Manila Standard - 2016 October 26 - Wednesday

‘Wary traders may leave’

VOL. XXX • NO. 256 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016 • www.thestandard.com.ph • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday urged foreign businesses in the Philippines worried about his deadly war on drugs to “pack up and leave” as he launched another anti-American tirade before flying to Japan to attract investments.

Duterte voiced outrage at comments the previous day by the top US envoy

to Asia that his fiery rhetoric and crime war, which has claimed about 3,700 lives in four months, were bad for business.

“These Americans are really crazy.

Their style is to walk here. They think they are somebodies,” Duterte said, as he held up a newspaper with headlines reporting the criticism from US Assistant Secretary Next page of State Daniel Russel.

Du30 resumes anti-US rhetoric Threatens to scrap Edca

DRESSED TO THE NINES. President Rodrigo Duterte gets a breathing spell while fielding questions from members of the Japanese media in Malacañang on Monday, on the eve of his diplomatic engagement in Japan, where the women’s group Gabriela expects the Filipino leader will help fulfill the demands of the wartime sex slaves of Japan’s Imperial forces.

By John Paolo Bencito

Tokyo visit to deepen ties with ‘true friend’

By John Paolo Bencito PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said that greater political, economic and defense cooperation between the Philippines and its “true friend” Japan will be on top of his list as he embarks on a threeday official visit to Tokyo.

Speaking before reporters at the Manila airport before he left, Duterte said that his trip to Japan is a “visit that is most-awaited.”

“This official visit will be a valuable opportunity to further deepen and broaden the Philippine’ relationship with Japan, our valued strategic

partner and one of our true friends,” Duterte said before leaving for Tokyo on Tuesday.

“We will discuss, among others, greater politico-social and defense cooperation particularly in maritime domain awareness and maritime security.”

“With Japan as the Philippines’ top trading partner, I shall seek the sustainment and further enhancement of our important economic ties.”

In his three-day trip, Duterte will be meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Emperor Akihito, which opens “the way for discus-

Amid sea row, Japan insists on rule of law REAR Admiral Hidetoshi Iwasaki of Japan called for the rule of law in solving the dispute in the South China Sea and assured the Philippines that its maritime security ties with it will continue.

The Philippines and other countries have maritime disputes with China in the South China Sea while Japan has its own territorial dispute with China in the East China Sea. “The situation is getting more complicated,” Iwasaki said at the Port Area in Manila Monday night.

“We have to think about the rule of law. Rule of law means these countries have signed up the Unclos (United Nations Convention on the law of the sea). This is the rule of

the sea where the region needs to adhere to and respect.”

Iwasaki said there were 190 newly commissioned officers on board in their four-day training squadron ships sharing knowledge with their Filipino marine counterparts during their stay.

Along with the JS Kashima, two other vessels, the JS Asagiri and JS Setoyuki, arrived on Monday in a four-day goodwill visit marking the 60th commemorative training between the Philippines and Japan.

“This marks the 60th anniversary of the Philippines-Japan diplomatic relationship,” Iwasaki said.

“This is 69 times commemorative training for us. The Japan Defense forces started the training course in 1958.”

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sions on key issues of mutual importance to our countries and peoples.”

“The visit will be an opportunity for me to personally thank Japan for its preeminent and peerless role as the Philippines’ development partner. I shall seek the strengthening of this role through more highimpact projects that will benefit our nation.”

“This is an important time for Philippines-Japan relations as we advance an independent foreign policy in our engagement with the community of nations,” he added.

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P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday shot back at a top American diplomat who asked him to tone down his fiery rhetoric, which he said was causing “growing concern” around the world, telling the visiting envoy that the US should not treat the Philippines “like a dog on a leash.”

Before embarking on a three-day official visit to Japan, Duterte dismissed the possibility of having military alliances with any country other than the United States, but said he was keen to rescind the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement that the country signed with Washington.

After Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay briefed him on the remarks of visiting US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel, Duterte said the Americans had started the war by threatening to cut off US assistance as a result of human rights violations committed under his administration.

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by “Yolanda.”

The rest will be used to prepare for or respond to calamities that will happen in 2016, to which P19 billion has been allocated and P1 billion more in People’s Survival Fund.

Because P5.09 billion from the 2015 Calamity Fund was not

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said that he will be asking Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for greater assistance in building more railways for the country, particularly in Mindanao as he pursues political, economic and defense cooperation between the Philippines and its “true friend,” Japan.

In an interview with the Japanese media before leaving the country, Duterte said he will be pushing for economic cooperation in the form of “more infrastructure, bridges, and railways” to spur growth in the countryside.

“As you can see, no nation has developed faster without the railway. We might want to have it in Mindanao, considering my limited term, we cannot talk of a massive railway station because that would involve something

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Yolanda rehab snail-paced—Recto WITH the third anniversary of the onslaught of “Yolanda” days away, Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto said the pace of reconstruction appeared to be too slow based on the low use of the P18.9 billion appropriated this year to repair the damage wrought by the strongest typhoon in history.

“Yolanda” landed on Nov.

8, 2013, killing about 10,000 people and leaving thousands more homeless.

Recto said P18.9 billion out of the P38.9-billion 2016 Calamity Fund―officially known as the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund―had been earmarked to rebuild the areas in Eastern Visayas destroyed

Subic Bay dispute up to courts to decide

Graft, infra lack make PH ‘less competitive’ THE Philippines’ overall competitiveness ranking in 20162017 went down by 10 notches to 57th from 47th out of 144 countries due to corruption and lack of infrastructure, according to a report released by the World Economic Forum.

The WEF’s Global Competitiveness Report or GCR shows that, from 2012 to 2017, corruption, inefficient government bureaucracy and inadequate supply of infrastructure had become “constant problematic issues in doing business in the Philippines.”

The Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department of the House of Representatives came out with the WEF report to guide lawmakers in policy making.

The WEF defines competitiveness as “the set of institutions, policies and factors that determine a country’s productivity which, in turn, sets the level of prosperity that the country can achieve.”

The WEF says productivity levels determine the return on investments in an economy and are also the fundamental drivers of a country’s growth rates.

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More trains coming —Rody

GOOD WISHES. Former Presidents Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (left) and Joseph Ejercito Estrada greet each other Tuesday after gracing the Memorandum of Understanding signing between Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and the Early Childhood Care and Development Council at the Ramon Magsaysay Entrepreneurial Center in Intramuros. Ey Acasio

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MALACAÑANG will let the courts decide who will assume the post of administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority following the scramble to get that post, an official said Tuesday.

“We’ll leave it to the courts to decide, but if there is no ruling yet, we’ll proceed with the current setup,” Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said.

On Oct. 10, newly appointed SBMA Chairman Martin Diño issued a memo to all officials and employees telling them he was not only chairman of the agency but also its administrator and chief executive.

But the SBMA’s former chairman and administrator Roberto Garcia said in his valedictory speech that, in view of the still vacant post of administrator, he Next page

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Duterte: No strings attached to China aid P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte assured that there are “no strings attached” on the close to P90 million in Chinese aid received by the Philippines for relief to the victims of typhoons ‘‘Karen’’ and ‘‘Lawin.’’

Duterte thanked Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jinhua, who visited the Palace to personally give P50 million shelled out by the Chinese Embassy to assist in rehabilitation efforts.

“These are the amounts that the Chinese government has given us by way of help. By the way, no strings

attached. It’s completely out of benevolence,” Duterte said Monday night.

Duterte said that the Chinese gave a total of P89.9 million in aid, including $100,000 (P4.8 million) from the Chinese Red Cross and RMB5 million (P35 million) from the Chinese government itself.

“This will go a long way to rehabilitate and return the people, our countrymen to the normal life,” Duterte said. “For our country, it will surely go a long way [and] these will go to the national treasurer.”

The Chinese Embassy meanwhile said it is confident that the typhoon victims will swiftly recover from the calamity under Duterte’s leadership.

“Thank you very much for your countrymen, as friend as brothers it’s our duty and responsibility to provide assistance to the victims of

typhoon,” Zhao said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping likewise “expressed sympathy and condolences” to President Rodrigo Duterte during their bilateral talk in Beijing on October 20, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has also condoled with his counterpart, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. “Lawin,” which hammered through northern Luzon last week, is the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year. It left at least 12 casualties and billions in damages.

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“Russel says ‘Duterte comments causing worries in business communities’. Then you pack up and leave. We will recover, I assure you,” he said.

Duterte then flew to Japan, one of the top US allies in Asia, for a three-day visit that is partly aimed at building on two-way trade of more than $18 billion last year.

“With Japan as the Philippines’ top trading partner, I shall seek the sustainment and further enhancement of our important economic ties,” Duterte, 71, said in prepared remarks at Manila airport.

“I look forward to meeting business leaders in Japan. I will tell them clearly that the Philippines is open for business.”

Duterte will meet with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and have an audience with Emperor Akihito during the trip, which follows his headline-grabbing state visit to China last week.

Duterte, a self-proclaimed socialist with close links to communists, announced in Beijing the Philippines’ “separation” from the United States, throwing into doubt a 70-year alliance that is anchored on a mutual defense treaty.

He quickly walked back from his comments after returning from China, saying “separation” did not mean he would “sever” ties and that the US alliance would continue.

But his anti-American vitriol also continued.

Duterte said Tuesday he was not a “lapdog” of the United States, and again voiced anger at American and European criticism of apparent extrajudicial killings on his watch.

“You are a son of a whore,” he said referring to his critics.

“Do not make us dogs. Do not.

As if I am a dog with a leash and then you throw bread far away that I cannot reach.”

Duterte has previously branded US President Barack Obama a “son of a bitch” and told him to “go to hell.”

Russel, the US envoy, said after meeting Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. on Monday that many people around the world were becoming increasingly worried about Duterte’s tirades.

“The succession of controversial statements, comments and a real climate of uncertainty about the Philippines’ intentions have created consternation in a number of countries,” Russel said.

“Not only in mine and not only among governments, but also growing concern in other communities, in the expat Filipino community, in corporate boardrooms as well.”

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The three Japanese maritime vessels set their voyage for 169 days in May, when they started their journey from Hawaii to Europe, the Malacca straits, Singapore and Sri Lanka.

The Philippines, Iwasaki said, was their last stop before going back to Japan on Oct. 27.

The ships came from Colombo where Iwasaki said Japan would continue to reinforce its maritime security ties with Sri Lanka. Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

SQUADRON COMMANDER.

Rear Adm. Commander Iwasaki Hidetoshi of the Japan Training Squadron talks to newsmen about the engagements between Philippine Navy personnel and their counterparts like ship tour, courtesy call to navy leadership, goodwill games and receptions for cultural exchanges.

Lino Santos

GOODWILL VISIT. The training squadron of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force is docked in Manila since Monday for a fiveday goodwill visit to the Philippines to enhance friendship with the Philippine Navy, on the eve of President Rodrigo Duterte’s departure for Tokyo. Lino Santos

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Duterte will also meet with Japanese business leaders and tell them “that the Philippines is open for business.”

To support the Philippines’ sustained growth and development, Duterte would also open avenues of cooperation in key infrastructure development.

Mindanao will be a central focus of his trip to Japan, as he moves towards “a just and lasting peace and development.”

The Philippines and Japan have long been key US allies in Asia, but Duterte has done a dramatic U-turn since coming to office in late June.

That appeared to culminate last week in Beijing where he declared his “separation” from the United States, played down a maritime dispute with China and pledged to enhance friendship and economic ties.

Back home on Saturday, however, the former mayor seemed to walk back his comments, saying he would not be severing the alliance with Washington.

And on Monday, he went further, telling Japanese media that the US will remain the country’s sole military ally.

“The alliances are alive, it is there,” he said in a reference to the United States, according to Kyodo News.

“There should be no worry about changes of alliances. I do not need to have alliances with other nations.”

Other Japanese media including the top-selling Yomiuri Shimbun quoted him as saying that all military activities with the US should be halted.

His seesawing has been closely watched in Japan, a major investor and aid donor to Manila that is wary of China’s rising influence.

“It is important to have good communication and to

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like almost 6,000 kilometers,” Duterte said Monday, adding that he would be asking for possible Japanese support for train systems to Clark and Bicol.

“In particular, we can tap the experience and expertise of Japan in developing high quality and modern public transportation,” Duterte said in another speech before leaving the country on Tuesday.

The only problem he saw, Duterte admitted, is the space needed to build the necessary infrastructure.

“Plenty of houses and people there.

Even to get the space to put the rail-

listen directly to what Mr Duterte has in mind,” Japanese foreign minister Fumio Kishida, who will dine with the president later Tuesday, told reporters when asked about the firebrand leader’s elusive comments on ties with Washington.

Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper said that improvement in diplomatic relations among “neighboring nations” is desirable in principle.

“But if they disrespect the rule of law for the sake of narrow bilateral interest, that would be a grave concern for the Asian region,” it said in a Saturday editorial, referring to Duterte’s Beijing visit.

Duterte told Japanese public broadcaster NHK that his talks with Abe will center on economic cooperation and “shared interest” in an interview ahead of his three-day visit.

“Now the most important thing there is the shared interest... it’s about the South China Sea,” he said.

Duterte has made a habit of hurling sharp, even profane, verbal barbs at the US and President Barack Obama, which resulted in Washington cancelling talks between them at an Asean summit last month.

But Kunihiko Miyake, a former Japanese diplomat and visiting professor at Ritsumeikan University, warned against reading too much into such rhetoric.

“President Duterte is an anti-US nationalist and populist leader, which doesn’t necessarily mean he is pro-China,” Miyake said.

Still, he noted the need to “watch closely” his words and actions.

In recent months Abe has criticized China for rejecting the international tribunal ruling, which said Beijing’s expansive claims to the waters had no legal basis.

At talks Wednesday, Duterte and Abe are expected to agree on expanding ties in areas of “maritime security and defense cooperation”, a Japanese embassy official in Manila told reporters. With AFP

way to make it run. Something which is a very big, an enormous problem for government and the builder itself, the contractor,” he said.

Japan had earlier announced that it is pouring a massive $2.4 billion for a 38-kilometer (24-mile) elevated commuter line would connect Manila to nearby Bulacan province to decongest the capital and help spur economic activity.

Masato Ohtaka, deputy press secretary for Japan’s foreign ministry, said that Japan has signified its openness to building a railway Mindanao, a project Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had previously said China offered to fund.

During his state visit to Beijing last week, the Transportation De-

Yolanda...

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spent, it was added to the fund’s available appropriations for 2016, raising its spend-

partment had signed an MoU for a rail system aimed at spurring development in the countryside and improving the connectivity of goods, services and people in far-flung areas as well as reducing the congestion in the major cities.

Among these are The Mindanao Railway System and the Manila to Clark direct railway as well as the Clark-Subic cargo and passenger railway.

A Japanese-funded study earlier stressed that official estimates on metropolitan Manila’s notorious traffic jams cost the Philippine economy at least P3 billion ($64 million), former Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.

John Paolo Bencito

able amount this year to almost P44 billion.

However, as of the end of August, only P6.9 billion had been spent leaving a balance of P37 billion.

“Even if the entire P6.9 billion was spent for “Yolanda,” this is still small,” Recto

Du30...

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“You tell them, you sons of bitches, don’t treat us like a dog,” he said in Filipino. “Don’t put us on a leash then throw us scraps that we can’t reach.”

“Every time they threaten us, including the European Union, you’d think they’re brighter than we are. Then they tell me, ‘Be careful, we will put you in prison. Son of a bitch, you try it,” he said again in Filipino, responding to threats from the International Criminal Court.

Duterte also took Russel’s statements as a challenge to the Philippines.

“Then leave the country. We will persevere. We will recover, I assure you. We will live,” he said.

“I didn’t start this fight. They started it.”

He noted that before the May elections, he was called out by two foreign ambassadors for his comments on the jailhouse rape of a foreign missionary during a 1989 prison riot.

On Monday, Russel said the series of Duterte’s “controversial statements” against the US have caused uncertainty and “consternation” among some countries, not only his own.

Russel also said the President’s remarks were a growing concern not only among governments, but in communities such as the expat Filipino community, and in corporate boardrooms.

“This is not a positive trend,” he warned.

Duterte during his visit to Beijing has declared that he wanted to “separate” from the country’s top trading partner and long-time ally, the United States.

Russel was here to seek an explanation of Duterte’s remarks from the Philippine government.

In an interview with Japanese media on Monday, Duterte said that he has no plan to forge a military alliance with any country other than the United States, playing down concerns over his veering toward China.

“There should be no worry about changes of alliances. I do not need to have alliances with other nations,” he said.

But Duterte also said he doesn’t want to see soldiers of any foreign power on Philippine soil.

In this regard, he said he wanted to rescind the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, an executive agreement that gives the US military rights to use and build on Philippine military bases.

“Well, forget it. If I stay here long enough, one day that Edca will, if it’s an executive agreement, then I will just,” Duterte said without finishing his sentence, then making a gesture as if sweeping something away.

“That’s the long and short of it.

I want an independent policy that doesn’t follow anyone,” he added.

Duterte had earlier questioned the validity of the Edca because it did not bear the signature of former President Benigno Aquino III. The agreement was signed by then-Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and outgoing US Am-

bassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg.

In the same speech, Duterte denied that he made any deals with China during his trip there last week.

“They’re so quick to give malice. All we talked about in China was how to cook siopao and chopsuey,” he added.

Goldberg said Tuesday the US wants to remain involved in the campaign to quell Islamic militancy in Mindanao, after Duterte threatened to kick out American forces.

Goldberg said the security threat in the conflict-plagued region was “very serious,” warning the Islamic State was among a number of foreign militant organization trying to increase its involvement there.

“We’ve helped the Philippines as it has reduced the threat over time,” Goldberg told ABS-CBN television.

“But we are concerned obviously about any new intrusion of ISIS [Islamic State group] or any other group that wants to take advantage of open space in the south of the Philippines. So we want to continue doing that.”

The United States had deployed from 2002 to 2014 a rotating force of about 600 troops in Mindanao to train Filipino soldiers.

The presence was scaled down after the United States deemed the militants there had “largely devolved into disorganized groups resorting to criminal undertakings,” a US statement in 2014 said.

Islamic militant attacks spiked after that, most prominently with the homegrown Abu Sayyaf group abducting dozens of foreigners and locals to extort ransoms.

About 100 American troops remain in the south, Goldberg said on Tuesday.

But Duterte, who took office on June 30, has said they are adding to tensions with the Islamic communities in Mindanao.

“These US special forces, they have to go in Mindanao,” Duterte said last month.

Duterte, who describes himself as a socialist and part Muslim, has called for the ejection of US troops as part of a general effort to dilute his nation’s 70-year alliance with the United States.

Islamic militants have waged a decades-long separatist insurgency in Mindanao that has claimed more than 120,000 lives.

The region is the ancestral homeland of the Muslim minority in the mainly Catholic Philippines.

The major rebel organizations are no longer waging armed struggle, but harder-line splinter groups such as the Abu Sayyaf have remained a threat.

Goldberg warned that Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian group responsible for the deadly 2002 bombings on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, and other foreigners were in Mindanao.

“This is a very serious issue,” Goldberg said.

“We are not just dealing with Abu Sayyaf but groups from the region like Jemaah Islamiyah. We see increasing efforts from ISIS to become involved.” With AFP

Subic...

Graft,...

would be the hold-over administrator until the President had appointed his replacement.

Meanwhile, Medialdea has named SBMA deputy administrator for legal affairs Randy Escolango as the new officer-in-charge of the SBMA Office of the Administrator.

Diño said with his appointment as chairman, he was duty-bound to assume and perform the duties, powers and functions of chairman/ administrator and CEO. An October 11 petition filed by Rolly Meer Aldea, an executive assistant to Zambales Vice Governor Angel Magsaysay before an Olongapo court, petitioned for the revocation of Medialdea’s appointment of Escolango, saying someone was already occupying the position.

“Mr. Diño as chairman is also the administrator of SBMA,” the petition says, “pursuant to Republic Act 7227.”

It says the implementation of Executive Order 340, issued in 2004

by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to split the chairman and administrator posts to two people of the SBMA, “is a violation of the law.” John Paolo Bencito

Compared to its neighboring Asean member-states, the WEF says, the Philippines’ ranking in the 2016-2017 GCR is lower than Malaysia’s, Thailand’s, Indonesia’s, Vietnam’s and Singapore’s but higher than Cambodia’s.

“When compared to the 20152016 GCR, the countries that managed to improve their rankings included Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam. On the other hand, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines all registered lower rankings in the 2016-2017 Report,” the WEF report says.

Singapore retained its overall ranking of second, the report says.

In 2012-2013 the Philippines ranked 65th, went up to 59th in 2013-2014, improved further to 52nd in 2014-2015, and went down 10 notches to 57th in 2016 from 47th in 2015.

The WEF report showing the overall global competitiveness index that determines individual country rankings is based on three sub-indices: basic requirements, efficiency enhancers and innovation and sophistication factors, each critical to a particular stage of development. Christine F. Herrera

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said.

“This clearly indicates poor absorption by agencies, and to the detriment of the people who are supposed to benefit from the prompt implementation of projects that it will fund.

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“It also means that the rehabilitation of public works, shelter, livelihood and farms destroyed by “Yolanda” was proceeding slow. That’s the only conclusion you can draw from the anemic use of funds.” Macon Ramos-Araneta

News IN BRIEF Ex-DoST secretary held liable THE Commission on Audit has held ex-Department of Science and Technology secretary Mario Montejo and nine other officials culpable for disallowed grant of cash incentives of P10,644,705.28 in 2010 and 2011.

The CoA upheld the approval by the DoST of the collective negotiation agreement (CNA) incentives, saying the CNA was only a one-time benefit, and that the funding must be sourced only from savings realized from operating expenses.

An audit of the DoST’s financial records showed the CNA incentives were paid out to officials and employees in 2010 amounting to P5.871 million and in 2011 amounting to P4.774 million although CoA issued notices of disallowance on the disbursements on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18, 2011.

Rio N. Araja

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

PH contracts Hyundai to build P15.7-b frigate

By Florante S. Solmerin

T

HE Department of National Defense has signed a contract with Hyundai of South Korea to build two brand new frigate worth P15.7 billion for the Navy.

According to Defense Undersecretary Raymundo Elefante said the contract, signed

by Defense Secretary Delfin

Lorenzana, is the first big-ticket item entered into with a foreign supplier by the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

“This is the first time for our Navy to have a modern frigate and it will be additional, of course, to the fleet as part of our modernization,” Elefante said.

The cost of the warship does not include the amount of armaments that would be installed as this would be a separate contract.

The frigate would be an added asset of the Navy’s mandate to patrol and defend the country’s territorial waters especially in the

West Philippine Sea where China has been in a grabbing spree of territories inside the exclusive economic zone despite the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration by junking Beijing’s excessive “nine-dash line” claim in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, Elefante who was currently in Japan said over a phone interview that the DND is set to acquire the lease of five TC9 patrol aircrafts.

The long-range patrol aircrafts

GARBAGE-FREE CEMETERIES. Ahead

of the national memorial celebration for the dead, members of the EcoWaste Coalition remind the public not to litter the hollowed resting sites of their departed family members and friends.

Norman Cruz

Sulu gov, 3 others suspended THE Ombudsman has directed the suspension of Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan II, his father former vice governor Abdusakur Tan and brother Maimbung, Sulu Mayor Samier Abubakar Tan for supposed failure to comply with Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

In a six-page decision, the Ombudsman found vice governor Tan and Mayor Tan guilty of non-filing or improper filing of their statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth for several years.

“The OMB Certification dated 26 May 2016 confirms the respondents Vice Gov. Tan, Samier (Tan), and Al-Zhudurie failed to filed their SALNs on or before April 30 of every year as required [by law]. Considering the habituality of not filing their SALNs, this office hereby imposes the penalty of suspension from office without pay for a period of six months,” the Ombudsman’s decision read.

Rio N. Araja

Pestaño 10’s appeal nixed THE Court of Appeals has denied the plea of eight of the 10 Philippine Navy personnel to nullify the arrest warrants issued against them by the Regional Trial Court of Manila City, in connection with the 1995 murder of Ensign Philip Pestaño.

In a two-page resolution, CA’s Former Special Sixth Division through Associate Justice Nina Antonio-Valenzuela ruled that the petitioners failed to present new arguments that would warrant the reversal of its decision issued on April 29, 2016.

The appellate court rejected the argument of the petitioners that Manila RTC Judge Josefina Siscar committed grave abuse of discretion in directing the issuance of a warrant of arrest against them last July 23, 2013. Rey E. Requejo

are also a boost to the capability of the Air Force for aerial patrol and surveillance in the WPS and other parts of the country.

He said Japan would be leasing the four aircrafts to the Armed Forces of the Philippines for $7,000 per year and only $200 for the fifth one because it is already an old one.

“In the contract, we can lease and use the aircrafts as long as we want to use them. There is no expiration,” Elefante said.

Philippines marks 71 years with UN Refugee

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan UNITED Nations Philippines Resident Coordinator Ola Almgren admitted that it was a challenging task between the UN and the Philippines to resolve the complexities of humanitarian and development, “The Philippines and the UN have made great strides together in surmounting some of the most complex humanitarian and development challenges. While we look back and celebrate our successes, we also look forward and stand even more committed to work hand in hand toward achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals,” Almgren

said during the UN Day observance on Monday night jointly led by the Department of Foreign Affairs and UN. DFA Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr., for his part, assured the UN that the Philippines, under Duterte administration, will adhere to due process and strict observance of the rule of law.

“In the war against drugs, we stand firm in our adherence to due process and strict observance of the rule of law,” Yasay said.

“Our actions are predicated on the general welfare of the Filipino people, which we can never compromise. With lessons

from history, we will always be looking after our interests first and foremost especially for the benefit of millions of Filipinos left behind as victims of numerous inequalities resulting from outdated economic and political structures,” the Foreign chief added.

He said that one of the biggest problems of the country, that needed to be addressed soon, are corruption and criminality.

“Rampant corruption, worsening crime situation and widespread use of illegal drugs seriously imperil our society, break apart our families, and impede our sustainable development goals,” Yasay said.

Former Rizal exec appointed to MMDA

By Joel E. Zurbano PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte appointed former Rizal vice governor Frisco San Juan Jr., as deputy chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority as its general manager Thomas Orbos was promoted acting chairman of the agency.

Orbos said having a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Mapua

Institute of Science and Technology, San Juan’s technical skill will be invaluable to the agency and will play a vital part in addressing various concerns in the metropolis.

He added the MMDA sees a more harmonious working relationship with the 17 local chief executives in Metro Manila with San Juan on board.

San Juan started his corporate career with Ayala Corp. as an assistant engineer in

1974, the year after getting his civil engineer license.

After his stint with Ayala Corp., he also joined various realty development companies, including Makati Development Corp. (assistant project engineer), Philpost Realty Development Corp. (vice president for Infrastructure Development, member Board of Directors), and Eastern Construction Co. Inc. (chief executive officer).

DPWH creates team for right-of-way cases

By Vito Barcelo

DRILL TO PERFECTION. After a dispersal that resulted in the injury of several protesters, Manila policemen hold a drill to practice skills in crowd control. Norman Cruz

THE Department of Public Works and Highways has created a task force that will expedite the acquisition of right-of-way that causes delays in the completion of infrastructure projects nationwide.

Public Works Secretary Mark Villar signed Department Order No. 203 creating the Unified Project Management Office Right-of-Way Task Force that would monitor ROW issues affecting the implementation of UPMO road, bridge and flood control projects nationwide.

He said the task force will be headed by DPWH Under-

secretary for UPMO Operations Emil K. Sadain, and Legal Service director Estrella T. Decena-Zaldivar as vice chairman and UPMO Cluster directors as members.

Villar said it will monitor the ROW acquisition status and will recommend appropriate actions for ROW issues.

He said many infrastructures nationwide were behind completion date because of pending ROW cases.

“The creation of the new task force and the processing of ROW claims for UPMO projects will speed up, resulting to a more effective and expeditious completion of urgent infrastructure,” Villar added.

families get help

By Sara D. Fabunan ABOUT 4,700 people who were displaced for one year due to armed violence in Surigao del Sur recently received substantial support from the Red Cross to rebuild their lives.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, with the support of the Philippine Red Cross-Surigao del Sur chapter, distributed aid from October 13 to 20 to mostly indigenous families who returned to their hometowns in Tago, Marihatag, San Miguel, Lianga and San Agustin in early September.

“When we returned home after spending a year in the sports complex in Tandag City, all our livestock and crops had died.

Weeds and grass covered our fields. We will have to replant and revive our farms so we can provide for our families,” Demetrio Bada of Barangay Lagangan, Tago Municipality, said.

Thousands of people fled their homes after three civilians were killed by armed men in their community in September 2015.

Only a week later, the ICRC was able to give relief items to displaced families who sheltered in the provincial sports complex.

“The main challenge for these returning communities will be how they can restart their lives. It will take them at least six months to start rebuilding. With ample support, they will be able to recover faster,” Olav Sinsuat, head of the ICRC office in Butuan, Agusan del Norte, said.

To help the formerly displaced cope, the ICRC provided each family with half-month food rations consisting of 25 kilograms of rice, 12 cans of sardines, 2 liters of oil, 1 liter of soy sauce, 1 kilogram of sugar, ½ kilogram of salt, as well as hygiene items.

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Opinion

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

L

AWMAKERS this week reported that the two large telecommunications companies, PLDT and Globe, failed to send out storm alerts to mobile phone users as required by law during the last typhoon.

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlo Isagani Zarate and Senator Grace Poe say the carriers failed to comply with the Free Mobile Disaster Alerts Act of 2014 and its implementing rules and regulations that were approved in 2015.

The 2014 law mandates telecommunications companies to send out free alerts at intervals to subscribers “in the event of an

impending tropical storm, typhoon, tsunami, or other calamities.”

The law’s implementing rules require the NDRRMC to send a warning to telecommunications companies for dissemination to subscribers. The National Telecommunications Commission is then expected to monitor if the messages were sent.

But Zarate, one of the

Adelle Chua, Editor

Storm alerts sponsors of the law, said he checked in areas heavily affected by Super Typhoon “Lawin” and found that many phone users had received no text alerts. This was also the case during Typhoon “Karen,” he said, when he was in Bicol when the storm hit.

Zarate said the law prescribes that alerts be sent before, during and after the disaster—something that did not happen.

Poe noted the same lack of text message alerts in Metro Manila, which had been put under Storm Signal No. 1— adding that there was no excuse for the telecommunica-

tions giants not to comply with the law in the capital.

But PLDT and Globe insist that they were not remiss in their duties.

Globe said it sent “at least three alerts” through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to warn of an impending disaster to subscribers who live near the affected area.

PLDT and Globe also said they followed the NDRRMC directive to send out alerts only in areas directly in the typhoon’s path. That meant that Metro Manila subscribers received no alerts because the storm, at Signal

No. 1, had not reached “disaster level” here.

Under the law, the alerts shall consist of up-to-date information from relevant agencies and sent directly to mobile phone subscribers located near and within the affected areas. It adds that the alerts should include the contact information of local government units and other agencies that are required to respond to the situation.

Other relevant information may include evacuation areas, relief sites, and pick-up points.

Tellingly, the deputy commissioner of the NTC said

his agency could not confirm whether the NDRRMC actually sent out the alerts, even though the law requires it to monitor compliance.

Clearly, the situation leaves much to be desired.

Are we to take the telecommunications companies, which have had a spotty record of public service, at their word that the messages were indeed sent out, even though the agency that is supposed to be monitoring compliance fails to do so?

Poe has filed a Senate resolution seeking clarification of how the law is being carried out, if at all. It is high time.

VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ

Why Digong hates America

Mocha madness LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES WHERE free speech flourishes, the people get to decide. This is why truly democratic states cherish and protect this most basic of freedoms.

Now, regarding the social media superstar named Mocha Uson, more than four-million people have apparently decided that she’s worth “following,” as the platform’s terminology calls the action of finding out what she has to say on a daily basis (or more often). If there is currently another commenter on the local political scene in this age of multiple traditional and digital media media platforms who has a bigger soapbox than Uson, I haven’t heard of him or her.

But Uson is not a journalist, an academic, a politician or a member of any of the professions

that usually give birth to such celebrity pundits. In her previous career as a dancer and leader of the eponymous Mocha Girls, she achieved only minor success.

That was before she discovered her true metier as the pundit of choice of millions of Filipinos, by transforming herself into the arch-defender and booster of all things Rodrigo Duterte. Her career path has less in common with old-school media giants like the late Louie Beltran than it has with the former comedian Cynthia Patag—if Patag was ever read and followed by millions, instead of just the few remaining loyalists of the Aquino family.

Uson has had the distinction of being one of the very few people to have conducted a sit-down interview with Duterte, who appreciates her work and her media reach.

As I wrote many moons ago, the people who thought nothing of then-President Noynoy Aquino according the same privilege to that execrable comedian Vice Ganda should not begrudge Uson

the “scoop”; what president, after all, doesn’t relish the opportunity to talk to a “safe” media person with great reach who will lob only

one-on-one with Arn-Arn, the muppet double of the broadcast journalist Arnold Clavio. After that low point in presidential sit-down interviews, Ganda and Uson doing the same was, in my opinion, unremarkable.) *** Because this is the time of DuDemocracy terte, when the people (not just the is noisy, unruly, political and economic elites) have taken a proprietary interest in the shallow, success of their president, any attempt to silence Uson can be exconflicting, pected to be met with stiff popupartisan and lar resistance. Especially online, where Uson’s regular audience contradictory— is now up in arms over a petition but people would for social media giant Facebook to take down the former dancer’s not have it any personal Mocha Uson Blog page. other way.

The online petition has gathered the signatures of several thousands, reports say. But because Facebook is a business, first and foremost, I doubt very softball questions and gush at any much if Uson will ever be sianswer? lenced—the millions who visit (Fun fact: President Gloria her FB page certainly generate a Macapagal Arroyo once had a lot more revenue for Mark Zuck-

erberg than some piddling number of unreconstructed Aquino fans who want her mouth taped over, like in the photo that Uson herself posted to dramatize her supposed persecution.

Of course, if we assume that Aquino supporters are behind the move to shut down Uson (are there any other suspects?), this represents another irony: The people who so virulently attacked the regime of Ferdinand Marcos for preventing free expression are now hell-bent on silencing someone whose views they don’t agree with.

But in a free market of ideas and commentary, the people get to decide who they want to listen to and read. As someone who makes a living by selling my own point of view to whoever is interested in hearing it, I understand this perfectly well.

And instead of calling for outside agencies—or website owners—to shut up the competition, I’ve always Turn to A5

WHY does Rodrigo Roa Duterte hate America so much?

The reasons are captured in anecdotes and experiences in Duterte’s dealings with Americans during his youth and years as a politician. He remembers more the wrongs done him, by the Americans.

First, when Duterte was a teenager, an American, a Jesuit priest, molested him sexually. He was then a first year student at the Ateneo de Davao.

He was apparently fondled in a confessional.

Second, in 2002 when Duterte was still mayor, there was an explosion in Davao.

A suspect, an American, was wounded in the bombing attempt inside his hotel room and was brought to the hospital. The American, a certain Michael Terrence Meiring, had identified himself as a treasure hunter and even identified himself, at times, as with the “CIA.” Suddenly, agents claiming to be with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation barged into the Davao Doctors’ Hospital and extricated the American. This left Duterte literally holding an empty bag.

Third, Duterte apparently was involved in at least two incidents regarding his US visa.

The first was when he was a congressman and was part of a congressional mission to a Latin American country. The group had to enter the US en route to the Lat-Am country.

On his way to his country of destination the letter certifying to his being a transit passenger was confiscated by the US immigration agent. Taking a return trip to Manila also via the US, the in-transit immigration agent was looking for the same letter. Of course, Duterte could not produce the letter because it had been taken away earlier by the first agent when he entered the US en route to Lat-Am. So there was an altercation.

The other incident was related by Duterte himself during his pre-departure press conference yesterday at the Naia for his three-day Japan visit.

Interviewed by a US embassy consul the first time he was planning to go to America, Turn to A5

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Opinion

DID visiting United States Assistant Secretary for Asia and the Pacific Daniel Russel really believe that everything would be smooth in our country’s foreign relations after speaking with Foreign Affairs Secretary Jun Yasay and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana? The meeting took place after the profanity-laced rhetoric of President Rodrigo Duterte against President Barack Obama and Americans in general.

Russel, who came with a mission to clarify things and iron out differences, himself said the US and the world are concerned about President Duterte’s ranting.

Everyone I have spoken to is concerned: What is Duterte doing to our decades-old relations with the US, especially so with the more than half a million Filipino immigrants to the United States, Filipino expats and Filipino businessmen living there? The majority of our people are still pro-Americans. Almost every other Filipino has relatives living in the US. While there’s need for an independent foreign policy, pivoting to China and Russia at the expense of the United States, to my mind, is incomprehensible. We now live in a global community.

At the risk of being labelled pro-American, I believe that maintaining our alliances with the US has its distinct advantages, not only economically but militarily. The US remains the biggest superpower.

Majority of Filipinos don’t trust China as shown in poll surveys. While I believe that Duterte’s pivot to China and Russia also has its advantages, maintaining our alliances with the US and the West is the best way to go on foreign relations.

President Duterte should not forget that unlike decades ago, the United States no longer needs the Philippines as much as we need it. The US now has effective control of seas and oceans around the world. With American bases in the Pacific—Japan and South Korea—the Americans actually no longer need the Philippines as they did decades ago.

Mr. Duterte knows only too well that Filipinos would still prefer to immigrate to the US, instead of to China and Russia. *** Last week, I wrote about the Duterte administration putting up a P50.2-billion facility on a 500-hectare land in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija. This is for the transfer of the New Bilibid Prison in at Muntinlupa City and the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City.

But some kinks in the proposed public-private partnership program under a build-transfermaintain arrangement still have to be ironed out. There are, for instance, the high cost of the project and some 400 private claimants to the property now being used by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

What Secretary of Justice Vitaliano Aguirre, who has the Bureau of Corrections under his control, should understand is that relocation of the NBP is the final solution to the drug trade prob-

lem.

The NBP was built to accommodate only 8,400 inmates, but it’s now bursting at the seams with more than 24,000.

Actually, the relocation project has long been delayed because of local politics and lack of political will and resolve by the six-year BS Aquino administration.

Now, the bidding to be participated in by the San Miguel Holdings Corp., DM Consunji Inc. and the Mega Structure Consortium (Megawide) is scheduled on Nov. 25. The new facility will be able to accommodate at least 20,880 inmates, with separate quarters for maximum and minimum security compounds.

Building-related service could be outsourced, such as laundry, waste treatment and disposal sewage treatment and power generation. Maximum security gadgets and state-of-the-art digital electronic gadgets will also be installed for the inmates.

Despite the misgivings of consultants about the high cost of the project, they should not forget that both the NBP and the Correctional Institute for Women can be privatized since they both are prime properties.

Any delay in the transfer would simply be bad. *** As I predicted, the appointment of President Duterte of a chairman and an administrator at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority was a big mistake. These two would have conflicting interests.

The SBMA charter is precise that both positions should be held by only one person. Thus, with the appointment of Martin Dino as chairman and Randy Escolango, former Freeport administrator for legal affairs, as SBMA administrator, a turf war could ensue.

That the SBMA had one person as chairman and administrator was why Richard Gordon and Felicito Payumo, and even Roberto Garcia, were successful in their jobs. *** The incompetence of the BS Aquino administration is now emerging. Social Welfare Secretary Judy Tagiwalo said that some 200,000 victims of supertyphoon “Yolanda” had been excluded from the government emergency shelter assistance program of the BS Aquino administration.

In fact, the DSWD has submitted to President Duterte its review of the multi-billion peso donations for “Yolanda” victims, including their discriminatory treatments due to their political affiliations. Santa Banana, this is criminal, to say the least!

Former DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman should answer for this.

It’s about time that those in the Aquino administration who misused the billions donated by foreign investors and institutions should be held accountable. They should be charged in court. Most of those complaining about discrimination come from Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) and Region 6 (Western Visayas).

Likewise, Taguiwalo should also look into the CCT or Conditional Cash Transfer Program under the past administration.

BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO HILLARY Clinton is in the cusp of making history. The former US Secretary of State, New York senator and First Lady is on the way to becoming America’s first woman president. Against billionaire businessman Donald Trump, Hillary, according to the latest pre-election polls, should win in the Nov.9 presidential elections.

Trump is considered the most dangerous man on the planet if elected US president.

He has antagonized minorities particularly the millions of Mexicans in America. He vowed to keep them out by building a wall between the US and Mexico. Even more outrageous is his idea that he would make Mexico pay for the construction of the wall.

The man is out of touch and needs a reality check. Mexico’s economy is improving and in a matter of years Mexicans will no longer want to enter the US while those already in America will probably return home. In case Trump does not get it yet or refuses to acknowledge it, the world’s richest man, Carlos Slim, is Mexican. Slim, who always figure in the Forbes Magazine list of global billionaires, is worth $50 billion—a fortune

From A4

believed that the success of others

should prod me to do better. At a time when some people think that they should appoint themselves as editors and curators of what the rest of us should be consuming in media, supposedly for the good of the nation and everyone else, I offer this paraphrase of the old admonition to doctors—edit and curate yourself.

There is nothing Zen about the media world, anyway. If nobody reads or watches or listens to what you put out, you might as well have never written, broadcast or blogged.

If people want Mocha Uson,

they’re welcome to her. If they want someone else some time later, that’s really up to them.

Democracy is like that. It’s noisy, unruly, shallow, conflicting, partisan and contradictory —but the people, if you let them choose, would not have it any other way.

If some people have a problem with other people’s views, they can just tune out—or unfollow, as they say these days. Or they can find some other place to reside where their “betters” always tell them what’s best for them and punish them for not doing as they’re told.

North Korea would be one of the places I would recommend to those people. And if they can find their way there, I hope they purchase only one-way tickets.

made by his group of Mexican business conglomerates.

In their third and final presidential debate in the runup to the November 9 elections, Trump made a slightly better showing.

But his comment of not accepting the elections results if beaten by Clinton made the bigger headline. This is an unprecedented and the first time a presidential candidate threatened not to accept official election results if he loses. Defeated Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore accepted defeat and conceded to George Bush in 2000 despite a close race marked by the key vote in the state of Florida.

US airs concern Assistant US Secretary of State for East Asia Affairs Daniel Russel expressed Washington’s concern over the series of statements made by President Rodrigo Duterte as he cited the two nations’ shared values of freedom, democracy and respect for human rights. In their over an hour meeting at the DFA, Russel also conveyed to Secretary of Foreign Affairs Perfecto Yasay Jr. that President Duterte’s controversial statements are causing international dismay among foreign investors.

Yasay Jr. told Russel the Philippines is not breaking diplomatic relations with America but merely charting an independent foreign policy. Yasay was clarifying Duterte’s statement made during his four-day state visit in Beijing that he was “separating

from the US “ in foreign policy and economically.

Russel made clear there are no strings attached to US foreign aid and that Washington merely wants to work with Manila in setting common goals that will redound to both countries’ benefit. The Balikatan war games, he said, was to strengthen the Philippine military capacity by way of training. A refurbished C130 plane was turned over on Monday to the Philippines by outgoing US Ambassador Philip Goldberg.

In a multi-polar world there is no such thing as an independent foreign policy. Every country is interdependent on each other. Even the world’s only superpower US is aware of the Philippines’ strategic value in its rebalancing of military forces in Asia and the Pacific. But the Philippine pivot to China delivered by Duterte’s flirting with Beijing has become a matter of concern to the US. Duterte’s threat to end the Balikatan war exercises under the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement must have sent Russel to Manila on this diplomatic mission.

US Secretary of State John Kerry called from Washington during the two officials’ meeting but details of the call were not revealed by Russel. It was not known whether Russel sought a meeting with the President or not. But it was just as well be-

cause a request to be arranged by the US embassy might have been denied, an occasion for Digong to crow about.

The Duterte “separation” statement has also raised deep concern among local captains of industry. Leading Filipino industrialist Manny V. Pangilinan said the separation statement is disquieting to big business and foreign investors. Among the casualties of a break in ties with the US would be the multi-million Business Process Outsourcing industry. BPO call centers employ hundreds of thousands of Filipinos and their dislocation in the event BPOs pull out would surely have serious consequences.

“It’s better to talk less than to say more and appear more common,” said former President Fidel V. Ramos as he cautioned Duterte not to use acerbic words. He said the country must maintain old trusted friends even as it tries to make new ones as Duterte is doing with China. How will Duterte do a balancing act when he visits Japan this week and meets with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe? Japan, which occupied China during World War II, is seen as an enemy of China due to their territorial dispute in the Senkaku/Diaoyo Island in the East China Sea. Japan has also been supplying the Philippines with patrol boats to strengthen its maritime borders in the West Philippine Sea.

Disruption = change

Former Social Welfare and Development Secretary Soliman should be held accountable.

Mocha...

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

In the cusp of making history

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

Anomalies now coming out

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016

SO I SEE LITO BANAYO AFTER a reception attended by executives of top business corporations at the Nihon Kogyo Club in Marunouchi, Tokyo, a small group went to the Restaurant Kurosawa at Nagatacho for dinner.

The restaurant was designed such that it evoked, both from its exterior appearance and the simple but elegant interiors, the ambience of actual samurai living, bringing the patrons back to some 200 years ago. And in the room where we partook of the best shabu-shabu ever, based on a recipe of the Kurosawa family, an actual painting by the world-acclaimed film director Akira Kurosawa of samurai congregating together was the singular centerpiece in a reedcovered wall.

Our four-man Filipino group was composed of a creative marketing genius, a young corporate executive and a lawyer, plus myself. Sitting on tatami mats, we faced a former ambassador who now heads the Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation, a university professor, a medical doctor and two other Japanese business executives.

The French wines were of excellent vintage, but the ingredients in the shabu-shabu, from

Why...

From A4 Duterte was asked what was the purpose of his visit. Duterte said, “to visit my girlfriend.”

“Yeah?,” the consul was incredulous, “What if you decide to marry the girlfriend and you do not come back here in the Philippines?” Irritated, Duterte snapped back: ‘Mr. Consul, even if you grant me multiple lifetime visa and even if you give me $50,000 I will not go there any more. I’ll stay here in the Philippines!”

Because of those visa incidents, Duterte now plans to require visas for visiting Americans and those residing in the Philippines. Nearly 800,000 American tourists visit the

the wagyu to the kurobuta to the crisp vegetables were simply excellent (and I thought the best I tasted was in an ancient restaurant in Kobe years ago), but more than the food and the libations, it was the conversation that struck me as most edifying.

The central topic was President Rodrigo Duterte.

At first our Japanese hosts were trying to capture the most politically correct words to describe the Philippine president who was arriving the day after.

“He is really different…some kind of a maverick,” someone said.

“Maybe like a ronin?” one Filipino tried to inject appropriate humor.

That was where the university professor lit up and said, “NO, in the best traditions of the samurai, because your president is fighting for something pure and noble.”

We were quite awed. We thought that because of the historic competition between Japan and China, they would be slightly critical of our President’s statements. But no, truth is, they were simply not expecting a Filipino president to be so refreshing, if too candid.

They, as well as the large majority of Filipinos, both in our country and abroad, had been accustomed to leaders who were predictably pro-American, and with it, predictably approving of the statements coming from American-influenced multilateral institutions and countries.

“Your president is on center stage all over the world. He is

the symbol of disruption,” the medical specialist, one of Japan’s best, chimed in.

To which the former ambassador added: “To be disruptive is what true change means.”

At one point in the conversation, one of the Japanese gentlemen before us emoted: “Did America have to unleash the atomic bomb upon innocent people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Would the war not have ended, with us vanquished anyway, without having to commit such a crime against humanity?

And now they excoriate about human rights in a war against criminals?”

He said it so poignantly, almost with tears in his eyes, that we were so moved into quietude.

America, the most powerful nation on earth, self-proclaimed

by President Obama and his predecessors as such, and expectedly recognized by most of the world, must come to terms with certain nationalist sensibilities that no matter how globalized the world has become, remains a fierce reality.

Treat every sovereign nation and every race as equals and with respect. Whether that is a former wartime enemy as Japan, or a Communist state like China, or a small but highly energized island nation as Taiwan, or a former colony kept in poverty by its leaders’ failed policies and subservience like the Philippines.

The world is changing, as much as high technology has changed the views and opinions

of its citizens, particularly the millennials. Whether in Africa or war-torn parts of the Middle East, in Latin America as in Asia, and even in old Europe, it is America which must adjust.

And not always expect the rest of humanity to fall in line, and step in their step. *** There were a lot of topics and project possibilities that we discussed Monday night amid the ambiance of a samurai dwelling. But all those will have to depend on the success of President Duterte’s meetings with key officials in Japan. And the impression he will leave, the goodwill his visit will generate.

Above all, it is important for these leaders and the Emperor, to “feel” the inner Duterte, to get to know the samurai in him.

Very apropos to setting the tone of the country’s aperture japonais, after the visit to competing China, were the remarks made by the president and CEO of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, Mr. Vince Dizon, during the reception at Marunouchi.

He quoted a Japanese proverb, “Koketsu ni irazunba koji wo ezu.”

“If you do not enter the tiger’s cave, you will not catch its cub.”

Roughly explained, the “hyperbole” (a favorite Digong word) means: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You can’t do anything without risking something.

Precisely. Mismo. Disruption equals change.

country every year, the second largest group of visitors. Many of them are of Filipino ancestry or naturalized Americans.

The incident that really got Duterte’s goat was the remark by outgoing US Ambassador Philip Goldberg last April 2016.

Campaigning for president, Candidate Duterte recalled a kidnapping incident in which an Australian missionary was raped by the bandits. He saw the victim and exclaimed in Tagalog: “What a pity. What came to my mind was, ‘They raped her, lined up for her.’ I was mad because she was raped. She was so beautiful. The mayor should have been first!”

The rape remark angered the Australian ambassador Amanda Gorley who twitted: “Rape and murder should never be joked

about or trivialized. Violence against women and girls is unacceptable anytime, anywhere.”

To which Ambassador Goldberg, chimed in, while being interviewed by CNN Philippines: “Any statements by anyone, anywhere that either degrade women or trivialize issues so serious as rape or murder, are not ones that we condone.”

Duterte saw Goldberg’s remarks as political interference.

He explained later “I was not insulting the Australian woman. I was derogating the act of rape. For me, it’s a slang.”

Unfortunately for Goldberg, Duterte won overwhelmingly, garnering 16.6 million votes, 39 percent of the total votes cast for president, and 6.62 million more votes than the second placer, Mar Roxas.

As president, Duterte became the object of international condemnation because of the viciousness of his campaign against illegal drugs. More than 4,000 have died since the campaign began when Duterte assumed the presidency on July 1, 2016. About 40 people die daily, victims or caught in the drug war.

Duterte believes it is bad manners for people like President Barack Obama, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and ranking officials the European Union to condemn his tactics.

He was also incensed that donor countries threatened to withdraw or cut back on foreign aid if he did not tow the civility line.

“F*ck you, do not treat me like a dog,” he protested yesterday. biznewsasia@gmail.com

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TODAY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

DoJ okays charges vs 3 blast suspects T

By Rey E. Requejo

HE Department of Justice approved the indictment of three Davao City night market bombing suspects for illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

CONTRABAND FROM CHINA. Customs Commissioner

Nicanor Faeldon shows one of 12 containers of rice from China, valued at about P20 million, that was intercepted at the Port of Manila. Norman Cruz

PMO-NEGROS OCCIDENTAL/BANAGO/BACOLOD-BREDCO PORT OF BANAGO, BACOLOD CITY TeleFax nos. (034) 441-1225; 441-1041; Email Add: ppapul@globelines.com.ph

INVITATION TO BID FOR Clearing and Leveling of Back-up Area Port of Pulupandan, Negros Occidental (NRP-NBB-07-16) The Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office - Negros Occidental/ Banago/Bacolod– BREDCO through the Corporate Budget of the Authority for CY 2016, intends to apply the sum of P10,528,262.08 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Clearing and Leveling of Back-up Area, Port of Pulupandan, Negros Occidental (NRPNBB-07-16). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

The Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office - Negros Occidental /Banago/ BacolodBREDCO now invites bids for the Clearing and Leveling of Back-up Area, Port of Pulupandan, Negros Occidental (NRP-NBB-07-16). Completion of the Works is required for the project is Seventy Five (75) Calendar Days.

Equipment Requirements: 1 unit Payloader - Owned 1 unit Road Grader - Owned 1 unit Road Roller, 10T vibratory - Owned 1 unit Bulldozer - Owned 2 unit Dump truck - Owned Required PCAB Registration : Medium A – Ports Harbor & Offshore Engineering Bidding Documents : P 28,000.00 inclusive of VAT Date and Time of Pre-Bidding Conference : November 2, 2016, 2:00pm Date and Time of Deadline of : November 14, 2016, 12:00nn Submission of Bids Date and Time of Opening of Bids : November 14, 2016, 1:30pm Bidders must have an experience of having completed at least one (1) contract that is similar to the contract to be bid, and whose value must be at least 50% of the ABC. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/ fail criterion as specified in the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act” which took effect on September 2, 2009.

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

Interested bidders may obtain further information from Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office – Negros Occidental/Banago/Bacolod-BREDCO and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00am – 5:00pm.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased starting October 27, 2016 by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents as mentioned above for each project inclusive of 12% VAT and must present a valid PCAB License together with the Letter of Intent.

The Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office – Negros Occidental /Banago /BacolodBREDCO will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on the date stipulated below the corresponding project at Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office – Negros Occidental /Banago/Bacolod-BREDCO Conference Room, Port of Banago, Bacolod City, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before the date stipulated on each project at Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office – Negros Occidental/Banago/Bacolod-BREDCO, Port of Banago, Bacolod City. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bids will be opened on the date stipulated on each project in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

The Philippine Ports Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annual the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to: Maylene G. Arante Philippine Ports Authority, PMO – Neg. Occ./Banago/Bacolod-BREDCO Port of Banago, Bacolod City Tel No. 034-4411225 & 4411041 Fax No. 034-4411225 (SGD) ARLYN A. CARAIG Chairperson BAC-Engineering Projects ( M S - O C T. 2 6 , 2 016)

BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE INVITATION TO BID:I N F R A 2016-026 The Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU), with offices at Quiling Sur, City of Batac, Ilocos Norte, invites bidders for the following projects:

Pre-Bid Opening of Bids Conference 1. Repair of Roofing Php9,006,548.05 November 3, 2016; November 17, 2016; of University Library 2:00 pm 2:00 PM Damaged By Typhoon Carina Project Title

2.

ABC

Bid Docs Fee PhP9,000.00

The bidding will be conducted via open and public competitive bidding using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion in accordance with Republic Act 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act,”and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), particularly, but not limited to the following: a) A bidder must be a Filipino citizen;for corporations, partnerships, or organizations, at least seventy five percent (75%) interest, or outstanding capital stock,must be owned by Filipino citizens. b) All bids must be accompanied by a valid bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in Clause 18, of the Instruction to Bidders. c) A bidder must have been awarded a contract similar to the Project, as described and specified inSection II of the Instruction to Bidders,completed and accepted within a ten (10) year period, reckoned from the date of delivery/submission of bids as herein below indicated, d) Bids received in excess of the ABC will be automatically rejected.

3.

Bids must be submitted to the BAC Secretariat Office/Conference Room, FEM Hall, Mariano Marcos State University, Quiling Sur, City of Batac, Ilocos Norte on or beforeNovember 17, 2016; 2:00 PM.

4.

Public bidding is an invitation to make an offer. It is therefore understood that any bid may be accepted or rejected orthe bid process invalidated, at any time prior to contract award, without liability to anyone.

5.

Complete set of bid documents may be secured from the MMSU BAC Secretariat at the address below or downloaded from the MMSU website or from the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) website.

6.

For further information, please course your queries/questions in writing (via email or courier) to the BAC Chairman, Mariano Marcos State University, Attention: Agnes L. Gabriel, Secretatiat, at the addresses indicated below. For account information, please deposit payments/ fees in the name of MARIANO MARCOS STATE UNIVERSITY, Account No. 2132-1021-66, Landbank of the Philippines, City of Batac Branch.

Verbal or phone-in question/queries are not to be entertained.

AGNES L. GABRIEL Office of the MMSU BAC Secretariat FEM Hall, Mariano Marcos State University Quiling Sur, Batac City aslgabriel@yahoo.com www.mmsu.edu.ph.

(SGD) RAMON A. LEAÑO BAC Chair

(MS-OCT. 26, 2016)

SCN FORM NO. 1 (R.A. NO. 9139)

001377

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON NATURALIZATION IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION OF BERNARD CHUA UY to be naturalized as Filipino citizen pursuant to Republic Act No. 9139.

SCN CASE NO. 000631 x-------------------------- x PETITION Pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act No. 9139, petitioner hereby submits a petition for naturalization to become a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines and respectfully declares: 1. My full name is BERNARD CHUA UY, but I have also been known since childhood as N/A or I have been judicially N/A . authorized to use the alias name(s) 2. My present place of residence is UNIT 1806 HOWARD TOWER, No. 92, 6TH AVE,, N. CARPIO ST. GRACE PARK and City/Municipality of CALOOCAN Province of all my former places of residence are (please indicate periods of residence) UNIT 21-GRACE PARK COMMERCIAL COMPLEX, J. TEODORO ST. CALOOCAN CITY-1990-2014 77-A, L. NADURATA ST., 6th AVE. CALOOCAN CITY-1985-1990 3. I was born on 20 APRIL 1985, in MANILA, PHILIPPINES Philippines. I have been a resident of the Philippines since birth. At present, I am a citizen or subject of REPUBLIC OF CHINA. 4. My father's name is BENITO CHUA UY and he was born on 2 MARCH 1955, in PHILIPPINES. He is a citizen or subject of REPUBLIC OF CHINA. My mother's name is NATIVIDAD CHUA UY and she was born on 2 DECEMBER 1955 in PHILIPPINES. She is a citizen or subject of REPUBLIC OF CHINA. 5. My trade, business, profession or lawful occupation is SALES MANAGER and from which I derive an average annual income of P 240,000.00 , inclusive of bonuses, commissions and allowances. My wife's/husband's trade, business, profession or lawful occupation is N/A and from which she derives an average annual income of P N/A .

(Where the above does not apply): I am exempt from the requirement of lucrative trade or occupation and from submitting income tax returns for the past three (3) years because I am a college degree holder [please state (1) degree obtained:BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, (2) name of school: DE LA SALLECOLLEGE OF SAINT BENILDE and (3) years graduated: 2007] who cannot practice my profession (the practice of which requires a government licensure examination) by reason of my citizenship.

Republic of the Philippines Mariano Marcos State University Batac City 2906, Ilocos Norte

1.

The DoJ recommended the filing of a case for illegal possession of explosives, firearms and ammunition against TJ Tagadaya Macabalang, Wendel Apostol Facturan and Musali Mustapha, all members of the terrorist Maute Group.

The DoJ said the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group was able to prove that the three respondents illegally possessed small arms, ammunitions as well as the explosive components.

“Taking into consideration that the Intratec semi-auto pistol has no serial number, it necessarily follows that the same is unregistered. Since respondents were caught in possession of said firearms

26 6. My civil status is MARRIED, I was married on JANUARY 2014 in QUEZON CITY. My wife's/husband's name is CHRISTINA ROSAL CHAN and she/he was born on in 19 FEBRUARY 1988, MANDALUYONG CITY. She/he is a citizen or subject of PHILIPPINES and presently resides UNIT 1806 HOWARD TOWER, NO. 92, 6TH AVE., N. CARPIO ST., GRACE PARK CALOOCAN CITY. 7. I am legally separated from my spouse; my marriage was annulled, per decree of legal separation/annulment dated N/A granted by N/A. (please indicate the particular court which granted the same). I am a widower/widow and my spouse died on N/A in N/A. 8. I have 1 child/children, whose names, dates and places of birth and residences are as follows:

Name Date of Place of Residence Birth Birth CAITLYN 27 August MANILA Unit 1806 Howard BRIELLE CHAN 2015 Tower, No. 92, 6th UY Ave. N. Carpio St., Grace Park, Caloocan 9. I received my primary and secondary education from the following public schools or private educational institutions duly recognized by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), where Philippine history, government and civics are taught and prescribed as part of the school curriculum and where enrollment is not limited to any race or nationality:

Name of School Grace Christian High School Grace Christian High School De La Salle College of Saint Benilde

Place of School Quezon City

Dates of Highest Grade Study Completed 1990 to 1998 Grade Six

Quezon City

1998 to 2003 4th Year High School

Manila

2003-2007

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Major in Export Management

10. I am able to read, write and speak Filipino and/or any of the following dialects of the Philippines: Tagalog 11. I have enrolled my minor children of school age in the following public schools or private educational institutions duly recognized by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), where Philipine History, government and civics are taught and prescribed as part of the school curriculum and where enrollment is not limited to any race or nationality:

Name of Child N/A

Name and Place of School N/A

Date of Enrollment N/A

and ammunition without authority, the latter are deemed liable under the aforesaid law,” the resolution stated.

Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon and Prosecutor General Claro Arellano approved the resolution.

The three respondents were arrested at a checkpoint along Pedro Colina Hill in Cotabato City last Oct. 4 at 3:30 in the afternoon. Seized include one intratec model 9mm semi-auto submachine gun without a serial number, one machine gun magazine, 20 live 9mmm ammunitions.

Also seized is a caliber.45 combat commander, two caliber. 45 magazines and 14 caliber .45 live ammunitions, IED matewith any association or group of persons who uphold and teach doctrines opposing all organized governments. I am not defending or teaching the necessity or propriety of violence, personal assault or assassination for the success and predominance of one's ideas. I am not a polygamist nor a believer in the practice of polygamy. I have not been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude. I am not suffering from mental alienation or from any incurable contagious disease.

The country of which I am a citizen or subject is not at war with the Philippines and grants to Filipinos the right to be naturalized citizens or subjects thereof.

13. It is my true and honest intention to become a citizen of the Philippines and to renounce absolutely and forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, and, particularly, to REPUBLIC OF CHINA of which at this time I am a citizen or subject. I will reside continuously in the Philippines from the date of the filing of this petition up to the time of my admission to Philippine citizenship.

14. My character witnesses are CARLO ANTHONY ONG LIM and EDWARD CHRISTOPHER TIU LIM both Filipino citizens, of legal age, and residing at No. 40 Emerald St. Millionaires Village, Novaliches, Quezon City and No. 10G Avida Tower 5, Felix Huertas St. Sta. Cruz, Manila respectively, who have executed sworn statements attached hereto in support of my instant petition, together with: (a) brief biographical data about themselves; (b) detailed statements on the dates they first came to know me, the circumstances of our initial acquaintance and the reasons and extent of our continuing familiarity; and (c) the number of times they have acted as character witnesses in other petitions for naturalization.

15. Attached hereto as annexes and made part of this petition are the duplicate originals or certified photocopies of the following documents (please check the appropriate box): [ / ] a. Petitioner's birth certificate [ / ] b. Petitioner's alien certificate of registration (ACR) [ / ] c. Petitioner's native-born certificate of residence (NBCR) [ / ] d. Petitioner's marriage certificate, if married [ ] e. Death certificate of his/her spouse, if widowed [ ] f. Court decree annulling his/her marriage or granting legal separation, if such was the fact [ / ] g. Birth certificates of petitioner's minor children [ ] h. ACRs of petitioner's minor children [ ] i. NBCRs of petitioner's minor children [ / ] j. Affidavits of financial capacity by the petitioner, duly supported by bank certifications, passbooks, stock certificates, or proof of ownership of other properties [ / ] k. Affidavits of at least two (2) credible witnesses who must be Filipino citizens of good reputation in petitioner's place of residence [ / ] l. Medical certificate from a government hospital stating that petitioner is not suffering from mental alienation or a user of prohibited drugs or otherwise a drug dependent and that he/she is not afflicted with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), or any incurable contagious disease. [ / ] m. School diploma and transcript of records of the petitioner from the school/s he or she attended in the Philippines [ ] n. Certifications stating that petitioner's minor children are enrolled in public schools or private educational institutions duly recognized by the DECS, where Philippine history, government and civics are taught and prescribed as part of the school curriculum and where enrollment is not limited to any race or nationality [ / ] o. Petitioner's income tax returns for the past three years [ ] p. Petitioner's receipts of payment of income tax for the past three years 16. Other documents submitted by the petitioner in support of his/her petition: - 2316 for 2013, 2014 & 2015 - Bank Certificates - Condominium Certificates of Title -OR/CR of Motor Vehicle w/LTO Cert.

-Brgy Clearance

-NBI Clearance -OCP Clearance -MTC Clearance -RTC Clearance -Police Clearance

PRAYER WHEREFORE, it is respectfully prayed that petitioner be conferred Philippine citizenship pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act No, 9139.

Dated at San Juan, Metro Manila, this

day of

20

.

BERNARD CHUA UY Name and Signature of Petitioner Address: Unit 1806 HOWARD TOWER, No. 92, 6TH AVE., N. CARPIO ST. GRACE PARK, CALOOCAN CITY Telephone Number:

Right Thumbmark of Petitioner

Petitioner's signature and right thumbmark REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES) CITY/MUNICIPALITY OF QUEZON CITY) S.S. I, BERNARD CHUA UY of legal age and a resident of Unit 1806 HOWARD TOWER, No. 92, 6TH AVE., GRACE PARK, CALOOCAN CITY after being duly sworn, depose and say that I am the petitioner herein, that I have read the foregoing petition and know the foregoing petition and known the contents thereof, and that the same is true of my own knowledge.

BERNARD CHUA UY Name and Signature of Petitioner

SUBCRIBED AND SWORN to before me at Quezon City, this 12 JUL.2016.

12. I shall never be a public charge. I am of good moral character. I believe in the principles underlying the Philippine Constitution. I have conducted myself in a proper and irreproachable manner during the entire period of my residence in the Philippines in my relations with the constituted government as well as with the community in which I am living.

I mingled socially with Filipinos and have evinced a sincere desire to learn and embrace the customs, traditions and ideals of the Filipino people. I have all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications under Republic Act No. 9139.

I am not opposed to organized government or affiliated

(MS-Oct. 26/Nov. 2/9, 2016)

rials, two 60MM cartridge, two blasting caps, four mobile phones and two electronic circuit with a nine volts battery.

One of the four mobile phones contained a video of the night market bombing in Davao City.

On the confiscated IED, based on the certification issued by the police’s Explosive Ordinance Division, the seized components are capable of producing explosion that will result in mass casualties and damage to property.

During the preliminary investigation, the three respondents denied the accusations against them, saying they were abducted and tortured by the police but DoJ prosecutors held that the denial of the three accused “is intrinsically weak.”

“As between the conflicting testimonies of the parties regarding the surrounding circumstances of respondent’s arrest, we find that of the complainants to be more credible,” the resolution stated.

Azeris mark independence THE Republic of Azerbaijan recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of the restoration of its independence, its consulate in Manila said Tuesday.

Azerbaijan gained its independence on October 18, 1991 when the Constitutional Act “On the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan” was unanimously adopted during the historic session of its Supreme Council.

The act restored Azerbaijan’s independence, which it first gained in 1918, becoming the first democratic republic in the Muslim East but it lasted only until 1920.

During that period, Azerbaijan was first not only among Muslim, but also European countries, to introduce universal suffrage or voting rights for women and allowed female members into its parliament.

After the act was approved in 1991, the first years of independence were extremely difficult as Azerbaijan was mired in a deep political and economic crisis, including Armenia’s military aggression.

As a result of Armenian aggression, one million Azerbaijanis turned into refugees and internally displaced persons in their own land.

Despite the aggression, former president Heydar Aliyev implemented correct policies that led to economic progress, peace and order and good international relations with nearby countries.

Current president Ilham Aliyev pursued the reforms implemented by his father, making Azerbaijan as a place of stability and development.

Signing of “Contract of the Century” in September 1994 created a solid ground for largescale reforms in all sectors while the Constitution of 1995 laid the foundation for state- and nation-building.

The new constitution led to the formation of modern state’s institutions, principles for division of powers, enriching of democracy and traditions of parliamentarism and people’s rights.

With these reforms, Azerbaijan achieved unbelievable results and turned from poor country into rapidly and dynamically developing country with upper middle income in the past 25 years.

UAE adopts one-stop shop ABU DHABI—This capital city of the United Arab Emirates is bent on stimulating the construction sector in a bid to boost and sustain its economy.

The Abu Dhabi Executive Council has announced that it had approved plans to establish a one-stop shop meant to speed up the issuance of construction permits at the Municipal Affairs and the Transport Authority.

The council said the move will specifically speed up the “planning process” in Abu Dhabi.

This looks very much like the one-stop shop created by the Duterte administration for developers to secure the necessary permits for their business in the Philippines at quickest time possible, and for overseas Filipino workers to fix their papers and documents for travel abroad.

Property developers in Abu Dhabi have welcomed the news that the emirate’s Executive Council is planning to set up a one-stop shop for construction permits.

The developers confess that under the current system, each submission can take about 30 days for the municipality to review their application.

This is because officials have to seek approvals from as many as eight or nine other city authorities, including Abu Dhabi Distribution Company, the Department of Transport and Etisalat (as in the case of telecommunications projects).

The move became necessary in line with the city’s new property law published at the end of last year which developers are required to hold a valid construction permit before they are allowed to launch property sales.

“Although we are still unsure of the details, it looks like this new one-stop shop will be tremendously beneficial,” said Sameh Muhtadi, the chief executive at Abu Dhabi property developer Bloom Holding.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

Manila

Standard

A7

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

TODAY

Philracom joins world racing body T

HE Philippine Racing Commission recently achieved a milestone after being formally accepted as a member of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, whose mission is to promote good regulation and best practices on international matters pertaining to the sport.

Members of the Philracom board, led by Chairman Andrew Sanchez, Commissioner Bienvenido Niles Jr. and executive director Andrew Buencamino, hailed the Commission’s formal

acceptance into the IFHA. Philracom Commissioner Rep. Niles recently represented the Philracom to the 50thInternational Conference of Horseracing Authorities in Par-

is, where he formally accepted the commission’s inclusion to the 60-nation IFHA. “We were officially accepted in their executive council meeting in April of this year, and we had to present to them during this Paris conference facts about the Philracom, how we run our races here, and they were quite impressed,” said Niles.

Commissioner Niles said Philracom’s entry into the IFHA membership “will make sure that horseracing in the Philippines is held at the highest level.”

“Race owners are very excited

because they know this will open new avenues for them. At the same time, this will ensure that Philippine racing will move towards globalization,” explained Niles, adding the Philippines’ top horses can compete in future races abroad and vice versa.

One way to do this is through IFHA’s help in the Philracom’s handicapping (rating) and cataloguing system.

“We have to be aligned with the drug-free environment that they are trying to promote across all of the members of the IFHA. We also have to align with their handicapping

system. We will need to get guidance from them in terms of how our horses can be rated, aligned with the norms and standard of international racing,” Niles said.

This, Niles expects, will benefit the entire industry and help grow the revenues.

“Once we do this, we can be sure that people will have confidence na ‘yung mga kabayo are safe to bet on, they’re healthy, walang gamot, competitive. They will know that the handicapping is balanced para the races will be exciting. I think if we can do that, ‘yung mga bettors natin will be

happy,” he said.

On the other hand, one area that excites Executive Director Buencamino, a veterinarian, is in the transfer of technology from one member IFHA nation to another.

“There is a committee on IFHA on horse welfare. If there’s anything that we need, they can provide us with technical advise.

Normally naman, there’s a lot of sharing among members, so if there is a disease that is unique to a certain country, they let us know the treatments that are used,” said Buencamino.

Customs, BaliPure eye last semis seats

(FILES) This file picture taken on March 25, 2012 shows Formula One cars accelerating at the start of Formula One’s Malaysia Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang. Malaysia may scrap its Formula One race after 2018 due to mounting costs, falling ticket sales and competition from other venues, sports officials said on October 25, 2016, potentially halting one of Asiaís longest-running races. AFP

Malaysia may drop F1, citing poor returns KUALA LUMPUR—Malaysia may scrap its Formula One race after 2018 due to mounting costs, falling ticket sales and competition from other venues, sports officials said Tuesday, potentially halting one of Asia’s longest-running races.

With TV viewership for the Malaysian Grand Prix also ebbing, officials are due to meet later this week to discuss the future of the race after its current contract expires.

“The locals are not buying the tickets to watch F1,” Razlan Razali, chief executive of the Sepang

International Circuit (SIC) where the race is held, told AFP. “If there is no economic value, why should we continue? We better take a temporary break.”

The race’s woes are the latest sign of trouble for Formula 1 which, according to official figures, has shed 200 million television viewers globally since 2008.

Hopes for a turnaround have been ignited by US firm Liberty Media’s planned takeover of F1.

The media, communications and entertainment conglomerate has agreed to buy out F1’s parent

company CVC Capital Partners in a deal valuing the sport at $8 billion.

Razlan said Sepang, which can accommodate 120,000 fans, drew just 45,000 to last month’s running of the race, and race-day TV ratings also were poor.

He noted that hosting F1 is “very expensive.”

In comments on Twitter earlier, Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said competition from other venues outside of Malaysia was also taking its toll.

“When we first hosted the F1 it was a big deal. First in Asia out-

side Japan. Now so many venues.

No first mover advantage. Not a novelty.”

“F1 ticket sales declining, TV viewership down. Foreign visitors down b/c [because] can choose Singapore, China, Middle East.

Returns are not as big.”

“I think we should stop hosting the F1. At least for a while. Cost too high, returns limited.”

The Sepang Circuit opened in 1999 and hosted the first F1 Malaysian Grand Prix later that year.

It has been a fixture on the calendar ever since and is one of the oldest races in the region. AFP

Rookies show wares in PBA camp ASPIRING Philippine Basketball Association rookies take one step closer in achieving their dreams as all 55 applicants participate in the 2016 PBA Draft Combine this week.

The two-day camp will be held at the Gatorade Hoops Center in Shaw. The aspirants will be pitted against each other as they try to make an impression in front of PBA coaches and scouts.

The field will be divided into eight teams of six to seven players for the combine.

Wednesday’s program will showcase their athleticism, agility, speed and other skills before displaying their skills on the court Thursday as PBA assistant coaches take over and pit them in a single-elimination tournament.

The 2016 PBA Rookie Draft is on Oct. 30 at Robinsons’ Midtown in Ermita, Manila.

Lakers waive Chinese Yi LOS ANGELES—Chinese forward-center Yi Jianlian has been waived by the Los Angeles Lakers after requesting to be released, the NBA club announced Monday.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said Yi had sought to be waived over concerns he would not get enough minutes on court.

“Yi was productive in practices and games with us, and was a consummate professional both on and off the court,” Kupchak said in a statement.

“However, he felt that the minutes and opportunities he’d be afforded here were not in line with his goals and ambitions, and that he’d be better off in a different situation.

“We appreciate his efforts and wish him great success as he goes forward with his career.” AFP

CUSTOMS and BaliPure try to ing and serving, No. 2 in spiking and book the last two semifinal berths seventh in digs, is again expected to as they take on Coast Guard and lead Customs charge but the twoLaoag, respectively, in the Shakey’s time league MVP and many-time V-League Season 13 Reinforced UAAP MVP hopes to draw solid backup from Thai Conference at the r e i n fo r c e m e n t s Games today Philsports Arena in (Philsports, Pasig) Kanjana KuthaiPasig.

12:30 p.m. – Air Force vs IEM (S Turf) song and setter NatThe Transform4 p.m. – Customs vs Coast Guard tanicha Jaisaen. ers missed a chance (V-League) “We just lost to barge into the 6 p.m. – Bali Pure vs Laoag (V-League) focus in that game Final Four in their last outing, dropping a stinging 22- [against Pocari] but I’m confident 25, 22-25, 14-25 defeat to the Pocari we could recover from it,” said Customs coach Sherwin Meneses.

Sweat Lady Warriors last Saturday.

BaliPure, meanwhile, is on a roll, But Alyssa Valdez and company are fancied to finally clinch the win sweeping its next three games after against the winless Coast Guard side losing to UST last Oct. 8. The Purest in their 4 p.m. encounter with the Water Defenders’ 25-13, 25-23, 25-17 Transformers looking for their fourth win over the UP Lady Maroons last victory against two losses and join Saturday put them closer to a dream UST and Pocari in the next round of semis stint in the season-ending conference of the league backed by the league sponsored by Shakey’s.

Valdez, who leads the league in Mikasa as official ball and Accel as the MVP race being the best in scor- official outfitter.

Republic of the Philippines Office of the President

PHILIPPINE DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE PDEA Bldg., NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Barangay Pinyahan Quezon City 1100, Philippines www.pdea.gov.ph

INVITATION TO BID

ACQUISITION OF SECURITY GUARD SERVICES FOR FY 2017 Bid Ref. No. 2016-21 Approved Budget for the Contract: P 13,365,590.80 The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), thru its Bids and Awards Committee with office address at NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Brgy. Pinyahan, Quezon City intends to apply the sum of Thirteen Million Three Hundred Sixty Five Thousand Five Hundred NinetyPesos and 80/100 Only (P13,365,590.80) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) for the ACQUISITION OF SECURITY GUARD SERVICES FOR FY 2017 under Annual Procurement Plan (APP) for CY 2017; Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the Bid opening and late bids shall not be accepted.

1.

The PDEA - BAC now invites bids from eligible bidders who are authorized Agencies for the ACQUISITION OF SECURITY GUARD SERVICES FOR FY 2017.A total of Thirty Two (32) security personnel shall be comprised as the following: 1 2 29

2.

Licensed Security Officer Licensed Lady Guards Licensed Security Guards

The required number of security personnel shall be deployed at the following areas: 1 Licensed Security Officer (Supervisor/Break Time Reliever) 17 Licensed Security Guards (Inclusion of 2 Lady Guards) 7 Licensed Security Guards 7 Licensed Security Guards

3.

The following additional documents, licenses and permits shall be required: a) b) c) d) e) f)

NET CHAMPS. Nio Tria (second from left) and Bliss Bayking hold their trophies as they pose with Philta regional vice president Bong Arguelles (left) and Fr. Joji Ansola after dominating the Palawan PawnshopPalawan Express Pera Padala Dangcagan, Bacolod leg regional tennis tournament at the Center Court, Panaad and Manville tennis clubs last Monday.

g) h) i) j)

Hello again—to football, baseball, and more THE HOARSE WHISPERER JENNY ORTUOSTE IT’S been a month since my last column, when I bade farewell to Philippine horseracing, my topic du jour for the past eight years, after a significant life change.

Thanks to Manila Standard sports editor Riera Mallari, I still have this space to write about issues related to sports and games.

I am also grateful to opinion editor Adelle Chua who has retained my Pop Goes the World column in this newspaper and gives space for it on Thursdays (opinion) and Saturdays (literary). Please check out my pieces on those days too.

So our journey together isn’t over, dear friends, and this time we will be talking about more things than before. *** I am spending some time in California now, and boy, the folks over here are crazy for football.

Take the good people of the San Francisco Bay Area in particular. The local team is the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders black and white logo can be seen everywhere, on t-shirts and caps and whatnot, especially on Sunday game days, when fans crowd onto the BART (their equivalent of the LRTMRT) to get to and from the Oakland Alameda Coliseum.

In public places such as shops and

restaurants, they’ll have the game Breeders Cup, to be held Nov. 4 and on TV. The man who assembled my 5 at Santa Anita Park.

Among the likely contenders in Ikea bed on a Sunday did a quick and thorough job because, he said, he the Classic are California Chrome, was raring to get home and watch the Frosted, Hoppertunity, Nyquist, and game that night with his buddies over Keen Ice. The Longines Distaff will see Beholder and I’m A Chatterbox beer and snacks.

However, complicated money among the hopefuls, while 5YO racematters mean that the Raiders are mare Tepin is in the Mile.

Tepin, says the BC website, “is in likely to move to Las Vegas, which has offered $750 million to build a the midst of a campaign so fabulous new stadium there. Negotiations are that she is often mentioned in the ongoing to keep the Raiders in the same breath as the greatest female Bay Area, but some analysts don’t put Thoroughbreds of all time.” She defeated male opponents to win last much hope in a positive outcome.

Filipinos, while enamored of year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile, won over American basketball, pay little at- males in the Woodbine Mile Stakes tention to other sports popular here, (Can-G1), and copped the Queen such as football and baseball. Foot- Anne Stakes (Eng-G1). Now that’s a ball, in particular, has no following horse to watch! *** outside the US, where futbal—what Follow me on Facebook: Jenny OrAmericans call soccer—is the “game tuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, and of life”.

Speaking of baseball, how about Instagram: @jensdecember. the Chicago Cubs, eh? They’re going on to the World Series against the Cleveland Indians Tuesday night Eastern time, with both teams hungry for the championship. The IndiP0.0 M+ ans last won in 1948 and the Cubs in 1908—that’s a record drought.

P0.0 M+ Even President Obama has caught Cubs fever, tweeting his well wishes to the team, DIGITS though he’s an avowed White Sox fan.

DIGITS *** Racing fans the world over EZ2 are looking forward to the

LOTTO RESULTS

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ISO Certified Private Security Agency (PSA) or a Certification for the Company that they are currently undergoing ISO; The participating PSA must have a valid existing Memorandum of Agreement with a Private Security Training Institutions to provide training and progressive development of personnel particularly on those personnel assigned at the PDEA establishments; Most recent Clearance from Department of Labor and Employment; Certification from the Company on its compliance to the existing labor laws; Certificate of Membership with PADPAO; Certification of the three mandatory deduction (contribution on SSS, HDMF, Philhealth), on undertaking form; Certification from the Company that the security guards to be deployed have undergone drug test to include therein each employee’s result; Certification from the Company that the security guards to be deployed have no derogatory record duly supported by NBI and Police Clearances; Bidder’s Site Inspection Certificate signed by the PDEA Security Unit; and Company’s Profile attesting the following: Stability Resources

Security Plan Other Factors 4.

PDEA National Headquarters, NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Brgy. Pinyahan, Quezon City PDEA National Headquarters, NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Brgy. Pinyahan, Quezon City PDEA Academy, Silang, Cavite PDEA K9 Facility, San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan

• Years of Experience • Liquidity of the Contractor • Organizational Set-up • No. of Licensed Firearms • No. and Kind of Communication Devices • No. and Kind of Motor Powered Vehicles (if applicable) • No. of Licensed Guards • Recruitment and Selection Criteria • Completeness of Uniforms and other Paraphernalia

A prospective bidder should have completed within the last three (3) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, at least one (1) single contract of similar nature amounting to at least 50% of the ABC for the said projects.

Similar Nature shall mean “Security Services”.

5.

Open competitive bidding will be conducted using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria as specified in the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184, otherwise known as “Government Procurement Act”. All particulars relative to this bidding including Eligibility Checking, Bid Security, Evaluation and Post Qualification Procedures and Award of Contract shall be governed by R.A. 9184 and its Revised IRR.

6.

The bidding is open to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

7.

The Invitation to Bid and Checklist of Requirements may be downloaded from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and PDEA Website at www.pdea.gov.ph. The complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders upon payment of nonrefundable fee indicated below. The Bidding Documents shall be received personally by the prospective Bidder or his duly authorized representative upon presentation of proper identification of document.

8.

For purpose of having a legal personality to raise or submit written queries or clarification in the Pre-Bid Conference relative to these bid projects, Bidder must first pay the non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents on or before the date of Opening and Submission of Bids.

9.

The Schedule of Bid Activities shall be as follows:

ACTIVITIES 1. SALE & ISSUANCE of Bid Documents Bid Price: P 25,000.00

DATE/TIME 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM only, Mondays to Fridays, starting October 14, 2016

2. PRE-BID CONFERENCE (open only to parties who were invited and/ or purchased bid documents)

October 26, 2016 10:00 AM

3. SUBMISSION and OPENING OF BIDS

November 8, 2016 10:00 AM

VENUE Logistics Management Service G/F PDEA Building, NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Brgy. Pinyahan, Quezon City Main Conference Room 2/F PDEA Building, NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Brgy. Pinyahan, Quezon City Main Conference Room 2/F PDEA Building, NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Brgy. Pinyahan, Quezon City

10. Interested bidders may obtain further information from the BAC Secretariat c/oRIA SAMSONat the Logistics Management Service, PDEA Building, NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Quezon City from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PMonly, Mondays to Fridays starting October 14, 2016at Tel No. (632) 920-8082.However, any queries relative to the contents of the bid documents and the project requirements can only be made by bidders who purchased the bid documents not later than Ten (10) days prior to the Submission and Opening of Bids.

11. PDEA reserves the right to accept or reject any Bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all Bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected Bidder or Bidders.

(SGD) JESUS A. FAJARDO, MMOAS Deputy Director General for Administration Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee

(MS-OCT.26, 2016)

Sports

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

A8

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016

Each title is different, says Cone

By Peter Atencio AFTER winning 19 championships in the Philippine Basketball Association for the last 27 years, coach Tim Cone is learning to appreciate what makes each title conquest different from the other.

And this is what makes Cone feel great after the Ginebra San Miguel Gin Kings won the 2016 PBA Governors’ Cup. “Championships are going to come. You never put a time on it.

It’s about building a foundation.

And when you have good foundation, it just comes. Every championship has its own personality. And you have to appreciate all of them.

It’s like your children. You learn their difference,” said Cone during Monday’s thanksgiving party at the San Miguel Corporation Headquarters in Mandaluyong.

Cone said the unique experiences that the team gained throughout the finals series made it memorable, and different.

First, it was the return of Jay Jay Helterbrand in Game 4, then the presence of legendary cager Sonny Jaworski during the halftime break, which the players appreciated.

And then, there was the game-winning shot of Justine Brownlee.

“A lot of things led to the way they did. And the incredible reaction of the fans. That overshadows everything,” added Cone.

For now, Cone is focused on keeping the Ginebra core intact in the next tournament of the PBA. The Gin Kings own the two firstround picks in the regular draft and Cone feels the need for the Kings to stay together.

“We just won a championship and we feel really good about being intact,” added Cone.

Brownlee was the hero of Game 6 of the finals when he hit a three-pointer at the buzzer for a 91-88 win over Meralco.

It was the Kings’ first league championship in eight years and Cone’s first crown under the Ginebra franchise, after steering the Alaska Aces to 12 crowns.

Roach likes energy of Pacquiao

By Ronnie Nathanielsz EIGHT-DIVISION world champion and Philippine senator Manny Pacquiao skipped training Monday afternoon in the Wild Card Gym of trainer Freddie Roach, but had “a good, hard run” at Griffith Park in the morning.

Longtime adviser and confidant Michael Koncz informed the Manila Standard that he “canceled training in the afternoon because he wanted Manny to rest due to jet lag,” from the long and tiring flight from Manila to Los Angeles on Sunday night.

The future Hall of Famer arrived in LA on Monday evening to complete the final two weeks of training at the Wild Card Gym. Although the Filipino boxing legend will turn 38 years old in December and is currently juggling Senatorial duties with the rigors of intense training, seven-time trainer of the year Roach is amazed at how energetic his superstar has appeared in camp.

Roach recently told Top Rank Boxing: “I like what I see. I told him, this is how you win big, big fights...like the old Manny Pacquiao. I don’t know what did this, but he looks terrific right now. His bounce, his distance, his speed, his power...I said to keep that going, just like that, and don’t let anyone change your mindset.

His mindset is perfect right now.”

Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors dunks against the Portland TrailBlazers at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. AFP

Durant, new-look Dubs ready for bow S

AN FRANCISCO—Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said his new-look team is relishing the pressure entering their 2016-2017 NBA campaign opener on Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Warriors’ blockbuster off-season move for Kevin Durant has made the already formidable-looking Dubs an even more daunting proposition as they set out to regain their NBA Finals crown.

Kerr, however, said Monday his team of all-stars welcomed the burden of expectation that comes with being able to field a team with Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in the line-up.

The experienced coach suggested the pressure could even motivate his team towards surpassing last term’s recordbreaking unbeaten start to the season, when the Warriors went 24-0.

“We all have pressure,” Kerr told re-

porters. “But that’s a good thing. The alternative is, hey, maybe we can win 30 this year instead of 25.

“A lot of the teams in the league have that, teams that have gone through rebuilding stuff, and they’re trying to get where we are.

“So we’re in a really enviable position, we know how lucky we are to be together with this group. We understand the responsibility that comes with it.

“But that’s fine, that’s a good position to be in.”

A sell-out crowd will pack Oakland’s Oracle Arena to watch the competitive Warriors debut of Durant, who has rapidly blended into the Golden State set-up

Vargas talked about his aspirations moments before he filed his candidacy for presidency at the POC office in Pasig before the 12 nn deadline last Monday.

He also plans to quit his post as Maynilad Water Services president/CEO and Talk ‘N’ Text alternate governor in the Philippine Basketball Association if such a sacrifice is needed.

“Alam ko ang dapat kong gawin. Last mile ko na ito,” said Vargas, who is expected to make his pitch before members of the POC General Assembly when they meet today at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong.

Peter Atencio

night,” Kerr joked, adding that he was happy to see Durant quickly assimilate to life in the city.

“He has been into the city, he has been around Oakland, he’s trying to get to know his surroundings as well as possible,” Kerr said.

“This is a beautiful part of the world and a great, interesting place to live and he’s having fun and getting used to everything and enjoying himself.”

Durant, meanwhile, said he had no hesitation about heading to the West concert.

“I was happy I was able to go,” he said Monday, laughing off suggestions that he breached an unwritten rule against celebrities in the mosh pit.

“I’m not a celebrity anyway,” he laughed, adding that he had not been concerned for his safety. “Nah—I’m covered man. I’m covered by a higher power no matter what happens.” AFP

Cyna wavers but takes 2-shot lead

Vargas vows to help NSAs HELPING the Philippine Sports Commission provide funding support for needy national sports associations will be among the thrusts of businessman-sportsman Victorico “Ricky” Vargas.

Getting the needed financial assistance will help NSA run their activities better, Vargas added as he explained what will be in store if and when he becomes the next president of the Philippine Olympic Committee.

“Working side by side with the PSC. That’s one.

They have a good program in grassroots. We can partner with them,” said Vargas as he outlined what can be done in the next four years under his leadership.

following his arrival from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“He still has some learning to do. But he has really picked up on just kind of the way we play. There’s a little chaos but there’s some pattern to the chaos and I think he’s embracing the chaos, for sure,” Kerr told reporters.

“I think he’s really adapting well and fitting in well. But it’s only been a few weeks, so the little nuances, there’s still stuff that he’s figuring out.”

Durant in the mosh pit Durant, meanwhile, has rapidly made himself at home in the Bay Area, delighting fans after video footage emerged of him dancing in a mosh pit at a Kanye West concert in Oakland on Sunday.

Kerr laughed about his star acquisition’s weekend exertions on Monday.

“I cut practice short a little bit today because I saw he got a great workout last

Rodriguez

SAN RAFAEL, Bulacan—Cyna Rodriguez missed posting a huge opening round lead with a doublebogey finish, settling for a twounder 70 and a two-stroke lead over Fil-Am Cristina Corpus and Thai Jaruporn Palakawongnaayuttaya in the ICTSI Royal Northwoods Ladies Challenge at the Royal Northwoods Golf Club here yesterday.

On her way to an explosive start with four birdies after 17 holes, Rodriguez hit an errant shot on the par-4 closing hole and failed to recover, ending up with a doublebogey 6 that marred an otherwise solid 35-35 start.

That gave her rivals some lift to keep it close with Corpus, seeking a follow-up to her breakthrough win at Luisita last year, mixing two birdies with the same number of bogeys for a 37-35 and Palaka-

wongnaayuttaya turning in a roller-coaster round of three-birdies against three bogeys for a similar 37-35 card.

Chihiro Ikeda, out to seal her claim on the Order of Merit title with a victory here, blew a birdiebirdie feat from No. 3 as she bogeyed four of the last 11 holes to tumbled to joint fourth at 74 with 36 holes left in the P1 million event sponsored by ICTSI. While Rodriguez wavered at the finish, Jayvie Agojo leaned on a fiery windup to get back into contention. The former leg winner and Philippine Ladies Open champion birdied the last two holes to join Ikeda at two-over.

Other 74 scorers were Apple Fudolin, who fumbled with two bogeys in the last six holes, and Lovelyn Guioguio, who birdied the 17th.

Malacañang routs BFP IAN Garrido tallied 19 points as Malacanang Kamao kept its record clean last Sunday, crushing the BFP Firefighters, 92-77 in the UNTV Cup at Pasig City Sports Center.

Garrido also had six of eight field goals, seven of seven free throws, six boards, three assists, a steal and a block, making him as the Best Player of the Game and leading the Kamaos to their third straight win in Group A. The Kamaos made the most out of their height advantage, physical play and balanced offense to douse

Games Sunday

Pasig City Sports Center 2 p.m.- GSIS vs NHA 3:30 p.m.- Senate vs BFP 5 p.m.- AFP vs Malacañang

water on the Firefighters.

Raffy Gonzales mentored the Malacañang team as head coach in lieu of Louie Gonzales, who was not present in their game.

“Talagang pinaghandaan namin ito. Sa huli, ‘di talaga bumitaw ang mga players namin. Talagang ni-run lang namin ang sistema namin”, said Raffy Gonzales.

The Kamaos are expect-

ed to have tough match against AFP this Sunday.

The UNTV Cup now on its fifth season gives away more than P12 million to the chosen charities of all 13 participating government teams.

Meanwhile, the NHA Builders made a successful comeback as they carved out a 102-100 squeaker over the HOR Solons.

Season 4 MVP Antonio Lustestica’s triple gave the advantage to NHA, 91-88, with 4 minutes and 15 seconds left in the final period.

Senator Sonny Angara of the Senate Defenders attempt a short jumper as Jeffrey Sanders of the MMDA Blackwolves defends the paint.

Govt plans to raise VAT exemption threshold B3

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016

B1

Meralco studying open access options

By Alena Mae S. Flores

DREAM TOWER. Nuvoland Philippines leads the topping-off ceremony of the developer’s latest residential property, Dream Tower, on E.

Rodriguez Jr. Ave. corner Calle Industria, Barangay Bagumbayan in Libis, Quezon City. Shown are (from left) Kay Jimenez, Nuvoland Philippines directors Joel Jimenez, Kevin Belmonte, chairman Oscar Orbos, chairman emeritus Menardo Jimenez, president Joji Cullado, Laurie JimenezWestfall and VG Martinez.

POWER retailer Manila Electric Co. said it will appeal the decision of the Supreme Court clearing the implementation of the retail competition and open access scheme.

The high tribunal earlier issued a temporary restraining order stopping Meralco from continuing with the legal proceedings against the provisions of the power industry’s retail competition and open access.

“Considering the TRO that has been issued by the Supreme Court, we are examining the legal remedies that we can explore,” Meralco first vice president Ivanna dela Peña told reporters.

Dela Peña said Meralco was set to file its response to the court ruling on Oct. 29.

Retail competition and open access allows large power users with a capacity of one megawatt and above to choose their own

power suppliers.

“At the same time, we are also exploring the possibility of forming the affiliate RES [retail electricity supplier] because that is allowed under the rules…

Meantime this issue is pending at the Supreme Court,” he said.

Dela Peña said Meralco believed that a local RES or a distribution firm’s retail electricity supplier was allowed by Electric Power Industry Reform Act. Meralco earlier claimed it was not required to obtain a retail electricity supplier’s license from the Energy Regulatory Commission, because it was already included in its franchise.

“We are banking on that and we trust that the court will see through the arguments that we will submit to the Supreme Court,” Dela Peña said.

Meralco chairman Manuel Pangilinan said the company could not wave its rights over what the law allowed.

‘China ties OK but US still key’

By Othel V. Campos

T

HE Makati Business Club welcomed the government’s push to revitalize the country’s relationship with China, but called for strengthening economic ties with the US and other “strategic” allies as well.

“We believe that as we strengthen ties with one of our neighbors, this should be in tandem with continuing to nurture our partnership with existing strategic allies and friends. In particular, our relationship with the United States, particularly on the economic front, should

IN BRIEF SM seeks approval on new acquisition

CONGLOMERATE SM Investments Corp. is seeking the approval of the Philippine Competition Commission to acquire a significant stake in Philippine Urban Living Solutions Inc., a property developer that specializes in building dormitory-type dwellings for young urban professionals.

SM Investments chief finance officer Jose Sio said in an interview at the sidelines of BDO-Nomura Market Outlook Forum the company expected to secure PCC approval on the deal over the next two to three months.

Sio said SM Investments would not get a majority stake in PULS, which was developing dormitory buildings in major central business districts under the “My Town” brand. He said SM would only be a strategic investor in the company.

“We will invest not in majority because we will not manage it,” Sio said.

SMIC’s investment in PULS is expected to be in excess of P1 billion, because it is seeking the approval of PCC, which is tasked to review mergers and acquisitions worth P1 billion and above.

Sio said the conglomerate was attracted to PULS because of the latter’s unique offering. “It is a new idea, new business and its a real property business,” Sio said. Jenniffer B. Austria

Govt readies fuel marking system THE government plans to implement the fuel marking system in the first quarter of 2017 to eliminate illicit trade of petroleum products, according to the Bureau of Customs.

Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon said he recommended the implementation of the fuel marking system to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez.

Under the proposal, imported fuel products would carry the markings at a cost of P0.06 per liter to be shouldered by importers.

Faeldon said the agency would conduct a consultation with industry stakeholders this year with an aim to implement the program by the first quarter of 2017.

“Maybe next year. We have to sit down and satisfy every inquiries about it. First quarter [next year], as long as we are done with the consultation with them,” Faeldon told reporters at the sidelines of a Senate hearing on tax reforms.

Faeldon dismissed the pronouncement of an industry group that the implementation of the fuel marking system would be “ineffective.”

“It was never implemented because of their lobbying,” Faeldon said.

Gabrielle H. Binaday

remain solid and should also be further expanded,” the business group said.

China’s expertise in infrastructure will be critical to the Philippines’ development to close the massive gap that has been restricting the country’s growth. China remains the Phil-

ippines’ second largest trading partner, with exports of $10.8 billion and imports of $6.4 billion.

The influential business group said while the Philippines invested $75 million into China as of 2012 against China’s $570,000 in 2015, the figures were expected to rise.

The United States is the Philippines’ third largest trading partner, accounting for 12.7 percent of total goods. The Philippines exported $9 billion to the US last year, and imported $7.47 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $1.55 billion.

Remittances from migrant Filipino workers in the US and rev-

MPIC consolidates toll road operations

By Darwin G. Amojelar METRO Pacific Investments Corp. announced Tuesday the merger of Manila North Tollways Corp. and Tollways Management Corp. in a bid to create a financially strong company to fund new projects.

Both boards of MNTC and TMC approved the merger, with MNTC as the surviving corporation that will operate North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and Manila-Cavite Expressway.

“We expect by combining the two [companies] you will have a stronger merged company that will be able to undertake important projects under the concession and the new projects that we recently won,” MNTC president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco told reporters during the inauguration of the expanded NLEx Bocaue toll barrier.

“The objective of the company is to have a more efficient and financially strong company that would have better access to capital to support our projects,” Franco said.

MNTC is the concessionaire of both NLEx and SCTEx projects. It is also one of the original proponents for the Connector Road Project linking North Luzon Expressway and South Luzon Expressway.

RP Energy raising P30b from 3 banks

REDONDO Peninsula Energy Inc. expects to sign a financing agreement with three local banks in December to raise P30 billion for the construction of the first phase of a 600-megawatt coal-fired power facility in Subic Bay Freeport in Zambales province, an executive said Tuesday.

“It’s three banks. We can sign the loan agreement by December but the drawdown, we have to wait for the ERC [Energy Regulatory Commission] to approve. Financial close depends on the approval of the PSA [power supply agreement],” RP Energy project development manager Angelito Lantin told reporters.

Lantin said the P30-billion loan would represent 75 percent of the project cost for the first phase of the project.

RP Energy is a joint venture of Meralco PowerGen Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Manila Electric Co.; Therma Power Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aboitiz Power; and Taiwan Cogeneration International Corp.

RP Energy and Meralco have a pending joint application with ERC for the approval of a PSA for 225 MW of the 300-MW phase one of the project.

Alena Mae S. Flores

enues from American business process outsourcing companies provide a major foreign exchange inflow to the Philippines.

Filipinos in the US contribute about $8.4 billion in remittances, or 33 percent of the total. American firms have also been critical in the development of the BPO industry that contributed $22 billion to the economy and provided 1.2 million jobs as of 2015.

The US is also among the major investors with $732 million in 2015 and second largest source of foreign tourists.

“We should also note that in time of need the United States has delivered $90.9 million

worth of financial aid and has offered extensive manpower and technical support to our rescue and rehabilitation efforts in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda,” the group said.

The US also provides 36 percent of official development assistance to the Philippines.

Millennium Challenge Corp. has extended over $433 million worth of anti-poverty and human development programs in the Philippines since 2006.

“We support the drive for an independent foreign policy, particularly during this time when the Philippines has gained international respect, recognition

and confidence over the past few years. As we transition through this recalibration in our foreign policy, we call on the government to initiate another multi-sectoral dialogue similar to when it drafted the 10-point socio-economic agenda,” said the business group.

“It is important for the world to see that the government continues its inclusive engagement and welcomes investments that will generate jobs. The Makati Business Club is prepared to participate in this discussion, as we work towards our shared aspiration of a progressive and inclusive Philippines,” the group added.

B2

Business

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market slumps; BDO climbs S TOCKS fell for a fourth day, bucking the gains in other Asian markets as President Rodrigo Duterte challenged foreign investors wary about his deadly drug war to “pack up and leave.”

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, lost 29 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 7,580.22 Tuesday.

The broader all-share index also dropped 7 points, or 0.2 percent, to settle at 4,491.09, on a value turnover of P6.5 billion.

Advancers outnumbered losers, 97 to 82, while 49 issues were unchanged.

Eight of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led

by Bloomberry Resorts Corp.

which advanced 4.3 percent to P6.10 and BDO Unibank Inc. which climbed 2.6 percent to P114.90.

Before leaving for Japan, Duterte said the economy would recover even if US investors worried over his campaign against illegal drugs would pack up and leave. The president flew to Japan, one of the top US allies in Asia, for a three-day visit that is partly aimed at building on two-way trade of more than $18 billion last year.

A group of business process outsourcing companies, which infuse more than $20 billion into the economy annually and employ more than a million Filipinos, wanted to seek clarification on Duterte’s recent remarks.

American BPO companies account for over 80 percent of the industry in the Philippines.

Duterte is seeking stronger relations with Asian countries such as China and Japan. “With Japan as the Philippines’ top trading partner, I shall seek the sustainment and further enhancement of our important economic ties,” Duterte, 71, said in prepared remarks at Manila airport.

Meanwhile, Asian stocks climbed after US economic data bolstered the case for an interest rate increase this year as inves-

tors eye earnings across Japan, China and the U.S. The Topix index advanced as the yen weakened against the dollar.

“If we look at the health of the US economy, it just makes absolute sense to hike in December,” said James Woods, a strategist at Rivkin Securities in Sydney.

While stocks may head higher, “it would not be a significant rally until we get the U.S. presidential election and rates out of the way,” he said.

A rally in Asian stocks has fizzled so far this month as investors pulled back from riskier bets before the US presidential election on Nov. 8.

US markets rallied Monday on the back of another upbeat round of corporate earnings and a provisional reading that showed

activity in the US manufacturing sector expanded at a faster rate than expected.

That came as St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said December was “most likely” the best time for a tightening of borrowing costs. And Fed Bank of Chicago President Charles Evans said he saw three hikes by the end of next year.

“Bullard did not mince words and explicitly gave the green light for a December lift-off, but suggested that the longer term rate cycle is much lower,” Stephen Innes, a senior trader at Oanda, said in a note.

The Fed meets next month but is expected to stand pat as that comes just days before the presidential election.

With AFP, Bloomberg

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2016

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 47.9 10,700 103.5 1,634,210 3.72 38,000 114.9 3,355,380 1.44 100,000 38 26,100 16.4 1,200 19.7 335,300 660 70 0.86 5,416,000 87.1 6,207,190 0.88 3,000 14.16 29,900 58.5 60,450 260 3,040 152.5 540 96.95 170 36.5 116,600 222.2 445,150 1,490 250 75 2,070 1.41 91,000

512,360 169,262,329 141,700 383,118,636 137,340 986,725 19,716 6,597,726 46,450 4,629,610 535,388,863 2,640 423,384 3,492,594.50 790,510 81,056 16,936 4,255,585 99,096,324 373,510 155,305 127,720

474,210 -66,394,762 163,262,312 -512,220 -11,500 -35,420 33,754,297.50 612,480.50 28,600 3,931,075 -21,474,862 32,280 -

1.47 45.2 3.79 0.99 15.12 0.204 107 11.38 16.7 23.4 23 63 100 2.07 6.62 12.38 11.14 7.43 7.35 5.89 23.3 70 16.5 6.1 2.02 246 77 4.09 30.5 27.7 16.28 288 0.249 4.61 3.08 10.52 11.2 2.19 5.86 1.47 3.63 223 4.28 3.2 4 0.146 1.73 181.5 4.36 2.2 1.17

INDUSTRIAL 1.47 447,000 45.35 840,600 3.85 999,000 1.02 3,846,000 15.2 600 0.204 120,000 114.5 11,690 11.38 9,156,900 17.06 2,135,600 23.4 920,800 31.5 149,700 63 163,360 100 580 2.1 113,000 7.03 844,100 12.92 452,600 11.28 9,140,700 7.5 834,200 7.35 136,500 5.9 3,000,200 23.45 566,600 70 252,850 16.6 76,900 6.1 153,600 2.03 536,000 246 347,960 88.8 2,680 4.19 64,000 30.85 2,532,400 28.15 166,300 16.3 2,167,300 288 72,780 0.255 410,000 4.7 22,000 3.1 3,087,000 10.52 1,492,200 11.56 14,800 2.2 1,628,000 5.86 223,100 1.47 255,000 3.65 2,000 225 1,650 4.29 2,053,000 3.2 24,000 4.44 215,000 0.147 920,000 1.76 374,000 182.8 1,752,070 4.57 16,000 2.22 15,769,000 1.17 6,000

659,810 38,086,855 3,816,640 3,865,470 9,152 25,580 1,398,331 104,561,766 36,440,226 21,556,830 4,683,040 10,451,583 58,215 235,210 5,902,712 5,733,052 103,257,454 6,241,757 1,014,323 17,719,579 13,290,185 17,724,054.50 1,275,738 937,095 1,096,810 86,529,976 234,461 267,670 77,932,230 4,676,855 35,477,582 21,054,936 102,340 103,320 9,528,960 15,806,724 166,820 3,576,690 1,314,257 378,780 7,280 369,580 8,806,990 76,880 906,480 135,230 651,020 320,772,724 72,130 35,842,920 7,080

-29,697,230 -226,000 -5,000 -37,106,948 2,365,062 -12,108,480 3,248,820 35,665 13,904 21,555,334 -661,411 -546,246 -12,204,411 5,901,740 -16,490,829 1,225,980 0 -5,622,090 2,595,710 -271,900 18,042,342 -11,591,478 1,018,060 -3,940,256 1,352,700 -862,675 7,450 -3,779,670 31,828,284 100,650.00 -

0.36 76.7 15.18 1.2 5.98 0.33 0.345 849.5 8.45 13.06 8 0.21 1,361 6.15 76.6 0.79 8 15.14 7.17 0.036 1.93 79.8 2.25 685 0.86 1.21 188 232.8 0.3

HOLDING FIRMS 0.38 170,000 77.25 1,858,150 15.2 1,868,300 1.25 202,000 6.09 68,500 0.34 270,000 0.345 30,000 850 252,240 8.5 1,147,800 13.06 4,654,500 8.1 153,200 0.21 50,000 1,371 110,525 6.27 6,200 77 1,294,120 0.82 199,000 8.03 341,600 15.2 2,185,100 7.29 35,915,700 0.037 12,300,000 1.93 180,000 80.5 66,140 2.25 1,000 688 217,070 0.9 9,000 1.22 114,000 188 60 236 7,830 0.305 1,290,000

62,450 143,600,209 28,483,160 244,000 409,641 89,200 10,350 214,674,045 9,745,252 61,181,332 1,236,141 10,500 151,559,285 38,862 99,803,061.50 162,820 2,742,704 33,111,686 260,914,981 452,800 349,180 5,303,664.50 2,250 149,350,675 7,880 138,980 11,280 1,844,742 389,350

-39,123,477 -17,947,232 -204,000 -29,900 -25,769,600 3,968,510 -3,649,876 -4,860 -38,844,145 -41,880,074.50 -453,167 -1,247,820 37,949,817 136,022 13,703,290 9,000

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK BRIGHT KINDLE CHINABANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK MANULIFE MEDCO HLDG METROBANK NTL REINSURANCE PB BANK PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PHILTRUST PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK SUN LIFE UNION BANK VANTAGE

48 103.2 3.72 111.5 1.38 38.05 16.56 19.7 665 0.87 84.9 0.88 14.16 58.5 260 150 101.1 36.2 226.8 1,495 75.5 1.41

48 104.8 3.89 115.3 1.44 38.05 16.56 19.88 665 0.87 87.2 0.88 14.16 58.5 261 152.8 101.1 37.1 226.8 1,495 75.5 1.41

47.5 103.2 3.72 111.5 1.32 37.6 16.4 19.64 660 0.84 84.9 0.88 14.16 57 260 148 96.95 36.2 222.2 1,490 75 1.4

ALSONS CONS ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ASIABEST GROUP BASIC ENERGY BOGO MEDELLIN CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION CONCRETE A CROWN ASIA DAVINCI CAPITAL DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EEI CORP EMPERADOR ENERGY DEVT FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG HOLCIM INTEGRATED MICR IONICS JOLLIBEE LIBERTY FLOUR MABUHAY VINYL MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO MG HLDG PANASONIC PEPSI COLA PETRON PHINMA PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PHX SEMICNDCTR PRYCE CORP PUREFOODS RFM CORP ROXAS HLDG SPC POWER SWIFT FOODS TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VICTORIAS VITARICH VULCAN INDL

1.47 45.25 3.83 1 15.12 0.214 111.9 11.42 16.7 23.4 25 63 102 2.08 6.85 12.38 11.42 7.53 7.41 5.93 23.45 71.1 16.64 6.1 2.05 248 86 4.09 30.7 27.9 16.5 290 0.249 4.79 3.08 10.56 11.22 2.2 6 1.5 3.63 223.8 4.29 3.2 4.2 0.147 1.73 185 4.58 2.22 1.19

1.49 45.45 3.89 1.03 15.3 0.214 135 11.54 17.2 23.5 31.5 68 102 2.1 7.15 12.92 11.5 7.53 7.5 5.95 23.5 71.1 16.64 6.13 2.07 250 93.5 4.25 30.85 28.15 16.54 290.6 0.255 4.79 3.17 10.66 11.56 2.21 6 1.5 3.65 225 4.3 3.24 4.5 0.148 1.78 185 4.58 2.32 1.19

ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANGLO PHIL HLDG ANSCOR ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B AYALA CORP COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP METRO PAC INV PACIFICA PRIME ORION SAN MIGUEL CORP SEAFRONT RES SM INVESTMENTS SOC RESOURCES SOLID GROUP SYNERGY GRID TOP FRONTIER UNIOIL HLDG

0.385 78.5 15.34 1.2 5.98 0.33 0.345 849.5 8.48 13.2 8.13 0.21 1,373 6.15 77.95 0.81 8.06 15.18 7.18 0.037 1.94 80.5 2.25 685 0.88 1.22 188 234.6 0.3

0.385 78.5 15.34 1.25 6.09 0.34 0.345 853 8.5 13.3 8.13 0.21 1,378 6.27 77.95 0.82 8.06 15.2 7.29 0.038 1.94 80.5 2.25 695 0.9 1.22 188 236 0.305

ARTHALAND CORP 8990 HLDG A BROWN ARANETA PROP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEBU HLDG CENTURY PROP CITY AND LAND CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES CYBER BAY DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST EVER GOTESCO FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE IRC PROP MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP PTFC REDEV CORP ROBINSONS LAND

0.285 7.36 1.13 2.37 37.7 2.96 5.06 0.59 1.1 1.07 0.154 0.64 58 0.74 0.14 1.82 0.98 1.08 4.29 0.169 0.435 3.41 31.25 30.35

0.285 7.36 1.14 2.37 38.1 2.98 5.06 0.61 1.11 1.07 0.159 0.67 59 0.74 0.141 1.82 1 1.13 4.35 0.181 0.435 3.5 31.25 30.6

0.28 7.25 1.12 2.31 37.15 2.9 5.06 0.59 1.06 1.07 0.154 0.63 57.4 0.74 0.14 1.79 0.98 1.08 4.22 0.169 0.43 3.39 31.1 30.25

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

1.58 3.29 28.4 1.01 0.99 5.27

1.62 3.3 28.95 1.03 0.99 5.43

1.58 3.29 27.9 1 0.98 5.27

1.6 3.3 27.9 1.01 0.98 5.36

89,000 165,000 22,556,800 3,562,000 66,000 8,363,200

143,300 544,260 645,796,165 3,610,530 64,780 44,766,651

-59,465,125 50,500 7,990,049.00

ABS CBN 2GO GROUP ACESITE HOTEL APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CALATA CORP CEBU AIR CENTRO ESCOLAR DFNN INC DISCOVERY WORLD GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN HAVEN GRAND PLAZA HARBOR STAR IMPERIAL A IMPERIAL B INTL CONTAINER IP EGAME IPEOPLE IPM HLDG ISLAND INFO ISM COMM JACKSTONES LBC EXPRESS LEISURE AND RES LIBERTY TELECOM MANILA JOCKEY MELCO CROWN METRO RETAIL MLA BRDCASTING NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRAVELLERS

48 7.65 1.41 0.53 0.056 5.22 5.86 0.085 3.08 107.8 9.98 6.62 2.85 1,890 6.22 13.48 17.44 2.18 17 135 78 0.0097 11.8 9 0.213 1.48 3.37 13.26 5.2 2.02 2 4.32 4.96 22.7 3.04 11.52 5.1 151 8.95 1,620 1.15 0.4 43.3 80.8 5.89 2.83 0.78 3.44

48 7.7 1.41 0.53 0.058 5.22 6.2 0.086 3.13 108.1 9.98 6.8 2.85 1,890 6.29 14 17.44 2.3 17 135 78.05 0.0097 11.8 9.2 0.214 1.48 3.49 13.26 5.29 2.02 2 4.55 4.96 25.7 3.09 11.52 5.35 151 8.95 1,620 1.16 0.405 43.3 80.8 5.89 2.9 0.83 3.46

47.8 7.64 1.41 0.53 0.055 5.21 5.82 0.084 3.08 107.5 9.98 6.62 2.58 1,855 6.22 13.48 17.44 2.17 16.58 135 76.3 0.0095 11.8 9 0.21 1.46 3.35 13 5.13 1.96 1.99 4.31 4.92 22.7 3.02 11.5 5.1 150 8.75 1,595 1.13 0.4 42 78 5.71 2.83 0.77 3.39

SERVICES 47.9 7.7 1.41 0.53 0.058 5.21 6.1 0.085 3.13 107.9 9.98 6.79 2.59 1,860 6.29 13.8 17.44 2.21 16.62 135 77 0.0095 11.8 9.2 0.214 1.46 3.49 13.2 5.2 1.96 2 4.48 4.95 24 3.05 11.5 5.3 150 8.88 1,595 1.14 0.405 43.05 79.9 5.71 2.87 0.82 3.4

13,900 128,100 51,000 15,000 124,750,000 5,100 32,570,100 23,610,000 627,000 291,090 1,400 22,500 14,000 29,355 551,000 70,500 300 10,690,000 5,000 160 881,620 15,000,000 300 510,000 4,200,000 275,000 22,000 5,500 446,700 242,000 34,000 16,932,000 4,456,000 8,000 774,000 27,100 9,100 111,510 467,600 163,070 28,062,000 940,000 1,293,900 266,880 208,400 523,000 39,074,000 324,000

665,565 979,870 71,910 7,950 7,129,440 26,616 198,684,670 2,006,210 1,943,490 31,403,072 13,972 152,736 38,040 54,645,165 3,446,256 964,282 5,232 23,942,440 83,138 21,600 68,000,157 143,900 3,540 4,691,540 889,790 402,600 74,770 72,446 2,333,473 485,130 67,860 75,807,760 22,026,540 190,145 2,361,660 312,170 47,855 16,726,620 4,119,996 261,074,080 32,219,000 376,750 55,696,575 21,342,320.50 1,196,596 1,490,960 31,732,230 1,108,530

-7,650 56,000 42,818,348 -132,880 166,720 5,803,275 -37,273,105 1,380 -2,500,690 -45,185,927 82,620 -1,460 1,051,207 -17,647,530 -8,162,980 15,250 181,550 439,945 -104,358,355 98,880.00 23,028,345 -13,327,302 139,050 9,468,560 303,540

80,610 2,657,100 333,060 28,980 358,430 130,950 41,189 70,170,510 5,450 543,330 9,850 169,400 60,000 2,214,490 79,337,782 89,460 52,850 509,370 103,400 1,200 4,240 3,629,100 7,175,223 47,882,720 44,573,562 131,310 175,800

-2,980 -700,000 -168,580 -1,445,660 5,190 3,623,851 -930,172 -288,120 14,576,837 -

NAME

MS

PROPERTY 0.28 7.25 1.14 2.34 37.6 2.96 5.06 0.6 1.08 1.07 0.156 0.65 57.7 0.74 0.141 1.8 0.98 1.13 4.22 0.18 0.435 3.44 31.1 30.3

980,000 162,800 1,326,000 157,000 12,626,500 2,219,000 14,500 2,273,000 161,000 39,000 19,340,000 7,562,000 317,690 12,000 50,000 1,414,000 1,619,000 140,000 18,992,000 60,620,000 150,000 551,000 1,600 1,962,900

275,150 1,182,801 1,490,280 366,790 475,286,825 6,572,670 73,370 1,358,840 174,870 41,730 3,046,830 4,924,780 18,411,246 8,880 7,020 2,545,090 1,592,550 155,270 81,224,820 10,764,610 65,100 1,885,590 49,905 59,665,470

-276,208 7,840 -29,818,340 -2,068,390 51,000 -4,650 1,070 -454,000 -578,419.50 1,035,430 3,960 -15,733,030 -1,800 383,240 -34,688,895

APEX MINING ABRA MINING ATLAS MINING BENGUET A CENTURY PEAK COAL ASIA HLDG DIZON MINES FERRONICKEL GEOGRACE LEPANTO A LEPANTO B MANILA MINING A MANILA MINING B MARCVENTURES NICKEL ASIA NIHAO OMICO CORP ORNTL PENINSULA ORNTL PETROL A ORNTL PETROL B PETROENERGY PHILODRILL PX MINING PXP ENERGY SEMIRARA MINING TA PETROLEUM UNITED PARAGON

2.98 0.0035 4.12 2.07 0.57 0.39 8.07 1.23 0.275 0.197 0.197 0.011 0.012 1.63 6.77 2.83 0.48 1.05 0.011 0.012 4.24 0.013 8.23 4 126.4 3.21 0.0095

2.99 0.0036 4.15 2.07 0.59 0.4 8.2 1.29 0.275 0.198 0.197 0.011 0.012 1.74 6.99 2.83 0.485 1.05 0.011 0.012 4.24 0.013 8.26 4.3 127 3.21 0.0095

2.98 0.0035 4.1 2.07 0.57 0.39 8.06 1.23 0.27 0.197 0.197 0.011 0.012 1.62 6.77 2.77 0.48 1.01 0.011 0.012 4.24 0.012 8.22 3.95 126 3.19 0.0091

MINING & OIL 2.99 27,000 0.0035 759,000,000 4.15 81,000 2.07 14,000 0.59 621,000 0.39 330,000 8.06 5,100 1.27 55,332,000 0.27 20,000 0.198 2,750,000 0.197 50,000 0.011 15,400,000 0.012 5,000,000 1.69 1,295,000 6.88 11,475,200 2.81 32,000 0.485 110,000 1.01 493,000 0.011 9,400,000 0.012 100,000 4.24 1,000 0.013 290,700,000 8.26 870,600 4.26 11,488,000 126 352,750 3.2 41,000 0.0092 19,000,000

DD PREF ABS HLDG PDR FGEN PREF F GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR LR PREF MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2A PNX PREF 3A SFI PREF SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

103.8 48 110 527.5 6.2 1.05 109.5 1,091 107.6 2.3 81.5 76 77.5 79.4 77.25 78

104 48 110 527.5 6.2 1.05 109.5 1,093 107.6 2.3 81.5 76 77.5 79.4 77.25 78.15

103.7 47.5 109.9 521 6.2 1.05 109.5 1,091 107.5 2.3 81.5 76 77.5 79 77 77.95

PREFERRED 103.9 40,450 47.6 312,800 110 340 522 6,030 6.2 300 1.05 5,000 109.5 10 1,093 2,910 107.5 15,490 2.3 1,000 81.5 3,190 76 4,940 77.5 14,400 79 56,180 77 200,000 78.1 243,200

4,200,817 14,911,160 37,390 3,149,325 1,860 5,250 1,095 3,179,030 1,665,225 2,300 259,985 375,440 1,116,000 4,438,910 15,401,850 18,976,295

1,994,718 -10,079,565 2,300 -

LR WARRANT

2.45

2.45

2.35

WARRANTS 2.4 146,000

350,320

-

ITALPINAS MAKATI FINANCE XURPAS

4.12 2.98 12.2

4.15 3.1 12.4

4.1 2.95 12.18

4.1 3.1 12.2

1,144,020 14,960 11,759,186

-6,945,070

FIRST METRO ETF

126.9

126.9

125

1,376,413

-

TRADING SUMMARY FINANCIAL

SHARES

19,547,661

INDUSTRIAL

70,365,197

HOLDING FIRMS

65,801,446

PROPERTY

167,553,272

SERVICES

309,187,901

MINING & OIL

1,184,120,516

GRAND TOTAL

1,817,832,803

SME

278,000 5,000 962,700

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 125 10,960

VALUE 1,838.85 (up) 19.22 1,398,398,713.41 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,771.50 (down) 76.56 1,110,331,923.924 HOLDING FIRMS 7,625.61 (down) 22.01 1,436,356,567.75 PROPERTY 3,371.21 (down) 42.21 1,461.36 (down) 9.42 1,370,363,969.31 SERVICES MINING & OIL 11,522.45 (up) 150.62 949,675,003.90 PSEI 7,580.22 (down) 29.09 260,522,505.05 All Shares Index 4,491.09 (up) 7.86 6,539,943,712.34 Gainers: 97 Losers: 82; Unchanged: 49; Total: 228

Liberty completes its tender offering

By Jenniffer B. Austria MINORITY shareholders of Liberty Telecoms Holdings Inc. tendered their shares and accepted the P2.20 offer of Vega Telecoms Inc. of PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. Liberty Telecoms said in a tender offer report filed with the Philippine Stock Exchange a total of 107.012 million common shares representing 8.7 percent of the company’s issued and outstanding common shares held by minority investors were sold in the tender offer.

“Accordingly after the completion of the tender offer, Vega Telecom shall hold 1.234 billion common shares of 95.45 percent of the issued and outstanding common stock of Liberty Telecoms,” the company said.

Liberty Telecoms offered to acquire 165.833 million representing 12.82 percent owned by minority shareholders at P2.20 per share after PLDT and Globe jointly acquired Vega Telecom, the parent of Liberty Telecoms from San Miguel Corp. in a P70-billion deal.

Many minority shareholders of the telecommunication firm participated in the tender offer despite earlier petitions for the Securities and Exchange Commission to review the valuation and the tender offer process.

Some minority stockholders said the P2.20 tender offer price did not take account take into account Liberty Telecoms’ coveted 700 megahertz radio frequencies that were reassigned to Bell Telecommunications Inc. SEC, after ordering an extension of the tender offer period and requesting additional information on the reassignment of frequencies and PLDT and Globe’s acquisition of Vega Telecom, said it would take no further action on the issue, thereby allowing the tender offer of Liberty Telecoms to proceed.

Concepcion net profit up by 42% APPLIANCE manufacturer Concepcion Industrial Corp. said Tuesday net income in the third quarter grew 42 percent from a year ago, on strong sales across all business segments.

CIC said in a disclosure to the stock exchange revenues in the third quarter rose 11 percent, boosted by continued margin expansion, cost reduction and efficiency gains, favorable market conditions and continuously low commodity prices.

“Our strong performance and the recognition that we have been getting both from the investor community and our peers validate our efforts and the progress that we have made in profitably expanding our core businesses,” CIC chairman and chief executive Raul Joseph Concepcion said.

The robust third-quarter performance pushed the nine-month net income to register a 43 percent year-onyear growth.

Nine-month revenues also posted a 20-percent growth versus the same period a year ago.

CIC said higher sales were particularly recorded in residential and commercial air-conditioning, buoyed by first-time buyer growth and expansion in commercial and office space development.

CIC said given the company’s strong nine-month performance, it was poised to beat its target of 15-percent full year growth in sales and net income.

CIC is currently on expansion mode as it targets to grow its net income and revenues by five-fold by 2020.

It plans to spend P11 billion to finance acquisition and expansion plans to meet its target of hitting P5 billion in net income and P50 billion in revenues over the next five years.

Jenniffer B. Austria

Business

B3

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Govt plans to raise VAT exemption threshold

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

T

HE government plans to increase the value added tax exemptions enjoyed by micro, small and medium enterprises, a Finance official said Tuesday.

MERALCO FORUM. MPower, the retail electricity supplier of Meralco, along with Meralco Power Academy and Meralco Energy Inc., holds an energy efficiency partner forum for over 80 MPower customers at the Marco Polo Ortigas Manila. Joining the forum are (from left) United Nations and Industrial Development Organization national project coordinator Oscarlito Malvar, Unido certified national expert on EnMS Rommel Benig, Optien principal energy consultant Richard Morrison, Meralco Power Academy program director Eugene Araullo and MPower strategic account manager Conrado Fabros.

Govt reviews catastrophe insurance bid

By Gabrielle H. Binaday THE Insurance Commission will revisit its compulsory catastrophe insurance proposal to align with the new administration’s priorities amid climate change.

Insurance Commissioner Emmanuel Dooc said the agency would review the proposal on the mandated compulsory catastrophe insurance coverage for middleclass residential buildings and small and medium enter-

Lopez: IPs will not be evicted

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales ENVIRONMENT Secretary Regina Lopez assured Tuesday indigenous people from Mindanao, who have been holding a series of protest actions in Metro Manila, that they will not be evicted from their ancestral lands.

“No one will be evicted from your land. That is your exclusive right,” Lopez told the IPs, as they continued to protest against what they claimed as the continued plunder and militarization of ancestral lands across the country.

Lopez directed Undersecretary Isabelo Montejo to look deeper into the issues being raised by the IPs. The Environment chief also said the government would engage the IPs in the National Greening Program, the government’s massive reforestation initiative that doubles as a poverty alleviation measure.

“We want to include you in our National Greening Program so that you can have economic activities in your areas and you’ll have money,” Lopez said.

She urged them to help the government in protecting the resources in their ancestral lands.

“You should protect the resources in your ancestral lands so that your rivers will continue to be clean,” Lopez said.

On the clamor of the IPs to stop mining in their areas, Lopez said she had already issued a moratorium on new mining projects.

Lopez added the department would pursue an immediate investigation on issues allegedly being perpetrated by mining companies against the lumads and other minority groups in the country.

prises.

“I believe they are considering other options, (and) I think we have to discuss it with them, with the leadership,” Dooc said.

“We know that the plate is full and that there are many ongoing initiatives, but we hope that this matter should also be addressed,” he added.

The Insurance Commission earlier said it would push for the passage of the mandatory catastrophe pool insurance law that would aid households and small and medium enterprises in times of calamity.

“Definitely, yes. I mentioned it to the Secretary [of Finance] but he was just listening. I’ll pursue it now that he is in the office,” Dooc said.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said he would study the proposal when asked earlier asked about it.

The draft executive order, when signed into law, would require all households and SMEs to get insurance protection from possible damages caused by di-

sasters, such as earthquakes and floods.

Under the proposed catastrophe insurance pool, insurers will underwrite the policies according to their corresponding subscriptions.

The proposed draft EO had been recommended by the Department of Finance to the Office of the President last year.

Then President Benigno Aquino III, however, did not sign the EO. Dooc said while the EO was the fastest process to implement the insurance pool, the IC was also open to legislative measures.

“The immediate need is for an issuance of an EO to accelerate the process but in the long term we will need a legislation,” Dooc said.

The economic exposure of the Philippines to natural threats is the highest in the world in terms of their share to the gross domestic product, according to London-based insurance specialist Lloyd’s.

“As a percentage of its average annual GDP [gross domestic product], Manila’s economic exposure is the world’s largest [50.28 percent],” Lloyd’s said, citing the results of City Risk Index, a study it conducted with the University of Cambridge Judge Business School.

The index is the first analysis of economic output at risk (GDP at Risk) in 301 major cities from 18 man-made and natural threats over a 10-year period (2015 to 2025). The index estimated that a total of $4.6 trillion of projected GDP was at risk due to man-made and natural disasters in cities around the world.

Lloyd’s Asia-Pacific managing director Kent Chaplin said natural threats accounted for over 90 percent of Manila’s economic exposure. About $109 billion or over half of the Philippines GDP was at risk, the highest percentage in the Lloyd’s City Risk Index in percentage terms.

Finance Undersecretary Antonette Tionko told reporters at the sidelines of a Senate hearing on tax reforms the plan was to increase the VAT exemption threshold on the sale of goods and properties from P1.9 million to P3 million.

A company’s gross annual receipts/sales on the sale or lease of goods or properties or performance of services not exceeding P1,919,500 are subject to 3-percentage tax.

An amount higher than that is subject to 12-percent VAT. Tionko said the higher threshold was expected to help MSMEs. “If we make it [threshold] P3 million, if the amount of your sales is not over P3 million, then you’re not subject to VAT. So it’s just to even it out. It’s more beneficial for them,” he said.

Tionko said while the proposal could result in revenue losses for the government, its main objective was to simplify the compilation process for SMEs and to safeguard them from possible effects of the other proposed tax measures such as increasing the excise tax on petroleum products and broadening the VAT base.

“We don’t have the exact figures [for losses]. It’s probably not a lot. It’s gonna be more with the P3 million threshold.

Because it’s simplifying things for them to make it efficient,” Tionko said.

Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua said the agency was also looking at

lifeline subsidies for low-income electricity consumers to protect senior citizens and persons with disabilities from the impact of the proposed increase in the excise tax on petroleum products.

He said the proposed social protection measures were being fine-tuned as a part of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act. “The protection really comes from the increase in their VAT threshold to P3 million, so that the micro and small enterprises with gross sales of at most P3 million will not be affected by the broadening of the [VAT] base.

They will of course still pay their percentage tax,” said Chua.

Chua said changing the form of benefits for the vulnerable sectors from outright exemptions, which favored both the rich and the poor, to targeted social protection measures would help plug the massive leakages in the VAT system.

“We very much respect and would like to help the poor and vulnerable people who would be affected, but we think that a better system to do it is through the expenditures side, not the tax side,” Chua said.

“This is so that we can avoid the leakages and in fact transfer the leakages that we [plug] to provide better services,” he said.

Chua said indigent senior citizens would also be protected by providing them with higher social pensions, while PWDs would get expanded health insurance coverage and other benefits.

Foreign companies keen on Vietnam’s state brewers

By Jenny Vaughan HANOI, Vietnam―Sloshed back at rowdy open-air “bia hoi” day and night, beer is Vietnam’s tipple of choice and now its cashstrapped government is drawing on the nation’s penchant for lager to raise billions of dollars by selling stakes in state-owned brewers.

The unprecedented divestments in two state crown jewels, the makers of the much-glugged Saigon and Hanoi beers, are expected to net as much as $2.2 billion.

The sale comes as part of longpromised reforms to privatize bloated state firms, which official figures show contributed about one third of the country’s GDP last year.

It is hoped the reforms will set the communist country back on track to meet its ambitious economic targets and jumpstart growth which has slowed this year.

For Vietnam’s government, beer is a logical place to start.

With a population of 93 million people, the country is one of Asia’s leading swillers of beer.

Vietnamese consumed more than three billion liters of the cold stuff last year, according to Euromonitor marketing firm.

That thirst has piqued interest from foreign brewers, eager to tap growth markets at a time when sales in many developed markets in Asia are forecast to plateau.

“Vietnam has one of the fastest growing beer consumption markets in the world, and that’s ob-

This picture taken on February 19, 2016 shows an employee pulling draught beer for patrons at a beer bar in Hanoi. Sloshed back at rowdy open-air “bia hoi” day and night, beer is Vietnam’s tipple of choice and now its cash-strapped government is drawing on the nation’s penchant for lager to raise billions of dollars by selling stakes in state-owned brewers. AFP

viously an appeal,” said Kevin Snowball, CEO of PXP Vietnam Asset Management in Ho Chi Minh City.

Down it, down it The government said this month the two companies, Habeco and Sabeco, would be listed in the first three months of 2017 and would be open to local or foreign bidders.

For the Vietnamese who crowd into the open-air bia hoi markets during lunch, dinner and for some, in between, privatization promises to keep the good times rolling―as long as the

buyouts don’t mess with flavor.

“I don’t want beer Hanoi to be affected by the taste of Carlsberg, I don’t want beer Saigon to become so similar to a Sapporo... the key is to keep the distinctive taste of the beer,” said Duc Thang, 48, speaking over a glass of cold brew.

Like millions of others across the country, Thang comes to the bia hoi to unwind.

“At a bia hoi you can talk about so many things―you can chit-chat, talk business, family problems. It’s easier to talk when you have one or two beers.”

Some major names already have a foothold here―Heineken has about 17 percent of the market, competing with other players like Carlsberg and Sapporo―and reports say Thailand’s ThaiBev and Singha Beer may now be ready enter the fray too.

But the sales could instantly transform a foreign buyer into a top brewer: Sabeco enjoys about 45 percent market share, while Habeco has 17 percent, according to Euromonitor.

The government says it will sell its 90 percent stake of Sai-

gon Beer Alcohol Beverage Corp (Sabeco) for $1.8 billion, and its 82 percent stake in the Hanoi Beer Alcohol and Beverage Joint Stock Corp (Habeco) for $400 million.

Both companies declined to speak to AFP. ‘The right time’ Economists say the government is selling the stakes because it is thirsty for cash.

Public debt hit 62 percent of GDP this year according to official figures, and is climbing closer to the governmentsanctioned debt ceiling of 65 percent of GDP. “It’s the right time for the government to consider selling a number of state-owned companies to get more for the budget,” economist Pham Chi Lan told AFP. Selling off controlling stakes is also expected to help clean up corporate governance and boost productivity, which have not happened with piecemeal selloffs in the past.

“Many of these benefits will only come if there’s a strategic investor that really takes on a majority stake,” said Sebastian Eckardt, lead economist for the World Bank in Vietnam.

Some credit a new regime of communist leaders in power since April with making good on promises to privatize, but will wait to raise a glass until the deals are done.

“We’re very positive on this, as long as it happens, because it’s been talked about for a very long time,” said Snowball. AFP

LGUs

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

C1

HIGH-CLASS COLUMBARIUM. The apartment crypt at Manila’s North Cemetery, costing P90 million, was inaugurated Monday by Mayor Joseph Estrada, aimed at expanding the city government’s free services to poor Manileños—from birth to sickness to death. Norman Cruz

Sto. Tomas’ booming business S

TO. TOMAS, Pampanga—Animated funerary box making in Pampanga’s arguably smallest town has made it the casket capital of the Philippines, with 105-million people.

With only a population of 38,062, based on the 2010 census, Sto. Tomas, with only seven barangays, continues to supply the country with about 60

percent of its need for caskets.

The record of the Department of Trade and Industry in Pampanga shows about 300 families are engaged and involved in the

production with Metro Manila and rest of Luzon as the main markets based on consignment.

Each family is producing about 80 pieces of coffins totalling 24,000.00 a month, record shows.

Aside from casket making, funeral parlor services, carpentry, the other major industry of this town is ceramic making both for local and overseas consumers.

Sto. Tomas, a fourth class town with a land area of 1,476

hectares, was founded in 1792 until it became officially a town in 1951 through Executive Order No.476 issued by President Elpidio Quirino.

The industry was pioneered

by Aquilino Tayag and Florencio Arceo in 1950 but when Tayag passed away Arceo took over and passed it on to his children.

Former Mayor Lucas Arceo, the second generation of producers, said the P300 million industry

prospered because of the old tradition and the hard work of the people involved in the business.

Lucas, who owns two funeral services in Manila, is one of the four children of Florencio who continued to venture into casket making.

The others are Victoria A. Manabat of Manabat-Arceo Memorial Chapel and Funeral Services, Sindalan Memorial Services owned by the eldest brother Bert Arceo,

both in the City San Fernando, and the Paralaya Funeral Services owned by oldest sister Gethrudez Arceo-Bondoc in Sto. Tomas.

All brothers and sisters are still engaged in the production while managing their respective funeral services, Arceo said.

The price of a casket today ranges from P4,530 to P25,000 for the middle class while premium —made of bronze—is P1 million.

Romeo Dizon

One-stop shop center in Baguio

Centenarian honored in General Trias

BAGUIO City—The City Government and the Department of Labor and Employment will open the Overseas Filipino Workers one-stop shop service center at the executive lounge of the Baguio Convention Center on Saturday.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and Mayor Mauricio Domogan lead the inauguration and formal opening of the OFW one-stop service center that will provide OFWs with easier access to the services of different government agencies in processing documents they need with lesser delays and inconveniences.

President Rodrigo Duterte, in his first State of the Nation Address, directed all frontline offices to establish one-stop shop centers to ensure that all requirements needed by the public are housed in one location for public convenience.

THE City Council of General Trias in Cavite has passed a resolution recognizing residents who become centenarians with a plaque and P50,000 cash as inspiration to the younger residents.

Two of the city’s centenarians—Ester Laplana of Barangay San Francisco and Carmen Saliva of Barangay San Juan— were recognized Monday during the flag raising ceremony led by Mayor Antonio Ferrer.

Mother Esther turned 100 years old on June 13 while Mother Carmen reached her fifth score on July 16.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, life expectancy for Filipino women today is 71 years old, thanks to the development of quality of life and medical care.

Meanwhile, local officials have granted free film viewing for senior residents—those 60 years old and above—announced during an activity attended by an estimated 2,000 officials and members of the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs and the elderly of the city.

Ferrer also announced additional cash incentives incentives for senior citizens who reach 80 years old (P,000) and 90 years old (P10,000).

As well as the nearby town of Noveleta, also launched by Mayor Dino Chua, a Free Movies for Senior Citizens recently in SM Rosario nearby town of Rosario. Such as General Trias, senior citizens are free to watch the show every Monday on the said cinema.

In Cavite, the first cities given priveleges to watch free movies were Bacoor City in SM City Bacoor, Imus City in Robinson’s Place, and Dasmariñas City in SM Dasmariñas. Benjamin Chavez

Bello issued a memorandum to all regional directors of the labor department, instructing them to spearhead the establishment of one-stop shop service for OFWs in the different regions.

Included in the Baguio OFW one-stop shop service center are representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Professional Regulation Commission, Maritime Industry Authority, Home Development Mutual Fund, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, Social Security System, Philippine Statistics Authority, Bureau of Immigration, National Bureau of Investigation, Commission on Higher Education and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority. Dexter A. See

FISH PRESERVING. Two men go through the process of salting and drying sardine fish, locally called

lawlaw, in Noveleta town in Cavite, hoping to store the fish for months, converting the split form from the fresh state to a much lower moisture level with the use of sun’s heat without salt to maintain its acceptability over an extended period.

Davao City gets Seal of Good Local Governance DAVAO City—Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio credits the local administration of her father Rodrigo Duterte as then mayor of their home city for the 2016 Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) the city received from the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

She stressed her administra-

tion is inspired by the award to improve the services the city government is giving to the Dabawenyos.

“It is a source of inspiration for us to improve and work hard for the people of our city,” she said Monday.

In a letter, Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno said Davao City

passed “all the minimum parameters of the core components” of the SGLG—Financial Administration, Social Protection, and Disaster Preparedness.

Sueno said Davao City also met the measures for Business Friendliness and Competitiveness, Peace and Order, and Environmental Management.

The SGLG is an award and incentive program for performing local government units to encourage and challenge all provinces, cities, and municipalities to improve performance and service delivery set across the core areas and essential areas.

Lawyer Tristan Dwight Domingo, the Assistant City Ad-

ministrator, said the SGLG award is “a testament to the good leadership and dedicated public servants that we have in the city government in Davao.”

“It also signifies that the Dabawenyos are also helping and doing their parts in effective public governance,” he said. Pearl Gajunera

600 mothers, newborns to receive child health care AT LEAST 600 mothers and their newborns from Quezon City’s different barangays will be enrolled by the Health department under the Batang 1000 Days program to provide maternal and child health care.

“Our objective has been to improve the survival rate of our newborns and reduce maternal mortality,” Mayor

Herbert Bautista said.

The 14 barangay health centers in Damayan Lagi, Commonwealth, Masambong, Bagong Silangan, Payatas, Old Balara, Pansol, Tatalon, Gulod, San Bartolome, Tandang Sora, Pasong Tamo, Damayang Lagi and North Fairview have been designated to provide health care services.

In his Oct. 17 state-of-the-city-address, Bautista called on young mothers to register for the program, describing as vital in the city’s bid to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates, especially in underprivileged communities in the city.

Under the program, expectant mothers shall be provided pre-natal care and

nutritional and breastfeeding support in the designated health centers during their nine months of pregnancy.

On the other hand, their newborn shall be provided with free immunization, supplemental feeding, multivitamins supplement and nutritional support up to two years of age. Rio N. Araja

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard

Republic of the Philippines

TODAY ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF THE POWER SALES AGREEMENT BETWEEN DAVAO DEL SUR ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. AND MAPALAD POWER CORPORATION, WITH PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY,

1.1 Capital Recovery Fee (CRF) CRF shall be computed as follows: CRF = CRFR x ED Where: CRF = Capital Recovery Fee, in Pesos CRFR

=

Php 250.18 (hours in the Billing Month)

ED

=

kWh delivered during the Billing Month

RATE IMPLICATIONS OF THE POWER SALES AGREEMENT 27. In order to determine the impact of the implementation of the PSA on DASURECO’s generation costs, an analysis was conducted taking into consideration DASURECO’s projected demand and available supply from other suppliers.

A copy of the said analysis is attached hereto as Annex “T.” 28. The procurement of additional supply from MPC will help provide much needed peaking power to DASURECO and, based on the analysis, will resuIt in an upward adjustment of Php 0.2913/kWh in DASURECO’s total generation costs.

1.2 Fixed Operation & Maintenance Fee (FOMF) ERC CASE NO. 2016-083 RC

The Fixed Operation and Maintenance Fee (FOMF) covers the operating and maintenance costs of the MPC Power Station. It shall be computed according to the following formula:

DAVAO DEL SUR ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. AND MAPALAD POWER CORPORATION Applicants.

29. The results of the said analysis are summarized in the table below.

Supplier

Notice is hereby given that on 29 April 2016, Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc. (DASURECO) and Mapalad Power Corporation (MPC) filed a Joint Application for Approval of the Power Sales Agreement with Prayer for Provisional Authority.

In the said Application, DASURECO and MPC alleged the following: THE APPLICANTS 1.

2.

Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc. (“DASURECO”) is a non-stock, non-profit electric cooperative organized and existing under and by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 269, as amended, with office address at Brgy.

Cogon, Digos City, Davao del Sur. DASURECO has a franchise to distribute electricity in Digos City, and the Municipalities of Magsaysay, Sulop, Jose Abad Santos, Sta. Cruz, Hagonoy, Malalag, Don Marcelino, Bansalan, Padada, Sta. Maria, Sarangani, Matanao, Kiblawan and Malita, all In the province of Davao del Sur. Mapalad Power Corporation (“MPC”) is a generation company duly authorized and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with principal address at 4th Floor, Alphaland Southgate Tower, 2258 Chino Roces Ave. corner EDSA, Makati City.

Copies of MPC’s Certificate of Incorporation, Articles of Incorporation, ByLaws, latest General Information Sheet and Audited Financial Statements for the year 2015 are attached hereto as Annexes “A” and series.

3.

Joint Applicants may be served orders and other processes through their respective counsel.

NATURE OF THE APPLICATION

4.

Pursuant to Rule 20 (B) of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, approved by this Honorable Commission on 22 June 2006 in Resolution No. 38, Series of 2006, this Application is submitted to this Honorable Commission for its review and approval of the Power Sales Agreement (“PSA”) dated 26 April 2016 between DASURECO and MPC.

Where: FOMF

=

Fixed O&M Fee, in Pesos

FOMR

=

Php 217.62 (hours in the Billing Month)

ED

=

kWh delivered during the Billing Month

CPIn

=

Consumer Price Index for Metropolitan Manila Area (National Capital Region), all items published by NEDA/ NSO for the period of price determination

CPIo

=

Consumer Price Index for Metropolitan Manila Area (National Capital Region), all items published by NEDA/NSO for June 2010 (at 115.9, 2006 = 100)

WPCn

WPCo

=

Euro-Peso Exchange Rate for the period of price determination as published by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

EUo

=

Euro-Peso Exchange Rate for June 2010 (at P56.5910/ 1Euro) as published by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

FPPIn FPPIo

= =

Furthermore, Joint Applicants have caused the publication of the present Application in its entirety, excluding its annexes, in a newspaper of general circulation, within DASURECO’s franchise area.

VOMFR =

Variable O&M Fee Rate of Php 0.17/kWh

ED

=

kWh delivered during the Billing Month

Copies of the newspaper and the corresponding affidavit of publication are attached hereto as Annexes “D” and “D-1,” respectively.

CPIn

=

Consumer Price Index for Metropolitan Manila Area (National Capital Region), all items published by NEDA/NSO for the period of price determination

CPIo

=

Consumer Price Index for Metropolitan Manila Area (National Capital Region), all items published by NEDA/NSO for June 2010 (115.9, 2006 = 100)

EUn

=

Euro-Peso Exchange Rate for the period of price determination as published by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

EUo

=

Euro-Peso Exchange Rate for June 2010 (at P56.5910/ 1 Euro) as published by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

FPPIn

=

Finland Producers’ Price Index for Manufacturing for the period of price determination as published in the International Financial Statistics of IMF

FPPlo

=

Finland Producers’ Price Index for Manufacturing for June 2010 (at 108.5) as published in the International Financial Statistics of IMF

WPCn

=

Wholesale Price Index for Mineral Fuels, Lubricants and Related Materials for the Philippines as published by NEDA/NSO for the period of price determination

WPCo

=

Wholesale Price Index for Mineral Fuels, Lubricants and Related Materials for the Philippines as published by NEDA/NSO for June 2010 (at 518.2)

=

STATEMENT OF FACTS Shortage of Power Supply in the Mindanao Grid. The Mindanao Grid is currently facing a deficit in its power supply. The generating capacity in the Grid is no Ionger sufficient to meet the power requirements of Mindanao.

8.

The insufficiency in the supply of electricity is further aggravated by the recent bombings of the transmission towers in Mindanao, which prevents the delivery of the electricity. Further, the El Niño Phenomenon currently being experienced by the country has drastically reduced the power supply in Mindanao, since it is heavily dependent on hydroelectric power.

9.

As a result, various parts of Mindanao have suffered from significant power outages, adversely affecting local businesses and the daily lives of all electricity consumers.

10. Drastic Reduction in PSALM’s Supply. In addition, the main power supplier in Mindanao significantly reduced its allocations to distribution utilities, further aggravating the power shortage.

10.1. The Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (“PSALM”), which took over all the power generation assets of the National Power Corporation (“NPC”) pursuant to Republic Act No. 9136, supplies the bulk of the power requirements of Mindanao.

PSALM likewise supplies a significant portion of DASURECO’s current power supply.

10.2. However, PSALM has significantly reduced its firm supply commitments to distribution utilities in Mindanao, including DASURECO. 10.3. NPC Certification. DASURECO has formally requested NPC for a certification on whether it will have available capacity and energy to supply DASURECO during the term of the PSA. NPC has not yet formally responded to such request.

11. Necessity for Additional Power Supply. In order to ensure sufficient power supply to DASURECO’s customers, the power requirements within the franchise area of DASURECO should be adequately covered by supply contracts.

12. In addition to the reduction in supply from PSALM, the power demand in DASURECO’s franchise area is expected to steadily increase. The expected increase is indicated in DASURECO’s Distribution Development Plan (“DDP”) and supply-demand projections.

Copies of DASURECO’s DDP and supply-demand projections are attached to the Application as Annexes “F” and “G,” respectively: 13. Procurement Process for Supply. Thus, DASURECO executed efforts to procure the appropriate power supply.

14. MPC offered to supply power to DASURECO from its 103 MW bunker C-fired diesel power generating plant located in Iligan City. DASURECO evaluated the offer and, as a result, it executed the PSA with MPC for the supply of power on a non-firm basis.

An affidavit supporting the foregoing is attached hereto as Annex “H.” 15. Demand Side Management. A certification from DASURECO as regards demand side management is attached hereto as Annex “I.” 16. Under the law, no contract for the supply of power can become legally effective unless approved by this Honorable Commission. Hence, this Joint Application.

ABSTRACT OF THE POWER SALES AGREEMENT AND RELATED INFORMATION 17. The Generation Facilities. To supply power under the PSA, MPC shall operate and maintain a bunker C-fired diesel power station with a total net generating capacity of 103 MW, located in Sitio Mapalad, Barangay Dalipuga, Iligan City, Province of Lanao del Norte (the “MPC Power Plant”).

A brief description of the technical characteristics of the MPC Power Station is attached hereto as Annex “J.” 18. The net heat rate of the MPC Power Station shall not be greater than 0.2464 kg/kWh at plant site condition of 32 deg. C ambient temperature, and is based on the Plant’s use of bunker C fuel oil with a density of 0.9855 kilogram/ liter.

A copy of a certification on the Plant’s net heat rate is attached hereto as Annex “K.” 19. Salient Features of the PSA. 19.1. Supply of Power Requirements. Under the PSA, MPC shall supply or cause to supply to DASURECO the Nominated Capacity and Dispatchable Energy, on a non-firm basis, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set out in the PSA 19.2. MPC shall not be liable to DASURECO for any failure to deliver the Nominated Capacity and Dispatchable Energy and DASURECO shall not be liable to MPC for its inability or refusal to submit the Nominated Capacity.

19.3. In essence, if at any point, DASURECO has unserved power requirements, it may request MPC for supply, and MPC may, if it has available capacity, supply such requirements.

19.4 As it is a non-firm contract, DASURECO shall not be liable for any failure or refusal to request supply, neither shall MPC be liable for any failure to deliver the requested supply, 19.5. Commencement of Supply. The foregoing arrangement shall commence on the date designated by MPC to DASURECO in writing as the date on which the MPC Power Station is ready to commence supply.

19.6. Term. The term of supply and purchase under the PSA shall be for one (1) year from the Effective Date, unless otherwise earlier terminated in accordance with the PSA. 19.7. Effective Date. The obligations under the PSA shall become effective on the earlier of the date when the ERC shall have approved the PSA, or the date the ERC confirms in writing that DASURECO may purchase the Nominated Capacity and Dispatchable Energy from MPC. 20. Purchased Power Rate. For the supply of power by MPC, DASURECO shall pay the monthly payments based on the following formulae: Monthly Payments

I.

The Monthly Payments shall be paid to the Seller on a monthly basis in accordance with the following formula:

where: CRF FOMF VOMF AFC SC Taxes

Monthly Payments = CRF+ FOMF + VOMF + AFC + SC + Taxes = = = = = =

Capital Recovery Fees Fixed Operation and Maintenance Fee Variable Operation and Maintenance Fee Actual Fuel Cost Start-Up Costs Value-Added Tax, other applicable taxes and government impositions, if any

2,000,000.00

12,045,386.74

TMI

17.93%

5,256,000.00

20,756,275.20

MPI

20.47%

6,003,000.00

49,898,715.00

100.00%

29,319,000.00

176,579,346.94 Php 6.0227/kWh

FDC

29.88%

8,760,000.00

58,701,780.00

TSI

24.90%

7,300,000.00

35,177,190.00

TUDAYA 2

6.82%

2,000,000.00

12,627,917.22

TMI

17.93%

5,256,000.00

20,756,275.20

MPC

14.43%

4,230,000.00

33,992 ,725.00

6.05%

1,773,000.00

23,863,065.00

100.00%

29,319,000.00

185,118,952.42

Generation rate:

Php 6.3140/kWh

Scenario 1

Php 6.0227/kWh

Scenario 2

Php 6.3140/kWh

Impact: Generation Cost Increase/(Decrease)

Php 0.2913/kWh

Assumptions and notes: 1. VAT is excluded.

2. Total energy is the average of the forecasted monthly energy for the year 2017.

3. FDC and TSI are assumed at 100% Load Factor.

4. Energy from Tudaya 2 is the average monthly energy delivered. The rate applied is based on the applicable Feed-in-Tariff.

5. Energy from TMI is assumed using 60.00%load factor.

6. Energy from MPI is the quantity needed to cover the supply deficit.

7. Fuel price for MPI is at Php 21.00/liter.

8. Fuel price for MPC is at Php 7.21/liter.

MOTION FOR CONFIDENTlAL TREATMENT OF INFORMATION 30. As mentioned above, the financial model attached as Annex “L” is hereby submitted under a motion to treat information confidential.

31. The financial model discloses the basis for the tariff under the PSA. It includes all the formulas and calculations as well as the assumptions and values considered therein.

32. In accordance with Section1, Rule 4 of this Honorable Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (“ERC Rules”), Applicant MPC respectfully moves that the financial model be treated as confidential information for the following reasons: 32.1. The financial model qualifies as a “trade secret” as contemplated under existing jurisprudence.

32.2. In the case “Air Philippines Corporation vs. Pennswell Inc,”1 the Supreme Court defined “trade secret” as follows: A trade secret is defined as a plan or process, tool, mechanism or compound known only to its owner and those of his employees to whom it is necessary to confide it. The definition also extends to a secret formula or process not patented, but known only to certain individuals using it in compounding some article of trade having commercial value. A trade secret may consist of any formula, pattern, device, or compilation of information that (1) is used in one’s business; and (2) gives the employer an opportunity to obtain advantage over competitors who do not possess the information. Generally, a trade secret is a process or device intended for continuous operation of the business, for example, a machine or formula, but can be a price list or catalogue or specialized customer list. It is indubitable that trade secrets constitute proprietary rights.”

1.4 Actual Fuel Cost (AFC) The Actual Fuel Cost (AFC) is the fee paid to the Seller as payment for the procurement and delivery of the fuel oil (Bunker C) used in the operation of the MPC Power Station. The Actual Fuel Cost shall be computed as follows:

33. Also, the financial model was prepared and developed for the exclusive use of MPC, and is designed for the specific use of the company in its power generation business. Consequently, should the financial model be disclosed to the public, it could easily be copied or used by MPC’s competitors or other entities engaged in the power business for their own benefit, and to the prejudice of MPC. Thus, the commercial value of the said model will be diminished significantly.

AFC = FC x EC x ED

FC

=

Fuel Cost; The average MOPS price of Bunker C Fuel Oil/Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) deliveries during the period of price determination in Peso/ liter

EC

=

Efficiency Cap;

ED

=

A copy of the said request is attached hereto as Annex “E.”

6.82%

Impact:

Variable O&M Fee, in Pesos

Where:

35,177,190.00

TUDAYA 2

Total:

1.3 Variable Operation & Maintenance Fee (VOMF)

Where: VOMF

58,701,780.00

7,300,000.00

MPI

Finland Producers’ Price Index for Manufacturing for June 2010 (at 108.5) as published in the International Financial Statistics of lMF

The corresponding proofs of receipt are attached hereto as Annexes “C” and series.

8,760,000.00

24.90%

Scenario 2: Average generation mix with MPC

Finland Producers’ Price Index for Manufacturing for the period of price determination as published in the International Financial Statistics of IMF

The Variable Operation and Maintenance Fee (VOMF) covers the cost of the use of, among other items, chemicals, lubricants and spare parts, that are directly related to the generation of the MPC Power Station. It shall be computed according to the following formula:

29.88%

TSI

Generation rate:

Wholesale Price Index for Mineral Fuels, Lubricants and Related Materials for the Philippines as published by NEDA/NSO for June 2010 (at 518.2,1998=100)

In compliance with Rule 6 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, Joint Applicants have furnished the legislative bodies of each of the local government units where they principally operate a copy of the present Application with all its annexes and accompanying documents.

7.

Amount (PhP)

FDC

Total:

Wholesale Price Index for Mineral Fuels, Lubricants and Related Materials for the Philippines as published by NEDA/NSO for the period of price determination

=

COMPLIANCE WITH PRE-FILING REQUIREMENTS

6.

=

EUn

A copy of the PSA is attached hereto as Annex “B.”

5.

Energy (kWh)

Scenario 1: Average generation mix without MPC

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES:

Precentage Share

34. Given the foregoing, the financial model qualifies as “confidential information” as defined under Section 2, Rule 4 of the ERC Rules.

35. In accordance with Section 1 (b), Rule 4 of the ERC Rules, an electronic copy of the financial model is contained in one compact disc and submitted in a sealed envelope marked with the word “Confidential.”

0.2464 kg/kwh 0.9855 kg/liter Energy Delivered, kwh

1.5 Start-Up Costs (SC) The Buyer, on a pro rata basis of the capacity of the MPC Power Station allocated to the Buyer,shall pay the Seller Start-Up Costs for the cost of starting up the MPC Power Station after a period of shutdown due to any reason attributable to all the buyers of the Seller. The Start-UpCosts shall be computed based on the prevailing price of diesel fuel at the time of the Start Up and paid in accordance with the following:

36. Further, all parties furnished copies of the present Application are not furnished copies of the documents subject the present motion.

37. In accordance with Sections 3 and 4, Rule 4 of the ERC Rules, Applicant MPC reserves the right to use the financial model and its contents as evidence, and respectfully moves for the issuance of a Protective Order.

ALLEGATIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY

SC = (No. of Cold Start ups x 600 liters x price of Diesel per liter) + (No. of Warm Start ups x 300 liters x price of Diesel per liter) Type of Start-Up

Liters of Diesel Fuel

Cold Start-up (more than 10 hours of shutdown)

600

Warm Start-up (less than 10 hours of shutdown)

300

38. As discussed above, PSALM has significantly reduced its firm supply commitments to DASURECO. Also, supply from PSALM is unreliable as PSALM often delivers much less than its supply allocation to DASURECO. Further, the EI Niño phenomenon currently being experienced by the country has significantly reduced PSALM’s supply, as it is heavily dependent on hydroelectric power.

1.6 Value Added Tax The relative Value Added Taxes (“VAT”) of the above fee payments 12% shall be computed as follows:

39. In addition, the power demand in DASURECO’s franchise area is steadily increasing.

40. Thus, in order of to help ensure sufficiency of power supply to DASURECO’s customers, the supply under the PSA must be available in a timely manner.

VAT = (CRF + FOMF + VOMF + AFC +SC) x 0.12 For reference, a sample computation of the rate is contained in Schedule C of the PSA.

41. Since the MPC Power Plant is already existing and operating, it can readily supply power to DASURECO under the PSA as soon as the prayer for provisional authority is granted. A provisional authority will help ensure sufficiency of DASURECO’s supply in a timely manner, especially in view of the effects of the El Niño phenomenon on DASURECO’s power supply.

20.1. Basis for indexation. As indicated in the formulas above, the monthly fees to be paid by DASURECO are subject to adjustments based on various indices.

42. In view of the foregoing, Joint Applicants respectfully move for the provisional approval of the instant Application pursuant to Rule 14 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure,

20.2. The components of the Operation and Maintenance Fees representing foreign currency-denominated costs are adjusted based on the foreign exchange rate and the appropriate foreign price indices; those representing local costs are adjusted based on local price indices. The Actual Fuel Costs vary based on the applicable fuel cost index.

A copy of a sworn statement supporting the said motion is attached hereto as Annex “U.”

20.3. Financial Model. A copy of MPC’s financial model for the tariff is attached hereto as Annex “L.” As discussed below, the financial model is the subject of a Motion for Confidential Treatment of Information

43. DASURECO and MPC prayed that the Commission will: a)

21.1. Debt Equity Ratio. The project was funded through loans and equity, with a debt-equity ratio of 68:32. For the costs of an additional unit brought back to the MPC Power Station, the debt-equity ratio is 70:30.

issue an Order declaring the financial model attached hereto as Annex “L” as confidential information within the purview of Rule 4 of the ERC Rules, as well as directing that the financial model be treated with confidentiality and be protected from public disclosure;

b)

issue the corresponding Protective Order in accordance with Section 2 and 4 of the said Rule 4;

21.2. Project Cost. The total project cost for the MPC Power Plant as of March 2014 is P1.456 billion.

c)

immediately issue an Order provisionally approving the present Joint Application; and

A breakdown of the said total project cost is attached hereto as Annex “M.” For reference, a comparison between the said total project cost and earlier project cost totals used to compute the tariff is attached hereto as Annex “M-1.”

d)

after due hearing, render judgment approving the Power Sales Agreement subject of the instant Joint Application, as well as the generation rate and adjustment mechanisms indicated therein.

e)

Grant such other just and equitable relief under the premises.

21. Sources of Funds/Financial Plans.

21.3. Annual Interest. MPC’s actual interest cost is 6.5% p.a.

21.4. Computation of Weighted Average Cost of Capital. The nominal pretax Weighted Average Cost of Capital (“WACC”) of the project is 12.38%.

A computation of the WACC is attached hereto as Annex “N.” 22. Cash Flow.

22.1. Breakdown of Operating and Maintenance Expenses. A breakdown of the projected operating expenses is attached hereto as Annex “O.” For reference, a comparison between MPC’s updated and previous projected fixed operating expenses is attached hereto as Annex “O-1.”

23. Fuel supply. In order to ensure the supply of fuel for the operations of the MPC Power Plant, MPC solicited offers from reputable suppliers in the area, and has contracted with the supplier which offered the best terms.

The Commission has set the application for initial hearing, expository presentation, pre-trial conference and evidentiary hearing on presentation, pre-trial conference, and presentation of evidence on 09 November 2016 (Wednesday) at ten o’clock in the morning (10:00 A.M.) at DASURECO’s Principal Office at Brgy. Cogon, Digos City.,Davao del Sur. 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.

A discussion of the fuel procurement process and a copy of the fuel supply agreement are attached hereto as Annexes “P” and “P-1,” respectively.

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 the applicant concludes 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.

24. Environmental Compliance Requirements. The Office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines previously approved the exemption of the MPC Power Plant from the requirement of an environmental compliance certificate. Nevertheless, the MPC Power Plant will be operated responsibly in accordance with good utility practice and in accordance with all relevant laws and regulations, including environmental laws.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the application may request from the applicant that they be furnished with the same, prior to the date of the initial hearing.

The applicant is 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.

Copies of documents evidencing such exemption are attached hereto as Annex “Q” and series.

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 ANA, Energy Regulatory Commission,, this 9th day of August 2016 at Pasig City.

25. DOE Certification. The Department of Energy (“DOE”) has certified that the capacity of the MPC Power Plant is consistent with the DOE’s Power Development Plan.

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

A copy of the said certification is attached hereto as Annex “R.” 26. Certificate of Compliance. This Honorable Commission has issued a certificate that the Applicant MPC is authorized to operate the MPC Power Plant.

A copy of the Certificate of Compliance is attached hereto as Annex “S.”

1

G. R. No. 172835. 13 December 2007.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

World

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016

C3

IS defending well in Mosul

Q

ARAGOSH, Iraq―Iraqi forces advancing on Mosul faced stiff resistance on Monday from the Islamic State group despite an unprecedented wave of US-led coalition air strikes in support of the week-old offensive.

Federal forces and Kurdish peshmerga fighters gained ground in several areas, AFP correspondents said, but the jihadists were hitting back with shelling, sniper fire, suicide car bombs and booby traps.

IS has also tried to draw attention away from losses around Mosul by Manila

Standard

TODAY

“One week into Mosul operation, all objectives met thus far, and more coalition air strikes than any other 7-day period of war against ISIL [IS],” Brett McGurk, the top US envoy to the 60-nation coalition, wrote on social media.

“There were 32 strikes with 1,776 munitions delivered” against IS targets between October 17 and 23, coalition spokesman Colonel John Dorrian told AFP. He said 136 IS fighting positions, 18 tunnels and 26 car bombs were destroyed.

Defense ministers from 13 countries of the coalition, including Carter, will meet in Paris Tuesday to take stock of the offensive and discuss possible scenarios fol-

attacking Iraqi forces elsewhere, the latest coming on Sunday near the Jordanian border.

Following a weekend visit to Iraq

by US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, American officials said the coalition was providing the most air support yet.

lowing a recapture of the city.

Federal forces also scored gains on the NATO defense ministers are set to meet southern front where they have been makin Brussels Wednesday. ing speedy progress, taking village after The offensive, launched on October village as they work their way up the Ti17, aims to retake towns and villages sur- gris Valley. rounding Mosul before elite troops breach On the northern front, peshmerga forces the city to engage die-hard jihadists in were closing in on the IS-held town of street-to-street fighting.

Bashiqa.

On the eastern side of Mosul Monday, Turkey, which has a base in the area, federal troops were battling IS in Qa- said Sunday it had provided artillery supraqosh, formerly Iraq’s largest Christian port following a peshmerga request. town.

The presence of Turkish troops on Forces entered the town for the third Iraqi soil is deeply unpopular in Baghday running but armored convoys around dad and the Joint Operations Command it were shelled from inside the town, an on Monday vehemently denied any AFP correspondent said.

Turkish participation. AFP CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK TL

ABSTRACT OF THE EPPA AND OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION

Republic of the Philippines ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

25. Executive Summary. The EPPA provides for a cooperation period of five (5) years commencing from 26 August 2019 or until 25 August 2024. The delivery and purchase of Contract Demand and Contract Energy under the EPP A is conditioned, among others, on the receipt by TeaM of the Order of this Honorable Commission approving the EPP A with finality.

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION OR APPROVAL OF THE ELECTRIC POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENT (EPPA) ENTERED INTO BY AND BETWEEN LA UNION ELECTRIC COMPANY, INC. (LUECO) AND TEAM [PHILIPPINES] ENERGY CORPORATION (ACTING AS A WHOLESALE AGGREGATOR [WA] , WITH PRAYER FOR THE CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT OF INFORMATION

In the event that any of the NPC generation rate component or other component of the Electricity Fee as set forth above shall no longer be available or shall cease to exist due to privatization of NPC’s generating plants pursuant. to Republic Act No. 9136 or otherwise, LUECO and TeaM shall meet, within three working days from LUECO’s receipt of TeaM’s notice (the “Notice”) to discuss the alternative computations for the Electricity Fees.

26. During the aforementioned Coopeation Period, TeaM shall supply, and LUECO shall purchase, on a take or pay basis, at least insofar as the MEOT, as set forth in Schedule 1. All additional requirements above the Demand during the Cooperation Period shall be sourced by TeaM from the WESM, for and in behalf of LUECO, provided that LUECO shall pay TeaM the actual WESM price for LUECO’s additional requirements as computed in accordance with the formula in Schedule 1 of subject EPPA.

ERC CASE NO. 2016-087 RC

27. In case TeaM is unable to source electricity from the Power Plant not due to Force Majeure or allowed downtime, TeaM shall undertake alternative sourcing arrangements to compensate for the failure or shortfall, provided that, LUECO shall pay to TeaM the prevailing Electricity fee.

a.

(a)

In their Joint Application, LUECO and TeaM Energy alleged the following:

(i)

Copies of the SEC Certificate of Registration, Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws of TeaM, each duly certified by the corporate secretary of TeaM;

(ii)

Copies of resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors Of TeaM authorizing the execution, delivery, and performance by TeaM of this Agreement and the transactions contermplated hereunder, duly certified by the corporate secretary of TeaM and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to LUECO.

The Applicants 1.

LUECO is a domestic corporation duly organizeds and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with principal office at LUECO Building, Quezon Avenue, San Fernando City, La Union.

(b)

It is represented in this Joint Application by its President and Chairman of the Board, MR. RUBEN L. VALERO, JR.

In the event that after the electric power industry has been restructured resulting in the establishment of an open wholesale market for electric power and an open access transmission and sub-transmission system, another electricity supplier (with an existing generating facility with an aggregate capacity of at least 50 MW) (“Alternative Supplier”) makes a formal offer to supply and deliver electricity of the same quality and quantity to LUECO at rates lower than the rates applicable under; and for the same terms and conditions under this Agreement, LUECO shall send a written notice of such offer to TeaM. TeaM shall have the right to continue to supply electricity under this Agreement at the rates offered by the Alternative Supplier. If TeaM does not wish to supply electricity under this Agreement at the rates offered by the Alternative Supplier, then TeaM and LUECO shall promptly and in good faith renegotiate the rates under this Agreement.

In the event that TeaM and LUECO are unable to agree on such rates after ninety (90) days from receipt by TeaM of notice of such offer, this Agreement may be terminated by LUECO by delivery of a Termination Notice to TeaM, unless TeaM matches the offer prior to the expiration of such 90¬day period. f.

In addition to the conditions precedent specified in Article 11.1(a), the ERC Final Approval of this Agreement or the rates under this Agreement, as applicable, shall be a condition precedent to the performance by LUECO ,of its obligations hereunder. It is understood that TeaM and LUECO shall jointly file with the ERC to secure the ERC Final Approval.

(a)

It shall be a condition precedent to the performance by TeaM of its obligations hereunder that all the following documents are supplied to TeaM, unless submission is waived by TeaM:

3.

Copies of LUECO’s Articles of Incorporation, General Information Sheet, (“GIS”), and Legislative franchise (Republic Act No. 9385) are hereto attached and marked as Annexes “A”, “B”, and “C”, respectively. . ‘ 4.

TeaM is a domestic corporation duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with principal office address at 25th Floor W Fifth Avenue Building 5th Ave. Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. It is represented in this Joint Application by its President, Mr. SUGURU TZUSAKI. 5.

It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of TeaM Energy Corporation (“TeaM Energy”) which operates the Sual Plant and Pagbilao Plant and a holder of Wholesale Aggregator License No. WA13-01-C02 issued by this Honorable Commission to sell electricity to distribution utilities as well as a Retail Electricity Supplier.

b.

(i)

Copies of the SEC Certificate of Registration, Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws of LUECO, each certified by the corporate secretary of LUECO;

(ii)

Copies of resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors of LUECO authorizing the execution, delivery, and performance by LUECO of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereunder, certified by the corporate secretary of LUECO and ‘in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to TeaM.

RATE IMPLICATIONS OF THE EPPA 29. LUECO residential customers enjoy savings of 34 centavos per Kwh (PAR plus 4 centavos) while non-residential customers receive 4 centavos/Kwh discount from the time TeaM Energy started supplying LUECO. Total savings for year 2015 for all LUECO customers us P6,992,459.55. Total forecasted savings is P36,645,983.49.

Annex”R”

MINIMUM ANNUAL ENERGY OFF-TAKE SCHEDULE The minimum annual energy off-take schedule of BUYER based on its Demand and Energy Forecast up to 2024:

6.

Copies of TeaM’s (a.) Certificate of Filing of Amended Articles of Incorporation issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission; (b.) General Information Sheet (“GIS”); (c.) Certificate of Registration; and (d.) Wholesale Aggregator License No. WA-13-01-C02 issued and as renewed by this Honorable Commission are hereto attached and marked as Annexes “D”, “E”, “F”, and “G”, respectively.

SUPPLY YEAR

7.

The Applicants may be served orders and other processes of this Honorable Commission through their respective undersigned counsels.

NATURE OF THE APPLICATION 8.

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”. Rule 20 (B) of the Energy Regulatory Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (“ERC Rules”), approved by this Honorable Commission on 22 June 20016 in Resolution No. 38, Series of 2006, and other pertinent rules and regulations, this Application is being submitted to this Honorable Commission for its due consideration and approval of the Electric Power Purchase Agreement (“EPPA”); entered into by and between LUECO and TeaM on 25 April 2016. A copy of the aforementioned EPPA is hereto attached and marked as Annex “H”.

DEMAND (KW)

ENERGY (KWH)

August 26, 2019 to August 25, 2020

33,560

158,763,262

August 26, 2020 to August 25, 2021

34,231

161.144,711

August 26, 2021 to August 25, 2022

34,915

163,561,881

August 26, 2022 to August 25, 2023

35,614

166,015,310

August 26, 2023 to August 25, 2024

36,326

168,505,539 Rate Impact -Future Savings

LUECO shall be allowed to adjust its demand and energy forecasts within the months affected in cases of calamities, major equipment/sub-transmission failure, or Force Majeure events as defined in Article 6 of the EPPA. For changes in LUECO’s demand and energy due to Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA), and the entry of new capacity, LUECO shall be allowed to adjust its demand and energy forecasts at least sixty (60) calendar days prior to the effectivity of the change in demand and energy forecasts. For reasons other than those stated previously, LUECO shall be allowed to adjust its demand and energy forecasts at least six (6) months prior to the effectivity of the change in demand and energy forecasts.

9.

Likewise being attached and marked as Annexes “I” and “J” are the respective Board Resolutions of LUECO and TeaM approving the aforementioned EPPA. COMPLIANCE WITH PRE-FILING REQUIREMENTS

All additional requirements above the demand forecast from August 26, 2019 to August 25, 2025 shall be sourced by TeaM from WESM, for and in behalf of LUECO, provided that LUECO shall pay TeaM the actual WESM price for the. additional requirements above the demand forecast (“Incremental Demand and Market Change”) using the Formula below:

10. In compliance with Rule 6 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, applicants LUECO and TeaM furnished the respective legislative bodies of the Province of La Union, City of San Fernando, and the Municipalities of Bauang and San Juan, all in the Province of La Union where LUECO principally operates and the legislative body of Taguig City where TeaM principally operates.

11. In lieu of the required certifications from the four (4) legislative bodies and pursuant to Rule 6, Sec. 3 of the Rules of Practice and Procedure of this Honorable Commission, applicants herein attached the Affidavit of Mr. PABLO BUSTAMANTE (Annex “K”) attesting that on 28 April 2016, he furnished via personal service copies of the instant Application, inclusive of all its annexes, to legislative bodies of the Province of La Union, City of San Fernando, and the Municipalities of Bauang and San Juan, all in the Province of La Union.

Copies of the Rate Impact Analysis/Study and Future Savings are attached hereto as Annexes “R” and “R-1”, and made an integral part hereof.

NATURE OF DOCUMENT Sangguniang Panlalawigan of La Union

L-3

Sangguniang Bayan of San Juan

Likewise attached as Annex “M” is the Affidavit executed by Mr. Airon Ramos, attesting that he furnished via personal service on 28 April 2016, a copy of the instant Application, inclusive of all its Annexes, to the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Taguig City and the front page of the Application (Annex “N”) bearing the stamp “received” by the said LGU legislative body.

12. In addition, Applicants LUECO and TeaM caused the publication of the instant Application in its entirety in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines. Copies of the corresponding Affidavit of Publication and the newspaper issue where the Application is published are attached hereto as Annexes “O” and “O-1”, respectively.

STATEMENT OF FACTS 13. LUECO is a private distribution utility authorized to distribute electricity to its Franchise Area, i.e., San Fernando,City and the Municipalities of Bauang and San Juan, Province of La Union.

14. On 13 January 2005, LUECO filed its Amended Application for the approval of its Electric Purchase Power Agreement (“EPP A”) it entered with then Mirant (Philippines) Energy Corporation docketed as ERC Case No. 2005-004 RC. Said Amended Application was approved by this Honorable Commission as per its Decision dated 29 September 2009.

15. In the delivery of its services, LUECO, pursuant to the said Decision, sources one hundred percent (100%) of its electricity requirements for distribution to its end customers from TeaM. 16. The approved EPPA likewise provides for the delivery of energy by TeaM to LUECO with a minimum energy take-off of up to 13,305,000 kWh per month. For energy delivered on each billing month, LUECO shall pay TeaM electricity fees at the rate of PhPo.04/kWh lower than the approved generation rate of the National Power Corporation (NPC), including this Honorable Commission’s approved transmission charges.

17. Since the approval of the EPPA in 2009, TeaM has been consistently delivering reliable, dependable, and low cost energy to LUECO’s customers in the City of San Fernando, and the Municipalities of Bauang and San Juan, all in the Province of La Union.1 18. Aside from enjoying the benefits of paying a reasonable cost of electricity at a rate less four centavos (PhPo.04/kWh) per kilowatthour and an additional reduction of thirty centavos (PhPo.30/kWh) per kilowatthour to residential customers because of the Power Act Reduction (“PAR”), other favourable terms and conditions of the EPPA that are available to the electricity endusers of LUECO are as follows: a.

b.

c.

POWER ACT REDUCTION (PAR): On top of the PPD, residential customers are given PAR discount or a rate reduction of thirty centavos per kilowatt-hour (PhP0.30/ kWh). Under the EPlRA, this rate reduction is mandated from NPC rates only:2 but TeaM nonetheless, makes the same available to LUECO and its consumers. The provision of PAR discount amounts to approximately PhP1.6M average per month, which benefits 37,698 out of 42,451 or 88.8%3 of LUECO’s customers.

FULL BACK-UP DURING ALLOWED DOWNTIME: For TPEC’s allowed downtime, whether for planned maintenance or unplanned outages, TeaM shall undertake alternative sourcing arrangements or back-up facilities subject to payment of the existing and prevailing electricity rate, i.e., the same rate of published NPC rates less PhP0.04/kWh, thus avoiding erratic fluctuations of rates in the market.

No penalty. shall be imposed in the event that LUECO’s projected demand or energy exceeds the MEOT. Instead, LUECO and TeaM shall meet to discuss the option of increasing the MEOT, subject to the availability of kilowatt-hours that LUECO agreed to purchase from TeaM is satisfied, the contracted energy will be reviewed on annual basis.

19. Moreover, as an indication of good relations between LUECO and TeaM, the latter grants, among others, the free use of 69kV totalizer meter with current transformers, potential transformers and lightning arresters, which are used by LUECO for real-time data acquisition for business and technical analytics. TeaM also provides continuous technical support and access to its technical expertise on systems loss reduction and system improvement.

20. With TeaM’s commitment to achieve cost-efficient, safe, and environmentally-sound generation operations, it has been in partnership with LUECO since 2009 to address the power requirements of LUECO’s customers, thereby promoting sustainable economic growth and development in the Province of La Union.

21. It is, therefore, in this context that LUECO was driven to extend the implementation of its supply contract with TeaM, under the same terms and conditions as approved bythis Honorable Commission in ERC Case No. 2005-004RC. A copy of the letter dated 04 August 2014 of Mr. SUGURU TSUZAKI, President of TeaM, as conformed by Mr.RUBEN L. VALERO, JR., President and Chairman of the Board of LUECO is hereto attached and marked as Annex “P”.

22. On 11 November 2014, LUECO and TeaM filed their “Motion with Manifestation”, a copy of which is hereto attached as Annex “Q” for reference, manifesting to this Honorable Commission that the parties have agreed to extend the implementation of the approved EPPA for another five (5) years or until 25 August 2024 and moved that said extension be allowed without the necessity of having to file for a new application.

23. To date, this Honorable Commission has yet to resolve the aforementioned “Motion with Manifestation”.

24. Applicants, therefore, are constrained to file before this Honorable Commission their Application for the Approval of their Electric Power Purchase Agreement [EPPA] dated 25 April 2016. Applicants submit that the present Applicatin is without prejudice to the resolution by this Honorable Commission of the foregoing “Motion with Manifestation.”

30. In further support of the instant Application and in compliance with the documentary and pre-filing requirements of this Honorable Commission, LUECO and TeaM are submitting the attached documents which are made integral parts hereof, as follows:

Where if (ADh -CD) < 0, then (ADh -CD) =0 d Total number of trading days for the billing period h Trading interval within the trading day d within the billing period m Total number of days in the billing period ADh Actual Energy Demand for the trading interval h, expressed in kWh. CD Contracted Demand, expressed in kWh Ph Effective WESM rate for the trading interval h specific to the customer’s marketing node, expressed in PHP /kWh *Effective WESM Rate is computed with the following considerations but is not limited to: Site Specific Line Adjustment, Ex-Ante Price, BeQ Quantity, Ex Post Price, AMQ per interval and such charges that may be billed by PEMCjrom time to time MRCh All other market related costs for the trading interval h attributable to the excess in the contracted demand inclusive of but not limited to: Price Substitution Methodology (PSM), Net settlement Surplus (NSS), Price Substitution Adjustment (PSA), Must Run Unit (MRU) and all other charges that may be billed by PEMC from time to time.

Expressed in PHP.

Copies of the front page of the said Application bearing the stamp “received” by the LGU Legislative bodies are herein attached and marked as follows:

Sangguniang Bayan of Bauang

SELLER’S RIGHT TO TERMINATE FOR CONVENIENCE. [SEC. 12.2 (B)]: If the ERC Final Approval has been issued within one (1) year before the expiration of the Electric Power Purchase Agreement between La Union Electric Company” Inc. and TeaM (Philippines) Energy Corporation dated September 12, 2008 (“Original EPPA”), or after the expiration of such, and the Electric Fees as approved in the ERC Final Approval would lead to material economic losses on the part of TeaM, TeaM, at its option, may proceed with the termination of the Agreement upon giving of thirty (30) day notice to LUECO. However, to ensure continuity of supply,’ protection of LUECO’s customers from WESM price volatilities, and to allow LUECO sufficient time to conduct a Competitive Selection Process in accordance with ERC Resolution 1 Series of 2016, it is understood that the term of the Original EPPA shall automatically be extended for another year from effectivity of the ERC Final Approval, and subject to the same terms and conditions of the Original EPP A, as approved in ERC Case No. 2005-004 RC.

Article 11.2 SELLER CONDITIONS PRECEDENT

2.

It is the grantee of a legislative franchise (Republic Act No. 9385) issued by the Thirteenth (13th) Congress to operate an electric light and power system in the City of San Fernando and the Municipalities of Bauang and San Juan, all in the province of La Union for a period of twenty-five (25) years from 23 May 2007 or until 22 May 2032.

L-2

RIGHT TO SOURCE FROM AN ALTERNATIVE SUPPLIER (SEC. 12.4)

It shall be a condition precedent to the performance by LUECO of its obligations hereunder that all the following documents are supplied to LUECO, unless submission thereof is waived by the LUECO:

On 29 April 2016, Applicants La Union Electric Company, Inc. (LUECO) and Team [Philippines] Energy Corporation (TeaM Energy), filed a Joint Application With Prayer For Provisional Authority And Confidential Treatment Of Information dated 27 April 2016 (Joint Application) seeking the Commission’s approval of the Electric Power Purchase Agreement (EPPA) entered into by both parties.

Sangguniang Panglungsod of San Fernando

e.

Article 11.1 BUYER CONDITIONS PRECEDENT

TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES:

L

PROMPT PAYMENT DISCOUNT: TeaM shall continue to give a PPD of three (3%) percent for bills paid within ten (10) days from LUECO’s receipt of the billing in accordance with the Decision in ERC Case No. 2004-004 RC.

START OF SUPPLY OF ELECTRICITY The supply of electricity by TeaM and acceptance by LUECO shall start upon satisfaction of the conditions precedent provided under Article 11.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

L-1

d.

28. Salient features ofthe EPPA:

LA UNION ELECTRIC COMPANY, INC. (LUECO) AND TEAM [PHILIPPINES] ENERGY CORPORATION (TEAM ENERGY), Applicants. x------------------------------------------------------------------------x

ANNEX

Transmission loss on the Luzon grid as approved by ERC (presently called Power Delivery Loss and specified in the NPC Open Access Transmission Services), expressed as a percentage.

c.

Annex

CONTRACT PRICE/PRICING STRUCTURE In respect of each Billing Month within the Cooperation Period, LUECO shall pay Electricity Fees to TeaM in accordance with Schedule 4 of the EPP A, which is hereunder quoted:

Document

S

Billing Simulation

T

Computation Sheet for TOU for the billing period February 26, 2016 to March 25, 2016.

U

Computation of PAR to LUECO’s residential customers for the billing period February 26, 2016 to March 25, 2016

V

Electricity Formula (updated)

W

IDMC Formula

X

IDC Computation

Y

LUECO’s Distribution Development Plan (Load Forecast)

Z

Transmission Service Agreement with NGCP

AA

Metering Service Agreement with NGCP

Electricity Fee = Ex (G = TR)

BB

Audited Financial Statement of TeaM

Where: E G TR

CC

Cost Breakdown

The amount of electricity consumed for the Billing Month, expressed in kWh. The generation fee rate applicable for the Billing Month, expressed in PHP /kWh. Effective transmission fee rate applicable for the relevant month billed by and due to TRANSCO as approved by ERC (composed of Transmission Power Delivery Service Charges, Cross Subsidy Charges, Ancillary Service Charges, Systems Operation Charge, Supply & Metering Charge and other TRANSCO charges and adjustments).

Expressed in PHP /kWh.

Where: G

= NPC-DISC

Where: NPC-DISC

= NPCGenco -Discount

Where: NPCGenco

ALLEGATIONS IN SUPPORT OF APPLICANTS’ MOTION FOR NON-DISCLOSURE OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION 31. Under Section 10 of EPPA, each of LUECO and TeaM agree that all information and documents (whether financial, technical, or otherwise) obtained by it or its agents from TeaM or LUECO or from its agents’ inspections, which are not generally publicly available, shall be kept confidential, and shall not be disclosed to any other person or entity without the prior written approval of TeaM or LUECO, as the case may be.

32. LUECO respectfully requests that pursuant to each other’s obligation to maintain in strict confidence all confidential information of TeaM, Annex “CC” (Team’s Cost Breakdown) which contain certain non-public, information, data, and calculations involving business operations and’ financial trade secrets reflecting TeaM’s investment arid business calculations, be treated as confidential documents.

The ERC-approved NPC generation rate for the Luzon grid applicable for the Billing Month, expressed inPHP/kWh.

Discount

33. Under Rule 4 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, this Honorable Commission may, upon request of a party and determination of the existence of conditions which would warrant such remedy, treat certain information submitted to it as confidential. Pursuant to such provision, LUECO respectfully requests for the issuance of a protective order declaring the foregoing information, data and calculations contained in Annex “CC”, as confidential information. ‘

PHP 0.04/kWh.

PROVIDED, that if: Beginning open access the computed NPCGenco is lower than the GENRATE (as defined below),

34. Further, in accordance with Section l(b), Rule 4 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, LUECO hereby submits one (1) copy of Annex “CC” in a sealed envelope, with the envelope and each page of the document stamped with the word “Confidential”.

THEN the Generation fee rate (G) shall be:

PRAYER

G=GENRATE Where: GENRATE

WHEREFORE, in view of all the foregoing, it is most respectfully prayed of this Honorable Commission that:

= BASE_Rate x ADJ + FUEL

Where: BASE_Rate =PHP 2.9994/kWh ADJ

= A x (FXn / FXb) + B x (FXn / FXb) x (US_CPIn / US_CPIb) + C x (PHP _CPIn/PHP CPIb) A

0-4528

FXn

The Peso equivalent ofone US Dollar as published by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on the last day of the applicable Billing Month.

FXb

PHP 41.04 / 1 US Dollar

B

0.1532

US_CPIn

The U.S. Consumer Price Index relative to the Year 2008 as published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) applicable for the Billing Month.

US_CPIb

The base reference U.S. Consumer Price Index as published by IMF set at 96.80 (where Year 2010 = 100).

C

0.3940

PHP_CPln

Consumer Price Index for the Philippines relative to the year 2008 applicable for the Billing Month . as published by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).

PHP_ CPb

The base reference Consumer Price Index for the Philippines set at 106.50 (where year 2006 = 100).

FUEL

The cost of Coal fuel applicable for the relevant Billing Month, computed as follows:

FUEL

=

Where: CP

HR

The plant heat rate in accordance with the attached Appendix A -Guaranteed Plant Heat Rate.

HV

The coal heating value of 6,040 kcal/kg

(2)

an Order be issued Treating Annex “C” as confidential documents and the information contained therein as confidential and directing its non-disclosure pursuant to Rule 4, Section 1 ‘of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure and prescribing the guidelines for the protection thereof.

Other reliefs just and equitable are likewise prayed for.

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 ln matter of the proceeding may file their opposition to the Application or comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before the Applicants conclude the presentation of their 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. The 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 19th day of September 2016 in Pasig City.

The landed price of coal (includes Freight on Board price of coal, cost of freight and insurance, taxes, custom duties, fees, and other charges related to the importation and handling of coal) in US Dollar per Metric Ton provided to the Generating Power Station applicable for the Billing Month.

The Peso equivalent of one US Dollar as published by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on the last day of the applicable Billing Month.

the Electric Power Purchase Agreement (“EPPA”) entered into by and between La Union Electric Company, Inc. (“LUECO”) and TeaM (Philippines) Energy Corporation (“TeaM”) on 25 April 2016 be approved; and

The Commission has set the Joint Application for initial hearing, expository presentation, pre-trial conference and evidentiary hearing on 23 November 2016 at ten o’clock in the morning (10:00 A.M.) at LUECO’s Principal Office at LUECO Building, Quezon Avenue, San Fernando City, La Union.

[(CP/IOOO) x FXx HR/HV1/(l-TL)

FX

(1)

ATTY. NATHAN J. MARASIGAN Chief of Staff Office of the Chairman and CEO 1

LUECO had a Transitional Supply Contract (TSC) with NPC with an expiry date of 25 June 2005. Under the EPPA approved in 2009, upon the termination of TSC, TPEC will supply one hundred (100%) percent of LUECO’s power requirements.

2

Section 72. Mandated Rate Reduction. - Upon the effectivity of this Act, residential end-users shall be granted a rate reduction from NOC rates of thirty centavos per kilowatt-hour (PhP0.30/kWh). Such reduction shall be reflected as a separate item in the consumer billing statement.

Based on July 2015 data.

(MS-Oct. 26/Nov. 2, 2016)

3

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

C4

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016

World

HONG KONG―Jurors in the murder trial of British banker Rurik Jutting viewed harrowing iPhone footage Tuesday showing his attacks on an Indonesian woman whose decaying body was later found dead in a suitcase in his Hong Kong flat.

Jutting, 31, is standing trial for the murders of two Indonesian women, both of whom were killed in his luxury apartment two years ago.

The former securities trader for Bank of America-Merrill Lynch pleaded “not guilty” to the two murder charges Monday, on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter, which was rejected by the prosecution.

Jurors Tuesday watched around 20 minutes of footage of Jutting attacking the first victim, Sumarti Ningsih, 23, who prosecutors said was tortured for three days after she arrived at his flat on October 25, 2014. Jutting had offered her money for sex.

Reporters in court did not view the disturbing footage, which was shown on individual screens to jurors, but were able to hear the audio.

“Do you want me to hit you? If you say yes, I hit you once. If you say no I hit you twice,” Jutting was heard to say.

“If you scream I will punch you, you understand?”

Jutting repeatedly asked Ningsih if she loved him.

The only sound from Ningsih in the video was a muted squeal, according to an AFP reporter in court.

The prosecution then showed a number of clips of a topless and ranting Jutting talking to the camera after he had killed Ningsih.

The court heard Monday that he had cut her neck with a serrated knife in the shower after forcing her to lick a toilet bowl.

“About five minutes [ago] I just killed, murdered this woman,” says Jutting in the iPhone footage.

“I’ve done a lot of coke”, he says.

“I’ve tortured her badly.” AFP

GALA. Dancers Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild perform onstage at the 2016 Princess Grace Awards Gala on October 24, 2016, in New York City. AFP

Islamist militants kill 60 in Pakistan

Q

UETTA, Pakistan―Heavily-armed Islamist militants wearing suicide vests stormed a Pakistani police academy, killing at least 60 people and wounding dozens more, officials said Tuesday, in one of the deadliest extremist attacks this year.

Three gunmen from a Pakistani Taliban-linked group burst into the sprawling academy, targeting sleeping quarters that are home to some 700 recruits, sending terrified young men fleeing.

“I saw three men in camouflage whose faces were hidden carrying Kalashnikovs,” one cadet told reporters. “They started firing and entered the dormitory but I managed to escape over a wall.”

The attack on the Balochistan Police College, around 20 kilometers east of provincial

Jury views ‘torture’ in Hong Kong murder trial

capital Quetta, began at around 11:10 pm (1810 GMT) Monday, with gunfire continuing to ring out at the site for several hours.

Sarfaraz Bugti, home minister of Balochistan province, told reporters there had been three attackers.

“They first targeted the watch tower sentry, and after exchanging fire, killed him and were able to enter the academy grounds,” he said.

Balochistan’s provincial government spokesman Anwarullah Kakar told AFP that

60 people had died in the attack, with 118 injured, mostly minor wounds.

The head of the local hospital, doctor Fareed Sumalani, confirmed that their morgue had received at least 60 bodies.

Security was tight outside the academy Tuesday morning, with media kept out of the building as a large contingent of security forces swept the area.

Weeping relatives arrived at the academy and were sent to the main hospital, where authorities were starting to prepare for funerals.

Major General Sher Afgan, chief of the paramilitary Frontier Corps in Balochistan, which led the counter-operation, said “the attack was over in around three hours after we arrived”.

He added that communications intercepts showed the militants belonged to

the Al-Alimi faction of the Lashkar-eJhangvi militant group―which is affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban.

“They were in communication with operatives in Afghanistan,” he said. The group itself has not claimed the attack.

Bugti said the compound was home to some 700 recruits, hundreds of whom were rescued.

The area was plunged into darkness when the counter-offensive was launched, while security personnel threw up a cordon and ambulances zoomed in and out, taking the injured to hospitals. Military helicopters circled overhead.

Mineral-rich but impoverished Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province, is beset by sectarian strife, Islamist violence and an on-off separatist insurgency that has lasted for decades. AFP

UN eyes probe of Myanmar crackdown YANGON―The United Nations has called for a probe into allegations that Myanmar troops have killed civilians and torched villages in northern Rakhine state, as fresh reports emerged of forced evictions in a security crackdown.

Aid agencies estimate more than 15,000 people have been displaced since the military took control of an area close to the Bangladesh border two weeks ago, a region which is home to the stateless Rohingya minority.

Myanmar’s government says hundreds of Rohingya fighters led by a Taliban-trained jihadist were behind deadly raids on several police posts on October 9 that sparked a major security response.

Since then the military has stopped aid deliveries to tens of thousands of people in northern Rakhine and blocked access to rights groups and journalists.

Most of the people in the locked-down area are Rohingya―a Muslim minority reviled by many in Myanmar as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

In a statement released late Monday, the UN urged Myanmar’s government “to undertake proper and thorough investigations of alleged violations”.

“Reports of homes and mosques being burnt down and persons of a certain profile being rounded up and shot are alarming and unacceptable,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on summary executions Agnes Callamard.

“The authorities cannot justify simply shooting suspects down on the basis of the seriousness of the crime alone,” she said, referring to the assaults on border guards that sparked the clampdown. AFP

Aggressive seal attacks surfers SYDNEY―An aggressive seal has bitten a surfer and knocked another man off his board at a popular Sydney beach in a “freak occurrence”, a report said Tuesday.

Nathan Shepherd underwent surgery on his arm after the fur seal leaped out of the water and bit him at Shelly Beach in Manly on Sunday afternoon.

“I thought it was amazing to be out with a seal. It was swimming closer to me. It swam quite fast―it jumped out of the water and bit me on the upper arm,” the 45-year-old told the Manly Daily newspaper.

“I tried to bring the surfboard down on top of it, and then to put the surfboard between me and the seal, and then I got back on the board and paddled to shore.”

The wound on his right arm was “like a tooth mark. It’s deep,” Shepherd said, adding: “It was a freak occurrence.”

Lifeguard Victoria O’Halloran said the seal “was incredibly aggressive... I’ve never seen anything like it”.

An hour earlier the seal had knocked another surfer off his board and sunk its teeth into the board.

“It literally came from underneath me and knocked me right off the board with some pretty big force. I’ve got two big bite marks on there,” surfer Tom Wallington told the Daily.

Pictures in the paper showed the bite marks and beachgoers gathering around the seal to take photos when it came ashore.

Shona Lorigan from marine wildlife rescue group ORRCA―which was called to the beach―said the creatures were wild animals with “very, very, very sharp teeth” and would defend themselves if threatened or provoked. AFP

EVACUATION. Migrants sit around a bonfire to warm themselves up in the ‘Jungle’ migrant camp in Calais, northern France, on October 24, 2016 during the fulll evacuation of the migrant camp. French authorities began moving thousands of people out of the notorious Calais Jungle before demolishing the camp that has served as a launchpad for attempts to sneak into Britain. Migrants lugging meager belongings boarded buses taking them away from Calais’ ‘Jungle’ under a French plan to raze the notorious camp and symbol of Europe’s refugee crisis. AFP

Life

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016

FASHION & BEAUTY

D1

WOMEN OF ELEGANCE. Manila’s Best Dressed Margarita ‘Tingting’ Cojuangco (left), together with Honorary Consul of Monaco Fortune Ledesma (second from left) bestow upon (third from left) Felicia Atienza, Marilu Batchelor, Marissa Concepcion, Stephanie Gonzales, Pamela Huang, Karen Davila, Vanessa Suatengco, Michelle Tan, Dawn Zulueta and Mariquita Yeung the tag of ‘Elegant Filipina’ for 2016.

TINGTING COJUANGCO PRESENTS

‘10 Elegant Filipinas

for 2016’

By Bernadette Lunas

Photos by Sonny Espiritu

O

NE of the icons of class and glamor in the Philippines, Margarita “Tingting” Cojuangco, named her 10 Elegant Filipinas for this year. For her, this batch of women “wear(s) the right wardrobe for the correct occasion.”

An Albert Andrada creation that is part of his 20-piece high fashion collection

At the recent “Tingting’s List: The Elegant Filipina” held at Diamond Hotel, the philanthropist and Manila’s best dressed hall of fame recipient bestowed upon Felicia Atienza, Marilu Batchelor, Marissa Concepcion, Michelle Tan, Mariquita Yeung, Karen Davila, Stephanie Gonzales, Pamela Huang, Vanessa Suatengco and Dawn Zulueta the tag of “Elegant Filipina” and awarded each of them the Leaf of Elegance by jewelry designer Arnel Papa. “[The 2016’s Elegant Filipinas] wear the creation, the creation does not wear them,” Cojuangco told Manila Standard when asked to describe this year’s roster of women who made it on her list.

For Cojuangco, elegance in the Philippines is, and should be, relevant despite the changing of times and the day of ‘micromini shorts.’

“Everybody does want to be elegant, the problem is that we have to revive this elegance because it makes us very distinct

people,” she shared, further pointing out that “despite ‘short shorts’ and copying of other cultures, we Filipinos can look the best we can.”

In her opening speech, which was heard by her over 350 by-invitation-only guests, Cojuangco defined elegance as “precision.” Aside from wearing the right dress for the right occasion, she said being elegant is speaking with a modulated voice and right vocabulary.

“Elegance can be expensive and elegance need not be expensive,” she averred.

The 10 Elegant Filipinas were chosen by this year’s panel of “Tingting’s List” composed of Honorary Consul of Monaco Fortune Ledesma, fashion entrepreneur Tina Ocampo, Tattler managing editor Chit Lijauco, designer Albert Andrada and Cojuangco herself.

The panel chose the awardees based on their definition of

Continued on D2

A long gown by Albert Andrada

Luis Manzano shares style tips IT’S a fact: there are legions of genuine good guys out there, but can we tell who they are at a glance? Sometimes we can—that is, when men make an effort to dress well.

For instance, if we could cite one genuine good guy that conveys his fine qualities through his style, that would be multi-awarded television host Luis Manzano, who quickly assures us that the “genuine good guy” style is easy to achieve—with a little help from Dockers.

“Dockers is a trusted clothing brand when it comes to menswear appropriate for various occasions,” he asserts. “I guess this is one factor that is vital to my style; I always make sure that my chosen outfit is appropriate for whatever I have in store for the day.”

Addressing genuine good guys who want to look consistently sharp and stylish, Luis shares some easy tips on how to work magic into their wardrobe.

“The first tip: stop dressing like boys,” Luis laughingly says then turns serious. “I’d like to think that genuine good guys aim for maturity. If they want to look like ‘real men,’ they have to lose the graphic tees and statement shirts with distracting prints.

“Maturity in fashion means Dockers’ Broken-In chinos are a great alternative to jeans

choosing an outfit that fits the occasion—casual jeans for everyday wear, chinos or khakis for the workplace or semi-casual occasions, and top-shelf pants for more formal affairs or special events.”

Next, Luis advises genuine good guys to “rock jeans that make you look good.” He stresses that genuine good guys must rid their wardrobes of both oversized jeans and jeans that are too tight for their figure.

Looking for everyday jeans that make you look good? Try Dockers’ Jean Cut, which is designed for both comfort and style and features five-pocket styling, sturdy rivets, double seams, and various finishes and fabrics. The Jean Cut, Luis reveals, is the pair of choice for a casual and rugged look.

Luis likewise suggests an option that makes a lot of fashion sense: “Try alternating jeans with chinos or khakis. Instead of wearing casual jeans every day, opt for vintage, washed-out chinos.” He points out that guys can refresh their wardrobe by trading their everyday pair of jeans for Dockers’ Broken-In, which has a touch of stretch and a strong double needle.

Luis also has tips for men who want to appear smart and competent in the office, but still project a fun and stylish image.

For these gentlemen, Luis suggests Dockers’ Clean Khaki, which exudes the classic khaki style but with a hip vibe, thanks to its many color choices.

Luis has another tip for genuine good guys: “Always look your best when the event calls for it. Don’t be afraid to dress up.” He spurs them on: “You should have at least one pair of top-shelf pants for special occasions.”

For such events, Luis states that Dockers Best Pressed, with its marked center crease and different fits, is their best bet.

As a last tip, Luis reminds genuine good guys that confidence is always key. “It’s important to feel positive and confident at all times. If you feel great, you’ll look great,” he says.

Luis Manzano posits that stylish good guys should dress like ‘real men’ and not like boys

D2

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26 , 2016 isahred@gmail.com

Life

Dressing up the modern man I

N AN industry more dedicated to catering to the needs of fashionistas, gentlemen don’t need to worry. There is no lack of stylish options especially with well-tailored pieces by Perry Ellis.

Established in the 1980s, Perry Ellis, Styling the Adventurous: Vina the style purveyor of men’s fashion, has Guerrero for David Guison David Guison, the creative eye bebecome known for its style which puts a non-traditional twist to modern clas- hind the menswear blog DG Manila, is sics. Its design sensibility is geared to- not afraid when it comes to his fashion choices. He knows wards fusing the comfort of sportswear what he likes and with the tailoring of office staples; proknows what ducing unique pieces that inspire men looks good to confidently embrace their own style. on him; Actress Cristine Reyes, fashion and however, lifestyle blogger Vina Guerrero, and he doesn’t young style guru Kara Gozali limit himdress the men in their lives, self to the Ali Khatibi, David tried-andGuison, and Dr. tested. A Mark Agas, retrue fashspectively, and io n -fo rtransform then ward ininto “Men of dividual, the Millennia.” he freely explores Dressed to his everImpress: evolving style.

Cristine For this fashion chalReyes for lenge, Vina dressed the Ali Khatibi handsome jetsetter in a For Filipinosleek navy suit from the Iranian mixed Perry Ellis Travel Luxe martial arts fightcollection. “What I love er Ali Khatibi, he about Perry Ellis is that feels most at ease all the materials they use in his dressed down are travel-friendly [wrin“uniform” of jeans kle free], and so become and a T-shirt, or in his the perfect choices when fighting gear. criss-crossing the globe,” Perry Ellis gives Vina says. him the same comfort, Her other look for her while elevating the beau reflects his more adcasual look with sharp venturous, yet still refined, pieces in a neutral and take on fashion – matching masculine palette. Wife a short-sleeved woven with Cristine is ecstatic to have printed trousers. “David is a her hubby don a more polfan of mixing formalwear with ished look with trim khaki street style, and Perry Ellis pants and a dark navy has the right mix of both styles long-sleeved woven shirt. so it wasn’t hard at all to style To dress up her husband theselooks for David.” Whether for his daytime events, you’re a fashionable guy or a reguCristine chose a light blue lar Joe, there are pieces that will printed woven that exudes definitely add character and variety a fresh and cool appeal. to one’s wardrobe.

“I let my wife choose my outfits sometimes, Versatile Styles for Different and I love the outfits she Lifestyles: Kara Gozali for Dr. picks, especially this one Mark Agas because she knows what Dr. Mark Agas would rather spend looks good on me. And his time thinking of how to better blue is my favorite color, serve his patients at St. Luke’s Mediwhich makes this perfect! cal Center, than think of what to wear I trust her taste when it for the day. When it comes to his percomes to fashion, and I’m sonal style, he likes to keep it lowglad I have her to help key while still looking presentable. me out,” he shares with a smile. With Perry Ellis, men can enjoy a smart and Blogger David Guison wears travel-friendly outfit, perfect chic style that doesn’t feel for his jet-setting lifestyle too confining.

Filipino-Iranian MMA fighter Ali Khatibi likes the stylish look and comfortable feel of Perry Ellis pieces

Kara Gozali, Dr. Mark’s special lady, puts together a sleek business casual look for the young doctor, veering away from the serious, work uniform-feel of restrictive suits. “Comfort, convenience, and versatility are important factors when it comes to his style as he needs outfits that will effortlessly transition from the hospital to social events right after.”

Kara layers an aubergine jacket on top of a salmon-colored woven and pairs it with slim-fit trousers in a dark palette to suit Dr. Mark. “You can’t categorize his style into a certain kind, because he likes to switch it up depending on his mood. Throwing on a jacket helps to immediately change the look and feel of an outfit, from casual to dressy. With Perry Ellis, looking dapper is easy as 1, 2, 3,” she shares.

For the no-frills man, Perry Ellis offers a variety of beautifully well-made staples that remove the guesswork in shopping and help guys build a better everyday wardrobe. For more fashionsavvy individuals, Perry Ellis also presents exciting pieces that would allow them to explore their style comfort zone. Regardless of a one’s style or personality, you can find something that will help guys feel more confident as they go about their day.

Perry Ellis currently has boutiques at SM Aura Premier, SM North Edsa The Block, SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia and Glorietta 5

Dr. Mark Agas wears a sleek business casual attire, a far cry from his serious, restrictive work suits

APHCA’s 20th Hair Olympics opens today at SMX Mall of Asia THE country’s best hairdressers and cosmetologists will see action today as they battle it out with the best in Asia Pacific at the SMX Mall of Asia.

After winning national selection events held in their respective countries, the competitors are ready to outdo themselves during the show entitled “Beauty Showdown in Manila” that promises to be awe-inspiring.

The competitors will display their talents and expertise with wonders of creativity and precision to their creations in the following categories: men’s cut and blow dry, avant-garde color, evening party and bridal make-up; the total look and nail art competition and evening party hairstyle.

Hair and make-up techniques, originality and creativity will be among the criteria for the judges who will be composed of experts from the participating delegations.

Attractive prizes await the winners from the different categories plus a trip to Hongkong for the grand champion.

The most anticipated beauty event will also feature seminars and workshops and a trade fair of over 50 booths featuring local and international beauty items from participating APHCA member countries plus lots of freebies from generous sponsors.

Tingting...

From D1

elegance which is “The woman who unwittingly is at the center of attention, knows the language of fashion, possesses beauty, is refined and cultured, commands respect in her chosen field,

Black Ursula Velvet Ankle Boot

Luggae Brooklyn Medium Leather Saddlebag

Moss Mercer Large Leather Tote

Michael Kors Fall 2016:

City Bohemian

Asia Pacific’s best hairdressers will showcase their expertise in today’s hair olympics

Top stylists from China, Hong Kong and Macau will present the latest cut for men and women in a special show plus GMA 7 artist Alden Richards will have a special number.

Gracing the formal opening today are Senators Bam Aquino and Cynthia Villar, former First Lady Ming Ramos, Hans Sy, Sri Lankan Ambassador Aruni Ranaraja and Thai Amand leaves a legacy of grace, wisdom and compassion.”

During the ceremony, Andrada showcased his 20-piece high fashion collection composed of bridal wear, gowns, cocktail dresses and formal menswear.

Proceeds from the affair benefit the widows and children of the Special Action Force (SAF) 44.

bassador Thanatip Upatising.

The 20th Hair Olympics is supported by the Department of Tourism (DoT) through the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), Zen Institute, Air Asia, Skin Care Formula by Dr. Alvin, Philbeauty, Selective Professional, Pagcor, Travelpros and GMA 7.

It will be at Hall 4, SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia, Pasay City.

“This year I’m giving [the funds] to the widows of SAF and the children who want notebooks, pencils... I want to make it yearly for them, for their heroism to be remembered,” shared Cojuangco.

She added “I am thinking of doing ‘The Elegant Filipina’ again next year for the benefit of SAF women.”

DOWNTOWN, ‘70s-inspired cool marries modern, uptown polish for fall. Textural furs and shearlings, diaphanous silhouettes and metallic jacquards evoke an elevated bohemian sensibility, while sleek tailoring and monochromatic moments channel urban sophistication. Neutrals from black and navy to camel and charcoal play off of lilac and forest green.

Transitional outerwear is realized in leather jackets, fur-trimmed anoraks and crisp officer’s coats. Denim gains a fresh identity in cropped, sailor-inspired shapes and flared fits.

From contemporary takes on suiting to leather culottes, the lines blur between office and eveningwear, while shoulder-baring separates and sheer finishes channel a seductive spirit.

Saddlebags, chunky heels and louche slip-on loafers solidify the heritage appeal of this chic set.

In the Philippines, Michael Kors is located at Central Square in Bonifacio High Street Central, Greenbelt 5, Newport Mall, Power Plant Mall, Rustan’s Makati and Shangri-La Plaza.

Michael Kors pays homage to ‘70s fashion

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016

‘Mulat’ (Awaken) opens on Nov. 2

Lead stars Dennis Trillo and Anne Curtis in a scene from the Jun Lana movie

‘Bakit Lahat ng Gwapo May Boyfriend?!’

More questions than answers

T

HE title itself is intriguing and inviting at the same time. One would be encouraged to see the movie hoping to find the answer to this question.

Diego’s fiancée is too preoccupied with work, so he’s always left with Kylie doing all the preparation for the wedding, including the seminars that they have to attend to.

Apparently, their regular rendezvous just opens the chance for Kylie and Diego to fall for each other.

This episode only happens in an alternative universe. Why would a 30-something woman, who’s very in love with her soon to be husband, chose her career over her married life? Or how can true love blossom in a matter of weeks, not to mention that the man is already engaged and the woman involved is a professional wedding planner?

Obviously, the director didn’t use much of his creative juices to make sense to logical thinkers. Instead, he relied heavily on dialogue to imply what every character needs to convey. Unfortunately, even its dialogues are not powerful enough to create any lasting impression. And this waters down to Curtis and Trillo’s portrayal of their characters.

Their tandem could’ve had a dynamic presence but they had to work on a lackluster material. So, what else can we expect?

However, the film fails to solve this to jumpstart the story, Bakit Lahat interesting puzzle. More so, it raises ng Gwapo begins with Kylie (Anne more questions rather than provide Curtis) doing all the job to condition acceptable responses. the audience that there’s a real backstory Bakit Lahat ng Gwapo… is no gay to the main plot by narrating how she romance. It’s just another formula film became an expert in detecting if the whose main plot is about a girl trying person is straight or just straight acting. to find out whether or not the man At the onset, Kylie, a wedding planner, she and her gay BFF are in love with starts ranting about her being a “cover is straight. So, to those who trooped girl” to her ex-boyfriends who happen to the cinemas expecting for a BL (an to be all gays. acronym for Boys Love, a modern term Now, her “gaydar” is once again put used to describe movies and series that to the test when her BFF Benj (who was feature two men romantically linked also her ex and played by Ballesteros) to each other) movie, it’s a bit of a urges her to use her skills on Diego disappointment.

(Trillo) who is his childhood crush.

The film, in general, is more Diego is back in town and meets with of a romantic comedy about two Benj only to tell him that he’s getting heterosexuals who eventually find married, with a woman of course. themselves comfortably in each other’s arms.

Perhaps the fitting title to the film is “Cover Girl,” which the main female character clearly defined in one of the scenes. And since the film fails to directly answer its own question, we can just borrow what Paolo Ballesteros said when Jose Manalo asked him “Bakit nga lahat ng gwapo may boyfriend?”

The latter nonchalantly replied, “Baka bading!”

Going back to the movie, there are a few scenes though that will possibly satisfy the gay audience of the Jun Robles Lana helmed flick: a beso between Prince Stefan and a male talent; a quick kissing scene between Ballesteros and Sinon Loresca and a generous exposure of Dennis Trillo’s body wearing a very skimpy swimming trunks.

Probably the only gay part of the film is the presence of Paolo Ballesteros’s character Employing a rather weak device named Benj, a closeted entrepreneur who runs a wedding planning business

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Wednesday, October 26, 2016

ACROSS 1 Redness typified 5 Wingspread 9 Bamboo muncher 14 Clay pot 15 Actual 16 Mukluk wearer 17 Beat to a froth 18 Home furnishings 19 Overly trusting 20 Tryst 22 Squeeze 24 Young screecher 26 Born as 27 Like diet colas (hyph.)

30 Least wan 35 About bees 36 Berra of baseball 37 Golda of politics 38 Cookie sheet 39 Trounce 42 Country addr.

43 SASE, e.g.

45 Just 46 Kayak cousin 48 Go over the lines 50 Willow shoots 51 Compete at an auction 52 Regatta entrant

54 Floated down the street?

58 Grain cutters 62 Turk’s neighbor 63 Magnum venue 65 Countess’s husband 66 Bishop’s law 67 10-4 buddy 68 1492 vessel 69 Open-back shoe 70 Follett and Howard 71 Large number DOWN 1 Soup serving 2 Pre-college 3 Lamb’s alias 4 Bland pudding 5 Walk 6 Trim a tree?

7 Mo. with no holidays 8 Robin’s residence 9 Sounded on sonar 10 Disneyland site 11 Evening, to Pierre 12 Cheap nightspot 13 — — foot pole 21 Lake swimmers 23 Kind of ink

25 27 28 29 31 32

Dessert cart Not now Hazard a guess Hoisting device Sea, in a gale Like a wolf’s howl 33 Shankar’s strings 34 Goes on safari 36 Sudden urges 40 Crowd 41 Undemanding, as a job 44 Beirut locale 47 Winter warmers

49 Helping out 50 Comes to mind 53 White as a sheet 54 Snapshots 55 Kazakh inland sea 56 Sari sporter 57 Wharf 59 Rain down, as arrows 60 Fish-eating flier 61 Burger side 64 Mr. Vigoda

STORIES can be dances with an unpredictable cadence, and films can be jazz. Diane Ventura’s debut feature, Mulat, which will hold its first commercial screening on Nov. 2, has earned critical acclaim— Ventura bagged Best Director for Global Feature, while Jake Cuenca took home the Best Actor award at the International Film Festival Manhattan 2015; the film also won Best Narrative Feature at the World Cinema Festival in Brazil, where Cuenca once again snagged the Best Actor trophy.

Gut response will tell you the plot is thrown out of the window, but nothing can be farther from the truth.

In its use of time jumps, shifting perspectives, and dream sequences juxtaposed with spills from the subconscious, the film not so much subverts linearity but subsumes itself in it, rethinks it. What we have in Mulat, if anything, is a jagged, broken roadmap.

Sam (Loren Burgos) is engaged to Vince (Ryan Eigenmann), who has shown his disdain for marital proceedings and, transitively, his fiancée. The film opens with them quarreling during a car ride, an argument which escalates into frenzied verbal volleying that is later interrupted by collision with a stray motorcyclist. The crash ironically sets the dream-riddled wheels in motion, and the viewer is taken to flashbacks, flash-forwards, and alternate realities in “multiverse” fashion.

In one sequence, the crash appears to be a mere bout of daydreaming, with the doggedly submissive Sam suddenly shifting gears and tells the abusive Vince, “I’m not wasting another second of my life with you.”

The rest of the film is a rich montage of alternating worlds between Sam’s strained engagement with Vince, and her redemption in the hands of a new love in the person of Jake (Jake Cuenca).

The mostly-English screenplay

by Ventura is flirty-conversational, and its occasional forays into psychoanalysis flow freely, unencumbered by the unwieldy gravity psych concerns that usually lends to talkies.

The casting is spot-on, the performances human. Burgos as Sam is way north of eye-candy, her alternating ascent-descent into joymadness contained but effective; Eigenmann’s Vince is doused with an effortless a-hole cool, a volcano perpetually teetering on the edge of eruption; and Cuenca’s Jake is both a charmer and a dramatic powerhouse. The support cast are A-one, Logan (Logan Goodchild) and Cathy (Candy Pangilinan) revelations as a truth-espousing comical couple, and of course, every frame with the sublime Madeleine Nicolas in it (as Sam’s mom) is a frame worth watching.

Alfred Asuncion’s secure camera work shines best in its nuanced differentiation across varying timelines and perspectives, along with his subtle coloring and tasteful editing alongside John Wong. Tengal’s understated score

and sound design also lend Mulat some much-needed breathing space, functioning more as atmospherics rather than as pushy accents, as in other psychological vehicles.

Ventura’s Mulat certainly isn’t the first movie to offer an atypical rendering of time, of causality, of consequence; from Kurosawa to Tarantino to preBatman Nolan, the modern auteur has always toyed with cinematic storytelling in one form or another. But what it promises is a more pedestrian (but by no means simpler) story arc to ferry it along: the meandering course of a love affair, the ways we deal with heartbreak, the lenses through which we view our hopes and dreams. In the more-than-able hands of Ventura and her team, the fractured beauty that is Mulat ceases to be a difficult structural pill; it becomes a welcome change of scene, even to the most unsuspecting among us.

Diane Ventura’s first ever commercial screening of Mulat: (Awaken) beginning Nov. 2 comes with a bonus opening feature short film TheRapist (also directed by Ventura).

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com

D4

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016

H

IS colleague at Viva Entertainment, James Reid, is now a certified star, a heartthrob many women (young and not-soyoung) admire (or ISAH V. RED desire, I guess).

Andre Paras who costarred with Reid and his now perennial leading star in both the movies and television, Nadine Lustre, in the breakout hit Diary ng Panget. Paras played second lead with another Viva talent, Yassi Pressman.

It seems, the former basketball varsity star has found his place at GMA Network, playing initially support role on daytime TV (The Half Sisters) and later a leading role in That’s My Amboy on primetime.

He is now seen occasionally in Encantadia as Wahid, which he hopes would be given extra length in terms of exposure.

But, last Sunday, the towering son (he stands six feet and five inches bafefoot) of former basketball star and now comedian Benji Paras is the featured player in the quadri-epsode of the Sunday rom-com Usapang Real Love in the episode titled “Perfect Fit.” This time, the Kapuso network has thrown in for him a new leading lady in the person of newbie (also featured in Encantadia as Mira, daughter of Amihan) Mikee Quintos.

The episode replaced “Dream Date” that featured Miguel Tanfelix and his perennial onscreen partner Bianca Umali.

“Perfect Fit” is a modern day Cinderella romance about Ella (Quintos), a cellphone repair girl in a tiangge whose only goal is to take care of her father. Her life will take a sudden change when she meets Cindy, a fine lady who looks a lot like her and will ask her to fix her phone.

While doing so, Ella discovers the

Young stars Bianca Umali and Derrick Monasterio join more than a dozen Kapuso celebrities in GMA Network’s anticyberbullying campaign #HeartOverHate

dating app that Cindy uses and sees Eugene (Paras), an account executive in a shoe company.

Curious to see him, Ella dresses up and pretends to be Cindy for a night.

What started as a harmless lie turns into a complicated charade as Ella and Eugene begin to develop feelings for each of them. What will happen when Eugene finally realizes that Ella is not Cindy? Will there be a happy ever after for Ella? Can Eugene and Ella be the perfect fit for each other?

Joining Paras and Quintos in this episode are Jay Arcilla, Arra San Agustin, Bern Josep Persia, William Lorenzo and Mickey Ferriols.

Under the helm of Joron Monroy, the fairy talelike love story of Ella and Eugene in Usapang Real Love airs every Sunday after GMA Blockbusters. *** GMA Network’s anti-cyberbullying campaign #HeartOverHate gained recognition from the first ever BlogEx Manila Awards mounted by the Tag Media Public Relations and Brand Philosophy Inc. The Blog Ex Awards recognizes “social media achievements through blogging” and serves as “a digital outreach platform that connects blogs with brands.”

The campaign, launched by the Network’s Program Support Department in August, won two

major awards including, Social Movement of the Year and Most Innovative Digital Marketer in the Corporate Category.

Through various formats including a website, articles, videos, and even on-ground events, it aims to spread positivity by creating a social media landscape founded on the values of kindness, responsibility, and encouragement.

Among the Kapuso celebrities who have participated in the #HeartOverHate campaign are (in order of appearance) Marian Rivera-Dantes, Bea Binene, Ken Chan, Miguel Tanfelix, Bianca Umali, Kris Bernal, Kylie Padilla, Ruru Madrid, Louise Delos Reyes, Phytos Ramirez, Mikee Quintos, Andre Paras, Derrick Monasterio, Martin Del Rosario, Ashley Ortega, Andrea Torres, Julie Anne San Jose, Glaiza de Castro, and Alden Richards.

Ken Chan also delivered an inspirational talk about the campaign at the 12th Philippine Blogging Summit held recently at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

With the month of the October being antibullying month, GMA produced new videos to inspire more netizens to put an end to cyberbullying.

Next month, GMA will partner with Medical City in line with the latter’s “Teen Congress 2016: Stop Bullying in all its forms” project.

Musical.ly seals partnership with Globe MUSICAL.LY, the currently rated no.1 music video community, seals its first ever telco partnership with the Philippines’ no.1 mobile brand, Globe. Musical.ly is the world’s fastest growing online video community for creating, sharing and discovering 15-second videos.

With this collaboration, Musical. ly and Globe aim to give the best online experience to customers through easy access to a platform that allows creation of original content, and published by users themselves.

“We are delighted to have this partnership with Musical.ly because their platform combines 2 of the biggest things that Filipinos love – music and original video creation.

There are countless trending videos online showcasing how talented Filipinos express themselves through original content and Musical.ly will be an enjoyable platform for that,” says Globe Chief Commercial Officer, Albert de Larrazabal.

Musical.ly US President,

Alex Hofmann also said, “This partnership with Globe sets a global trend for us at Musical.ly. With a partnership focusing on consumer content, Musical.ly is sure to be the future of creation and engagement.

With Globe we hope to provide a more seamless access to more Filipinos so they can enjoy the app right on their favorite device.”

On the Musical.ly app, community members are called musers who are young, creative and enthusiastic individuals who love to express themselves through social media.

They create the trend by creating viral materials that create traffic and trending topics on sites such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

The app allows users to shoot and upload their own material using Musical.ly’s online library of the best hits from a wide variety of music genres like hip-hop, as well as themes such as comedy and movie clips with each lasting for about 15 seconds.

With a following that continues

to grow organically since its launch in August 2014, Musical.ly now has over 100 million users globally and create over 10 million new musicals every day! It is currently ranked #1 in the app chart in more than 19 countries including US, UK, and Germany. It is also consistently within the top 50 apps in the App Store and Google Playstore since 2015.

Globe customers can enjoy and try the Musical.ly app for FREE via Globe Switch as part of its exclusive hot deals. As a special launch treat, for a limited time only, Globe is giving the first 500,000 Globe Switch users free 7 days access to the app of their choice! Users can avail of the “Special Launch Day Treat” option under the OFFERS tab to choose their free app.

Globe Switch is free and available for download on Google Playstore.

To learn more about Globe Prepaid and its latest offers, visitwww.globe. com.ph/Prepaid. Globe Switch is also available for TM subscribers.

Top Musical.ly PH musers are joined by (leftmost) Musical.ly Asia Marketing Manager Mauricio Lievana, (middle) Musical.ly US President Alex Hoffman and Globe Senior Advisor for Consumer Business Dan Horan