Manila Standard - 2016 August 4 - Thursday

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VOL. XXX • NO. 173 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016 • WWW.THESTANDARD.COM.PH • EDITORIAL@THESTANDARD.COM.PH

Drug war: 6 mayor’s men die in Leyte

By Mel Caspe

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ACLOBAN CITY—Six men working for Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. were killed in a shootout with police outside the mayor’s house, the Leyte Provincial Police Office said Wednesday.

TO DIE FOR. Mayor Rolando Espinosa arrives at the CIDG office in Camp Crame to face investigation on his

alleged drug-dealing activities while six of his men guarding the family compound lie dead a few hours earlier after a shootout with Leyte policemen. Mel Caspe and Lino Santos

Du30 blasts triad, drug cartel PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday slammed the Mexicobased Sinaloa drug cartel that he says aggravates the drug problem in the Philippines―even as he defended his “war” on illegal drugs in the country.

He identified Sinaloa and a

Chinese drug triad as the major enemies before members of the Parish Pastoral Council on Responsible Voting, who paid him a courtesy call on Wednesday afternoon.

“Is Mexico into us? Yes. Sinaloa is their [drug] cartel. We

are being used as their transshipment [point],” Duterte said.

“They are slowly being eradicated by the Americans, they are being bombed. That’s why they use the Philippines as a transshipment.... Sinaloa is active.”

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3 turncoats United Asean pushed Sara Susanne D. gain House By Fabunan plum posts

By Maricel V. Cruz AT LEAST three allies of former President Benigno Aquino III were elected Wednesday night as heads of influential committees in the House of Representatives.

House Majority Floor Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, in plenary, named Rep. Reynaldo Umali as head of the House committee on justice that handles impeachment cases.

Umali headed the House committee on energy in the 16th Congress and is a known rabid ally of Manuel Roxas II, the Liberal Next page

A UNITED Association of Southeast Asian Nations is the best way to implement the ruling of a UN tribunal invalidating China’s territorial claims to most of the South China Sea, an Australian expert said Wednesday.

To prevent the involvement

of “external powers” such as the United States, the 10 member states of the Asean need to unite to oppose China’s claims, said Prof. Michael Heazle of Griffith University.

“The best approach is for those states to cooperate and provide a unified opposition to any further claims of maritime right that

The encounter took place at his son Kerwin to surrender or be 5:30 a.m. at Sitio Tinago, Ba- shot dead. rangay Binulho, Albuera, Leyte, Duterte issued the warning after inside the compound of the Espi- Espinosa’s two bodyguards and nosa residence, said Senior Supt. three employees were arrested in Franco Simborio. a buy-bust operation that netted Police seized 13 high-powered P1.9 million worth of shabu. firearms and Mayor Esfour .45 caliber Mayor Rolando Espinosa of pinosa surpistols after the Albuera, Leyte on Wednesday r e n d e r e d shootout. made an impassioned plea for Tuesday after “The situation his son Kerwin—a suspected being linked is still dangerous drug lord—to surrender. to the illegal because the may“My son...let’s surrender,” drug trade. or’s men might Espinosa said, close to tears.

Philipstill be lurking President Rodrigo Duterte pine National around the area,” had earlier warned the mayor Police chief Simborio told the and his son to surrender, or the Ronald dela Manila Stan- police would be ordered to shoot Rosa said Esdard in Filipino. them on sight. pinos was on “According to “My son, if you see me on TV Duterte’s list our men on the now... I’m having a hard time. of local offiground, the may- Let’s surrender,” the mayor said cials who proor has about 50 in Visayan Wednesday. PNA tect the illegal men who are still drug trade. be hunted.”

Espinosa’s President Rodrigo Duterte had son, Kerwin, is still at large and earlier called on the mayor and Next page

Drug convicts’ island

By Rey E. Requejo and Sandy Araneta SOME 160 high-risk inmates from the New Bilibid Prison will be transferred to Caballo Island east of Corregidor, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre said Wednesday.

Aguirre said incoming Bureau of Corrections chief, retired Marine Maj. Gen. Alexander Balutan, had already conducted an inspection of Caballo Island.

Formerly Fort Hughes, Caballo Island is currently occupied by the Navy. In November 2014, 108 Next page

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DoJ after hackers’ $81m THE government will help recover the $81 million stolen by Bangladeshi hackers from their central bank and then laundered in the Philippines, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II told Bangladeshi officials on Wednesday.

Aguirre made the commitment during a meeting with the Ban-

gladeshis led by Ambassador to the Philippines John Gomes.

During that meeting, they discussed the pending moneylaundering cases at the Justice Department against former Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. branch manager Maia Santos-Deguito, Next page

LIGHTER SIDE. President Rodrigo Duterte cracks a joke to the delight of a wounded soldier recuperating at the AFP Medical Center in Quezon City on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016. Malacañang photo

Drug den right under cops’ noses

By Sandy Araneta MANILA city workers on Wednesday uncovered a suspected drug den under a bridge along Juan Luna Street in Binondo, a few yards away from a police precinct.

Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada ordered the immediate dismissal of the police commander in charge and admonished barangay officials, who said they knew nothing of the drug lair.

The drug den was discovered during a road clearing drive along Juan Luna and Sta. Elena streets and caught everyone by surprise.

“We did not expect this,” said Estrada, who led the road clearing drive.

City workers were tearing down makeshift shanties under the Muello de Binondo bridge when they stumbled on drug paraphernalia.

A 50-year-old man was arNext page rested.

Rody vows pensioners’ head office PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte plans to create a pension office for the military to address the problem of soldiers waiting to receive their hard-earned pensions when they retire.

He vowed to continue giving salaries to soldiers before they receive their pensions in a speech before hospitalized troops at the V. Luna Medical Center in Quezon City late on Tuesday.

“I will continue your salary two to three years even before having your pension,” Duterte said.

“I want to create an office for pension benefits of the Armed Forces that will prepare everything. If a soldier dies, I don’t want the widow and the children to go everywhere [just to get their pension.]”

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

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DoJ indicts ex-PSE broker, four others in P100-m scam offered in the stock market is apparent,” stated the resolution approved by Prosecutor General Claro Arellano.

The DoJ also approved the filing of a separate case of bouncing checks against Peñaflor.

Peñaflor, the PSE’s former assistant head of market education, was arrested last February, but he was ordered released by Assistant State Prosecutor Rodan Parrocha after inquest proceedings.

The prosecutor explained that the charges against Peñaflor pertained to “previous acts or past series of transactions that [Jao] had with respondent” and not for the act of receiving an additional investment of P500,000 for which he was arrested for by the National Bureau of Investigation.

But the DoJ still proceeded with the preliminary investigation against Peñaflor and the four others.

Similar complaints by other victims have been filed against Peñaflor before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office and the NBI. PSE president Hans Sicat earlier alleged that Peñaflor, using his “silver tongue,” convinced investors to course their money through him.

The SEC, the corporate regulator, said Peñaflor has been using the names of accredited brokers to convince investors that his transactions are legitimate.

Sicat, however, said the PSE had conducted a check on its accredited brokers and none was found to be involved in Peñaflor’s allegedly fraudulent schemes.

In an advisory published last December, the PSE issued a warning to the investing public against Peñaflor, who has not been connected with the PSE since 2013.

when it comes to the PCA ruling.

He said that the Philippines must revisit the role of Asean in the disChina might have,” Heazle said pute. on the sidelines of the Second Ma“We need to rethink our envinila Conference on the South China sioned role for Asean in this disSea in Manila Hotel. pute. Maybe we have to accept that He said it was important for the 10 there are some things that will never member countries to share similar views be able to achieve full unity, or that on the South China Sea dispute and the there’ll be some thing that Asean ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitra- could not be able to address as a tion in favor of the Philippines. whole,” Batongbacal said.

But during the last Asean forHe said Asean could be useful on eign ministers’ meeting in Vien- some other issues, but not the ongotiane, a joint communique failed ing territorial dispute. to even mention China or the PCA Aside from the Philippines, ruling against it. The failure to in- Asean countries, including Vietclude these developments in the nam, Brunei, and Malaysia, have final communique was widely seen overlapping claims over parts of the as a victory for China, which had South China Sea. pressed Cambodia to oppose such The Philippines on Wednesday a statement. reiterated its commitment to pursue Asean only acts on consensus, a diplomatic and legal solution to its which means any member can ef- ongoing dispute with China. fectively veto a course of action.

In a speech read for Secretary PerBut Heazle warned that if Asean fecto Yasay, DFA Undersecretary Enfails to unite, a “dangerous situ- rique Manalo said the Philippines is ation” could develop as external ready to engage with other claimant powers get involved. states in the South China Sea. Institute for Maritime Affairs “The Philippines is ready to enand Law of the Sea University of gage all relevant stakeholders, esthe Philippines director Dr. Jay Ba- pecially the claimant states. We are tongbacal on the other hand said the confident that the award will help in Philippines must accept that Asean finding ways forward to resolve the will never have a unified position disputes,” Manalo said, referring to

the July 12 decision of the PCA. China has refused to recognize the PCA ruling.

The government, meanwhile, has advised fishermen to temporarily avoid the disputed areas of the West Philippine Sea, particularly in the Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc), until the issue of fishing rights has been ironed out through bilateral talks with China.

DFA spokesman Charles Jose was reacting to a Chinese declaration that they would jail anyone fishing illegally in the waters that Beijing claims as its own.

“The call includes Filipino fishermen because we know that China has already occupied Scarborough Shoal so we might as well wait for the issue to be cleared and how our fishermen can go back to fishing without being subjected to any form of harassment,” Jose told the reporters during the conference.

On Tuesday, Jose said that the fishing rights will be a “priority issue” in bilateral talks between special envoy to Beijing former President Fidel Ramos with China’s counterpart.

“This is definitely a priority issue that we will have to resolve in our talks with China,” Jose said in a phone interview.

address the deplorable state of its detention centers.

Phelim Kine, deputy director for the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch, said he was appalled by a photo of inmates in a detention center, sleeping on the floors side by side.

“It’s an image straight out of Dante’s ‘Purgatory’, hundreds of half-naked men sprawled on the pavement in the sweltering heat, desperately trying to sleep amid the cramped chaos. But this is no etching of a medieval horror scene,” Kine said.

“It’s an actual snapshot of horrific overcrowding in the Philippines’ jails and detention centers fueled by the government’s war on drugs,” he said.

Kine said inmates sleep on the ground of an open basketball court inside the Quezon City jail at night.

Police statistics indicate more than 125,000 suspected drug dealers and users have surrendered to authorities since President Rodrigo Duterte’s May 9 electoral victory.

An estimated 10,000 alleged drug dealers and drug users surrendered in Pampanga province on July 21 alone.

The motivations of those who surrender are clear, authorities said.

“Fear of Duterte’s war on drugs, which is linked to hundreds of police killings of suspected drug dealers and users as well as summary murders by unidentified vigilantestyle killers,” Kine said.

While police are not detaining all of those who turned themselves in, the thousands who are now behind bars are pushing the capacity of jails and detention centers to the break-

ing point, he said.

These conditions are worsening the humanitarian crisis inside Philippine jails, which are already plagued by serious sanitation and health problems, including rampant tuberculosis.

Human Rights Watch has found that many Philippine jails fail to meet the minimum United Nations standards by not providing adequate amounts of food, poor nutrition, and sanitation.

“Duterte can help calm fears by publicly denouncing unlawful killings and reiterating support for rule of law,” said Kine.

Until that happens, expect yet more suspected drug dealers and users to seek the “safety” of detention centers over the risk of death on the streets.

On the other hand, congestion, floods, and a neighboring community of squatters are just some of the things that are plaguing the Manila City Jail.

The Manila City Jail has more than three times the amount of prisoners for which it was designed.

The Manila City Jail’s space was originally designed for 1,200 inmates, but it is currently detaining 3,700 prisoners.

Jail Senior Inspector Rommel Castro said that a mezzanine has been constructed to accommodate the number of inmates.

Castro said the already cramped prison gets flooded at the entrance, the reception, the cells, and the clinic every time it rains.

On the other hand, one of the inmates said that they stay on top of the tables when their cells get flooded.

munities and indigenous peoples; Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna, head of natural resources; Peter Unabia of Misamis Oriental, head of the committee on small business and entrepreneurship; Randolf Ting of Cagayan, head of the committee on labor and employment, Rep. Cesar Sarmiento of Catanduanes, head of the committee on transportation; and Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil of Pangasinan, head of the committee on veterans affairs and welfare.

Some more administration congressmen were named as new committee heads in the House.

Fariñas named Reps. Arthur Yap of Bohol as head of the House committee on economic affairs; Evelina Escudero of Sorsogon, head of the basic education and culture committee; Marlyn Primicias-Agabas of Pangasinan, head of the revision of

laws committee; Jose Panganiban Jr., agriculture.committee; Jesus Sacdalan, head of government enterprises and privatization; Angelina Tan of Quezon, head of the health committee; Pedro Acharon of South Cotabato, head of local government; Deogracias Ramos of Sorsogon, head of rural development; Eleanor Bulut Begtang of Apayao, head of welfare of children; Emmie Calixto-Rubiano of Pasay City, head of bases conversion; Ruby Sahali of Tawi-Tawi, head of peace, reconciliation and unity; Noel Villanueva of Tarlac, head of reforestation; and Isidro Rodriguez of Rizal, head of Southern Tagalog development.

These lawmakers are members of the so-called supermajority of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, secretarygeneral of the now ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan

By Rey E. Requejo

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HE Department of Justice has recommended the indictment of former Philippine Stock Exchange employee Jose Cecilio Peñaflor and four others implicated in a P100-million investment scam.

In a 13-page resolution, the DoJ said it found sufficient basis to hold Peñaflor, his brother Angelo, John Benedict Aguzar, Rafael Sigua and Michael Rosales criminally liable for syndicated estafa as complained by one Joyce Marie Jao. In her complaint, Jao accused the respondents of enticing her into investing P4 million in ABSCBN Corp. stocks with a promised interest of “around 50 percent.”

She filed the complaint earlier this year after they failed to pay her

P10 million to cover her investment and interest.

The respondents allegedly claimed that they were authorized by the Securities and Exchange Commission to engage in stock trading. The DoJ said it found probable cause to file the case in court and recommended that no bail be set.

“In this case, the intent to deceive and induce complainant to shell out her money in the guise of investing the same to shares

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Duterte made his statement even as a bill filed by Senator Panfilo Lacson would provide special financial assistance to the families or beneficiaries of police and military personnel, jail officers and firefighters killed or incapacitated in the line of duty.

“It is high time we provided the much-needed boost to our police personnel by showing our concern amid the challenging role they play in our society,” Lacson said.

He said one way of showing concern was to provide educational benefits to the qualified dependents of police personnel.

“Certainly, this will help alleviate the economic condition of our personnel,” Lacson says in Senate Bill 260.

“While we are quick to condemn the scalawags in uniform, we must also be fast to reward the deserving.”

Duterte said he would also push for free education to the children of soldiers “giving their life for the country.”

“One of the things you’ll have, in the fullness of God’s time, is a program to have free education for children. That’s my promise,” Duterte said.

He said he wanted a system to better address their concerns of families who wait forever to receive their pensions.

Presidential Decree 1638, issued in 1979 by President Ferdinand Marcos, established a new system of retirement and separation benefits for military personnel going for optional retirement after 20 years of service, or by reaching the mandatory age of retirement of 56 with at least 15 years of service.

The monthly pension ranges from P11,125.50 to P86,062.50, depending on rank and length of service.

When the pensioner dies, the spouse gets 75 percent of the monthly pension.

The full implementation of the Salary Standardization Law is seen as a major blow to the Armed Forces pension system, leading to an accumulation of P18 billion in unpaid pensions since 2000. John Paolo Bencito and

Macon Ramos-Araneta

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Duterte said the fight against the drug menace would not be easy.

At the same time he defended himself from his critics―including Senator Leila de Lima who claims he is supporting the killing of drug suspects.

“I do not blame De Lima. It’s her job. But if I will be in the same spot [as hers], I will also do the same.”

Duterte said the government’s declared war against drugs, which has resulted in the surrender of more than 700,000 drug suspects, must cut off the ring leaders in China and Mexico.

“It’s their apparatus―the lieutenants, the trashmen ... that I have to stop. I have to deny them the market,” Duterte said.

“I am willing to accept the consequences, I assume full responsibility.”

Duterte has criticized Mexico for the proliferation of illegal drugs in the Philippines. He said if the drug problem was not addressed promptly, in the next seven years the elections would be about narco-politics.

Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella on Wednesday welcomed the planned Senate probe

by De Lima on the summary killings linked to Duterte’s fight against the illegal drug trade.

“Basically, that is the job of the legislative―to be able to exercise their independent authority,” Abella said.

“So they are welcome to make the necessary investigation as they see fit.” John Paolo Bencito

Drug convicts'...

From A1 Filipino peacekeepers were quarantined on the island for 21 days from Ebola-stricken Liberia.

Aguirre said the 160 inmates will come from the Maximum Security Prison, including some from Building 14.

Building 14 housed the highprofile inmates, mostly drug convicts and leader of syndicates while inmates from the Maximum Security Compound are those sentenced to suffer imprisonment of 20 to 40 years.

Aguirre said 40 support personnel will also be deployed on the island.

“We will just repair some facilities to suit our needs with minimum expenses. This is in line with our aim to decongest NBP,” Balutan said.

The government wants to stop the convicts from conducting their illegal activities from inside the NBP. Aquirre said it was necessary to isolate these inmates to stop them.

In a related development, Aguirre said he has ordered an investigation into how illegal drugs have proliferated inside the prison.

He said he already talked to previous bureau directors, including former chief Vicente Vinarao, who wrote a book about the NBP. “I’ve got a lot of insights from him,” Aguirre said, noting that the information was helpful in their investigation.

On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch said the government should

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Rep. Henedina Abad, wife of former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, was elected head of the House committee on government reorganization. She was the House deputy speaker for Luzon in the last Congress.

Rep. Kaka Bag-ao of Dinagat Island, who used to be an Akbayan party-list allied with the Aquino administration, was tapped as head of the House committee on people’s participation.

Also elected were Reps. Alfredo Benitez of Negros Occidental, head of the House committee on urban development; Nancy Catamco of North Cotabato, head of the committee on indigenous cultural com-

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is wanted on illegal drug charges.

Dela Rosa said Kerwin, whom he identified as the “No. 1 drug lord in Eastern Visayas,” to surrender “or he will really be killed.”

The younger Espinosa is said to have flown to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on June 21, more than two weeks before Duterte assumed the presidency.

A spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Department, Charles Jose, said his passport had not been canceled and that he was free to travel because no court has ordered the documents revoked.

“Only the courts can instruct the DFA to cancel a Philippine passport. There must be a case first,” Jose said in a text message.

The Bureau of Immigration said that Espinosa was allowed to leave the country since there was no court order to include him on the bureau’s hold departure list.

The mayor, in police custody, has admitted having knowledge of his son’s illegal drug activities.

Hundreds of suspected drug users and pushers have been killed in an aggressive nationwide anti-drug campaign since Duterte took power with a pledge to wipe out lawlessness.

The rising body count has alarmed human rights groups, which called on the United Nations to condemn Duterte’s anti-crime policies.

Dela Rosa, in a live news conference with Espinosa, addressed the mayor’s son directly.

“If you’re listening now Kerwin, your father has already surrendered so you should follow your father,” he said.

“If you don’t surrender you will die so better surrender because

your life is really in danger.”

The mayor was the second high-profile drug suspect to turn himself in after being accused of drugs-related crimes by Duterte.

Last month, in a meeting also aired on national television, the President told a businessman he would “finish [him] off” unless he stopped dealing in drugs. The businessman denied the allegations.

Police said more than 100,000 other people have also surrendered to the local authorities and pledged to stop using illegal drugs.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former police chief, said he sees the eradication of illegal drugs if the administration maintains its momentum.

“At the rate our law enforcement agencies are going in their anti-drugs operations, a drug-free Philippines has now become a possibility,” Lacson said in a text message sent to reporters.

But Lacson said the growing number of vigilante killings was alarming.

“I implore the PNP to conduct appropriate investigations in relation to these killings. Certainly, the more than 200 cases of salvaging and summary executions by vigilantes in a period of one month alone should alarm our citizenry,” Lacson said.

He said the police must show that they are not tolerating the vigilantes by building up the evidence against them so they can be charged in court.

Lacson also said the police “should be presumed to be performing their duties with regularity and should not be unduly accused of violating due process without basis.”

The Senate committee on justice headed by Senator Leila de Lima will investigate the spate of killings involving alleged drug pushers and users. With Macon RamosAraneta, Vito Barcelo, PNA

VIGILANTES' VICTIM. Anguish and pain are etched on the face of a relative of Michael Siaron during his burial ceremony at a cemetery in Manila on Aug. 3, 2016. Siaron was killed by suspected vigilantes on July 22, 2016 acting on President Rodrigo Duterte’s call to kill all the country’s illegal drug dealers. AFP

Drug den...

From A1 “We took action here against illegal drugs, just like what President Duterte is doing. Our countrymen now are at risk and we are one [with the President],” Estrada said.

Estrada admitted he was surprised by the brazenness of those who put up a drug den so close to a police precinct.

“Illegal drugs are prevalent.

That’s why we should unite and take all of those involved down,” he said.

He urged barangay officials to cooperate with the police force.

“The police cannot do this alone.

The barangay chairmen and barangay tanod must unite with us. They

know in each barangay who are the drug pushers and users,” Estrada added.

Supt. Amante Daro, chief of the MPD Station 11, said the volume of drug paraphernalia confiscated showed the den was frequented by many users.

Daro relieved Chief Insp. Luis Guisic, chief of the police precinct located at the foot of the bridge, citing command responsibility. He was replaced by Chief Insp. Roy Calulot.

Estrada initiated road and sidewalk clearing operations in Manila to unclog the streets. He said that the “anarchy” in the streets must stop.

“Streets are made for vehicles and for people. Not for goods to be sold on the streets,” he said.

businessman Kim Wong and executives of the remittance firm Philrem Service Corp.

“This case involving about $15 million is pending, but I think within one month they should be resolving that case and we will be getting back our money,” Gomes told reporters after the closed-door meeting.

He said Aguirre, like the other officials they had met over the matter, made a commitment to resolve it “very soon.”

Gomes said he was pleased that Philippine officials “have all given me their commitment that they will do everything that is required to recover the money.” ‘‘They are very cooperative with us and I am quite pleased that this [case] is going to be resolved very quickly.

“I am very optimistic, I am actu-

ally very much pleased whenever I meet the new officials the way they are coming forward to help us get our money back.”

Gomes said he and other Bangladeshi officials would also meet with Solicitor General Jose Calida and officials of the Anti-Money Laundering Council and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

They had earlier met with senators and the top executives of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. for their bid to recover the rest of the $81-million stolen money.

Apart from the $15 million covered by the Justice Department, another $2.7 million was recovered and frozen by Pagcor, leaving $63 million more missing from the stolen money.

Gomes earlier asked the Senate to reopen its investigation into the case to determine where the rest of the stolen money had gone. Rey E. Requejo

led by President Rodrigo Duterte.

The House is expected to announce in the coming days the names of other lawmakers who will fill up the 58 standing and 12 special committees in the House, including Parañaque Rep. Gus Tambunting who is expected to head the games and amusements committee.Last Monday night, Fariñas named the new heads of the most powerful committees in the lower chamber: Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles as head of the House committee on appropriations; Lord Allan Velasco of Marinduque, committee on energy; Franz Alvarez of Palawan, committee on legislative franchise; Lucy Torres-Gomez of Leyte, committee on tourism; and Ronaldo Zamora of San Juan, House contingent head for the majority bloc of the Committee on Appointments.

Similarly, Reps. Elenita Ermita-

Buhain of Batangas was named head of the committee on accounts while Romeo Acop of Antipolo City was tapped to lead the committee on public order and safety.

Meanwhile, House deputy speaker and Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo confirmed Wednesday that a special committee on the West Philippine Sea has already been created to help the national government in crafting policies on how the controversial sea dispute will be best handled by the government.

Quimbo also said the creation of the said committee that is expected to be headed by former speaker and Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr. was not a “political accommodation.”

“In fact, the House has to expand in numbers in terms of committee chairmanships since its members are also expanding,” Quimbo said.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

DPWH outlines building priorities

MANDATORY DRUG TEST.

Almost 500 airport policemen queue at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to undergo the drug tests that is now required of airport personnel. Eric Apolonio

By Darwin Amojelar THE Public Works department said it has allotted over P20 billion over two years to significantly reduce flooding in Metro Manila.

“We have existing projects that are in the pipeline that I’m sure it will help alleviate [flooding problems] at the same time we have a major masterplan that we just got an approval from the ICC [Investment Coordination Committee] that we hope to implement in the next couple of years for the whole Metro Manila,” Public Works Secretary Mark Villar told reporters.

Villar said the masterplan will cost more than P20 billion that will “significantly reduce “ flooding in Metro Manila.

Besides addressing the flooding problems in Metro Manila, Villar said the Duterte administration aims to make a major improvement in traffic in two to three years.

“We have projects in the pipeline in two to three years that we think will greatly improve a lot of the problems in our infrastructure bottlenecks.

So, that’s why we are very confident that we can make large strides toward solving these issues,” Villar said.

He said projects such as the North Luzon Expressway Connector Road, NLEX Harbor Link, the Naia Expressway Project, the widening of C6 and C3, among others that will help reduce traffic in Metro Manila.

“We also have a lot of flyovers, overpasses that are in the works in the next two to three years that we believe will greatly alleviate the traffic,” Villar said.

“This administration is committed to go all out in infrastructure, we are planning to really have major improvements in the next two to three years,” he added.

Villar said the agency is prioritizing the construction of the P3.03-billion Edsa-Taft flyover, which was put on hold in 2013. The planned flyover is a 1.2 kilometers, two lanes in both directions of Edsa spanning Malibay Bridge from Makati City to F.B. Harrison Street in Pasay City.

Lawmakers back Con-com proposal

By Maricel V. Cruz

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AWMAKERS on Wednesday rallied behind Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez’s proposal for the creation of a 20-member Constitutional Commission to help Congress, acting as Constituent Assembly, in drafting proposed Charter Changes to the 1987 Constitution.

Batangas Rep. Reneo Abu said President Rodrigo Duterte’s overwhelming popularity will play a crucial role in persuading Filipinos on the need to change to a federal form of government.

“President Rodrigo Duterte has played a big role in federalism. Even before he decided to run for presidency... he has been an advocate of federalism,” Abu said. “He goes around the country to explain to people what federalism is all about.”

Abu said once federalism is explained to the people, their support for the proposal would

gain ground and snowball even before Congress starts its deliberations and the manner proposed by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez would make the process simpler.

Alvarez, on the other hand, said Charter Change will be done to serve the people’s interest and amendments will not be railroaded, particularly since it may lead to a total revision of the 1987 Constitution.

“When you revise the Constitution, you have to revise the entire Constitution,” Alvarez said. “Bear in mind that when there is a shift from a unitary to

a federal form of government, you will be changing almost all the chapters in the Constitution.”

“Like the chapter on the legislative branch, chapter on the executive branch, chapter on the judiciary. You wil have to change a lot. And those changes will be connected to other chapters,” Alvarez added.

Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo and Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro, meanwhile, said Charter Change has to be explained thoroughly to the Filipino people.

Quimbo said they will be willing to work double time to thoroughly discuss the proposed amendments and congressmen can utilize Thursdays and Fridays to convene Congress into a Constituent Assembly to discuss amendments to the Constitution.

“It is just a matter of time management. We just have to make a system out of it,” Abu, for his part, said, stressing that Mondays, Tuesdays Wednesdays can be used for regular legislative work such as attending sessions

and committee hearings.

Quimbo said he is opposed to a Constitutional Convention as this would duplicate Congress.

“I am sure they can make sacrifices.

Our colleagues are very hardworking. And I think they can prove to their constituents that they are indeed worthy of their votes.”

Castro also proposed that deliberations can either be made in shifts, taking up proposed amendments in the morning or afternoon and holding congressional sessions at night, or vice versa.

Alvarez had earlier said he would proposed that Duterte issue an executive order creating a constitutional commission composed of about 20 individuals.

Alvarez said the commission should include constitutional law experts, like former Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno, former senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr., lawyer Reuben Canoy and San Beda Graduate School of Law dean Fr. Ranhilio Aquino.

Ubial: Experts still Hospitals laud Duterte health plan studying Dengvaxia By Cathrine Mae V. Gonzales

By Macon Araneta THE Department of Health has no immediate plan to expand its free dengue inoculation program to other regions of the country because the vaccination program is still being monitored by international experts.

Since the Philippines is the first Asian country to use Dengvaxia in a public health program, Health Secretary Dr. Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial said she invited experts to join the monitoring team for the successful evaluation of the vaccine’s efficacy.

Ubial said the DOH has already inoculated more than 489,003 eligible children with the first dose in Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog and the National Capital Region.

The program was originally meant to cover one million students from the three identified regions but only 489,003 availed of the first dose last April. The second dose will be given after six months and the third at 12 months.

Ubial said, however, that the DOH continues to implement other measures to prevent rising cases of dengue in Calabarzon, Cordillera Autonomous Region, Western Visayas, Central

Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, and Davao Region.

She noted that effective dengue control requires concerted community efforts that will eliminate mosquito breeding sites and reducing mosquito population through integrated mosquito control.

She said the DOH is monitoring vaccine efficacy because of earlier reports that the current dengue vaccine has less than 50 percent protection against dengue serotypes 1 and 2, which are the most common circulating serotypes in the country.

“Previous infection prior to vaccination and circulating serotypes affect vaccine efficacy,” Ubial said.

The public is advised to intensify household measures with local government initiatives. Local governments are likewise advised against indiscriminate fogging or space spraying. Those with fever are advised to consult early.

The health chief added that hospitals should establish dengue express lanes to prevent overcrowding. Not all dengue patients will need hospitalization. A good number can be observed and managed at home.

THE Philippine Hospital Association lauded on Wednesday the pledge of President Rodrigo Duterte to prioritize health care, but maintained that the government has to help equip all stakeholders to make the dream of universal healthcare a reality.

“This is actually very good,” said PHA executive director Climaco Caliwara as his group prepared to celebrate National Hospital Week from Aug. 6 to 12.

Caliwara said Duterte’s promise to “strengthen the professional competence and operational capabilities of government hospitals and health facilities” was a critical concern since hospitals

play an important role in providing health care, particularly to the poor.

Caliwara said Duterte’s order for the Philippine Amusement and Gambling Corp. to dedicate its revenues to the health concerns of the poor was also an important strategy because it identifies the funding source for an important public health service.

“This is really something positive. Before, the government cannot even reimburse the expenses of hospitals,” Caliwara said, referring to the previous situation where hospitals were not being paid for the services they extend to indigents. “[Now] hospitals will be ready to deal with the sick Filipinos.”

IN BRIEF CA reinstates fired lawyer THE Court of Appeals reversed the decision of former President Benigno Aquino III in 2013 to dismiss Ombudsman Special Prosecutor Wendell BarrerasSulit for entering into a plea bargaining agreement with former military comptroller Major General Carlos Garcia.

The CA’s Special Tenth Division through Associate Justice Zenaida GalapateLaguilles ordered the reinstatement of Sulit, Aquino erred when he dismissed Sulit from the service because the plea bargaining agreement was lawful and “does not violate existing rules and jurisprudence.”

The appellate court noted that Sulit entered into the plea bargaining agreement on her own but under the direct supervision of then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez. The CA pointed out that the Ombudsman is allowed to enter into a plea bargaining agreement under Section 11 of the Ombudsman Act of 1989.

Prank call bill pushed THE House of Representatives will impose a maximum of 12 years of imprisonment and P50,000 fine against individuals found making prank calls to the 911 emergency hotline that was launched Aug. 1.

In filing House Bill 2323, Rep. Ruffy Biazon lamented that only 75 out of 2,475 calls that 911 received in the first seven hours since it became active at 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 1, 2016 were legitimate and 1,119 were dropped calls and 304 were prank calls.

The measure provides a penalty of arresto menor shall be imposed or one day to 30 days imprisonment and a fine of P5,000 for first offense. A punishment of arresto mayor or imprisonment of one month to six months and P15,000 fine for second offense. For third offense, a prison correctional or six months to six years imprisonment shall be imposed and P30,000 fine. Maricel Cruz

China-made contraband confiscated

TURNOVER. Undersecretary Rafael Yabut, officer-in-charge of the Department of Public Works and Highways, turns over leadership of the DPWH to Secretary Mark Villar during a turnover ceremony at the agency’s head office at the Port Area in Manila. Danny Pata

AT LEAST P117 million worth of China-made cosmetics, counterfeit branded ready-towear and house hold wares were seized by the Bureau of Customs at the Manila International Container Port.

The shipments, contained in 59 container vans with an estimated value at P3 million each, were declared as household wares and consigned to Marid Industrial Marketing.

The bureau ordered to stop the release of the cargoes after an inspection conducted by customs officers found discrepancies on the declared manifests.

A4

Opinion

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Attempting a better job

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte over the weekend revoked the unilateral ceasefire that he had declared with the Communist Party of the Philippines during his first State of the Nation Address. Apparent bad faith on the part of the Communist Party of the Philippines—New People’s Army—National Democratic Front was cited as the reason. Communist leader Jose Ma. Sison later called Mr. Duterte a bully even as peace talks are set to begin later this month.

This is just half of the insurgency problem. On another front is the pursuit of peace in

Muslim Mindanao. The previous administration tried to ram down a flawed bill creating the Bangsamoro entity after consulting only one entity, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, perhaps in a hasty attempt to create a legacy for former President Benigno Aquino III. As it turned out, the bill never progressed into law. There was opposition to its lack of inclusiveness, while the Mamasapano massacre of January 2015 cast some doubt on the sincerity of the MILF, which was perceived to be coming to the negotiating table with blood on its hands.

Now, President Duterte has said building peace in Mindanao is one

of the priorities of his month-old administration, and that he might spend the next several days down South to try to talk to representatives of Muslim groups in an attempt to hear their concerns. Duterte has also ordered Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza to go to Kuala Lumpur and relaunch the talks for the Bangsamoro.

The Palace estimates the President may spend up to 10 days in Mindanao beginning today, with the President traveling to Cotabato and Jolo and talking not only to the MILF but also to the Moro National Liberation Front through its leader, Nur Misuari.

The two groups have agreed to “harmonize” their respective peace deals with the government.

There remains a lot to be done as the national leadership tries to find the best way to achieve peace in Mindanao. Most importantly, it should revisit how prior attempts progressed—and failed. If there was hubris on the part of the negotiators, if there was a selfish desire to claim success as one’s own, if there is an inability to coordinate actions and make all voices, big and small, count, then by all means the Duterte administration should by now have a vague idea how to proceed—and how not to.

DUTY CALLS FLORENCIO FIANZA

Rhetorical war

Encouraging I CAN’T think of any other current case where the saying “justice delayed is justice denied” applies more appropriately.

And there are reassuring signs that our highest magistrates are aware of this, as well.

Faster than anyone thought was possible, the Supreme Court has recognized the validity of the election protest filed by former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. The court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, directed Vice PresidentUnder-Protest Leni Robredo to answer Marcos’ complaint and the Commission on Elections to secure the voting data from— and the equipment used in—the May 9 polls.

The high court’s twin directives can be interpreted to mean that Marcos’ complaint is sufficient both in form and in substance. This does not augur well for Robredo, who would certainly have wanted the protest to be found fatally flawed

in some way from the get-go.

The speed of the court’s action on the protest has also raised the hopes of Marcos and his supporters. After all, many similar protests filed before various electoral tribunals in the past have taken years to resolve—including some that are only decided right before the term of the wrongfully elected official ends.

The PET’s orders also came soon after the purported admission by Comelec’s automation provider Smartmatic that it operated “secret” computer servers whose existence was unknown to the election agency and the public during the elections. Controversial Smartmatic executive Marlon Garcia confirmed an earlier allegation by Marcos that the company coursed elections results through an unauthorized queue server before the voting data was sent on to the municipal, “transparency” and Comelec servers.

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The Supreme Court is sending the message that the Marcos protest should be decided without undue delay.”

Of course, Marcos’ protest is still in its earliest stages. Just like in a regular court case, there will be many hearings that will be held, various motions and counter-motions to be ruled upon and voluminous evidence and testimony to be presented and rejected. Only when this process is completed will the tri-

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

bunal start deliberations, which will culminate in a ruling that can no longer be appealed in a higher venue, since this tribunal is already the highest in the land.

Still, by acting quickly on the Marcos protest, the court is sending the message that this is an important case that should be decided without undue delay. Since the six-year term of the vice president has already started, the court must at the very least come up with a ruling before that period ends, if it wants to avoid the charge of favoring Robredo simply because it failed to act expeditiously.

Whichever way the court decides, as long as it does so as quickly as it can, it will have done its job. There is no room for old-fashioned “noynoying” in this case.

If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Marcos, it will only be able to completely dispense justice to him if it does so right away. If it favors Robredo, it

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will allow her to perform her functions secure in the knowledge that she is really the elected vice president, without the constant fear of being legally unseated, in the same way.

So excuse me if I can’t really sympathize with those who are asking everyone to “move on already” about the vice presidential issue simply because Robredo has been proclaimed the winner. (The people making this appeal, in case you haven’t noticed, are invariably those who support Leni—and who wish with all their might that something really bad happens to President Rodrigo Duterte.)

The only time that can be done is after the Supreme Court rules with finality on Marcos’ protest.

And then we can all move on. *** Reacting to the Supreme Court rulings on the Marcos protest, Robredo was her usual disingenuous self. While insistTurn to A5

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

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte made many bold announcements during his first State of the Nation Address.

One is the unilateral ceasefire on the part of the government in the conduct of offensive military and police operations against the New People’s Army. We do not know whether this announcement was made in consultation with the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police. Or did he do this on his own leaving both services to simply follow his order? Within the next several days the ceasefire was apparently violated by the NPA in Mindanao when one militiaman was ambushed and killed while returning to camp. The President then demanded from the NPA an explanation within 24 hours.

When he did not get one, he rescinded his ceasefire order. This in turn, prompted Jose Maria Sison, the top honcho of the communist movement to say that he cannot be bullied etc.

For the next couple of days, there was a rhetorical war between the two sides.

Fortunately however, the incident together with the killing of one NPA combatant will not affect the slated resumption of peace talks in Norway scheduled to start on Aug. 20.

From the beginning, President Duterte has shown willingness to talk to all organized dissident groups in order to find peace.

The fight with the NPA has been going on since 1969 or 47 years.

President Duterte has also demonstrated a healthy respect for and sympathy to the cause of the National Democratic Front.

Of all the presidents in recent memory, he alone reserved some senior government positions for known leftist sympathizers and in fact appointed some of them already.

The NDF should grab this opportunity because future presidents may not be as sympathetic to the NDF as the current president. Also, Joma is already 77 years old and would also like to see that the cause he has been fighting for all his life achieves something worthwhile. Maybe he can go on for another 10 years but he should grab the tiger by the tail while the opportunity is there.

President Duterte, the maverick that he is, also wants to be the one to be able to end this communist insurgency that has bedevilled this country for so long in order to cement his own legacy.

My humble reading of the crystal ball is that in this fight, time is on the side of the government. For the last several years, the economy of the country has improved a lot and there is every reason to believe that this will

Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Turn to A5

City Editor Senior Deskman Art Director Chief Photographer

Opinion TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

Spawning bigger problems I HAVE no love lost for former Justice secretary Leila de Lima. I know her to be the foremost attack dog of unlamented former President Benigno Aquino III. She dealt with his political enemies, primarily former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who languished more than four years in hospital detention.

Despite this, I believed her when she said in a privilege speech that there must be other ways to end the illegal drug menace than resorting to summary, “cardboard” and “do-ityourself” killings.

The killings have spawned a culture of violence and impunity. It has institutionalized vigilante killings, either perpetuated by police assets or groups in the name of President Duterte’s vow to end the drug menace in six months.

There may come a time when these killings become the biggest challenge of President Duterte. Those who commit them have already tasted blood and believe that they have the President’s protection in the fight against illegal drugs.

Malacañang should realize that with all these killings comes another problem—that of loose firearms. The police and the military have estimated that there are some 260,000 loose firearms nationwide. It’s a staggering number.

I don’t know if Du30 realizes it, but, he should know that there are far more loose firearms than police and military weapons.

As a longtime Davao City mayor, President Duterte certainly knows this. Most of the loose firearms are in the hands of the private armies of Muslim leaders, the Moro National Liberation Front, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, and the Abu Sayyaf Group.

The illegal drug menace may then become smaller because the culture of violence and impunity may breed the greater problem of loose firearms, vigilante and summary killings.

Yes, I think President Duterte is on the right track in the fight against criminality, illegal drugs and corruption. As he said in his inaugural address, these have eroded the people’s confidence in the government.

Still, in the process of observing the rule of law, human rights must be respected. Without this it would be tyranny— the law of the jungle!President Duterte may just create a bigger menace than that of illegal drugs that he wants to end. *** Another problem is the arrest and surrender of thousands of drug dealers and drug addicts.

Have you seen the Agence France Presse photos of an estimated 3,800 detainees in the Quezon City jail? The facility was designed for far less than that. Detainees are sleeping along stairways, on the basketball court and wherever there is a small amount of space. It’s a prescription for disease!

If the situation in Quezon City jail conditions for detainees have become sub-human, we can only imagine the situation in other local jails.

This is what happens when the campaign against illegal drugs does not consider the bigger problem of rehabilitating drug abusers and drug addicts.

The President must realize that rehabilitation of illegal drug addicts and abuser is not simply isolating them from illegal drugs or making them do handicrafts and gardening.

That shell that the drug addict has enclosed himself by using illegal drugs must be broken. And this is only the beginning of rehabilitation. A drug addict has psychological and physiological problems.

I know all this since I was involved for many years in the rehabilitation of addicts in Bob Garon’s DARE Foundation and in New York’s Daytop Foundation.

If the addicts are not rehabilitated, the drug menace will never be solved. Killing everybody will never end the menace so long as the demand is there.

It simply boils down to the law of supply and demand.

While there is demand for illegal drugs, the drug lords from China’s Triad, the West African syndicates and the Sinaloa Cartel from Mexico will look at the Philippines as a profitable market. In fact, we have already become a transshipment point of illegal drugs.

We may think that the drug lords are already at the New Bilibid Prison. Think again.

There are bigger druglords outside the country. *** The filling of vacated positions of almost a hundred government-owned and -controlled corporations, from the Board of Directors down to the senior officers has become a big problem of the Duterte administration.

We should not ignore the proliferation of loose firearms.”

In previous years, once a new administration comes in, all directors, senior officers, chairmen and down to vice presidents must tender their courtesy resignations. Now, with the creation of the Governance Commission on GOCCs that reviews their performance and even compensation, all GOCC directors, senior officers, including the chairman, and senior officers, must step down effective July 31.

However, I have been told that others are still holding on to their positions and still getting their compensation because the commission, to date, still has no chairman.

There are not enough people in the private sector that could fill the thousands of vacancies.

Thus, there is now a paralysis in the GOCCs, notably in the Social Security System, Development Bank of the Philippines, Government Service and Insurance System, Land Bank of the Philippines, Securities and Exchange Commission and Bases Conversion Development Authority. The boards and officers of all these must be replaced and have a fresh start if the Du30 administration must have change. The DBP, SEC and the BCDA have been used as tools to harass businessmen and political enemies of BS Aquino. All the chairperson and commissioners of the SEC must go.

While there may be some good performers in the GOCCs under BS Aquino, they must still be reviewed by the Governance Commission.

That’s the mandate, but all these take time.

The chairman and commissioners of the SSS must also be replaced if Du30 wants the pension plan of SSS retirees to be increased. It is the height of anomaly for SSS commissioners and the chairman to give themselves fat bonuses and refuse to grant retirees that additional pension retirees need in their elderly years. *** Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Gina Lopez, a self-made environmentalist and a firm anti-mining advocate, has come down hard on some mining companies because of President’s Duterte call for responsible mining.

But, people are wondering why Lopez has not lifted a finger to end the illegal mining at Mount Diwalwal in Compostela Valley. This has claimed so many lives because of lack of technology and security.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

A5

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Did the Sona make you cry or make you feel like a worm?

But many disagree. With Duauthority emanates from them.”

By Angel Tugado Thus, Mendoza’s use of the terte’s superb ability to connect E VERYMAN power shot taken at a tight and with the audience especially WITH the way it was hyped to be a tearjerker that would stir patriotic feelings, some expected President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address would be as great as Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

And with no less than famed filmmaker Brillante Mendoza directing camera shots and angles to enhance impact and capture nuances and range of emotions as Duterte delivers his first Sona, many looked forward to a promise of brilliance.

But judging from the flurry of criticism in social media, it turned out to be a big letdown for those whose expectations were raised. Despite the remarkable performance of Duterte in captivating the audience, many felt they were taken for a ride by all the hype and spin in the days prior to the Sona.

Netizens vented their ire on Secretary Martin Andanar whose credibility—his essence for being, as head of Malacañang’s Communications Office—has been put in question following his earlier pronouncements that turned out to be way off from what actually happened.

Andanar earlier gave the impression the President’s address will run for about 38 minutes, or a bit longer with adlibs and applause, and “will be a very powerful speech that will awaken the patriot” in Filipinos. “The first time I read the speech, it made me cry,” Andanar told media.

As it turned out, Duterte spoke for an hour and 32 minutes. And no “crying patriots” could be seen. “Did anybody cry? I thought his speech is going to be full of drama and sadness, I guess Andanar is just very sensitive… easy to cry,”

netizen Sherlyn posted.

Asked by reporters how he felt about Mendoza’s work, Andanar blurted: “Very, very satisfied.” He was proud of the frequent use of the worm’s eye view, low-angle camera shot.

“That’s a Brillante Mendoza shot,” he beamed.

But many netizens saw differently. They felt the worm’s eye view, intended by Mendoza to make Duterte look powerful, was used too often that it distracted viewers. Some jokingly asked if it was a way of peeping into the mind of the President— through his nostrils.

The worm’s eye view shot, taken from an extremely low angle—from the vantage point of a small child or one lying on the ground—can make the viewed subject look not only mighty, but also menacing and threatening.

A mean-looking Duterte could strike fear in the hearts of criminals, but does he really want to appear like that when reaching out to the Filipino people through the Sona?

Even Hitler—in the 1935 Triumph of the Will that is recognized as one of the greatest propaganda films in history and has influenced modern documentaries—was not viewed from such a tight and low angle. The power angles were higher; it seemed the camera was at waist level, slightly tilted upward and from a farther distance.

Using a worm’s eye view so President Duterte looks powerful in the eyes of people watching TV may be inappropriate amid the Constitutional principle that “sovereignty resides in the people and all government

extremely low angle conveys a somewhat misplaced idea if indeed all government power comes from the sovereign Filipino people.

“When you articulate something and you shoot that person in that angle, psychologically it gives you that meaning that he has power and authority,” Mendoza said in media interviews.

“It might not look good when you watch it but, psychologically, it gives you that impression.”

So why still do it if it might not look good? Was it really necessary to give the impression of a very powerful Duterte when in fact he owes his landslide victory to the real power—the sovereign people from whom all government authority emanates?

Would it be more proper to use bird’s eye view or other high-angle shots more often than worm’s eye view, if only to make people rightfully feel a sense of power over government leaders while watching the Sona on TV? Perhaps.

Or, perhaps not. Especially so if the award-winning director saw the worm’s eye view as the best way to project Duterte as standing tall, every inch a revered and trusted leader, a source of great pride for everyone, not only for the more than 16 million Filipinos who catapulted him to the highest post in the land.

Mendoza says he understands if many didn’t comprehend the reasons for his unconventional shots and camera angles, pointing out that not all who watched the Sona were “film literate.”

He said his intention was to make it different from past Sonas and to make people watch it and not be bored.

China’s trouble with bubbles

By Tom Orlik THE collapse of China’s stock markets a year ago was eyecatching, but in the end, hardly earth-shattering. Despite the pain for millions of retail investors, the fact is that stocks remain a small part of the financial system in China. Their brief, giddy rise and spectacular collapse never really threatened the wider Chinese economy, let alone the global financial system.

That doesn’t mean the rest of the world should rest easy, however. While equities remain subdued, bubbles are growing in bonds and real estate—two markets that play a much bigger role in the mainland economy. The question is whether Chinese regulators can handle a new crisis any better than the old one.

Faith that China can safely manage fast-growing, debtfueled bubbles assumes its regulators aren’t just as good as their peers in the rest of the world, they’re better. Last year’s events should call that confidence into question.

Throughout the first half of 2015, policymakers allowed leverage to grow unchecked.

When the market peaked and margin calls accelerated the decline, the combined force of financial regulators, public security officials and the state press were powerless to stop the slide.

The situation places a premium on policies, rather than personalities, that can prevent things from unraveling. China needs to find a way to tap the brakes on credit without send-

Rhetorical...

From A4 even accelerate in the years to come. When this happens, it will drive the cause of the insurgency to irrelevance.

Sure, there will always be injustices in this world but the main element driving the insurgency will disappear with more people getting prosperous. It therefore makes a lot of sense to put the war of words in the back burner, sit down and make peace. *** Senator Leila De Lima must be given an A for her impassioned Senate privilege speech. Anyone who was there or watched it on TV could not help but be affected with the delivery. She is right of course, in that lives matter and

with his adlibs, many say they don’t find the President boring, no matter what camera angles he is viewed with.

I don’t profess to be film literate, but I think Mendoza could have done better with eye-level “close-ups” if his intention for the directorial job on Duterte’s first Sona was, as he said, to “capture what kind of President he is” and to be “able to communicate and connect” with the people who “would be able to understand him.”

He had a lot to choose from: medium close-ups to extreme close-ups or the choker shot— showing Duterte’s face from just above the eyebrows to below the mouth—that should be timed perfectly to catch the facial expression when he gets real serious and wants to stress a point. And such is more effective if the President is advised beforehand to face a specific area so he could be looking directly at a camera for the close-up.

Andanar said those who don’t like the work of the acclaimed director should “have to be Brillante Mendoza first.” Good point. After all, Mendoza would not have won at Cannes were it not for his sheer brilliance.

But, as animation producer Edwin Guillermo—who’s probably film literate—said on Facebook, “I understand he wants to experiment with techniques, however, the venue and audience for that doesn’t seem right.”

Perhaps other ace directors like the legendary Al Quinn and Johnny Manahan—who both had tremendous successes with the greatest projects on Philippine TV—could have done better.

Encouraging...

From A4

ing the markets into a downward spiral. Tighter rules and larger capital requirements for wealth management products —a key source of risk—are a start. But as long as loan growth continues to accelerate faster than GDP, it’s hard to argue that a true basis for stability has been established.

For evidence the underlying problems remain unsolved, look no further than China’s other asset markets. One might’ve expected that after the trauma of the stock crash, Chinese investors would become a shade more cautious. Nothing could be further from the truth. The equity boom-and-bust was followed almost immediately by a similar cycle in the metal market, which saw steel prices surge almost 80 percent. Property prices in Shenzhen are up 64 percent in the last nine months. Leveraged bets in the fixed income market mean yields continue to creep down, even as default risks grow.

While equities can be dismissed as a sideshow, the same can hardly be said for the fixed income or property markets.

The latter is the single biggest driver of demand in China. Equities account for about seven percent of corporate fund raising; the bond market accounts for about a quarter—a burst bubble there would have a much larger blast radius.

A slew of bond defaults and cancelled issuances in recent months have raised warning flags. So have economic indicators for June, which suggest that the policy-induced boom that inflated property sales and prices earlier in the year may

be coming to an end.

None of these problems are going away on their own. Money continues to pour into speculative bubbles—first in equities, then in metals, bonds and property—for one big reason: the lack of profitable investment opportunities in China’s real economy. Despite repeated interest rate cuts, Chinese companies remain reluctant to borrow and invest. Capital spending by private firms is on the verge of contraction, leaving state-owned enterprises to do all the work of propping up growth.

The situation is the consequence of a whole cluster of challenges, none of which are easily solved. Overcapacity in sectors ranging from steel to sportswear has made companies reluctant to expand. Slow progress on market opening to the private sector limits space for investment.

Any possible solutions are going to be painful. Similar to the situation facing financial regulators, Chinese authorities have to balance the shortterm costs and long-term benefits of corporate reform.

Sweeping cuts in capacity and aggressive market opening would hammer the stateowned firms that are currently the only force holding up growth. Without such cuts though, stimulus will continue to fuel speculative bubbles.

The lesson of China’s 2015 market crash—that early intervention is less costly than crisis resolution—is easy enough to learn. With the potential costs rising, it’s even more urgent for regulators to heed. Bloomberg

ing that the action was baseless, Vice President-Under-Protest Robredo said her main concern was where she would find the money to defend herself.

“How much will the legal fees cost? Where will I get the money? I can’t charge it to the office. I don’t have the money personally. That is my real fear. But on whether the protest case has any substance, I have no worries about that,” Robredo explained yesterday.

This, from the candidate who spent the most money (all of P418.6 million and change) of all the vice presidential hopefuls during the last May elections. Perhaps now that she’s already vice president, maybe she can ask the same contributors to cough up funds for her defense.

See, this is what gets me about Robredo’s “poor little me” shtick: The woman likes to pretend that she doesn’t have anything—and then she starts splurging like a Bicolana Onassis.

From what I’ve heard, Robredo has already abandoned her usual bus rides (both those involving imaginary bus stops and actual vehicles bound for Bicol) and now tools around in a private jet. And this is a woman who, just barely settled into the second-highest post in the land, has already scheduled a couple of foreign junkets to attend dubious meetings.

If she really needs a lawyer and doesn’t have the money to pay for one, why can’t she defend herself? Or is she worried that her lawyerly skills, such as they are, would actually cost her the vice presidency?

that although we can all agree with the intention of the President to rid this country of the drug menace, care must be taken that the rights of individuals are respected as guaranteed by our Constitution.

There is no argument in this.

The debate is on the means to accomplish the end. Senator De Lima’s arguments are well taken.

Respect for the rule of law is essential if we expect to live in a truly functioning democracy.

But there is a little problem with Senator De Lima making the case. Was it not she as the Secretary of Justice who flaunted and disobeyed a legitimate Supreme Court decision in the case of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo when she was leaving the country for medical checkup abroad?

De Lima also interpreted the

law on her own during the Mamasapano Senate hearings, by interpreting the law on the doctrine of chain of command which effectively exonerated her boss former President Aquino from any legal liability in the conduct of the Mamasapano operation.

What happened to the rights of the dead policemen?

The reason for this, as I was told at that time, was that then Justice De Lima was working furiously for her inclusion on the senatorial lineup of the Liberal Party. She was willing to do anything to be included in the ticket. As it turned out, she did get in and managed to win. She can argue that part of her job or Secretary of Justice is to defend government actions.

This however, is pure hogwash considering what she is now saying on the floor of the

Senate. There can be no difference between the behavior of an appointed official and an elected senator. This information, if true, shows that the senator is capable of shifting her principles in order for her to achieve her ambitions.

After all, as we all know, politics in this country can be a dirty business.

Maybe De Lima realized early on that in order to get to where she wants to go, one must set aside long-cherished principles for political expediency. Now that she is a senator she can now afford to deliver such an emotional speech to drive home her point.

This shifting of principles is disconcerting to say the least.

Might it have been better if that speech was given by someone whose principles are steadfast and consistent at all times and not changing when it is expedient?

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

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

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;

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 ffice of the Chairman and CEO Office

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

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

Manila

Standard

A7

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016 TODAY sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Bigger Masters slated T HE Resorts World Manila Masters is pushing the envelope in its fourth edition, planning to beef up the line-up of participants and boasting of a $1-million prize pot, making it the Philippines’ richest golf tournament.

Slated from Nov. 10 to 13 at the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club, the RWM Masters also plans to invite the big names to the tournament, such as world no. 1 Jason Day and other Olympic golfers. “(Day) is on everyone’s wish list right now. Of course, him being half-Filipino, we’re really excited to get him here. But we can’t comment on his participation right now,” said Cho Minn Thant, Associate Director Tour and Player Affairs, Asian Tour on Wednesday during the press conference launching the Masters at the Marriott Hotel.

Stephen Reilly, the Chief Operating Officer of Resorts World Manila, also believes that the RWM

Masters will continue to establish the sport as a highly popular event among players and fans.

“It remains our mission to keep driving the development of this great game in the Philippines and across Asia through the successful staging of the RWM Masters,” said Really Last year, Thai rookie Natipong Srithong landed his maiden Asian Tour victory after securing a thrilling one-shot win over South African Jbe Kruger at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Masters course at Manila Southwoods.

Victory was achieved in what was only his fourth start as a professional golfer on the region’s premier Tour.

Organizers are shown with Mutya ng Pilipinas 2016 winners during the press launch of the RWM Masters 2016. They are (from left) Asian Tour Director for Tour and Player Affairs Cho Minn Thant, Asia Pacific International Ganiel Akrisha Krishnan, RWM Chief Operating Officer Stephen Reilly, Miss RWM Jannie Alipo-on and Southwoods Chairman Bob Sobrepeña. Peter Paul Duran

The Resorts World Manila Masters also celebrated worthy winners in China’s Liang Wenchong, who claimed a pulsating play-off triumph over Thai-

land’s Prom Meesawat in 2013, as well as veteran Mardan Mamat of Singapore, who marched to a stylish six-shot success in 2014. Maxine Lagman

Olivarez Cup netfest starts

Milo Rivera of Tough Gear Racing claims the day’s fastest time.

Rivera rules Phoenix slalom MILO Rivera once again dominated the overall and production best time of the day during the eighth leg of the RACE Motorsports Club Phoenix National Slalom Series at Robinsons Starmills in Pampanga recently.

Traversing the wet course almost throughout the day, Rivera clocked 48.52 and stole the win from Jevoy Moreno, who placed a close second with 48.72.

Milo’s brother Estefano Rivera placed third with a clocking of 48.90, followed by Dr. Peewee Mendiola (49.42) and Richard Gallardo (49.68).

Dion Ortiz bagged the novice best time of the day with 50.34, with Reden Dizon his runner-up.

Moreno also grabbed the front wheel best time of 48.72, while Gallardo placed second

with 49.68. Both are from the AF Racing Team.

Winners of the seventh leg received their awards plus 4 liters of Phoenix Accelerate fully synthetic motor oil.

The eighth leg was again highlighted by the participation of the seven winners in the Automobile Association of the Philippines’ Motorsports development program, which was coached by Vip and Ivan Isada and supervised by Mark Desales.

Team Big Chill, Tough Gear Racing Team, Aeromed Racing, Speed Jav Cabanatuan, AF Racing Team Bulacan, Team Comet Tarlac and Pongga Racing Team participated in the event.

The 2016 Phoenix National Slalom Series is powered by Phoenix Premium 98 and Phoenix Accelerate fully syn-

thetic oil and co-sponsored by Federal Tyres, Outlast Battery and Robinsons Malls.

The event was also supported

by Starbright Body Kits, Auto Transporter and Aeromed, media partners Stoplight TV, Inside Motoring, DZRJ-Am, Pinoy Speed sa mga Pahayagan, Spin.Ph Sports Interactive Network, C! Magazine, Ride and Drive Philippines, Targa Pilipinas, Auto Industriya and Power Wheels Magazine.

All events are sanctioned and affiliated by the AAP. The ninth leg will be on Aug. 7 at Robinsons Antipolo, wherein winners of the July 10, eighth leg will receive their awards.

For details, contact Bing Bang Dulce at 0917-8119337, email racemotorsportsclub@yahoo. com or through Facebook pages racemotorsportsclub and phoenixpetroleum.

Fleisher wins 2016 Spingold SYLVIA LOPEZ ALEJANDRO THE team captained by Martin Fleischer (with Chip Martel, Sabine Auken, Roy Welland, Brad Moss, Joe Grue) has won the 2016 Spingold Knockout Teams.

In the final match Fleisher defeated Zimmermann (Pierre Zimmermann, Frank Multon, Krzysztof Martens, Dominik Filipowicz, Tor Helness, Geir Helgemo).

The Spingold Knockout Teams is the main event of the Summer NABC. The 2016 Summer NABC were held in Washington DC from July 21 to 31, 2016.

Fantoni-Nunes: Message from ACBL President Ken Monzingo This is the message from Mr. Ken Monzingo, ACBL President, published at the Summer NABC Daily Bulletin: In an unprecedented show of courage and dedication, a group of eight members of the ACBL appointed Ethical Oversight Committee, led by EOC chairman Bart Bramley and committee chair Peter Boyd, worked tirelessly in a three-day hearing to reach the result listed above regarding the accusations of collusive cheating by Fulvio Fantoni and Claudio Nunes.

These hard-working commit-

tee members undertook this timeconsuming project to act on behalf of all ACBL members, standing up for us all in making the muchneeded statement that we will not tolerate unethical behavior.

Their definitive decision reflects a new era in pursuing and prosecuting cheaters. On behalf of myself, the executive committee of the Board of Directors, ACBL management and the 168,000 other members of the League, we salute committee members Peter Boyd, Dennis Clerkin, Bruce Ferguson, Bob Glasson, Robb Gordon, Kevin Wilson and Eddie Wold.

And special thanks to Bart Bramley for his passionate desire to not only stamp out such behavior, but to inform everyone of the dedication of his committees.

The committee members knew what they were facing, and the responsibility of the future of fair play in bridge was in their hands.

I assure you that management and the Board, with the help of the extraordinary volunteers such as these members of the EOC, will continue to make sure the game of bridge is conducted on level playing fields, and that those who would connive to play otherwise will face the maximum penalties available.

Ken Monzingo President -oOoI feature an interesting article “A DARING PLAY” By: Alan Reynolds

N-S Vul IMP Pairs ♠AKJ2 From: ECats Bridge ♥AK3 ♦10852 ♣Q6 ♠76 ♥QJ82 ♦AK973 ♣K10 I was left to play 4♥ as South.

While 3NT looks to be the room contract, 4♥ is all but solid and could gain against bad breaks.

The ♦6 lead looked to be singleton. I won the jack with the ace, cashed the ♥Q, crossed to ♥K and played the ♥A. All followed. This is not good; playing in hearts I could deal with 1-3 diamonds and 5-1 hearts (by using diamonds as trump substitutes) to beat the pairs in 3NT When I led the ♦10, east covered with the queen, I won the king, and west followed.

Thi is disastrous, all the pairs in 3NT no doubt the popular contract-will score 12 tricks by default.

I must confess that at this point I consoled myself with the though that at least we beat those in 5♦, cleared a club trick and claimed 12. It was later in the bar when we almost glossed over the hand as a bidding view that the answer jumped off the page.

At that point where both red suits are known to split you have: (To be continued).

Comments to: sylvia.alejandro@yahoo

THE Olivarez Cup 2016 presented by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala gets going Thursday with matches in the boys and girls’ 12-, 14- and 16-andunder and 10-unisex on tap at the Olivarez Sports Center in Sucat, Parañaque.

The juniors tournament, which features all the winners in various legs of this year’s PPS-PEPP nationwide age-grouper, serves as the kickoff of a three-week long tennis festival put up annually by Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez 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 country’s talent-search.

It includes the centerpiece men’s and women’s Open Championship, headed by the country’s aces, slated Aug. 9-12, the team event on Aug. 13, 14, 20 and 21, and the inter-school competition from Aug. 14-20.

“We welcome the close to 300 participants to this annual gathering of the best of the best in juniors and Open and a slew of rising stars raring to share the spotlight,” said Mayor Edwin Olivarez.

Dennise Bernardo takes on Clariza Caorte, Jackie Tan Ho faces Bettina Catoto, Nina Sandejas tangles with Cheli Cruz, Gabby Sandejas squares off with Elise Cruz, Daniella Poblador mixes it up with Mia So, Nina Reyes clashes with Christina Del Mundo, Elise Geluz tests Yanna Reyes’ mettle, and Geanlijah Sagandoy collides with Bea Gomez in today’s featured matches in the girls’ 16-U section which attracted a full-packed 64-player field.

Menayothin keeps crown

By Ronnie Nathanielsz WANHENG Menayothin put in what was described as “a disciplined and at times slightly defensive performance,” to defeat Mexican challenger Saul “Baby”Juarez in Chonburi and retain one of the last two world titles held by Thai fighters, Wednesday.

Juarez risked everything in the closing rounds, which inevitably left openings, and with them, opportunities.

With his greater experience, the champion managed to control those concluding stanzas, to secure the victory and successfully defend the WBC title.

The Judges´scorecards were 115-113, 116-112 and 116-111 for Menayothin.

With this victory, Menayothin improved his undefeated record to 43-0, 17 KOs, while Juarez left the ring with a mark of 23-5-1, 12 KOs. The other Thai title was held by WBO bantamweight champion Pungluang Sor Singyu, who however lost it after he suffered a shocking 11th-round knockout at the hands of 24-year-old Filipino southpaw Marlon Tapales. The Filipino rose off the canvas after two knockdowns in the fifth round to score a spectacular victory last July 27.

LOTTO RESULTS

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

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

A8

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

Sports

Bayron in hot Aboitiz golf start

TNT Texters wake up in time, edge Warriors

By Jeric Lopez

A

FTER trailing three-fourths of the way, TNT Katropa woke up just in time to remain immaculate.

Talk ‘N Text kept its unblemished record intact after a key fourth-quarter run propelled it to a 101-95 topping of NLEX-its fourth straight win in the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.

The burly showing continued for Jayson Castro as the superstar spitfire once again spear-

headed his team’s ascent, scoring a team-high 23 points along with seven rebounds and eight assists as he flirted with a tripledouble.

Troy Rosario, who likewise had a splendid game, tallied a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, and completed a go-ahead threepoint play off a jumpshot with 1:11 remaining to give Talk ‘N

Text a 95-93 edge.

The two teams exchanged baskets in the next two possessions, pushing the tally to 97-95, still in favor of the Texters.

Mario Little, despite a mediocre game, knocked down the insurance basket for Talk ‘N Text, hitting a huge triple in the left corner from an assist by Castro with 24 seconds left to shut the door on NLEX and help his team list another victory.

The win pushed TNT Katropa to a clean 4-0 start for solo first place.

On the other hand, the loss was critical for the slumping Road Warriors as it fell further

down to 1-3 in the bottom half after this third straight setback.

Still down, 65-74, with over 11 minutes left in the contest, Talk ‘N Text suddenly found its groove and clawed its way back.

It detonated a 20-7 run that gave it a 85-81 lead after a Kelly Williams’ jumper with less than seven minutes remaining.

The two squads then ended up exchanging punches before Talk ‘N Text got the better of NLEX, which was in control through the first three quarters only to fade in the fourth where it got outscored, 36-24 by the Texters.

Henry Walker led all scorers with his 26 points for NLEX.

The league takes a week off as the All-Star festivities will be conducted starting tomorrow until Sunday. Action resumes on Aug. 10.

The scores: TNT KATROPA 101—Castro 23, Rosario 20, Little 18, Madanly 10, Rosales 8, Williams 7, De Ocampo 6, Reyes R. 5, Seigle 2, Tautuaa 2, Nuyles 0, Carey 0.

NLEX 95—Walker 26, Taulava 14, Anthony 12, Villanueva J. 12, Baracael 10, Khobuntin 9, Akl 7, Arboleda 3, Villanueva E. 2, Lanete 0, Monfort 0, Reyes 0.

Quarters: 18-21, 44-48, 6571, 101-95

Ladon focused on gold RIO DE JANEIRO—Boxer Rogen Ladon, who hardly shows his emotions inside and outside the ring, is focused on just one thing as he competes in his first Olympics: the gold medal.

There’s nothing else in the mind of this 22-year-old native of Bago City, also the birthplace of 1996 Atlanta Olympics silver medalist Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco.

“Nasa isip ko yan palagi,” said Ladon, referring to the thought of winning the gold medal for the Philippines in the boxing competitions featuring the best in the world.

Ladon, a light-flyweight like Velasco, feels good heading to the competition that begins on Aug. 6 or the day after the opening ceremony.

The boxing draw is scheduled Aug. 5.

“Masaya ako pag iniisip ko ang laban (I’m happy when I think of the competition),” said Ladon, joined here by Filipino lightweight Charly Squarez.

The two boxers have decent chances of winning medals here.

“Nasa isip ko palagi na mananalo ako ng gold medal. Pag hindi mo kasi sinapuso yan, walang mangyayari (I always think of winning the gold. If you don’t take it to heart, nothing will happen),” he said.

“Claim mo na agad ang gold. Claim mo na sa iyo yan (Claim the gold like it’s already yours),” added Ladon.

Regardless of whom he is bracketed with, the 22-yearold will give her best from the opening bell to the final bell.

Suarez, considered as the team leader within the national boxing team, aired the same thought, saying in Olympic boxing, there’s no time to slow down.

“Start to finish yan,” he said.

Ladon, who’s been with the national team for only seven years, already has an idea on the boxers whom he would face in the 49 kg division.

NLEX’s Henry Walker hangs to the rim after scoring a dunk against the TNT Katropa in a PBA Governors’ Cup game won by the Texters, 101-95.

Stakes go higher in Cobra Ironman 70.3 WITH a growing roster of elite triathletes and an increased number of berths in the World Championship, expect the unexpected when the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championships powered by Ford is fired off Sunday (Aug. 7) at the Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa in Cebu.

Five more pros have joined the centerpiece 1.9K swim, 90K bike, 21K run event with Aussie Jake Montgomery, Dutch Jens Petersen Bach and James Hadley of Great Britain beefing up the already formidable men’s field headed by defending champion Tim Reed.

Amanda Wilson of Australia and Filipina Kim Kilgroe meanwhile, will slug it out with the

best in the women’s side, which features titleholder Caroline Steffen, of the event backed by Cobra Energy Drink as title sponsor with Ford as presenting sponsor and Globe Telecom as official wireless and broadband services partner and produced and organized

by Sunrise Events, Inc. “With this elite field, Tim Reed and Caroline Steffen will have their hands full in defending their respective titles,” said SEI founder Wilfred Uytengsu Jr., who also guaranteed a successful staging of the lung-busting race, the first continental triathlon event to be held in the country.

What makes the upcoming $75,000 event doubly interesting is it will offer 20 more slots to next year’s Ironman 70.3 World Cham-

pionship in Chattanooga, Tennessee, raising the WC berths to be disputed to 50.

“This alone is enough to motivate these ace triathletes to strive for more and get that rare chance to compete in the World Championship,” said Uytengsu.

Close to 3,000 participants from 43 countries, including 35 elite pros, are vying in the event, which will also feature 2,869 equally determined competitors in the Filipino elite, CEOs, age groups and relay divisions.

Also on tap is the Alaska IronKids, which blasts off Saturday.

The blue-ribbon event, which can be viewed live via streaming on www.ironman.com, courtesy of Globe, has generated so much in-

terest since it was announced that Cebu will be the home of the 2016 AsPac Ironman. In fact, when registration was opened last October, the 2,900 slots in the elite race were sold out in just 28 minutes.

Spicing up the event is the participation of a number of local celebrities, including Matteo Guidecelli, Xander Angeles, Ivan Carapiet, Kim Atienza, Paul Jake Castillo, Gilbert Remulla, Dyan Castillejo and Uytengsu, who will be vying in the Ironman.

Those competing in relay competitions are Dingdong Dantes (bike), Piolo Pascual (bike), Anthony Pangilinan (bike), Hannah Pangilinan (swim), Gretchen Fullido (swim), Bubbles Paraiso (run), Ella Pangilian (run) and Sam YG (swim).

PH flag formally raised inside Athlete’s Village in Olympics RIO DE JANEIRO—Amid a festive atmosphere, the Philippine flag was formally raised Tuesday inside the Athletes Village as more delegates from the participating countries poured in only three days before the opening ceremony.

The Filipino delegation, made up of athletes and officials number around 20, arrived at the Olympic Park in their native “barong” to join three other countries, including Japan and Panama, in the affair that lasted over an hour.

The Philippine national anthem was played as the flag was raised.

Filipino athletes, led by three-time Olympians Hidilyn Diaz and Marestella Tores, held their right hands on their chest as the flag was raised.

The mayor of the Athletes Village, two-time Olympic medalist Janeth Arcain, welcomed the delegated to Brazil as dancers dressed in leafy costumes provided the entertainment.

Arcain, who won bronze and silver medals for the Brazilian women’s basketball team in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, welcomed the foreign delegates and told them to consider the Athletes Village and Rio de

The Philippine flag with flags of other competing nations

Janeiro their home for the next few weeks.

She spoke about the importance of sports and “how it can bring people together.” She also re-

minded everybody that “fair play is the most important thing in the field of play.”

As the delegates were marched away, Brazilians

dancers provided a festive mood.

Filipino chef-de-mission Jose Romasanta were joined

by Philippine Olympic Committee officials Col. Jeff Tamayo and Julian Camacho in the flag raising.

They presented Arcain a replica of the famous Philippine jeepney.

“To begin with it started officially the entry and participation of the Philippine delegation in this Rio Oympics,” said Romasanta.

It was his idea to have the athletes and officials wear their “barong” for the flag-raising ceremony. He

said he noticed in the past that Filipinos came as they were, and that some were in track suits while the others came in suits.

“It’s like we were not treating the event formally.

It’s the raising of the Philippine flag and we should represent our flag the way we should,” he said.

“Now everybody knows that they’re a part of it – from the athletes to the officials. They are part of this Olympics. The next thing now is for them to compete,” he said.

Even foreign delegates were impressed with the Filipinos in their “barong.”

INAUGURAL champion Jay Bayron took charge in a punishing day at Wack Wack East, leaning on a solid start and a big rebound at the finish to shoot a five-under 67 and seize a two-stroke lead over Marvin Dumandand and American Nicolas Paez at the start of the Aboitiz Invitational Wednesday.

Bayron rattled off five birdies in the first eight holes, stumbled with two bogeys in the next six but hit two late birdies, including a curling 50-footer on No. 16, to complete a 32-35 card for the soft-spoken Davaeoño shotmaker, who emerged the top scorer from among the afternoon starters in the 126-player field of the $100,000 event.

Dumandan and Paez carded identical 69s, Singaporean Johnson Poh, Blake Snyder of the US and local bets Arnold Villacencio and Jobim Carlos turned in identical 70s and Zanieboy Gialon and Jonathan Woo of Singapore both shot 71s as the rest struggled on the tight, hazard-laden layout which yielded just 10 under-par scores in a surprise-filled day.

But Bayron, who lost to American Berry Henson by one in the 2011 Philippine Open here, made it look easy in the early going, scoring back-to-back birdies on Nos. 2 and 5 then drilling in a birdie from pin-high length off a solid 6-iron tee-shot on the tough par-3 No. 8, which claimed a number of bogeys, double-bogeys and even sixes.

“I played it shot by shot and tried to feel my way around the course. But I went for birdies on some holes and was lucky to make some of them,” said Bayron, who negated his bogeys on Nos. 10 and 12 with back-to-back birdies from No. 15 despite windy condition late afternoon.

The day’s surprise was the early surge of a slew of unfancied local aces, led by Dumandan, who has never figured after 10 legs of this year’s ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour but put himself in early contention in the 72-hole championship, sponsored by Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. and backed by ICTSI, serving as the 18th leg of the Asian Development Tour.

Nietes moves up in weight

By Ronnie Nathanielsz DONNIE Nietes, the longestreigning Filipino world champion, is moving up to flyweight to test the waters in a fight against former world champion Edgar Sosa, the 36-year-old Mexican veteran ranked No. 4 by the World Boxing Council.

The bout is set for Sept. 24 at the StubHub Center in Carson City, California.

Nietes was originally seeking a title shot against WBO/ WBA flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada or, failing that, planned to face Moises Fuentes also of Mexico in a mandatory title defense ordered by the WBO. However, ALA Promotions’ president Michael Aldeguer told the Manila Standard that Nietes wants to move up in weight and will face Sosa, who has a record of 52-9 with 30 knockouts.

Sosa won the WBC light flyweight championship by beating former champion Brian Viloria by a unanimous decision on April 14, 2007 and went on to defend his title no less than 10 times.

In a highly controversial decision, Sosa lost his title to Rodel Mayol in 2009 after he was badly hurt by a head-butt from Mayol, which sent Sosa to the canvas and caused him to sustain an injury which was later determined to be a triple-fracture.

The referee ruled the headbutt as an unintentional foul and deducted a point from Mayol.

After the ringside doctor inspected the wound, the referee allowed the fight to continue despite Sosa still being groggy from the injury.

AboitizLand investing P4.7b in Luzon projects B4

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

Subic attracts P100b worth of investments

By Othel V. Campos

S

UBIC Bay Freeport Zone attracted P100 billion worth of new investments in the first seven months, including a P60-billion Australian joint venture, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority said Wednesday.

SBMA said the figure represented one of the biggest project approvals in a seven-month period since the Freeport was established in 1992. SBMA said the Freeport attracted only P42 billion worth of new investment projects over the past four years.

SBMA chairman Roberto Garcia said the biggest project

approved by the agency this year was the P60-billion joint venture between an Australian company and Asian Institute of Aviation, an existing locator in the Freeport.

“They would transport agricultural products from Australia, mostly meat and seafood, repack them here, and then fly or ship them out to customers world-

wide,” he said.

Garcia said the joint venture partners would put up an intermodal cargo terminal, use both airport and seaport and expect to deliver 60 containers per month for the Subic seaport.

“So that is going to be a big help. Their investment is going to be P60 billion for this project alone, and it will generate 800 jobs, not counting those for the construction work,” he said.

The project would also involve building new hangars, as the investors would bring in seven jets for their operations and offer maintenance and repair operations for jets, mostly from Hong Kong.

Garcia said the project, which would occupy the northeast corner of Subic airport, would not affect the proposed use by the Philippine Air Force of the southwest portion of the airport under the Expanded Defense Cooperation Agreement with the US. The SBMA board also approved an industrial estate project worth P34 billion in a 400-hectare area in the Redondo Peninsula, near the site of Hanjin shipyard.

The proposed industrial estate project will include the development of a 200-megawatt solar plant and the construction of warehouses and logistics facilities and establishment of facto-

ries. This is expected to generate 53,000 jobs.

Garcia said Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries received the green light from SBMA to put up a 12-megawatt solar power plant in Redondo.

Another big project approved by the SBMA board was the shipto-ship transfer operation for liquefied natural gas, which would be worth P5 billion, he said.

“Things are looking good,” Garcia said. He said aside from big-ticket investments, SBMA also approved “a lot of smaller projects.”

“So as far as I’m concerned, we have a lot of activity in the pipeline for the next three to five years,” Garcia said.

Globe’s earnings climb 9% to P9b

PSe comPoSite index Closing August 3, 2016

8300 7840 7380 6920 6460 6000

7,888.44 149.34

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing AUGUST 3, 2016 48.00 46.00 45.00

P47.030

44.00

CLOSE

43.00

HIGH P46.990 LOW P47.050 AVERAGE P47.031 VOLUME 415.000M

P400-P640.00 LPG/11-kg tank P34.15-P41.20 Unleaded Gasoline

oPriceS il P today

P24.35-P27.75 Diesel P28.50-P36.85 Kerosene Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday, August 3, 2016

F oreign e xchange r ate

By Darwin G. Amojelar GLOBE Telecom Inc. said Wednesday net income rose 9 percent in the first six months from a year ago, on the back of higher sales from mobile and fixed-line broadband businesses.

Globe, which is controlled by conglomerate Ayala Corp., said net income in the first half reached P8.97 billion in January to June, up from P8.71 billion a year earlier.

Core net income, which excludes the impact of non- recurring charges, foreign exchange gains and mark-to-market charges, also increased 2 percent to P8.8 billion from a year ago.

Consolidated service revenue went up by 11 percent to P59.6 billion from P53.8 billion in the same period last year, as mobile revenues grew 3 percent to P45.7 billion from P44.5 billion.

Globe said as of end-June 2016, mobile subscriber base reached 61.3 million, up by 20 percent from 51 million last year.

Home broadband business revenues reached P7 billion, while corporate data business surged 55 precent to P4.9 billion.

Globe president and chief executive Ernest Cu said results in the first half remained robust amid the heightened competitive intensity and unique challenges and opportunities posed by increasing levels of smartphone penetration and mobile postpaid ownership in the market

B1

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

47.0260

Japan

Yen

0.009913

0.4662

UK

Pound

1.336000

62.8267

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128863

6.0599

Switzerland

Franc

1.037667

48.7973

Canada

Dollar

0.762835

35.8731

Singapore

Dollar

0.746882

35.1229

Australia

Dollar

0.760900

35.7821

Bahrain

Dinar

2.654421

124.8268

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266709

12.5423

Brunei

Dollar

0.744103

34.9922

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000076

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.028770

1.3529

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

12.8046

Euro

Euro

1.123000

52.8102

Korea

Won

0.000900

0.0423

China

Yuan

0.150832

7.0930

India

Rupee

0.014999

0.7053

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.248139

11.6690

New Zealand

Dollar

0.723700

34.0327

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031622

1.4871 Source: PDS Bridge

51 TALK LISTS AT NYSE. 51 Talk, an online English education platform that provides online English training to Chinese students and homebased online teaching jobs to Filipinos, is now publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Shown during a news briefing at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ortigas Center are (from left) 51 Talk operation director and co-founder assistant Stephen Michel Sjoclin, vice president for Philippine operation Jen Gue, co-founder and country manager Sue Ting-Co and online English teacher Trina Grace. MANNY PALMERO

Govt eyes Malampaya fund to cut power rates THE Energy Department is looking at tapping the Malampaya fund to reduce power rates in the country.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said among the department’s priority was to help bring down power costs of consumers.

Royalties from the Malampaya natural gas project in Palawan can be used for energy-related projects.

“We have to exert more effort to reduce systems loss in order to lessen the cost of delivery of power to electricity consumers.

On our part, we are looking at Malampaya fund to compensate the stranded cost and stranded

debts, which are being passed on to consumers. We have to prioritize the welfare of our consumers,” Cusi said in a statement.

Cusi said the direction of the department under President Rodrigo Duterte’s term was geared toward the protection of Filipino consumers.

“We will therefore exhaust all efforts to ensure access to adequate, affordable and reliable electricity as a recognition of the primary importance of power in enhancing the quality of life of all Filipinos, especially those living in the far-flung areas of the country. We can certainly accomplish our goals if we all work

together to create the change we aspire to have,” Cusi said.

The Energy Regulatory Commission expressed support behind Cusi’s bid to reduce power rates.

“We will fully support any DOE initiative aimed at reducing electricity rates and will implement national government policies consistent with our mandate to set the rates and protect the interest of the consumers,” ERC chairman Jose Vicente Salazar said earlier.

Salazar assured consumers that ERC was finding ways and means to guarantee that only just and reasonable costs were reflected in their electricity bill.

He said an opportunity to reduce power costs was found in the petition filed by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. to recover some P27.7 billion of the National Power Corp.’s stranded debt portion of the universal charge in 2015.

Salazar said ERC was closely scrutinizing the petition before it could render a decision.

“The ERC is studying the case meticulously and with a lot of caution since the petition is for pass-on charges. The case will have to be evaluated on the basis of reasonableness and affordability,” Salazar said.

Metrobank registers 2% drop in income to P9.1b

By Julito G. Rada

GRABCAR IN CEBU. Grab, Southeast Asia’s leading ride-hailing platform, expands its current app-

based transportation offerings in Cebu with its launch of GrabCar. Shown is Grab Philippines country head Brian Cu as he gives an overview of the company’s latest transportation offering. Cu says the transportation needs of Cebu continue to evolve and Grab is committed to making transportation readily available to Cebuanos through efficient commuting solutions.

METROPOLITAN Bank & Trust Co., the second-largest bank in terms of assets, said unaudited consolidated net income dropped 2 percent in the first half to P9.1 billion from P9.3 billion a year ago, on higher operating expenses.

Metrobank president Fabian Dee said despite the decline in profit, the bank managed to accelerate performance in core businesses, particularly lending, low-cost deposit generation and fee income amid volatility in the global financial markets, local elections and heightened competition.

“More importantly, our margins held steady in the face of the challenging environment. We are con-

fident that given our strong capital, we are best positioned to take advantage of the country’s growth opportunities,” Dee said.

The bank said operating expenses in the first half increased to P21.8 billion from P19.4 billion in the same period last year, as it continued to hire client facing staff to improve customer coverage and made additional investments in technology and business process reengineering to improve efficiency.

Net loans and receivables expanded 24 percent year-on-year to P920.5 billion. The commercial segment grew 27 percent as the bank continued to support business expansion plans and infrastructure spending, while the consumer segment sustained strong volume growth of 17 percent.

MPIC sees 2016 core net profit at P11.5b

By Jenniffer B. Austria INFRASTRUCTURE conglomerate Metro Pacific Investments Corp. said Wednesday it expects 2016 core net income to reach P11.5 billion, up 11.6 percent from P10.3 billion in 2015, on strong growth of core businesses in the second half.

Metro Pacific president Jose Ma. Lim said core subsidiaries were looking at expansion opportunities while its recent investment in Global Business Power Corp. was expected to offer immediate cash returns and solid medium-term expansion.

Lim said the group’s tollway unit was exploring investment opportunities in Malaysia and Indonesia while its hospital subsidiary was studying building its first hospital.

The group’s power unit also plans to venture into renewable energy, particularly solar projects, he said.

Metro Pacific reported a 13-percent increase in core net income to P6.6 billion in the first half from P5.9 billion a year ago.

Lim said core net income was lifted by strong traffic growth on all toll roads held by Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., an expanded power portfolio through increased investment in Beacon Electric Asset Holdings Inc. and Global Business Power and continuing growth in the hospital group.

Metro Pacific said in terms of net operating income, the power group accounted for P4.2 billion while water utility and tollroad units each contributed P1.8 billion. The hospital group also contributed P249 million while the rail systems contributed P116 million .

B2

Business

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market slides; Ayala, SBC up S

TOCKS tumbled Wednesday, dragging the benchmark index below 8,000 points, amid global retreat on worries over weak US data and plunging oil prices.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, slid 149 points, or 1.9 percent, to close at 7,888.44 on Wednesday. The bellwether was still up 13.5 percent since the start of the year.

The heavier index, representing all shares, also dropped 70 points, or 1.5 percent, to settle at 4,691.13, on a value turnover of P13.6 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 163 to 37, while 41 issues were unchanged.

Only two of the 20 most active stocks

ended in the green. Security Bank Corp. rose 0.2 percent to P224.40, while conglomerate Ayala Corp. gained 0.1 percent to P880.

Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. fell 6.3 percent to P74.80, while PLDT Inc. dropped 4.8 percent to P1,867. DoubleDragon Properties Corp. retreated 3.6 percent to P53.90.

Meanwhile, most Asian markets tumbled for Wednesday, extending a global retreat, with Tokyo taking a hit from a strong yen after Japan’s economy-boosting stimulus programme fell flat with investors.

Stocks rallied last month on promises of support from central banks. But disappointments about stimulus, weak US data, plunging oil prices and worries about European banks have sent dealers scurrying for cover.

Japan’s government on Tuesday un-

veiled details of a 28-trillion yen package that it hopes will kickstart growth in the world’s number three economy.

But the plan fell short of market expectations as only a quarter of it is new spending.

The yen, seen as a safe haven asset in times of uncertainty, surged as a result.

The disappointing package—unveiled days after another sub-par stimulus from the Bank of Japan -- saw the dollar tumble to a three-week low of 100.86 yen.

While it had edged up to 101.03 yen in Asian trade Wednesday, the stronger Japanese currency dragged on the country’s exporters and the Nikkei closed down 1.9 percent.

“After all the build-up, it’s a disappointment,” Shane Oliver, a global investment strategist at AMP Capital Investors in Sydney, told Bloomberg News.

Hong Kong ended down 1.8 percent, with traders also playing catch-up with re-

gional losses Tuesday when the city’s exchange was closed because of a typhoon.

However, banking giant HSBC ended 1.8 percent higher after it announced a $2.5 billion stock buyback and said it would maintain its dividend.

The decision came as it reported a 40 percent drop in net profit during a tumultuous April-June quarter leading up to the British EU referendum on June 23.

Sydney ended down 1.4 percent, Seoul was 1.2 percent off and Singapore shed one percent, with Manila more than two percent lower. Wellington and Taipei also tumbled.

However, Shanghai bucked the regional trend to close 0.2 percent higher US and European markets ended down Tuesday, with anxiety growing that stress tests on Europe’s banks were overly lenient, said Chris Low, chief economist at FTN Financial. With AFP, Bloomberg

THE STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 4.2 17 30.45 10.4 2.6 890 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 91.5 137 361.2 57 180 1700 124 3.26

66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.97 1.68 12.02 19.6 6.12 1.02 625 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 62 88.35 276 41 118.2 1200 59 2.65

Asia United Bank 47.5 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 117.00 Bank of PI 99.60 China Bank 38 BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. 4.01 Bright Kindle Resources 1.67 COL Financial 16.7 Eastwest Bank 20.25 Filipino Fund Inc. 6.86 I-Remit Inc. 2 Manulife Fin. Corp.

628.00 MEDCO Holdings 0.670 Metrobank 96.5 Natl. Reinsurance Corp. 0.9 PB Bank 14.74 Phil. National Bank 63.05 Phil. Savings Bank 101.9 PSE Inc. 277 RCBC `A’ 32.45 Security Bank 224 Sun Life Financial 1405.00 Union Bank 73.25 Vantage Equities 1.57

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92

20.6 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 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 7.86 7.34 1450 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 5.28 1.3 26 2.17

15.32 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 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 1.65 5.9 801 1.55 0.138 1.02 2.09 152 4.28 0.640 10.02 1.2

Aboitiz Power Corp.

45.45 Agrinurture Inc. 3.4 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.86 Alsons Cons.

1.9 Asiabest Group 12.32 Cemex Holdings 12 Century Food 16.84 Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ 161 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 22.3 Concepcion 57.65 Crown Asia 2.32 Da Vinci Capital 5.82 Del Monte 12.9 DNL Industries Inc. 10.080 Emperador 7.60 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.84 EEI 9.22 Euro-Med Lab 1.73 First Gen Corp.

25.4 First Holdings ‘A’ 70.7 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 12.10 Holcim Philippines Inc. 16.60 Integ. Micro-Electronics 5.65 Ionics Inc 2.540 Jollibee Foods Corp.

254.00 LMG Chemicals 2.06 Mabuhay Vinyl 4.05 Macay Holdings 30.00 Manila Water Co. Inc. 26.15 Maxs Group 28.9 Megawide 10.4 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 323.80 MG Holdings 0.280 Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp. 4.48 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 3.4 Petron Corporation 10.34 Phil H2O 3.35 Phinma Corporation 11.66 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 6.00 Phoenix Semiconductor 1.71 Pryce Corp. `A’ 3.54 RFM Corporation 4.26 Roxas and Co. 2.3 Roxas Holdings 3.78 San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’ 214 Splash Corporation 3.04 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.165 TKC Steel Corp.

1.93 Trans-Asia Oil 2.37 Universal Robina 204 Victorias Milling 4.56 Vitarich Corp.

1.48 Vivant Corp.

31.05 Vulcan Ind’l.

1.30

0.59 59.2 30.05 7.39 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 3.35 3.68 4.92 1455 7.5 76 9.25 0.85 17.3 0.71 5.53 0.0670 2.31 1.61 2.99 84.9 3.5 974 1.66 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

0.44 48.1 20.85 6.62 0.225 0.23 634.5 7.390 12.8 2.6 1.15 2.26 837 5.3 49.55 4.84 0.59 12 0.580 4.2 0.030 1.23 0.550 2.26 59.3 1.5 751 1.13 80 0.211 0.179 0.310

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

GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Lopez Holdings Corp.

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

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

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

10.5 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 0.305 2.22 2.1 1.8 8.4 5.94 0.180 0.72 27

6.74 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 0.188 1.15 1.42 1.27 3.1 4.13 0.090 0.39 23

8990 HLDG 8.000 A. Brown Co., Inc. 1.28 Araneta Prop `A’ 2.490 Arthaland Corp.

0.285 Ayala Land `B’ 40.150 Belle Corp. `A’ 3.19 Cebu Holdings 5.17 Century Property 0.620 City & Land Dev. 1.09 Cityland Dev. `A’ 1.030 Crown Equities Inc. 0.168 Cyber Bay Corp.

0.670 Double Dragon 55.9 Empire East Land 0.810 Ever Gotesco 0.159 Global-Estate 1.08 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.96 Interport `A’ 1.25 Keppel Properties 4.80 Megaworld 5.1 MRC Allied Ind. 0.136 Phil. Realty `A’ 0.475 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry

0.400 79.80 16.26 6.30 0.400 0.405 880 8.1 13.00 7.1 7.6 7.00 1580 6.70 83.40 7.7 0.75 15.94 0.470 7.5 0.0380 1.240 1.920 2.65 81.95 2.7 705.00 1.28 196.000 0.3300 0.2040 0.295

High

Low

FINANCIAL 47.55 47 117.00 113.50 99.65 97.25 38.05 37.95 4.02 3.90 1.67 1.55 16.6 16.4 20.3 19.9 7.00 6.85 1.93 1.93 600.00 580.00 0.680 0.640 96.8 95.7 0.91 0.91 14.8 14.7 63.15 62.50 100 99 278.2 276 32.5 32.05 225 222.4 1390.00 1390.00 73.90 73.15 1.54 1.5 INDUSTRIAL 45.6 45.05 3.5 3.25 0.89 0.86 1.95 1.85 12.48 12.32 12.1 11.7 17.3 16.6 165.9 160 22.35 22 58 56 2.33 2.2 5.92 5.79 12.84 12.68 10.260 9.940 7.62 7.48 5.82 5.67 9.22 8.98 1.83 1.8 25.35 24.3 70.7 69.05 12.10 12.10 16.74 16.08 5.65 5.56 2.650 2.430 254.60 251.80 2 1.96 4.35 4.05 30.00 27.70 26.1 25.7 29 28.5 10.36 10.08 324.00 320.80 0.275 0.265 4.24 4.24 3.4 3.34 10.50 10.18 3.06 3.06 11.62 11.60 6.02 5.84 1.73 1.66 3.53 3.38 4.27 4.24 2.24 2.22 3.77 3.75 217 215 3.04 3.04 0.170 0.161 1.96 1.87 2.39 2.34 204 200 4.38 4.32 1.47 1.35 31.00 31.00 1.30 1.27 HOLDING FIRMS 0.445 0.400 78.00 74.35 16.26 15.70 6.25 6.15 0.405 0.380 0.400 0.385 888 870.5 8.15 8 13.00 12.56 7.35 6.8 7.6 7.01 7.00 6.80 1585 1550 6.87 6.60 83.60 80.90 7.8 7.51 0.77 0.75 15.94 15.84 0.470 0.460 7.42 7.22 0.0370 0.0340 1.240 1.240 1.960 1.920 2.65 2.65 82.50 80.45 2.44 2.44 708.00 666.00 1.29 1.26 197.300 195.000 0.3300 0.3200 0.2070 0.2040 0.315 0.300 PROPERTY 8.000 7.820 1.28 1.25 2.530 2.370 0.285 0.280 40.400 39.600 3.19 3.1 5.1 5.02 0.63 0.600 1.03 1.02 1.060 1.030 0.177 0.161 0.670 0.630 57 53 0.810 0.800 0.149 0.149 1.09 1.03 1.97 1.93 1.25 1.20 4.80 4.80 5.1 5.04 0.146 0.135 0.495 0.495 38.00 40.00

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

5,000 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 1.62 8.59

2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 0.83 5.73

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 14.88 28.5 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 2.6 7.67 4 1700 2720 8.41

1.97 35.2 1 0.63 10.5 18.2 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 1.6 4.8 2.58 830 1600 5.95

70.5 1.97 119.5 7 5.8 0.017

17.02 1.23 102.6 3.01 4 0.011

5,906,622 -63,060.00

0.8200 2.2800 5.93

0.041 1.200 2.34

22,009,831.00 4,262,710.00 10,799,970.00 102,494.00

12.28 3.32 2.53 1 2.46 15.2

6.5 1.91 1.01 0.650 1.8 6

1.040 22.8 6.41 4 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

0.37 14.54 3 2.28 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

11.6 0.85 10 0.490 1.9

7.59 0.63 5 0.315 1.14

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 0.020 0.021 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9 0.016

0.0043 1.72 6.47 0.236 6.5 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 0.012 0.013 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67 0.0100

70 553 525

33 490 500

120 8.21 111 1047 84.8

101.5 5.88 101 1011 75

6.98

0.8900

47.55 114.00 99.65 37.95 3.90 1.55 16.6 20 7.00 1.93 600.00 0.640 96 0.91 14.7 62.80 99 278 32.15 224.4 1390.00 73.25 1.5

0.11 -2.56 0.05 -0.13 -2.74 -7.19 -0.60 -1.23 2.04 -3.50 -4.46 -4.48 -0.52 1.11 -0.27 -0.40 -2.85 0.36 -0.92 0.18 -1.07 0.00 -4.46

13,200 2,883,140 1,505,710 132,000 70,000 1,043,000 40,700 662,600 26,500 2,000 370 3,090,000 2,583,290 100,000 900 77,800 550 1,220 113,400 932,680 10 202,400 64,000

342,975.00 -37,295,698 31,340,607.50 -201,395.00

45.35 3.42 0.87 1.92 12.48 12 17.2 160 22.3 57 2.25 5.81 12.78 10.080 7.55 5.80 9.06 1.83 24.3 69.55 12.10 16.74 5.58 2.440 253.80 1.96 4.11 28.20 25.75 28.9 10.2 324.00 0.265 4.24 3.4 10.18 3.06 11.60 5.95 1.66 3.4 4.27 2.22 3.75 215 3.04 0.162 1.88 2.35 201.4 4.38 1.4 31.00 1.27

-0.22 0.59 1.16 1.05 1.30 0.00 2.14 -0.62 0.00 -1.13 -3.02 -0.17 -0.93 0.00 -0.66 -0.68 -1.74 5.78 -4.33 -1.63 0.00 0.84 -1.24 -3.94 -0.08 -4.85 1.48 -6.00 -1.53 0.00 -1.92 0.06 -5.36 -5.36 0.00 -1.55 -8.66 -0.51 -0.83 -2.92 -3.95 0.23 -3.48 -0.79 0.47 0.00 -1.82 -2.59 -0.84 -1.27 -3.95 -5.41 -0.16 -2.31

2,299,400 961,000 515,000 2,434,000 4,200 15,765,900 3,405,700 60 7,323,100 249,850 3,000,000 308,600 29,800 5,210,100 1,331,700 11,046,700 439,600 61,000 4,367,800 175,970 1,500 252,000 437,500 22,537,000 380,770 31,000 81,000 88,700 1,763,700 553,100 9,888,200 92,710 640,000 4,000 1,204,000 2,726,700 2,000 8,500 220,600 626,000 706,000 5,845,000 33,000 33,000 1,230 300,000 14,100,000 1,254,000 796,000 894,520 62,000 37,670,000 200 282,000

0.410 74.95 15.84 6.15 0.385 0.385 880 8.09 12.70 7 7.01 6.91 1557 6.60 81.30 7.64 0.75 15.86 0.460 7.3 0.0340 1.240 1.920 2.65 82.50 2.44 682.50 1.28 195.000 0.3250 0.2040 0.300

2.50 -6.08 -2.58 -2.38 -3.75 -4.94 0.00 -0.12 -2.31 -1.41 -7.76 -1.29 -1.46 -1.49 -2.52 -0.78 0.00 -0.50 -2.13 -2.67 -10.53 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.67 -9.63 -3.19 0.00 -0.51 -1.52 0.00 1.69

23,310,000 6,268,880 4,575,700 63,000 5,800,000 550,000 420,250 4,060,400 5,651,900 356,500 18,100 305,300 127,655 9,300 2,905,380 2,660,700 150,000 2,241,100 100,000 54,922,300 196,800,000 51,000 1,349,000 2,000 215,280 4,000 621,980 232,000 11,330 1,980,000 450,000 2,170,000

-12,900.00 -222,373,777.00 -46,026,850.00

7.820 1.27 2.430 0.285 39.850 3.11 5.1 0.620 1.03 1.030 0.176 0.640 53.7 0.800 0.149 1.04 1.94 1.25 4.80 5.06 0.137 0.495 38.00

-2.25 -0.78 -2.41 0.00 -0.75 -2.51 -1.35 0.00 -5.50 0.00 4.76 -4.48 -3.94 -1.23 -6.29 -3.70 -1.02 0.00 0.00 -0.78 0.74 4.21 39.00

61,600 933,000 1,902,000 370,000 12,072,100 2,158,000 7,700 7,049,000 96,000 242,000 76,780,000 14,579,000 1,632,200 377,000 1,000,000 24,716,000 34,832,000 136,000 4,000 41,147,700 87,400,000 20,000 2 .

199,235.00

12.88

5.95

71,110.00

130.7

105.6

1,200,500.00 -330,160.00 -4,273,415.00 -102,840 11,520.00 126,177,911.00 885,348.50 9,900.00 -158,202.00 -1,273,385 44,003,916.00 829,087.00 8,814,665.00 -20,520.00 2,908,700.00 59,172,974.00 -812,748.00

-15,973,165.00 1,007,270.00 1,073,794.00 -395,305.00 -1,192,950.00 -10,990,926.00 151,400.00 -895,530.00 5,747,570.00 -42,724,246.00 -10,574,592.00 2,650.00 3,088,160.00 5,233,086.00 -556,078.00 41,750.00 275,000.00 42,440.00

16,600.00 76,400.00 1,360,400.00 -3,232,556 104,820.00 2,509,630.00

115,500.00 149,055,485.00 12,234,182.00 -9,265,988.00 180,127.00 22,234,335.00 -56,904,260.50 3,501,386.00 28,658,116.00 -122,592,039.00

285,219.50 -72,034,245.00 33,000.00

47,700,470.00 -2,007,440.00 -45,240.00 60,180.00 -18,150.00 19,200.00 -2,596,072.00 81,000.00 10,600.00 11,511,650.00

Alterra Capital 15 3.5

Close

Primex Corp.

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

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

13,547,135

INDUSTRIAL

162,593,052

HOLDING FIRMS

396,504,862

PROPERTY

334,535,668

SERVICES

438,061,795

MINING & OIL

720,501,363

6

GRAND TOTAL

2,071,073,410

17.28 32.50 1.79 3.37 29.60 0.95 1.050 6.080

Low

17.28 16 32.50 31.80 1.79 1.76 3.3 3.25 29.60 28.70 0.95 0.9 1.050 1.010 6.080 5.850 SERVICES 2GO Group’ 7.34 7.34 7.3 ABS-CBN 50 50 49 Acesite Hotel 1.23 1.23 1.23 APC Group, Inc. 0.600 0.600 0.590 Asian Terminals Inc. 10.48 10.62 10.6 Berjaya Phils. Inc. 5.7 5.63 5.62 Bloomberry 5.72 5.78 5.45 Boulevard Holdings 0.1080 0.1100 0.1050 Calata Corp.

2.89 2.89 2.82 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 115 115.2 110 Discovery World 1.86 2.03 1.85 DFNN Inc. 5.65 5.65 5.55 Easy Call “Common” 3.22 3.23 3.20 FEUI 949.5 950 940 Globe Telecom 2250 2252 2232 GMA Network Inc. 6.33 6.33 6.27 Golden Haven 15.66 15.66 15.20 Grand Plaza Hotel 20.30 20.30 20.30 Harbor Star 1.21 1.21 1.20 I.C.T.S.I. 64.3 64.3 63 Imperial Res. `A’ 20.30 24.50 20.70 Imperial Res. `B’ 160 187.5 178 IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.0091 0.0094 0.0092 IPM Holdings 9.37 9.37 9.30 Island Info 0.335 0.345 0.315 ISM Communications 1.7400 1.7400 1.7000 Jackstones 3.88 3.94 3.26 LBC Express 13 13 12.5 Leisure & Resorts 6.69 6.69 6.38 Liberty Telecom 3.03 3.03 3.00 Lorenzo Shipping 1.03 1.12 1.04 Manila Bulletin 0.610 0.610 0.560 Manila Jockey 2.01 2.01 2 Melco Crown 3.4 3.4 3.21 Metro Retail 5.73 5.70 5.44 NOW Corp.

3.550 3.740 3.470 Pacific Online Sys. Corp. 11.94 11.94 11.4 PAL Holdings Inc. 5.32 5.48 5.29 Paxys Inc. 2.61 2.62 2.61 Phil. Seven Corp.

135.00 128.00 128.00 Philweb.Com Inc. 14.32 15.00 14.16 PLDT Common 1962.00 1908.00 1837.00 PremiereHorizon 0.460 0.480 0.460 Premium Leisure 1.090 1.090 1.040 Puregold 48.00 47.85 46.75 Robinsons RTL 87.50 87.50 86.00 SBS Phil. Corp.

6.37 6.54 6.28 SSI Group 3.33 3.33 3.20 STI Holdings 0.630 0.630 0.620 Travellers 3.56 3.59 3.55 Waterfront Phils.

0.335 0.330 0.330 Yehey 6.730 6.700 6.480 MINING & OIL Abra Mining 0.0041 0.0043 0.0041 Apex `A’ 3.16 3.30 3.09 Atlas Cons. `A’ 4.27 4.25 4.20 Basic Energy Corp.

0.230 0.230 0.220 Benguet Corp `A’ 6.5600 6.51 6.49 Benguet Corp `B’ 6.7500 6.5500 6.5000 Century Peak Metals Hldgs0.61 0.6 0.6 Coal Asia 0.485 0.475 0.470 Dizon 8.45 8.46 8.20 Ferronickel 0.850 0.860 0.850 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.285 0.290 0.285 Lepanto `A’ 0.228 0.230 0.222 Lepanto `B’ 0.242 0.249 0.241 Manila Mining `A’ 0.0120 0.0120 0.0110 Manila Mining `B’ 0.0130 0.0140 0.0130 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 1.73 1.73 1.63 Nickelasia 5.74 5.75 5.48 Nihao Mineral Resources 2.91 2.88 2.82 Omico 0.5700 0.5600 0.5300 Oriental Peninsula Res. 1.1000 1.1000 1.0900 Oriental Pet. `A’ 0.0110 0.0120 0.0120 Oriental Pet. `B’ 0.0120 0.0120 0.0120 Petroenergy Res. Corp. 4.13 4.13 4.10 Philex `A’ 8.80 8.83 8.56 PhilexPetroleum 3.92 3.93 3.50 Philodrill Corp. `A’ 0.0130 0.0130 0.0120 Semirara Corp.

119.40 119.40 117.50 TA Petroleum 3.68 3.69 3.6 United Paragon 0.0110 0.0110 0.0100 PREFERRED ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 49.8 50 48.05 Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ 520 519.5 519.5 Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ 545 549.5 549.5 DD Pref 105.4 106 104.8 First Gen G 119 119 119 GMA Holdings Inc. 6.1 6.1 6.09 MWIDE PREF 112.9 112.9 111.7 PF Pref 2 1021 1021 1021 SMC Preferred C 81.5 81.45 81.1 SMC Preferred D 76.05 76.05 76.05 SMC Preferred E 79 79 78.05 SMC Preferred F 79 79 78.6 SMC Preferred H 76.6 77 76.6 SMC Preferred I 77.3 77.3 77.25 WARRANTS & BONDS LR Warrant 2.600 2.620 2.540 SME 5.06 5.17 4.95 5.02 Makati Fin. Corp.

3.71 3.8 3.63 Italpinas 5.06 5.4 5.05 Xurpas 17.54 17.54 16.5 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS First Metro ETF 132 132 128.9

112,230,204.00 203,070.00 3

High

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

16 31.90 1.77 3.25 29.25 0.92 1.010 5.950

-7.41 -1.85 -1.12 -3.56 -1.18 -3.16 -3.81 -2.14

461,700 1,700,500 461,000 47,000 15,384,300 1,591,000 2,526,000 4,523,400

48,862.00 -15,398,420.00 -95,860.00

7.3 49 1.23 0.600 10.6 5.62 5.78 0.1050 2.84 110 1.85 5.57 3.20 950 2238 6.27 15.62 20.30 1.20 63.1 22.00 185 0.0092 9.35 0.320 1.7100 3.35 12.5 6.49 3.01 1.12 0.560 2 3.4 5.68 3.470 11.5 5.35 2.61 128.00 14.18 1865.00 0.470 1.060 46.75 86.10 6.48 3.26 0.630 3.56 0.330 6.600

-0.54 -2.00 0.00 0.00 1.15 -1.40 1.05 -2.78 -1.73 -4.35 -0.54 -1.42 -0.62 0.05 -0.53 -0.95 -0.26 0.00 -0.83 -1.87 8.37 15.63 1.10 -0.21 -4.48 -1.72 -13.66 -3.85 -2.99 -0.66 8.74 -8.20 -0.50 0.00 -0.87 -2.25 -3.69 0.56 0.00 -5.19 -0.98 -4.94 2.17 -2.75 -2.60 -1.60 1.73 -2.10 0.00 0.00 -1.49 -1.93

61,600 52,260 1,000 853,000 86,000 16,400 8,199,600 220,610,000 15,373,000 900,920 51,000 49,400 11,000 690 65,425 194,500 493,200 10,800 479,000 693,200 380,600 1,380 38,000,000 394,000 81,490,000 1,612,000 4,561,000 14,800 2,550,200 52,000 16,000 115,000 13,000 9,899,000 9,507,900 7,227,000 1,804,600 74,100 19,000 410 126,200 510,100 4,220,000 13,905,000 1,266,300 207,950 2,015,900 7,908,000 467,000 1,029,000 30,000 60,000

-359,000.00

0.0041 3.09 4.22 0.220 6.4900 6.5000 0.6 0.475 8.20 0.850 0.285 0.224 0.241 0.0120 0.0130 1.64 5.53 2.83 0.5300 1.1000 0.0120 0.0120 4.13 8.73 3.60 0.0120 118.00 3.6 0.0100

0.00 -2.22 -1.17 -4.35 -1.07 -3.70 -1.64 -2.06 -2.96 0.00 0.00 -1.75 -0.41 0.00 0.00 -5.20 -3.66 -2.75 -7.02 0.00 9.09 0.00 0.00 -0.80 -8.16 -7.69 -1.17 -2.17 -9.09

349,000,000 487,000 344,000 2,600,000 16,000 5,300 300,000 260,000 26,200 6,767,000 3,790,000 31,010,000 17,720,000 142,600,000 40,100,000 2,314,000 3,951,300 222,000 933,000 81,000 200,000 100,000 8,000 1,575,400 7,774,000 46,000,000 388,900 88,000 61,800,000

48.85 519.5 549.5 104.8 119 6.09 111.7 1021 81.1 76.05 79 79 77 77.3

-1.91 -0.10 0.83 -0.57 0.00 -0.16 -1.06 0.00 -0.49 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.52 0.00

94,500 60,000 10 307,820 130,020 11,400,000 13,490 340 66,000 1,000 13,800 36,200 145,550 32,340

2.540

-2.31

261,000

-0.79 3.63 5.08 16.76

1,969,700 -2.16 0.40 -4.45

154,820.00 82,000 645,700 58,374.00 2,622,300 -1,896,426.00

129.6

-1.82

9,530

54,903,585.00 -92,000.00 515,000.00 49,351.00

890,400.00 10,457,519.00 321,250.00 -53,990.00 -1,061,270.00 87,631.00 -39,151,000.00 -293,680.00 -7,243,710.00 -9,110.00 -93,000.00 -42,200.00 -15,490.00 287,820.00 350,444 9,060.00

-9,211,580.00 -3,536,348.00 86,250.00

173,738.00 -269,250,610.00 -37,750.00 -8,558,100.00 -11,563,650.00 -4,622,308.00 12,600.00 728,700.00 252,640.00 134,000.00 31,250.00 -67,310.00

1,580,150.00

-33,050.00 -5,785,431.00 -181,120.00 23,100.00

2,404,190.00 -322,140.00 14,516,700.00 7,260.00 -1,082,930.00 -31,170,000.00 -73,780.00 -15,472,380.00 4,243.00 -3,033,951

VALUE 1,846.75 (down) 13.85 983,755,754.91 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 12,071.42 (down) 101.55 1,469,726,472.50 HOLDING FIRMS 7,760.34 (down) 202.88 7,675,732,737,365 PROPERTY 3,571.44 (down) 43.91 1,565.28 (down) 45.89 1,496,719,322.495 SERVICES MINING & OIL 10,942.39 (down) 170.75 1,724,624,589.88 PSEI 7,888.44 (down) 149.34 143,469,189.502 All Shares Index 4,691.13 (down) 70.04 13,553,161,800.21 Gainers: 37; Losers: 163; Unchanged: 41; Total: 241

RCBC’s net profit rises 3.3% to P2.6b

By Julito G. Rada RIZAL Commercial Banking Corp., the country’s ninth-largest lender in terms of assets, said unaudited consolidated net income in the first half rose 3.3 percent to P2.61 billion from P2.53 billion a year ago.

RCBC said in a statement Wednesday the six-month performance translated into an annualized return on equity and return on assets of 8.8 percent and 1.1 percent, respectively.

“RCBC’s core income driven by its core businesses is firming up. NIM [net interest income] at 4.2 percent is one of the highest in the industry while asset quality remains in check.

RCBC remains on-track with its long-term goals,” newly-appointed RCBC president and chief executive Gil Buenaventura said in a statement.

Total consolidated assets expanded 6.7 percent yearon-year to P500.33 billion, while capital funds reached P59.91 billion. Capital adequacy ratio—a measure of financial strength—was at 16.78 percent, above Bangko Sentral’s minimum requirement of 10 percent.

Common equity tier 1 ratio of 13.48 percent also exceeded the minimum CET1 ratio requirement (with capital conservation buffer) of 8.5 percent.

Total deposits reached P319.82 billion, while CASA deposits amounted to P202.96 billion, translating to Casa-to-total deposits ratio of 63.5 percent as of endJune 2016.

BDO, JBIC sign $50-m loan facility JAPAN Bank for International Cooperation approved a $50-million green facility for BDO Unibank Inc. for relending to environment-related undertakings focusing mainly on renewable energy in the Philippines.

The agreement, a first for JBIC with a Philippine private commercial bank, was formally sealed Wednesday. Signing the agreement were JBIC managing executive officer and global head of infrastructure and environment finance group Hideo Naito, BDO head for institutional banking Walter Wassmer and BDO head for investor relations and corporate planning Luis Reyes Jr. The green facility intends to bankroll under the global action for reconciling economic growth and environmental preservation environment-related projects, which contribute to lessening greenhouse gas emissions.

It is also seen to promote the Philippine government’s environmental policy while disseminating advanced Japanese environmental technologies, which have been highly recognized globally. The government has been taking vigorous steps to implement measures to cope with climate change, including the goal of reducing GHG emissions by 70 percent by 2030.

JBIC and BDO have been building mutual partnerships in recent years. In March 2013, the parties signed a memorandum of understanding for the development and strengthening of frameworks to support business expansions into the Philippines by Japanese midtier enterprises and SMEs via the Japanese regional financial institutions.

Business

Manila

Standard

B3

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

TODAY

AboitizLand investing P4.7b

By Jenniffer B. Austria

A

BOITIZLAND Inc., the real estate arm of conglomerate Aboitiz Equity Ventures, said it will spend P4.7 billion to build three residential projects in Luzon in line with its plan to be a national player.

AboitizLand vice president of innovation Rafael Fernandez de Mesa said in a news briefing the company would build projects in Batangas, Tarlac and Nueva

Ecija covering 83 hectares and offering 2,800 homes in the mid- to high-end markets.

“After more than two decades of building thriving communities

in Cebu, we are more than ready to take on other parts of the Philippines, beginning with our foray into Luzon. We’re very keen on becoming stronger players in the national scene while of course, maintaining our foothold in Cebu,” de Mesa said.

“We saw huge potential in terms of land development in Luzon. Armed with the experience and knowledge that we have acquired over the years, we are confident that we could offer a better real estate

experience to more potential vecinos [residents] in this part of the country,” de Mesa said.

AboitizLand is developing Sands Seaside Residences positioned as a second home by the beach in Batangas.

AboitizLand tapped worldrenowned partners Duany, Plater-Zyberk & Co. for the development of the exclusive community. Upon completion, Sands is expected to produce over 800 homes.

AboitizLand said in Tarlac

and Nueva Ecija, it designed two gated developments that would offer over 2,000 homes.

“We are consciously building mixed-use communities that are pedestrian-friendly, with less cars in the roads, and that encourage people to get outside and live a healthy lifestyle. The goal is to have an abundance of greens where families can play, and spaces for retail and services so residents can have access to almost everything they need within walking

distance from their homes,” de Mesa said.

AboitizLand is also building a shopping center in Batangas.

Dubbed as The Outlets at Lipa, the commercial development will feature popular international and local brands in a unique outdoor setting with all-year round sales and discounts.

The company said as it aggressively expanded outside Cebu, it would beef up its manpower to manage the projects in the pipeline.

Energy companies testing Cusi’s mettle ENERGY Secretary Alfonso Cusi faces at least three major energy issues he will have to deal with early on in his job. He has little time in his learning curve due to the gravity of the issues that may well define his energy career.

First on his agenda is the latest arbitration case filed by Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. against the government. Shell lodged the new arbitration case against the government at the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes regarding a tax dispute over the Malampaya gas project in northwest Palawan.

Cusi’s intial response over the matter was rather weak and ambiguous, and tended to be populist. “This issue is not the concern of the Department of Energy nor of the Executive branch alone. The Supreme Court, the Commission on Audit and even Congress have a stake here, too,” says Cusi, sounding more like a politician than a technocrat. “Ultimately, whatever mandate each branch or agency has, our bottom line is one and the same: to serve the best interests of the Filipino people.”

Cusi missed the point entirely. Shell is suing the Philippine government because Manila is reneging on the oil service contract system based on a law governing the exploration of fossil resources in the country.

Spex filed the case against the Philippine government to challenge the interpretation of the Commission on Audit in the computation of the 60-40 sharing of the proceeds from the Malampaya gas project. Such sharing system is spelled out in the oil service contract system that dates back to the regime of the late Ferdinand Marcos.

The Energy Department of former President Benigno Aquino III in a position paper argued the CoA decision “sent a very wrong signal to the existing and future petroleum exploration investors in the country.”

“The trust and confidence of foreign investors in the stability and certainty of our investment laws and regulations that the government, for a long period of time, has painstakingly built and nurtured, has been greatly damaged,” the department, which Cusi now heads, said earlier.

Burning coal issue and FIT Cusi will also have his hands full grappling with the quixotic pronouncements of Environment Secretary Gina Lopez, who is bent on prioritizing renewable energy over fossil fuels like coal in approving permits for new power plants.

Cusi, this time, stood his ground against Lopez. The controversial environment chief has favored the construction of wind, solar and geothermal projects to take advantage of falling production costs and minimize carbon emissions.

But the Philippines, according to Cusi, could not afford to forego of the cheaper coal.

“We have to find that balance, not everything can be renewable,” he said. Coal accounted for 45 percent of the country’s electricity output in 2015, with natural gas at 23 percent. Geothermal, hydro and other renewable sources accounted for about 25 percent.

Lopez’s predilection for renewable energy sources is understandable. Electricity produced by renewable energy companies need not be expensive anymore, so says Solar Philippines chief executive officer Leandro “Lean” Leviste.

With the renewable energy market reaching maturity, Leviste’s group has reduced solar power costs by 50 percent from the level a few years ago.

Leviste’s statement simply implies that renewable energy no longer needs any subsidy from the government. Such subsidy is in the form of the so-called Feed-in-Tariff Allowance (FIT-All), an incentive given to generation companies to encourage them to build RE facilities. It is collected from power consumers long before they are able to enjoy the benefits of RE, which include lower rates and cleaner environment.

Cusi must now intervene and review the policy regarding FITAll and make the necessary adjustments to protect consumers, especially the marginalized, from expensive electricity costs borne by the subsidy enjoyed by renewable companies.

Generation companies rushed the building of new RE facilities to meet the March 2016 deadline under the FIT. Leviste correctly pointed out that many of these companies failed to use the best technology, resulting in the grant of subsidies that merely encouraged inefficiency.

Companies wanting to join the RE space should take their time to optimize their design and installation, and reduce the cost of energy production, which should ultimately lead to lower power rates for the consuming public.

While RE promises benefits to the consumers in the long run, it will help if it reflects the true cost of power, which is around P4 per kilowatt-hour. And it will help the RE players to follow the lead of Leviste in not relying on costly subsidies like FIT-All that will lead to higher rates. All they have to do is be more efficient in their design and operations.

Cusi, meanwhile, has conceded that while his department would continue to develop the renewable energy industry, coal was still needed in the power mix to provide stable energy supply.

Coal-fired plants remain viable as long as they use the latest technology to minimize emissions.

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

PHILAM-UP PARTNERSHIP.

Philab Industries Inc., a pioneer and market leader in the healthcare and education market, has joined hands with the University of the Philippines to construct the National Institute of Health Building in Manila. Shown are (from left) NIH executive director De La Paz, UP Manila chancellor Carmencita Padilla and Philab chairman and chief executive Tom Navasero.

Call centers want to keep tax incentives

By Othel V. Campos CALL centers are calling for the retention of tax incentives in economic zones, despite proposals to overhaul income tax holiday and other fiscal perks enjoyed by investors.

“We’ve initiated talks with the government. We told the Finance Department that our position is status quo. I believe that our incentives are just the perfect package for investors. Not too frugal, not too grand,” Contact Center Association of the Philippines president Benedict Hernandez said in a news briefing Wednesday in Pasay City.

Members of CCAP will hold the 11th International Contact Center Conference and Expo at Marriott Grand Ballroom Hotel on Sept. 27 to 28, 2016.

Hernandez said compared to other countries where incentives could go over the hill to attract investors, the Philippines kept its package unchanged over the last 18 years to promote a steady, reliable and predictable investment

environment. global destination for contact cen- the average growth of the global “India remains the biggest in ters, expanding twice faster than IT-BPM in the last five years. terms of information technology/business process management accounts. The Philippines, LEGAL NOTICE ERRORS & OMISSIONS though somewhat expensive Notice is hereby that the than India, banks on its pool of given In Classified Ads section exceptional talents that bodes Estate of the late must be brought to our CEFERINO LIM well for clients,” he said.

FOLLOSCO was attention the very day the The sector also seeks govern- extrajudicially settled ment support for marketing and among his heirs as advertisement is published. promotional activities to increase per Doc. No. 21; We will not be responsible the country’s visibility overseas. Page No. 6; Book No. 42; Series of for any incorrect ads not Malaysia, which has little ca- 2016, under Notary pability to upscale, is spending a Public Atty. Ruben reported to us immediately. fortune to promote its IT-BPM ser- T.M. Ramirez. vices worldwide, the group said.

The information technologyUniversity of the Philippines Manila business process management The Health Sciences Center sector is preparing the IT-BPM BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE 3 roadmap 2022 that calls for gov2nd Floor, Joaquin Gonzales Hall, Interactive Learning Center (ILC) Room ernment support in having more University of the Philippines Manila visibility abroad.

P. Faura St. corner Ma. Orosa St., Manila Telefax # 525-43-22 / 526-22-75 CCAP and the Information Technology and Business ProINVITATION TO BID cess Association of the Philippines set an ambitious goal to The University of the Philippines Manila through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC 3), invites suppliers/manufacturer/distributors/contractors to apply for generate 5 million direct and in- III eligibility and to bid for the hereunder projects: direct jobs over the next six years Name of Project: Provision of a Managed Service Digital IP PBX under the new roadmap.

System wth ISDN PRI Trunk Line Service The Philippines remains the top Requesting Unit/Location: UPM-CAD (OVCA)

Philex to operate new mine in 2020

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales PHILEX Mining Corp. chairman Manuel Pangilinan said Wednesday the company’s Silangan mine in Mindanao is expected to start operations by 2020.

Pangilinan said at the sidelines of PLDT Inc.’s financial briefing Silangan mine could start its operations a year later than the original schedule because of the extended mine life of Padcal project in Benguet province.

“We are completing the requirements for the feasibility study of Silangan mine,” Pangilinan said.

The mining company earlier said it was hoping to commence ore production at Silangan mine in Surigao del Norte by 2018 or early 2019.

Philex said it invested more than P13 billion for the initial exploration of the project. The amount is on top of the estimated commercial operations project cost of about $1.2 billion. Once operational, the mine will have a mine life of 30 years.

“The estimated cost for the development of the Silangan mine has been reduced to $900 [million],” Pangilinan said.

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau approved Silangan’s declaration of mine project feasibility last year, which would allow Philex to proceed with the development of the mine.

Silangan mine combines the development of Boyongan and Bayugo deposits, which are comprised of gold, copper and silver.

It has an estimated reserves of 5 billion pounds of copper and 9 million ounces of gold.

Philex earlier announced it identified additional ore reserves that would extend Padcal’s mine life by two more years from 2020 to 2022.

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

Approved Budget for the Contract:

Php7,240,140.00

Bid Documents

Php10,000.00

Contract Duration:

120 days

PR No.:

2016-0113

Source of Fund:

Reprogram Fund/ IOB

Prospective bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project within the last two (2) years with an amount of at least 50% of the proposed project for bidding. The Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of bids shall use non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria. Postqualification of the lowest calculated responsive bid shall be conducted.

All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, PostQualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its implementing Rules and Regulation (IRR).

The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Activities Issuance of Bid Documents Pre-bid Conference Opening of Bids Bid Evaluation Post-qualification

Schedule Starting August 4, 2016 August 16, 2016 – 1:30 p.m.

August 30, 2016 – 1:30 p.m.

Within two (2) weeks after the opening Within one (1) week after the bid evaluation Issuance of Notice of Award Seven (7) days after Post-qualification

Bid Documents will be made available only to eligible bidders upon payment of a non-refundable amount stated above for each project to the U.P. Manila Cashier’s Office.

UP Manila assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of the bid.

The University of the Philippines Manila reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any formality or defects therein, or to accept such as may be considered most advantageous to UP Manila.

All inquiries shall be directed to the BAC III Secretariat at tel. no. 525-4322 / 526-2275. This is also posted at the UP Manila Official Web: http://www.upm. edu.ph/procurement.

(SGD) DR. TRISTAN NATHANIEL C. RAMOS Chair, Bids and Awards Committee III (SGD) ARLENE A. SAMANIEGO, M.D. Vice-Chancellor For Administration TS-AUG, 4, 2016)

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

B4

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

Business

Let a coconut farmer census be taken A PROPOSAL has been made for the establishment of a trust fund the income of which would go toward financing projects intended to benefit the coconut farmers of this country.

The corpus of the trust fund would be the proceeds of the levy on coconut farmers – the coconut levy – that was collected by the martial law authorities on every 100 kilograms of copra the farmers produced. Asked why it was necessary to take the trust-fund route, the proposal’s author said that the identities of the proposed fund’s beneficiaries have not been established.

One really has to give it to the author of the trust-fund proposal.

There seems to be no end to the effort to prevent the return to the coconut farmers – or their heirs – of the coconut levy collection, which the Supreme Court in a landmark decision characterized as funds “imbued with public interest.” His disingenuousness, and that of similarly minded individuals before him, is unbelievable.

If ever there was a phrase that has been over-abused in this country, it is “the coconut farmers.” During the decades following the end of martial law, “the coconut farmers” has been used to describe a group of people said to be so large, so indeterminate and so unwieldy as to necessitate their being represented by institutions – mainly Cocofed (Federation of Coconut Farmers of the Philippines) or the ACCRA law firm – professing to be representors of the interests of “the coconut farmers.” Because the farmers are too numerous and too disorganized, the government would have great difficulty getting anything done, the Cocofed and other self-appointed protectors of the coconut farmers’ interests have consistently manifested to the government. Unfortunately for the farmers, the government accepted this argument and has from the outset dealt with Cocofed et al in the making of policy relating to the coconut levy.

Left out of the equation have been the coconut farmers’ own organizations, to which the self-professed farmers’ protectors, in coordination with the martial-law military intelligence apparatus, attached leftist organizations’ brands. Needless to say, the farmers’ organizations are not trained in and wise to corporation-law principles and maneuverings.

Another argument advanced by the proponent of the trust-fund idea is that it makes little sense to give the coconut levy funds back to the farmers because their numerousness will ensure that they will receive very little money – around P10,000 per farmer, by his estimate – if the return of the funds were effected today.

That, surely, is a non-argument. The funds belong to the farmers. Their coconut levy payments were made in the form of a tax – that is really what the Supreme Court meant by its “imbued with public interest” pronouncement – and they want their levy money refunded. They have been waiting for the refund for over three decades. The amount that each of them will receive, whether P10,000 or not, is of no moment. If P1,400 of CCT monthly payments means a lot to their family budgets, how much more a refund of P10,000 (or more)?

Back to the we-don’t-know-who-the-coconut-farmers-are argument of the trust fund’s proponent. This contention is unacceptable. The nation’s record keepers are able to maintain the statistical data on 55 million voters, 32 million Social Security System members, over 4 million CCT beneficiaries and the millions of beneficiaries of GSIS, Philhealth and other government programs. They surely can cope with the need to identify and list down the names – or legal heirs – of the coconut farmers who during the martial law period had been a part of their production income taxed away from them by an unjust and insensitive regime.

Let the government conduct a census of the current coconut farmers in the approximately 47 provinces in which the tree of life is grown. Because LGUs (local government units) are the most knowledgeable in this regard, let the barangays work closely with the census-takers. And let UCPB (United Coconut Planters Bank) or CIIF (Coconut Industry Investment Fund), both of which were acquired with coconut levy funds, finance the census if funding is or should become a problem.

The census having been undertaken and completed, the author of the trust fund proposal will no longer be able to claim that “We don’t know who the coconut farmers are.” With coconut-farmer identities established, refund of the coconut levy funds can begin.

At long last.

E-mail: rudyromero777@yahoo.com

Taiwan body likely to ban Uber service

TAIPEI―Ride-hailing service Uber could be banned in Taiwan after authorities accused it of operating illegally, with officials saying Wednesday a final decision will be handed down next week.

It is the latest setback for the US company, after it was forced to suspend its operations in Hungary last month and was fined in June for operating illegally in France. AFP

Asian stocks plunge as oil falls below $40 A

SIA stocks headed for their steepest drop in more than a month as oil’s selloff revived concerns over global growth and after Japan’s fiscal stimulus package fell short of what some investors had expected. The dollar rebounded.

Japan’s Topix index sank more than 2 percent after the yen, which typically moves at odds with local shares, jumped 1.5 percent last session. Crude held losses below $40 a barrel before an update on US oil inventories, while gold was near its highest price since July 11. The Malaysian ringgit led emerging currencies lower against the greenback, and New Zealand’s currency also slid. European equities fluctuated after a two-day drop as

HSBC Holdings Plc jumped on announcing a share buyback.

A four-week advance in global equities has faltered as crude descended into a bear market.

With investors looking to central banks and governments around the world to shore up growth, Japan’s announcement Tuesday that it would boost spending by 4.6 trillion yen ($45 billion) in the current fiscal year failed to ignite optimism that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe can revive the

world’s third-biggest economy.

The Bank of England is projected to cut rates Thursday.

“Lower oil prices seems to be impacting the risk sentiment negatively,” said Divya Devesh, a Singapore-based foreignexchange strategist at Standard Chartered Plc. “If oil continues to decline it will be negative for emerging-market assets.”

A slew of services purchasing managers’ indexes were due Wednesday, with figures from China showing a slower pace of expansion in July and a report on Europe still to come. Thailand held benchmark rates in a policy review, as expected.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index added as much as 0.4 percent and fell 0.1 percent by 8:21 a.m.

London time, with HSBC rally-

ing 3.7 percent to be the biggest boost to the gauge. The lender announced a $2.5 billion share buyback for this year, seeking to soften the blow to investors as global economic uncertainty prompted it to abandon a 2017 profitability target and step back from its plans to boost dividends.

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell 1.8 percent, set for its biggest drop since June 24, as all 10 industry groups declined.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index decreased 1.4 percent amid losses in banks. The Kospi index in Seoul slid 1.2 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index sank 1.7 percent as trading resumed after the market was shut on Tuesday because of a storm. The Topix lost 2.2 percent, and is down almost 4 percent this week. Bloomberg

NEW GALAXY NOTE 7. NEW YORK, NY—Attendees gather around display tables to view the new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone during a launch event for the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 at the Hammerstein Ballroom, August 2, 2016 in New York City. The stylus equipped smartphone will be available starting August 19, with preorders starting August 3. AFP

Metrorail system in US capital city limping

By Ghalia Kadiri WASHINGTON―Letitia stands on a metro station platform in downtown Washington, waiting for a train that she now realizes is not going to come.

“I will be walking home tonight and all the nights to come,” said the 28-year-old woman, who works as a cashier at a 24hour supermarket.

In the US capital city, an urgently needed upgrade of the metro system means service on

Friday and Saturday nights now stops at midnight instead of 3 a.m., to allow for repair work overnight.

But it also means people like Letitia, who would not give her last name, are losing a crucial mode of transportation.

“I have 30 minutes walking at 1 a.m. in a neighborhood where you do not want to do that,” she told AFP. “They don’t give us other options.”

Much of the transportation infrastructure in the United States is decades old and in such poor condition that it has become an issue in the presidential election.

“Our infrastructure is that of a third-world country,” Republican candidate Donald Trump has said repeatedly.

The Washington metropolitan area, with a population of more than six million, is no exception.

Its Metrorail system was a source of pride when it opened 40 years ago, but today it’s better known for shoddy carriages, delays and fires.

Problems in recent weeks included a derailment and a nearcollision.

Complaining about Metro

This file photo taken on April 21, 2016 shows commuters riding on the metro in Washington, DC. In the US capital city, an urgently needed upgrade of the metro system means service on Friday and Saturday nights now stops at midnight instead of 3 am, to allow for repair work overnight. AFP

is a favorite pastime of DC residents and there’s even a popular Twitter account, Unsuck DC Metro (@unsuckdcmetro), that features criticism in real time.

The most serious incident recently was in January 2015, when an electrical problem caused a tunnel to fill with smoke, choking passengers in a disabled train. One person died.

“The metro has to be safe,” said Paul Wiedefeld, general manager and chief executive of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which also provides bus services.

Wiedefeld is presiding over a yearlong program called SafeTrack that started in June to repair and upgrade the subway system, causing major service interruptions.

Wiedefeld said the accelerated, intensive work was necessary because trying to fix problems with “small bandages” was no longer adequate.

The system is the second-busiest subway system in the United

States, with 750,000 riders on an average weekday.

“The DC Metro historically has been a great strength of this region, but over time we underinvested in maintenance and repair,” Wiedefeld said.

Last week, he proposed making the midnight weekend Metro closure permanent, and rolling back Sunday night service from midnight to 10 p.m.

“SafeTrack is the right approach but we are going to need more time to continue the job,” he said.

But businesses like restaurants, bars and clubs say a change like that would be a huge blow.

“We have heard from member restaurants that sales are down as much as 20 percent due to early Metro closures and the current SafeTrack schedule,” warned the head of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, Kathy Hollinger.

“The impact of the Metrorail’s schedule on restaurants and small businesses cannot be ignored.” AFP

LGUs

5 Cordillera LGUs get FLAME awards

By Dexter A. See BAGUIO CITY—Five local government units were recognized by the Cordillera office of the Regional Development Council (RDC-CAR) for their vital contributions in the renewed pursuit for regional autonomy through the coveted Forwarding Local Autonomy Medal of Excellence (FLAME) award which is now on its second year.

Milagros Rimando, RDCCAR vice chairperson and regional director of the Cordillera office of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA-CAR), said the institutionalization of the annual FLAME award given to top performing local governments regionwide in the renewed pursuit for regional autonomy has empowered local governments to contribute in the consolidated efforts among stakeholders to spouse for selfgovernance in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

“We want to continue improving our alliances with local governments, the private sector and various stakeholders in increasing the awareness on the renewed pursuit for regional autonomy by the people in the countryside. Local governments must continue the advocacy because they are the link of the RDC-CAR to the grassroots level,” Rimando stressed.

Baguio City was able to retain the FLAME award for the second year in a row in the provinces and highly urbanized city category and it was joined by Mountain Province and Ifugao.

In the first to third class municipality and component city category, the capital town of La Trinidad, Benguet was adjudged as the FLAME awardee for the second year in a row be-

cause of its sustained programs in cascading the renewed quest for regional autonomy in the barangay level.

Bauko, Mountain Province won the coveted FLAME award for the first time in the 4th to 6th class category beefing up the campaign on self-governance in the barangay level and various stakeholders in the municipality.

The RDC-CAR conceptualized the FLAME award for local governments in order to tap the services of local officials to cascade to the grassroots level the importance of the renewed pursuit for regional autonomy, especially in the overall development of the region and having greater control of the region’s resources for the benefit of the future generations of Cordillerans.

The criteria for judging of the top performing local governments include the localized strategies in advancing the cause for regional autonomy, the support of the concerned local governments to the initiatives of the region’s policy-making body in cascading the true essence of autonomy to the grassroots level and the existence of various programs and projects that will help spouse the renewed pursuit for autonomy in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

Rimando encouraged local officials regionwide to align their information and education campaign initiatives on autonomy to the existing plan of action of the RDC-CAR without discounting local initiatives to help in increasing the awareness of the populace on the importance of autonomy in charting the overall growth and development of the region, especially the remote villages that had been longing for more development projects and better services from the government.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

C1

LEGACY. The Aniano Adasa ancestral house is one of the 33 heritage structures being preserved in a special portion of Dapitan City declared as a Heritage Zone or Historic Center by the National Historical Commission in 2011. Lance Baconguis

Cagayan wants trains, bridges QC detainees avail of ALS program

By Rio N. Araja

QUEZON City Jail inmates will now be able to avail of the Alternative Learning System (ALS) program of the Division of City Schools following the issuance of an order to this effect

by Mayor Herbert Bautista.

The ALS is a program of the Department of Education aimed at eradicating illiteracy among out-of-school youths and adults.

Bautista said the ALS needed to be expanded to cater to the educational needs of city residents including those detained in QC Jail, who have not had formal schooling.

He said many detainees did not even begin elementary school due to extreme poverty.

Bautista asked the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology to verify the number of detainees who recently graduated from ALS so the city can help them pursue college or vocational studies in the city-owned ART FOR NATURE. Mayshelle Janzenne Reyes of M.H. Del Pilar Elementary School (right) topped the on-the-spot poster-making contest on the topic of taking care of our environment held at the Philippine Science High School on July 20. The contest was a preevent for the Department of Science and Technology’s National Science and Technology Week on July 25-29 that was held simultaneously in Quezon City, Manila, Bicutan, Los Baños, and DOST regional offices.

Quezon City Polytechnic University and under the Technical Educations and Skills Development Authority.

“Let’s give them a chance to be productive individuals. Let’s make them role models to the citizenry. This move will not only help them as individuals but will also minimize crimes by keeping them busy,” the mayor said.

Bautista wants all ALS initiatives in QC be integrated and harmonized, including barangaybased training program, by the city’s social services development department and the scholarship program granted by the QCPU to underprivileged students.

The mayor wishes to produce graduates like Victor Principe, a former inmate at QC Jail who completed the ALS program with a grade of 99 percent in the recent ALS equivalency examination.

To date, a total of 9,760 were enrolled under the ALS program curriculum in QC.

By Brenda Jocson

T

UGUEGARAO CITY— The Cagayan Chapter of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry is proposing the construction of train system and bridges in the province in this year’s 25th North Luzon Business Conference from Aug. 3 to Aug. 5.

These two major infrastructure development projects will be submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte as a major output during the business conference here, according to PCCI-Cagayan officials.

“The conference will be an opportunity for Region 2 to present its business and tourism industry to investors from the neighboring Regions I, III and the Cordillera Administrative Region,” Mario Dulin, PCCICagayan Chapter president, said.

Anchored on the theme “Moving forward to giant steps,” Dulin said the PCCI conference here is one of the biggest convergences of businessmen, en-

trepreneurs, government executives and the academe.

He said it will be a forum for leaders to discuss essential conditions that will enable a business environment to promote vibrant and sustainable local economic development and a great opportunity for the businessmen to meet, network and build partnerships with other entrepreneurs and business experts.

“Our aim is for the PCCI-Cagayan chapter to attain the economic roadmap enabling factors such as good governance, infrastructure, agriculture, new era of manufacturing and tourism,” Dulin said.

PCCI Cagayan Chapter board chairman Cloy Velasco cited tourism spots in Cagayan like the Hot Springs of Baggao town, the Callao Caves of Peñablaca town and the beaches of Santa Ana town as potential areas for investments.

PCCI officials said the Cagayan Economic Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) comprising Santa Ana town, the islands of Fuga, Barit, Mabbag in Aparri town is a place open for locators in the field of eco-tourism and leisure facilities, business process outsourcing, agri-industry, shipping and transshipment industry.

“At Ceza one can embark in a backpacking eco-adventure and yet could still indulge in luxurious resort amenities along beaches,” Velasco said.

Many beaches in Santa Ana town were filming locations for “Survivor.” The beaches have also become venues for the international kiteboarding, wind surfing and beach volleyball competitions.

He said the PCCI chapter here is also focusing on the promotion of water sports like jet skiing, snor-

keling, kayaking, scuba diving, kayaking, game fishing particularly in Santa Ana’s Palaui Island, Anguib, Gotan, Nangaramoan, Pozzorobo and many more.

“The town of Santa Praxedes is also ready for investors in its tourism industry,” Velasco said.

The PCCI chapter is proposing the building of a train system and bridge projects in addition to the already existing Tuguegarao City Airport and the Cagayan North International Airport in Lallo town to speed up transportation.

“We have already prepared the proposed resolution which will be endorsed jointly by the members of different chambers from regions 1, 2, 3 and the Cordillera,” Velasco said.

He said they want a train system project from Manila to Cagayan to be pursued to shorten travel time, reduce transportation and production cost of goods, and safety for commuters to and from the region.

Velasco said these projects have been proposed in the Regional Development Council in the past and has to be revived.

Japan builds farm-to-market road in Quezon province A NEW farm-to-market road was inaugurated Friday in the municipality of Agdangan, Quezon by Japanese Embassy First Secretary Kenji Terada, Japan International Cooperation Agency Sectional Rep. Yoshiyuki Ueno, Agrarian Reform Undersecretary. Herman Ongkiko, Quezon province administrator Ronemel Edaño and Agdangan Mayor Rhadam Aguilar, the Japanese Embassy reported.

In a statement, the embassy said some 200 farmers from four barangays witnessed the turnover of the road that was built under the Agrarian Reform Infrastructure Program and funded through the Japan Official Development Assistance program. The total loan support for this project amounts to 11.802 billion yen or P5.131 billion, the statement said.

The road was built to improve

farm efficiency, mobility of farm products and commercial goods, and enhance the quality of life of farmers. The vicinity of the road is famous for coconut plantations and farmers used horses to deliver coconuts and coconut products before this program.

Through this program, farmers can efficiently deliver coconuts in motor vehicles and process oil, sugar, soap and other products using copra, a coconut by-product.

Davaoeños promise this year’s Kadayawan will be the best

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera

DAVAO CITY—The 31st Kadayawan Festival will now be the priority of the local government as directed by Mayor Sara Duterte, said City Administrator, lawyer Zuleika Lopez.

The Kadayawan Festival is a native thanksgiving celebration for an abundant harvest.

Lopez, who was appointed by Duterte to take over the position of lawyer Jesus Melchor Quitain,

said the mayor has directed her to address all concerns about the upcoming celebration on Aug. 15-Aug. 21.

This year’s celebration will focus on the plight of the lumads and will give tribute to them. The highlight of the celebration will be the Hiyas ng Kadayawan pageant, where all tribes will promote a young lady who will embody their varied cultures.

Lopez said the city govern-

ment is expecting a bigger crowd this year, especially that former mayor Rodrigo Duterte is now the President of the country.

She added that the city would like to give the visitors the best Kadayawan festival that they will not forget.

It showcases the 12 tribes of the city, which are the Tausug, Maranao, Maguindanao, Klata, Iranun, Ata, Kagan, Matigsalug, Ovu-Manuvo, Djangan, Tagabawa and Sama.

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

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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”; 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;

World Republic of the Philippines Provincial Government of Aurora Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) BAC Office, Provincial Capitol Building, Baler, Aurora 3200, Philippines

Standard Form Number: SF---GOODS-05 Revised on: July 28, 2004

INVITATION TO BID

The PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF AURORA, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites all eligible suppliers/manufacturers/distributors/contractors to bid for the hereunder project:

Location

Approved Budget for the Contract

Baler, Aurora

3,198,000.00

Baler, Aurora

3,540,000.00

Procurement of Drugs, Medicine, Dental and Laboratory Supplies/Materials

Baler, Aurora

1,603,584.10

Procurement of Agricultural Supplies

Baler, Aurora

Name Of Project Procurement of Brand New 4x2 Compact MPV (3 units General Specifications: Diesel Engine, 2.8L / MT, Engine Displacement: 2755 cc, Max.Power: 171 Hp,Torque: 360Nm, Engine:2.8L,Drive Type: CRDi, 4 Cylinder,Rack and Pinion Steering type, /16 valve intercooler, DOHC Valve configuration,7 seaters, Gross weight: 1950kg,CD player/FM/AM, USB and Aux input, Remote Fuel Lid opener, Fabric upholstery,on board computer, Power windows, Keyless entry, Rear window defogger, Euro 4 emission compliant, Wheel:205/55/R16, Airbags,Complete set of tools, parts manual and registration, comprehensive insurance Procurement of Brand New 4x4 AT SUV(2 units) General Specifications: Diesel Engine, 3.0L / AT Euro 2-, Complaint, 4 Cylinder, in Line, DOHC, Turbo charged with Intercooler, Engine Displacement: 2999 cc, Max. Output: 163ps @ 3,200 rpm, Max. Torgue 320 Nm @ 1800-2200rpm, Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) 2,750 kg. Fuel Tank Cap: 65 Liters, Tire/ Wheel: 255/65/R17, Independent double wishbone with coil, spring and stabilizer, 5 Link Coil spring/Disc brake (Rear), Leather Seat, Power Seat, Electronic, Stability Control, Reverse Cam, 10inch, LCD Monitor,Automatic Climate Control, Lever type floor mounted parking brake, with roof rail, Keyless entry and dual, SRS Airbag, 7in touchscreen display, CD/DVD/VCD/Tuner/Aux-in/USB/MP3, Complete set of Tools, parts manual and registration, comprehensive insurance

TOTAL

507,105.00 8,848,689.10

Prospective bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project within the last two (2) years with an amount of at least 50% of the proposed project for bidding. The Eligibility Check/ Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of Bids shall use non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria. Post-qualification of the lowest calculated bid shall be conducted.

All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Prebidding Conference, Evaluation of Bids, Post Qualification and Awards of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of RA 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).

The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows: Activities

Schedule

1. Issuance of Bid Documents

August 4, 2016 – August 24, 2016 until 12:00 NN

2. Pre-bid Conference

August 12, 2016 @ 2:00 PM

3. Submission of Eligibility and Bids

August 24, 2016 until 12:00 NN

4. Opening of Bids

August 24, 2016 @ 2:00 PM

5. Bids Evaluation

August 25, 2016

6. Post-Qualification

August 26, 2016

7. Notice of Award

August 30, 2016

* Pre-Bid Conference/ Opening of Bids’ date is automatically re- scheduled to the next working day whenever such date is declared a holiday.

The BAC will issue to prospective bidders Eligibility Forms upon payment to the Provincial Treasurer’s Office of the PGA of a non-refundable amount for the following approved budget for the contract.

P

500,000.00 500,001.00 1,000,001.00 5,000,001.00 10,000,001.00 50,000,001.00

-

below 1,000,000.00 5,000,000.00 10,000,000.00 50,000,000.00 500,000,000.00

=P = = = = =

500.00 1,000.00 5,000.00 10,000.00 25,000.00 50,000.00

The Provincial Government of Aurora assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of the bid. Only those who have purchased the Bidding Documents shall be allowed to participate in the pre-bid conference and raise or submit written queries or clarifications. The PGA also reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to declare the bidding a failure or waive any defect or informality and to accept bids as may be considered most advantageous to the PGA without thereby incurring any of the following: (a) liability whatsoever to offset expenses or losses the bidder may incur in the preparation of the bids and (b) obligation to inform the affected bidder/s of the grounds for the basis of BAC’s action.

( T S - A U G , 4 2 016)

Republic of the Philippines Provincial Government of Aurora Bids and Awards Committee (BAC)

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.

BAC Office, Provincial Capitol Building, Baler, Aurora 3200, Philippines

Standard Form Number: SF-INFR-05 Revised on: July 29, 2004

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)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

INVITATION TO BID

The PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF AURORA, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites all eligible contractors registered with and classified by the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), to bid for the hereunder contract: Name Of Project

Location

Approved Budget for the Contract

PACUGAO RIVER FLOOD CONTROL (PHASE I) Part A. Facilities for the Engineers Part B. Other General Requirements B1. Mobilization & Demobilization B2. Setting out and Staking B3. Construction Health and Safety Requirements SPCL I. Project Billboard Part C. Flood Protection Structures 104(1)b. Embankment from Excavation 103(1)a. Structure Excavation Common Soil 103 (3) Foundation Excavation 511(1) Gabions 511(3) Filter Cloth

Ma. Aurora, Aurora

12,916,590.53

Total

12,916,590.53

Prospective bidders should possess a valid PCAB License applicable to the contract, have completed a similar contract with a value of at least 50% of the ABC, and have key personnel and equipment available for the prosecution of the contract. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of Bids. The BAC will conduct post-qualification of the lowest calculated bid.

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

The schedule of BAC activities is as follows: Activities

Schedule

1.

Receipt from prospective bidders August 4, 2016-August 23, 2016 of Letters of Intent (LOI) including application for eligibility

2.

Issuance of Bid Documents

August 4, 2016-August 24, 2016 until 12:00 NN

3.

Pre-bid Conference

August 12, 2016 @ 2:00 PM

4.

Receipt of Bids

August 24, 2016, must be received until 12:00 NN

5.

Opening of Bids

August 24, 2016 @ 2:00 PM

Pre-Bid Conference/ Opening of Bids’ date is automatically re- scheduled to the next working day whenever such date is declared a holiday.

The BAC will issue to prospective bidders Eligibility Forms at BAC Secretariat Office, Capitol Compound, Baler, Aurora, upon their submission of a LOI. Prospective bidders shall submit the Eligibility Requirements to the BAC at the said address. They may also obtain the results of the Eligibility Check by the BAC at the same address. Bids document will be available only to prospective bidders upon payment to the Provincial Treasurer’s Office (PTO) of the Provincial Government of Aurora (PGA) of non-refundable amount for the following approved budget for the contract: P

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

TODAY THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

C3

Watchdog calls for release of Omani editor

SGD. SIMEON A. DE CASTRO BAC Chairman

36.

Manila

Standard

500,000.00 500,001.00 1,000,001.00 5,000,001.00 10,000,001.00 50,000,001.00

-

below 1,000,000.00 5,000,000.00 10,000,000.00 50,000,000.00 500,000,000.00

= = = = = =

P

500.00 1,000.00 5,000.00 10,000.00 25,000.00 50,000.00

The Provincial Government of Aurora assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of the bid. Only those who have purchased the Bidding Documents shall be allowed to participate in the pre-bid conference and raise or submit written queries or clarifications. The PGA also reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to declare the bidding a failure or waive any defect or informality and to accept bids as may be considered most advantageous to the PGA. SGD. SIMEON A. DE CASTRO BAC Chairman

( T S - A U G , 4 2 016)

DUBAI—Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Tuesday condemned Oman’s detention of a newspaper editor over an article accusing officials of pressuring the judiciary in an inheritance case.

Ibrahim al-Maamari, editor of Azaman daily, was arrested on July 28, two days after it published an article alleging that government officials tried to have judicial authorities change a 2015 ruling to the benefit of certain influential figures, RSF said.

“We condemn Ibrahim alMaamari’s arrest and continuing detention,” Alexandra El Khazen, RSF’s Middle East chief, said in a statement.

“By punishing this journalist in this way and by keeping him in detention, the Sultanate of Oman is sending a negative message about media freedom and is demonstrating an inability to tolerate criticism of the political and judicial system,” she said.

“We call for an independent

and impartial investigation and for Al-Maamari’s immediate release,” she added.

RSF cited a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office as saying the article was considered a “public crime” that discredited the integrity of the judiciary and government officials.

He said Maamari was arrested following several complaints.

“By publishing false information, (Maamari) had violated articles 25 and 29 of the Press and Publications Law, which is punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine,” RSF cited the prosecutor’s office as saying.

He is also accused of “undermining the prestige of the state” under an article of the penal code and publishing news that would disturb public order, it added.

Azaman on Tuesday left half of its front page blank in protest after the information ministry banned it from publishing a story on Maamari’s arrest, RSF said. AFP

North Korea missile hits Japan sea

S

eoul—North Korea on Wednesday fired a ballistic missile into the sea off northern Japan, drawing an outraged response from Tokyo and ramping up already elevated tensions with the United States (US) and South Korea.

The US military said the North had actually launched two Rodong intermediate-range missiles simultaneously, but one appeared to have exploded on take-off.

The launches came after North Korea threatened “physical action” in response to the planned deployment of a sophisticated US anti-missile system in South Korea, and just weeks before the start of annual joint South Korea-US military exercises.

Japan said the one missile had landed 250 kilometers (155 miles) off its northern coast and within the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

“It’s a serious threat against our country’s security,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters. “This is an outrageous act that cannot be tolerated.”

The United States condemned what it called a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Korea’s use of ballistic missile technology.

“This provocation only serves to increase the international community’s resolve to counter (North Korea’s) prohibited activities,” said Pentagon spokesman Gary Ross.

US Strategic Command said the two missiles were launched from a site in western North Korea at around 22:50 GMT Tuesday.

“Initial indications reveal one of the missiles exploded immediately after launch, while the second was tracked over North Korea and into the Sea of Japan.”

It was the first time since 1998 that a North Korean missile had landed inside Japan’s EEZ and top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said there had been no advance warning.

“From the perspective of the safety of aircraft and ships, it is an extremely problematic, dangerous act,” Suga said.

The Rodong is a scaled-up Scud variant with a maximum range of around 1,300 kilometers (800 miles). AFP

Zimbabwe arrests anti-govt veterans HARARE, Zimbabwe—Zimbabwean police on Tuesday arrested two more senior members of the country’s war veterans’ association in a growing crackdown on critics of President Robert Mugabe, lawyers said.

Headman Moyo, the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) vice chairperson and his Harare provincial counterpart Hoyini Samel Bhila were arrested on charges of undermining Mugabe’s authority, bringing to five the number of former liberation war fighters arrested under the same law.

“Police charged Headman Moyo and Hoyini Samuel Bhila after the two handed themselves to detectives at Harare central police station,” Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said in a statement.

Mugabe, 92, in power since 1980, has faced a groundswell of opposition in recent months as the country’s moribund economy collapses and the government struggles to pay its workforce.

Previously loyal supporters of the president, the war veterans released a highly critical statement

two weeks ago attacking Mugabe as “dictatorial” and accusing him of being unable to address Zimbabwe’s problems.

Mugabe has promised “severe” treatment of the statement’s authors.

On Monday, ZNLWA secretary general Victor Matemadanda was seized by police at a court hearing of a colleague, association spokesman Douglas Mahiya who also faces charges of insulting the head of state.

The war veterans’ political commissar Francis Nhando was also arrested outside the court.

A new non-partisan opposition movement known as #ThisFlag has also galvanized anti-government sentiment in Zimbabwe, where security forces have crushed signs of dissent for decades.

Last month, a one-day strike shut down offices, shops, schools and some government departments as people protested over an economic crisis that has delayed salaries for civil servants and the military.

More than 90 percent of the population is not in formal employment after years of economic decline under Mugabe’s rule. AFP

C4

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

3 Mexico mayors killed

World

Prepare airports for climate change—UN MONTREAl—The UN agency responsible for air travel standards on Tuesday urged airports to start preparing now for severe impacts on operations related to global warming.

The Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) warned in its 2016 environmental report of increased cloud cover at airports in the Middle East and Latin America affecting visibility, as a

result of rising temperatures and humidity.

It also pointed to a need to protect coastal airstrips around the world from rising sea levels.

The report warned of increased flight turbulence caused by changes in atmospheric jet streams, more sand and dust storms clogging engines, and more occurrences of ice on wings.

“The robustness of aircraft and indeed the robustness of the entire aviation system

should be monitored carefully, as the sector will have to prepare for the more extreme meteorological conditions that are expected in the future as the climate continues to change,” ICAO said in the report.

“The main effects will be more evident three or four decades from now, and onwards,” it said. “There is thus no reason to panic.”

But, it added, a “rational response at all airports is to carry out risk assessments of

existing and new infrastructure in order to think ahead, reduce risks, minimize life cycle costs, and ensure the reliability and regularity of the aviation sector.”

As an example of infrastructure at risk, it noted that out of 46 airports in Norway, 20 are “quite exposed” and several have runways less than four meters (13.1 feet) above sea level.

A 2014 assessment found several of them

RESCUE. This photo taken on Tuesday shows rescuers searching for missing people after a giant sinkhole opened up on a road in Zhengzhou, in central China’s Henan province. Sinkholes are known geological phenomenona that usually occur predominantly in areas that have been heavily mined or on reclaimed land. AFP

UK: Stop trafficking of asylum-seekers L

ondon—The European Union’s response to the surge in migrant arrivals has been “lamentable,” a committee of British lawmakers said Wednesday, slamming the bloc as unprepared to deal with the crisis.

Some 1.3 million asylum-seekers, mostly from conflict-torn Syria and Iraq, have flooded into Europe since the start of 2015, stretching resources and aggravating popular resentment in some countries.

The bloc has struggled to respond to the crisis—the biggest movement of people to hit the continent since World War II—which has threatened the collapse of the EU’s cherished passport-free Schengen zone.

Concerns about a surge in immigrants was a major factor in why the British public voted to leave the European Union in June.

“Europe’s efforts to address this colossal refugee crisis has been lamentable,” said Keith Vaz, chair of the parliamentary Home Affairs Committee, which published the report.

“The EU and its member-states failed to anticipate the scale of migrant flows, and did not have the structures and mechanisms in

place to cope.

“As a result, the EU has been too slow to respond in a coordinated way,” said the report, which was based on a year-long inquiry.

The cross-party committee described a controversial deal with Turkey to send back Syrians who land on Greece’s islands as a “meaningful response,” but one that had come “far too late”.

So far this year more than 256,000 people have reached European shores, while more than 3,100 have been reported as dead or missing, according to the UN refugee agency.

The Home Affairs Committee said individual countries such as Greece and Italy should not be left to cope alone, and called for a greater focus on stopping people-trafficking boats from Libya.

Lawmakers also said Britain did not have full control of its shores, describing the number of Border Force vessels in operation as “worryingly low.”

France on Monday introduced sea patrols for passenger ferries to and from Britain, as part of increased security measures following a number of jihadist attacks in the country.

The UK committee said the large number of unregistered migrants in Europe’s border-free Schengen “exacerbates existing security threats,” but urged London to uphold its commitment to refugees from Syria.

Britain has said it will receive 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020, of more than 4 million who have fled the country’s civil war. AFP

PUEBLA—A mayor was shot dead in Mexico’s central Puebla state, the third mayor to be killed within two weeks, authorities said Tuesday, prompting calls for better security for municipal officials.

Jose Santamaria Zavala, the mayor of Huehuetlan El Grande, was found dead Monday night next to his bullet-riddled sportutility vehicle, according to a police report obtained by Agence France Presse (AFP).

The bullets came from a 9millimeter-caliber handgun, the Puebla state prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The initial investigation indicates Santamaria Zavala, 44, was the victim of a robbery attempt, the statement said, adding that authorities were not ruling out other motives.

“There were rocks on the road to block the path of the SUV,” it said, citing evidence and the testimony of an unidentified person who was with the mayor.

“The probable male culprits who intercepted the vehicle demanded money” but the witness said there was nothing to steal, the statement said.

The police report said the mayor’s secretary had been traveling with him but was not there when authorities arrived. It was not clear if the secretary was the witness interviewed by police.

At least 41 mayors have been murdered in the country since 2006, according to the National Association of Mayors of Mexico. Seven mayors-elect and 32 former mayors have also been killed in the past 10 years.

Two other mayors were killed last month.

Ambrosio Soto, the mayor of Pungabarato in the drug violence-plagued southern state of Guerrero, was ambushed by gunmen on the night of July 23-24.

Soto’s leftist Democratic Revolution Party said the mayor had “desperately” pleaded for state and federal government support after receiving threats from a gang. AFP

Boston police gives free ice cream to kids NEW YORK—It’s the ice cream truck that police hope can defrost any lingering iciness from ordinary Americans on particularly hot days: meet the latest $89,000 addition to the Boston police fleet.

Festooned in balloons and unveiled to the public on Monday, the blue-and-white van is marked with police insignia and has “Free Ice Cream” written in large blue letters underneath a serving hatch.

“If you had told me 30 years ago that the Boston Police Department would have an ice cream truck as part of its patrol force... I would’ve said you were crazy,” said city police commissioner William Evans.

The truck is part of a city community policing effort set up in 2010 to reach out to children.

The initiative has already handed out more than 120,000 free pots of chocolate and vanilla ice cream.

A police spokeswoman told Agence France Presse that the truck had been donated by the Boston Police Foundation and was valued at $89,000.

Although it will not make daily patrols it will be out in force at community events or on particularly hot days in the city, she said.

“I absolutely love the new truck,” Evans said.

“The goodwill it generates between my officers and our city’s young people is undeniable and nothing short of remarkable.”

Police said the ice cream is donated by a local Massachusetts dairy. AFP

Trump makes you retch, says Hollande PARIS—United States (US) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump makes “you want to retch,” French leader Francois Hollande said Tuesday, as he added his voice to a barrage of scathing criticism of the White House hopeful.

In a searing and virtually unprecedented presidential rebuke, Barack Obama also declared embattled Republican White House nominee Donald Trump “unfit” to be president Tuesday and called on party leaders to disown him.

“His excesses make you want to retch, even in the United States, especially when—as was Donald Trump’s case—he speaks ill of a soldier, of the memory of a soldier,” Hollande told journalists in Paris.

The French leader was referring to a feud between Trump and the Muslim parents of a slain US soldier, which has shaken the presidential campaign just three months before the November vote.

Hollande criticized Trump’s

“hurtful and humiliating comments.”

The Republican campaign to retake the White House is reeling from a series of self-inflicted scandals as Trump has in recent days criticized Muslims, babies, firefighters and the military, prompting his wincing Republican backers to issue awkward denunciations.

Obama piled on as Trump’s campaign reeled from multiple self-inflicted scandals, calling the 70-year-old mogul “woefully unprepared” and “unfit to serve as president.”

“He keeps proving it,” said Obama, standing alongside the prime minister of Singapore and casting aside any pretense of domestic unity.

In recent days, Trump has criticized Muslims, babies, firefighters and the military, prompting his wincing Republican backers to issue awkward denunciations.

Congressman Richard Hanna went one step further, becoming the first Republican lawmaker to say he will vote for Trump’s opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, in November.

“I find Trump deeply flawed in endless ways,” Hanna wrote in a newspaper editorial announcing his decision.

Obama turned up the heat on Republicans who appear increasingly ill at ease with Trump but have not withdrawn their endorsement.

“This isn’t a situation where you have an episodic gaffe,” Obama said. “This is daily and weekly where they are distancing themselves from statements he’s making.”

“There has to be a point in which you say: ‘This is not somebody I can support for president of the United States, even if he purports to be a member of my party.’” AFP

MIGRANT. Makaia, a twenty-two month old male tree-kangaroo, is fed by a staff member of the Singapore

Zoo on Wednesday following the marsupial’s arrival last month to the city-state from Australia’s Adelaide Zoo as part of a breeding program for the endangered animal. Makaia, who was raised by a surrogate yellow-footed wallaby at 47 days old after its mother was killed by a falling branch, was transferred to the Singapore Zoo in July to be mated with two-year old female Nupela, who was born in Sydney’s Taronga Zoo. AFP

Life

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com

WELLNESS & ENVIRONMENT

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

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Climate change andhuman health Elementary students learn the simple ways of being healthy while minimizing ecological impacts

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are closely interlinked

STUDY from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows how climate change can spread vector-borne diseases like malaria. Climate change causes 6 percent of global malaria cases and many communities in Asia and Africa will suffer from new disease outbreaks. In the Philippines, flooding caused by excessive rainfall and typhoons have spurred rising incidences of dengue and leptospirosis.

Since 2012, leading environmental solutions-provider World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines) and top Filipino pharmaceutical company Pascual Laboratories, Inc. (PascualLab) through the company’s SEED (Sowing to Empower, Educate and Develop) CSR initiative, have been instilling climate change and health solutions through a revitalized education program headed by WWF’s Environmental Education (EE) unit. The program has taught over 6400 students, engaged 1405 parents, trained 32 teachers and covered 10 schools.

Kalakasan, Kalikasan is a multiyear EE program that establishes the link between climate change and wellness, highlighting simple ways for Filipinos to protect their health while minimizing their ecological impacts.

“Many diseases stem from changing weather patterns,” explains WWF EE Unit Head Ruel Bate. “Strong rains can turn ditches into stagnant pools, which can be prime breeding spots for mosquitoes that carry viruses like dengue. Identifying practical solutions to these problems – like clearing areas in our homes, which can become breeding grounds for insects or ridding our homes of anything that can gather stagnant water – are effective climate adaptation measures. Our aim is simple – to promote better health through a healthy environment.”

A typical session involves teaching

Marco Polo Hong Kong Executive Chef Rolf Jaeggi is flying to Manila to conduct a cooking class covering Swiss cuisine

students about the importance of washing their hands to prevent the transfer of diseases. The activities also instill the importance of physical exercise like playing outdoors; eating nutritious food and supplementing these with vitamins; and drinking eight glasses of water daily. The beneficiaries learn about ridding houses against possible pests and disease-causing insects, the impacts of climate change on the environment and on human health; and utilizing organic, herbal medicine as a solution to illnesses such as cough.

The program started as a means of educating students and quickly expanded to teaching households. From 2015 to 2016, the program was further enhanced – replacing old multimedia materials with new visual aids. Sessions are now conducted in classrooms where PascualLab employee-volunteers take on a bigger role in helping to teach the kids. Says PascualLab Corporate Communications Director Mia Pascual Cenzon, “PascualLab’s mission is to provide the most family-friendly health and wellness products in every community where we are present. As we aim to build strong, healthy families, we think that one of the ways we can achieve this is by caring for our environment.

We share WWF’s belief that there is a direct relation to the state of every Filipino’s health, and the way we treat our Earth. Not only do we want to be part of the solution through

our products, but we also want to take our work a step further and take an active part in educating others about climate change and its effects on health.”

“I want to believe that our efforts in Kalakasan, Kalikasan helped children understand how our small actions greatly affect nature. I hope that one day, the example of at least one of our students will also be mirrored by his or her family, creating new stewards of nature,” adds Rea Calingasan, one of PascualLab’s employee-volunteers.

Phase one of Kalakasan, Kalikasan was completed in 2012 in which two schools were reached: Krus na Ligas

Elementary School and Esteban Abada Elementary School. It covered 955 elementary students and parents plus a dozen teachers.

In 2013, the program’s second phase reached four public elementary schools – Esteban Abada, Batasan Hills, Old Balara, and Kamuning. It taught 1805 students and trained 20 teachers.

The third phase in 2014 covered 1285 student and three schools – Esteban Abada Elementary School, Sto. Cristo Elementary School and Old Balara Elementary School.

The recently concluded fourth phase retained two elementary schools – Sto.

Cristo and Kamuning, while adding two more – Tomas Morato Elementary School and General Roxas Elementary School. This latest phase covered over 2000 students and was passionately facilitated by employee-volunteers, showing the continuing impactful partnership between WWF-Philippines and PascualLab. Concludes Bate, “It’s very important for schools and households to be educated about environmental and health solutions. It’s also crucial for students, parents and teachers to be reminded that small lifestyle changes will benefit not just the planet – but ourselves.”

Pascual Laboratories’ employees take part in the company’s CSR initiative of educating the youth about climate change and its effects on health

A piece of Switzerland in Manila EXPERIENCE a piece of Switzerland as Marco Polo Ortigas Manila holds a weeklong celebration of Swiss chocolates, cheese and more at All Things Swiss from Aug. 19 to Sept. 4.

Celebrating the 725th National Swiss Day is the hotel’s very own Swiss promotion, highlighting Swiss traditions from wine and cheese to praline making and to watchmaking. Launching this is the Swiss Military Band, blaring of trumpets and horns to mark the start of the celebration today at the Grand Ballroom of the only sky hotel in Manila. The band consists of 14 talented musicians. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the Chief of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General André Blattman arranged their coming to Manila for the third leg of their Asian tour, from Seoul, Beijing, and on to Singapore as they perform anthems and traditional music in various Swiss celebrations.

Discover the simplicity but flavorful Swiss favorites in a cooking class with a culinary expert, Executive Chef Rolf Jaeggi, who is flying from Marco Polo Hongkong to grace the event. Bringing with him his vast international experience, Chef Rolf specializes in Swiss cuisine with over 30 years

The ‘All Things Swiss’ food promotion features Switzerland’s traditional dishes along with chocolates and cheese

of distinguished experience with royalties and heads of states from all over the world. He will be holding a cooking class, featuring traditional dishes such as the tasty appetizer Beef Carpaccio with Beef Tartar, Quail Egg, Mache Leaves and Lemon Pepper Marinade, the tender and filling main dish Veal Zurichoise with Roesti Potatoes, and the scrumptious dessert Plum Tart with Vanilla Snaps and Whipped Cream. Learn how to do Swiss favorite dishes with Chef Rolf for only P2300.00.

Have a fine dining experience with a wide selection of Swiss dishes in a food festival at the all-day dining restaurant, Cucina, like dining on the Swiss Alps. Delight in a chocolate buffet featuring only the finest pralines. This delicious culinary experience can be enjoyed from Monday to Thursday at P1500.00 for lunch buffet and P1800.00 for dinner buffet.

Enjoy the festival on a weekend from Friday to Sunday with a lunch buffet at P2300.00 or dinner buffet at P2650.00.

The celebration does not stop as Café

Pronto lets guests discover the creation of the confectionary dessert with a showcase of praline making. Boxes of three, six and 12 are available for purchase.

Indulge in a Swiss cheese buffet and wine at Vu’s Sky Bar and Lounge. Relax and unwind the Swiss way with an unobstructed view of the Metro every night for the whole duration of All Things Swiss for P1900.00 for the cheese buffet.

Swiss wines are available either by glass or by the bottle.

Watches are part of the Swiss reputation. Take a peak in the artistry of the design of delicate timepieces with a showcase of Victorinox watches, tested for its quality and timeless elegance.

Immerse yourself in an experience of the natural Switzerland in Marco Polo Ortigas Manila’s All Things Swiss.

Contact (02) 720-7777 or email manila@ marcopolohotels.com for more information. Visit facebook.com/MarcoPoloOrtigasManila or follow @MarcoPoloManila on Twitter or Instagram.

Life

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016 isahred@gmail.com

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WEATING in order to detoxify is one of the things many hard-driving professionals know they have to do daily in order to de-stress and remain healthy. Burning calories to reduce the amount of fat in their body is another. Unfortunately, many of them find it hard to squeeze in a trip to the gym or a morning walk around the block into their busy schedule.

For weekend warriors needing to break out some serious sweat, one convenient, comfortable alternative – which can also allow them 30 minutes of precious shut-eye time – is the Thermogenic treatment in SvelT’i’s beauty and wellness center on Timog Avenue, Quezon City.

The experience is something similar to being in a steam room, with three crucial differences: the experience is private and individual, unlike the more socialized steam room designed to hold several people; and the patient can choose to relax and/ or sleep while the machine steadily softens fat and makes them leave as sweat through skin pores.

Dr. Lalaine Salazar, SvelT’i’s Medical Director, explains the science behind the machine, “Thermogenic emits into the patient’s body Far Infrared Rays or invisible waves of light that have the ability to penetrate our tis-

WAKE UP WITHOUT FAT. A beauty and wellness center in Quezon City offers Thermogenic treatment that lets users sweat and burn calories while relaxing or sleeping

Sweat and burn calories while you sleep sues, muscles and bones. It can warm our body without heating the air. Unlike Ultraviolet light, Far Infrared Rays do not cause sunburn; nor do they damage the skin. With the absorption of the FIR deep into the cells, the body generates heat and stimulates the increase in energy consumption, which triggers a boost in metabolic process. This will

result to the breaking down of fat cells, cellulite, waste and other forms of toxic substances in the body. Thermogenic can burn 600-800 kcal per treatment.”

Prior to undergoing the treatment, the patient also steps on a state-of-the-art weighing scale that within minutes lets her know her personal health-related information and allows the clinical spe-

cialists to determine the fatty areas that need reduction.

This information includes the following: weight, body fat, hydration rate, body mass index, muscle mass, visceral fat and metabolic age.

Visceral fat can also indicate the amount of fat that may be wrapped around some of the patient’s physiologi-

cal organs; the higher the amount of visceral fat, the greater the risk the patient has in developing medical conditions like hypertension.

“The metabolic rate also indicates the speed or slowness by which the patient burns calories in her body,” Dr. Salazar, continues. “Even if you are just in your thirties, but your metabolic rate is like that of a 50-year-old, then chances are you will tire easily and not produce the amount of energy you need for your daily activities. On the other hand, you may be 50 years old, but your metabolic rate is that of a twenty something, then chances are you have a lot of physical energy which makes you more active than people half your age.”

Thermogenic also speeds up a patient’s metabolic rate, which makes it a faster way to jumpstart your process in fat reduction and weight loss if you had been physically inactive for weeks or months. The first session will induce a significant amount of sweat; eight to 10 sessions are recommended to see the results.

Thermogenic also improves the patient’s blood circulation, cellular oxygenation, and skin condition. It promotes relaxation and better sleep during her rest hours, while energizing your body during the day. Sessions are likewise best taken any time of the day.

To know more about SvelT’i’s Thermogenic, please inquire at (02) 332-7546 / 09188-SVELTI (783584) or visit the clinic at 5F South Insula Condominium, 61 Timog Avenue, Quezon City from Mondays to Fridays from 9am6pm and Saturdays from 8am-1pm. You may also visit SvelT’i Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sveltiph and Instagram account @SVELTI_PH.

ALARMING CHOLESTEROL LEVELS AMONG FILIPINOS IN the midst of government warning that the number of Filipinos with high cholesterol has been increasing to an alarming level, it was noted that the prevalence was higher in women compared to men.

This was revealed by Dr. Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa, assistant scientist at Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) during the 56th Philippine Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons, Inc. (PATACSI) Foundation Day held on July 8 at Crowne Plaza Galleria.

Agdeppa said a latest survey conducted by FNRI in 2013 showed that females registered an increase of borderline cholesterol level of 51.4 percent compared to men, which is only about 41.5 percent.

She said they have no study to explain why the cholesterol level is higher in women than in men. However, she speculated it could be attributed to sedentary lifestyles among females.

In the same study, Agdeppa said the Bicol region registered the highest number of cases of people with borderline cholesterol level at 67.1 percent, compared to people from other regions of the country, followed by the National Capital Region (NCR) at 53.6 percent, and Cordilera Administrative Region (CAR) at 51.2 percent.

Agdeppa said, again, there are no studies to offer an explanation as to why these places in the Philippines have registered cases of people with borderline cholesterol than the others. “We do not know if

FNRI assistant scientist Dr. Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa reveals that high cholesterol level is more prevalent among women than men

the coconut milk or coconut products in the Bicol region can be associated with the high number of people with borderline cholesterol here,” she said.

She said that the survey is conducted only every five years by FNRI. However, since 1998, the number of cases of Filipino people with borderline cholesterol was only four percent and has increased to 18.6 percent based on the result of their latest 8th National Nutrition Survey in 2013.

“This is quite alarming and we need to make the people aware of the situation and we need to do something about it,” she added.

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that’s found in all cells of the body that is needed to make hormones, vitamin D and substances that help people digest foods.

Cholesterol travels through your bloodstream in small packages called lipoproteins (lip-o-PRO-teens). These

packages are made of fat (lipid) on the inside and proteins on the outside.

Two kinds of lipoproteins carry cholesterol throughout your body: low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL).

Having healthy levels of both types of lipoproteins is important.

LDL cholesterol sometimes is called “bad” cholesterol. A high LDL level leads to a buildup of cholesterol in your arteries.

HDL cholesterol sometimes is called “good” cholesterol. This is because it carries cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver. Your liver removes the cholesterol from your body.

Agdeppa said that a switch to proper or more active lifestyle and right dietary choices are the key to combat this situation. She added that prevalence has spiked to an alarming rate of one in two Filipino adults suffering from this health condition. She said that borderline cholesterol problem starts to increase among Filipino people in their 20’s and starts to becomes more prevalent among the Filipino adults when they reach their 40’s and even higher in their midlife.

In the same survey, about 51.5 percent of adults have already been suffering from borderline cholesterol for people at the age of 40 to 49 with the highest of 61.9 percent for people with ages of 50 to 59 years old. This number has slightly decreased for people between the age of 60 to 69 at 58.9 percent, and even lower to people in their 70s at 57.5

percent when the older people are more cautious in their dietary concerns.

Stress is also one of the top factors to the increase of the cholesterol levels, she said. Experts linked the high levels of cholesterol to the top non-communicable killers in the Philippines such as diabetes, hypertension, chronic cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases alone have accounted for about 170,000 deaths in the Philippines each year, making it the leading cause of mortality among Filipinos, she said.

Clars Guerrero, marketing head of Beverages and Fruits of Del Monte said their company has joined the FNRI and members of PATACSI in an advocacy to address this situation, and responded to the government call to do something about this, by creating the “Heart Smart” Pineapple and Orange juice products with reducol content that could reduce the cholesterol levels. She said there were clinical studies that was conducted for eight weeks that showed the effectivity of these products in reducing the cholesterol levels among the people who were part of the test. Del Monte is a leading producer of pineapple and other food products in the country today.

David Peele, president of Avoca Inc. and makers of the Reducol said that this special ingredient of these two juices were made of fruits mostly extracted from soya beans. “Based on clinical studies, Reducol has been proven to be safe and effective in lowering cholesterol levels,” he said.

5 Secrets to increase productivity at work FOR most of us, coffee is a mainstay drink at work to fuel productivity and beat the dreaded midday slump. A stimulant, the caffeine in your coffee boosts alertness to get you going throughout the day. Then, there are some days that the good ol’ cup won’t cut it.

What to do then? Here are five hacks to increase your productivity at work.

1. Be proactive with your time Don’t let your work emails eat your day. Take control of your time with the tried and tested todo list. Start with your top three goals for the day and stick to it until the end of business. Entrepreneur magazine contributor and technopreneur Peter Daisyme recommends properly dividing your time for tasks such as responding to emails, attending to meetings, or working on passion projects will provide you a rundown of the day so you will feel more in control. Time management is key.

2. Take advantage of your commute Metro Manila traffic may be horrible but think of it as a blessing in disguise. Instead of listing things that make you hate Manila’s “carmageddon” especially during rush hour, make use of your commuting time to do something productive. The possibilities are endless: bring a book with you for reading when the gridlock happens or listen to audio books or podcasts, says financial journalist and money expert Miranda Marquit. In a way, you’re investing on yourself while others lose precious time from worrying and being angry at traffic.

Taking five-minute breaks for every half an hour of work helps improve focus in doing tasks

3. Quit multi-tasking Doing many things or multi-tasking may seem efficient on the surface but psychologists think

otherwise. Doing too many things at once is detrimental to one’s sanity and can lead to more project errors that may eventually lead to delays.

Switching your attention in between tasks can shave off 40 percent of your productive time. Remember that mentally demanding work requires focus and alertness, or you run the risk of delivering errors instead of results. Nobody wants that. So stick to a task and complete it within a feasible time before moving on to a new one.

4. Do the two-minute rule Forbes magazine contributor and entrepreneur Steve Olenski recommends implementing the “two-minute rule” to make the most of your time at work. Here’s how it works: from your list of things to accomplish, identify the tasks that won’t require more than two minutes to finish and do them. For example, wash the dishes after you eat instead of leaving them on the sink for the next day. Your future self will thank you for being a responsible adult. Moreover, if there are dreaded tasks that you are putting off to start because you need to be “in the mood,” convince you rs e l f to put in two minutes to whatever this task may be. Before you know

it, you are slowly finding that momentum to actually finish that thing and seal that deal. Congratulations, productive you!

5. Take rewarding breaks Taking scheduled breaks helps improve focus in doing tasks. An example is the Pomodoro method of taking five-minute breaks every half an hour of work. To further motivate yourself, set a timer every 30 minutes and reward yourself with simple indulgences, such as taking a bite of your favorite Lotus Biscoff cookie while sipping your coffee. Each bite of Europe’s favorite cookie will surely awaken your taste buds and keep you energized. The best part, you prevent overeating while at the same time, you would look forward to that next cookie after another half hour of work. Talk about accomplishing multiple goals in one go.

Showbiz

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016 isahred@gmail.com

‘Ang Katatawanan ng Kalituhan’ opens Dulaang UP’s 41st season To commemorate William Shakespeare’s 400th death anniversary, Dulaang UP stages ‘Ang Katatawanan ng Kalituhan,’ a Filipino translation of the celebrated playwright’s ‘The Comedy of Errors’

W

ITHOUT questions, there will be no “Revelations.”

“Revelations”, the theme of Dulaang UP’s 41st season, is brought to life in its opening production, Ang Katatawanan ng Kalituhan, Guelan VarelaLuarca’s Filipino translation of William Shakespeare’s The Comedy Of Errors.

The production not only resonates the theme of the season but also serves as a commemoration of the great playwright William Shakespeare’s 400th death anniversary. The play is a cleverly crafted tale of mistaken

identities, loves lost and found, families gone astray and made whole again.

Alexander Cortez, known for clever handling of Shakespearean plays (DUP’s Macbeth and Richard III), directs the play. The production boasts a formidable and talented artistic staff: Dr. Judy Ick (dramaturgy), Gino Gonzales (costume design), Ohm

David (set design), Meliton Roxas, Jr. (technical direction and lights design), Jethro Joaquin (sound and music design), Patrick John Rebullida (choreography), Winter David (video design), Jojit Lorenzo (photography) and Paolo Santillan (art direction for photography and poster design).

Ang Katatawanan ng Kalituhan runs from Aug. 24

to Sept.11 at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theatre, 2nd floor Palma Hall, U.P. Diliman, Quezon City.

For tickets, sponsorship, and show buying inquiries, contact Arkel Mendoza (0908 8149975) or Christine Laforteza (0905 9523501). Or call Dulaang UP Office at 926-1349, 433-7840, 981-8500 local 2449 or emaildulaangupmarketing@gmail.com.

Fans show up to meet Teejay

ABS-CBN recruitment’s Arlyn Fausto and Kristine Nanagas (center) accept the JobStreet Top Companies Report 2016 award

Only media company in Jobstreet’s Top Companies For 2016 ABS-CBN is the only media and entertainment company in the country that made it to the list of the top companies in the Philippines that Filipinos dream to work. This is based on the results of JobStreet’s Top Companies Report for 2016.

This is the third consecutive time that ABS-CBN landed on the top companies Filipino jobseekers aspire to be part in JobStreet’s annual Top Companies Report since 2014.

According to the JobStreet survey, employees love ABS-CBN for its company reputation, training and development, and perks and benefits.

Employee respondents also said, “True to what the company calls

the millions of customers who watch our programs, we who work here at ABS-CBN (and we) also feel that the Kapamilya spirit is very much alive.”

Some 14,062 JobStreet. com members representing a mix of employees who hold different position levels participated in the 2016 survey from May to July 2016. It was also revealed that basic salary is the top factor Filipino jobseekers look for in companies they apply in..

ABS-CBN vice president for corporate recruitment Arlyn Fausto and ABSCBN recruitment marketing sourcing manager Kristine Nanagas accepted the JobStreet Top Companies Report 2016 award.

ALMOST a hundred fans trooped to SM City Fairview to meet and greet actor Teejay Marquez at the YSA Skin and Body Experts Clinic, occupying the whole basement of the mall.

“We were all surprised that Teejay’s fans really came to see him at the clinic. We were actually embarrassed because we disturbed the nearby shops. Next time we will rent the activity center,” said YSA Corp. Operations Director Sheila Nazal, who was happy with the turnout of the crowd.

The 2011 PMPC Star Awards for Television’s Best Male New TV Personality was joined in by celebrities Len Len Frial, Jasmine Pichon and Francine Rifol, who also endorse YSA clinics and products.

Teejay is currently single but admits to having a crush on Stefhanie Zamora Husen, his Indonesian love interest in his current soap titled Kisah Cinta Di Sekolah (Love Story In School).

Teejay is also doing a movie with Jessica Mila that will be released very soon.

“It’s a story of a Filipino guy sent by his parents to study in Indonesia where he meets a girl,” says Teejay, who is thankful to YSA for the support for all his projects.

The Gawad Kabataan Youth Ambassador

TWENTY-FIVE candidates for Miss Finessa 2016 were presented to the members of the press at Fernandina Suites in Cubao, Quezon City. The search for the new face of Finessa Aesthetica will act as brand ambassadors for Finessa Aesthetica, Inc. Finessa Aesthetica marketing team, headed by General Manager Rowee Suarez, organized the pageant search as part of the company’s pre-anniversary treat. It aims is to create an opportunity to discover raw talents as ambassadors of beauty with the help of modern technology.

Finessa Aesthetica, which started in September 2013, now has three branches in

Thursday, August 4, 2016

50 Shaman’s findings 52 Mineral rarity 55 “Hawkeye” Pierce 56 Parka feature 57 — it’s at 59 Plod heavily 60 Cornell or Pound 61 Paranormal, to some 62 Daly of “Cagney & Lacey” 63 Prepare potatoes 64 Update a watch DOWN 1 Rum-soaked cake 2 Singer Burl 3 Comic-strip crime fighter (2 wds.)

4 Taiga denizen 5 Convertible sofa 6 Went in kneedeep 7 Tones 8 “Et tu” time 9 First space lab 10 Exasperating 11 Bug out 12 Either Sprat 13 Marvel mutant heroes (hyph.)

22 Sheltered side

23 25 26 27 28 29

is now looking for a TV network in the Philippines in which he can share his talents after his projects in Indonesia.

After the meet-and-greet, Teejay had his regular HIFU treatment at the clinic. YSA’s high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a nonsurgical facelift that uses safe, high intensity focused ultrasound energy to tighten and lift the skin without down time.

“HIFU is today’s best non-surgical, non-invasive and superior treatment for lifting and tightening skin and muscles of the face, neck, eye brows and other areas. If you have mild to moderate skin laxity where your skin begins to feel and look less firm, like a lowered eyebrow line, loose skin on the neck, sagging under the chin, and lines or wrinkles on the chest, HIFU is for you,” says Nazal.

THE Dark Knight PH, the premier Batman fan group in the Philppines, will hold a fan screening of the highlyanticipated superhero movie, The Suicide Squad on Aug. 6, 8 p.m. at IMAX Theater, SM Aura.

Proceeds will be donated to Project HERO for the benefit of children battling cancer at the Cancer Institute of the Philippines General Hospital.

The screening is made possible also with the assistance of Statues & Collectibles Alliance Ph (SCAPH), Comics Club Philippines (CCP), The Comic Brook (TCB) and Hot Toys & Sideshow Market (HTSS).

With over 1,300 members and followers on Facebook, Twitter and on blogs, The Dark Knight PH has been recognized by the comic book community and business establishments for promoting local talents and artists as well as being the source of news and information with regards to their passion for the DC universe.

The group under AL.F.R.E.D. Initiative (Alliance for Reaching Everyone’s Dream) holds fundraising activities regularly for the benefit of various charities.

One of these is Heroes 4 Kids established in May 2015 to fight illiteracy in the provinces of Batangas and within the Badjao ethnic communities.

The Dark Knight PH also raised funds through their active involvement in comic book conventions and donated 50 notebooks, pencils, crayons and reading materials to Heroes 4 Kids.

The Suicide Squad is the group’s movie of choice for to its cast of characters. Aside from residing in the same comic universe as Batman, the muchhyped movie also features prominent figures from the Batman comics such as Joker and Harley Quinn.

Those who are willing to collaborate with The Dark Knight PH through sponsorships may contact Mr. Paolo Ollero (09209577650) or Mr. James Gomez (09999309919) or e-mail any inquiries or concerns to thedarkknightphilippines@ gmail.com.

Search for 2016 Miss Finessa Ambassador of Beauty

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Stuck around 6 Odd notion 10 Holly, to a botanist 14 Teresa’s town 15 Import vehicle 16 Squeeze oranges 17 Tom Sawyer’s girl 18 Big bucks?

19 “Kiss Me” girl 20 Seek an answer 21 Post-sneeze word 23 Cheer up 24 At bay 26 Truck stop 27 Float locale 29 Electric plug part 31 Joie de vivre 32 Lull 33 Chevron shape 36 Von Braun, for one (2 wds.)

40 Islet 41 Up and about 42 Low voice 43 Old car windows 44 Roomy sleeve 46 Very short time 48 Org. for geniuses 49 Beauty’s swain

Social media personality and actor Teejay Marquez

The Dark Knight PH screens ‘The Suicide Squad’

Nubby fabric Almost too lush Med amount Job benefit Burn soother Measures off distance 30 Totally botch 32 Furtive whisper 33 Hamlet residents 34 Como — usted?

35 School near Windsor Castle 37 Not on all fours 38 Rake tooth

39 Luggage IDs 43 Face 44 Toon Chihuahua 45 Respond 46 Mr. Savalas 47 Environmental concern 48 Olympic award 49 Cat-goddess of Egypt (var.)

50 Seep 51 Additional 53 Toledo’s lake 54 Comply with 56 Not square 58 Laugh syllable

Timog, White Plains, and at Pergola Mall in Paranaque City. It boasts the best noninvasive technology in slimming and skin care in Metro Manila, under the direct supervision of board certified dermatologists, led by Colleen Tiongson, resident dermatologist.

Treatments performed at the Finessa facilities are worry free. The aesthetician nurses are well trained in techniques to promote optional skin and body health. All skin products are hypoallergenic. Skin and body instruments are sterilized using the same methods in cleaning surgical instruments to assure non-transmission of infections of any sort.

Finessa ReForm for face helps get rid of chubby cheeks, gives instant firming and lifting for a younger looking face. It also helps in reducing wrinkles, skin tightening, for facial and body contouring. Body treatments include Tunnel, Sauna, PDT light, Full Body Exfoliation with dead sea salt, tightening, toning, and slimming problem areas with Body and Abs sculpture, Sound Wave Slimming System, Non-Invasive Ultra Liposuction, Cryolypsis, and UltraCavitation.

The Miss Finessa 2016 coronation night will be held on Aug. 12 at the Ceremonial Hall Marriott Hotel Resorts World Manila.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com

D4

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

Showbiz

4TH Impact

in New Season of ‘The X Factor UK’ SISTERS Mylene, Celina, Irene and Almira Cercado, better known as the all-Filipino girl group 4TH Impact, will appear in a series of on-air clips promoting the new season of The X Factor UK on RTL CBS Entertainment this month.

The girls catapulted to fame

through their first audition in London with standing ovations and rave reviews from judges including Simon Cowell.

The video of the first performance has received over 57 million views on YouTube.

With their unique talent and guidance from mentor,

PINOY PRIDE. Vocal group 4TH Impact will appear in a series of promotional clips to herald the new season of the top-rating reality talent show

Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, 4TH Impact ultimately finished fifth in last year’s competition.

After the show, the group was part of The X Factor 2016 Live Tour that kicked off in February this year.

The X Factor 2016 Live Tour is an arena tour that travels

all around the U.K. Finalists perform classic songs and viewers’ favorites from the TV series. Attended by over three million people, The X Factor Live Tour has been one of the most successful annual arena tours in the UK for the past twelve years.

Apart from the clips, RTL CBS Entertainment also had the opportunity to interview the girls about their experience during the competition. The interview will be posted on the RTL CBS Facebook page, www.facebook. com/RTLCBSEntertainment in the coming weeks.

The new season of The X Factor UK premieres first and exclusive on RTL CBS Entertainment on Aug.28, Sundays and Mondays, same day as the U.K., at 10:30 a.m. with primetime encores on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays at 9 p.m.

Award-winning

Asian

‘The Kids’ is an engaging and convincing drama about the emotional and financial challenges faced by a Taipei teenage couple

indie films

at Cinemalaya 2016

A

WARD-WINNING Asian indie films will be showcased in the Visions of Asia section of the 12th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival on Aug. 5 to 14 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Ten films, all released in 2015, will be featured. They are Stranger (Kazakhstan) by Yermek Tursunov, Motor Bicycle (Sri Lanka) by Shameera Rangana Naotunna, Until I Lose My Breath (Turkey/Germany)

by Emine Emel Balci, Mina Walking (Afghanistan) by Yosef Baraki, The Kids (Taiwan)

by Sunny Yu, Under Heaven (Kyrgyzstan) by Dalmira Tilepbergenova, River Road (China) by Li Ruijun, Child of Debt (India) by Umashankar Swamy, Ken and Kazu (Japan)

by Hiroshi Shoji and August in Tokyo (Japan) by Ryutaro Nakagawa.

Ken and Kazu and August in Tokyo are being shown under the new partnership of Cinemalaya and Eiga Sai Japanese Film Festival.

The alliance will provide both festivals with opportunities for film exchange, help in the promotion of both events and contribute to audience building and film education. The screenings of the Japanese films will be free admission.

Ken and Kazu win the Best Film Prize at the 2015 Tokyo International Film Festival – Japan Cinema Splash Competition. Obsession, sense of indebtedness, connection and future is portrayed against the backdrop of drug dealings in the underworld in this film which is Hiroshi Shoji’s feature directorial debut, based on his eponymous 2011 short.

August in Tokyo was the 2014 Film Festival Japanese Cinema Splash Official Selection. The film presents a parallel story of a man and a woman living in suburb of Tokyo. In a corner of the city, a man named Natsuo lives as a yakuza and a woman named Natsuki works part-time.

Although they rarely think about their families, they attempt to reunite with them. Brother and sister, father and daughter; the distance between them begins

to shrink. But this film portrays the dynamics of people trying to coexist in nature and in the city.

Stranger begins in the steppes of 1930s Kazakhstan, where little Ilyas lives with his father amidst the ravages of famine and the terrorizing collectivization imposed by the Soviet Union.

Orphaned by the systematic purge that took his father away in the dead of night, Ilyas escapes to the mountains. There, he turns his back on progress, taking up with a pack of wolves and choosing to live according to ancestral ways. Yet he remains watchful of the changes occurring down below. His chosen way of life, his ever growing longing for villager Kamshut, and the rising dominance of Soviet modernity will prove to be the sources of Ilyas’ lifelong struggle.

Motor Bicycle is about a 26-year-old man living with his mother in the slums of the capital city.

For a living, he plays the guitar and sings in a small nightclub.

Rangana’s mother, a 50-year-old widow, runs a small street shop in the slums to make ends meet. His ambition is to make it big as a popular singing star someday. Also, he constantly dreams of buying a new motorbike and taking his girlfriend for a ride.

Meanwhile, he is involved in practice sessions with a tiny musical band, in a room in a friend’s nearby flat, that the neighbors are protesting.

Rangana keeps pleading with his mother to pawn her gold necklace, so that he could buy a motorbike. She agrees reluctantly, but Rangana buys his motorcycle from a place in town that sells false pretexts. This causes severe complications in his life.

Until I Lose My Breath tells about Serap, a quiet but hot-

Cinemalaya 2016 trains the spotlight on Asian films including (from top) Japan’s ‘Ken and Kazu’ and ‘August in Tokyo,’ and Kazakhstan’s ‘Strangers’

headed adolescent who is working long hours in a cramped clothing workshop as a runner.

Fed up with her abusive brotherin-law and detached sister, the only thing that keeps Serap going is the hope of moving into an apartment with her father

who is a long distance truck driver. Since the father is quite indifferent to Serap’s wishes, she decides to take matters in her own hands.

Mina Walking is about Afghan women that are no longer prisoners in their homes

after the ouster of the Taliban.

For Mina, this means the responsibility to work in order to support her family. Thus, she wanders Kabul’s streets selling cheap trinkets to feed her Alzheimer stricken grandfather and her heroin-addicted father.

But Mina wants to be normal so she secretly attends classes a decision that sets in motion a chain of events that change her life forever.

The Kids tells of Bao-Li who has just started 8th grade when he comes to the rescue of Jia-Jia, an older girl he immediately falls in love with.

When JiaJia becomes pregnant with their daughter, Bao-Li drops out of school to support his new family and tries to earn Jia-Jia a nicer home, but discovers that his mother has gambled away all their savings.

After a heated argument, JiaJ i a admits that she is having an affair, and takes their daughter away with her.

Hoping to win Jia-Jia back, Bao-Li starts selling drugs to make money, realizing there are many difficulties in life he must face. is a Under Heaven modern-day re-working of the biblical tale of Cain and Abel set in a remote mountain village in Central Asia. Two brothers, rebellious Kerim and conscientious Aman, live with their mother and work at the family stonemason business. Their father has been forced to find work in Russia in order to pay off Kerim’s debts, incurred as a result of his eldest son’s drug dealing activities. The brothers both fall for a local village girl, Saltanat, which ultimately leads to a bitter dispute and unforeseen and tragic consequences.

River Road is the story of Yugur ethnic minority brothers, Adikeer and Bartel, and their

journey travelling through the Silk Road to go home to their parents. Confronted with barren landscapes, abandoned villages, and decaying relics, their journey becomes a search for their identity as Yugurs.

Towards the end of their journey, a chance encounter with an elderly Buddhist llama has profound consequences. It opens up possibilities for the beginning of a new journey that Bartel and Adikeer must undertake, one into unexplored territories from which they can never return to the home of their ancestral past.

Child of Debt is about a farm hand who works to clear his debt and succumbs to an illness.

Subba his son must now repay the debt. The boy begins to lose his innocence and playfulness.

His joyful friendship with Oba, the landlord’s son, is now colored by feudal power relations, and they are no longer equals who can play and frolic in the woods and the streams.

Saalada Magu shows how, despite the bounty of nature, a web of debt and feudal authority draws people into a deadly spiral. Film gently takes the viewer into the emotional life of an idyllic community.

Cinemalaya serves to inspire Asian filmmakers by showcasing the Philippines as the cinematic center of creativity and free artistic expression.

Cinemalaya is a project of Cinemalaya Foundation, Inc., Cultural Center of the Philippines and Ayala Malls Cinemas. Established in 2005, Cinemalaya is an all-digital film festival and competition that aims to discover, encourage and honor cinematic works of Filipino filmmakers.

Films will be screened at the CCP and Ayala theaters in Greenbelt 3 and Glorietta, Makati, Fairview Terraces, Trinoma and UP Town Center, Quezon City and Solenad, Nuvali in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

In Cebu, Cinemalaya will be held at the Ayala Center Cebu on August 9 to 14.

For more information, visit www.cinemalaya.org, www. culturalcenter.gov.ph and the Cinemalaya facebook page or CCP Media Arts at telephone number 832-1125 local 1704-1705 and the CCP Box Office at 832-3704.