,444,496.00 63,846.50

45.2 3.5 0.91 1.94 13 52.2 12.04 17.12 152 170 21.9 61 2.4 5.88 12.8 10.100 7.50 5.95 9.80 1.8 25.9 72.2 12.00 15.64 5.74 2.350 258.00 40.00 2.06 3.7 32.00 26.6 28.7 10.7 325.20 0.270 4.23 3.46 10.94 3.3 11.66 5.95 1.70 3.6 4.34 3.82 210.4 3.04 0.156 1.96 2.38 203 1.29 1.29

0.44 0.00 3.41 2.11 -2.84 1.95 -2.59 0.71 -0.33 3.66 2.34 0.83 2.56 -2.00 0.00 0.80 -0.66 -0.17 0.00 1.12 0.00 -0.41 0.00 -0.13 -0.17 -0.42 3.12 -6.98 6.19 -5.13 -7.25 -0.37 -1.03 3.88 1.12 0.00 -4.51 0.87 -1.26 -1.49 0.69 -0.83 -3.41 2.27 -1.36 0.00 0.67 0.00 0.00 -5.77 0.42 1.50 -11.03 0.00

1,140,100 1,020,000 11,788,000 2,594,000 18,300 10 27,667,900 1,018,700 60 680 17,572,500 649,750 4,481,000 343,800 54,300 15,265,400 1,309,800 4,702,900 635,500 15,000 1,348,600 125,310 27,200 315,800 289,700 1,516,000 1,234,530 600 88,000 14,000 14,700 276,600 21,600 12,015,900 398,240 30,000 5,000 432,000 3,264,600 27,000 1,100 1,179,800 16,225,810 1,651,000 2,227,000 25,000 31,110 1,184,000 6,430,000 6,075,000 4,389,000 1,642,570 116,071,000 69,000

19,940,410.00 50.00 188,600.00

0.400 80.15 16.30 1.26 0.395 0.395 908 1199.00 8.19 13.00 5.98 6.96 0.225 1560 6.74 86.90 5.82 7.76 0.74 15.9 7.47 0.0330 1.270 1.960 82.35 2.41 1021.00 1.27 192.00 194.500 0.3350 0.2020 0.305

2.56 -0.06 -0.61 -4.55 0.00 0.00 2.14 -4.08 2.25 -0.46 -0.33 -0.14 -3.43 0.58 -0.15 2.18 -6.13 -1.77 -2.63 -0.62 1.77 3.13 0.79 -0.51 0.06 -7.66 1.59 0.00 -7.25 0.52 1.52 -1.94 3.39

4,810,000 2,002,780 3,922,400 411,000 5,260,000 50,000 394,820 40 2,722,300 10,221,300 1,400 68,300 390,000 99,205 10,300 1,384,560 200 608,200 139,000 13,463,700 109,024,100 3,500,000 3,000 295,000 194,380 1,000 295,590 219,000 140 7,510 3,900,000 230,000 490,000

100,500.00 -54,532,686.50 -3,764,714.00 -50,000.00

8.140 6.90 1.33 2.410 0.285 41.000 3.25 5.15 0.630 1.03 1.060 0.136 0.710 59.9 0.850 1.14 1.98 1.20 5.1 0.131 0.2850 0.495

-2.40 2.99 4.72 2.99 -1.72 1.99 1.25 0.39 -7.35 0.98 1.92 2.26 -4.05 2.39 2.41 -0.87 0.00 -1.64 0.99 14.91 0.00 3.13

357,100 4,500 6,770,000 11,191,000 940,000 11,022,500 535,000 8,100 44,456,000 16,000 40,000 11,730,000 58,029,000 2,093,670 4,583,000 5,534,000 10,528,000 602,000 31,924,000 107,450,000 230,000 360,000

-35,517,070.00 2,243,258.00

14,544,020.00 58,004.00 2,130,912.00 -848,976.00 -332,850.00 66,966,818.00

-4,732,000.00 -71,730.00 24,701,770.00 62,561,400.00 1,423,300.00 6,816,384.00 -261,944.00 79,740.00 204,320.00 -1,847,500.00 14,040.00 -724,280.00 2,386,800.00 103,640,277 -646,000.00

50,395,460.00 15,051,718.00 71,377,578.00

-5,929,165.00 57,256,983.00 -257,534.00 5,708,810.00 20,895,332.00 -78,200.00 -164,651.50 59,734,650.00 -3,890.00

1,731,851.00 -1,456,420.00 155,673,470.00 145,050.00 -902,470.00 1,060.00 2,001,590.00 13,245,863.00 -952,510.00 11,500.00 12,326,630.00 1,230.00 19,367,877.00 -940,760.00

6.98

0.8900

15

3.5

12.88

5.95

130.7

105.6

SHARES

7,799,071

INDUSTRIAL

264,155,971

HOLDING FIRMS

192,336,092

PROPERTY

356,682,602

SERVICES

162,324,230

MINING & OIL

779,835,648

GRAND TOTAL

1,785,857,114

16.54 32.90 1.75 3.3 30.10 0.97 1.050 6.250

Close

41.00

17 16.58 33.50 32.80 1.79 1.75 3.35 3.26 30.40 29.92 0.97 0.95 1.170 1.050 6.300 6.100 SERVICES 2GO Group’ 7.35 7.38 7.28 ABS-CBN 50.7 50.8 50.5 Acesite Hotel 1.23 1.23 1.21 APC Group, Inc. 0.610 0.610 0.580 Asian Terminals Inc. 11.1 10.48 10.4 Berjaya Phils. Inc. 5.78 6.01 5.7 Bloomberry 5.97 6.13 5.80 Boulevard Holdings 0.0990 0.1020 0.1000 Calata Corp.

2.85 2.95 2.84 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 100 100.4 99.95 Centro Esc. Univ.

9.83 10.1 9.8 DFNN Inc. 5.99 6.00 5.80 Easy Call “Common” 3.70 3.70 3.27 Globe Telecom 2244 2296 2248 GMA Network Inc. 6.31 6.32 6.29 Golden Haven 16.70 17.24 16.60 Grand Plaza Hotel 20.40 20.45 20.30 Harbor Star 1.20 1.23 1.19 I.C.T.S.I. 65.5 66.6 65.6 Imperial Res. `A’ 23.50 23.85 22.50 Imperial Res. `B’ 186 185 173 IPeople Inc. `A’ 12 11.98 11.98 IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.0090 0.0090 0.0090 IPM Holdings 9.36 9.38 9.35 Island Info 0.345 0.355 0.340 ISM Communications 1.8000 1.7900 1.7300 Jackstones 2.71 2.8 2.69 LBC Express 12.8 12.8 12.74 Leisure & Resorts 6.70 6.70 6.55 Liberty Telecom 3.02 3.10 3.01 Lorenzo Shipping 1.10 1.10 1.03 Manila Broadcasting 19.98 19.98 19.98 Manila Bulletin 0.620 0.690 0.590 Melco Crown 3.73 3.73 3.59 Metro Retail 5.40 5.70 5.37 NOW Corp.

3.630 3.640 3.530 Pacific Online Sys. Corp. 12.2 12.1 12.06 PAL Holdings Inc. 5.25 5.27 5.10 Paxys Inc. 2.88 2.65 2.58 Phil. Seven Corp.

139.00 139.00 135.00 Philweb.Com Inc. 16.10 16.28 16.00 PLDT Common 2100.00 2130.00 2084.00 PremiereHorizon 0.435 0.455 0.440 Premium Leisure 1.150 1.150 1.130 Puregold 48.20 48.65 48.20 Robinsons RTL 86.15 86.50 84.90 SBS Phil. Corp.

6.45 6.50 6.40 SSI Group 3.22 3.25 3.19 STI Holdings 0.650 0.660 0.640 Travellers 3.61 3.62 3.59 Waterfront Phils.

0.325 0.330 0.330 Yehey 6.500 6.800 6.550 MINING & OIL Abra Mining 0.0041 0.0041 0.0041 Apex `A’ 2.94 3.00 2.85 Atlas Cons. `A’ 4.29 4.30 4.25 Basic Energy Corp.

0.229 0.230 0.229 Benguet Corp `A’ 6.8500 6.94 6.8 Benguet Corp `B’ 7.2000 7.1000 6.7000 Century Peak Metals Hldgs0.67 0.69 0.64 Coal Asia 0.480 0.500 0.470 Dizon 8.65 8.65 8.55 Ferronickel 0.880 0.900 0.880 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.290 0.295 0.285 Lepanto `A’ 0.235 0.237 0.231 Lepanto `B’ 0.245 0.250 0.244 Manila Mining `A’ 0.0120 0.0130 0.0120 Manila Mining `B’ 0.0140 0.0130 0.0130 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 1.81 1.84 1.8 Nickelasia 5.64 5.6 5.5 Nihao Mineral Resources 2.81 2.86 2.78 Omico 0.5900 0.6400 0.5700 Oriental Peninsula Res. 1.1300 1.1500 1.1300 Oriental Pet. `B’ 0.0120 0.0120 0.0120 Petroenergy Res. Corp. 4.15 4.15 4.15 Philex `A’ 8.44 8.54 8.45 PhilexPetroleum 4.20 4.30 4.03 Philodrill Corp. `A’ 0.0120 0.0120 0.0120 Semirara Corp.

119.20 119.80 119.20 TA Petroleum 3.77 3.78 3.7 United Paragon 0.0110 0.0110 0.0100 PREFERRED ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 50.45 50.5 49.5 Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ 520 520 520 Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ 545.5 545.5 545.5 CDD Pref 106.3 106 104.8 First Gen F 116 116 116 First Gen G 119 119 119 GMA Holdings Inc. 6.1 6.1 6.09 Leisure and Resort 1.08 1.07 1.07 SMC Preferred B 76.05 77 77 SMC Preferred C 81.5 81.5 81.5 SMC Preferred D 76.05 76.5 76.5 SMC Preferred E 79 79 79 SMC Preferred H 77.1 77.1 77 SMC Preferred I 77 77.1 77 WARRANTS & BONDS LR Warrant 2.750 2.750 2.710 SME Alterra Capital 5.14 5.36 5.07 Makati Fin. Corp.

3.71 3.46 3.46 Italpinas 6.3 6.73 5.72 Xurpas 17.34 18.04 17.38 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS First Metro ETF 132 132.4 131.7

TRADING SUMMARY FINANCIAL

39.60

Low

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

39.60

39.60

0

.

0

0

17 33.15 1.78 3.3 30.05 0.97 1.140 6.210

2.78 0.76 1.71 0.00 -0.17 0.00 8.57 -0.64

419,900 1,009,100 723,000 32,000 9,585,800 1,117,000 20,516,000 5,620,000

7.35 50.5 1.21 0.600 10.48 5.99 5.90 0.1000 2.84 100 10.1 5.90 3.27 2270 6.32 16.60 20.35 1.20 65.95 23.15 180 11.98 0.0090 9.38 0.350 1.7500 2.69 12.74 6.58 3.09 1.08 19.98 0.590 3.65 5.67 3.530 12.1 5.10 2.61 137.00 16.10 2120.00 0.440 1.130 48.50 84.90 6.49 3.20 0.650 3.6 0.330 6.550

0.00 -0.39 -1.63 -1.64 -5.59 3.63 -1.17 1.01 -0.35 0.00 2.75 -1.50 -11.62 1.16 0.16 -0.60 -0.25 0.00 0.69 -1.49 -3.23 -0.17 0.00 0.21 1.45 -2.78 -0.74 -0.47 -1.79 2.32 -1.82 0.00 -4.84 -2.14 5.00 -2.75 -0.82 -2.86 -9.38 -1.44 0.00 0.95 1.15 -1.74 0.62 -1.45 0.62 -0.62 0.00 -0.28 1.54 0.77

260,400 38,000 50,000 5,313,000 700 81,200 4,212,600 76,510,000 3,582,000 540,810 2,600 658,100 13,000 55,500 51,400 637,900 5,000 115,000 638,320 49,400 690 100 7,000,000 346,200 10,950,000 3,039,000 79,000 2,400 443,200 339,000 516,000 100 3,092,000 2,880,000 13,791,400 4,629,000 20,600 9,300 36,000 740 62,500 113,520 3,570,000 2,113,000 1,625,600 1,738,280 278,800 2,976,000 3,030,000 2,634,000 120,000 37,900

0.0041 2.99 4.27 0.229 6.9400 6.7000 0.65 0.490 8.65 0.880 0.290 0.231 0.250 0.0120 0.0130 1.8 5.52 2.83 0.5700 1.1500 0.0120 4.15 8.50 4.06 0.0120 119.50 3.7 0.0110

0.00 1.70 -0.47 0.00 1.31 -6.94 -2.99 2.08 0.00 0.00 0.00 -1.70 2.04 0.00 -7.14 -0.55 -2.13 0.71 -3.39 1.77 0.00 0.00 0.71 -3.33 0.00 0.25 -1.86 0.00

638,000,000 3,934,000 101,000 190,000 12,900 500 1,742,000 1,280,000 2,500 5,998,000 120,000 24,190,000 5,440,000 51,600,000 15,400,000 612,000 1,257,800 115,000 927,000 182,000 300,000 2,000 832,600 5,527,000 17,900,000 453,950 276,000 3,400,000

1,549,800.00 8,911,140.00 -29,970.00

49.5 520 545.5 105 116 119 6.1 1.07 77 81.5 76.5 79 77.1 77.1

-1.88 0.00 0.00 -1.22 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.93 1.25 0.00 0.59 0.00 0.00 0.13

109,960 5,680 50 520,800 20 20 902,300 10,000 10,000 5,800 270 2,000 92,530 214,530

-1,570,688.00 -2,953,600.00

2.710

-1.45

397,000

5.15 3.46 5.8 17.96

0.19 -6.74 -7.94 3.58

6,489,700 1,000 8,902,500 8,289,900

132.4

0.30

22,400

-927,528.00 19,866,640.00 -89,500.00 58,903,995.00 -853,740.00 -15,294,032.00 -1,444,774.00

1,946,841.00 -72,110.00 13,465,061.00 -10,183.00 -24,371,790.00 -514,910.00 4,091,432.50

8,700.00 977,205 30,900.00 2,037,660.00 27,741,984.00 -178,130.00

-36,865.00 32,200.00 72,520,650.00 -46,950.00 58,653,830.00 -13,547,216.00 -1,572,510.00 324,550.00 -3,309,600.00

Meralco, DMCI to build new coal plant

By Jenniffer B. Austria CONGLOMERATE DMCI Holdings Inc. sealed a 5050 joint venture with Manila Electric Co. to build a 700-megawatt coal-fired power project in Calaca, Batangas.

DMCI president Isidro A. Consunji said in an interview at the sidelines of the annual stockholders’ meeting the company was just waiting for the final approval of the Energy Regulatory Commission before proceeding with the project.

Consunji said while both parties agreed to a 50/50 joint venture, a third investor might also come in and acquire up to a 20-percent stake. This means that the ownership of DMCI and Meralco will be reduced to 40 percent each.

The proposed power plant project is the second phase of the planned expansion of Calaca facility.

The current Calaca facility consists of two 300-MW generating units and is designed to utilize local coal from Semirara mines in Antique.

Consunji said DMCI was re-shaping its growth strategy to deliver more value to shareholders.

He said among the strategies being planned by the group were venturing into developing houses for low-income and lower middle-class families, pursuing renewable energy projects and developing new businesses to complement and boost existing capacities.

Nestle, SMC top employers —Jobstreet

By Othel V. Campos

54,000.00 498,400.00 415,200.00 113,940.00 -195,730.00

-8,300.00 2,007,837.00 -1,976,000.00 -556,329.00 -48,280.00

-4,855,600.00 -770,000.00 -277,100

770,000.00

-737,129.00 -5,578,333.00 5,572,940.00

VALUE 1,825.93 (up) 5.83 525,682,650.67 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 12,261.53 (up) 122.71 2,419,543,099.734 HOLDING FIRMS 7,976.39 (up) 91.38 2,678,993,424.218 PROPERTY 3,683.78 (up) 31.83 1,662.77 (up) 6.65 1,599,751,271.584 SERVICES MINING & OIL 11,061.37 (down) 21.01 1,020,644,533.45 PSEI 8,100.48 (up) 75.94 124,187,419.31 All Shares Index 4,822.70 (up) 44.84 8,609,554,971.968 Gainers: 93; Losers: 100; Unchanged: 48; Total: 241

SAN Miguel Corp., Nestle Philippines and Accenture remain the most desired employers among Filipino jobseekers, according to JobStreet.com.

“These companies have consistently figured as the best in their ranks as rated by present and former employees. Compensation and work conditions showed as the top reasons why employee/respondents chose these companies,” said Jobstreet. com country manager Philip Gioca.

SMC and Nestlé occupied the top two spots of preferred employers for the third year in a row. Accenture moved up from fifth in 2014 to third in 2015 and 2016.

The report is a part of JobStreet.com’s thrust to provide stakeholders in the labor market innovative services for companies not only to find talents but also build employee value proposition and attract the best talents in the job market.

About 14,062 JobStreet. com members participated in a series of surveys from May to July 2016, with respondents from different position levels, representing a diverse mix of specializations.

BDO Unibank and SM Investments Corp. maintained their strong presence in the top 10 since their first appearance in last year’s list.

Business

B3

Manila

Standard

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

TODAY

Telecom law too old; Security Bank award THE slow internet speed in the Philippines is, to say the least, apalling.

But the problem is not impossible to solve, if the government does its share and telecommunications companies are made to answer for their poor services.

The National Telecommunications Commission knows well what ails the sector. First, there is a dire need for Congress to update our laws. Republic Act 7925 categorizes internet access as a value added service. This makes the service deregulated.

Our lawmakers should consider classifying internet access as a basic service to enable government to impose stricter rules on telcos that refuse to improve their services and renege on their commitment to their subscribers.

It doesn’t help, too, that the government can only penalize erring telcos P200 per violation, based on Public Service Act of 1936. That’s an antiquated law.

Cheers to Tarlac Rep. Susan A. Yap for finally proposing to increase by over a thousand-fold the penalty on telecommunication companies that continue to abuse their mobile phone subscribers— from overcharging to dropped calls and slow internet speed.

House Bill No. 6161 seeks to increase the penalty on Smart Communications Inc., Globe Telecom Inc. and Sun Cellular from P200 to P300,000 per day if they refuse to follow the order of the NTC and curb violations. The bill proposes to cap the penalty at P5 million instead of the current maximum fine of just P25,000.

Expectations over the improvement of internet speed after Globe and PLDT took over San Miguel Corp.’s telco assets have been high in the past few weeks. With the availability of the prized 700Mhz frequency now in their control, Globe and PLDT have publicly claimed they will speed up the rollout of additional cell sites for this spectrum.

If the Philippines wants positive change to be lasting, however, the government should not rely solely on what its stakeholders are capable of doing. The lasting solution is for government to invest substantially in building a nationwide broadband network to deliver faster internet speeds and give subscribers a respite from high subscription costs.

The Philippines lags behind its Asian neighbors in terms of government investment in improving the internet. South Korea invested $24 billion for its public internet backbone, while Indonesian sank $22.1 billion. Thailand is spending $19.8 billion, while the Chinese government will invest $190 billion on improving its internet in the coming years.

It would be impossible for our country to be internet speed competitive given this context. The government has to invest in building the national broadband network. And, it has to do so now.

With the Department of Information and Communications Technology now in existence, our hope of getting faster internet speeds in the long term might just come to its fruition. The development of the country’s national broadband network must be one of the department’s priorities.

New accolade SecurityBank has just been named the Philippines Best Bank 2016 at the recently-concluded Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2016 Asia in Hong Kong.

Security Bank has developed a habit for being constantly recognized by foremost international award giving bodies as one of the best in its craft in the banking world.

Euromoney’s Awards for Excellence, now on its 25th year since its launch in 1992, were the first of their kind in the global financial publishing industry.

Security Bank president and chief executive officer Alfonso “Yogi” Salcedo flew to China to receive the award on behalf of the bank.

“This award is a testament to our commitment to provide better banking experience to our clients,” Salcedo said.

Security Bank bested other Philippine banks in a metrics race on return on equity, return on assets, cost-income ratio, nonperforming loan and non-performing loans coverage.

In the first quarter of the year, the bank’s return on equity— which measures the profitability the company generates with each peso of shareholder’s equity—was up 22 percent delivering a net income of P3 billion.

Return on asset—an indicator of how profitable a company is relative to its total assets and paints a picture on how efficient the management is at using its assets to generate earnings—inched by 2.3 percent while cost-to-income ratio stood at 42 percent.

Provision for probable credit losses was at P212 million during the quarter, which reflects the bank’s fluid position. The provision for losses is designed to cover uncollected loans payments.

Security Bank in the last quarter of 2015 was tagged as Bank of the Year-Philippines by The Banker, the international Banking and Finance magazine of the Financial Times Ltd. The Banker chose one bank per country based on overall banking excellence, citing strong management, sound business model and prudent risk management approach to determine the winner.

“These recognitions move us to strive for greater excellence for the benefit of our clients and the banking public,” Salcedo said.

E-mail: rayenano@yahoo.com or business@thestandard. com.ph or extrastory2000@gmail.com

RESORTS WORLD’S AWARD. Resorts World Manila is recognized by international non-government organization Enterprise Asia for championing sustainability and responsible entrepreneurship through its League of Volunteer Employees program. Shown during the awarding ceremony at Resorts World Sentosa Convention Center in Singapore are (from left) Resorts World Manila director for corporate communications Owen Camayo, Enterprise Asia advisor Datuk Seri Victor Wee, Enterprise Asia president Dato William Ng and Resorts World Manila corporate social responsibility officer Mark Meneses.

SSS lists condition before pension hike

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

LEGAL NOTICE

S

TATE-RUN Social Security System said it is open to a pension increase if the government and members will agree to a funding mechanism that will offset projected revenue losses.

SSS president Conrado De Quiros Jr. told reporters the new administration would look at the whole financial situation of the pension fund, before mandating a possible P2,000 across-the-board pension hike, which was vetoed by former President Benigno Aquino III in January this year.

“I think they [Duterte administration] are willing to look at the whole financial situation and what funding mechanism they can come up with,” De Quiros told reporters at the sidelines of the 66th founding anniversary of the Philippine Life Insurance Association in Makati City Tuesday.

“What we’re saying is you need to have a funding mechanism, otherwise you shorten the life of the fund. Whatever is the funding mechanism because based on our estimate that’s P56 billion. and that’s a big amount, growing [every year],” De Quiros said.

Aquino decided to veto House Bill 5842 at the start of this year, as the proposal pushed for an across-the-board monthly SSS pension increase of P2,000.

De Quiros previously said the proposed increase would have consequences for both the 2.15 million pensioners and 31 million members. He said at least P56 billion would be needed to fund the additional P2,000 benefit increase for the 2.15 million pensioners annually.

“As the number of pensioners grows, the initial P56 billion in additional benefit outlay per year would increase, which in turn contributes to the rising annual deficit or net loss incurred

by SSS,” De Quiros said earlier.

The SSS fund would be wiped out by 2029 or in 13 years due to recurring net losses caused by the proposed P2,000 pension increase, the fund manager said.

“If you want a situation where the fund can guarantee every member pension, it should be about 70 years but right now you’re doing, from 2016 up to 2042,” De Quiros said.

He said “you need to increase contribution on a gradual basis” to guarantee the pension of every member.

SSS said to implement the P2,000 pension increase and still maintain the present fund life of 26 years, the contribution rate needed should be increased from the present 11 percent to 15.8 percent of members’ income.

SSS said in the absence of a contribution rate increase, the government would have to provide a minimum annual subsidy of P130 billion per year starting 2030, or once the SSS investment reserve was exhausted.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said last week he would review the possible pension hike for the members of the fund. “We’ll see what they file.

Asean maritime crisis expected to affect $5.3-t trade INTERNATIONAL think tanks warned of economic impact on the region if the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will not unite to stop escalation of disputes in the South China Sea. “Each year, $5.3 trillion of trade passes through the South China Sea; U.S. trade accounts for $1.2 trillion of this total.

Should a crisis occur, the diversion of cargo ships to other routes would harm regional economies as a result of an increase in insurance rates and longer transits. Conflict of any scale in the South China Sea would hamper the claimants from benefiting from the South

China’s Sea’s proven and potential riches,” Bonnie Glaser, senior advisor for Asia at Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a published note.

A. Ibrahim Almuttaqi of Jakarta-based Habibie Center said Asean should go beyond simple rhetoric and towards actions following the favorable ruling for the Philippines by the Permanent Court of Arbitration on the West Philippine Sea dispute.

“Even agreeing on simple rhetoric has proved to be difficult for Asean,” Almuttaqi said at the forum ‘Renewing the Multilateral Response: Building

an Asean Coalition’ organized by the think tank Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute in partnership with Asia Society Philippines and Asian Institute of Management in Makati City.

“It is clear that there is much homework for Asean to do to raise its relevance in the South China Sea issue, and only when it fixes its problems can it seek to comprehensively and inclusively help resolve the territorial row,” he said.

ADRi president Dindo Manhi said the 28th ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos was a good venue to send a strong message to call on China to

play a constructive, rather than destabilizing, role in the region.

“The Philippines and its Asean partners have an opportunity to leverage on the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s decision to uphold the UNCLOS and effectively extinguishing China’s ‘NineDash Line’claim,” he said.

Almuttaqi is against isolating Beijing, which he said would only serve to provoke the rising power into taking a more assertive stance.

“Remember, the ruling cannot be implemented without the cooperation of all parties, including China,” he said.

ERRORS & OMISSIONS

Notice is hereby given that the Estate of the late CEFERINO LIM FOLLOSCO was extrajudicially settled among his heirs as per Doc. No. 21; Page No. 6; Book No. 42; Series of 2016, under Notary Public Atty. Ruben T.M. Ramirez.

In Classified Ads section must be brought to our attention the very day the advertisement is published.

We will not be responsible for any incorrect ads not reported to us immediately.

(TS-JULY 21, 28 & AUG. 4, 2016)

Republic of the Philippines Province of Bataan City of Balanga BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE OFFICE Invitation to Bid No. Goods-042-2016 42

The Provincial Government of Bataan, through the General Fund intends to apply the below listed procurement w/ corresponding Approved Budget of the Contract (ABC).

Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected a bid opening.

Name of Project

Approved Budget of the Contract (ABC)

1. Supply & Delivery of Radio Communication Equipment for the use of PNP and Bureau of Fire Protection in the Provincial Government of Bataan

=P=2,565,494.86

The Provincial Government of Bataan now invites bids for the above listed Procurement. Delivery of goods is required on or before the maturity date stipulated on contract. Bidders should have completed, at least one (1) contract that is similar to the contract to be bid. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

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 open to all interested bidders, whether local or foreign, subject to the conditions for eligibility provided in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from Office of Bataan Bids & Awards Committee and inspect the Bidding Documents from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the same office.

Bid documents will be available only to eligible bidders upon payment of a nonrefundable amount of using standard rates approved by GPPB as stated on their Resolution No. 04-2012 listed below.

Approved Budget for the Contract

Maximum Cost of Bidding Documents (in Philippine Peso)

500,000 and below

500.00

More than 500,000 up to 1 Million

1,000.00

More than 1 Million up to 5 Million

5,000.00

More than 5 Million up to 10 Million

10,000.00

More than 10 Million up to 50 Million

25,000.00

More than 50 Million up to 500 Million

50,000.00

More than 500 Million

75,000.00

The Provincial Government of Bataan will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on August 03, 2016 at 10:00 A.M at Provincial BAC Office, PEO Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

Bids must be delivered on or before August 16, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. at Provincial BAC Office, PEO Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated on IRR of RA 9184 and Bid Securing Declaration in standard form.

The winning bidder has the option to deliver the items requested by the end-user with higher technical specification & better technology provided it will be beneficial to the government & will not incur additional expenses on the part of the procuring entity.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend opening of Bids at Bataan BAC Office. Late bids shall not be accepted.

In case of the above dates is declared a special Non-Working Holidays, it will automatically reset on the next working days.

Other necessary information deemed relevant by the Provincial Government of Bataan Activities 1. Advertisement/Posting of Invitation to Bid 2. Eligibility Check 3. Issuance and availability of Bidding Documents 4. Request for Clarification 5. Opening of Bids

Schedule July 27 – August 02, 2016 Refer to date of Opening of Bids July 27 – August 16, 2016 August 05, 2016 August 16, 2016

The Provincial Government of Bataan reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the 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, please refer to: Engr. Josephine R. Valenzuela Provincial BAC / PEO Bataan Provincial BAC / PEO Office, Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan 047-237-9316 bac@bataan.gov.ph (TS-JULY 28, 2016)

(SGD) ENRICO T. YUZON BAC CHAIRMAN

Ray S. Eñano, Editor business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com

B4

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

Business

Japan unveils stimulus plan worth over $266b

T

OKYO―Japan launched an economic stimulus package worth more than 28 trillion yen ($266 billion) Wednesday, days before the central bank is expected to unveil its own growth-boosting measures.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the program in a speech in southwestern Japan, giving few details except to say it would include about 13 trillion yen in fiscal measures including government spending.

More highlights of the package were expected next week when the cabinet is due to approve the measures announced in the city

of Fukuoka.

Abe promised a stimulus package― which earlier reports had said could be worth between 10 and 30 trillion yen―after Britain’s vote last month to quit the European Union sparked a rally in the yen that threatened profits at Japan Inc. Traders tend to buy Japan’s currency as a safe bet in times of turmoil or uncertainty.

But it makes the country’s exporters less competitive overseas and takes a bite out of their bottom line.

On currency markets, the dollar jumped as high as 106.54 yen from around 105.01 yen in the morning, after Fuji Television flagged the stimulus on Wednesday afternoon.

It was sitting at 105.54 yen after the announcement.

The news comes as speculation mounts

that the Bank of Japan will further ease monetary policy after a two-day meeting Friday.

Since taking the helm more than three years ago BoJ governor Haruhiko Kuroda has overseen a massive asset-buying plan that now stands at an unprecedented 80 trillion yen annually.

The scheme is a cornerstone of Abe’s push to beat years of deflation and kickstart growth, dubbed Abenomics.

But while Kuroda has insisted the central bank’s target to reach two-percent inflation is realistic, the BoJ has been forced to push back its timeline for meeting that goal several times.

The government and central bank have come under increasing pressure to do more for the economy as a string of poor readings

and sagging business confidence highlight a long-running weakness in Japan’s economy.

On Friday Japan is due to release monthly economic data that could factor into the BoJ’s decision on whether to move or not.

The last figures painted a worrying picture, with spending by Japanese households falling while inflation dropped for a third straight month.

While the labor market remains tight, there are growing concerns about secondquarter economic growth. Japan dodged a recession in the first three months of the year.

Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan’s most recent Tankan survey showed confidence among small firms and non-manufacturers worsened during the second quarter of the year. AFP

Crude prices fall to $42.70 SINGAPORE―Oil prices slipped to fresh three-month lows Wednesday as worries about a global oversupply resurface ahead of the release of US stockpiles data later in the day.

With the US summer driving season―when demand peaks―drawing to a close investors are growing increasingly concerned that stocks in the world’s top crude consumer remain at elevated levels.

The Energy Information Administration is due to release a report Wednesday, with a survey of analysts warning gasoline inventories rose in the previous week, while oil supplies dipped for a tenth week.

The EIA last week announced a smaller-than-forecast drop, which sparked a sell-off in the commodity.

On Wednesday at around 0715 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was down 22 cents at $42.70 while Brent fell 25 cents to $44.62. The losses come after a three-day sell-off.

“The general driver behind the negativity seems to be the excess crude and gasoline stockpiles,” Angus Nicholson, a markets analyst at IG Ltd. in Melbourne, said. AFP

Deutsche Bank’s net earnings fall sharply

MALAYSIA AIRLINES’ PURCHASE. Malaysia Airlines Berhad chief executive officer, Peter Bellew (second from left) and senior vice president of sales, Asia Pacific and India for Boeing, Dinesh Keskar (second from right) sign documents as Malaysia’s Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai (back, left) and chairman of Malaysia Airlines Berhad Md Nor Yusof (back, right) look on during a signing ceremony in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur on July 27, 2016. Struggling Malaysia Airlines on July 27 announced plans to purchase 50 Boeing aircraft for $5.5 billion as it continues efforts to recover from devastating twin disasters in 2014. AFP

Air France-KLM cut loss in first 6 months PARIS―Air France-KLM said Wednesday it managed to cut its net loss significantly in the first half of this year but warned attacks had reduced the attractiveness of France as a travel destination.

“The global context in 2016 remains highly uncertain regarding the geopolitical and economic environment in which we operate,” the French-Dutch airline group said in a statement, citing “a special concern about France as a destination.”

The group cut its net loss to 114 million euros in the first half of the year compared with 638 million in the same period in 2015.

On an operating basis, it made a profit of 218 million compared with a loss of 238 million.

While the airline group even managed a net profit of 41 million euros in the second quarter, it noted a “clear deterioration during the quarter” in revenues, which dropped by 5.2 percent.

The company’s shares soared nearly 4.8 percent in early Paris trading, vastly outpacing the stock exchange’s CAC 40 index which rose 1.1 percent.

The results were announced as Air France faced another strike by employees, which forced it to cancel 13 percent of flights on Wednesday during the peak summer travel season.

Chief financial officer Pierre-Francois Riolacci said unit revenue fell by 5.6 percent in the second quarter, which he put down to the sluggish global economic recovery and “most of all the effect of the terror attacks that have struck Europe in recent quarters and which resumed with the Brussels attacks at the end of March.”

The March 22 Brussels airport and metro attacks which killed 32 people are believed to be the work of jihadists closely linked to the cell which carried out the November Paris massacres in which 130 people died.

The July 14 attack in Nice in which 84 people were killed when a gunman drove a 19-tonne truck into a crowd of revellers following Bastille Day fireworks has renewed concerns about the impact on tourism, which accounts for 7 percent of France’s economy and employs two million people.

French officials said earlier this month that the number of tourists arriving on regular flights has fallen by 5.8 percent since January, including by 11 percent in Paris. AFP

FRANKFURT, Germany—Deutsche Bank blamed on Wednesday a weak economic environment and its complicated restructuring for a 98 percent plunge in its second quarter net profit.

Net earnings in the second quarter totalled 20 million euros ($22 million), compared with 796 million in the same period of 2015.

Deutsche’s performance fell well short of the average of 188 million euros expected by analysts surveyed by Factset.

“Our results show that we are undergoing a sustained restructuring,” chief executive John Cryan said in a statement, adding that he was “satisfied with the progress we are making”.

But the CEO warned that “if the current weak economic environment persists, we will need to be yet more ambitious in the timing and intensity of our restructuring.”

Shares in the bank fell by more than two percent in the first minutes of trading on the the Frankfurt stock exchange on Wednesday.

Pre-tax profits stood at 408 million euros—a fall of 67 percent compared with 2015’s second quarter—on revenue of 7.4 billion euros, down 20 percent.

Revenues at Deutsche’s brokerage division—the bank’s biggest source of income—slumped by 28 percent, or 924 million euros.

And the investment banking and wealth management units each saw drops, with revenues falling 12 percent and 11 percent.

Cryan is battling to convince markets and regulators that Deutsche is on course for recovery after it was described as a “major systemic risk” by the International Monetary Fund in June.

Its share price has slumped this year, sapped by fears over Britain’s vote to quit the EU and weakness in the Italian banking sector.

In early July the US Federal Reserve revealed that Deutsche’s US arm had failed two sets of stress tests in a row.

Cryan is seeking to steady the ship, selling Deutsche’s stake in the Chinese Hua Xia bank as part of efforts to boost its capital ratio.

“We’ve continued to de-risk our balance sheet, to invest in our processes and to modernise our infrastructure” over the second quarter, Cryan said. AFP

Small family good but unrealistic PHILIPPINE economists and government planners have long recognized the close correlation, in a developing-country setting, between rapid population growth and slow economic growth. They have long seen how a population growth rate exceeding 2 percent per annum has prevented the Philippine economy from taking off into rapid and sustainable growth.

Up until now they have limited their population-growth-must-slowdown proselytizing to empowering Filipino couples to plan the extent and timing of the growth of their families. Empowerment meant giving them access to government resources and facilities—especially counseling services—related to the prevention of conception. Victory for the managingpopulation-growth forces was achieved with the passage in 2012, after a bruising battle with the Catholic Church and conservative groups, of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012.

Apart from saying that the average family size of eight people—parents and six children—was way too high, this country’s leaders have been hesitant to state a number that in their minds represented a desirable objective for family-size limitation. This has changed. A number has not been indicated, and the indicator has been no

one less than President Rodrigo Duterte himself.

In the course of the electoral campaign then-candidate Rodrigo Duterte said that, because of their economic circumstances, poor Filipino couples should have no more than three children. With more than that number of children, they would have difficulty breaking out of poverty, he said.

Duterte is to be commended for putting a name to the problem: having many children. He has rushed in where angels have feared to tread. With three children or less, you have a fair chance to break out of poverty; with more than three children, you likely will live a hand-to-mouth existence and remain poor all your lives. That, in effect, was the message that the new Chief Executive delivered to this country’s couples.

Unfortunately, because this country is a democracy and the right to decide a family’s size is one of the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, suggesting that Filipino couples should have a maximum of three children is all that Duterte can do as the nation’s No. 1 official. And ponder is all that Congress can do; it cannot pass legislation regulating the private lives of Filipino couples.

In making his suggestion about Filipino couples’ limiting the number

of their offspring to three, Rodrigo Duterte was doubtless influenced by the policymaking and experience of totalitarian and near-dictatorial governments like those of China and Singapore. Whereas many demographic planners believe that the ideal situation is one where parents seek simply to replace themselves—i.e., have two children—China and Singapore, have long maintained one and two, respectively, as the maximum allowable number of children per couple.

Given the democratic character of this country’s government, the only thing that Rodrigo Duterte’s administration can do to make his maximum-of-threechildren suggestion effective is to provide a further incentive for Filipino couples to limit their procreative activity to that number of children.

Fiscal incentives tend to work best. In the 1970s the Department of Finance set a limit of four to the number of dependents claimable by individual taxpayers in their income tax returns.

Economically, President Duterte’s maximum-three-children suggestion is excellent. Politically, however, it is a non-starter. The religious community, it goes without saying, would be apoplectic over any such government action.

E-mail:

rudyromero777@yahoo.

LGUs

‘QC bgys can still impose curfew’

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

By Rio Araja and Sandy Araneta QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista today clarified that barangay officials and barangay public safety officers can still enforce their respective curfew ordinances despite the temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court.

Bautista said the TRO only covered City Ordinance 2301-2014 or the Quezon City Discipline Hours for Minors ordinance.

He said the Supreme Court ruling, does not prevent the city’s law enforcement agencies from acting to protect the public from threats to their lives and properties.

“If a crime is committed, there can be citizen’s arrest,” Bautista said.

Ordinance 2301was enacted in response to complaints about the rising number of minors roaming the streets, endangering motorists or getting involved in street crimes and illegal drugs.

Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada on Wednesday ordered the Manila police and city hall personnel to stop the apprehension of minors for violating curfew and other related city ordinances.

“I have never enforced City Ordinance No. 8046 that mandates the implementation of curfew in the city and I ordered MPD director Joel Coronel to stop jailing apprehended minors.” The curfew ordinance was approved in

Bautista

2002 during the term of former mayor Lito Atienza.

Estrada said President Rodrigo Duterte should be the one to impose a curfew.

“When the President orders it, pass it to Congress, then we follow. It could be imposed nationwide with the cooperation of the local mayors,” he added.

The Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order on curfew in three cities— Manila, Navotas, and Quezon City.

Estrada clarified that they were rounding up street dwellers, minors included, and turning them over to the city-owned Manila Boystown Complex in Marikina City.

The city government has also partnered with various non-government organizations in providing shelter to the homeless or transporting them back to their native provinces.

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

C1

MMDA, NTC unite vs ‘colorum’ cars

By Joel E. Zurbano

T

HE Metro Manila Development Authority has asked the help of the National Telecommunications Commission to identify groups of motorists, especially Asian utility vehicle (AUV) drivers, which use handheld radios to warn their fellows against enforcers implementing the government’s campaign against colorum and out-of-line vehicles.

The MMDA teamed up with the National Police-Highway Patrol Group, the Land Transportation Office, and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in protecting passengers and easing traffic in the metropolis, particularly on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.

MMDA chairman Emerson Carlos said out-of-line AUVs and undisciplined driv-

ers of public utility vehicles are among the “culprits” that caused heavy traffic along Edsa. But there are groups of AUV drivers using handheld radios to inform or communicate their members to avoid apprehension.

Carlos said he will ask for additional component from the NTC to monitor the handheld radios used by the AUVs.

”We need additional component from the NTC after initial operations, others were able to avoid our enforcers. We have to check also if they have permission with NTC and if they don’t have, we will confiscate,” he said.

Carlos said the areas of operation were divulged to the members of the composite teams only minutes before the actual deployment.

“We want to make this as covert as possible, so that the operators of these illegal vehicles will be caught off guard,” he noted.

In recent operations in Quezon City, Caloocan City and Pasay City, the composite team apprehended more than 50 vehicles and among the drivers that were caught are active members of the police force and a traffic enforcer of the MMDA. The team conducted the op-

eration around 8 a.m. in the areas of Bonifacio Avenue and Mindanao Avenue, both in Quezon City, Monumento in Caloocan, and along Edsa in front of Heritage Hotel in Pasay City.

“We are determined not only to minimize, but to put a stop to the traffic problems caused by these colorum vehicles, which if left unattended will further cause more headaches to the general public and the authorities,” Carlos said.

Apprehended vehicles were brought to an impounding area in Taytay, Rizal. The violators will pay the corresponding fine per the Joint Administrative Order of LTO and LTFRB. Operators of colorum buses will be fined P1 million for the first offense, P200,000 for trucks and vans, P120,000 for sedans, P50,000 for jeepneys, and P60,000 for motorcycles.

Suspected rebels kidnap 4 PNP men

By Lance Baconguis

PAY HIKE. President Rodrigo Duterte talks to soldiers and military officers during his visit to Fort Ramon Magsaysay in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija on Tuesday. Duterte promised to increase the enlisted men’s salary next month. FERDIE DOMINGO

Davao City wants MRT, San Fernando faces water crisis coastal road, cable car By Romeo Dizon

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera DAVAO CITY—The 18th city council here expects that the city will receive major projects such as the Davao City railway system, especially now that the president is the former mayor.

Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang said that under previous presidents, the city did not receive fair budgets and all projects were realized through the initiative and hard work of former mayor President Rodrigo Duterte.

Dayanghirang said he met with Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar to discuss the proposed projects for easing the traffic problem in the city.

“We have to test the viability of an MRT [Metro Railway Transit].

It was the proposed project of the Koreans, we want to know the status of it,” the councilor said.

The MRT project was pro-

posed during Duterte’s term in 2014, but it was put on hold by the National Economic and Development Authority.

Dayanghirang also mentioned a proposed Coastal Road from Matina to Toril area as a further solution to traffic.

He said the council and the executive branch need to review all proposed projects through the Executive and Legislative Agenda and submit it to the DPWH national office for budgeting.

The city also plans to put up a cable car, Dayanghirang said.

The 2017 budget of the city government of Davao is expected to be between 10 percent to 14 percent higher than the present amount, said Dayanghirang, who heads the committee on finance and ways and means.

Dayanghirang said the city’s budget next year might reach P7 billion following the increase in the Internal Revenue Allotment of the city.

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga—This city with a population of one million and with 8,000 business establishments including six major bottling companies is running out of potable water.

Ferdinand Caylao, vice chairman of the San Fernando Water District, said they are already using the water resources reserved for the next generation of Fernandinos.

If no long-term solution is found and people will not use water properly, the city will have no potable water 15 to 25 years from now, Caylao said.

A mechanical engineer by profession, Caylao said their pumps are now extracting potable water 300 meters deep, as the 100-meter and 200-meter deep stations are no longer producing, having dried up since summer of 2014.

The cause of the problem was the overextraction of water by the bottling companies in Barangays Balite, Quebiawan and San

Nicolas, where water resources of the city are concentrated.

“In fact,” Caylao said, “one of the pumps of a giant bottling company who is also producing beer for export is extracting 50 percent of our capacity which is 60 liters per second while the district is only pumping 12 liters per second.”

These bottling companies pay only minimal taxes to the city but expend its water resources, he said. The SFWD is urging them to minimize their production capacity or pay more to compensate for the vanishing water resources.

What aggravated the problem is the ongoing many construction projects in the city like another Aura mall, a 35-hectare city within city. Aside from water resources, the city is also blessed by geography as the regional capital of Central Luzon which is magnet for businesses.

The district has about 35 pump stations but 12 are undergoing retrofitting while four pumping stations are already

closed, namely those in Villa Del Sol, Del Pilar, St. Jude, and the City proper.

To prevent the continuing drying up of the aquifer, the district is planning to get 30 percent of its water supply through containment of rain from the dams located in Maliwalo in Bacolor, Cong. Dadong in Arayat and Pulong Bulo in the city.

At the same time, the district is also looking for partnership that will implement its 10-year development plan amounting to P2.2 billion.

Those who applied for partnership are now undergoing assessment on financial, technical, management matters, and experience, including Balibago Water District in Angeles Ctiy, Ayala Water and Prime Water, a Villar company.

Under its development plan, the San Fernando Water District will use Israeli ultraviolet technology called UV to kill bacteria instead of using the traditional method of chlorine for the same purposes.

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY— Ten New People’s Army rebels dressed in Philippine Army uniforms abducted three uniformed Philippine National Police men and one non-uniformed personnel on Sunday, a day before President Rodrigo Duterte declared a ceasefire with the Maoist rebels during his first State of the Nation Address on Monday.

Caraga Police headquarters in Butuan City identified the kidnapped police officers as Senior Police Officer 3 Santiago Lamanilao, of the Surigao City Police Office, PO3 Jayroll Bagayas, PO2 Caleb Sinaca and NUP Rodrigo Angob of the Malimono Municipal Police Station in Surigao del Norte.

The PNP personnel were coming out of the cockpit arena of Barangay Kagtina-e in Malimono town in Surigao del Norte when they encountered the rebels. The four were off duty at the time of their abduction.

Witnesses told the police that they thought the 10 or more NPAs were soldiers, since they took the four victims to a mountainous area.

The Army’s 4 th Infantry Division spokesperson Captain Joe Patrick Martinez said they will be supporting the National Police’s law enforcement operations to rescue the abducted police.

But this will be complicated by the pronouncement of President Duterte’s ceasefire with the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front-New People’s Army (CPPNDFP-NPA).

On Tuesday, the 4th ID started recalling their troops in Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Norte and Sur, and Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur as a response to the ceasefire ordered by the President.

The Caraga regional police headquarters strongly denounced the abduction of their personnel.

They were put on red alert following the abduction and directed to be extra vigilant and implement target hardening security measures to preempt the NPA’s hostile plans and other threat group-related violent activities.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard

Republic of the Philippines TODAY ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION San Miguel Ave., Pasig City

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF THE POWER SUPPLY AGREEMENT (PSA) BETWEEN NORTHERN SAMAR ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE INC. AND GNPOWER LTD. CO. WITH PRAYER FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT OF INFORMATION AND THE ISSUANCE OF PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY NORTHERN SAMAR ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (NORSAMELCO) AND GNPOWER LTD. CO. (GNPOWER

14.

A.

For the delivery of the contracted capacity, it shall have a term of one (1) year, starting on 26 December 2015 (12:00 A.M.) to 25 December 2016 (12:00 M.N.)

ERC Case No. 2016-025 RC B.

Applicants. x-------------------------------------------------------x

TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES:

“C” “D”

Copies of NORSAMELCO’s Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws, Certificate of Registration, and Certificate of Franchise are attached to the Application as follows: Document NORSAMELCO’s Articles of Incorporation NORSAMELCO’s By-laws Certificate of Registration with the National Electrification Administration (NEA) Certificate of Franchise

Applicant GNPOWER is a duly registered limited partnership existing under Philippine laws, engaged in the business of developing, constructing, operating, and owning power generation facilities and in the sale and trade of electric power.

Its• principal office is at 28th Floor, Orient Square Building, Don Francisco Ortigas Jr. Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City; 4.

GNPOWER’s pertinent documents evidencing its due registration as a limited partnership are appended to the Application, as follows: Annex Document Certificate of Registration issued by the Securities and “E” Exchange Commission (SEC) “F” GNPOWER’s Amended Articles of Partnership

6.

7.

Applicants may be served with orders, notices, and other legal processes of the Commission through its counsels of record; The instant Application is filed pursuant to Sections 23, 25, 43 (u), and 45 (b) of Republic Act No. 9136, otherwise known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA Law), its Implementing Rules and Regulations, and other pertinent rules and regulations. A copy of the PSA signed by Applicants on 18 September 2015 is attached as Annex “G” and forms an• integral part of the Application; STATEMENT OF FACTS The aggregated uncontracted baseload demand of Region 8 for years 2015 to 2018 is continually increasing as shown in the table below:

Contract Year

Contract Duration

2015 2016 2017 2018

Dec. 26, 2014 – Dec. 25, 2015 Dec. 26, 2015 – Dec. 25, 2016 Dec. 26, 2016 – Dec. 25, 2017 Dec. 26, 2017 – Dec. 25, 2018

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

Annex “H” “H-1” “H-1-a” “H-2” “H-3” “H-4” “H-5” “H-6” “H-7” “H-8” 13.

=

ICI0

= D.

Contracted Capacity GNPOWER shall sell and deliver, or cause to deliver to NORSAMELCO a contracted capacity of 7MW at the delivery point of the facility.

=

CC HT

= =

EHTO

=

G.

Security Deposit In the event of NORSAMELCO’s failure to pay on Due Date, GNPOWER shall draw, at its option, from the Security Deposit on the working day immediately following the Due Date. Within thirty (30) Business Days from the Start of Delivery Date, NORSAMELCO shall establish the Security Deposit and submit to GNPOWER documentary proof sufficient to allow GNPOWER to draw therefrom. The Security Deposit shall be in the form of cash and or irrevocable letter of credit and shall be equivalent to NORSAMELCO’s projected maximum electricity bill, to be determined not later than sixty ( 60) calendar days prior to. Start of Delivery.

the actual energy delivered, in kWh, to the Buyer at the Delivery Point for the Billing Period. is the Contracted Capacity in kW. is the total number of hours in the Billing Period.

Fixed O&M (LFOMCUF) 0.6204 0.6267 0.6331 0.6396 0.6463 0.6531 0.6600 0.6671 0.6743 0.6818 0.6893 0.6971 0.7050 0.7131 0.7214 0.7299 0.7386 0.7475 0.7566 0.7659 0.7755 0.7853 0.7954 0.8057 0.8163 0.8272 0.8384 0.8499 0.8617 0.8738 0.8863

Capital Recovery (LCRCUF) 2.2944 2.3176 2.3412 2.3654 2.3900 2.4152 2.4409 2.4671 2.4939 2.5213 2.5493 2.5780 2.6073 2.6372 2.6679 2.6993 2.7314 2.7643 2.7980 2.8326 2.8680 2.9043 2.9415 2.9797 3.0189 3.0592 3.1005 3.1430 3.1867 3.2315 3.2777

C.U.F. 100% 99% 98% 97% 96% 95% 94% 93% 92% 91% 90% 89% 88% 87% 86% 85% 84% 83% 82% 81% 80% 79% 78% 77% 76% 75% 74% 73% 72% 71% 70%

On 07 November 2013, the eleven (11) ECs of Region 8 participated in the bidding for PSALM’s 200 strips of energy from the Unified Leyte Geothermal Power Plant, but lost; Typhoon Yolanda hit the region on 08 November 2013 stalling any efforts to contract additional power supply and shifting the focus instead on the massive restoration efforts in the area; Thus, the Region 8 ECs decided to bid out their power supply requirements for the period 2015- 2018. In the middle of 2014, the Region 8 ECs conducted a Joint Power Supply Planning.

Later, the Region 8 ECs decided, through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), to conduct a joint procurement of their shortterm aggregated baseload requirement, specifically, their power supply needs beginning 26 December 2015 until 25 December 2016. From September to December 2014, the competitive bidding for the region’s power requirements was held;

On. 18 September 2015, NORSAMELCO and GNPOWER executed the subject PSA, providing the terms and conditions for

Replacement Power During any Scheduled or Unscheduled Outages, GNPOWER and NORSAMELCO shall cooperate to arrange for Replacement Power from, including but not limited to, other facilities of GNPOWER, third parties and the WESM. GNPOWER, at its own cost and in consultation with NORSAMELCO, shall negotiate on behalf of NORSAMELCO for the supply and delivery of capacity and energy from third parties for a price as close as possible to the Contract Price.

Prompt Payment Discount Provided NORSAMELCO has no arrears from previous billings, including the Security Deposit or any unpaid charges or penalties, if NORSAMELCO pays the invoice amount in full within 10 days from its receipt of the invoice, NORSAMELCO shall be credited on the next subsequent bill a PPD equivalent to eight centavos per kilowatt-hour (PhP0.08/kWh).

COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGE OF THE GENERATION RATE AND IMPACT ON SAMELCO I’S RETAIL RATES 15. NORSAMELCO, together with the other Region 8 ECs, needs to address the insufficiency of its power supply due to the increasing demand within its franchise area and the expiration of its contract with NPC-PSALM; 16. Currently, NORSAMELCO receives a total of 5MW from its existing suppliers, out of its peak requirement of 15MW. With an annual average growth rate of 3.9%, NORSAMELCO forecasts that its peak demand from 26 December 2015 to 25 December 2016 will be 16MW; 17.

The additional supply from GNPOWER will significantly augment the supply deficiency of NORSAMELCO and will decrease the adverse effects thereof by providing a stable and adequate source of electricity;

18.

Among alternative suppliers capable of providing additional energy to NORSAMELCO and the rest of the Region 8 ECs, GNPOWER’s rates proved to be more reasonable and competitive. While GNPOWER’s offer is primarily intended for its base load requirements, the Capacity Factor Pricing under the PSA provides flexibility in the DUs’ utilization of the Contracted Capacity;

19.

NORSAMELCO simulated a rate impact analysis which resulted in a Php0.3640/kWh decrease with the execution of the PSA with GNPOWER, to wit:1

CAPACITY FEE LOCAL PRICE COMPONENTS (PHP/ kWh)

The contracts of most of the Electric Cooperatives (ECs) in Region 8 with the National Power Corporation - Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (NPC-PSALM) expired on 25 December 2014;

Attached to the Application are copies of the relevant documents issued relative to the Joint Competitive Selection Process undertaken by the Region 8 ECs for the supply of their aggregated base load demand: Document Invitation to Bid Copy of the page of the newspaper where the Invitation was published Affidavit of Publication of the Invitation to Bid Memorandum of Agreement among Region 8 ECs Emails confirming participation of interested suppliers in the bidding Final Instruction to Bidders Bid Forms Bid Evaluation Slips Comparison of Bids Notice of Award

F.

the sum of the duration, in Equivalent Hours, of Scheduled Outages and Unscheduled Outages in such Billing Period CFCUF = the Capacity Fee in PhP/kWh for a given CUF in a Billing month.

LCRCUF = the local component of the Capital Recovery Fee in PhP/kWh at the given CUF. LFOMCUF = the local component of the Fixed O&M fee in PhP/kWh at the given CUF. PHCPIn-1 = Philippine Consumer Price Index of the calendar month prior to the month corresponding to the Billing Period, for All Income Households – All Items (2006=100), as published by the Philippine National Statistics Coordination Board (or its substitute or replacement agency, as the case may be). = the base Philippine Consumer Price Index for the month PHCPI0 of December 2014. PHCPI0 = 140.5.

CUF = the Capacity Utilization Factor between 70% and 100%, provided that if the actual CUF is below 70% (the “Minimum Capacity Utilization Factor”), the Capacity Price shall be calculated based on the Capacity Fee and quantity associated with the Minimum Capacity Utilization Factor.

The corresponding Capacity Fee price component for a given Capacity Utilization Factor is set forth in the Table below: Capacity Fees for Specific Capacity Utilization Factor

Aggregated Baseload 65 MW 78 MW 83 MW 93 MW

For such purpose, a Bids and Awards Committee was created to conduct the Region 8 Joint Competitive Power Supply Procurement (“R8 JCPSP”) as follows: 12.1 The Region 8 ECs initially prepared their respective least-cost power supply plans and subsequently their aggregated baseload demand for competitive bidding; 12.2. The competitive tender was published and announced in the coverage areas of the Region 8 ECs. In addition, prospective bidders (Generation Companies, IPP Administrators and Wholesale Aggregators whose names are listed on the Department of Energy (DOE) website) were invited; 12.3. The capacity offered by the winning bidder/s was allocated among the eleven (11) Region 8 ECs in proportion to their declared demand. A bidder was allowed to offer to supply capacity that is less than or equal to the aggregated baseload requirement in any or all of the contract years in increments of 1MW. In the event that some winning bidders offered less than 11 MW, the loads were optimally allocated in such a way that the blended price of generation resulting from the R8 JCPSP transaction is almost the same for all ECs. In the event multiple bidders who collectively satisfy the total baseload demand of R8 ECs are declared winners for any contract year, all winning bidders entered into individual PSAs with each of the 11 ECs; 12.4. Bidders who signified their intention to join by buying the bid documents, attended pre-bid conferences where they gave their comments and sought clarification on the bidding requirement and process. The BAC issued bid bulletins and the Final Instruction to Bidders; 12.5. The process followed the 2-envelope system - the legal requirements and proof of financial and technical capability in the first, and the commercial offer in the second. Bids were evaluated based on an Evaluation Framework and Evaluation Methodology released to the Bidders; 12.6. After evaluating the bids of each supplier, on 14 November 2014, the BAC declared Applicant GNPOWER as a winning bidder of a total of 43 MW for Contract Year 2016, with a Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid with a Base Price offer of PhP5.0481/kWh and an evaluated Effective Price of PhP6.6658/kWh; 12.7. On 14 September 2015, GNPOWER and the Region 8 ECs commenced the final negotiations for the other commercial and technical terms and conditions of the PSA and negotiated the further reduction of the Contract Price from PhP5.’0481/kWh to PhP 4.9653/kWh and for the increase in capacity to 52MW;

Unutilized Equivalent Hours for Scheduled Outages and Unscheduled Outages in the Contract Year cannot be carried forward to subsequent Contract Year.

H. Where: QACTUAL

a.

Simulation of Generation Mix rate with GNPOWER for the Year 2016: Power Supplier

Forecasted 2015 Quantity (kWh)

Amount (PhP)

Percent Share (%)

TRANS-ASIA GNPOWER WESM TOTAL

43,800,000.00 61,320,000.00 (16,808,066.56) 88,311,933.44

232,157,520.00 309,549,492.00 (41,879,326.84) 499,827,685.15

49.60% 69.44% -19.03% 100%

b.

LFOM CUF =

Where: LCRCUF

–

LCR@100%

–

LFOMCUF

–

LFOM@100%

–

CUF

–

LCR@100% CUF

LFOM

LFOM @100% CUF

is the local component of the Capital Recovery fee in PHP/kWh at the given CUF. is the local component of the Capital Recovery fee in PHP/kWh at 100% CUF. is the local component of the Fixed O&M fee in PHP/ kWh at the given CUF. is the local component of the Fixed O&M fee in PHP/ kWh at 100% CUF. is the Capacity Utilization Factor between 70% and 100%, provided that if the actual CUF is below 70% (the “Minimum Capacity Utilization Factor”), the Capacity Price shall be calculated based on the Capacity Fee and quantity associated with the Minimum Capacity Utilization Factor.

The Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF) shall be computed as follows: CUF = max

Where: QACTUAL

=

CC HT

= =

EHTO

=

Generation Rate Impact

the actual quantity of energy, in kWh, delivered to NORSAMELCO at the Delivery Point in the Billing Period the Contracted Capacity, in kWh, as set forth in Schedule 1 the total number of hours in such Billing Period the sum of the duration, in Equivalent Hours, of Scheduled Outages and Unscheduled Outages in such Billing Period

Energy Charge = QACTUAL x EF + 1.5256 x

Where: QACTUAL

=

EF PHCPIn-1

= =

2015 Average Rate (P/kWh) 5.3004 5.0481 2.3449

Weighted Average Rate (kWh)

2015 Average Rate (P/kWh) 5.3004 6.6641

Weighted Average Rate (kWh)

5.6598

6.0238

-0.3640/Php/kWh

20.

In addition to the lower generation cost of the power supply from GNPOWER, NORSAMELCO is also entitled to a Prompt Payment Discount (PPD), .if conditions are met, equivalent to PhP0.08/kWh;

21.

In compliance with Rule 20 of ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure relative to the submission of supporting documents and information for the approval of the PSA and the rate structure embodied therein, Applicants attached to the Application following documents to form integral parts thereof

ANNEX “I” “J” “K” “K-1” “L” “M” “N” “O” “P” “Q” “R” “S” ”T”

DOCUMENT Executive Summary of the PSA, as amended Rate Impact Simulation Sources of Funds/Financial Plans with Cost Assumptions Compact Disc containing a soft copy of Annex “K” Breakdown of the Contract Price Sample Computation of Power Rates GNPOWER’s Audited Financial Statement for 2014 GNPOWER’s Certificate of Registration No. WA-13-01-001 valid until January 2018 NORSAMELCO’s Distribution Development Plan (DDP) NORSAMELCO’s Actual and Forecasted Energy and Demand NORSAMELCO’s Average Daily Load Curve NORSAMELCO’s Board Resolution No. 80-S-2015 authorizing the filing of an application with the ERC for the approval of PSA, as amended, and designating its General Manager to represent NORSAMELCO in such filing GNPOWER’s General Partner’s Certificate attesting to the resolution of the Board to execute the subject PSA with NORSAMELCO, as amended, designating signatories thereto

22.

C. 2. Energy Fee and Energy Charge The Energy Fee is the component of the Contract Price allocated to pay for the coal, including Government Charges, designated as the Energy Fee in Schedule 1 of the PSA as adjusted from time to time due to changes in the delivered price of coal and Governmental Charges. The Energy Fee shall be computed in accordance with the following formula:

EF = 0.2874 x

Resulting Capacity Factor (%) 83% 84%

Allocation of Generation Mix Rate without GNPOWER for Year 2016: Resulting Forecasted Percent Power Capacity 2015 Quantity Amount (PhP) Share Supplier Factor (kWh) (%) (%) TRANS-ASIA 43,800,000.00 95,012,712.00 24.97% 100% GNPOWER 0.00% 84% WESM 44,511,933.44 299,819,039.58 50.40% TOTAL 88,311,933.44 531,976,559.58 100%

For the resulting CUF which is not a whole number, the corresponding Capacity Fee Price C6mponent shall be computed using the formula below:

LCRCUF =

agency, as the case may be) base Philippine Consumer Price Index for the month of December 2014 for All Income Households – All Items (2006 = 100), as published by the Philippine National Statistics Coordination Board (or its substitute or replacement agency, as the case may be) Indonesian Coal Price Index of the calendar month prior to the month corresponding to the Billing Period, in US$/ Mton Base Indonesian Coal Price Index for the month of December 2014 = US$67.28/Mton

Currency of Payment The Contract Price shall be paid by NORSAMELCO in Philippine Peso only.

Scheduled and Unscheduled Outages Under the PSA, GNPOWER shall be allowed Scheduled and Unscheduled Outages not to exceed forty-five (45) days per Contract Year, during which time reduced or no delivery will be available to NORSAMELCO.

E.

Contract Price Under Schedule 1 of the PSA, the Total Monthly Charge, before taxes, for a Billing Period shall be computed according to the following Total Monthly Charge = Capacity Charge + Energy Charge C. 1. Capacity Fee and Capacity Charge The Capacity Fee is the component of the Contract Price allocated to pay for the cost, as well as, the operations and maintenance of the Facility and is designated as the Capacity Fee in Schedule 1 of the PSA as such may be adjusted from time to time based on NORSAMELCO’s Capacity Utilization Factor.

Applicant NORSAMELCO is a non-stock, non-profit electric cooperative existing under the laws of the Philippines, with principal office address at Brgy. Magsaysay, Bobon, Northern Samar. . It is. authorized to distribute and provide electricity services to its member-consumers in the Municipalities of San Antonio, Allen, Bohon, Silvino Lobos, Mapanas, Capul, Lavezares, Catarman, Lao- ang, Gamay, San Vicente, Rosario, Lope de Vega, Mondragon, Catubig, Lapinig, San Isidro, Biri, San Roque, Las Navas, Victoria, San Jose, Pambujan, and Palapag, all in the Province of Northern Samar (collectively, the “Franchise Area”);

3.

5.

ICIn-1

C.

In support of said Application, NORSAMELCO and GNPower alleged, among others, the following:

Annex “A” “B”

=

Exchange of Contracted Capacities. To maximize capacity utilization, Region 8 ECs may exchange quantities of their Contracted Capacities. (Exchange in MW Capacity Protocol annexed to the PSA)

On 15 March 2016, Northern Samar Electric Cooperative, Inc. (NORSAMELCO) and GNPower Ltd. Co. (GNPower) filed their joint Application for approval of their Power Supply Agreement (PSA), with prayer for confidential treatment of information and issuance of provisional authority.

2.

PHCPI0

Unutilized Capacity. The unutilized capacity of the Buyer may be made available for utilization of other Region 8 ECs or sold to the WESM.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

1.

the supply of 7 MW baseload power to NORSAMELCO, to assure the adequate and reliable supply of power to NORSAMELCO’s franchise area; ABSTRACT OF THE PSA AND OTHER RELATED INFORMATION The following are the salient features of the PSA: Term The Agreement shall be effective from 18 September 2015, the date of the execution of the PSA. ,

+ 0.2375

Actual energy delivered by GNPOWER to NORSAMELCO, in kWh, for the Billing Period Energy Fee in PhP/kWh Philippine Consumer Price Index of the calendar month prior to the month corresponding to the Billing Period, for All Income Households – All Items (2006 = 100), as published by the Philippine National Statistics Coordination Board (or as substitute or replacement

Applicants reserve their right to submit other documents, either in the course of the hearing or as may be required by the Commission; COMPLIANCE WITH PRE-FILING REQUIREMENTS 23. Applicants manifest compliance with the pre-filing requirements mandated under the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the EPIRA and Rule 6of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, to be established by the following: 23.1 Certifications acknowledging receipt of the Application with annexes to be issued by the Legislative Bodies of Pasig City, Municipality of Bobon, and the Province of Northern Samar, to be appended as Annexes “V”, “W” and “X”, respectively; 23.2. Notarized Affidavit of Publication stating that the Application was published in a newspaper of general circulation within NORSAMELCO’s Franchise Area to be appended to the Application as Annex “Y”; and 23.3. Complete newspaper issue where the Application was published, to be appended to the Application as Annex “Y-1”, and the relevant page thereof where the Application appears, as Annex “Y-2”; MOTION FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT OF ANNEXES “H-2” to “H-8”, “K”, and “K-1” 24.

Under Rule 4 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, a party to any proceeding before the Commission may request that certain information not be disclosed and be treated as confidential, by describing with particularity the information to be treated• as confidential, specifying the ground for the claim of confidential treatment of the .information and, if applicable, specifying the period during which the information must not be disclosed; 25.

NORSAMELCO requests for the confidential treatment of Annexes “H-2” to “H-8” of the Application, consisting of the MOA among Region 8 ECs, e-mails confirming participation of interested suppliers in the bidding, Final Instructions to Bidders, Bid Forms, Bid. Evaluation Slips, Comparison of Bids, and Notice

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26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

of Award, respectively. These annexes show the individual offers of the bidders which participated in the R8 JCPSP. The Region 8 ECs, NORSAMELCO included, are bound by their undertaking to secure and keep in confidence the offers and the proposed terms of supply, so as not to prejudice or pre-empt any future CSPs in which these bidders will participate. Otherwise, NORSAMELCO and the rest of the Region 8 ECs may be held liable for damages for breach of confidentiality, and eventually, risk their good relations with the suppliers concerned; Similarly, GNPOWER respectfully moves for the confidential treatment of Annexes “K” and “K-1” hereof, consisting of GNPOWER’s Sources of Funds and Financial Plans with Cost Assumptions. These annexes, exclusively owned by GNPOWER, contain information which are considered part of its business and trade secrets. As such, GNPOWER has the sole proprietary interest and will be unduly prejudiced should they be disclosed to the public; These annexes contain numbers, data, formula, methodology, and calculations involving valuable and sensitive commercial, financial information reflecting GNPOWER’s business operations and financial trade secrets. Therefore, GNPOWER’s confidential, proprietary, arid private information included in the aforesaid annexes should be protected from public dissemination.

Otherwise, such information can be illegally and unfairly utilized by business competitors who may use the same for their own private gain and to the irreparable prejudice of GNPOWER. Negotiations with prospective customers may also be affected.

The information contained in Annexes “K” and “K-1”, constitute “trade secrets”, for which GNPOWER has actual and valuable proprietary interest. As explained by the Supreme Court, a trade secret may consist of any formula, pattern, device, or compilation of information that is used in one’s business and gives the employer an opportunity to obtain an advantage over competitors who do not possess the information.2 It is indubitable that trade secrets constitute proprietary rights and jurisprudence has consistently acknowledged the private character of trade secrets3, Further, as ruled in Garcia vs. Board of Investment4, trade secrets and confidential, commercial and financial information are exempt from public scrutiny; Accordingly, Annexes “H-2” to “H-8”, “K” and “K-1” be accorded confidential treatment. As such, they are to be used exclusively by the Commission and for the sole purpose of evaluating this Application, thereby protecting these data from unnecessary public disclosure; In accordance with Section 1(b), Rule 4 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, Applicants submit one (1) copy each of Annexes “H-2” to “H-8”, “K” and “K-1” in a sealed envelope, with the envelope and each page of the documents stamped with the word “Confidential”;

Manila

Standard

World

TODAY THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

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33 dead in Nepal floods, landslides AT LEAST 33 people have died in floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in Nepal and dozens more are missing, a government official said Wednesday.

Heavy monsoon rains have Two children were killed when swelled rivers across the country, a school in the capital partially triggering floods and landslides collapsed. that have destroyed homes.

“Since Monday, 33 people have

died and another 23 people are missing because of floods and landslides in several districts,” home ministry deputy spokesman Jhanka Nath Dhakal told Agence France Presse.

Rescuers used helicopters and rubber boats to evacuate hundreds of people from affected villages.

“We are on high alert and our teams are working overnight in

search and rescue operations,” Dhakal said.

Scores of people die every year from flooding and landslides during the monsoon rains in Nepal and neighboring India.

Millions of Nepalis are still living in tents or makeshift huts after a devastating earthquake last year that killed nearly 9,000 people. AFP

PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY All the foregoing allegations are re-pleaded by reference in support of their prayer for the issuance of Provisional Authority (PA) to implement the subject PSA; NORSAMELCO and GNPOWER pray for the issuance of a PA or interim relief prior to final decision pursuant to Rule 14 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, to wit: “Section 3. Action on the Motion. -Motions for provisional authority or interim relief may be acted upon with or without hearing. The Commission shall act on the motion on the basis of the allegations of the Application or petition and supporting documents and other evidences that applicant or petitioner has submitted and the comments or opposition filed by any interested person, if there be any.”

Considering that a substantial amount of time is needed to evaluate the documents submitted to support the approval of herein Application, Applicants seek consideration of the Commission to approve the instant Application, immediately, albeit, provisionally; Owing to the short term of the contract, which is only for a period of one .(1) year, a PA is all the more imperative to allow the timely delivery of energy by GNPOWER to NORSAMELCO, which is set to start on 26 December 2015 at 12:00 A.M.; The Region 8 EC’s, including NORSAMELCO, after careful evaluation if they will defer the commencement of the delivery due to delayed filing, decided and required GNPower. to commence its delivery immediately after its previous power supply agreement expired last 25 December 2015, this being the reasonable plan to mitigate the risks of WESM exposure, specially with the assumption that . the 2015 occurrence of El Nino has an adverse impact on the supply of electricity and the WESM price, particularly during the summer season.

NORSAMELCO, Moreover, it was. projected, as shown in the table below5, that the exposure to volatile rriarket prices will cause significant increases in prudential guarantee payments which will constrain Region 8 ECs to avail of high interest bearing loans in order to comply with PEMC requirement;

REBEL SUMMIT. In this photograph taken on Tuesday, Myanmar rebel leader General NíBan La from the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), one of Myanmar’s dominant ethnic rebel groups, arrives at the four day summit of rebel leaders and representatives of various Myanmar ethnic rebel groups in Mai Ja Yang, a town controlled by the KIO’s military wing Kachin Independence Army in northern Kachin State. Leaders of Myanmar rebel armies held talks in a war-hit border town on Wednesday, state media reported, as they prepare for a major peace conference with a government desperate to end insurgencies that have plagued the country. AFP

31 killed, 170 hurt in Syria suicide bombing 36.

37.

The additional power from GNPOWER is needed to curtail any power interruptions that may be experienced by NORSAMELCO’s member consumers due to inadequate power supply in the region; To further support the prayer for PA, an affidavit emphasizing the necessity thereof is attached to the Application as Annex “Z”, and form an integral part thereof; PRAYER

38.

Applicants NORSAMELCO and GNPower pray before the Commission that: i.

All information attached as Annexes “H-2” to “H-8”, “K” and “K-1” to the Application be treated as confidential; ii. Pending hearing on the merits, a PA be issued authorizing the immediate implementation of the subject PSA including the rate structure therein, as applied; iii. After due notice and hearing, the instant Application, the PSA, and the rate structure contained therein be duly approved; and iv. In the event that a Final Authority shall be issued after GNPOWER starts actual delivery of power to NORSAMELCO under the terms of the subject PSA, said Final Authority be retroactively applied to the date of such actual delivery.

The Commission has set the Application for initial hearing, expository presentation, pre-trial conference, and presentation of evidence on 08 September 2016 (Thursday) at ten o’clock in the morning (10:00 A.M.) at NORSAMELCO’s Main Office, Brgy. Magsaysay, Bohon, Northern Samar.

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the proceeding may become a party by filing, at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements in the ERC’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, a verified petition with the Commission giving the docket number and title of the proceeding and stating: (1) the petitioner’s name and address; (2) the nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding, and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and (3) a statement of the relief desired.

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the proceeding may file their opposition to the. Application or comment thereon at any stage of the .proceeding before Applicants conclude the presentation of its evidence. No particular form of opposition or comment is required, but the document, letter or writing should contain the name and address of such person and a concise statement of the opposition or comment and the grounds relied upon.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Application may request from the Applicants that they be furnished with the same, prior to the date of the initial hearing. Applicants are hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Application and its attachments, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the Application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the standard office hours.

WITNESS, the Honorable Chairman, JOSE VICENTE B. SALAZAR, and the Honorable Commissioners, ALFREDO J. NON, GLORIA VICTORIA C. YAP-TARUC, JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGPALE-ASIRIT, and GERONIMO D. STA. ANA, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 18th day of May 2016 in Pasig City.

ATTY. NATHAN J. MARASIGAN Chief of Staff ffice of the Chairman and CEO Office

1

Assumptions:

2

1.

Analysis and simulations is based on coop’s forecasted 2016 hourly load profile 2.

GNPower rate is based on effective rate 3.

Trans-Asia rate is based on (i) Capacity Fee at 100%CUF; 4.

WESM Price isbased on 2012- 2014 Average prices of Ex-Ante and Ex-Post price per Nodal Point Air Philippines Corporation vs. Pennswell Inc., G.R. No. 172835, December 13, 2007.

Ibid., 177 SCRA 374 (1989 Additional equivalent rate due to additional Prudential Guarantee required by PEMC (for the undelivered contracted capacity from GNPower) with a conservative loan interest of 6% per annum and baseload load factor of 81%.

3 4 5

(TS-JULY 28/AUG. 4, 2016)

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BEIRUT, Lebanon—A double bomb attack killed 31 people and wounded dozens in the Kurdishmajority city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria on Wednesday, Syrian state television reported.

In a breaking news alert, state television gave an “initial toll” of 31 dead and 170 wounded, adding that rescue workers were still retrieving victims of the blasts.

The Syrian Observatory for

Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, earlier gave an initial toll of 14 dead in the devastating bombings.

Qamishli has regularly been targeted in bomb attacks, many of which have been claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

The IS-linked Amaq agency reported that a “suicide bomber in a truck bomb hit the headquarters of the Kurdish” forces in Qamish-

li, without explicitly claiming the attack as an IS operation.

An AFP reporter in the city said that the first explosion was caused by a suicide bomber who blew himself up inside a large truck by a checkpoint near local Kurdish adminstration ministries.

A source in the Kurdish Asayesh security forces told AFP “this is the largest explosion the

city has even seen.”

He added that local hospitals had been flooded with casualties from the attack.

Syrian state television meanwhile carried an appeal from the governor of Hasakeh province, where Qamishli is located, urging residents of the city to “go to public and private hospitals to donate blood for the victims of the terrorist bombings.” AFP

Chinese building boom ruins Mekong River VIENTIANE, Laos—Grain by grain, truckload by truckload, Laos’ section of the Mekong river is being dredged of sand to make cement—a commodity being devoured by a Chinese-led building boom in the capital.

But the hollowing out of the riverbed is also damaging a vital waterway that feeds hundreds of thousands of fishermen and farmers in the poverty-stricken nation.

“Today, it’s more complicated for us to go fetch water for crops,” Deam Saengarn told Agence France Presse (AFP) from the muddy river’s shores, describing how its gentle slopes have given way to steep embankments.

The 36-year-old mother of two captures Laos’ development conundrum: she depends on $10 daily wage from a sand extraction firm, but also relies on the very river she is helping to gouge.

“We really need this water,” she added wistfully, dripping with sweat as she separated stones from the mountains of sediment piled on the shore.

All around her, industrial pipes and excavators suck up the Mekong’s floor, carving moonlike craters into the bed of a river that winds through most of the landlocked nation.

It is a familiar story in a country whose natural resources have been steadily plundered by businesses -- many of them Chinese -- under the gaze of communist leaders who brook no dissent but

welcome foreign cash.

Sand, an unflashy and seemingly infinite resource, is the chief ingredient in cement and the hidden hand behind the explosion of cities worldwide.

China is also its top consumer -- devouring more than 60 percent of the global output and using more sand in four years than the United States did in the entire 20th century.

Dredging has been taking place for years along the Mekong, but the industrial scale is relatively new to Laos, where the grains pave a flurry of new construction projects in the country’s sleepy capital, many of them funded by Chinese firms.

“We now have many Chinese clients. They are constructing huge buildings in Vientiane, so they need a lot of sand and pebbles,” said Air Phangnalay, who helps run an extraction company in Laos.

China is the largest source of foreign investment in neighboring Laos.

Chinese businessmen loom large in the isolated nation and have zeroed in on its array of timber and mineral resources -- often to the dismay of an impoverished populace with few outlets to air grievances.

Experts say the uptick in sand mining, a lesser-known resource grab, is harming the delicate ecosystem of a river some 60 million people across the region depend on.

The 4,800-kilometer Mekong,

which starts in southwestern China and empties out in southern Vietnam, is the world’s largest inland fishery and among the most biodiverse rivers on the globe, according to World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

It naturally produces around 20 million tons of sediment a year, but is now seeing twice that much extracted annually, according to the latest research to which WWF contributed.

Most of the dredging is taking place in Cambodia and Vietnam, but the pace of mining is picking up speed in Laos -- an opaque country where big businesses can swallow up resources with minimal scrutiny.

Marc Goichot, from the World Wildlife Fund, said the rate of mining along the Mekong has become “unsustainable” and is setting the stage for especially dire damage downstream.

“The river needs the sand to be transported from upstream down to the delta to fight against salinization and encroachment of the sea in this crucial area for agriculture,” he told AFP. Farmers along the Mekong’s vast delta in Vietnam are already battling the worst saline intrusion rates in decades, thanks to severe droughts that have parched rice paddies across the region.

An official from Laos’ Ministry of Public Works conceded the dredging “affects the Mekong river and its ecosystem structure”.

But the official declined a full

interview or to provide figures on how much sand has already been extracted.

Without strict regulation, the dredging will trigger erosion patterns that could take decades to reverse, according to the UN’s environmental agency.

“The problem is that we have long believed that sand was an inexhaustible commodity,” Pascal Peduzzi, told AFP, adding that rivers across the world are now under threat from a global spike in extraction.

Yet sand mining is not the only effort to monetize the mighty Mekong—while dangerously disrupting its flow.

There are already 12 dams built or under construction on the river’s upper reaches in China, with at least seven more planned. Another nine are underway or planned in Laos, plus two more in Cambodia.

Environmental groups strongly oppose the stoppages, which they say hamper crucial fish migrations, block key sediment transfers and threaten to flood lands that tens of thousands of people call home.

It is damage that will only be compounded by a free-for-all race to scoop up the river’s sand.

“The river has changed a lot.

Here, the banks are collapsing.

This did not happen before,” a Laos fishermen told AFP as he drew his nets, declining to give his name in a country where many fear speaking out.

“It requires us to go further to fish. It’s not good for us.” AFP

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World

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

CLINTON

Pope urges THE FIRST US WOMAN TO WIN PARTY NOMINATION openness to migrants in youth fest KRAKÓW, POLAND—Pope Francis heads to Poland today for World Youth Day (WYD), an international Catholic youth festival, with a mission to encourage openness to migrants made tougher by a jihadist murder of a priest in France.

The Argentine pontiff is flying in to meet youngsters from the world over at a week-long faith extravaganza dubbed “the Catholic Woodstock”, but is expected to tackle the rightwing government over refugee rights before he gets down to prayer.

The brutal killing of an elderly priest during mass in France on Tuesday, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group, cast a shadow over festivities among the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims gathered in Krakow and increased concerns over security.

It has also made Francis’s task of championing migrants that bit harder, playing into the line held by Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and her rightwing government, who have refused to take in refugees for security reasons.

Francis, 79, will meet Polish President Andrzej Duda in Krakow’s Wawel Castle, before retiring for a question-and-answer session with the country’s bishops behind closed doors in the city’s Cathedral.

The pope, who voiced his “pain and horror” at the “barbaric killing” of the priest, is likely to slam religious violence and the persecution of Christians while warning Europe not to fall prey to xenophobia.

Poland is deploying over 40,000 security personnel for the visit.

True to character, Francis is refusing to bow to security concerns despite a series of terror attacks targeting civilians in Europe, and will hop in his open-top pope-mobile for some legs of the trip. AFP

Hillary is Democrat bet P

hiladelphia, United States—Hillary Clinton made history Tuesday by becoming the first woman to win a major US political party’s White House nomination, earning the backing of convention Democrats and primetime praise from a presidential superstar: her husband Bill.

Micronesia resort goes to lucky Australian Venezuela seeks to ban opposition over fraud

ISLAMIC. Rector of the Great Mosque of Paris Dalil Boubakeur speaks outside the Elysee Palace in Paris, on July 27, 2016 during a joint press conference with French representatives of the different religious groups after a meeting with French President following yesterday attack at a church in Saint-Etienne-Du-Rouveray. France probes an attack on a church in which two men described by the Islamic State group as its “soldiers” slit the throat of a priest. An elderly priest had his throat slit in a church in northern France on July 26 after two men stormed the building and took hostages. The attack in the Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray came as France was still coming to terms with the Bastille Day killings in Nice claimed by the Islamic State group. AFP

SYDNEY, Australia—A lucky Australian man has won his own remote Pacific island resort in a raffle, after shelling out just US$49 for the winning ticket to claim the paradise property.

The man, identified as Joshua, won the 16-room Micronesian resort in a draw organized by the Australian owners, who were looking to hand over the lodge to someone like-minded.

Ahead of the draw, co-owner Doug Beitz said he was hoping the winner would be “someone who likes warm weather, likes meeting new people from around the world, is adventurous.”

A video posted on Facebook revealed the winning number, drawn on Tuesday evening by a computer, to be ticket 44,980.

But Doug’s efforts to reach the new owner by phone and inform him of his life-changing win were not immediately successful.

He eventually tracked the lucky winner down and gave him the good news.

“His name is Joshua and he’s from Australia,” Doug said, adding that he lived in New South Wales state.

The man’s full identity was not immediately revealed until news of winning the Kosrae Nautilus Resort on the Micronesian island of Kosrae, which lies west of Hawaii and north of the Solomon Islands, had sunk in.

AFP

ARACAS, VENEZUELA—The Venezuelan government asked electoral authorities Tuesday to ban the opposition coalition seeking to oust President Nicolas Maduro in a recall vote, accusing them of massive fraud.

Ratcheting up the tension in a country pushed to the brink of collapse by an economic crisis, Maduro’s camp hit back with a vengeance on the same day the opposition was hoping to get a green light to go ahead with its bid to hold a recall referendum.

“We have just asked for the cancellation of the registration of the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), for being involved in the worst vote fraud in the country’s history,” said Jorge Rodriguez, Maduro’s designated aide to monitor the recall process.

He accused the opposition of including the names of thousands of dead people, convicts and minors in a petition submitted in May with 1.8 million signatures requesting a recall vote.

The opposition has denied such charges, accusing the authorities of stalling.

Tuesday was the final day for the National Electoral Council (CNE) to rule whether the opposition successfully collected at least 200,000 valid signatures, the first stage of the long and winding recall procedures.

Near the end of the day, the CNE said it would only meet Monday to examine its auditors’ report on the petition.

It did not say when it would an-

nounce its ruling.

“The electoral authority will not accept pressure,” it said in a statement.

“It is acting in strict compliance with the law.”

Maduro’s opponents are racing to complete the process by January 10, the cutoff to trigger new elections.

After that date—four years into the president’s six-year term—a successful recall vote would simply transfer power to Maduro’s hand-picked vice president. AFP

The 68-year-old former first lady, senator and secretary of state took a monumental step on her quest to become America’s first female commander-inchief, by besting party challenger Bernie Sanders.

After a tumultuous convention opening which saw Sanders and Clinton supporters trade jeers and chants, cheers erupted as Clinton passed the 2,382-delegate threshold needed for the nomination, setting up a showdown with Republican Donald Trump in November.

Hours later, another historical moment greeted the Clintons, when a former president took the stage to intimately make the case that his wife was the compassionate and capable “changemaker” America needed.

“She always wants to move the ball forward. That is just who she is,” Bill Clinton said of his candidate wife, keeping his audience of thousands of delegates rapt throughout his 45-minute speech, which marks the convention’s halfway point.

“For this time, Hillary is uniquely qualified to seize the opportunities and reduce the risks we face, and she is still the best darn changemaker I have ever known.”

Although the roll call outcome was a foregone conclusion, the state-by-state vote saw rowdy displays on the convention floor.

A handful of diehard Sanders delegates fumed over their candidate’s defeat, but they were drowned out by ecstatic Clinton supporters. Several wept and embraced.

Sanders took the floor in a bid to unify the party, drawing deafening cheers and a chorus of “ayes” when he called for Clinton to be “selected as the nominee of the Democratic Party for president of the United States.”

Delegates thrust placards in the air, forming a mosaic of “H’s” across the arena.

Hillary Clinton made a stunning appearance by video after her husband’s speech, appearing to burst through a symbolic glass ceiling comprised of the faces of former presidents, all men. AFP

US will start vetting refugees in C. America

WASHINGTON, United States—The US is to start vetting would-be refugees from Central America in their home countries instead of on American soil, and offer those in imminent danger a temporary haven in Costa Rica, officials said Tuesday.

The announcement—a significant change in US immigration handling—comes after America toughened its southern border against a persistent flow of thousands of Central Americans fleeing violence, and as it steps up deportations of migrants who failed to win asylum.

It also arrives in a US election year in which migration is a hotbutton issue.

Under the plan, to be carried out in coordination with the UN refugee agency UNHCR and the International Organization for

Migration, “the United States government will pre-screen vulnerable applicants from the region seeking protection,” the White House said in a statement.

It will focus on citizens of the so-called “Northern Triangle” in Central America comprising Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, which are prey to frightening levels of gang-related violence, poverty and corruption.

A White House spokesman, Eric Schulz, told reporters the initiative was to “promote safe migration,” especially for the many children attempting the “harrowing and sometimes deadly trip” overland to the United States.

The White House statement added that asylum-seekers “most in need of immediate protection” would be transferred to Costa Rica. AFP

TRUCE. Commander of the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea, General Vincent K. Brooks, speaks during a ceremony marking the 63rd anniversary of the signing of the Korean War ceasefire armistice agreement at the truce village of Panmunjom, along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on July 27, 2016. The armistice agreement on July 27, 1953 brought three years of active combat in the Korean War to a halt, but the two Koreas are still technically at war as no formal peace treaty was signed. AFP

Life

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com

WELLNESS & ENVIRONMENT

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

D1

Filipinos need more

fruits vegetables and

T

here was a time when many Filipinos were heavy consumers of fruits and vegetables in their diet.

Apparently, not anymore and most likely culprit is that the lifestyle of

many Filipinos have become too fastpaced that led them more susceptible to lots of diseases.

Dr. Liezl Marinay-Atienza, a registered nutritionist and dietician, in her recent talk at the 42nd Annual Series of Seminars on Food and Nutrition Researches organized by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) of

Juicing and blending are effective ways to meet the required nutritional needs of individuals who have difficulty digesting fruits and vegetables

the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) strongly urged Filipinos to go back to consuming more fruits and vegetables again and get back to healthier lives.

Dr. Atienza, who is an assistant professor at the Nutritional Sciences Division, Institute of Human Food and Nutrition, College of Human Ecology at the University of the Philippines-Los Baños in Laguna, said on the average, people should consume at least five servings—around 80 grams per serving—of fruits and vegetables every day. She is saddened by the facts that even on a global level, consumption of these vital food groups is low.

“In Asia alone, three out of four people do not eat the prescribed amount of fruits and vegetables, consuming only around 100 grams on the average. Some developed countries like Australia and the US consume around 300 grams. In the Philippines, the situation is also the same,” Dr. Atienza said.

She said most Filipinos are held back from eating vegetables and fruits because of several reasons. High price is one reason, plus possible contamination of pesticides, and lack of knowl-

Nutritionist and dietitian Liezl Marinay-Atienza, PhD says a person should consume at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily

edge of their benefits. She also cited a recent survey by Monitor International where in Asia, among the reasons cited for low consumption of fruits and vegetables is urban migration, busy lifestyles, increase in number of people who live alone and therefore have no time to cook since they are mostly tired after coming home from work, and an aging/elderly population who have not much time to cook as well.

“Given these, people are mostly going after conveniently prepared food, which are mostly non-fruits and vegetables. As a nutritionist, I recommend that people eat whole and fresh fruits and vegetables, those rich in both soluble and insoluble dietary fibers, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals that help prevent diseases.”

Breville Juice Fountain has an effective system that retains 70 percent more nutrients of fruits and vegetables

Turn to D2

ACACIA HOTEL MANILA

PROMOTES WELLNESS IN THE CITY VACATIONS don’t always mean veering away from your healthy diet and missing days of exercise. Acacia Hotel Manila makes it possible to keep your regimen while taking that much needed vacation in the city. Visit the all Filipino deluxe hotel in the south of the Metro and discover different options to keep fit and healthy while enjoying a luxurious stay.

First, book the Detox Room Package for only P8,000 nett, and stay overnight in a Deluxe Room with the following inclusions good for two (2) persons: choose to get a body scrub or aromatherapy massage at Lurra Wellness Spa, get five bottles per person of detox cleansers from Detoxify Bar, and buffet breakfast at Acaci Coffeeshop. As added perks, guest have free access to use the swimming pool from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and the Acacia Fit fitness center which is open 24 hours. Wifi access and shuttle service within the Alabang area are also complimentary.

Guests staying for at least two nights will receive an Acacia Perks card that gives holder exclusive offers from two fitness establishments, located across the hotel, while checked in at Acacia. Take advantage of a free 2-day Fitness Pass, 25 percent discount on membership packages and 10 percent discount on the 10-day fitness pass at 360 Fitness Club. Yoga enthusiasts on the other hand can enjoy

Acacia Hotel’s Lurra Spa offers relaxing spa treatments

Turn to D2

Get in shape at Acacia’s 24-hour fitness center equipped with state-of-the-art equipment Detoxify Bar’s freshly pressed juices are included in Detox Room Package

Life

D2

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016 isahred@gmail.com

What’s the right toothbrush for you?

D

aily brushing of teeth is the easiest way to prevent tooth decay. But brushing alone does not guarantee you a complete oral hygiene. Many are doing it the wrong way, either by using a wrong toothbrush, applying wrong brushing techniques, or using the wrong toothpaste.

Oral health begins with clean teeth and it starts by having a good toothbrush.

Choosing the right toothbrush is not that easy. There are many toothbrushes to choose from which makes it difficult to

know what to look for. However, there are certain characteristics you should consider in choosing your toothbrush.

Choosing the right feel of the toothbrush is also important. Though tooth-

Cleene CLIO toothbrush features soft bristles that clean teeth and gum line without damaging the gums

brush bristles in the market vary from soft, medium to hard, majority of people choose soft-bristled brushes because it is gentle on teeth and gums.

Cleene CLIO toothbrush offers the world’s first patented, rounded and tapered bristles that clean food particles in-between teeth and below the gum line without damaging your gums, root surfaces, and teeth.

Recent studies reveal that gum diseases can affect your general health and cause illnesses like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. It can also affect your wellbeing like having oral discomfort and self-esteem issues.

Oral health begins by properly caring for your teeth and gums at home. Here are some ways to prevent oral diseases and keep your teeth and gums healthy for a lifetime: Visit your dentist once every six months to check if you have dental problems that can be diagnosed at an early stage.

Brush and floss your teeth to remove the plaque. If the plaque is not removed, the bacteria multiply causing gum inflammation. Choose a soft-bristled brush like Cleene CLIO toothbrush, as it gently cleans your teeth and gums.

Replace your toothbrush every three months or when the bristles appear overused. Old brushes are becoming less effective at removing plaque.

Proper oral hygiene begins with choosing the right toothbrush to do the job

Dry out your brush between uses and store it in a closed place to prevent germs, fungus and bacteria from building up. Shake your brush vigorously under tap water, and store it in an upright position so it can air out.

Do not smoke. Tobacco usage increases the risk of having oral disease.

Smokers tend to collect more tartar on their teeth that further develop severe oral disease and oral cancer.

Eat foods rich in vitamins and minerals essential for the teeth, such as

vitamins A and C, to prevent gum disease. However, overdosing of vitamin C causes bleeding gums.

Prevention of oral diseases means doing your part in maintaining a healthy mouth. By following this simple home oral care, we can all have healthy teeth, fresh breath and nice smiles.

Cleene CLIO toothbrushes are available in all Mercury Drug stores and other leading supermarkets nationwide.

Hope in 40 seconds: A fight to save lives EVERY 40 seconds, a life is lost to suicide, making it the second leading cause of death among 15 to 29 yearolds globally, according to the World Health Organization. To add, depression is the predominant cause of illness and disability for both boys and girls aged 10 to 19.

With the grim scenario, the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation (NGF), in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH) and the UP Junior Marketing Association (UPJMA), and, the support of Globe Telecom, is launching “Hope in 40 Seconds”, a 40-seconder animated digital video competition that aims to promote mental health and encourage those suffering from it as well as their loved ones to seek guidance from HOPELINE, NGF’s free 24/7 suicide hotline.

“We want to counter the suicide rate of one per 40 seconds by offering hope so that those who are in emotional crisis and in need of immediate assistance can have someone they can talk to, someone who understands what they are going through, and who can give them the support they need,” said Jean Goulbourn, CEO of NGF, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing depression to light.

Through animated videos, which will be distributed using various channels such as social media and movie theaters, NGF would be able to reach out to more people and provide them with proper intervention so they could veer away from negative and escapist behaviors.

Globe, a partner of NGF in providing the information and communications

technology infrastructure for HOPELINE which enables Globe and TM customers to call toll-free, also lends its resources to the video competition which it believes may also help curb incidents of cyber bullying.

“Although there are no official studies yet on how cyberbullying affects mental health, there are already reports of young people taking their own lives due to online pressure and stress. Being a company which is driven by our purpose to transform the Philippines into a digital nation, it is also our duty to protect and educate the people on the impact of technology in their lives, thus, our support for this campaign,” said Fernando Esguerra, Globe Director for Citizenship. Globe also currently runs the Digital Thumbprint Program workshops for students to guide them on responsible online behaviour and has also forged a partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Philippines and the Ateneo Human Rights Center for the protection of children against online exploitation.

The video campaign has also been taken as a project by the UP JMA, a university-wide student organization of over 300 members. For this semester, the organization embarked on SPARK: The Movement to promote healthy lifestyle and to spread hope among the country’s youth.

The video competition is open to all Filipino citizens currently residing in the Philippines. All entries must be in animated digital video format (FLV, WMV, MOV, AVI, mpeg, mp4) not exceeding 40 seconds including the title and end screens. It should also incorporate the HOPELINE numbers

Helping people cope with depression is crucial in keeping the suicide rate at low level

Natasha Goulbourn Foundation CEO Jean Goulbourn

804-HOPE (4673), 0917558HOPE (4673), and 2919 (toll free for TM and Globe) as a call to action in the animation.

For more information and queries, email hopein40seconds@gmail.com or visit SPARK The Movement by UP JMA at www.facebook.com/SparkTheMovement.

Acacia hotel...

From D1

Filipinos need...

From D1

She also suggested that for certain people who cannot consume fruits and vegetables because of digestion concerns may also try juicing and blending to meet the required nutritional needs.

“Juicing can be an alternative way of making people with difficulty digest-

ing to eat fruits and vegetables so they can enjoy its benefits, “said Dr. Atienza.

The seminar series of FNRI, which carried the theme “First 1,000 Days of a Child’s Life: Interventions through Research, Services and Technologies,” was a success and the participants learned a lot from the speakers. Part of Atienza’s discussion highlight was the benefits of juicing for a mother and child’s nutritional concerns. There was also a presentation

on quick and easy juicing plus delicious and nutritious juicing recipes using local fruits courtesy of Breville Juice Fountain, one of the event sponsors.

Unlike any other fast juicer, Breville retains up to 70 percent more nutrients (see details from www.juicingscience.com) and makes at least two glasses of healthy juice in just a minute. It has 25 percent extra-wide feed chute that can feed tubes that can fit bigger fruits and vegetables so

there’s no need to chop fruits into small bits, with a jug capacity of 1 liter to 1.2 liters and comes with full variable speed technology to control the speed. It has extractors that eject the dry pulp into an external basket during the juicing process and Patented Juicing Systems that retains up to 70 percent more nutrients.

For more information on Breville juicers and other products, visit www.breville.com.ph.

almost 50 percent off the original rates at Evolve Yoga with the 10-day unlimited pass at P500, monthly unlimited pass for P3,000 and walk in rate at only P300. All these by simply presenting the Acacia Perks card. For those who would like to maximize their rooms by staying indoors, Acacia Hotel Manila is offering a gym monthly membership rate of P2,500 that gives you access to state-of-the-art equipment and access to the steam room.

Finally, for those who enjoy the outdoors to get fit, feel free to bring your running and biking gears with you. Acacia Hotel Manila is conveniently located at the center of Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang wherein trails and open roads are conducive for biking, cycling and dirt biking. Paved roads lined with sprawling trees are closed during Carless Sundays from 5a.m. to 10a.m. to encourage more people to run and bike. What’s more, a free Zumba session is held on the same day at 6a.m. in the same area.

Rest, relax and stay fit on your next visit at Acacia Hotel Manila with these latest updates. To get more information, please call (02) 720-2000 or email reservations@acaciahotelsmanila.com.

Showbiz

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THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016 isahred@gmail.com

JaDine’s

new Forever Love

J

AMES Reid and Nadine Lustre finally found the sweetness and spice they’ve been craving for in their new Forever Love.

James Reid and Nadine Lustre in another TVC for Jollibee

THE public had the rare opportunity to travel in a magical land where circus, dance, and theater meet to create a complete work of art during the recent A Nonsense Story performed by a group of artists from France at the SM Aura Premier Samsung Hall.

A joint project of Alliance Française de Manille, together with the Embassy of France to the Philippines and SM Aura Premier, the one night circus performance raised funds for the benefit of the victims of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).

Part of the proceeds of the show was for the benefit of the projects of the France-Philippines United Action Foundation in rebuilding of disaster-resilient villages in Ormoc City and Cebu. FrancePhilippines United Action Foundation is an organization formed to support French donors, NGOs, and private agencies with their programs by providing a coordination and communication structure.

The Open Ticket, a collective composed of seven performers from different nationalities, performed A Nonsense Story.

These included Catherine Nielson, Pedro Consciencia,

French Circus Theater at SM Aura Premier

The touring cast of “A Nonsense Story”

Luca Struna, Voleak Ung, Dimitri Rizzelo, Anaïs Albissetti and Vincent Briere, who all came from the ENACR (National School of Circus Arts of Rosny-Sous-Bois) in France.

Founded in 1983, the school was able to train its pioneer artists for the first state diploma in 1990.

A Nonsense Story is the collective’s third show after Babel in August 2013 and Alluzz in July 2014. The circus show was directed by Voleak Ung, a young Cambodian Artistic Director who wishes to create an intercultural project in Cambodia and South-East Asia to recover her cultural roots.

The one-hour performance of the

collective Open Ticket wowed the audience, adults and children alike, because of its perfect combination of humor, romance, drama, and adventure in a story told through circus, dance and theater.

A Nonsense Story is one of the many exciting cross-cultural events at SM Aura Premier.

Jollibee, the Philippines’ no.1 fast-food brand, recently announced the latest innovation to their besttasting Burger Steak: JaDine’s newest favorite, the Sweet-Spicy BBQ Burger Steak.

A flavorful twist to the classic Burger Steak, this new offering boasts a special barbecue sauce and sweet corn kernels generously poured on top of the Burger Steak made with 100 percent pure beef and a serving of steamed white rice.

Every bite creates a delightful combination of sweetness, spice, and interesting texture that Pinoys will surely fall in love with.

James and Nadine previously starred in the fastfood chain’s “Taste Forever Love” ad campaign, where they shared the kilig of savoring their forever favorite Jollibee Burger Steak with the whole nation.

With the Sweet- Spicy BBQ Burger Steak, the two young stars are thrilled to discover something new in a product they have always loved.

The original Jollibee Burger Steak, first introduced in the late 1990s, captured the palates of Filipinos because of its unforgettable flavors and great value-formoney. With a patty made with 100 percent pure beef and a generous serving of gravy with real mushroom slices, the Burger Steak makes for a perfect langhapsarap meal when paired with a serving of rice.

“The Sweet-Spicy BBQ Burger Steak is just one of the many innovations we are rolling out for 2016,” said Francis E. Flores, Jollibee Chief Global Marketing officer and Philippine head of Marketing. “The perfect balance of sweetness and spice, combined with the different textures of corn, perfectly cooked beef patty, and rice, creates an exciting new experience that captivated the hearts and taste buds of James and Nadine. If you’re a Burger Steak fan, you’ll definitely fall in love also with this flavor-packed new variety.”

A new TV commercial starring JaDine and the allnew Sweet-Spicy BBQ Burger Steak premiered on July 17.

JaDine’s new Forever Love, the Sweet-Spicy BBQ Burger Steak, is available for dine-in, take-out, drivethru, and delivery at all Jollibee stores for only P50.00 for the one-piecc solo variant, P55.00 with regular drink, and P80.00 for the two-piece solo variant, P85.00 with regular drink.

‘Paglipay,’ ‘Pitong Kabang Palay’ win at first ToFarm Film Fesival Awards IT WAS a night when the cinema and agriculture were united—in essence this was the sentiment that prevailed during the recent ToFarm Film Festival Awarsa at the Rizal Ballroom of the Makati Shangri-la Hotel with Kapuso artists Dingdong Dantes and Carla Abellana as hosts.

The members of the panel of judges tasked to choose the winners were director Peque Gallaga, Manunuri President Gigi Javier-Alfonso, cinematographer Odyssey Flores, screenwriter Ricky Lee and recent Cannes Film Festival best actress Jaclyn Jose.

Performers during the festival included London based soprano and theater artist Christine Allado, world renowned pianist and CCP President, Dean Raul Sunico, the all male vocal group Aleron and the Whiplash Dancers.

Cherry Pie Picache and Bembol Roco brought home the best actress and best actor trophies for their performance in Poalo Villaluna’s road trip Pauwi Na. Roco tied with indigenous performer Garry Cabalic, lead actor in Zig Dulay’s Paglipay for Best Actor.

It was revealed during the awards proper that Cabalic almost did not make it to the awards night. He was personally fetched by ToFarm organizer Dr. Milagros

How from his village in Mt. Pinatubo in Zambales in a helicopter.

Paglipay, Pauwi Na and Maricel Cariaga’s Pitong Kabang Palay emerged as the film festival’s major winners.

Best Picture winner Paglipay also won People’s Choice, Best Director for Zig Dulay, Best Supporting Actress for first time winner Anna Luna, and Best Cinematography for Albert Banzon.

Pauwi Na also won the Special Award for Outstanding Film, Best Story and Best Editing for Paolo Villaluna and Ellen Ramos and Best Production Design for Mao Fadul.

Pitong Kabang Palay won 2nd Best Picture, the Special Award for Outstanding Ensemble, Best Supporting Actor for the tween actor Micko Laurente, Best Sound for Arnel de Vera, Best Music for Lorenzo Nielsen, and Best Screenplay for Cariaga.

Provincial screenings of the entries are slated on Aug. 24 to 30 at SM Angeles and SM Cabanatuan; Sept.r 14 to 20 at SM Cebu; and Oct. 12 to 18 in SM Davao. **** Winners of the ToFarm Film Festival 2016 Best Supporting Actor—Micko Laurente, Pitong Kabang

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Thursday, July 28, 2016

ACROSS 1 Arctic explorer 6 Rockies ski town 10 Hoop’s place 14 Fill with 15 Old Dodge model 16 Comics canine 17 Shinbone 18 Resinous substances 19 Enjoy a hot tub 20 Laurel and Getz 21 Exporters 23 Depot info 25 Mao — -tung 26 Dance floor need 29 Bounder 32 Physicist Nikola — 37 Tribute in verse 38 Bosses, briefly 39 Fatty fish 40 Right on!

(3 wds.)

43 Travolta film 44 Truckers’ semis 45 Peggy or Brenda 46 Alabama town 47 Offshore 48 Yukon, briefly 49 Ugh! 51 — degree 53 Cadging 58 Specks 62 Makes candles

63 — — foot pole 64 Hike 65 Eurasian mountains 66 First name in spying 67 Inner self, to Jung 68 Lunar phenomenon 69 Attention getter 70 Chute material DOWN 1 Peach centers 2 Radiate 3 “Fernando” group 4 Totaled 5 Baker’s need 6 Encyc. sections 7 Far East nanny 8 Stir up 9 Mispronounces 10 Be defeated 11 Garbage bin output 12 Slant 13 Cartoon shriek 22 Magnolia parts 24 Quibble 26 Deep bell tones 27 Light incense to 28 Banister post 30 Puckster Bobby — 31 Tech-support

callers 33 Wapiti 34 Compliment feedback 35 Solitude enjoyer 36 Emotional heat 38 Stained-glass art 39 “Cosmos” host 41 Popeye’s verb?

42 Standoff 47 Stiff-coated dogs 48 Prickly 50 Trophy winner 52 Largest moon of

Saturn 53 Sorvino of films 54 Gem of superstition 55 Peace Prize city 56 Hockey goals 57 No-see-um 59 Follow 60 BB shot 61 Reach across 62 Like, stupid!

Palay Best Supporting Actress—Anna Luna, Paglipay Best Sound—Arnel de Vera, Pitong Kabang Palay Best Music—Lorenzo Nielsen, Pitong Kabang Palay Best Production Design—Mao Fadul, Pauwi Na Best Editing—Paolo Villaluna and Ellen Ramos, Pauwi Na Best Cinematography—Albert Banzon, Paglipay Best Screenplay—Maricel Cariaga, Pitong Kabang Palay Best Story—Paolo Villaluna and Ellen Ramos, Pauwi Na People’s Choice Award—Paglipay ToFarm Festival Professional Responsibility Award— Kakampi Ingenuity Award—Pilapil Best Actor—Bembol Roco, Pauwi na and Gabby Cabalic, Paglipay Best Actress—Cherry Pie Picache, Pauwi Na Jury Special Award for Outstanding Film—Pauwi na ToFarm Film Festival Special Award for Outstanding Ensemble—Pitong Kabang Palay Best Director—Zig M Dulay, Paglipay 3rd Best Picture—Free Range 2nd Best Picture—Pitong Kabang Palay Best Picture—–Paglipay

Cherry Pie Picache accepts ToFarm 2016 Best Actress trophy

ISAH V. RED, Editor NICKIE WANG, Writer isahred@gmail.com

D4

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

Showbiz

The Philippine Dance Cup is a tournament for aspiring classical ballet, folk and contemporary dancers

ISAH V. RED

A

SIA’s Pop Sweetheart Julie Anne San Jose has released a new album under GMA Records entitled, Chasing The Light.

Even before the release of the album, her carrier single and one of several she penned in the album, “Naririnig Mo Ba”, has already topped the iTunes charts after its digital release in June. The song is about faith in love and the hope of feeling in love again, which anyone can relate to.

According to the Kapuso singer-actress, her album is closely similar to her recently released EP, Forever.

“Chasing The Light is more mature in the way na nag-evolve ‘yung genre. It’s different, kasi yung nauna kong albums with GMA Records, parang medyo ballad.

I think my fans and I are on the same page when it comes to the kind of music I would make. I think they will like the album just how they liked my EPs,” Julie Anne relates.

Her latest album consists of several original songs and a revival, with Julie Anne’s writing the lyrics for two songs. She also collaborated with international rapper C-Tru, who has high regard for the Kapuso star’s talent.

“As a Filipino-American with deep roots in the Philippines, it is an honor to collaborate with talented local artists such as Julie Anne. It’s amazing to be able to connect the Filipino culture here in the U.S. with my kababayan back home through the universal language of music,” C-Tru claims.

As an advocate of OPM, Julie Anne is also proud to have collaborated with one of the contemporary songwriters in the local music industry.

Edmund Perlas, who

has worked with Julie Anne in her previous albums, feels thrilled to be working again with the GMA Artist Center star.

Edmund believes that Julie Anne has the power to inspire dreamers like him. “This is all surreal to me. Never did I imagine that I would be writing songs for big-name stars who I just used to watch on TV and now, I am actually meeting and working with them. I still can’t believe that I am actually contributing to OPM. And I am very grateful that Julie Anne has inspired me to do what I’m most passionate about.”

Julie Anne San Jose’s newest album under GMA Records Chasing The Light is now available at selected Astroplus and Astro Vision outlets nationwide, with its digital format available for download on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Google Play and other digital stores worldwide.

For more information, please visit GMA Records’ official Facebook page at https:// www.facebook.com/GMARecords. (30) 5

2016 Philippine Dance Cup at DLS-CSB

Amateur dancers from various schools and organizations around the country will flock to Manila next weekend for the threeday Philippine Dance Cup (PDC).

To be held from Friday to Sunday, July 29-31, at various venues at the De La SalleCollege of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), the dance tournament will see aspiring hopefuls compete in classical ballet, national, folklore or stylized character, and contemporary dance. This year, a new category– street dance–will be introduced.

PDC founder and head organizer Nina Anonas declared the biennial event, which originally focused only in classical ballet in 2008, is considered to be the nation’s first and only national ensemble dance competition.

The dance tournament has nine categories, such as Junior Ensembles (6-7 years old, 8-9 years old, 9-12 years old), Junior

Solo (11-13 years old), Senior Ensembles (12-15 years old, and 12 years old and above), Senior Trio Ensembles (12 years old and above), Senior Solos (14-18 years old), and Professional Solos (19-28 years old).

“Some of our individual winners are now engaged with professional contracts and enjoy distinct recognition in the international dance arena. We, the organizers, are proud to have discovered them at the Philippine Dance Cup,” shared Anonas.

Judges include world-renowned professional dancers, choreographers and directors. Elizabeth Rae Figler of Northern Ballet, London; Ricardo Ella, managing director of Australian Conservatoire of Ballet, Melbourne; France-based Ernest Mandap; and Myra Beltran of Dance Forum and current faculty of the School of Design and Arts (SDA) Dance Program at DLS-CSB, for ballet and contemporary.

Ace Von Asilo, Jesse Reflex Gotangco, and Lema Marie Diaz—all street dance superstars–will judge for the respective divisions.

This year’s hosts are PDC and DLSCSB, whose students from the Dance and Technical Theater departments will assist in the production.

The schedule is as follows: Friday, July 29, 10 a.m., Senior Solos, at DLS-CSB Augusto Rosario Gonzalez Theater (Taft Campus); Saturday, July 30, 10 a.m., Junior Ensembles and Junior Solos, SDA Theater (SDA Campus); and Sunday, July 31, 1 p.m., Professional Solos and Senior Ensembles, SDA Theater (SDA Campus).

Tickets are available at the theater lobby on the competition dates.

For inquiries, visit www.facebook.com/ groups/287874454647441.

Shows at Hard Rock Café

COME see the show as Hard Rock Café’s (HRC) closes the month of July with an amazing line-up of performers.

Enjoy a super retro musical party with Kudos Love 80s tonight while pop-rock band Part 3 performs on July 29 and 31 (Friday and Sunday) and Inner Voices takes the center stage back-to-back with Red Picasso on July 30 (Saturday).

Hard rockers can also enjoy the best burgers from around the world as HRC recently launch its World Burger Tour that features the best local burgers from around the world. HRC’s World Burger Tour menu is available until the end of July. All shows start at 9:00 p.m.

It’s live music at Hard Rock Café featuring Red Picasso