The Standard - 2015 July 23 - Thursday

VOL. XXIX NO. 163 3 Sections 32 Pages P18

THURSDAY : JULY 23, 2015 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Suit stops US rapper from leaving

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‘HEALED’ MIRIAM TO JOIN ’16 RACE

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SURPRISED by her No. 2 ranking in a recent survey about voter preferences for the 2016 elections and elated over gains in her cancer treatment, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago said Wednesday she is ready again to pursue her presidential dream.

In the 1998 elections, Santiago ran for president under her own People’s Reform Party but was defeated by former President Fidel Ramos by a slim margin. The senator has consistently maintained that she was cheated. Next page

Fighting form.

NPC says it’s ready to back Grace

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State Dept: US not neutral in dispute

By Sandy. Araneta THE United States warned Tuesday that it will come down force-

fully against any country that violates international laws, particularly in the South China Sea. US Assistant Sec-

retary of State Daniel Russel also said the US would ensure that all parties adhere to the rules.

“We are not neutral when it comes to adhering to international law. We will come down Next page

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Healed

This is the Gulf Steam private jet of Chris Brown, which sits at the general aviation area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport after the rapper and his promoter were prevented from leaving for Hong Kong by the Department of Justice. RUDY C. SANTOS

Suit stops Chris Brown from leaving country

By Rudy Santos

after the rapper failed to attend the New Year’s countdown concert on Dec. 31, 2014 at the RAPPER Chris Brown and his promoter were prevented INC-owned Philippine Arena, in from boarding their private Gulf Stream plane at the Ninoy Bulacan.

MDC said it took action after Aquino International Airport Wednesday, after a concert Brown and Roda had refused to organizer associated with the Iglesia Ni Cristo filed criminal return “substantial amounts of charges against them for estafa. money” that they were paid to perform at the concert.

Brown—Christopher Maurice Maligaya Development Corp.

On the day of the concert, in real life—and his promoter, (MDC), Glicerio P. Santos IV. Brown posted on his Twitter acJohn Michael Pio Roda, were The 26-year-old American re- count that he would be unable to unable to depart for Hong Kong cording artist along with eight go to the Philippine Arena bebecause of a “look out bulletin” others arrived Tuesday morn- cause he lost his passport in Los issued by the Justice Department ing on board a private plane for a Angeles. upon the request of head legal concert at the Mall of Asia Arena The failure of Brown to show counsel of the INC and chief op- Tuesday night. up at the concert caused dismay erating officer of the promoter Brown and Roda were charged to the paying fans and humilia-

State From A1...

forcefully when it comes to following the rules,” Russel said during a keynote speech delivered at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Washington’s top diplomat for East Asia said the United States has repeatedly stated that while it takes no position on competing sovereignty claims over disputed areas in the South China Sea, it does want these maritime claims to be advanced in accordance with international law and without the use of coercion.

Russel also reiterated the US position that the South China Sea disputes wasn’t over rocks but about rules for the AsiaPacific region.

“It’s about the kind of neighborhood we all want to live in,” he added.

In response to a question by a Chinese participant, Russel said the US was neutral only to the extent of competing claims, not the way these disputes were resolved.

He said the US was encouraging the parties involved to creae an atmosphere and conditions needed to manage the disputes peacefully, diplomatically and lawfully, despite the escalating tensions partly caused

by China’s reclamation of disputed areas in the South China Sea. “We’re pushing the parties to revive the spirit of cooperation,” Russel said.

Russel also encouraged all participants, not just China, to cease actions that run contrary to this spirit, including reclaiming land, building facilities and militarizing features.

Russel said that US Secretary of State

tion to the company, Santos said in a letter to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who issued the look out bulletin.

The bulletin means Brown and Roda must obtain clearance from the authorities before leaving the country to ensure that they have no pending obligations.

Roda was engaged by MDC to bring Brown to the Philippines to perform at the Philippine Arena for its New Year’s countdown on Dec. 31, 2014.

MDC is the overall administration and management of Ciudad de Victoria, where the INC’s Philippine Arena is located. –

With Rey E. Requejo

John Kerry would push for progress on this front at the upcoming ASEAN Regional Forum, which will be held next month in Malaysia, this year’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

On the first peaceful path to resolving disputes, which is bilateral negotiations, Russel acknowledged it was challenging to pursue this course under the current atmosphere.

While not directly mentioning China by name, he noted that “absolutist” statements by certain countries that their claims were “indisputable” made going down this path even more challenging.

H also said there were several cases in the region where this had worked, including disputes between Indonesia and the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore, and Bangladesh and Myanmar.

On the second path, which is arbitra-

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In July 2014, she announced she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, but said she would consider running for president if she could lick her cancer. Because of her illness, Santiago stepped down as an elected judge of the International Criminal Court in June.

Santiago said Wednesday she was “happily surprised” by the results of a survey conducted by Publicus Asia, a lobbying and political management company, that had her in the No. 2 spot for most preferred president.

Santiago came in after Poe and was followed by Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senator Francis Escudero, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, and Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II. Poe, a neophyte senator, recently dislodged Binay from most opinion polls where he was leading until the government filed a series of corruption charges against him.

Santiago said all the presidential aspirants mentioned in the survey are active in government service except for her, who is on qualified medical leave from the Senate.

Santiago said she was “elated and gratified” that voters still considered her, despite her absence of over a year.

At the same time, Santiago said, her oncologist, Dr. Mark Kris, who is chief of the Thoracic Oncology Service at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, consulted with her team of local doctors Friday and pronounced that the cancer growth in her left lung has been arrested.

At present, Santiago occasionally participates in Senate work, but mostly remains in her La Vista house, where she has produced two best-selling joke books and the 2015 editions of over two dozen law books.

The senator says she exercises by walking some two kilometers every day.

tion, Russel specifically referred to the Philippines’ ongoing case against China at the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, Netherlands.

Russel saidthat regardless of the outcome, both Beijing and Manila had to abide by the court’s legally binding decision as they were both signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Meanwhile, Russel said that the United States would safeguard its own interests in various ways, including honoring its alliances and security commitments and aiding the development of effective regional organizations.

This included investing in maritime domain awareness for coastal states and carrying out freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea.

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NPC ready to support Poe

By Christine F. Herrera

THE readiness of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) to support outsiders Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero as president and vice president in the 2016 elections highlights the cracks in the majority alliance led by the ruling Liberal Party.

NPC’s position. Nationalist People’s Coalition president and Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao and party spokesman Valenzuela mayors. LINO SANTOS

Binay takes swipe at Grace’s citizenship VICE President Jejomar Binay on Wednesday took a swipe at Senator Grace Poe, his strongest rival in the 2016 national elections, when he raised the issue of Filipino citizenship in his speech during the commemoration of the 200th birth anniversary of hero and martyr Apolinario “Hermano Puli” dela Cruz in Quezon Province.

Although Binay did not categorically mention Poe in his speech, his words appeared to be aimed at Poe who holds US and Philippine passports.

He said the voters should shun

someone who had renounced his or her Filipino citizenship.

Binay on Wednesday also confirmed he will attend President Benigno Aquino III’s last State-of-the- Nation Address on July 27 as a member of the opposition since he had resigned from the Cabinet, adding he was invited by Congress and not by the President.

“I was invited by Congress and I should be there to listen to the message of the President,” Binay said.

He made his statement even as a legal expert said Binay’s fil-

ing of a P200-million damage suit against Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Alan Peter Cayetano and other officials was within his constitutional right to seek redress.

“It will bring the allegations [raised by Binay’s critics] within judicial scrutiny according to the rules of evidence. What is hearsay will be separated from admissible evidence,” said Amado Valdez, a former dean of the University of the East School of Law. Binay said he is proud to be a Filipino.

“They love the Filipino people. This early, they are already pushing for a leader who renounced and abandoned his/ her Filipino citizenship,” Binay told his audience in Tayabas town.

He declined to comment if he was referring to Poe, but said, “It’s up to you think what you want.”

Poe, whose real name is Grace Llamanzares Poe, has yet to decide if she will renounce her US citizenship and run for President next year. Vito Barcelo and Rey E. Requejo

PNoy: Don’t vote for insensitive bets PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday urged voters not to vote for candidates who have no interest in the welfare of the Filipino people.

In his speech after inspecting the Angat Hydroelectric Power Plant in Norzagaray, Bulacan, Aquino warned the public against candidates who will give empty promises and take advantage of their posts for personal gain.

He also urged voters to choose a leader who will stay true to his word.

Aquino made his statement

even as Senate President Franklin Drilon denied that the Liberal Party is divided following reports that some party members want Senator Grace Poe to be their standard bearer instead of Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II whose ability to win is still being questioned.

LP secretary general Mel Senen Sarmiento agreed and said the party remained solid.

“The LP is united behind Secretary Roxas. I can assure you that there will be no split down the road,” Drilon said in a television interview.

Drilon is vice

chairman of the Liberal Party while Aquino is its chairman.

Drilon said it was reasonable to expect Aquino to endorse Roxas when he delivers his last State-ofthe-Nation Address on or before the end of July.

Aquino said electing the right leader would help guarantee the continuity of his administration’s platform of good governance.

He said the country’s situation had improved compared with the previous administration. Sandy

Araneta and Macon Ramos-Araneta, with PNA

NPC president and Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao said Wednesday his party, the country’s second largest, was ready to defy President Benigno Aquino III, the leader of the so-called rainbow coalition, and vowed to go its own way if Aquino anoints a different ticket.

“The NPC is rooting for Poe-Chiz [Escudero] should they decide to run. We are part of the majority coalition and we back President Aquino’s programs. We believe that Grace and Chiz would pursue the President’s reform agenda,” Aggabao said.

“We expect the coalition to respect our decision and preference, in case our party stand runs counter to the President’s choice,” he added.

Aggabao and Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian, NPC spokesman, made the announcement in a news conference at Gloria Maris restaurant at Gateway, the mall owned by the family of Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, the presumptive standard bearer of the Liberals.

The breakup of the coalition became even more pronounced when Aggabao, also House deputy speaker, said the NPC would block any move to unseat Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr, a member of the Liberal Party.

There was talk that Belmonte might be ousted when the third session of the 16th Congress reopens on July 27, the day the President delivers his last State-of-theNation Address, over the speaker’s public endorsement of Poe. Aggabao said the NPC was not about to preempt President Aquino’s decision to choose his anointed presidential candidate, but was hoping that the President would give weight to the NPC’s view.

The announcement was made while the President was in the process of consulting the coalition partners to arrive at a consensus as the President reportedly wanted his anointed candidate to be acceptable to all the coalition partners – the LP, the NPC, the Nacionalista Party and the National Unity Party.

The President said he would make his endorsement shortly after the SONA. Aquino has met with Poe and Escudero several times, but no agreement on a unified or common ticket has been reached.

Aggabao said that while the NPC has yet to make an official party stand, 80 percent of its members supported a Poe-Escudero tandem.

Next to LP’s 110 seats, the NPC has 41 seats in Congress with eight party-list groups as allies, 14 governors, 22 city mayors, 217 municipal mayors and two senators – Loren Legarda and Vicente Sotto III. Aggabao said the NPC was not bothered by the residency issue against Poe, believing that the Supreme Court is an “activist tribunal” and will not dare disqualify Poe since she is largely the choice of the majority of Filipinos judging from the recent surveys showing Poe as their top choice.

“The party has to meet. This is something we have not done yet. But once we have made a decision, all members have to toe the line,” Aggabao said..

PAL oldtimer.

Esperanza former Philippine Airlines a spinster who celebrated her day recently at her home in Quezon City.

TEDDY PELAEZ

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Habagat fatalities reach 19

Quake-proof. President Benigno S. Aquino III discusses a point with Manila Water and Sewerage Administration chief Gerardo Esquivel during an inspection of the Angat Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan on Wednesday. The dam recently a dike strengthening project to ensure its stability and withstand possible earthquakes. MALACAÑANG PHOTO

Purisima faces raps for SAF 44 incident

By Rio N. Araja and Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Ombudsman on Wednesday ordered government prosecutors to look into the administrative and criminal liability of dismissed Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima and 10 other police officials over the January 25 Mamasapano incident that killed 44 police commandos.

Ombudsman spokesperson Asyrman Rafanan said Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales approved the recommendation of the field investigation officers to find probable

cause against Purisima, Special Action Force commander Getulio Napeñas, Chief Supt.

Noli Taliño, and Senior Superintendents Richard de la Rosa, Edgar Monsalve, Abraham Abayari, Raymond Train, Michael John Mangahis, Rey Ariño and Recaredo Marasigan.

“Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales approved the recommendation of the special panel of field investigators to initiate administrative adjudication and preliminary investigation on Purisima, Napeñas and the other police officers in connection with the Mamasapano incident,” he said.

Senator Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate public order committee that investigated the Mamasapano incident, said she is glad that the investigating panel has finally come up with a recommendation on this case.

“I’ll reserve comment on the particular findings at this point because this

recommendation is not final. As I understand, this will still be reviewed by Ombudsman Morales,” said Poe. “I would like to wait for the final resolution of the Ombudsman on the commission of usurpation of authority by Purisima,” said Poe, who concluded after the Senate probe that President Benigno Aquino III is ultimately responsbile the incident.

She noted that Aquino must bear responsibility for allowing Purisima to take lead of the operation although he was under a preventive suspension.

In this connection, the senator also called on the Department of Justice to resolve the issue on the culpability of those who engaged the SAF 44 - those from the MILF, BIFF and private armed groups.

Purisima will face a probe of usurpation of power punishable under the Revised Penal Code.

ALTHOUGH the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration has predicted generally fair weather in most parts of the country until the weekend, the death toll heavy rain and floods brought by the southwest monsoon, locally known as “habagat,” has risen to 19.

Aside from 19 fatalities, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Wednesday eight people are still missing in the Ilocos, Central Luzon and Mimaropa regions and 670 families, or 3,106 people, are still in 25 evacuation centers.

The NDRRMC said 26,158 families, or 124,416 people, have been affected in Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Metro Manila, and Cordillera.

In Pangasinan province alone, damage to agriculture and infrastructure was already estimated to have reached more than P114 million.

The Pangasinan provincial government said the damage was initially set at P114,063,677.50, including P22,563,677.50 in agriculture and P91.5 million in infrastructure.

“As of now initial reports nila, infra at agriculture natin, umabot na tayo sa P105 million, yung initial report pa lang,” said Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino Jr. said provincial disaster officials are still assessing the actual amount of damages, but the towns of Bani and Calasiao have already declared states of calamity.

Meanwhile, Pagasa said the whole country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening.

There are no tropical cyclones inside or anywhere near the Philippine area of responsibility, but that that does not mean no weather pattern can develop in the next few days.

Despite the warmer weather, the occurrence of isolated rains will still prevail due to localized thunderstorms expected mostly in the afternoon or evening.

Yolanda aid lack hit

By Christine F. Herrera LEYTE Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Wednesday slammed the government’s slow rehabilitation of the Yolandastricken areas 20 months after the tragedy.

Only P47 billion out of the P167.9 billion committed to the Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan for the devastated areas had been downloaded as of June 2015, Romualdez said.

Romualdez’s district in Tacloban City was among the hardest-hit by super typhoon Yolanda that killed more than 6,000 people and devastated most parts of Eastern Visayas on Nov. 8, 2013.

He said the Aquino administration should continue

to focus on delivering the services and programs that it promised to Yolanda’s survivors.

“It just highlights the fact that there were lot of promises made but these remain unfulfilled. A lot of commitment of resources have not been delivered,” Romualdez said.

He took the government to task and demanded that the Aquino administration account for the P170-billion budget after attending a briefing of Social Watch Philippines or SWP led by former National Treasurer Leonor Briones.

Her group conducted a sixmonth financial audit of the national government funds that the Department of Budget and Management released for the recovery and rehabilitation efforts in the typhoon-hit areas.

Where’s the P170 billion? Former national treasurer Leonor Briones (left) expounds on how to keep track of the funds allocated for the rehabilitation of Yolanda-affected areas as Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin and Abakada Party List Rep.Jonathan De La Cruz listen intently. VER NOVENO

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Power cast. Joining hands during the “Summit for Change: Securing the Country’s Future” are leaders of the new movement Bagong Sistema, Bagong Pag-asa (from (left): Prof. Jose

Abueva, chairman and president of Kalayaan College and former UP president , former Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr, former Budget chief Salvador Enriquez, fomer Chief Justice Reynato Wednesday. LINO SANTOS

Group pins hopes on federal govt

By John Paolo Bencito A GROUP of statesmen on Wednesday urged President Aquino to change the country’s present form of government from presidential to federal system.

In a summit dubbed “Securing the Country’s Future” at the Club Filipino in San Juan, the group “Bagong Sistema, Bagong Pag-asa” led by former Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno reiterated calls for a shift to federal system, saying that the architects of the present Constitution have “failed to adjust our form of government to our changing needs.”

“Our present form of government “caused the majority to be deaf and dumb to the distinct needs of the minority, and gave them arrogance to impose uniformity despite the pluralism of the people,” said Puno.

“Everyone seems carried away by the idea of choosing the captain of the ship while few have bothered to examine the seaworthiness of the ship and the state of the ocean,” the group said.

BSBP affirmed that the unitary form of government “has failed our country for the longest time.”

“Our experience under a unitary-presidential form of government runs for eighty years now. The question is, ‘What has this unitary-presidential form of government brought to our people?,’” Puno said.

For one, Puno cited the imbalance of powers among the three branches of government and between the national government and the local government units and autonomous regions.

“We have a government where power is tilted too much in favor of the Executive,” Puno said. “Arguably, the biggest abuse of power in our tripartite government has been committed in our Executive Department.

Consequently, almost all of our Presidents have been subject

of impeachment, but none has been successfully impeached,” said Puno. “Our democracy has collapsed under one President.”

“We have a very strong president who has too much power,” he added The former chief magistrate also criticized a supposed “powerful” judiciary for failing to do much that what is expected, but too little is given.

“We do have a very powerful court theoretically but reality will reveal that the independence of the Judiciary is insufficiently insulated with our Constitution,” he said.

“The impeachment of a Chief Justice shows how unequal is the Supreme Court to its political counterparts, an inequality that mocks its role as the guardian of the Constitution and as the bastion of the rights of our people,” said Puno.

Puno also quizzed how political safeguards enshrined in our constitution - such as the Commission on Audit, Civil Service Commission, Commission on Human Rights, and the

Ombudsman have failed to meet the the ‘expectations’ expected from them by the people.

“The disquieting questions are: have we solved, nay dissipated violations of human rights?

Have we controlled the runaway corruption in government? Have we produced a bureaucracy based on meritocracy? Have we checked the plunders committed on the money of the people,” said Puno.

The group sees Federalism “as the best hope of our distinct minorities to be allowed selfrule” referring to the Muslim in Mindanao.

“Diversity, is in truth, the touchstone of democracy,” Puno said.

“The best form of government that can best handle diversity is the democratic form of government but more specifically, the federal-parliamentary species of democracy,” said Puno.

“The unimpeachable data show that the federal-parliamentary form have fared better than the unitary-presidential form of governance.”

Pork raps vs 2 ex-congressmen Passport rules for aliens eased

By Rio N. Araja THE Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday indicted two former congressmen of graft charges for diverting their Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel to fake foundations.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales ordered the filing of charges of violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act or Republic Act 3019 and malversation under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code against Alvin Sandoval of Malabon and Navotas, and Candido Pancrudo Jr. of Bukidnon before the Sandiganbayan.

Also named co-respondents were officials from Technology Resource Center (TRC), National Agribusiness Corp. (NabCor) and non-government organizations—the Pangkabuhayan

Foundation Inc. (PFI), Dr. Rodolfo A. Ignacio Sr. Foundation Inc. (DRAISFI), Jacinto Castel Borja Foundation Inc. (JCBFI) and Uswag Pilipinas Foundation Inc. (UPFI).

The Ombudsman furnished the AntiMoney Laundering Council copies of the resolutions for appropriate actions.

In October 2014, the Ombudsman field investigator filed separate complaints against Sandoval and Pancrudo, saying their pork barrel of P30 million in 2007 to 2009 and P8.2 million in 2008, respectively, were funneled to ghost livelihood projects.

Sandoval’s pork barrel fund allegedly went to TRC as the implementing agency that channeled the money to DRAISFI, PFI and JCBFI, which had been identified

by Sandoval. According to the 37-page resolution, the livelihood projects and beneficiaries of Sandoval were fictitious, and that the foundations were non-existent.

THE Department of Justice has relaxed the sixmonth passport validity requirement for arriving foreign nationals upon the recommendation of its Office for Competition and the Bureau of Immigratio), which is also under the administrative supervision of the DOJ. In a two-page Department Circular No. 032, which took effect last July 15, foreigners will be allowed to enter the country even with passports of less than six months validity from date of arrival.

However, the new rule requires that the embassies or consulates in the Philippines of the foreigners are authorized to renew or extend the validity of their passport and that there is no ground to deny them entry into the country under existing laws, rules and regulations.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima stressed that the new rule applies only to foreigners who can have their passports extended in their embassies in the country. Rey E. Requejo

JBC sets August 3 deadline for Sandigan aspirants

By Rey E. Requejo THE Judicial and Bar Council has officially opened the nomination and acceptance of application for the six new Sandiganbayan posts, which have been created following the enactment of the law expanding the anti-graft court last April.

The seven-member JBC will start accepting nominees and applicants for the new six associate justices who would compose the additional divisions of Sandiganbayan.

The JBC tasked to vet nominees to judicial posts has set the deadline for submission of nominations on August 3.

The new vacancies emanated from Republic Act 10660, otherwise known as “An Act Strengthening the Functional and Structural Organization of the Sandiganbayan,” which was signed by President Aquino last April 16.

The Sandiganbayan, which resolves cases of corruption against government officials, originally had three divisions until it expanded to five divisions of three members each in March 1995.

Under the new law, there will now be a total of seven divisions with three members each or a total of 21 justices in the anti-graft court.

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Comelec to feel public pulse on voting at the malls

By Sara Fabunan THE Commission on Elections is set to conduct a survey to gauge public perception on its plan to set up voting precincts inside selected shopping malls.

Following the mix reactions of experts and stakeholders on the proposed mall voting next year, Comelec chairman Andres Bautista said that the agency would

want to hear the opinion of the public and the voters regarding this “noble idea”.

“We would like the public to also participate in this regard and we want them to let their thoughts be known,” Bautista told the reporters yesterday.

He called on all voters to participate in the online survey which will be found in the official website of the Comelec.

“We want to know the public, specifically what the voters thing about this noble idea of having elections being held in the various malls all over the country,” the poll chief added.

Bautista earlier said that the Comelec already formed a technical working group (TWG) that would look into the legal, operation and logistical aspects of mall voting.

The TWG will employ the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis method, he said.

The TWG, he said, will also be looking at ways to ensure that mall-based voting will not pose any advantages to candidates who may be supported by mall owners.

Last week, Bautista said that the agency will not set up voting sites in some malls owned by the fami-

lies of Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, presumptive standard bearer of Liberal Party, and Senator Cynthia Villar, who’s husband is a leader of the Nacionalista Party.

Earlier, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) chairperson Henrietta de Villa expressed concern that the mall may be related to a candidate or a party.

Sona harps on hunger, food prices, inflation PRESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III is set to deliver his sixth and final State of the Nation Address on July 27 with inflation rates at its lowest levels in two decades as a result of government efforts to ensure stable food prices, particularly that of basic commodities like rice.

According to Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte, “the prices of basic commodities have remained relatively steady, in part due to the government’s efforts to ensure the consistency of food supply in the country,” a positive development that coincides with “a significant drop in the number of families experiencing involuntary hunger: from 16.3% in June 2014 to 12.7%, the lowest recorded rate in ten years.”

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) announced in June that inflation was at its lowest in twenty years, as the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that inflation had plunged to 1.2 percent in June 2015 from 1.6 percent in the previous month and 4.4 percent in June 2014.

NEDA attributed the drop to the steady and sufficient supply of food as well as reduced electricity prices due to lower fuel costs.

National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Renan Dalisay, for his part, explained that keeping rice prices stable and rice supplies constant “is a priority given the impact of rice prices on the lives of 100 million Filipinos.”

“We know that surveys have repeatedly shown that the most urgent concern of our people is combating inflation and keeping the prices of basic goods down,” said Dalisay.

“This is why the NFA has made the affordability and accessibility of rice one of the main objectives of all our reforms at the agency, and our policy decision has been anchored on this.”

The average retail prices of a kilo regular milled rice has steadily dropped since January 2015, according to NFA data. From almost 39 pesos per kilo in January, regular milled rice now retails for 37.3 pesos a kilo. Rice inflation is also at its lowest point, down to 2% today from a high of 14% in August 2014.

According to Dalisay, affordable and accessible rice is part of NFA’s BIGAS blueprint. “BIGAS” is an acronym adopted by the agency to represent Bigger Community and Sectoral Participation; Internal Reforms (Good Governance Initiatives and Modernization), Global Competitiveness; Accessible, Affordable, Available Rice (Food Security); and Sustainable Development.

Remembering Mabini.

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Shattered dreams: Scam victims surface P13,000 in One Dream after he was informed that there were other people THE victims of One Dream Global who had profited from the scheme Marketing Inc. alleged investment that promised to double their earnings. scam, were not only confined in BatanUnder the scheme a “pay-in” of P888, gas but also in Metro Manila which is equivalent to pen slot will reA group of victims from Quezon City, sult in an “exit “ or “pay-out” of P1,300 led by Christian Salazar, trooped to the after four days.

Department of Justice and accused One He said the company offered P44 Dream’s president and chief executive per slot as commission for every diofficer Arnel Gacer, and his girlfriend, rect referral.

Vice president Jobelle de Guzman of “I was able to convince friends to duping them into investing P12.7 million join and we were able raise more or less into the multi-level networking company. P12.7 million that we eventually investSalazar claimed that he first invested ed in One Dream,” Salazar said.

By Rey E. Requejo

According to him, their problem started when One Dream failed to pay them last July 13. Salazar added that they tried to contact the owners of One Dream, but they did not get any response from them.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said she would refer the complaints of the victims of One Dream to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

De Lima also said that the DOJ is also ready to place both Gacer and de Guzman, as well as the other officers of One Dream under the lookout bulletin of the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

We are running.

Manila Rep. Amado Bagatsing (left) and City Councilor Ali Atienza announced on Wednesday their plan to run as mayor and viceyayor of the City of Manila during a medical mission Foundation Manila.

EY ACASIO

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Semirara suspension won’t affect power supply—Palace

What’s left of it. House owner Lester Bautista inspects his house by the Cabaroan River after the days-long monsoon rain in Bancnotan, La Union. CHRISTINE JUNIO

Bulacan vice mayor included in plunder charge

By Rio N. Araja A COUNCILOR on Tuesday included the vice mayor of San Jose del Monte in his plunder suit against other officials of the city before the Office of the Ombudsman on their involvement in the construction of the allegedly overpriced city hall building.

Councilor Romeo Agapito filed a supplemental affidavit, implicating Vice Mayor Eduardo Roquero Jr. “In my affidavit dated June 30, 2015, I inadvertently failed to include (Roquero Jr.) as one

of the respondents, when he is one of the major participants in the grand design to commit plunder against the city of San Jose del Monte,” the complaint read.

Roquero is said to have conspired with Mayor Reynaldo San Pedro, 11 city councilors, nine city government employees and nine private individuals to profit from the construction of the San Jose del Monte City government center in a four-hectare lot, Agapito alleged.

“Vice Mayor Roquero (Jr.), being the son of former mayor Eduardo V. Roquero, has knowledge

of the fact that during his father’s time, the city of San Jose del Monte had allocated the amount of P4 million and procured the same from AGC Designs and Concepts for the amount of P3,990,000,” Agapito said.

“In furtherance of the irregularly procured consulting service, San Pedro and his cohorts continued with their plan to amass wealth and suck-drain the coffers of the city by proceeding with the main project—construction of the Government Center.”

According to Agapito, the building construction was “excessively overpriced” by at least P21

million in violation of the procurement law, the complainant said.

In the original 16-page complaint, Agapito said the officials commissioned Arce Bailon Arce Architects for P14 million to plan and design the project, setting aside the 2003 plan during the term of then mayor Eduardo Roquero.

The first plan was estimated less than P4 million, he added.

The construction began in October 2014 in a four-hectare property in Barangay Dulong Bayan, and the project is set to be completed next year.

By Sandy Araneta, PNA

THE suspension of coal mining operations on Semirara Island, Caluya, Antique following the collapse of its Panian pit which killed nine workers on Friday will not affect the supply of power in the country, the Palace said.

This, even as Semirara Coal and Power Corporation, a unit of conglomerate DMCI Holdings, Inc., is the country’s largest coal miner.

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the focus of government efforts is the safety of the mining.

The Energy Department, he said, did not mention a power interruption.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources on the other hand will suspend the environmental compliance certificate issued to Semirara following the collapse.

Semirara has a manpower count of 608 working in two shifts.

The Labor Department will provide an initial P100,000 in assistance under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program to the families of the deceased workers. Semirara, for its part, said it would give P1 million to each of the families.

According to Baldoz, the DOLE is mandated to ensure the implementation of general labor standards for all workers both working on surface and underground mining operations, while occupational safety and health regulations cover only those working in the offices.

Mine site operations are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Energy.

Among the dead were Dixon Daupan, wheel dozer operator; Bernie Manrique, coal quality inspector; Alexander Nudo, dump truck driver; Arnold Omac, dump truck driver; Ricaredo Panes; dump truck driver; and Generoso Talaro, operator excavator, Noel Penola and Ian Catulay, dump truck drivers.

Authorities are still retrieving the body of Danilo Bayhon.

4 dead in bus collision

By Francisco Tuyay FOUR people were killed while dozens others were injured, some them of critically, after two provincial buses collided head on along a national highway in Negros Occidental Wednesday morning.

Initial police reports revealed that the victims were passengers of two units of Ceres Bus Line that collided at Brgy. Sto Nino, E.B. Magalona town at about 9:30 a.m.

As of press time, the deceased passengers have not yet been identified.

Investigators said that the one of the buses bound for Escalante town had just passed another bus on its lane when it collided with the other Ceres bus, approaching from the opposite lane.

The four victims were pinned to their seats while other passengers were thrown out of the bus due to the impact of the collision.

The injured passengers were brought to the nearest hospital for treatment while the driver and conductor were brought to the E.B. Magalona Police Station.

Condolences. Maguindanao politicians—Datu Sajid Ampatuan, former Rep. Simeon Datumanong and Sul-

tan Kudarat Governor Suharto Teng Mangudadatu—gather at the backyard graveyard of former Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. MARCONI NAVALES

A8

OPINION [ EDI TORI A L ]

LEADERSHIP

BY DEFAULT AFTER yet another meeting between President Benigno Aquino III and Senator Grace Poe this week, things appear clearer now. The senator’s statements are still vague, but we all can take a hint. The President has been pressing her to re-consider her plan to run for the highest office of the land and instead run as the vice president of Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, the candidate the Liberal Party will field as its presidential bet in next year’s polls.

Roxas, who has fared miserably in opinion sureys, needs Poe’s popularity to rub off on him. In contrast, Poe, the surprise number one senator in the 2013 polls, has even dislodged earlier favorite Vice President Jejomar Binay in surveys -- a testament to her growing acceptability to Filipino voters.

Earlier, President Aquino had declared that Roxas and Poe were but two of a pool of people who would be able to continue the “reforms” he had instituted while in office.

Today what is apparent is that Poe would not be dissuaded from her plan. She would run for president, and she would run with her friend, Senator Francis Escudero.

This leaves Mr. Aquino in a bind. How can he guarantee the victory of his anointed, Roxas, the one who would continue his “reforms” and keep himself from landing in jail?

Unfortunately for the leader of the Liberal Party and of 100 million Filipinos, his next steps would be determined not by what he thinks is good for the country but by the refusal of Poe, the desperation of Roxas, and his own fears of suffering the same fate he had imposed on his immediate predecessor.

What a way to go.

This is, after all, a person who did not actively and deliberately seek the presidency through years of hard work and preparation for the job. He was, instead, a landed man by accident of birth, a mediocre lawmaker who somehow stumbled into the presidency just because his well-loved mother passed on at a crucial time.

Look at where that accident has brought us now.

Ideally, successors are groomed over many years by the party that fields him or her.

The protege is exposed to the rudiments of the job and is given increasing amounts of responsibility until the party is sure he or she would do well on his own. Come campaign period, the candidate is declared, as expected. No surprises, no speculation, and certainly no heartbreaking courtship of more “winnable” candidates.

Unfortunately, ideal scenarios are not common in this country. At this late hour in his presidency, Mr. Aquino, instead of solidifying the legacy he would leave to his bosses, is now scrambling to put together a decent campaign for whomever it is he would endorse.

Instead of ensuring that the supposedly prudent decisions he made in the past few years are given enough follow through and are sustained, we now see him painfully playing the part of the suitor who needs the wooed more than she needs him. “In a difficult situation” is how Poe described it.

With such leadership by default, do we even wonder why after the rosy rhetoric during elections, our country is still failing to address its most basic ills?

THE ENDORSEMENT LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES MAR Roxas may get the endorsement of President Noynoy Aquino, they say.

While that doesn’t really improve Roxas’ chances of winning, at least it makes Aquino look like he’s a man of his word, albeit very, very reluctantly.

Of course, for a while there, Aquino looked like he was still flirting with other op-

tions, long after he had committed to supporting Roxas.

And if Senator Grace Poe had said yes to Aquino’s entreaties, I doubt if Roxas would have gotten anything more than a “thank you for your service” from the man who promised he would back Mar up whatever happens.

But that’s the politics of desperation that Aquino practices. The President is perfectly capable of throwing Roxas under the bus – or under a train, something Aquino promised to do to himself – if that’s what’s needed to

keep himself out of jail after he steps down.

(I’m sorry if you still believe that Aquino pursued Poe because he needed someone to “continue the reforms.”

Aquino only needed someone who will win, needs that person still, whoever he or she may be; if he was really looking for someone to continue whatever he’s been doing, don’t you think Mar should be that person?)

And so I disagree with the assessment of Senator Serge Osmena that Aquino is obligated to support Roxas, if only

It must be perfectly plain to Roxas that Aquino doesn’t really care about anyone except himself.

to avoid embarrassing himself and save face. It’s Poe who said no to Aquino and forced him to return to his promise to support Mar the Unwinnable, with no real marquee backup or front man to shore up his chances, which explains the reluctance.

Of course, it must have occurred to Roxas that the Poe episode could be something more than temporary insanity on the part of Aquino. If Mar is as sharp as they say he is, he must have suspected that the failed courtship of Poe was a real foretaste of the quality of support he can expect from the man he has served so well.

Mar Roxas may appear to

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

A9

VIEW FROM MALCOM ATTY. HARRY ROQUE JR.

THE TRUE STATE OF THE NATION

be the biggest suck-up in the administration, capable of doing anything for his boss, but he’s not stupid. And by now, it must be perfectly plain to him that the President he serves doesn’t really care about anyone except himself.

If Roxas can’t see that Aquino’s only real goal is to keep from ending up behind bars, then he’s a bigger fool than anyone thought he was. He will deserve to lose and lose humiliatingly – with Aquino’s half-hearted and two-faced endorsement, naturally.

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

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*** From that great, untapped (by this government, anyway) fountain of fiscal and budgetary wisdom, former Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, I am unsurprised to learn that the Philippines is one of the worst-performing economies in the Asean region, based on the rankings of the World Economic Forum for 2015. Speaking before the Rotary Club of Manila this week, Diokno said that while the Philippines’ GDP has grown, it remains the poorest of

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the so-called “Asean 5,” with a GDP per capita of only 5 percent that of Singapore’s.

Diokno, who was budget undersecretary under Cory Aquino and budget secretary of Joseph Estrada, also said that the Philippines has the highest unemployment rate among the original Asean nations, a group which also includes Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. The Philippines, Diokno said, still citing WEF, has the worst public infrastructure among the five economies.

Continued on A11

MST Management, Inc. Philip G. Romualdez Chairman Arnold C. Liong Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Jocelyn F. Domingo Director of Operations Ron Ryan S. Buguis Ma. Isabel “Gina” P. Verzosa Head, Advertising Solutions Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager

IN fairness to this administration, it would be difficult to discuss the true state of a nation in a 700-word commentary. So instead of discussing all aspects of our lives under PNoy, I will focus on two particular areas, to wit: the promised anti-corruption drive of the administration under the slogan of “daang matuwid,” and the promise to uphold and protect human rights.

Pulse Asia in its Ulat sa Bayan had grim findings on how the public perceives PNoy’s promise to pursue the straight path. In brief, the public thought this was a promise terribly broken, In fact, only 29 percent of the people agreed that PNoy pursued the path that was promised. Thirty-six percent disagreed while 34 percent were undecided. Ana Maria Tabunda posited that the people perceived Daang Matuwid as a broken promise because of the discovery of the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam which involved all politicians, whether those with the administration or the opposition.

The fact that charges were filed against three opposition senators only made matters worse since the people perceived these cases as evidence of selective justice.

Indeed, the fact that no one from the administration has been charged for what is clearly an institutional form of corruption for Senatongs and Tongressmen contributed to the people’s perception. According to Tabunda, 53 percent of the people thought that it was unfair for the administration to prosecute only members of the opposition, while only 30 percent thought that this recourse was fair.

In truth and in fact, the people’s perceptions must have also been affected by the fact that the President has been playing deaf and dumb to the misfeasance and malfeasance of his KKK: kaibigan, kaklase and kabarilan. There is the Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala who has figured in one scam after another.

He continues to have the trust and confidence of PNoy. There too is former PNP Chief Alan Purisima, who despite SAF 44, continued to have the trust and confidence of the President. There is also Technology

Continued on A11

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

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

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A10

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

NO CHANGE UNDER AQUINO TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

BEFORE I begin my column on issues of the day, I’d like to say that I feel deeply humbled with the inclusion of my name in The Standard masthead as chairman emeritus of the editorial board of this newspaper.

At the same time, I am glad because it gives recognition to my contribution to this newspaper. I have been with it since the beginning—in February 1987.

I have to give my profound thanks to Arnold Liong, The Standard president, and Rollie Estabillo, my publisher, for this recognition. When The Standard was founded, I was chairman of the editorial board with Rod Reyes, who became press secretary under two presidents--Fidel V. Ramos and Joseph Estrada--and the first publisher and editorin-chief of this newspaper.

I believe in The Standard’s vision and goals.

That’s the reason I have not left it. It has been 28 years, and I will continue comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable in this newspaper until I write “30.” *** This Monday, President Aquino will deliver his 6th and last State-ofthe-Nation Address.

While we will surely listen to his “achievements and accomplishments,” the big question that comes to our minds is: Was there really a change ?

Upon his assumption to office on 2010, he intoned that “Kung Walang Kurap, Walang Mahirap” (if there’s no corruption, there’s no poverty), and his “Daan Matuwid.”

These resonated with the people, sick and tired of the cycle of corruption in past administrations.

I now ask, has there been a change under President Aquino insofar as corruption is concerned?

Santa Banana, from the looks of it, corruption has been institutionalized under the Aquino administration. The only change I see are the faces of those stealing from the people,

faces of people in power, all friends, supporters and loyalist to BS Aquino.

In fact, things got worse because of the Aquino brand of selective justice. The “Daang Matuwid” mantra is applicable only to a few.

President’s Aquino’s biggest failure is the administration’s inability to make a dent on the rising incidence of poverty that continues to stalk the land.

This, and joblessness.

The President will surely mention the growth of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, a measure of economic growth, but this becomes meaningless unless that growth trickles down to the poor.

Alas, the gap between the rich and the poor has gotten wider.

The administration has failed to make a dent on poverty and unemployment.

The growth of tourism which the President boasted about also did not happen. This is pathetic if we consider tourism in other countries.

Foreign Direct Investments here have lagged behind those of other countries in the region because of the President’s intransigence in having the restrictive economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution amended.

Change under President Aquino? That’s a lot of BS. *** Senator Grace Poe will surely run as an independent, with or without President Aquino’s endorsement, according to political observers. Senator Francis Escudero will be her running mate.

Poe obviously thinks she is the people’s choice because she topped the most recent Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia surveys.

WHO WILL IT BE? IF you were President Aquino, what would you do? Endorse an apparently sure winner in Senator Grace Poe or stick to your ever-loyal supporter who has stood by your side and sacrificed for you in Secretary Mar Roxas, even if he is not doing very well in the surveys?

It is not an enviable position to be in and the President is clearly between a rock and a hard place.

From all indications, the choice on who will run for president to represent the administration will be announced by the President himself during his last State of the Nation Address on Monday. That leaves him a few more days to make a crucial political decision. The suspense is pulsating. It is putting his political coalition on edge.

The Liberal Party, for one, is agonizing because there is no unanimity on whom to support. Although the majority of the party appears to be loyal to Secretary Roxas, there is a pragmatic segment advocating for the selection of Senator Poe. How to navigate through this political traffic will show the stuff that President Aquino is made of.

For the President, his stated wish is to endorse someone who can continue his so-called reform program.

This would have been a no-brainer if Secretary Roxas is up there in the surveys – but he is not. He is in the middle of the pack. Senator Grace Poe who emerged from the Mamasapano hearings as a new political darling and the new front runner is now clearly affecting the unity of the administration’s coalition. Even in the Liberal Party, there is a split.

House Speaker Sonny Belmonte has openly said that Senator Poe is unstoppable; this riled the Roxas loyalists in the Party. Senate President Frank Drilon has not been heard lately as to his preference although he stated a few months back that there is only one candidate from the Liberal Party for president and that is Roxas. Whether that is still the case is not known because This makes the President settle with Interior Secretary Mar Roxas as the administration’s bet for 2016.

The best description of the President’s position after he failed to convince Grace to run as Mar’s running mate is The Standard headline yesterday: Mar has become the President’s “face-saver.”

But, can Mar win against Vice President Jojo Binay and Grace Poe? No way.

Knowing this, President Aquino is now in a quandary. Nobody, not even Poe, can protect him when he steps down from power.

With Grace Poe running for President, it’ll now be a “mano-mano” with Vice President Binay-between somebody perceived to be honest and with integrity but totally inexperienced, and somebody facing corruption

DUTY CALLS FLORENCIO FIANZA he has not made any clarifications recently.

The reason for supporting a candidate is not the same for all the major actors in the administration.

For Senator Drilon and Speaker Belmonte, they naturally are thinking of what would happen to them if the candidate they support would lose. There is, after all, life after President Aquino bows out of office. Senator Drilon would like to continue to be Senate President and Speaker Belmonte would also like to finish his nine-year congressional term as Speaker. Their personal relationships with Secretary Roxas are therefore secondary to their political health.

This is not however, the same with the President. He and Secretary Roxas are friends. The good secretary gave up his presidential ambitions and has always been there for him. This is something the President cannot simply ignore no matter how high the ratings of Senator Poe. There is such a thing as loyalty after all.

But President Aquino has some personal considerations to ponder also. He will have to think of the lawsuits that will surely be filed against him and other high ranking officials in his government if the opposition wins in the 2016 elections. This is undoubtedly a powerful consideration in his choice of a candidate.

Although there have already been many pronouncements by people claiming to be in the know as to who will be endorsed, we really do not know what is going on in the mind of the President right now. My best guess is that his heart is for his friend and wants to find a way to endorse him. Trouble is, he has to find a way

charges, but with competence and experience.

I’m not making any judgments here. I believe that any man like the Vice President is presumed innocent until he is found guilty as charged. But, I must say that having an inexperienced President is a dangerous thing. The presidency is not a matter of popularity. Competence and experience are primordial.

It’s too much, too soon, too early, for her. As Senator Serge Osmena said, Grace must become first a Vice President. And then, in 2022, she will be ready for the presidency.

Santa Banana, Grace seems to think that her popularity is her sole ticket to the presidency! *** A congressional inquiry is in order with the expose

to convince those powerful doubting Thomases in his coalition who are routing for Senator Poe. This kind of position shows a fundamental flaw and weakness in the political philosophy of the coalition. It is not built on the strength of political principles but on expediency. It shows a coalition that really has no backbone. If the Liberal Party for instance really believes in the integrity, qualification and leadership of Secretary Roxas, the party as a whole should work hard to strengthen the position of their prospective leader and not leave it all to him to do the work. It has to be a party and not an individual effort.

Choosing a candidate based only on the strength of surveys is also not a sure thing because surveys are sometimes fickle. Surveys are also not always accurate as shown in the last British and Israeli elections. Besides, in the case of Senator Grace Poe, she and her supporters are pressing ahead as if there is no problem about her citizenship and residency. It may very well be that she is fully qualified to run but as it currently stands, the situation has not been clarified to the satisfaction of all. This could still potentially derail her political ambitions.

As things are shaping up however, the number of candidates hangs on who President Aquino will eventually endorse.

If the President endorses Secretary Mar Roxas, there will be no problem in Senators Poe and Escudero running as independents. If Senator Poe gets the endorsement, that leaves Secretary Roxas hanging – unless he still runs regardless of whether he gets the endorsement or not, as many of his party leaders are urging him to do.

Vice President Binay will then lead the opposition while Mayor Duterte will be the fourth candidate.

There may be others, but we will know all these this October. Meanwhile, the plot thickens.

of former Senator and “Rehabilitation Czar” Panfilo Lacson that there are no less than P424 billion in lump sums and discretionary funds allocated to all major line agencies in the P2.6 trillion national budget for 2015.

Coming as it does from somebody like Lacson, who never took advantage of the pork barrel system during his many years in the Senate, the information is believable. That’s the reason why there’s a need for a congressional investigation. The President is ready to submit to Congress the P3.1 trillion national budget for 2016.

Congress should take a second look at the 2015 national budget as called for by House Independent Minority block leader Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

I also see the need for the matter to be elevated to the Supreme Court, considering the fact the looting of public funds through the PDAF or Priority Development Assistance Fund and that mongrel called the DAP or Disbursement Acceleration Program of President Aquino has already been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. My gulay, the President has become a recidivist! *** My inside information at the Anti-Money Laundering Council is that it has been directed to look into the bank deposits, especially dollar accounts, of critics and political enemies of the administration.

When I ask if that included the many Aquino critics in opinion pages of newspapers, my source kept silent.

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

The endorsement..

MINORITY REPORT

From A9

HUNGER AND ITS CHILDREN

DANILO SUAREZ THE Office of the Presidential Spokesperson cited a hunger incidence survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations which found that the proportion of families experiencing involuntary hunger has dropped from 17.2 percent in December 2014 to 13.5 percent in March 2015. It was concluded that this 3.7-point drop translates to an estimated 800,000 families no longer experiencing involuntary hunger.

The 13.5-percent total hunger in March 2015 is the sum of 11.1 percent (estimated at 2.5 million families) who experienced moderate hunger and 2.4 percent (estimated at 522,000 families) who experienced severe hunger. Curiously, the selfrated hunger in Metro Manila in the second quarter was way higher than those in the rest of Luzon (10.7 percent), Visayas (11.7 percent), and Mindanao (14.3 percent). Secretary Edwin Lacierda noted that the improving hunger rate is a result of the government’s vari-

ous programs which includes the highly-budgeted Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

All of these statistics are well and good, considering that they are being touted by the primary government mouthpiece.

Note, however, the following statistics and information from other government agencies, notably the Department of Agriculture, to paint the whole picture: 1.) Just recently, the National Food Authority said it has invited Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand to bid for the contract to supply us an additional 250 metric tons of rice this year. This is on top of the earlier 500 metric tons of rice that the government approved this year. 2.) As of May 05 this year, total value of production losses of crops caused

by El Nino was reportedly at P1.65 billion. 3.) El Nino has already affected 24,662 hectares of rice, with a total estimated value at P1.035 billion.

Add to this the damage to the corn sector (P605 million)

and those for high-value crops (P14.5 million). 4.) The fisheries sector will also add to the above conundrum. According to a fisheries situationer from January-March 2015 from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, the decrease in total value of fisheries production at 2.57 percent continued until the first quarter of 2015. Among the major species, milkfish, tilapia, roundscad, skipjack, and seaweed recorded production losses this quarter with 0.07 percent, 2.80 percent, 19.45 percent, 7.03 percent, and 0.20 percent negative growths, respectively.

Considering that majority of the Filipinos have a diet which consist mostly of grains and fish, I cannot reconcile the numbers of which are variously being cited by our government agencies. If production of our staple food is going down, how is it that the number of the hungry is also going down?

What is the ordinary Juan dela Cruz eating nowadays to sat-

isfy his hunger?

Perhaps the numbers would prove true the allegations of TUCP-Nagkaisa when it downplayed the results of the SWS survey. The labor group said that the poor, especially in urban areas, are being satiated by “Pagpag”, which are leftover food from restaurants that are scavenged from garbage dumps.

It is said that necessity is the mother of all inventions. It is frightening to fathom what further offspring the further deterioration of our food security will produce. This is something to ponder upon this coming 2016, if we, as a nation, would still allow this incompetent administration under the guise of a fraudulent tuwid na daan, to continue.

The true.. From A9

single most murderous attack against journalists in the world.

Under PNoy, the killings went unabated. He has utterly failed to investigate, prosecute and punish the perpetrators of these killings. Karapatan claims that there have been 262 cases of extralegal killings in the country under PNoy. Meanwhile, there has only been one conviction for these killings, the case of the hired gun man in the killing of environmentalist and broadcaster Gerry Ortega, who confessed to the killing. In any case, Justice Secretary Leila De Lima admitted in a UN Meeting in Strasberg that the conviction rate for extralegal killings in the country remains at a pathetic 1 percent.

Aquino reneged on his promise to accord justice to the victims of the notorious Maguindanao massacre. To date, the quest for

justice against the patriarch of the Ampatuan clan has been mooted with the recent death of Andal Ampatuan Sr. Meanwhile, no less than 90 of the 197 accused remain at large, while the trial is still at the bail proceedings. It took the Supreme Court to order the implementation of our suggested “First in- first out” policy, which would enable the trial judge to render partial promulgation of judgment against some of the accused, to provide hope that some of the accused, but definitely not all, could be held liable for the massacre. This too appears to be speculative given that De Lima and her classmate representing some of the victims have objected to a partial offer of evidence by the public prosecutors.

Meanwhile, PNoy has also reneged on his promise to repeal EO 546 that gave legitimacy to

the private armies of political warlords, including the Ampatuans. Immediately after his election, he made a complete turn-around on this promise and justified the use of these private armies as “force multipliers” in the fight against insurgents.

So what is the true state of the nation as far as “daang matuwid”, extra-legal killings and human rights are concerned? Well, the state is dismal with the corruption and killings becoming even more rampant under PNoy. Why? Simple. For as long as the corrupt and the killers are jailed, and fear brought back into their hearts, the culture of impunity remains. The corruption and the killings will continue.

Meanwhile, we can only pray that we will not become the next victims. This, sadly, is the true state of the nation.

Education and Skills Development Authority chief Joel Villanueva and Former Customs chief Ruffy Biazon, both implicated in the PDAF scam. There is DBM Secretary Butch Abad who remains among the most trusted

by PNoy despite the Supreme Court’s rulings invalidating both PDAF and DAP, both of which were implemented by Abad.

Former Senator Panfilo Lacson recently claimed that Abad had resurrected both anomalies through the so-called unified accounts codified system.

Then there was his promise to protect and promote human rights, in general, and specifically, to pursue justice for the victims of the notorious Maguindanao massacre that claimed 58 lives. This was dubbed as the

A11

#FAILOCRACY

POP GOES THE WORLD JENNY ORTUOSTE Ms. Ortuoste’s column will resume next week.

In terms of road, railroad, air and sea infrastructure and power supply, the Philippines ranks lowest among the Asean 5, Diokno said. This is why, all other things being equal, foreign investors would rather go to Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand than to the Philippines, he explained.

The Aquino administration will not like to hear this, but Diokno blames the poor performance of the Philippines economy on government underspending, which he traces to the “epic incompetence” of the current President’s budget and finance officials. “The total underspending from 2011 to 2014 was a mindboggling P529 billion,” he said. “The Secretary of Finance sees underspending as a virtue; I see it as epic incompetence.”

What’s the opportunity cost of half a trillion in underspending? “Think of the number of decent jobs that should have been created and the millions of individuals that should have been extricated from the poverty trap, had the government spent according to what Congress has authorized the Executive Department to spend,” Diokno said.

“Imagine the roads, bridges, irrigation systems, airports and seaports and other infrastructures that could have been completed had the government spent the half trillion pesos. And imagine the positive long-term impact of more and better infrastructure on the economy,” he added.

It’s a no-brainer to assume that Diokno was never consulted in the drafting of the President’s last State of the Nation Address that will be delivered on Monday.

But it doesn’t make anything of what he said any less true.

CHONG ARDIVILLA

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Bolt: I’ve cut back on a lot of things PARIS—Jamaican track star Usain Bolt has admitted to sacrificing fast food in a bid to extend his stellar sprinting career.

New Clippers. The Los Angeles Clippers introduce their free agent signings, led by Paul Pierce, during a press conference at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. AFP

NBA, GE Healthcare ink pact NEW YORK, NY and WAUKESHA– The National Basketball Association and GE Healthcare announced a collaboration to promote orthopedic and sports medicine research benefitting the health and wellness of NBA players as well as athletes of all levels across the general population.

The multi-year alliance will focus on joint health and acute and overuse musculoskeletal injuries – challenges faced by NBA players and the general population alike.

“NBA players are among the best athletes in the world, and their well-being is the league’s highest priority,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “Our support for medical research through our partnership with GE Healthcare will help us improve the longterm health and wellness of NBA players. We are also excited that this research collaboration will provide important insights to athletes at all levels.”

Serving to advance the prevention, diagnosis and

treatment of musculoskeletal conditions among NBA players, the effort aims to promote health and wellness, reduce injuries, lengthen careers and improve postcareer health for NBA players. GE and the NBA will also collaborate with additional partners, including NBA partners adidas, Kaiser Permanente, Nike and Under Armour, to advance the research efforts.

“Musculoskeletal injuries extend beyond the basketball court and negatively impact sports enthusiasts and everyday athletes around the world,” said GE Healthcare President & CEO, John Flannery. “By combining GE’s know-how in healthcare imaging technology and the NBA’s interest in promoting player health and safety, we are working to help prevent the most common sports injuries and improve treatment.”

This unique collaboration will be guided by a strategic advisory board made up of physicians and clinical researchers representing institutions across the U.S. who

have demonstrated excellence in orthopedics, sports medicine, radiology, and related disciplines.

Dr. John DiFiori, the NBA Director of Sports Medicine and a past President of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, will serve as the Chair of the board. Additionally, Dr. DiFiori will be joined on the board by team physicians from five NBA clubs.

The NBA and GE will also provide funding for clinical researchers working to study diagnostic and preventative techniques to identify risks for the development of orthopedic conditions. This research will contribute to a deeper understanding of overuse injuries and the resulting impact on athletes’ health and missed playing time. The findings from this research will support the work of NBA team physicians and medical staffs as they continue to provide world class medical care in the treatment of NBA players. The NBA and GE plan to elicit research proposals later this year.

In an interview with the IAAF Inside Athletics programme released on Tuesday, Bolt said curbing off-track activities as the years rolled by had been easy compared to having to watch his diet.

“I’ve cut back on a lot of things,” said the 28-yearold six-time Olympic gold medallist who had a growing reputation in his younger years for liking the nightlife and, famously, eating chicken nuggets.

“When I really realized I was getting older was last season when I got injured.

“Trying to get back was much harder than the years when I was younger.

Now it takes time for me to get going and I need a lot more races.

“I’ve noticed that I have to be very careful and I just have to be aware of everything around me and make sure I’m on point.

“I’ve started eating healthy. That’s the hardest thing for me right now is the sacrifices, eating vegetables all the time.

“Everything else is easy to give up, but eating healthy is really hard!”

Bolt, who has been struggling with a pelvic injury but is slated to compete at the Diamond

League meet in London on Friday, made no mention in the programme about next month’s world championships in Beijing.

But he did talk about what will be his third Olympic Games, in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, insisting he felt no pressure from the weight of expectation of a public who have seen him win an unprecedented double-treble gold haul.

“I want the best for myself,” said Bolt, who has also won eight world gold medals. “That’s the way I look at it to try not to feel pressure.

“I focus on what’s necessary and what I want out of it and work towards that.”

Training under coach Glen Mills’ watchful eye alongside co-stars like fellow sprinter Yohan Blake was nothing but helpful, Bolt acknowledged.

“It definitely really helps to compete and train with these guys every day. You know you have to step up your level,” he said, adding that Mills had sometimes to step in and split up the group if it became too competitive.

“You learn not to compete too hard in training. But we’re men, so we compete.” AFP

Venus comes crashing back to earth ISTANBUL—Top seed Venus Williams’s bid to win the WTA Istanbul Cup ended at the first hurdle on Tuesday as the American icon lost 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) to Ukrainian qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko.

Williams, ranked 14 in the world, is no stranger to being upset by Bondarenko—the 28-year-old Ukrainian having beaten her when the American was third in the world in Toronto in 2009.

Bondarenko—who retired from the circuit

at the end of 2012 before returning two years later—looked to be cruising at 6-4, 5-2 before 35-year-old Williams rediscovered her touch and fighting spirit and battled back to even serve for the set.

However, Bondarenko—a highest ranked 29 in 2009—woke up from her mini slump and won 11 of the last 15 points to take the match.

“I gave my best efforts today,” Williams said after the match. AFP

Singapore jails Indonesian for game-fixing SINGAPORE—An Indonesian man was jailed for 30 months Tuesday in Singapore for conspiring to fix a football match during the recent Southeast Asian Games in the city-state.

Nasiruddin conspired with two other persons to bribe the technical director of East Timor’s football team, Orlando Marques Henriques Mendes, to lose a match against Malaysia,

Singapore’s Corrupt Practices and Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said.

The Indonesian had offered Sg$15,000 ($11,000) to the East Timor soccer official, the CPIB said in a statement.

Nasiruddin also conspired to bribe members of the East Timor team “as an inducement to lose the same match”, according to the statement.

East Timor’s under-23 team

at the Games lost their May 30 opening match 1-0 to Malaysia, who played most of the game with 10 men after the dismissal of playmaker Nazmi Faiz Mansor.

Singapore has been hit by previous fixing scandals including in April 2013, when a local businessman provided prostitutes for visiting referees to influence an Asian Football Confederation Cup game. AFP

Ceremonial pitch.

pitch before a game between the Minnesota Twins and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, California. AFP

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Tour rivals back Froome over doping suspicions

National kickfest. Raven Allysen Pablo of Flore de Carmelo School (right) executes a roundhouse kick against Fay

Alvarez of DGS Gymnasium in a recent tournament. Pablo and Alvarez are among the thousands vying in the 39th SMART/MVP Sports Foundation National Championships on July 25 and 26 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

SISTERON, France—Underfire Tour de France leader Chris Froome is “clean” say his rivals who added the media witch-hunt against him is a “lynching”.

Froome, 30, has had to put up with speculation about his performances from certain sections of the media after producing a dominant victory on stage 10 a week ago.

Sky responded on Tuesday’s rest day by publishing some power data from Froome on the final stage 10 climb to La Pierre-Saint Martin in the hope of proving there was nothing unusual in it.

Nairo Quintana, who sits second behind Froome in the overall standings, says the rivalry between Britain and France may be affecting certain people’s judgement.

“There are always good and bad comments, there are always fanatics in one way or another, rivalries between

countries, for that reason you get certain comments,” said the 25-year-old Colombian.

“For me, there’s been a little bit of lack of respect for the sportsmen and if anyone should judge, it’s the testers.”

Tejay Van Garderen, third overall at 3min 32sec, insisted Froome is clean and is paying for other people’s legacy.

“I think it’s pretty unfair for him, he’s definitely dealing with the aftermath of what other people have done before him,” said Van Garderen, 26, referring to the sordid past of drug cheats like Lance Armstrong.

“I think he’s a talented rider who definitely pays close attention to detail.”

Van Garderen finished 10th on the 10th stage, 2min 30sec behind Froome, but unlike those who’ve cried foul over the Briton’s performance, the American did not find it remarkable. AFP

16 seek national bowling crowns SIXTEEN bowlers – eight men and eight ladies – shoot today for the World Cup national titles and the right to represent the Philippines in the 51st BWC international finals on November 1320, this year at Sam’s Town in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Led by youthful campaigners Kenneth Chua and Krizziah Tabora, the remaining aspirants from a field of 120 The remaining contenders out of 120 male and female national finalists carry their scores as they bowl at SM North

EDSA’s center a one roundrobin format and positioning on the eighth game with the winners getting 30 points and 15 each for a tie to determine the top three who will advance to the semifinal and final matches.

Chua, Asian Youth Masters champion in Egypt in 2012, finished with 5495 pinfalls after 24 games to emerge No. 1 among the eight men’s contenders.

Former FIQ world titlist Biboy Rivera checked in No. 2 with 5436 after shooting two 300 and one 299 games last Monday at Superbowl, followed by Nicco Olaivar with (5086), Kevin Cu (5075), Enzo Hernandez (4998), Benshir Layoso (4994), Carl Matthew Lim (4959) and sixtime world champion Paeng

Nepomuceno (4913).

Tabora, the country’s entry in the 2012 BWC international finals in Wroclaw, Poland together with RJ Bautista, paced seven others who are still in the hunt for the ladies’ crown with a 20-game series of 4201 pins.

Alexis Sy came in second with 4169, followed by Liza Clutario (4113), Lara Posadas (4017), Liza del Rosario (3962), Anne Marie Kiac (3883), Myrna Bautista (3631) and Abbie Gan (3605).

Chua, who led Layoso by 237 pins after the first day of competition at Paeng’s Midtown Bowl, kept his edge after last Monday’s second 12game series by shooting 279, 248, 244, 239, 235, 228, 225 and 224 games.

Rivera sizzled with two 300s

in the 18th and 21st games and a 299 in the 24th game. He also posted scores of 259, 257, 253, 247, 245 and 224.

Nepomuceno started well with 243, but he cooled off after that and managed to score only six other 200s – 245, 226, 212, 212, 205 and 204.

Tabora held off Sy by producing big games of 280, 249, 248, 234, 223, 222 and 201.

Sy also had big games of 264, 258, 244, 243, 233, 226, 224, 219 and 200.

The national champions will receive a trophy each and the round-trip ticket to Las Vegas, Nevada, the first runnersup will get trophies and P10,000 (men) and P7,500 gift checks (ladies) and the third-placers will be given trophies and P5,000 and P3,500 gift certificates.

4 PH bets vying in London bikefest A LOCAL four-man relay bike team composed of employees of Pru Life UK Philippines, will be joining the world’s biggest bike race festival set Aug. 1 and 2 in London, with the team entered in the 400-kilometer peloton relay part of the Prudential Ride LondonSurrey 100 scheduled on the second day of the weekend event.

The team is composed of Joy Cagurangan, VP for Investment marketing, Information Risk manager Pedro Guzman and staff Paul Andrada and Joseph Michael Palisoc. Cagurangan, a three-time full Ironman

finisher, will ride the first leg, a 160K distance, to be followed by Palisoc, who will bike 120 kilometers.

Andrada takes the third leg that will cover 80 kilometers, while Guzman finishes with the 40K final leg.

“We would like to match the record last year of our CEO Antonio de Rosas, who was the one who pushed for the team’s participation this year,” said Cagurangan.

Pru Life Chief Marketing Officer Belle Tiongo said sending the team was the company’s way of encouraging its staff to lead active and healthy lifestyles.

Prudential Life UK-Philippines is sending a four-man relay team, composed of VP for Investment Marketing Joy Cagurangan, Information Risk Manager Pedro Guzman, Actuarial Analyst Joseph Michael Palisoc and Payments Specialist Paul Andrada to the 400K peloton relay event of the 2015 Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 event on Aug. 2. The two-day event is the world’s biggest in terms of participants with around 95,000 joining the combined fun and competitive races, including some of the world’s top elite cyclists.

The team is a mix of veteran cyclists, who have competed in major races, including the Ironman events here and abroad. Photo shows the team

Humbled PSL beach volley favorites vow to come back WITH the heavyweights struggling early, the PLDT Home UlteraPhilippine Superliga Beach Volleyball Challenge Cup 2015 powered by Smart Live More promises to be an explosive affair when it enters its second day of competition this weekend at the Sands By the Bay in SM Mall of Asia.

Pre-tournament favorites Michelle Laborte and Cha Cruz of Cignal HD Spikers A tumbled when they suffered a straight-set loss to the hungrier, more aggressive tandem of Danica Gendrauli and Norie Diaz of Gilligan’s in the featured battle that was aired live over TV5, with Accel as official outfitter, Sands By the Bay as venue partner and Maynilad as official water provider.

Moments later, the lovely duo of Alexa Micek and Fille Cayetano of Sprint 4T fell to a more prepared team of Bea Tan and Pau Soriano of Foton Hurricane, while crowd darlings Charo Soriano and Gretchen Ho of Petron XCS also sustained a straight-set humiliation from April Ross Hingpit and Wensh Tiu of Cignal HD Spikers B. A bronze medalist in the 23rd Southeast Asian Games in Manila, Laborte is heavily tipped to dominate the field after being partnered with another skilled spiker in Cruz. But things didn’t go according to plan as Gendrauli--a beach volleyball sensation for Southwestern University in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) -and Diaz had a strong start and an even stronger finish that left Laborte and Cruz struggling for form.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

‘Pacman must leave with dignity’

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

WITH questions being raised as to how serious eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao’s rotator cuff tear for which he underwent surgery last May 7 in Los Angeles, the uncle of Floyd Mayweather Jr. said the Filipino champ must return to the ring “even if it’s just to leave the sport with dignity.”

Appearing on the popular radio show “On the Ropes” with Jenna Jay, Jeff Mayweather said he didn’t believe that Pacquiao had a serious injury and was only making excuses.

Jeff Mayweather said he was sure that Pacquiao would fight again, “because he feels he has something to prove to his fans.

The one thing he was supposed to prove to his fans, he disappointed them.”

Mayweather suggested: “He’s got to come back even if its just to leave the sport with dignity.”

Floyd Mayweather Jr. beat Pacqui-

ao in the “Fight of the Century” in Las Vegas last May 2.

Meantime, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is not taking any chances in his return to the ring, seeking a 49th victory to tie the record of heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano at 49-0 on Sept.

12 in a fight against former world champion Andre Berto.

Despite universal assessment that it would be a comparatively easy fight for Mayweather, the undefeated pound-for-pound king is back in the gym and training hard.

Injured La Salle center won’t play final year

La Salle wins. Arellano University skipper Lawrence Del Espiritu fires away a kill against La Salle’s Ralph Calasin and Geuel Asia during their Spikers’ Turf encounter at The Arena. La Salle outlasted Arellano University in the last two sets and completed a 25-17, 25-22, 25-21 victory.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES) CITY OF BCOLOD………………..)s.s.

AFFIDAVIT OF LOSS I, ELENITA P. AZCONA, of legal age, Filipino citizen, widow, and with residence address at Sunnyville Subdivision, Mandalagan, Bacolod City, Philippines, do hereby deposed and declare that: 1. I am the Vice-President and Treasurer of G.V. & SONS, INC., a corporation duly organized Occidental.

2. G.V. & Sons, Inc. is the registered stockholder of the shares of stock covered by the following Issuer

No. of Shares

RFM Corporation

Total No. of Shares

15,095

whichever is higher, in addition to actual damages and attorney’sfees that the Corporation and/or Issuer, and successors-in-interest, may suffer as a result of this request.

Corporation and/or the Issuer thereof and surrender the same to the latter. th

Philippines.

ELENITA P. AZCONA of G.V. & Sons, Inc th

evidence of her identity.

ELIAS A. GATANELA, JR.

Book No. XVI

In his Instagram account, Van Opstal said he’s worried that his Achilles heel injury may not heal in time for the coming season.

“It pains me to announce that after four of the best years of my life, my career in La Salle is coming to an end. For

those of you who are asking why, I am sitting out for the season for the benefit of my basketball career, as I have been suffering from an ongoing Achilles injury, which has never had the time to fully heal,” wrote Van Opstal. Peter Atencio

Iglesia ni Cristo caps 100th Aussie... year with Unity Games From A16

AS its centennial year closes and its 101st anniversary dawns this July 27, the Iglesia Ni Cristo will stage the first international championships of its multi-sports federation, known as “Unity Games” as one of the highlights of its anniversary commemoration.

Around 2,000 athletes representing INC membership from 17 countries worldwide will compete in 12 sports events, namely basketball, volleyball, football, baseball, swimming, tennis, table tennis, badminton, bowling, chess, taekwondo, andtrack and field.

Aside from the Philippine teams, sports teams from USA, Canada, Italy, Germany, Africa, Australia, Japan, China, and other countries will be taking part in this brotherly sports

G.V. & Sons, Inc. hereby agree to indemnify and hold the Issuer and in-interest, fee and harmless from any and all losses, claims, suits, liabilities and/or damages that the latter may incur as a result of or arising from my request for the replacement and/or actual replacement of

BECAUSE of an injury, La Salle’s top center Arnold Van Opstal said he won’t play his final year for the Green Archers in Season 78 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament, which kicks off in September.

Thai sets pace.

Chamchoi Saraporn reacts after sinking a par-saving putt on No. 3 at the start of the ICTSI Luisita Ladies Challenge yesterday.

Saraporn closed out with a 37 for a 72 and a two-stroke lead over Sarah Ababa.

competition for INC members.

From July 25 to 26, the Unity Games International will take place in at least 10 venues scattered throughout Metro Manila, Rizal, and Bulacan, with some of the event finals at the Philippine Stadium and the Philippine Arena in Ciudad de Victoria in Bulacan.

Launched in 2011, the INC Unity Games was conceived by INC Executive Minister, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, “to nurture the love of the brethren for one another and further solidify their unity” through sports.

Under the supervision of the Christian Family Organizations Committee led by Brother Angelo V. Manalo, the Unity Games has grown to become one of the biggest multisport leagues in the country.

But he vowed to get back on his board again.

“Surfing has given myself and my family so much. It’s gotten me through the hardest times in my life,” he said.

“So to turn my back on surfing, it just wouldn’t feel right.”

He is even prepared to get back in the waves at Jeffreys Bay. “For sure,” he said, when asked if he would compete there again next year.

Social media went into a frenzy over the dramatic close call, with a YouTube clip of the attack being viewed almost 13.5 million views.

Even Hollywood star Russell Crowe commented on Twitter. “My heart was racing just watching,” Crowe posted.

‘Warrior’ mate Fanning used social media to pay tribute to Wilson, who paddled towards him in actions that have earned an Australian state government nomination for a bravery award.

“This man came to my aid like a warrior!!,” Fanning said of Wilson in an Instagram post before arriving back in Australia.

Despite the attention, Wilson played down his heroics, calling Fanning “a great role model”.

“As soon as I realized the danger and what was going on, I couldn’t get there quick enough,” he said in Sydney, adding that Fanning confronting the shark spurred him on.

“It could be the thing that gave me the courage to just head for him. You know, to see that he just turned on something that was so much bigger than him.” AFP

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

LOTTO RESULTS

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

Exciting deals encountered by Alejandro-Giguere Tandem

SONNY ESPIRITU

Ang: Ginebra fans wanted Tim Cone

By Jeric Lopez

IT WAS the Ginebra fans who clamored for Tim Cone’s transfer to the Gin Kings.

This was bared by San Miguel Corporation big boss Ramon Ang during the San Miguel Beer's victory party Tuesday night, when asked about the details of the coaching shift that had Cone going over at the Ginebra camp to try to turn the team's fortunes around in the Philippine Basketball Association.

Ang said he only responsed to the cries of Barangay Ginebra

fans to put Cone at the helm of the Gin Kings.

“I think we just gave in to the request of the fans,” said Ang. “They (fans) wanted na siya naman ang mag-coach sa team so we gave in to that.” he said.

The SMC boss said the ball is now in Cone's hands to turn Barangay Ginebra into a force to be reckon with and finally end the seven-year title drought for

Exec pleads to AFP: Please release boxers

By Randy Caluag THE Association of Boxing of Alliances of the Philippines yesterday made an urgent plea to the Armed Forces of the Philippines to release the national boxers who will be tasked to carry the flag in the World qualifying tournament.

“We are not requesting. We are not demanding. We are making an appeal to the AFP to please help us in this urgent situation,” said ABAP executive director Ed Picson on Tuesday during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Shakey’s in Malate.

Time is running out for ABAP to form a well-prepared, competitive team to the Asian Boxing Confederation elite men’s championship slated next month in Bangkok.

Until now, ABAP cannot hold a selection process because most of the boxers and coaches in the

national pool are members of the AFP and have been recently recalled back to their barracks by their mother units.

“We’re way behind schedule.

Gahol na gahol na sa oras (Time is running out). I hope they give us due consideration. We cannot blame the military. We understand the protocol that’s why we are appealing,” said Picson.

“It takes more than a month to prepare for such tournament.

This is as urgent as it can get.

We’re hoping they could see it in the manner that we do,” he said. “These boxers, just a few of the 118 military athletes in the national pool, need the detailed service (permits) from the AFP. Without this, they cannot leave their barracks.”

There are eight boxers, including gold medalists in the recent Singapore Southeast Asian Games, and eight coaches still waiting for their DS, just over a month before the Asian championships.

the crowd-drawers.

“Nasa kanya (Cone) na iyon kung paano ang gagawin niya sa team. Sana lang mai-gel niya yung team and makapag-produce ng magandang results,” added Ang. Cone, meanwhile, will be replaced at the Star camp by his erstwhile assistant coach, Jason Webb.

With San Miguel Beer already back in its winning tradition having won two championships this past season, Ang is hoping that these changes can improve Ginebra and Star as well, who both had lackluster campaigns

in the recently-concluded season.

“We always hope that all our teams can do well. Walang sigurado sa basketball pero we always hope the best for our teams.” Ang said.

Of the three teams, it's really Ginebra that needs some boosting as San Miguel won two championships in the 40th season while Star won four straight and a Grand Slam in the previous season.

The Gin Kings' last finals appearance was back in the 2013 Commissioner's Cup where they got clobbered by Alaska.

in battle of NCAA leaders Del Rosario also took note of UNIVERSITY of Perpetual Help coach Aric del Rosario said yes- the Altas’ 27 turnovers in their terday that the Altas’ four straight win against the Stags, 84-70, on victories don’t mean much if they Friday last week.

Despite the many numerous, the continue to commit numerous Altas drew enough turnovers.

Games Today big plays from Earl Del Rosario aired (San Juan Arena) Thompson and his sentiment yesterBright Akhuetie, who day, a day before the pooled their efforts to Altas clash against the give Perpetual its best Letran Knights, who start in 11 years. are tied with Perpetual Both players finished with douat the helm with a smilar four-win swing. The two clash in today’s ble-double performances, with main game at 4 p.m in the National Thompson dishing out 21 points Collegiate Athletic Association and 14 rebounds and Akhuetie talbasketball tourney at the San Juan lying 20 points and 23 rebounds.

Akhuetie is currently the Arena. The Knights escaped with a close 82-76 viuctory over the San league’s top scorer with an averSebastian Stags last Tuesday, and age of 24.25 points and is the secthe game against the Altas will de- ond highest rebounder at 16.25. termine which team will remain Letran’s Mark Cruz, on the other hand, is the fifth highest scorer unbeaten.

“Tingnan natin kung paano with 18.25 points per game.

Cruz scored 29 points, includmababawasan ang aming turnovers sa mga susunod na laro,” said ing four timely triples in the del Rosario as he downplayed the fourth period to power the Letran Altas’ chances of getting past the Knights past the San Sebastian Stags, 82-76, last Tuesday.

Knights.

AT THE National Open pairs SYLVIA LOPEZ championship ALEJANDRO we were sitting North-South and our opponents eventually bid slam which Giguere doubled at every turn. This was the deal and auction: Board 6 E Deals North E-W Vul

West

East

South

West

North

East

South

Pass

Pass

Six spades doubled gave us a top.

At the Alejandro Duplicate Game, it was a very exciting auction. West opened the bidding with one diamond, Giguere (my partner sitting North) overcalled one heart, East bid one spade, and to everyone’s amazement including my partner I bid six hearts!

This was the deal:

North

West

East

South

Wes

North

East

Pass

Pass

Pass

South

-oOoOmar Sharif passed away (1932-2015) Omar Sharif died yesterday of a heart attack in a Cairo hospital.

Comments to: sylvia.alejandro@yahoo.com

A16

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RIERA U. MALL ARI EDITOR

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

sports@thestandard.com.ph

SpoRTS

AFP

Aussie vows to surf again after miracle shark escape SYDNEY—Australian surf champion Mick Fanning vowed Tuesday to return to the waves after a “miracle” escape from a shark attack, as he paid tribute to courageous mate Julian Wilson for rushing to help.

The 34-year-old three-time world champion fought off a large shark during the final heat of a world tour event at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa on Sunday, with the dramatic scenes beamed live around the world.

He survived unscathed, with rival and close friend Wilson, also from Australia, furiously paddling towards him to help despite the danger posed by the shark, which experts suggested was either a bull or a great white.

“I guess someone was looking out for me. To walk away from a shark attack with not a scratch on you, it’s a miracle really,” Fanning said after arriving back in Sydney with Wilson, where they were met by a large media scrum.

“You just count your lucky stars and if there is someone up there looking after us —thanks.”

Speculation has been rife that Fanning may call it quits after indicating, in the moments after his terrifying ordeal, that he might not compete again.

Fanning admitted Tuesday he was now dealing with “an emotional mental sort of trauma” that would probably take weeks, if not months, to get over.

Continued to A14

Fil-Am rider Rivera to see action in Tour de France

By Peter Atencio

FIL-AMERICAN rider Coryn Rivera, who is now a member of the the US national team, sprinted to victory on Tuesday at the Internationale Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen.

The 22-year-old Rivera, who will see action on the final day of the Le Tour de France 2015 for the second straight year, emerged victorious from a select group of 11 riders that escaped early in the stage, according to online reports on Velo news.

The Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen, also known as Women’s Tour of Thuringia), is a stage race for women road cycle racers held every July in the

German state of Thuringia.

It is rated a class 2.1 event by the Union Cycliste Internationale.

“The move went 20 km in, and it was a good opportunity to get in a break,” said Rivera, a former criterium national champion in an interview.

Rivera, who once tried to the join the Philippine national team many years ago in 2005, added that it was a long day for her with 11 others, rotating through the lead.

“We do a small loop at the finish so I was able to see what the run-in was like,” said the Tustin, California-based Rivera, whose father is from Tondo and mother from Tuguegarao.

The fifth stage of the race began and ended in Gera, Germany.

Rivera The 118.5-km stage was a big circuit race with a single, small finishing circuit.

According to reports, the stage was straightforward, but the organizers threw in a twist, putting the finish line on a narrow, cobbled street.

The win is supposed to boost

Pacman must leave with dignity

Ang: Ginebra fans wanted Cone

turn to A14

turn to A15

Rivera’s confidence, since she has not won since taking stage 3 of the Joe Martin Stage Race back in April.

She did finish second at the US national road championships behind Megan Guarnier (Boels Dolmans) on a course that did not play to her strengths.

This Sunday, she will go to the Champs-Élysées at La Course by Le Tour de France.

Rivera is tipped to be a podium contender.

In the inaugural edition last year, she finished sixth.

THURSDAY: JULY 23, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

business@thestandardtoday.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

BUSINESS

B1

Aboitiz joins cement business PSe comPoSite index Closing July 22, 2015

8500 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000

7,635.62 7.66

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing JULY 22, 2015 42

P45.240

43

CLOSE

44 45 46

HIGH P45.210 LOW P45.280 AVERAGE P45.247 VOLUME 430.600M

P475.00-P675.00 LPG/11-kg tank P40.55-P46.70 Unleaded Gasoline P27.90-P31.15 Diesel

o

il P PriceS today

services,” AEV said.

No other details were given, including the structure of the joint venture partnership.

AEV said it expected the full implementation and completion of the transaction within the second half of 2015, subject to the conditions under the merger of Holcim and Lafarge and the approval of the global sale of Lafarge assets.

AEV and CHR signed in May an exclusivity agreement to coinvest in the acquisition of the

majority shares of listed Lafarge Republic Inc., the local unit of Lafarge SA, and all the shares in Luzon Continental Land Corp. and Lafarge Services Philippines Inc. The agreement covers Luzonbased (Bulacan, Norzagaray, Teresa and Batangas), and Cebu-based (Danao City) cement manufacturing plants and associated limestone quarries.

The agreement also covers some of the country’s strongest bulk and bagged cement brands and an establish network of leading distribution depots and channelsto-market in Luzon.

CRH, which has operations in 34 countries, is a manufacturer, supplier, and distributor of building materials with headquarters in Dublin, Ireland.

AEV’s move to venture into cement business will complement

the conglomerate’s earlier plans to invest into infrastructure as its fifth leg of core businesses.

The conglomerate earlier expressed plans to bid for the operation and management of LRT Line 2 and the bundled airport project project.

AEV, through Team Trident, is also bidding for the P123-billion operation and maintenance of the Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike project.

AEV on Tuesday obtained Securities and Exchange Commission’s approval to issue as much as P25 billion worth of fixed retail bonds. Proceeds from the bond offering will be used to refinance debt and fund capital infusions in subsidiaries.

AEV currently has investments in power generation, financial services, agribusiness, real estate, money remittance and water distribution.

directing the Transportation and Finance Departments to buy Metro Rail Transit Corp. out of MRT 3, pursuant to the build-leasetransfer agreement.

Abaya said the government was still pursuing the MRT 3 buyout, even after Congress did not approve the P53.9-billion allocation in the 2015 budget for the government’s takeover of MRT. Metro Pacific Investments Corp. earlier proposed a

$524-million expansion of MRT 3, which was lower than the government’s $1.13-billion buyout plan. MPIC’s proposal is still pending before the Transportation Department.

Metro Pacific signed a cooperation agreement in 2011 with various groups holding rights and interests in MRT 3, including MRTC, Metro Rail Transit Holdings Inc., Metro Rail Transit 2 Inc. and Monumento Rail Transit

Corp., giving the Pangilinan-led company an option to acquire 48 percent.

Metro Pacific has yet to exercise the option.

MRT 3, which runs along Edsa from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City, serves 500,000 passengers a day, beyond its rated capacity of 350,000 passengers.

The line has a fleet of 73 Czechmade air-conditioned rail cars.

By Jenniffer B. Austria

CONGLOMERATE Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. said Wednesday it will invest P24 billion in its foray into the cement business, after signing an investment agreement with Irish cement maker CRH Plc. to buy the Philippine assets of Lafarge SA. AEV said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it had formalized the investment agreement with CRH, after initially entering into an exclusivity and non-binding memorandum of understanding on May 15, 2015.

“The agreement will be by way of an agreed investment in holding companies for the purpose of the acquisition of the various Philippine assets and businesses of Lafarge S.A., including the cement production and other cement related businesses and

P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene P23.70-P24.40 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday, July 22, 2015

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

45.2820

Japan

Yen

0.008070

0.3654

UK

Pound

1.556000

70.4588

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129022

5.8424

Switzerland

Franc

1.043623

47.2573

Canada

Dollar

0.772738

34.9911

Singapore

Dollar

0.733514

Australia

Dollar

0.743108

33.6494

Bahrain

Dinar

2.657666

120.3444

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266660

33.2150

12.0749

Brunei

Dollar

0.730834

33.0936

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.029004

1.3134

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

12.3297

Euro

Euro

1.094600

49.5657

Korea

Won

0.000871

0.0394

China

Yuan

0.161041

7.2923

India

Rupee

0.015735

0.7125

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.262695

11.8954

New Zealand

Dollar

0.662910

30.0179

Taiwan

Dollar

0.032100

1.4536

Clark solar farm.

Source: PDS Bridge

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Transportation and Finance Departments are set to meet next week to finalize the plan to buy out the private sector’s interest in Metro Rail Transit Line 3.

“The meeting is about the apprehension of the DBP [Development Bank of the Philippines] and LBP [Land Bank of the Philippines] because they might take

a hit. They might take a loss in the execution of the buyout,” Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya told reporters Wednesday.

“We have to address their concerns,” he said.

State-run LBP and DBP hold a combined 80-percent economic interest in MRT 3, while the remaining stake is held by creditors of MRTC. President Aquino issued Executive Order No. 126 in 2013,

THURSDAY: JULY23, 2015

B2

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

THE STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW Wednesday, July 22, 2015

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low 7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 4.2 4 17 30.45 2.6 890 1.01 100 30.5 75 91.5 361.2 57 180 124 3.26 47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 89 20.6 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 2.89 17 31.8 109 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 12.5 4 33.9 90 13.26 293 5.25 12.98 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.86 7.34 238 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 1.3 2.17 0.59 59.2 30.05 7.39 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 3.35 4.92 0.66 1455 7.5 76 9.25 0.85 17.3 0.71 5.53 6.55 0.0670 1.61 84.9 3.5 974 1.66 1.39 390 156 0.710 0.435 0.510 10.5 26.95 1.99 1.75 41.4 5.6

STOCKS

Close

High

Low

FINANCIAL 2.5 AG Finance 4.9 5 4.8 66 Asia United Bank 73.3 73.3 73 88.05 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 105.00 105.10 104.40 88.1 Bank of PI 94.50 94.50 93.75 45.45 China Bank 45.65 45.5 45.5 1.97 BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. 2.53 2.53 2.50 1.68 Bright Kindle Resources 1.57 1.58 1.50 8.7 Citystate Savings 10.1 10.08 10.08 12.02 COL Financial 16.16 16.18 16 19.6 Eastwest Bank 20.6 20.8 20.4 1.02 I-Remit Inc. 1.80 1.80 1.80 625 Manulife Fin. Corp.

815.00 815.00 790.00 0.225 MEDCO Holdings 0.415 0.425 0.425 78 Metrobank 91.5 92.1 90.5 17.8 PB Bank 18.40 19.10 18.40 58 Phil Bank of Comm 27.95 26.95 25.60 62 Phil. National Bank 63.45 63.95 63.45 276 PSE Inc. 307.2 307.2 307 41 RCBC `A’ 38.4 38.65 38.4 118.2 Security Bank 152.4 152.7 151 59 Union Bank 60.00 60.00 59.90 2.65 Vantage Equities 3.21 3.21 3.21 INDUSTRIAL 35.9 Aboitiz Power Corp.

44.5 44.75 44 1.11 Agrinurture Inc. 1.31 1.44 1.44 1.01 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 1.04 1.04 1.04 1.86 Alsons Cons.

1.92 1.95 1.9 7.92 Asiabest Group 10.1 10.12 9.98 40.3 Bogo Medelin 54.3 50.6 50.1 15.32 Century Food 18.3 18.34 18.26 10.08 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 26.3 26.9 25.5 29.15 Concepcion 55.15 57 56.8 1.5 Crown Asia 2.65 2.75 2.65 1.5 Da Vinci Capital 1.5 1.49 1.49 10.72 Del Monte 12.46 12.5 12.3 9.55 DNL Industries Inc. 21.000 20.950 20.6 9.04 Emperador 8.94 9.04 8.90 6.02 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 7.50 7.60 7.45 8.86 EEI 9.73 9.92 9.75 1.06 Euro-Med Lab 1.76 1.72 1.7 8.61 Federal Res. Inv. Group 13.74 13.74 13.18 20.2 First Gen Corp.

26 27.5 26 71.5 First Holdings ‘A’ 80.7 81.55 81 13.24 Holcim Philippines Inc. 13.80 13.40 13.40 5.34 Integ. Micro-Electronics 6 5.99 5.9 0.395 Ionics Inc 0.530 0.500 0.500 173 Jollibee Foods Corp.

192.00 192.00 187.70 8.65 Lafarge Rep 10.56 10.78 10.58 1.63 Mabuhay Vinyl 2.53 2.53 2.53 23.35 Manila Water Co. Inc. 25.4 25.4 24.65 17.3 Maxs Group 25.6 25.6 25.05 5.88 Megawide 5.9 5.92 5.7 250.2 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 294.20 294.60 291.20 3.87 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 4.8 4.82 4.7 8.45 Petron Corporation 8.20 8.30 8.19 3.03 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 3.31 3.47 3.39 1.95 Phoenix Semiconductor 2.47 2.50 2.38 1 Pryce Corp. `A’ 3.13 3.29 3.1 4.02 RFM Corporation 4.22 4.34 4.18 1.65 Roxas and Co. 1.82 1.83 1.83 5.9 Roxas Holdings 5.8 5.8 5.8 161 San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ 165 165 165 1.55 Splash Corporation 1.77 1.79 1.71 0.138 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.145 0.151 0.146 1.02 TKC Steel Corp.

1.30 1.30 1.29 2.09 Trans-Asia Oil 2.15 2.14 2.12 152 Universal Robina 182.5 185 181.2 0.640 Vitarich Corp.

0.7 0.7 0.7 1.2 Vulcan Ind’l.

1.19 1.19 1.19 HOLDING FIRMS 0.44 Abacus Cons. `A’ 0.475 0.475 0.455 48.1 Aboitiz Equity 58.6000 58.6500 57.9000 20.85 Alliance Global Inc. 23.40 23.50 23.10 6.62 Anscor `A’ 6.88 6.88 6.88 0.23 ATN Holdings A 0.249 0.270 0.241 0.23 ATN Holdings B 0.242 0.270 0.270 634.5 Ayala Corp `A’ 780 782 774 7.390 Cosco Capital 7.57 7.57 7.55 12.8 DMCI Holdings 12.56 12.58 11.86 2.6 F&J Prince ‘A’ 3.4 3.15 3.1 2.26 Filinvest Dev. Corp.

4.30 4.30 4.30 0.152 Forum Pacific 0.220 0.208 0.206 837 GT Capital 1380 1414 1378 5.3 House of Inv. 6.60 6.44 6.43 49.55 JG Summit Holdings 74.00 74.00 72.05 4.84 Lopez Holdings Corp.

7.44 7.5 7.06 0.59 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.68 0.68 0.66 12 LT Group 14.26 14.92 14 0.580 Mabuhay Holdings `A’ 0.57 0.59 0.57 4.2 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 4.83 4.83 4.73 4.5 Minerales Industrias Corp. 7.81 7.82 7.73 0.030 Pacifica `A’ 0.0300 0.0300 0.0300 0.550 Prime Orion 2.030 2.130 2.020 59.3 San Miguel Corp `A’ 58.30 58.90 58.20 1.5 Seafront `A’ 2.55 2.55 2.51 751 SM Investments Inc. 910.00 915.00 900.00 1.13 Solid Group Inc. 1.23 1.23 1.20 0.93 South China Res. Inc. 0.68 0.69 0.69 170 Transgrid 170.00 170.00 170.00 80 Top Frontier 76.550 76.800 76.550 0.211 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.3200 0.3150 0.3050 0.179 Wellex Industries 0.1950 0.1940 0.1930 0.310 Zeus Holdings 0.275 0.285 0.285 PROPERTY 6.74 8990 HLDG 7.690 8.000 7.770 12 Anchor Land Holdings Inc. 7.71 8.28 7.71 0.65 A. Brown Co., Inc. 0.74 0.74 0.71 1.2 Araneta Prop `A’ 1.210 1.260 1.210 30.05 Ayala Land `B’ 38.50 39.00 38.35 3.36 Belle Corp. `A’ 3.47 3.73 3.47

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

SHARES 6,679,389 51,346,085 107,974,607 84,134,357 214,097,500 2,680,339,988 3,147,920,986

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

4.9 73 105.10 94.50 45.5 2.50 1.55 10.08 16.18 20.55 1.80 790.00 0.425 91.5 18.60 26.95 63.45 307 38.4 151.1 59.90 3.21

0.00 -0.41 0.10 0.00 -0.33 -1.19 -1.27 -0.20 0.12 -0.24 0.00 -3.07 2.41 0.00 1.09 -3.58 0.00 -0.07 0.00 -0.85 -0.17 0.00

69,000 17,860 1,957,010 862,050 5,100 3,000 137,000 300 2,000 247,000 2,000 480 20,000 2,464,700 288,400 10,600 47,120 1,210 328,400 179,900 30,300 5,000

44.6 1.44 1.04 1.92 10.12 50.6 18.26 26.2 56.8 2.66 1.49 12.48 20.700 9.00 7.60 9.89 1.72 13.24 27.5 81 13.40 5.94 0.500 188.10 10.58 2.53 24.9 25.5 5.7 294.60 4.8 8.24 3.45 2.41 3.1 4.23 1.83 5.8 165 1.79 0.148 1.30 2.12 183 0.7 1.19

0.22 9.92 0.00 0.00 0.20 -6.81 -0.22 -0.38 2.99 0.38 -0.67 0.16 -1.43 0.67 1.33 1.64 -2.27 -3.64 5.77 0.37 -2.90 -1.00 -5.66 -2.03 0.19 0.00 -1.97 -0.39 -3.39 0.14 0.00 0.49 4.23 -2.43 -0.96 0.24 0.55 0.00 0.00 1.13 2.07 0.00 -1.40 0.27 0.00 0.00

1,419,100 2,000 114,000 801,000 11,400 120 119,100 306,600 65,190 5,391,000 1,000 22,000 1,604,100 873,800 13,154,400 116,400 67,000 700 5,909,300 284,420 1,300 195,100 51,000 1,008,070 304,300 1,000 422,800 58,400 557,100 295,940 482,000 2,033,300 239,000 1,505,000 2,238,000 2,235,000 1,000 4,000 400 35,000 2,280,000 23,000 1,753,000 2,254,670 373,000 5,000

0.470 58.6500 23.50 6.88 0.265 0.270 781 7.56 11.92 3.1 4.30 0.207 1414 6.44 73.95 7.07 0.67 14.68 0.58 4.8 7.79 0.0300 2.090 58.30 2.55 910.00 1.20 0.69 170.00 76.800 0.3150 0.1930 0.285

-1.05 0.09 0.43 0.00 6.43 11.57 0.13 -0.13 -5.10 -8.82 0.00 -5.91 2.46 -2.42 -0.07 -4.97 -1.47 2.95 1.75 -0.62 -0.26 0.00 2.96 0.00 0.00 0.00 -2.44 1.47 0.00 0.33 -1.56 -1.03 3.64

1,580,000 868,910 13,390,700 21,700 2,610,000 100,000 427,800 1,282,500 9,701,000 25,000 46,000 120,000 278,970 35,000 3,674,090 6,637,500 3,000 12,674,600 115,000 17,987,000 630,000 2,000,000 16,785,000 130,710 21,000 232,470 41,000 20,000 30 120 1,250,000 710,000 30,000

7.900 8.28 0.74 1.260 38.90 3.69

2.73 7.39 0.00 4.13 1.04 6.34

147,500 2,000 51,000 27,000 4,798,700 10,988,000

767,995.00 -70,889,591.00 -43,050,138.00

-2,083,220.00 15,800.00 11,529,173.50 -306,765.50 291,650.00 -2,555,905.00 -4,107,433.00 -227,690.00 11,743,095.00

9,980.00 -508,708.00 -741,424.50 -48,210.00 114,816.00 -9,139,700.00 -1,697,221.00 -9,691,140.00 -60,456.00 -3,197,760.00 -3,616,130.00 -6,700.00 -34,335,154.00 705,686.00 -1,546,340.00 28,500.00 16,701,986.00 1,176,290.00 -3,515,052.00 299,610.00 44,860.00 -2,250,020.00

29,617,036.00

7,914,269.50 -1,143,085.00 -56,416.00 4,696,990.00 2,165,215.00 17,140,396.00

63,174,305.00 -225,256.00 -62,623,935.00 22,395,452.00 -56,592,210.00 8,822,870.00 78,167.00 52,000.00 -4,848,908.00 -41,959,365.00

-766.00

-429,884.00 8,280.00 -28,060.00 11,269,080.00 17,529,940.00

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

5.59 1.44 1.97 1.48 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 2.22 2.1 1.8 4.88 0.180 0.470 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 1.62 8.59

4.96 0.79 1.1 0.97 0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 1.15 1.42 1.27 2.75 0.090 0.290 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 0.83 5.73

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

Double Dragon Empire East Land Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Interport `A’ Megaworld Corp.

MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Estates Corp.

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

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 12.3 2.6 7.67 1700 2720 8.41 1.97 119.5 12.5 0.017 0.8200 2.2800 5.93 12.28 3.32 3.2 1 15.2 0.62 1.040 22.8 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1 11.6 0.85 10 0.490 1.9

1.97 35.2 1 0.63 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 10.14 1.6 4.8 830 1600 5.95 1.23 102.6 8.72 0.011 0.041 1.200 2.34 6.5 1.91 1.95 0.650 6 0.335 0.37 14.54 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55 7.59 0.63 5 0.315 1.14

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

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

Discovery World DFNN Inc. FEUI Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. IPeople Inc. `A’ IP E-Game Ventures Inc. Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Macroasia Corp.

Manila Bulletin Melco Crown MG Holdings NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

Phil. Seven Corp.

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

Yehey

0.0098 5.45 17.24 0.330 12.7 12.8 1.19 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 1.030 3.06 0.020 0.021 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9

0.0043 1.72 6.47 0.236 6.5 5.11 0.85 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 0.365 1.54 0.012 0.013 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67

Abra Mining Apex `A’ Atlas Cons. `A’ Basic Energy Corp.

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

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

TA Petroleum

70 553 525 120 515

33 490 500 101.5 480

1047 76.9 78.95 84.8

1011 74.2 74.5 75

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ First Gen G GLOBE PREF P PCOR-Preferred B PF Pref 2 SMC Preferred A SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

15 88 12.88

3.5 13.5 5.95

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

Makati Fin. Corp.

IRipple E-Business Intl Xurpas

VALUE 571,294,224.33 1,667,708,767.825 2,142,114,125.17 807,419,913.50 1,726,648,283.89 583,930,769.86 7,552,907,449.07

FINANCIAL 1,686.04 (down) 1.57 INDUSTRIAL 11,361.78 (up) 14.97 HOLDING FIRMS 6,904.88 (up) 3.73 PROPERTY 3,173.16 (up) 20.16 SERVICES 2,153.29 (up) 7.47 MINING & OIL 11,857.28 (down) 571.87 PSEI 7,635.62 (up) 7.66 All Shares Index 4,358.50 (up) 2.78 Gainers: 87 Losers: 79; Unchanged: 46; Total: 212

Low

Close

5.09 0.84 1.16 1.04 0.128 0.435 11.8 0.890 1.28 1.97 1.30 4.92 0.113 0.2950 28.20 1.64 3.25 21.40 0.72 0.840 6.990

Net Foreign

Change Volume

5.2 5.06 5.07 0.85 0.83 0.84 1.13 1.07 1.13 1.01 1.00 1.00 0.128 0.127 0.127 0.430 0.430 0.430 12.06 11.38 11.9 0.890 0.890 0.890 1.39 1.29 1.36 2.02 1.97 2.00 1.30 1.28 1.30 4.92 4.83 4.83 0.114 0.114 0.114 0.3000 0.3000 0.3000 28.25 27.75 28.25 1.65 1.64 1.65 3.32 3.24 3.24 21.50 21.05 21.50 0.73 0.71 0.73 0.840 0.820 0.830 7.000 6.880 6.890 SERVICES 6.65 6.7 6.56 6.66 62 62.2 61.6 61.9 1.15 1.2 1.17 1.2 0.630 0.650 0.620 0.650 9.90 10.30 9.80 10.22 0.0800 0.0810 0.0800 0.0810 3.4 3.47 3.38 3.45 90.4 91.1 90 90 10.36 10.34 10.3 10.32 1.68 1.69 1.68 1.68 5.80 6.18 5.50 5.50 990 989 989 989 2544 2540 2520 2530 6.32 6.39 6.30 6.38 1.28 1.29 1.25 1.26 110.6 111.9 109 109.9 11.62 11.52 11.52 11.52 0.012 0.012 0.011 0.012 0.206 0.210 0.206 0.207 1.4300 1.5300 1.4600 1.4800 2.44 2.4 2.4 2.4 9.65 9.94 9.67 9.82 2.70 2.70 2.50 2.65 2.40 2.40 2.40 2.40 0.660 0.660 0.660 0.660 6.8 7.22 6.82 7.12 0.310 0.305 0.305 0.305 0.460 0.485 0.465 0.485 20 19.1 19.1 19.1 105.00 115.00 114.00 114.00 18.84 18.84 18.40 18.80 2942.00 2944.00 2930.00 2944.00 0.680 0.710 0.690 0.690 1.500 1.580 1.500 1.530 36.00 36.50 36.10 36.20 77.00 79.60 77.00 79.25 9.10 9.31 9.01 9.25 0.65 0.65 0.64 0.65 5.57 5.81 5.6 5.6 0.320 0.325 0.325 0.325 2.600 2.820 2.600 2.730 MINING & OIL 0.0064 0.0067 0.0064 0.0065 2.70 2.65 2.60 2.60 5.60 5.72 5.60 5.62 0.220 0.220 0.220 0.220 7.0000 7.0100 7.0000 7.0000 6.8800 6.88 6.88 6.8800 0.84 0.84 0.82 0.83 0.75 0.79 0.75 0.78 6.58 6.58 6.50 6.55 1.44 1.48 1.43 1.43 0.310 0.310 0.300 0.300 0.217 0.218 0.216 0.218 0.226 0.229 0.225 0.229 0.013 0.013 0.013 0.013 0.014 0.014 0.014 0.014 3.09 3.18 3.06 3.08 11.38 11.4 10.78 10.9 3.72 3.79 3.73 3.76 0.6000 0.6300 0.6000 0.6000 2.0200 2.0400 2.0200 2.0400 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 4.26 4.26 4.22 4.24 5.68 5.680 5.500 5.58 1.70 1.720 1.690 1.70 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.012 122.50 121.50 110.80 111.10 10.7 10.7 10.38 10.48 PREFERRED 62 62.3 62 62.1 527 528 527 527 548 548 548 548 120 122 121 122 525 525.5 525.5 525.5 1148 1148 1148 1148 1040 1040 1036 1036 75.45 75.45 74.4 75.4 84.8 85.05 84.85 85.05 86.5 87.2 87 87 WARRANTS & BONDS 3.850 4.200 3.880 4.090 SME 6.9 6.85 6.85 6.85 67.95 67.95 67.95 67.95 12 12.38 12 12.24 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 124 124.1 123.6 124.1

T op g ainerS STOCKS

%

High

Trade/Buying

-0.39 0.00 -2.59 -3.85 -0.78 -1.15 0.85 0.00 6.25 1.52 0.00 -1.83 0.88 1.69 0.18 0.61 -0.31 0.47 1.39 -1.19 -1.43

156,400 2,064,000 3,000 125,000 2,900,000 20,000 5,490,200 1,130,000 11,892,000 11,668,000 148,000 10,290,000 10,000 260,000 1,907,900 348,000 29,000 5,896,500 1,176,000 183,000 7,399,200

-18,035.00 462,000.00

0.15 -0.16 4.35 3.17 3.23 1.25 1.47 -0.44 -0.39 0.00 -5.17 -0.10 -0.55 0.95 -1.56 -0.63 -0.86 0.00 0.49 3.50 -1.64 1.76 -1.85 0.00 0.00 4.71 -1.61 5.43 -4.50 8.57 -0.21 0.07 1.47 2.00 0.56 2.92 1.65 0.00 0.54 1.56 5.00

204,400 10,030 33,000 1,498,000 30,253,300 8,010,000 193,000 1,062,730 3,000 126,000 54,300 2,110 87,170 81,800 72,000 1,068,290 100 29,000,000 11,300,000 3,637,000 3,000 3,086,800 1,525,000 4,000 222,000 22,021,400 140,000 30,000 100 179,860 131,900 83,335 10,868,000 59,129,000 2,981,900 1,431,840 4,478,400 154,000 10,000,900 10,000 3,825,000

1.56 -3.70 0.36 0.00 0.00 0.00 -1.19 4.00 -0.46 -0.69 -3.23 0.46 1.33 0.00 0.00 -0.32 -4.22 1.08 0.00 0.99 0.00 0.00 -0.47 -1.76 0.00 0.00 -9.31 -2.06

2,305,000,000 58,500.00 50,000 296,100 -125,542.00 260,000 800 300 -2,064.00 838,000 16,600.00 779,000 1,200 7,577,000 738,620.00 270,000 -30,000.00 2,760,000 3,440,000 48,300,000 8,000,000 658,000 -761,310.00 4,371,200 -742,356.00 530,000 51,000 51,000 4,100,000 200,000 2,200.00 53,000 1,006,900 22,000.00 937,000 286,100,000 39,700.00 4,271,580 -123,365,157.00 111,700 72,800.00

0.16 0.00 0.00 1.67 0.10 0.00 -0.38 -0.07 0.29 0.58

31,820 2,200 1,810 20,300 20 400 1,575 75,490 16,870 5,510

94,645.00

19,646,034.00 -827,700.00 -4,775,360.00 6,651,670.00 -9,457,750.00 -36,758,545.00 -448,220.00 -18,876,670.00 -43,983,594.00 33,400.00

73,556,674.00 11,851,606.50 30,982.00

-106,119,250.00 13,766,314.00 20,700.00 -81,660.00 10,424,950.00 252,480.00 -16,424,374.00 4,850.00 -13,780.00 -490,874.00 -49,040.00 18,780,180.00 -58,303,510.00 83,634,407.50 12,576,562.00 -20,150.00 -7,454,553.00 28,700.00

1,063,140.00

6.23

1,601,000

219,870.00

-0.72 0.00 2.00

100 50 3,235,400

1,218,310.00

0.08

113,510

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

ATN Holdings B

0.270

11.57

Semirara Corp.

111.10

-9.31

Agrinurture Inc.

1.44

9.92

F&J Prince 'A'

3.1

-8.82

Phil. Seven Corp.

114.00

8.57

Bogo Medelin

50.6

-6.81

Anchor Land Holdings Inc.

8.28

7.39

Forum Pacific

0.207

-5.91

ATN Holdings A

0.265

6.43

Ionics Inc

0.500

-5.66

Belle Corp. `A'

3.69

6.34

DFNN Inc.

5.50

-5.17

Global-Estate

1.36

6.25

DMCI Holdings

11.92

-5.10

LR Warrant

4.090

6.23

Lopez Holdings Corp.

7.07

-4.97

First Gen Corp.

27.5

5.77

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

19.1

-4.50

NOW Corp.

0.485

5.43

Nickelasia

10.9

-4.22

THURSDAY: JULY 23, 2015

B3

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

SMC bares Liberty tender offer

By Darwin G. Amojelar

THE telecommunications unit of San Miguel Corp. is making a bid to purchase all the publicly-held stake of Liberty Telecom Holdings Inc. at a price below the market.

San Miguel said in a report to regulators it was earmarking P491 million to purchase 223.15 million, or about 17.25 percent, of the issued and outstanding common stock held by the public.

The purchase price was P2.20 per share, lower than the market price of P2.80 apiece.

The tender offer will begin on July 23 and end at the closing of business hours of August 20.

San Miguel is making the offer in connection with Vega Telecom’s acquisition of 51.01 percent of the total outstanding common and preferred shares in Liberty Telecom from Qtel West Bay Holdings S.P.C., White Dawn Solution Holdings Inc. and wi-tribe Asia Limited.

Qtel West Bay as of end-March owned 29.89 percent of Liberty, while White Dawn Solution and wi-tribe held 18.44 percent and 2.68 percent, respectively.

The shares were valued at an estimated P3.75 billion based on Vega’s tender offer price.

Vega Telecom held a 35.73-percent stake in Liberty Telecom.

Liberty Telecoms expects to break even after exiting corporate rehabilitation a year ahead of schedule.

“The management really wants to have a break even as soon as possible,” said Liberty Telecoms president and chief executive Bienvenido Bañas said.

The company, a joint venture of San Miguel and Qatar Telecom, reported a total comprehensive loss of P210.16 million in the first quarter of 2015, down 32 percent from a P307.59-million net loss recorded a year ago.

Revenues declined to P42.17 million in the January-to-March period from P78.38 million year-on-year.

Liberty Telecoms also aims to launch mobile phone services as early as January next year.

San Miguel earlier announced Vega Telecoms bought Express Telecommunications Inc. and Vega’s investment in High Frequency Telecommunications Inc. Extelcom, owned by the Ongpin Group and UK-based Ashmore Investment Management Ltd., is the country’s first mobile telephone operator San Miguel will now have four telecommunications companies under its portfolio, namely Eastern Telecommunications Philippines Inc., Bell Telecommunications Philippines Inc. and Liberty Telecoms Holdings Inc.

Market climbs; Semirara tumbles

THE stock market rose slightly Wednesday in mixed trading after a negative lead from Wall Street overnight.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added 7.66 points, or 0.1 percent, to 7,635.62 on a value turnover of P7.6 billion. Gainers beat losers, 87 to 79, with 46 issues unchanged.

First Gen Corp. of the Lopez Group, a major power producer, advanced 5.8 percent to P27.50, while GT Capital Holdings Inc. of tycoon George Ty climbed 2.5 percent to P1,414.

Bloomberry Resorts Corp., which runs a casino on a reclaimed part of Manila Bay, gained 3.2 percent to P10.22.

Semirara Mining and Power Corp. slumped 9.3 percent to P111.10, while parent DMCI Holdings Inc. sank 5.1 percent to P11.92.

The Energy Department ordered the suspension of Semirara’s coal mining contract on Semirara Island after nine miners died in a landslide Friday in an open-pit mine.

The landslide, which occurred in a reclaimed area of the northeastern part of the island, was the second major disaster to hit Semirara, owned by DMCI. In February 2013, seven miners were killed when the west wall of the pit collapsed and trapped 13 miners under it.

The rest of Asian stock markets, meanwhile, retreated. The euro held on to most of its gains after a recent sell-off, with Greek lawmakers due to vote later in the day on another round of reforms aimed at getting access to much-needed bailout cash.

Tech firms linked to Apple retreated after the latest earnings report from the world’s biggest company left investors disappointed.

Apple shares tumbled after it said net profit leapt almost 40 percent in April-June but iPhone sales were weaker than expected and sales forecasts also fell short.

Tokyo lost 1.19 percent after coming within a whisker Tuesday of a fresh 18-year high. It dropped 248.30 points to finish at 20,593.67.

With AFP

PLDT-Smart awards. Residential digital services provider PLDT HOME Smart Communications Inc. topped industry awards in two

IMI subsidiary acquires property in Bulgaria

By Jenniffer B. Austria INTEGRATED Micro-Electronics Inc., one of the leading worldwide providers of electronics manufacturing services owned by conglomerate Ayala Corp., said a unit has purchased a property in Bulgaria for P56.4 million (1.14 million euros).

IMI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange wholly-owned and indirect subsidiary Integrated Micro-electronics Bulgaria acquired 16,275 square meters of land and a building in Botevgrad, Bulgaria from Melexis Bulgaria EOOD.

“This new development augurs well for IMI BG. With additional capacity, IMI BG can service more OEM requirements, especially in its fast-growing target markets of automotive and industrial electronics,” IMI president and chief executive officer Arthur Tan said.

“The acquisition reinforces IMI BG’s strong position in winning new businesses enhancing IMI’s strategy of providing long lasting partnerships to its customers,” Tan added.

The property was previously leased by IMI BG from MB, with 7,293 square meters being used by IMI BG to house its production

facilities. The balance of 4,900 square meters was being leased to a third party.

IMI BG generated revenues of $188.3 million in 2014, up 29 percent from 2013.

It has built 3,150 square meters of production facility from greenfield in the last two years and another 6,900 square meters of manufacturing space will be completed by end of the first quarter of 2016.

IMI earlier reported that it ranked 18th from 21st in the latest list of Manufacturing Market Insider for the top 50 EMS providers in the world, based on the 2014 EMS-

related revenues of companies.

IMI is a widely recognized expert in providing electronics manufacturing services and power semiconductor assembly and test services for diversified markets including those in the automotive, industrial, medical, solar energy, telecommunications infrastructure, storage device and consumer electronics industries.

Its global presence encompasses operations in 15 manufacturing sites and sales offices across China, the Philippines, Singapore, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the United States and Mexico. It also has offices in Japan and Germany.

B4

Property awards.

-

SMC to build 500-MW dam

By Alena Mae S. Flores

Strategic Power Development Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of San Miguel Corp., will pursue the construction of a 500-megawatt pumped storage hydro power plant in Aurora province.

Strategic Power sought the approval of the Energy Department for the 500-MW Dingalan pumped storage hydro plant in Dingalan, Aurora.

The project is a part of the company’s plan to develop up to 3,000 MW of hydro power

projects in the country, a source said.

The Energy Department approved last year the application of Strategic Power for a 200-MW pumped storage hydro project in Aklan.

The hydro service contract was

signed on Jan. 30, 2014.

“It’s now in pre-development stage of the hydro service contract,” the source said earlier.

Strategic Power currently trades the capacity of the 345MW San Roque multi-purpose hydroelectric power plant in Batangas province.

Strategic Power won the bidding as the independent power producer administrator of San Roque in 2009 with its offer of $450 million.

Meanwhile, San Miguel’s subsidiary SMC Global Power Corp. is eyeing the construction of a total of 2,100 megawatts of coal-

fired capacity in Limay, Bataan and Malita, Davao from 2016 to 2020.

San Miguel also plans to put up coal plants in Cebu, Batangas City and Mariveles, Bataan.

The company presently trades the capacities of the Sual coal plant in Pangasinan and the Ilijan natural gas power facility in Batangas.

San Miguel has become one of the largest independent power generation companies in the country.

It also forayed into power distribution by taking over Albay Electric Cooperative.

Banana farmers told to use drones for spraying

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales AGRICULTURE Secretary Proceso Alcala on Wednesday advised banana growers to use unmanned aerial technology or drones in their banana plantations.

“I will meet with the members of the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association to discuss the possible use of drones in their aerial spraying,” Alcala said.

“Even if they say that they are using organic ingredients, the main concern of the lawmakers is the ‘excessive’ amount of chemicals being dumped during overhead spraying, which may allegedly cause respiratory illnesses,” Alcala said.

Alcala said aerial drones could hover as close as two

meters from the ground which would lessen the amount of chemicals being dumped.

“Some congressmen expressed their concern because the distance of aerial spraying from the plant to the height of the plane is 10 to 15 meters.

The drone technology is readily available and is cheaper.

It is just a matter of adopting what is better for our industry,” he said.

Several civil society groups earlier urged Congress to immediately pass a bill which aims to ban the use of aerial spraying.

Under consideration by the House committee on ecology chaired by Rep. Amado Bagatsing is House Bill 3857, entitled ‘An Act prohibiting aerial spraying as a method of

The drone technology is readily available and is cheaper.

applying chemicals and similar substances on agricultural crops.’

The bill is authored by Gabriela Women’s Partylist Reps. Luzviminda Ilagan and Emmi De Jesus; Bayan Muna Reps. Neli Colmenares and Carlos Isagani Zarate; ACT Teachers’ Partylist Rep. Antonio Tinio; Anakpawis Partylist Rep. Fernando Hicap; and Kabataan Partylist Rep. Terry Ridon.

PBGEA, however, said aer-

ial spraying was a generally accepted agricultural practice by the World Trade Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations under certain limitations which the banana industry was strictly adopting, otherwise importers might stop buying from them.

PBGEA said a multi-sectoral monitoring team that focused on banana plantations was overseeing the compliance of these regulations.

The Philippines is the world’s second largest exporter of fresh bananas.

The top major export destinations for fresh Cavendish bananas are Japan, China, Korea, the Middle East and New Zealand with stringent policies on food product.

LTFRB approves airport bus permits THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board said Wednesday it issued special bus permits allowing four public utility bus operators to extend their south service to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.

LTFRB said the four PUB operators were Sevensky Express Liner Corp., Magicline Express Corp., Mayamy Transport Corp. and Naia Metro Link Bus. The 55 air-conditioned bus units will transport airline passengers and Naia Terminal 3 employees.

LTFRB chairman Winston Ginez said the agency granted the application for special permits filed by the four PUB operators with authorized routes to NAIA to extend their routes up to the NAIA Terminal 3 via Domestic Road and Andrews Avenue pursuant to Section 17 (f) of the Public Service Act. One of the conditions of the special permits is that the PUB bus operators are required to observe the ‘no loading’ and ‘unloading’ of passengers along Domestic Road and Andrews Avenue.

They will only be allowed to pick up and drop passengers at bus stops along Circulo del Mundo Rotonda designated by MIAA. Suggested fare for the 18-kilometer Makati-NAIA route and 24-km NAIA-Roxas Boulevard route airport bus service is P300. Darwin G. Amojelar

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

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

B5

Semirara stops coal exports

By Alena Mae S. Flores

SEMIRARA Mining Corp. said Wednesday it suspended coal exports to prioritize local consumers following the suspension of its mining operations in Caluya, Antique.

“Effective today [Wednesday], we are suspending our coal export shipments in response to the directive of the Department of Energy to prioritize the requirements of domestic coal consumers, pending the investigation of the cause of the landslide at North Panian last July 17, 2015,” the company said.

The Energy Department said it welcomed the decision of Semirara Mining to prioritize domestic coal consumption. It said given the potential impact on the power sector of any coal supply disruption, the agency was inclined to issue a directive for SMPC to limit for domestic use its current coal stock to service local power plants.

“We are coordinating with power plants to determine the inventory of existing power plants and cement plants serviced by COC [coal operating conctract] No. 5. data indicates that COC No. 5 supplies 1,593 MW of grid connected power [Luzon and Visayas]” said acting Energy Secretary Zenaida Monsada.

Semirara said it had notified foreign customers that it could not schedule further shipments until the department reached a decision on the suspension of its mining operations.

“The concerned government authorities have our full cooperation, and we will do everything we can to manage our limited

Nature walk.

coal inventory to avert possible supply disruptions to our local power plant and cement customers,” Semirara said.

So far, eight of the nine fatalities have been recovered from the North Panian mine.

“Search and retrieval operations at the site have continued 24/7,” it said.

The Energy Department earlier ordered the immediate suspension of the operations of Semirara’s coal operating contract no.

5 due to the incident.

The department also ordered the formation of an investigation committee to look into the matter.

Monsada, who led an investigation committee that inspected the site of the July 17 incident, said a preliminary report showed the incident was due to a slope failure characterized by the slumping of back fill materials with a height of 61 meters.

The continuous rainfall of two weeks prior may have also played a factor, the committee said.

-

By Darwin G. Amojelar AF PAYMENTS Inc., the winning bidder for the new fare collection system in Metro Manila’s three overhead rail lines, said it sold more than 6,000 beep cards, indicating a high takeup for the modern ticketing system.

“We sold between Monday and Tuesday over 6,000 beep cards, a very high rate of takeup of stored value cards. More than 80 percent of tickets sold were beep cards.

That’s a very high percentage,” AF Payments chief executive Peter Maher told reporters Wednesday.

The trial of the contactless beep card and the new single journey tickets piloted at the Legarda Station of the LRT Line 2 early this week.

“We’re very pleased that the public has confidence and were willing to purchase the card and

use it immediately,” Maher said.

AF Payments said of the 2,586 beep SVCs sold, 1,521 cards or roughly 59 percent were purchased via the new ticket vending machines.

The company said of the 486 SJT sold, 103 cards or 21 percent were bought from the vending machine.

The average load for the stored value cards were at P110, not counting the P20 onetime card fee.

Following the positive outcome of the public trial in Legarda station, AF Payments Inc. is set to implement a similar trial at the Betty Go Belmonte station within the week.

AF Payments, a consortium led

by Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp., won the P1.72billion contract for the automated fare collection system project.

The new system uses contactless smart card technology to upgrade

and integrate the ticketing infrastructure for the country’s major railways, including LRT Line 1 and 2 and Metro Rail Transit Line 3.

Maher said the common ticket system for LRT Line 1 and MRT Line 3 would go live by September.

Under the concession agreement, the ticketing scheme will be fully integrated by September.

AF Payments will install 731 gates, 138 ticket vending machines, 221 point of sales devices and 44 station computers across the three rail lines.

The company’s new smart card ticketing system replaces the existing magnetic stripe system. The new system or the “beep card” can also serve as an electronic micropayment solution in day-today payments, or as identifier for loyalty schemes, facility access and location-based services.

METRO Pacific Investments Corp., the infrastructure arm of the Hong Kongbased First Pacific Group, has expected itself to crunch numbers given the huge cost of constructing the 45.5-kilometer Cavite-Laguna Expressway project, or Calax.

But one obvious factor made it easy for Metro Pacific to bid higher on the biggest Public-Private Partnership project of the government to date. Cavite and Laguna have a big growing population that will support the traffic volume of the new expressway MPIC president Jose Maria Lim told the media earlier the conglomerate decided to offer a much higher premium after carefully studying several factors, including the volume of traffic and higher population growth of Cavite and Laguna, which have 3 million and 2 million people, respectively.

“So we did expect that because of the delay, the traffic would probably start off at a higher level because of the population growth,” Lim says.

“There have also been commercial establishments and developments that helped traffic start off at a higher rate.”

Lower oil and steel prices have also favored the construction of the infrastructure project and prompted Metro Pacific’s unit, MPCALA Holdings Inc., to submit an aggressive offer of P27.3 billion against San Miguel Corp.’s bid of P22.2 billion Metro Pacific chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said his company would spend no less than P50 billion to build the tollway from Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway, or Cavitex, to Laguna.

“This will spur growth in NCR [Metro Manila] and Calabarzon [CaviteLaguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon corridor], and create jobs,” said MVP. “It will improve traffic, and property values. Tourism will rise in the area.

Overall, we become a better nation.”

Calax, meanwhile, is a logical project for Metro Pacific because of its interests in other toll roads. Metro Pacific through its subsidiaries is operating the North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and Cavitex.

It has proposed the construction of a connector road linking NLEx to the South Luzon Expressway and is aiming to bid for other PPP road projects on the auction block, like the Central Luzon Link Expressway that will extend SCTEx eastward to Nueva Ecija province.

MPIC’s Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. is embarking on simultaneous ventures to expand NLEx from Bulacan to Caloocan and Manila’s port area through several Harbor Link sub-projects; a separate one extending NLEx to Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City; and another project integrating NLEx and SCTEx with the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway of San Miguel in the north.

“Once completed, CALAx will integrate with Cavitex and will feature the same modern facilities of MPTC’s existing toll roads,” said MPTC president Ramoncito Fernandez. “This is in line with our vision of eventually linking all our expressways—including the soon to be integrated NLEx-SCTEx, Harbor Link—providing seamless travel experience to motorists.”

“The project [Calax)] is expected to directly generate more than 3,000 new jobs during the construction,” said Fernandez. “This does not include the thousands of new jobs from the expected new investments along the Cavite-Laguna corridor from the improved infrastructure.”

MPCALA Holdings on July 10 handed over to the Public Works P5.46 billion representing the 20 percent upfront payment of the premium offer of P27.3 billion. The balance of the concession fee is payable over nine years from the contract signing, or until July 2024.

Metro Pacific is set to spend a total of P62.7 billion on the project connecting Cavitex to SLEx, which is operated by the consortium of San Miguel with Citra Metro Manila Tollway Corp.

Water mess In contrast with Calax, the water sector is a case of privatization going awry.

Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Co. Inc. are grappling with what appears to be a convoluted policy from the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage Authority.

An arbitration panel upheld Maynilad’s position that it would remain a contractor and agent of MWSS be allowed to recover its corporate income taxes.

Manila Water, meanwhile, was classified a public utility, like Manila Electric Co., and barred from including corporate income taxes in the computation of its tariff.

The ruling on Manila Water marked a big change in the rules and regulations in the concession agreement, which both parties agreed upon prior to the bidding in 1997.

“By the very nature of their partnership with the MWSS, both companies were true to their promise—Manila Water and Maynilad have assumed their positions as contractors and agents for the operation and maintenance of water within their respective service areas with MWSS remaining as the public utility,” a lawyer said.

“Such situation not only questions Manila Water’s new accountabilities and obligations, but now questions the new mandate of MWSS as the government agency in charge of the regulation and water source development,” he added.

Maynilad also cannot implement its new tariff because MWSS must exercise regulatory equality between its two providers.

The sudden change of rules in the midst of the concessionaires’ progressive state challenges the credibility of the government’s PPP program and the sanctity of its contracts.

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

B6

THURSDAY: JULY 23, 2015

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

PH secures 142,160 tons of sugar quota

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales

THE Philippines has secured a deal to export 142,160 metric tons of raw sugar to the United States at a low tariff rate in fiscal year 2016, the US Trade Representative said Wednesday.

The USTR said the sugar quota allocation for the Philippines in fiscal year 2016 was the same as last year’s. The volume translates into more than 136,000 metric tons in commercial weight.

Tariff-rate quotas allow countries to export specified quantities of a product to the United States at a relatively low tariff, but subject all

imports of the product above a pre-determined threshold to a higher tariff.

The in-quota quantity for the TRQ on raw cane sugar for the said fiscal year is 1.117 million metric tons raw value, representing the minimum amount the United States committed under the World Trade Organization agreement.

Based on the list, the Dominican Republic got the highest allocation of 185,335 MTRV while Brazil was given an MTRV of 152,691.

The Philippines got the third biggest allocation for the fiscal year.

USTR said other countries which received quota allocation were Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d’lvoire, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Gabon, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Madagascar and Malawi.

Other countries with allocations are Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique,Nicaragua, Panama, Papua

Water levels in Mindanao dropping

By Alena Mae S. Flores

New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, South Africa, St. Kitts & Nevis, Swaziland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay and Zimbabwe.

USTR said the allocations were based on each country’s historical shipments to the United States.

The Sugar Regulatory Administration removed last month the allocation for the US sugar quota and further increased the supply in the domestic market for sugar crop year 2014 to 2015.

The directive will cover production in the week ending May 31, 2015 and crop year 2014 to 2015.

The sugar crop year begins in September and ends in August of the following year.

SRA administrator Regina Martin said in a directive the agency slashed the US sugar quota to zero from 5 percent, and raised the domestic allocation to 100 percent from the previous 95 percent.

Most competitive town.

The National Competitiveness Council of the Philippines named General Trias, Cavite as the most competitive among the municipalities in the Philippines. Shown receiving the plaques are General Trias Mayor Antonio Ferrer (sixth from left) and vice from left) for overall competitiveness and economic dynamism during the 3rd Regional Competitive Summit at Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on July 16, 2015. With them are municipal councilors and

WATER levels at the largest hydro electric power plants in Mindanao have breached critical points as of Tuesday, exacerbating the power shortage in the region, the Mindanao Power Monitoring Committee said Wednesday.

The committee said based on data supplied by National Power Corp., water levels at Lake Lanao and Agus and Pulangi dams continued to drop in the past few days.

The low water levels resulted in blackouts in Mindanao which experienced a power generation deficiency of more than 200 MW as of Wednesday.

The committee said in a statement the water level of Lake Lanao was at 699.24 meters above sea level on Tuesday, below the normal high water level of 701.10 meters and the minimum operating level of 699.15 meters.

Water level at Agus 4 stood at 358.31 meters, nearing the minimum operating level of 357 meters and lower than 358.88 meters a couple of days ago.

The dam has a normal high water level of 359 meters.

Pulangi 4’s water level was at 280.40 meters. The dam, located in Maramag, Bukidnon, has a normal high water level of 285 meters and minimum operating level of 282 meters.

Pulangi 4 is currently churning out just 20 megawatts out of 250 MW capacity, largely on account of siltation.

The committee said the low water levels at the dams, which provide around half of Mindanao’s power supply, had brought down the capacity of the hydropower plants of the AgusPulangi hydropower complexes.

This resulted in a lower power supply in Mindanao.

Comparing PH in 1970 with Greece in 2015 IT HAPPENED forty-five years ago, but it seems like only yesterday that the Philippines was engulfed in the kind of turmoil and instability that Greece is confronting today. There are many similarities, but there are also many dissimilarities. First, the similarities.

Like the Greece of 2015, the Philippines in 1970 was up to its gills in debt. This country’s external-debt-to-gross domestic product ratio was in excess of 150 percent. Because no official mechanism was in place for regulating, and keeping a running total of, their external borrowings, private borrowers took advantage of favorable credit terms, Philippine companies borrowed heavily in foreign markets.

Added to the equally heavy borrowing of a Marcos administration embarked on an ambitious infrastructure program, these borrowings pushed the Philippines’ external debt to a level considered excessive by its creditors. The subsequent creation by the Monetary Board of an EDMO (External Debt Management Office) within the Central Bank of the Philippines came a little late.

Although this country’s external debt total in 1970 was minuscule compared to the $324 billion that Greece owes its foreign creditors – principally the International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank – today, the Philippines then was, and Greece today is, consid-

ered excessively indebted. The third standby loan of $86 billion that the ECB and European creditors have just agreed to give Greece will push Greece’s total indebtedness beyond the $400-billion mark.

The fierce and often violent internal opposition to the third standby loan is another point of similarity between the Philippines in 1970 and Greece in 2015. The conditionalities attached to the 1970 IMF standby loan – chiefly sharp cuts in government spending and public subsidy programs, limits on certain types of bank lending and tax increases – were considered so harsh that the so-called First Quarter Storm and other violent demonstrations erupted around the nation. In Athens and other major Greek cities, police and oppositors are exchanging teargas canisters and Molotov cocktails in protests against the admittedly harsh conditions of the third standby loan.

The third similarity between the Philippines’ situation in 1970 and the Greek situation today is the hardship and pain visited upon the Filipino people and the people of Greece by the loan programs approved by both countries’ foreign creditors. The devaluation of the peso and the defensive economic measures adopted by the administration of Alexis Tsipras increased consumer prices, hurt the operations of business establishments and raised the level of unemployment. Just as 1970 was a year of pain and discomfort for the Filipino people,

2015 is proving to be a very bad time, economically speaking, for the descendants of Plato and Aristotle.

Now the dissimilarities between the Philippines of 1970 and the Greece of 2015.

The first dissimilarity is the attitude and demeanor of the Philippine government team that negotiated the 1970 IMF loan package and the attitude and demeanor of Tsipras and his colleagues in their discussions with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the other European Union leaders. The team led by Secretary of Finance went to Washington DC (for the IMF and the World Bank) and to Paris (for the Paris Club) in a spirit of humility and civility and conducted themselves like people requesting concessions from a group that held all the strong cards. In contrast, Tsipras, Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and their colleagues went to Brussels in a spirit of arrogance and defiance and seeming to dare the EU to do its worst to Greece. This attitude and demeanor, added to the deep distrust of the Greek government caused by submission of inaccurate data and non-compliance with previous commitments, spelled disaster for the Greek cause.

The second dissimilarity between the country’s 1970 crisis and the Greek crisis of 2015 is that from the very beginning it was clear that the 1970 negotiations with the IMF and Paris Club creditors would hinge on restructuring of the Philippines’ external debt. In contrast, the

idea of restructuring Greece’s debt was brought to the discussion table only after Athens’ acceptance of the third standby loan. The Philippines won relief for some of its debt – mainly the smaller obligations – but the wiping out or reduction of some Greek debts is being opposed by Germany and numerous other EU members.

A final dissimilarity between the Philippine debt crisis of 1970 and the Greek crisis of 2015 is the level of confidence of the international financial community in the recuperative capabilities of the Philippine economy and the Greek economy. The Philippine economy of 1970 was broad-based and had a vibrant, natural-resources-based export sector. In contrast, the Greek economy, which accounts for a mere 2 percent of the European Union’s GDP, is narrowly based, with tourism and agricultural products as the key income sources.

Cesar Virata and his team went about the 1970 negotiations sensibly and maturely, whereas Tsipras, Varoufakis & Co. in Brussels behaved like bulls in the china shop. The Philippine economy was back on its feet in two years, but with its heavy debt burden, the Greek economy is bound to need many years to regain its stability. The Philippines was disposed to, and did, bite the bullet. Greece hasn’t been disposed to, and has not, bitten the bullet.

E-mail: rudyromero777@yahoo.com

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WORLD

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

B7

‘Civilians crushed with tanks’ NAIROBI—South Sudanese government troops crushed fleeing civilians with tanks, then reversed to check they had killed them, carried out public gang rapes and burned people alive, a rights group said Wednesday.

The report by Human Rights Watch has shocking allegations of atrocities committed by government forces in the ongoing 19-month-old war, documenting “deliberate attacks on civilians” that it said constituted war crimes.

“They were running with the tanks after the people, and then after they hit them they would roll back over them, to confirm that they were dead,” one woman told HRW. The attacks were allegedly carried out by government troops and an allied militia from the Bul Nuer tribe.

Another witness, a 30-year-old woman, said troops in a tank hunted down her nephew.

“I saw him... he was crushed before he reached the river... we were running together, he ran in order to hide,” she told HRW. Another described finding the squashed bodies of her two male relatives.

“Their bodies had been grinded,” she said, one of a string of testimonies documented in the HRW report, titled “They Burned it All”, based on interviews with 174 victims and witnesses from the northern battleground state of Unity.

Civilians fled into swamps to escape, but troops chased them down using amphibious armored vehicles, raking hiding places with machine guns.

“They were hunting for cows and people,” one woman in the Koch area of Unity state said.

Other victims recount government soldiers castrating a man and a 15-year old boy, all part of a deliberate tactic to drive people out of the villages, HRW said.

HRW documented murders “of civilian women and men, including children and the elderly, some by hanging, others by shooting, or being burned alive.”

South Sudan’s civil war began in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of planning a coup, setting off a cycle of retaliatory killings that has split the poverty-stricken, landlocked country along ethnic lines.

The government side, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army or SPLA, launched a major offensive against rebel forces in April, with fierce fighting in Unity, once a key oil producing area.

Rebel forces have also been accused of carrying out atrocities, including rape, killings and, like the government, the recruitment of armies of child soldiers.

The United Nations base in the capital of Unity State, Bentiu, now hosts over 100,000 civilians, more than the ruined town itself, which has swapped hands between government and rebels several times during the war. AFP

Special event. Robots compete in a football match during the RoboCup 2015 in Hefei, in east China’s Anhui province, on

July 22. AFP

Reporter starts second year in jail TEHRAN—Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post correspondent on trial for spying on Iran, began a second year behind bars on Wednesday with his family increasingly concerned about his health.

Rezaian, 39, faces charges including “espionage, collaboration with hostile governments, gathering classified information and disseminating propaganda against the Islamic republic”, according to his lawyer.

After three trial sessions since late May, the “slow-motion judicial process” may soon come to an end, the Post’s executive editor Martin Baron said in a state-

ment released on Monday.

His lawyer Leila Ahsan has been told by the Iranian authorities “that the next hearing will ‘almost certainly’ be the last, though no date has yet been set,” he added.

“There can be no reason for further delay,” Baron said. “Any fair outcome would clear Jason of these manufactured charges so that he can be released and reunited with his family.”

Rezaian was arrested with his wife Yeganeh Salehi, also a journalist, at their home on July 22, 2014.

Salehi and a photographer who was arrested on the same day were

released on bail after two and a half months in custody.

Jason’s American mother Mary has expressed hope her son will also be freed on bail.

“He is not a murderer. He is not a spy. This type of detention is hurting him. It’s hurting his family. We want him on bail, released, with his family,” she told reporters outside the court after the latest trial session on July 13.

Rezaian’s relatives have frequently expressed fears for his health, citing his need for medication to combat high blood pressure.

His lawyer and media have

been barred from revealing any details about the case.

Rezaian’s detention is politically sensitive because of his dual nationality, which Iran does not recognize.

The United States, one of six world powers that recently struck a nuclear agreement with Iran, has repeatedly called for his release.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who led the negotiations with Iran to curb its disputed nuclear program, told MSNBC he always raised the issue with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif each time they met. AFP

Zoo does cockroach PR role

Blockade. Farmers block the Oleron bridge linking Oleron Island with mainland France near Marennes

on July 22. A wave of strikes across the country has escalated this week in protest against raised prices on AFP

TOKYO—A Japanese zoo is trying to do the impossible—improve the image of cockroaches, putting on an exhibition of one of the world’s most hated insects.

With a whopping and disgusting 4,000 species around the planet, the hardy creature can survive almost anywhere, but is most commonly encountered by citydwellers in grubby corners of the kitchen, or roaming around the floor at night.

Staff at Shunanshi Tokuyama Zoo in Yamaguchi, western Japan, say the cockroach gets a bad press, and actually performs a vital job.

“They have such a negative image,” a zoo spokeswoman told AFP. “But they’re actually playing an important role in the food chain.”

Important, but not very pleasant-sounding: eating rotting car-

casses and dead plants on forest floors.

One highlight of the exhibition will be a five-way race among cockroaches, where visitors can watch the worryingly speedy bugs whizz down a track.

If that’s not entertainment enough, the zoo is offering the chance to get your hands on a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, which can grow as long as twoand-a-half inches.

No need to worry about this, though, assures the zoo.

Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches can’t fly. But they can hiss.

The exhibition has around 200 creatures from a total of 15 species on display, and is already proving popular, the spokeswoman said, adding 70 to 80 percent of visitors are stopping by. AFP

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CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD

E.L. Doctorow dies at age 84 NEW YORK—E.L. Doctorow, one of America’s most accomplished novelists of recent decades who was best known for his historical fiction, died Tuesday at the age of 84, US media reports said.

The award-winning author of historical novels such as “Ragtime,” “Billy Bathgate” and “The March,” died in a New York hospital of complications from lung cancer, his son Richard Doctorow told the New York Times.

The Bronx-born son of second-generation Russian Jews, Doctorow wielded a writing style that was bold and unusual, giving him the reputation of a creative experimenter.

His illustrious career spanned some six decades and a dozen novels, as well as many other writings.

Each work took different facts and fictional elements in a new direction, from Westerns to the detective story.

“E.L. Doctorow was one of America’s greatest novelists. His books taught me much, and he will be missed,” President Barack Obama said in a message posted on Twitter.

Edgar Lawrence Doctorow studied at Kenyon College in Ohio, and then did a year in the graduate program in drama at Columbia University. It was there he met his future wife, Helen Setzer, then an aspiring actress. They wed in Germany while Doctorow, who was drafted, served in the Army.

They had a son and two daughters.

After working at odd jobs and then in publishing, Doctorow’s first book, 1960’s “Welcome to Hard Times,” was a Western. He followed up with 1966’s “Big as Life,” inspired by science fiction.

“The Book of Daniel,” published in 1971, intertwined personal narrative with history.

Obama has called Doctorow’s “Ragtime” a personal favorite. AFP

Premiere. Actress Ashley Williams , left, and actress Christina Hendricks arrive at the premiere of DirecTV’s “Dark Places” at the Harmony Gold Theater on July 21 in Los Angeles, California. AFP

Plan to kill 2m cats slammed SYDNEY—French actress Brigitte Bardot has condemned an Australian plan to cull two million feral cats, blamed for wreaking havoc on native animals, to stop them further harming vanishing populations.

Feral cats have been identified as the main culprit behind Australia’s high rate of mammal extinction,

with more than 10 percent of species wiped out since Europeans settled here two centuries ago.

Environment Minister Greg Hunt has said the advice he has received is that the cats number 20 million across the country and devour countless native animals every night.

“They are tsunamis of violence and death for Australia’s native species,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation last week.

Hunt said a target of eradicating two million feral cats had been set for 2020, in addition to creating fe-

ral-free enclosures to aid the recovery of birds and mammals among other measures.

The government has stressed the eradication of cats will be carried out humanely, but Bardot urged the government to reconsider the plan which she said was “appalling” to the international community.

“This animal genocide is inhumane and ridiculous. In addition to being cruel, killing these cats is absolutely useless since the rest of them will keep breeding,” she said in the English translation of the

open letter to Hunt.

Bardot, who said the money set aside to destroy the animals would be better spent on setting up a large-scale sterilization campaign, said Australia’s public image was being hurt by its culling of animals.

Earlier this year officials said that close to 700 koalas had been killed off in southeastern Australia because overpopulation led to the animals starving, while feral camels and wild horses have been culled in the Outback to stop them destroying land.

“Your country is sullied by the

blood of millions of innocent animals so please, don’t add cats to this morbid record,” Bardot wrote.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said Wednesday that the culling of animals had been proven in the past to be ineffective and called on the government to look for long-term, non-lethal solutions including suppressing the cats’ fertility.

“Not only is shooting and poisoning cats cruel, culls have been shown to be unsuccessful in the long term,” a spokeswoman for PETA Australia told AFP. AFP

Big dip in teen sex in US in 25 years

Bilateral meeting. New Zealand’s Governor General Jerry Mateparae (second, left) speaks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (third, right) during a bilateral meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on July 22, 2015.

Mateparae is on a visit to China from July 20 to 24. AFP

WASHINGTON—Less than half of US teenagers today are sexually active, far fewer than in the late 1980s, a US government report said Wednesday.

The findings are based on survey data spanning 1988 to 2013, called the National Survey of Family Growth, offering a glimpse at national estimates of sexual activity, contraceptive use and childbearing among teenagers aged 15–19.

“In 2011–2013, 44 percent of female teenagers and 47 percent of male teenagers aged 15–19 had experienced sexual intercourse,” said the report by the National Center for Health Statistics.

“The percentage has declined significantly, by 14 percent for female and 22 percent for male teenagers, over the past 25 years.”

In 1988, 60 percent of teenage

boys and 51 percent of teenage girls were sexually active.

The lowest points were seen in the 2006-2010 range for females, with 43 percent saying they had had sex at least once.

For males, the lowest number was 46 percent in 2002.

When researchers separated the data by age, they found that 15-yearolds were the least likely to have had sex (about 15 percent).

The likelihood of sexual activity increased over time. Almost two in three 19-year-olds have experienced intercourse at least once, the report said.

The declining rates of sexually active youth coincide with previous research that has found a big drop in the teen birth rate.

In 2013, the teen birth rate of 27 per 1,000 people was less than a third

of the historically highest rate in 1957, when it was 96 per 1,000.

Contraception use has stayed about the same in recent years, with condoms still being the most popular choice followed by withdrawal and oral contraceptives, the report found.

“In 2011–2013, 79 percent of female teenagers and 84 percent of male teenagers used a method of contraception the first time they had sexual intercourse,” it said.

“The percentages have not changed over time.”

Emergency contraceptive use has climbed from eight percent of girls in 2002 to 22 percent in 2011–2013.

By age 17, girls who did not use a contraceptive method the first time they had sex were five times as likely to become pregnant as girls who did use some kind of method. AFP

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TATUM ANCHETA EDITOR

BING PAREL

A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R

BERNADETTE LUNAS

life @ thestandard.com .ph

WRITER

@LIFEatStandard

W EL L BEING

LIFE

GET FIT NOW: 7 WAYS TO DO IT

How do they do it? We ask 7 of today’s fittest bodies how they get in shape and stay in top form.

BY KAI MAGSANOC

I

wish I could be like her. I wonder how she does it.

We’ve all had this thought run through our minds as we stare at a person we admire and want to be.

Then we look at ourselves and sigh. It seems pointless, doesn’t it? Is there any way to get out of this rut?

Can a person who has fallen off the fitness wagon get back on it?

The answer: yes — with determination, grit, and a clear set of priorities.

With all the illnesses plaguing society today — from cancer to Ebola to MERS — it pays to know that a healthy body with a strong immunity is the best form of defense.

We ask seven of the fittest personalities what their secrets are to staying healthy. Here’s what they have to say:

LEO POSADAS

Professional makeup artist I have a low-fat, high-protein diet. My food intake is a maximum of three times a day. I make sure to avoid dairy and food that are too creamy. I take supplements that keep me energized while they cleanse and detox my body. My favorite routine to end my day is to spend two hours at the gym. I usually do a lot of cardio and core exercises before I do lifting.

I go to the gym four times a week, depending on my availability.

ARA ARIDA

Third Runner-Up, Miss Universe 2013 I have not eaten rice for four years now. I eat small, frequent meals and always have tea or warm water after meals. I always keep myself hydrated with lukewarm water. I go to the gym at least three times a week, doing cardio. I make sure I get a good eight hours of sleep. I stay positive and always try to be happy.

TERESA HERRERA-ANTHONY

Professional model, host, and art entrepreneur

Healthy habit: green juice.

Wellness regimen: daily meditation and gratitude.

BEA ROSE SANTIAGO

DAN MEJIA

Miss International 2013

Communication Responsible, H&M Philippines

For a month now, I’ve been a pescetarian, and through Livewell, I have been successful (they deliver my food for the whole day). I always have a balanced meal of greens (the more colorful, the better), brown rice, and fish or seafood. I sleep early to look fresh the next day. Once a month I go to confession. It’s my way to feel relaxed and at peace. I think it is very important to be healthy — emotionally and physically.

My healthy habit includes going to the gym regularly. I am always conscious about my daily food intake. I try my best to always stick to my sleeping time. I invest in fruits; they’re part of my weekly grocery list.

I read a lot about healthy food online to keep me informed of my choices and purchases. I avoid drinking soda; I’d always go for water, anytime and anywhere. I run a minimum of five kilometers almost everyday. Best of all, I don’t take my work home.

EVAN TAN

Regional Director for Southeast Asia, Freelancer.com I’ve been a committed vegetarian since 2005. I try to make better dietary choices by reading nutrition facts, and checking the ingredients of the food I buy. I keep active by hitting the gym at least three times a week.

Exercise is only part of the equation: eating properly matters a lot. I also try to be more aware of my thoughts and emotions, which I think is necessary in identifying bad habits. I’m not perfect, but I strive to be better. I think it’s important that you accept your current level — physically and mentally — so you can improve.

MARC NASH

Professional model and event host I try as much as possible to eat a well-balanced meal every time I eat; equal parts of meat, greens, and carbs. But for diet purposes, to stay in shape, I remove my carb intake once the clock strikes 6 p.m. I get at least eight hours of sleep, with an early start in the gym.”

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

ADULTING IS STRESSFUL; HERE’S HOW YOU CAN RELAX

THE GIST

BY ED BIADO

T

he pressure at work can sometimes get you down.

Having responsibilities (or as we like to call them these days, “adulting”) can be overwhelming. Twohour traffic jams can suck the life out of you. Life’s not a walk in the park and all these triggers pile up to form one huge stress-fest. This is why we go on vacations. But

your next planned holiday is months away, you say, and you direly need to de-stress right now.

Fret not because there are activities you can do today – or at least, during the weekends – that can instantly calm your nerves and refresh your mind and body. Here are some of our favorites:

Read a book while sipping tea. Alone.

Disconnect from your physical and virtual strings for a couple of hours and enjoy a good old-fashioned book. I’m talking about an actual printed book here because it will help you focus. Ebooks simply won’t do as they’re in your phone or tablet, which is the very source of distraction.

There’s also the subtle connection between a book in your hand and simpler and less stressful times, before digital tech took over everything. So find a quiet spot away from the hustle and bustle, and enjoy a good book with a soothing cup of tea.

Listen to chill-out music.

Do some coloring.

Good friends are associated with good times and endless fun. Simply hanging out with your inner circle takes you back to those times and you’ll find it easier to forget about the things that are currently stressing you out. So when you feel like you need it, get the crew together for a quick coffee session after work. Just remember to keep the conversation light.

The positive effects of music are well documented. So it makes sense that during stressful times, blocking out the peripheral noise with relaxing tunes can do wonders.

There are music apps dedicated to relaxation that you can download. You can also look for playlists on your favorite streaming service. Or why not make your own? To get you started, check out this selection, “Relaxation by #TheGist” on Spotify: http://spoti.fi/1MCqYED.

Have coffee with close friends.

Pictures are a great alternative for those who can’t sit still with a 500-page novel. Modern society’s collective ADHD is probably why coloring books for adults were created as a stress reliever. These workbooks, which are so popular right now, are helping us remember how fun and gratifying it is to make an image come alive with color – and it’s relaxing too. As the tagline of the coloring book Splendid Cities instructs, “color your way to calm.”

Take a hobby class.

Me-time doesn’t always have to be spent alone. Spending time doing something you love – even if there are a bunch of strangers around – qualifies as me-time as well. A lot of people have reported feeling less stressed during and after participating in a hobby class. It can be physical, like dance, or mental, like language. There are plenty of seminars and workshops offered all over town – calligraphy, cooking, photography, pottery, you name it – that are not only relaxing, but enriching as well.

Visit an art gallery.

Psychologists say that being surrounded by beautiful things is therapeutic. And where else can you find a high concentration of such objects? An art gallery, of course. You don’t have to be a connoisseur to appreciate art. You don’t have to interpret the pieces and explore the emotions and motivations of the artists. You just have to be there physically and mentally.

Clear your thoughts and enter a whole new world of beauty.

Junior Environmental Scouts

Underwater cleanup in Surigao City

Shore It Up volunteer divers

Shoring up the country’s marine ecosystem

M

arine ecosystems are vital to maintaining food security and the survival of all forms of life on this planet. According to the United Nations Environment Program, oceans face diverse threats that are related to the over-exploitation of resources and therefore impact climate change.

One conglomerate that has made a commitment to environmental protection and preservation is Metro Pacific Investment Corp. that recently concluded the seventh edition of its award winning corporate social responsibility program, dubbed as Shore It Up in Surigao City.

The country’s longest corporatebacked environmental program, Shore It Up utilizes volunteer scuba divers from the MVP Group of Companies to clean the seabed from non-biodegradable waste materials.

Participated in by some 100 divers

from the MVP Group and host groups, the event is by far the biggest underwater cleanup activity in Mindanao, focusing on the Hinatuan Passage, a channel which covers seven towns of Surigao del Norte. The simultaneous dive and coastal cleanup at the seaside boulevard and dock for outrigger boats yielded more than two tons of garbage, most of which were plastic bottles, wrappers, plastic utensils, old clothes and rubber tires.

Collaborating in this year’s environmental drive are the Surigao del Norte Provincial Government, Surigao City Government, Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippine Navy, PNP Maritime Group, the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Hotel Tavern, and Punta Bilar Dive Center. Participating Metro Pacific firms are Philex Mining Corp., Silangan Mining Corp, Smart, PLDT Smart Foundation, PLDT, One

Surigao Del Norte governor Sol Matugas

Meralco Foundation, Maynilad, North Luzon Expressway.

The divers also conducted the Junior Environmental Scouts JES seminar involving children to inculcate concern for Mother Earth through creative art.

This year’s edition gathered some 800 elementary school participants from all over the province, the biggest batch so far

for Shore It Up. The participants also held an environmental forum facilitated by Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines director AA Yaptinchay on the country’s fragile marine ecosystem and the role of divers in helping its ecological balance.

MPIC vice president for communications Melody Del Rosario said that Surigao del Norte was chosen as venue for this year’s edition to build on the momentum of Shore It Up when it was held in Del Carmen town in Siargao Island in 2013. With this endeavor, the Metro Pacific Group hopes to bring positive impact on the environmental, economic and socio-cultural life of the province.

Since its inception in 2009 after typhoon Ondoy struck, the program has been held in key coastal areas such as Mabini, Batangas; Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro; Subic Bay Freeport Zone; Hundred Islands

National Park in Alaminos City, Pangasinan; Del Carmen in Siargao Island, and Panglao and Pamilacan Islands in Bohol.

Previous SIU editions brought about the establishment of Mangrove Propagation and Information Centers in Alaminos, Del Carmen and Bohol to sustain the environmental initiatives.

SIU has tapped more than 70,000 volunteers, and has partnered with some 300 local and national government agencies, community organizations, socio-civic groups, and private entities.

Shore It Up is a recipient of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines’ Anvil Award of Merit for sustained environmental program for the environment from 2011 to 2013, as well as the Best Corporate Social Responsibility Program in the Corporate Governance Asia Award in the same period.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

The Philippines’ “power fruits”: Coconut, banana, pineapple and mango.

FRUIT POWER

@LIFEatStandard

thus aids in fighting arthritis, heart disease, gastric ulcer, anemia, and depression.

As an excellent source of vitamin C, pineapple helps combat the formation of free radicals that cause cancer and also improves skin texture. Since pineapple is rich in fiber, it also promotes healthy digestion and prevents diabetes.

Not to be outdone is the world’s “queen of fruits” – mango – which is also the country’s national fruit. Mangoes from the Philippines are considered to be the sweetest in the world, and these fruits are rich in vitamins A, B-6, C, and K, and carotenoids that strengthen the immune system. It contains antioxidants that fight leukemia as well as colon, breast, and prostate cancers; and iron that is effective in fighting anemia.

The food and beverage industry happens to be one of Europe’s most important and dynamic industrial sectors, with tropical fruits being niche products in the region.

European Union consumers are shifting from basic fruit towards more exotic and tropical fruits that have healthy benefits. As some fruits are not locally grown in the EU while some are only produced seasonally, the region heavily relies on importing fresh and processed tropical fruits from different countries including the Philippines.

The EU is ranked as the fourth most important trading partner of the Philippines, with Germany as the largest trading partner in the region. EU sources 75 percent of its coconut oil imports from the Philippines.

Additionally, it is one of the leading regions with the most demand for Philippine mangoes and pineapples.

Healthy Philippine produce on exhibit in Europe

I

f the Western world has “super fruits,” the Philippines has its own “power fruits,” and they will become the cynosure of all eyes during the Anuga 2015 trade exhibit, the largest global food and beverage fair at Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany this October.

A select group of 32 exhibitors from the Philippines will showcase healthy and natural products derived from coconuts, bananas, mangoes, and pineapples – the power fruits.

Coconut water and meat are rich in potassium and magnesium, and contain a considerable amount of vitamin B, which helps in strengthening the muscles, preventing fatigue, and maintaining normal heart function. It has the ability to clear up and moisturize the skin from within, aids

in the prevention of indigestion, boosts hydration, reduces blood pressure, and pushes out urinary stones. The Philippines’ coconut exports have diversified over the years, ranging from food and non-food products, enabling this palm to gain the distinction of being called the “tree of life.”

Banana is high in potassium and low in salt which helps stabilize blood pressure and prevent stroke. The fruits’ varieties include saba or Cardava, lacatan, latundan, bongolan, Cavendish, señorita, chiquita, bangara, and kadulce from Tacloban, tindok from Cebu, among others, each with distinct flavor and quality. Research shows that the Cardava variety, used in making the famous banana chips, is rich in potassium and dietary fiber, and

“The increasing demand for food products that meet EU consumers’ standards for safety, taste, health, and nutrition poses a huge opportunity for Food Philippines exporters,” said Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) Executive Director Rosvi C. Gaetos, adding that the Philippine “power fruits” are not only rich in vitamins and minerals but are likewise considered as superior in taste and aroma.

As the world’s leading trade fair for food exporters, Anuga is a significant business platform for the Philippines’ power fruits and food products derived from them. These power fruits are deemed to be the best-tasting as well as nutritious fruits in the world, owing to the country’s tropical weather and soil.

Spearheaded by CITEM, the export promotions arm of the Department of Trade and Industry, the country’s delegation to Germany will bring processed fruits (dried mangoes, dried pineapple, dried young coconut, coconut gel, dried banana, banana chips, fruit preserves, fruit-based ingredients, canned juices, and dried fruits and nuts); canned and frozen seafood; breads and confectioneries; snacks and noodles; and sauces and condiments, backed by strict adherence to international food standards.

The delegation consists of food companies committed to continuous product improvement to provide the highest level of quality food products, making sure to offer products designed to meet the needs of its various clients – manufacturing sector, food service sector, and retail mainstream market. By adopting current organic farming and manufacturing practices while using the best and safest technology, these Food Philippines companies use techniques in processing that allow the retention of the raw materials’ natural flavor, color, and aroma while prolonging shelf life.

Food Philippines is the industry brand for the food sector which unifies the overseas promotional efforts of CITEM. Under this industry brand, the Philippines is positioned as Asia’s most exciting sourcing destination for food exports, being one of the world’s top exporters of tropical fruits and marine products.

The Philippine pavilion at Anuga will be located at Hall1.1 Aisles – D030g, D040g, E039g, and E049g.

Hydration in the classroom: Are your kids well-covered?

T

he human body loses at least 2.5 liters of body fluids even without any strenuous activity or physical training, or even on a leisurely day at work or school. According to the Natural Hydration Council, children are more at risk of dehydration than adults. Due to their lower body weight, kids have a smaller reserve of body fluids. Their lower sweating capacity also gives them a higher water turnover. Additionally, their active lifestyles make them even more prone to losing water.

“Hydration is very important for children especially during the school year when they are more active. More importantly, studies suggest that hydration affects the academic performance of kids,” says Janeth Leus, Pocari Sweat’s brand manager.

Body fluids play a vital role in both the physical and mental performance of an individual. They carry oxygen and nutrients to cells and also help maintain body temperature through sweating. If the body loses three percent of body fluids, dehydration

symptoms like fatigue will start to occur. A 4-5 percent fluid loss can cause dizziness while a 10 percent decrease in body fluids can be fatal.

A common concern among parents is that their children may not be getting proper hydration in the wake of school activities. The predominance of carbonated drinks and sweetened beverages is also a challenge. “These drinks do not provide the same level of hydration as water. Regular consumption of these beverages can also lead to weight gain and obesity,” Leus explains.

Pocari Sweat is a refreshing drink especially made to cater to this need.

Made with the right combination of minerals such as Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, and Calcium, this drink is a healthy and effective way to ward off spontaneous dehydration.

MORE THAN JUST WATER

The major electrolyte composition of Pocari Sweat is close to body fluid so that it is quickly absorbed, allowing for optimum physical and mental performance the kids need to breeze through school.

Hydration is important for children as it affects their performance in school.

This drink is also safe for kids as young as one year old. Moreover, its mild and refreshing taste is a good break from sweetened beverages and flavorless water. Beverages served at cool temperatures are said to encourage better fluid intake.

“The responsibility of parents goes beyond just providing their

children the right drinks. It is also up to them to teach their kids good hydration habits,” says Leus.

It is suggested that kids should have 6-8 drinks per day. Sweetened beverages and sodas laden with empty calories should be kept away from lunchboxes as much as possible.

Rehydration is not always top-ofmind among parents. However, this is something that parents have to be concerned about as it can affect the wellbeing of their children.

Teaching kids about correct drinking behavior is therefore an important lesson that will give them an added edge in school.

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 2 3 : 2 0 1 5

C4

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

HEALTH BULLETIN THE KEYS TO QUALITY SLEEP

Experts stress that sleep greatly affects health, making it important that people seek a high quality good night’s sleep.

According to Dr. Phyllis C. Zee, director of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine’s Sleep Disorders Center, aerobic exercise is a simple strategy to help people feel better and sleep well. Sleeping in a cool, dark and quiet room is another way to achieve this often elusive quality sleep. Going to bed at the same time every night (weekends included) and not staying in bed too long if you can’t fall asleep should also be practiced.

Local experts also pointed out that a smooth, soft and cool mattress will help support the body’s key pressure areas and ensure that it is perfectly aligned. Made under its sleep science technology, Uratex Philippines’ mattresses feature sanitation, tencel, memory foam, pocketed coil, 3D spacer fabric, and hydragel memory foam – important components that promote better sleep.

HEALTHY PREGNANCY TIPS

Pregnancy is a life-changing experience for most women.

While their bodies go through many changes, they’re also at increased risk of health issues and accidents. During this period, a couple of lifestyle changes are necessary to keep themselves and their babies healthy.

•

FIGHT FORM:

MMA for everyone FINE FETTLE

BY BUBBLES PARAISO

A

s I talked about functional fitness in my first article, let me share with you one of my favorite functional fitness workouts around: Fight Form.

Fight Form is a sports specific functional training program that is aimed at fighters and non-fighters alike. If a basketball player has to shoot 100 balls in a basket per night to practice his muscle memory for shooting, fighters have to practice all their movements for the ring or the cage as well.

Mixed Martial Arts or MMA is jiu jitsu, wrestling, Muay Thai, Capoiera and wushu put together, and is known as the highest form of competition. While they may all fall under the MMA category, each sport is different as Muay Thai moves are more anaerobic while jiu jitsu moves are more isometric.

When MMA champ Erwin Tagle opened Ultimate Fitness in Metrowalk, he wanted to create a workout for everyone. It is circuit training using different martial arts movements put together. The fight scenario is simulated and will make you feel or experience the physical

challenge that fighters usually go through in a fight but without the physical contact. This is great for people like me (especially ladies) who want to learn the moves of jiu jitsu but don’t want to physically grapple with someone and exchange sweat – people who don’t want to do contact sports because they are too grossed out from the sweat of others but want to perfect the form and stance that fighters have.

He then named this training program Fight Form.

Imagine yourself getting to do wrestling movements without contact, punching and kicking the pads without having to worry about getting hit back, perfecting your form for boxing and Muay Thai, all while burning 600–700 calories per 30 minutes. Isn’t that enticing?

When Geoff Eigenmann needed to lose weight for a lead role he was about to portray, he trained for three months and shed 40 lbs. just by doing Fight Form religiously. I’ve seen a lot of people lose tons of weight in the gym also. What’s special about this high intensity interval workout is that it helps develop your mind to be mentally tough and at the same time teaches you the movements AND the philosophy of martial arts. Discipline, humility, focus, perseverance.

Everything is learned through this exercise. It is a mental game especially when you have to hold a certain pose for a few seconds or minutes or have to keep going. Perhaps the biggest difference is that in martial arts, fitness is not a priority, it only comes in second. But in Fight Form, fitness comes first before anything else.

•

• •

THE WORKOUT

Each basic workout is usually three rounds of five minutes each, just like a regular fight. With 5-10 minutes of warm up drills beforehand, of course.

Each round is a circuit of different martial arts movements, i.e. wrestling sprawl, jiu jitsu sit outs, Muay Thai knees, ground and pound and wushu squats, among others. There is a oneminute break in between rounds to drink water and catch your breath.

Sometimes, all three rounds are the same movements to be repeated over and over, just like doing sets when you workout. Other times, the movements differ per round and get a bit harder as you carry on. There may be as much as 17 stations per round and as little as three, but the fewer the stations, the longer you have to keep going. If a championship round is simulated, it goes on to five rounds. And if you are strong enough to join the Fight Form Challenge, it means going on for 50 stations with no break.

As someone who has been a Muay Thai enthusiast for more than six years, I enjoy doing this workout for it really does help me with my kicks and punches. I punch harder and kick stronger whenever I do mitts or spar with my trainer. Sure, I don’t professionally fight in the cage or on the ring, but knowing that I have these skills makes me confident enough that I can defend myself if need be.

Fight Form is available not only in Ultimate Fitness but in other submission sports-affiliated gyms like SafeHouse in Quezon City and Anytime Fitness in Bonifacio Global City.

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @bubblesparaiso

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Eat balanced meals that are rich in calories and essential nutrients, and are prepared properly.

Drink eight to 10 glasses of water every day to keep hydrated and prevent constipation, hemorrhoids, urinary tract and bladder infections, contractions, and premature or early labor.

Stay active and exercise to prepare the body for pain and discomfort from labor and delivery, but make sure to consult a doctor before starting a fitness routine.

Wear comfortable maternity wear which are especially made to provide adequate comfort and support; set aside, for the meantime, high heels and platform shoes and opt for a pair of flats and loafers; wearing support stockings can also minimize foot and ankle swelling.

Quit smoking and drinking alcoholic and caffeinated beverages as these can slow down the baby’s development and sometimes result in preterm birth and miscarriage.

Get at least four prenatal care consultations, during which time the health of the expectant mother and her baby is closely monitored and they are also provided with essential vitamins and supplements.

For free consultations and tests on obstetrics, visit The MediCard free-standing clinics.

COGNIZING COLORECTAL CANCER

Colorectal cancer is one of the most prevalent cancer types worldwide and ranks among the top five most common types of cancer in the Philippines.

Colorectal or bowel cancer can either start in the colon (colon cancer) or in the rectum (rectal cancer). Most CRC cancer cells start as polyps (abnormal growths in the inner lining) that are not malignant except for adenoma that becomes cancerous over time or in about 10 years – which explains why majority of those who are diagnosed with the disease are 50 years old and above.

The risk increases with age, but it can also develop in younger people (although much less frequently) who have poor diet and unhealthy lifestyle.

Considered a “silent killer,” it does not cause signs and symptoms at the early stages. Crucial signs include diarrhea or constipation that lasts for days, abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting, rectal bleeding, and a relentless feeling of moving your bowels. It is, however, 90 percent curable when diagnosed early, hence underlining the importance of regular colorectal cancer screenings and tests including colonoscopy, CT colonography, and flexible sigmoidoscopy, among others.

The MediCard Lifestyle Center offers endoscopy and other medical services. Visit its website at http://medicardphils. com for more information.

T H U R S DAY : J U LY 2 3 : 2015

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

C5

Wawa competes in Cinemalaya 2015

‘TAKLUB’ TO OPEN CINEMALAYA 2015

B

rillante Mendoza’s Taklub (Trap) will open the 11th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

Taklub received a special commendation from the Ecumenical Jury at the recent Cannes Film Festival. It tells the story of three survivors of typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban. The Yolanda-inspired drama, which also opened the 20th French Film Festival, stars Nora Aunor, Julio Diaz, Lou Veloso, Soliman Cruz, Ruby Ruiz, and Aaron Rivera.

Cinemalaya Foundation President Laurice Guillen also introduced the 10 short film finalists that will compete for the grand prize of P150,000.00 in the main competition. The festival will run from Aug.7 to 15 at the CCP in Pasay City and Greenbelt 3 in Makati . Apart from the short film competition, Cinemalaya 2015 will also

BY SEYMOUR BARROS SANCHEZ

have an Asian section featuring award-winning films from neighboring countries, Indie Nation premiering full-length indie films, and Cinemalaya Restrospective showcasing the best films of the festival for the past 10 years.

The competing short films are Apasol (Chasing Sun) by Ryanne Murcia, Gatilyo ng Baril by Glenmark Doromal and Eero Yves Francisco, Kyel by Arvin Belarmino, Lisyun Qng Geografia (Geography Lessons) by Petersen Vargas, Mater by Annemikami Pablo, Nenok by Rommel Tolentino, Papetir

by Darwin Novicio, Pusong Bato (Stone Heart) by Martika Ramirez Escobar, Sanctissima by Kenneth Lim Dagatan, and Wawa by Angelie Mae Macalanda.

A finalist in the Zamboanga Film Festival, 10th Mindanao Film Festival, and Singkuwento International Film Festival, Murcia’s Apasol tells the story of a gay couple who

spends their final afternoon together wishing on a tree, waiting for them to disappear with the sun.

De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde digital filmmaking alumni Doromal and Francisco co-directed Gatilyo ng Baril, which is inspired by the assassination attempt on former First Lady Imelda Marcos.

A black comedy/crime thriller, Belarmino’s Kyel is about a troubled man who finds his own cure in the vast darkness of his room. Trying to lure his lover to come back, he discovers a new form of therapy – his greatest ordeal, a terrible encounter he has to escape from.

After winning Best Thesis at the UP Film Institute, Vargas’ Lisyun Qng Geografia is a coming of age Kapampangan film. It tells the story of a young man who, guided by a map his high school best friend made for him, retraces the memories of their friendship before he

Brilliante Mendoza's Taklub with Nora Aunor is the opening film of Cinemalaya 2015

leaves their hometown for good..

Pablo, a broadcasting majot at Bulacan State University, directed Mater, which is about a mother and her daughter who find their escape out of the loophole that binds them together at a time when extreme devotion and unconditional love collide.

Tolentino is back with Nenok, about a street child living in a church as his temporary shelter.

Novicio, a graduate of the first Brillante Mendoza film workshop, fields his project Papetir, which is about a ventriloquist who suddenly finds himself talking with his past during a performance at a children’s party.

Pusong Bato is Escobar’s filmwithin-a-film about a washed-up actress who tries to revive her glorious days as a movie star.

An entry from the University of San Carlos cinema program, Dagatan’s Sanctissima focuses on

an abortionist who lives alone with a dark secret. Her only contact with the outside world are her patients who are oblivious of what happens to the fetus that she extracts from them. Her reclusive world is threatened when a patient gets complications from an abortion and she vows to do everything to protect her well-kept secret.

Macalanda fields another award-winning short film in Wawa, which portrays a young boy’s journey as he and his relatives take his father to his final resting place.

Guillen said the full-length film category will resume next year.

Finalists are expected to receive production grants of 750,000 pesos each, up from the previous 500,000 pesos, which had been given to grant winners for the past 10 festival editions. Finalists will be announced during the awards night on Aug. 15.

JENNIFER LAWRENCE PLAYS TOUGH TYCOON

T

he latest Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and Robert De Niro onscreen reunion happens in Joy directed and written by David O’Russell.

Joy is the wild story of a family across four generations centered on the girl who becomes the woman who founds a business dynasty and becomes a matriarch in her own right. Betrayal, treachery, the loss of innocence and the scars of love, pave the road in this intense emotional and human comedy about becoming a true boss of family and enterprise facing a world of unforgiving commerce. Allies become adversaries and adversaries become allies, both inside and outside the family, as Joy’s inner life and fierce imagination carry her through the storm she faces.

It is based on a true story about Joy Mangano, who invented the phenomenally successful “Miracle Mop” in the 1990s. Joy founded a company named “Ingenious Designs,” which she eventually sold to USA Networks, the parent company of the HSN. By 2001, she’d sold five million Miracle Mops worldwide, and had more than $200 million in annual retail sales, according to a New York Times profile.

Touted to be as a major awards contender, Joy also features and remarkable cast that includes Edgar Ramirez, Isabella Rossellini, Diane Ladd, and Virginia Madsen. Like David O. Russell’s previous films, Joy defies genre to tell a story of family, loyalty, and love.

Joy will open in cinemas in February 2016 from 20th Century Fox and distributed by Warner Bros.

Jennifer Lawrence plays Joy Mangano in new film

Lawrence with Bradley Cooper In Joy

Joy Mangano invented the "Miracle Mop"

T H U R S DAY : J U LY 2 3 : 2015

C6

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

FROM WEDDING SINGERS TO POP STARS GLENN REGONDOLA Erik Santos and Angeline Quinto have one thing in common – they both won a singing competition on ABS-CBN. Angeline was the champion of Star Power: Sharon’s Search for the Next Female Superstar in 2010, while Erik was the adjudged grand winner in Star In A Million in 2003.

Also, behind their success story is a humble tale that narrates their struggle to fame. Indeed, making it big in showbiz doesn’t happen overnight.

At the press con of their first-ever major concert together titled Erik Santos and Angeline Quinto At The Araneta Coliseum, the two reminisced how they started out in the business.

“I was a wedding singer and a student then. I was being paid, P200.00. I would give P50.00 to the organist, so just do the math to know how much was my take home ,” Erik recalled.

Angeline’s story is very similar.

She used to sing at funerals. “ I was earning a thousand pesos for three songs, that is if the family of the dead is rich. I also sang for weddings and birthday parties,” she said.

But these are things of the past.

Now, the two can command talent fees more than what they were earning back when they were still unknown singers.

Erik Santos and Angeline Quinto at the Araneta Coliseum on Aug. 15 will feature the songs that made Erik and Angeline earn the moniker “King and Queen of Theme Songs.” The show is directed by Johnny Mahanan with Homer Flores is the musical director.

Angeline Quinto and Erik Santos have things in common, including singing at weddings and funerals

Coco Martin and Vice Ganda are the best of friends

Coco Martin has three reasons why he’s excited about the film Beauty and Bestie, his latest big screen project with Star Cinema.

First, this is the first time he’s in a movie with his best friend, Vice Ganda. Coco and Vice are longtime buddies even before they became box-office stars.

Secondly, this is also the first time that Vice, Wenn Deramas (who’s directing the film) and himself are working in an entry to the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 38 39 40 41 42 43

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Minibus 4 I beg your pardon!

8 Gyro pocket 12 Rum-soaked cake 13 Caribbean republic 14 Fashion’s — Simpson 16 Determine, as a ref 17 Thicken, as cream 18 Sniffles 19 Pub pint

20 22 24 25 26 28 31 34 35 36 37

Giant strides (2 wds.)

Waltz king Mama — Elliot “A pox upon thee!”

Lowly laborer Baseball’s — Ripken Tailoring job Bates or Arkin Go to the polls Skunk’s defense DJ Howard —

44 45 47 51 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64

— out (withdraws) Feverish chill Ember Part of the act Stimpy’s buddy In the — of Morpheus So! PC fodder Nutty confection Toasted goody Family mem.

Union demand Feast with poi A Marx Gloss Coffee brewers Off-road vehicles Mach 1 breakers Ration out “Neigh” homophone

DOWN 1 Arched ceiling 2 More competent 3 Lassie’s refusal 4 Point the finger 5 Grass-skirt dances 6 Deep black 7 Actor — Damon 8 Arcade classic (hyph.)

9 Megastars

And lastly, he will be paired, also for the first time, with sexy star Ellen Adarna.

“I’m very glad that I will be working with Ellen. It’s a dream come true for me to work with a such a beautiful actress like her,” Coco told members of the entertainment press at a recent press conference.

The actor promises that he will do his best to make his audience laugh in Beauty and Bestie. He is known more as dramatic actor than a comedian, that’s why he is working hard to meet his supporters’ expectation.

THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2015

10 11 12 15 20 21 23 26 27 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 37 41 43 44 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 58

Hubble, e.g.

Swit co-star Bikini halves Sixth sense Throw in the towel Storrs coll.

Eager Defendants’ answers Countess’s husband Memo abbr.

— -majeste Shuttle launch sound Advantage Ironworks Bohr’s study Outspoken Get out fast Irish playwright Acropolis locale Wake up Strength Chlorophyll maker Teed off Brain messenger Architects’ wings Newlywed title Sighs of relief Grad Tempt Auntie Em’s st.

Mutya ng Pilipinas 2015 candidates at Puerto Princesa airport

MUTYA NG PILIPINAS 2015 CANDIDATES IN PALAWAN

S

ome 30 lovely candidates of Mutya ng Pilipinas 2015 wave to the crowd upon arrival at Puerto Prinsesa City airport. They all tookSkyjet Airlines from Manila on July 20.

With them is Skyjet President Dino Reyes-Chua.

The Mutya ng Pilipinas coronation night will be on August 2, 2015 at Resorts World Manila.

PHOTO: DENNIS CAPARAS-ABRINA

T H U R S DAY : J U LY 2 3 : 2015

C7

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

KINABAYO FESTIVAL IN DAPITAN CITY

T

DISCOVERY COMMISSIONS SABAH QUAKE SPECIAL

From C8

he annual Kinabayo Festival, which draws local and foreign guests to Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Norte this time of the year, is currently ongoing. The weeklong festival spearheaded

by Dapitan City Mayor Rosalina Jalosjos started on July 16 and will culminate on July 25.

Held daily are various activities, among them dance competitions, a traditional horse race, Moro-cross, beach volleyball and others. Highlight of the event is the coronation of Miss Dapitan City on July 23. Among the judges are Gil Wagas, Eva Patalinjug, Richard Hinola, Hilario Tamor, Jessy Salvador, and Godfrey Dimaandal. Hosts of the coronation program are JC Baron and Neil Perez, Mr. International 2014.

Another exciting highlight of this year’s Kinabayo Festival is the World Costumes Festival.

Svetlana Jalosjos-de Leon, VPSales and Marketing of Dakak Properties, said representatives from Japan and Indonesia – Kazue Hatano, Afif Ghurub Bestari and Eddy Suparyono – will join their Philippine counterparts in a workshop/lecture on culture and the arts. The costumes made from the workshop will be among those to be worn during the World Costumes Festival Parade.

Performers during the Kinabayo Festival include Junior New System (Asia’s Got Talent 2015 finalist), July 23 at Brgy. Uno,

Gloria de Dapitan; and Velocity X, July 23-24, also at Brgy. Uno. Popular showbiz personalities are also expected to grace the festival.

Kinabayo Festival is sponsored by Tanduay, Gloria’s Fantasyland (the Philippines’ version of Disneyland and the only theme park in the Visayas and Mindanao), Dakak Park Beach Resort, Thea Complex, Ultra Mega, Kokuryu Cosmetics and Gloria’s Bowlodrome.

POPE FRANCIS GOES #POPEPULAR A whole lot of music, laughter, and inspiration will go on stage as the Philippine Stagers Foundation (PSF)—a multi-awarded and fast-rising professional theater company—premieres its biggest musical production titled, #popepular, Pano kung Pinoy si Kiko?, a pop-rock musical based on the life of Pope Francis and modern-day Filipino heroes.

The play, scheduled to premiere on July 24 at the Adamson University Theater, was penned and directed by world renowned stage director and award-winning writer, Atty. Vincent Tañada and was co-written by Adamson University president, Rev. Fr. Gregorio L. Bañaga, Jr. “We want to utilize theater arts as a medium for learning. We thought of creating the musical as a way to inspire the youth to learn about the true meaning of

Poster of Kinabayo Festival in Dapitan

positive Filipino values such as heroism, voluntarism, and love for God,” said Fr. Bañaga, who is also the former president of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP).

Described as a “revelation” of the beloved Pope’s life, the musical aims to playfully tickle the minds of the audiences by answering the question: Pa’no kung Pinoy si Kiko? (What if the Pope was Filipino?)

The theatrical play, under the musical direction of Pipo Cifra, highlights certain events in the life of Pope Francis—from his pre-papal life to his life as a Pope—while integrating his journey to the stories of five modern-day Filipino heroes, whose lives were touched by the Pontiff.

“The musical employs indigenous movements and fuses them with a Western musical theater treatment to create a world theater masterpiece. It combines

Poster of #popepular

the parallel lives between our beloved pope and everyday Filipino heroes,” revealed Fr. Bañaga.

Considered the biggest production by the PSF, the grand musical, composed of 50 theater actors with lavish sets and costumes, will soon hit various venues in Metro Manila and chosen provinces.

DESIGNERS TO GO GLOBAL DHL, the world’s leading logistics provider, along with IMG, recently announced, during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin, the launch of Cycle Two of DHL Exported, a program that supports the fashion industry worldwide. This unique program was first launched last year and helped four designers from various countries successfully grow their businesses and brands internationally. DHL Exported provides an opportunity for designers who are established in their local market and gaining momentum internationally, to expand their global footprint via a show at one of the world’s most influential fashion week events.

“DHL Exported has been a real success.

We are happy to see that this program has truly assisted some very talented designers in breaking down international barriers and taking their brands to new markets. As the most international company in the world, we are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow. We look forward to receiving applications from designers around the world and making their journey to international trade a successful one”, said Arjan Sissing, senior vice president Corporate Brand Marketing, Deutsche Post DHL Group.

Until July 31, designers from around the world can submit their application package for Cycle Two of the program and opt to show their collections at one of the following events: New York Fashion Week, London Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week or Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo. This time around designers are required to have been in business for only four

Models on the runway for DHL Exported

years compared to seven previously. The applicants will be reviewed by a committee of global and regional experts in each of these markets who will select the designer which demonstrates the most potential to benefit from presenting their collections at the respective event.

“After the success of the inaugural cycle of DHL Exported, we are excited to once again open applications for the program and help designers introduce their brands to new markets,” said Catherine Bennett, SVP and Managing Director, IMG Fashion. “The continued support of the program by the British Fashion Council, Camera Della Moda Italiana and Japan Fashion Week Organization is crucial to the international expansion of participating designers, and together with our partners, IMG looks forward to uncovering the next generation of global brands.”

DHL Exported will sponsor four winners

for two consecutive seasons each, at the Fashion Week of their choice. Designers will receive a guaranteed spot on the event’s agenda along with a funded and produced runway show.

DHL will also cover all logistic costs related to producing and exporting the collection to New York, London, Milan or Tokyo for the designers’ runway debut, such as international shipping and exporting of hard goods.

The application is open from July 8th through July 31st. Finalists will be chosen in August for committee review and winners will be announced during an event at New York Fashion Week in September.

The application, program details, and nominating committee details are available at DHLExported.com.

DHL Exported is supported by the British Fashion Council, Camera Nazionale Della Moda, and Japan Fashion Week.

Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific (DNAP) announced it has commissioned the production of Sabah Quake, a one-hour special that returns to ground zero to examine the events and aftermath of the 5.9 magnitude earthquake that shook Sabah, Malaysia. With unparalleled access to Mount Kinabalu since the tragedy, the programme also evaluates the likelihood of future earthquakes in the region.

Charmaine Kwan, vice president of Programming – DNAP, said, “Discovery continues to deliver topical content about events that have gripped the region. Sabah Quake attempts to piece together the latest findings on the tragedy and aims to provide insight into the science of the disaster. At the core of the special, are touching human stories of bravery and human resilience - a fitting tribute to those whose lives were lost, and the ones they have left behind.”

At 7:15 a.m. on June 5, 2015, the Earth’s tectonic plates violently shifted, causing a huge earthquake that rocked Mount Kinabalu – Malaysia’s tallest peak and a tourist destination famed for its hiking trails and stunning view.

The quake stranded hundreds of climbers, and left 18 people – including hikers and mountain guides – dead. While the human tragedy made the headlines, there is also a chilling air of uncertainty unfolding in the international seismic community. Urgent questions are now being asked concerning how an earthquake of this magnitude could have happened in a largely “earthquake free” part of the world. And with once dormant fault lines under Malaysia now displaying signs of renewed activity, what are the possible implications for the surrounding regions?

Discovery Channel’s cameras follow British Malaysian host Henry Golding back to his homeland of East Malaysia, in an attempt to investigate why and how the earthquake happened. With the assistance and expertise of Mount Kinabalu guides who had rescued climbers stranded on that fateful day, Henry will retrace the path of survivors to reveal their harrowing experience. Henry’s journey will continue to Kuala Lumpur where he will learn about Malaysia and the region’s susceptibility to future earthquakes, travelling with seismic expects to witness for himself evidence of newly shifting fault lines visible on the ground. The programme will also feature actual footage of the earthquake and emotional accounts of those who lived through the ordeal.

SABAH QUAKE is commissioned by DNAP, and executive produced by Emile Guertin for DNAP and Ira Rakiz Tuffile for Matavia Reka.

T H U R S DAY : J U LY 2 3 : 2015

C8

ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ DENNIS TRILLO ALL SET FOR ‘MY FAITHFUL HUSBAND’ ISAH V. RED

Dennis Trillo gets perked up for his new role in The Faithful Husband on GMA7

Piolo Pascual is reunited with Toni Gonzaga in the new drama series

Sam Milby is glad he's cast along with Piolo Pascaul in new soap opera

Next month, soap opera fans will celebrate the return of one of the country’s finest and multi-awarded actors, Dennis Trillo, to Philippine primetime TV in GMA Network’s upcoming series My Faithful Husband.

The Drama King will be back on the Telebabad block breathing life to the character of Emman dela Paz, a devoted and doting husband to Mel and father to their children. He is willing to do anything for his family. However, he’ll feel great pains as he finds out that his wife has betrayed him.

According to Dennis, playing this character is far from what he has portrayed in the past. “Siguro hindi yung typical na lagi na lang porma, laging ayos.

Dito medyo deglamourized siya ng konti kasi yung character ni Emman, mababa lang pinag aralan niya. Hindi siya mayaman. Hindi siya maporma. Galing siya sa simpleng pamilya. Simpleng tao lang siya (Possibly, it isn’t the typical character that is clean cut and well groomed. This character is poor so he’s not glamorous. He comes from a very simple family).”

In addition, he says, “I am happy to play another challenging role. I am glad that GMA is entrusting me to play these kinds of roles. This time, the character I play is the faithful one. In Temptation of Wife, the character I played cheated on his wife. In My Husband’s Lover, I played

I am happy to play another challenging role.

I am glad that GMA is entrusting me to play these kinds of roles.

This time, the character I play is the faithful one

The cast of Written In Our Stars: (from left) Sam Milby, Toni Gonzaga, Piolo Pascual and Jolina Magdangal

–Dennis Trillo, actor

the ‘mistress’ so to speak. I haven’t tried this one, so the network gave me the assignment. I am gland I am able to play a variety of roles and I am thankful that GMA allows me to play them. At least, I am not repeating myself in every drama series that I am in.”

Playing opposite him in the series is Jennylyn Mercado as Mel, Emman’s wife. They first teamed up in the drama series Gumapang ka sa Lusak and anticipation is high for their reunion. The network believes that the two have very strong screen chemistry.

Dennis is excited to workwith Jennylyn again. “The last time we were in a drama series together was five years ago, in Dramarama. This time we will be on prime time. This isn’t your typical love story or love triangle. It will be the female character who will cheat on her husband.”

Bb. Joyce Bernal helms the drama series.

For fans of Trillo and Mercado, this is going to be an interesting piece of show in which they will try to read their body language to find out if they are back in each other’arms.

Yes, Dennis is also excited to work with Bernal. It is their first on a project.

PIOLO PASCUAL AND SAM MILBY TOGETHER No. This isn’t about anything except that the two ABS-CBN actors are in a soap together.

They star with Toni Gonzaga and Jolina Magdangal in Dreamscapes’ upcoming show Written In Our Stars on ABS-CBN. Andoy Ranay, who hopped over from Kapuso to Kapamilya (again!) directs the series from a Keiko Aquino teleplay.

Toni, who recently wed longtime partner Paul Soriano, said that she would be playing a married lady on the show. The project was pitched to her early this year.

Dreamscape announced the casting of the series on July 3 but left out details, like airing dates and on which time slot.

The actors are had already been briefed about story and their characters.

It is Jolina’s first time to work with Toni, Piolo and Sam after returning to the Kapamilya Network after years of being a Kapuso.

Toni had worked with Sam in several movies and TV series on ABS-CBN. She is reunited with Piolo for the first time on TV after the box-office film Starting Over Again (Star Cinema) in 2014.

Piolo and Sam will be working for the first time in a TV series. The two of them along with Toni are together in ASAP 20.

Continued on C7