The Standard - 2015 April 15 - Wednesday

VOL. XXIX  NO. 59  3 Sections 32 Pages P18  WEDNESDAY : APRIL 15, 2015  www.manilastandardtoday.com  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

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Napoles gets 40 years for detaining Luy

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‘MILF bribed to give up Liguasan’

SERENO TELLS SONNY: PROVE IT Next page

Flashback. The late BIFF founder Ameril Umbra Kato (center) is seen here with new BIFF leader Esmael Abubakar in happier days. Kato was said to have died of a heart attack on April 14. (Story on A3). MARK NAVALES

The Art of Living

by Armani

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Roach says Pacquiao is phenomenal

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Sereno asks Trillanes for proof

By Rey E. Requejo and Maricel V. Cruz

CHARGES of corruption in the judiciary must be substantiated by evidence before the Supreme Court can act on them, the tribunal said Tuesday.

New benchmark. President Benigno Aquino III addresses traders and officials before the ceremonial ringing of the bell on April 14 to celebrate the Philippine Stock Exchange’s breaking past the 8,000-level benchmark. AFP

Mayor Binay files libel suit against senator

By Joel E. Zurbano and Rey E. Requejo MAKATI Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay Jr. filed a libel complaint Tuesday against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for “publicly and maliciously” accusing him and his family of bribery and other crimes without factual basis.

In an interview aired April 7 over several radio and TV programs and directly quoted in newspapers, Trillanes publicly claimed that the mayor bribed members of the 6th Division of the Court of Appeals with millions of pesos in exchange for favorable action on his petition for a temporary restraining order to stop his preventive suspension.

In the news reports, Trillanes was also quoted as saying that the mayor and his family were “part of a syndicate” that has committed various crimes and irregularities.

In his complaint, Binay

said it was evident from the media interview of Trillanes and the subsequent article published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer under the headline “Trillanes: I will expose Binay paid for TRO”, that he had made the statements “despite the utter lack of evidence.”

“The damaging and ruinous claims spewed out by respondent Trillanes are mere concoctions and fabrications with no other purpose than to malign, discredit, ruin my reputation and besmirch my good name as well as that of my family,” Binay said.

The mayor pointed out that Trillanes himself had admitted during the interview that he had no valid proof or factual basis for his pronouncements.

Based on the actual interview, the senator appeared evasive when asked directly by reporters how he came to know about the alleged bribery, Binay’s complaint said.

Binay said Trillanes’ allegations were “attended with

malice in fact as they were prompted by ill will and spite inasmuch as they have no factual basis whatsoever and were not made in response to duty, but only with obvious intention to injure” his reputation and that of his family.

In a resolution, Trillanes asked the Senate to investigate the alleged bribery, and named two associate justices that he said received P25 million each to issue a temporary restraining order and, later, a preliminary writ of injunction.

In a statement, the Court of Appeals 6th Division denied Trillanes’ allegations and warned the senator against making baseless accusations that were tantamount to harassment.

Binay’s father, Vice President Jejomar Binay, also lambasted Trillanes for making false and malicious allegations.

Quoting unnamed sources, Trillanes said lawyer Arthur Villaraza facilitated the bribe,

with Appeals Court Justices Jose Reyes Jr. and Francisco Acosta receiving an initial P20 million each for issuing a TRO against the Office of the Ombudsman.

He added when the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Interior and Local Government did not heed the TRO, Reyes and Acosta were given P5 million each to issue a writ of preliminary injunction.

Villaraza also denied his involvement and challenged the senator to show proof to support his allegations.

The writ of preliminary injunction prevented the Ombudsman, the DILG and their agents from enforcing the March 10 sixmonth preventive suspension of Mayor Binay.

The Ombudsman suspended Binay and other city government officials in connection with the alleged overpriced Makati City Hall Building II, which is also the subject of a Senate investigation. With Macon Ramos-Araneta

“That’s the pronouncement made by the Chief Justice [Ma. Lourdes Sereno] on several occasions, and that’s also the position taken by the Court. That’s still the position of the Court,” said the tribunal’s spokesman, Theodore Te in a press conference in Baguio City.

Te’s statement came in the wake of charges by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV of bribery against two magistrates of the Court of Appeals, whom he accused of accepting P25 million each to stop the preventive suspension of Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. “If they (accusers) have specific names, details and proofs, they can always submit [these] to the court,” Te said.

In October last year, Sereno issued a call to informants and lawyers who have information about corruption in the judiciary following the dismissal from judicial service of Sandiganbayan Senior Associate Justice Gregory Ong over links with pork barrel fund scam queen Janet Lim Napoles.

“We cannot initiate administrative cases without evidence. Bring to us evidence and we will investigate,” the Chief Justice said.

Sereno vowed to continue the “house cleansing” in the judiciary after Ong’s example, but lamented that the high court is prevented from investigating other allegations due to lack of evidence presented by accusers.

Te also pointed out that the Cout has “ultimate jurisdiction” over administrative charges and disciplinary power against members of the judiciary, including justices, judges and lawyers.

“If there is a grievance against members of the judiciary, they (justices) have the authority to take action, under the rules. That’s under the power of the court,” he said.

Te siad the Court is aware of the Trillanes’ accusations, but said he was not authorized to issue a statement on the specific allegation.

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) said the Senate has no power to investigate the CA justices as Trillanes proposed.

The national organization of lawyers also agreed with the Supreme Court that proof is needed for the charges to prosper.

Absent proof, Trillanes and other accusers “should stop insinuations that will destroy the judiciary as an institution,” the group said.

Citing “reliable sources,”

Trillanes accused the camp of Binay of bribing two justices of the Sixth Division of the appellate court – Associate Justices Jose Reyes Jr. and Francisco Acosta – to obtain a temporary restraining order then a preliminary injuction against the mayor’s suspension by the Ombudsman.

He claimed that the two magistrates were paid P25 million each through lawyer Pancho Villaraza.

The CA justices and Villaraza have all denied the accusations.

The Palace said Tuesday it would leave it up to the Supreme Court to investigate the bribery allegations.

“Government is against all forms of corruption. We should, however, consider the doctrine of separation of powers as the allegation of purported bribery pertains to the judiciary,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. “We will defer to the Supreme Court to take a look at such serious allegations and for the Senate to act on the proposed resolution presented by one of its members,” Coloma also said.

In the House, the independent minority bloc led by Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez challenged Trillanes to insulate the judiciary from partisan politics.

“I always respect the majesty of the court and as a member of the bar, I will never go to the extent of making statement or accusation unless I have a hard evidence. At this point, these are allegations so I think we should be more careful and be more respectful to the institution of the government,” Romualdez said.

“I still have faith on our judiciary and we should spare this institution from plain and simple politics. It would be better if the allegations are supported with hard evidence, otherwise this are baseless and unfounded,” Romualdez added.

Makati City Rep. Abigail Binay, the mayor’s sister, said Trillanes should resign as a senator if he cannot show proof of the alleged bribery.

Parañaque Rep. Gus Tambunting said Trillanes must substantiate his accusations.

“This is very serious allegation that should be backed up by clear and convincing evidence. It also undermines the integrity of our judicial system as an institution, which our people rely upon in the dispensation of justice,” Tambunting said. With Sandy Araneta

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‘MILF bought off by Malaysia’

By Francisco Tuyay

THE Moro National Liberation Front, led by Nur Misuari, accused the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front of entering into a “sinister conspiracy at the expense of the country’s patrimony.”

MNLF spokesman Absalom Cerveza urged lawmakers deliberating on the Bangsamoro Basic Law to look into allegations that government and MILF officials accepted bribes from Malaysia to forge a peace agreement that would allow foreign exploitation of Mindanao’s natural resources.

“Aquino entered into some kind of an agreement with Malaysia for them to explore natural gas when he (Aquino) became president,” Cerveza claimed, referring to the 288-hectare Liguasan Marsh that straddles the provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat.

“The government and Malaysia had a deal to grant Malaysia the sole prerogative to mine our natural gas and develop it,” Cerveza said, saying it was a “sinister conspiracy at the expense of the country’s patrimony.”

The exploration by Malaysian engineers actually started in the 1990’s when the MNLF was still negotiating their peace with the government, he said.

So the MILF disapproved of the exploration because the MILF was still negotiating its Framework Agreement with the government and MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim asked Aquino to stop the drilling.

“The MILF didn’t want Liguasan Marsh as the site of the exploration because they will be displaced since their forces are concentrated in the area,” Cerveza said.

But Murad mysteriously agreed not to oppose the exploitation of Liguasan Marsh after he allegedly met secretly with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in Malaysia days before the signing of the Framework Agreement in exchange for 10 billion Malaysian ringgits (P123 billion).

Cerveza suspects that the MILF acceded to the Malaysian business targets in Liguasan Marsh after Malaysia provided them the necessary support in their peace deal with the government.

“The environment suddenly changes following Malaysia’s financial support to the MILF at the height of its peace negotiations with the government,” Cerveza said, insisting that “money changed hands.”

He said that the exploration will cover thousands of hectares of land in Tawi-Tawi which is rich in oil and gas deposits.

The deals were suspended by the government after report of the secret meeting emerged in October 2012, Cerveza said.

Beating the deadline. Taxpayers file their income tax returns on April 14 a day ahead of the April 15 deadline. Ey AcAsio

BIFF founder Kato dies of heart attack BBL to be

By Florante s. solmerin A MORO warlord who broke away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front because of its peace tack with the government died early Tuesday morning, leading the military to wish that his death would also lead to the dissolution of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

Ameril Umbra Kato, founder of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement (BIFM) and its BIFF armed wing died of cardiac arrest at his mountain stronghold in Barangay Kateman at Guindulungan, Maguindanao around 2 a.m. Tuesday, according to MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal.

According to Brigadier General Arnold Quiapo, commander of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Kato’s health has been frail for some time and suffered a stroke in November 2011 and another one only last April 7, 2015.

“But before this he had gone through several seizures before,” Quiapo said.

Kato, believed to be 68 or 69 years old, broke away from the MILF in 2008 and staged attacks on government facilities and civilians. He formed the BIFF in 2010 and once claimed to have 5,000 fighters but the government said that he had about 300.

Recently, the government launched a month-long offensive against the BIFF and the military claimed to have killed 163 BIFF men with scores of others wounded.

The military also captured BIFF commanders Mohammad Ali Tambako and BIFF finance officer Abdulgani Esmael Pagao alias Abdulayman Pagao and killed BIFF commander Yusof Abesali, alias Bisaya, and two other still unidentified commanders.

With Kato’s death, Iqbal called on their former comrades who broke away with Kato to return

to the MILF and help forge a final peace agreement with the government, but he clarified that “only those who have no criminal cases filed in courts” will be accepted back to the MILF. Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Brigadier General Joselito Kakilala said the death of Kato further weakens the BIFF as an armed group.

“Kato’s death is demoralizing to his followers [and] that would lead to their dissolution,” Kakilala said.

Iqbal agreed that Kato’s death is a big loss to the MILF “unless a successor immediately assumes leadership. But if there is none, they are history.”

Military sources said the BIFF also lost more men when Tambako, one of its most experienced fighters, formed the Justice for Islamic Movement to protect the foreign terrorists hiding in BIFF controlled areas. Tambako was captured in General Santos City.

Question hour. Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez talks to reporters after a break in the hearings on the

Mamasapano incident in Maguindanao that resulted in the killing of 44 police commandos on Jan. 25. VEr NoVANo

amended, House tells Moro rebs

By Maricel V. cruz “It’s really take it or leave it.”

That’s how Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, chairman of the House of Representatives’ 75-man ad hoc committee on the Bangsamoro Basic Law, explained the concensus of congressmen that they will not the BBL’s unconstitutional provisions even if waters down the measure.

“We will pass what is acceptable,” Rodriguez said in a media briefing, adding that lawmakers will not cave in to political pressure or threats of continued rebellion. “[The MILF] should not threaten the government. The government is ready to meet any challenge after the bill is pass into a law,” Rodriguez added.

Rodriguez insisted that the Palaceproposed BBL contained provisions which constitutional and legal experts said were unconstitutional.

They included provisions authorizing the new Bangsamoro administration to have its own version of the Commission on Elections; Ombudsman; Civil Service Commission; Commission on Audit; and Commission on Human Rights, creating its defense and police forces.

Rodriguez said that the ad hoc panel would also delete a provision in the BBL allowing other areas outside the Bangsamoro territory to also join the entity upon a petition of at least 10 percent of the constituents as it may also be declared unconstitutional.

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Napoles meted 40 years, moved to Mandaluyong

By Joel E. Zurbano

A JUDGE on Tuesday sentenced businesswoman Janet LimNapoles to life imprisonment— or at least 40 years in jail—in connection with the serious illegal-detention charges filed against her by her cousin and pork-barrel-scam whistle blower Benhur Luy two years ago.

Judge Elmo Alameda of the Makati Regional Trial Court 150 found Napoles guilty of conspiring with her brother Reynald Lim to detain Luy in a house in Lapu Lapu Street in Magallanes Village, Makati City, from December 2012 to March 2013.

Alameda ordered Napoles to pay Luy P100,000 in moral damages.

He also ordered Napoles detained at the Women’s Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong City and the case against Reynald, who is still at large, archived.

Napoles arrived in court for the promulgation before 2 pm.

Luy did not attend the promulgation but his mother Gertrudes and a relative did.

“God is good. There is still justice in the Philippines,” Gertrudes said.

Napoles refused to comment on the decision but her lawyer Bruce Rivera said they were considering filing a motion for reconsideration.

“We can always appeal. At this point we are in a little bit of shock, but we respect the decision of the court,” Rivera said.

The illegal-detention case is separate from the plunder charges filed against Napoles, tagged as the mastermind of the P10-billion pork barrel scam, with the Sandiganbayan.

Napoles aside, Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada have also been indicted for their alleged involvement in the scam.

Alameda said the prosecution was able to establish that Luy was illegally detained from Dec. 19, 2012, to March 22, 2013.

“Janet ordered the detention of Benhur on suspicion that he was defrauding her of her collections from the allocated PDAF [Priority Development Assistance Fund] of certain legislators,” Alameda said in his decision.

“Without hesitation and getting orders from Janet, Jojo held Benhur captive against his will which lasted for three months. The detention of Benhur deprived him of his liberty.”

Under repair. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport (DZR) in Tacloban City will again undergo repairs limiting the runway to turbo-propeller aircraft or lower. After the repairs, the runway will again be able handle larger aircraft, like A320s or B737s.

ERIC APOLONIO

BIR scored for adding burdens to Filipinos

By Maricel V. Cruz A LAWMAKER on Tuesday criticized the Bureau of Internal Revenue for unduly burdening taxpayers by making them file their annual income tax returns twice— first manually or before April 15 and then electronically on or before June 15.

Valenzuela City Rep. Magtanggol Gunigundo I said the BIR had stubbornly insisted on the April 15 filing deadline for the ITRs instead of first resolving the issues tied to electronic filing.

“Taxpayers deserve the best service from the BIR. The new electronic filing system, just like any other IT system, suffers from glitches and implementation wrinkles,” Gunigundo said.

“Instead of ironing out these creases, the BIR even went further by forbidding manual filing. It seems the BIR is very heartless and insensitive by stubbornly insisting on the April 15 deadline.”

Amid the confusion created by the BIR’s earlier order for taxpayers filing “No Payment” returns to do this electronically, the agency issued on April 10 Revenue Memorandum Circular 182015 providing that, in order for the bureau to focus on ITRs with payments, “No Payment” Returns may be filed manually on or before April 15, and such returns filed manually should be re-filed electronically on or before June 15.

The deferral of filing online is only for the “no payment returns” of entities, individual or judicial, according to the bureau.

“The new BIR regulation doubly burdens tax filers since they will file their ITRs manually first and subsequently electronically,” said Gunigundo, a lawyer and former head of the Special Anti-Smuggling Unit of the Bureau of Customs from 1992 to 1996.

PH eyes protest vs Beijing THE Philippines plans to file another diplomatic protest against China’s reclamation activities that have destroyed close to 300 acres of coral reef in the South China Sea, an official said Tuesday.

“We are looking into that possibility,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said.

But he said the Aquino administration was not keen on seeking damage claims over China’s construction of artificial islands on the disputed reefs.

“That [seeking damages] is not something that is being considered,” Jose said.

He made his statement even as Malacañang insisted on pursuing its claim to the disputed areas in the South China Sea through diplomatic means.

“Our campaign is centered through diplomatic means, and we are continuing to coordinate with the different Asean member-countries and the entire international community,” Communications Secretary Herminio

Coloma Jr. told reporters.

“Aside from the Asean members, there are also several members of the United Nations who are signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.” Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Tuesday called on the Senate to investigate China’s reclamation activities in the Spratly’s.

He filed Senate Resolution 1269 and said China’s activities in the disputed territories had grave national and regional security implications.

The Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday warned that China’s reclamation activities are “causing irreversible and widespread damage to the biodiversity and ecological balance of the South China Sea.” China’s nine-dash-line claims ownership of almost the entire South China Sea. The other claimants to the disputed territories are the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and Taiwan. Vito Barcelo, Sandy Araneta and Macon Ramos-Araneta

Dirty job. US Ambassador Philip Goldberg leads the clean up of Estero de Pandacan in Manila on Tuesday in a bid to boost community activities to lessen the impact of natural disasters and increase resilience to global climate change. DANNY PATA

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Star-studded. Police generals (from left) former SAF director Getulio F. Napenas, CIDG head Benjamin Magalong and PNP officer-in-charge Leonardo Espina attend the executive

session of the House of Representatives on the Mamasapano massacre. Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. says he is not keen on holding another public hearing on the incident.

MANNY PALMERO

No outages until April, Umali vows

By Maricel V. Cruz TheRe will be no brownouts in Luzon until the end of April, according to Rep. Reynaldo Umali of Oriental Mindoro, chair of the house committee on energy.

Umali said that the seven-hour outage in Mindanao last week was an isolated case.

The lawmaker said that the Luzon grid has 1,500 megawatts (MW) power reserves to use during critical period which may fall the dry months.

“We are not yet talking of Interruptible Load Program which is close to 1,000 MW. We are lucky because since March 15 up to now, we have not yet spend a single centavo additional increase in our electric bill,” Umali told reporters.

Umali stressed that the expected power shortage in March did not happen. A steady supply of electricity in Luzon was maintained amid the annual one-month maintenance shutdown of the Malampaya power plant which started March 15 and expected to end on Tuesday.

VP swipes at Trillanes, seeks anti-bullying law

By Vito Barcelo

Vice President Jejomar Binay wants a law against bullying by public officials as he slammed Senator Antonio Trillanes iV for linking the Home Development Mutual (Pag-iBiG) Fund in Delfin Lee’s syndicated estafa case, which Binay described as a form of bullying to taint his reputation.

“If there is a law against bullying in schools to protect students, there should also be a law against bullying public officials,” Binay said in a statement.

The vice president criticized the Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee’s decision to grill the hDMF (Pag-IBIG) Fund over Delfin Lee, when it was PagIBIG that filed charges of syndicated estafa against Lee. he described the senate probe as a “pit of snake.”

Binay said that the Senate hearings were a form of “bullying,” and demeans his post as the country’s second highest official.

“All Pag-Ibig’s transactions and contracts had gone through the proper processes. We discovered the anomalous transactions of Delfin Lee. Napakarami hong double sale, at hindi ko nga maintindihan kung bakit kami pa ang iimbestigahan ng Senado,”

Binay said in a radio interview in Northern Samar.

Binay also deplored that the gains of Pag-IBIG were being undermined by Senator Antonio Trillanes’ stance of defending the Globe Asiatique owner in the latter’s efforts to throw mud at him.

The Vice President belied Lee’s extortion allegations, saying that he himself advised lawyers not to include charges against former Vice President Noli de Castro because there was no evidence found against him.

According to Binay, the uncovering of fraudulent transactions by Globe Asiatique led to reforms in the Fund’s processes, which, along with the exponential increase in Pag-IBIG’s membership and revenue, made it one of the “most outstanding government agencies.”

In 2014, the Fund achieved its highest gross and net income in its 34-year history at P30.68 billion and P16.22 billion, respectively, and reached a membership of 14.76 million.

“We need not state the obvious that the two are now working hand in hand to demolish the gains of Pag-IBIG Fund under the leadership of Vice President Binay. The allegations against the judge handling Mr. Lee’s case must be dealt with by the court concerned. It is evident that Mr. Lee is looking for a friendly forum where he could defend himself against the crime he allegedly committed against thousands of Pag-IBIG members and at the same time conveniently get back at the Vice President, who was instrumental in curbing anomalies in the housing sector,” the Vice President’s

High court upholds Cudia’s dismissal

By Rey Requejo The Supreme Court has sustained with finality its decision upholding the dismissal of Cadet First Class Jeff Aldrin Cudia from the Philippine Military Academy for violating the academy’s honor Code.

During the Court’s en banc session in Baguio City on Tuesday, the justices denied the motion for reconsideration filed

by Cudia through the Public Attorney’s Office which sought the reversal of the SC decision issued on February 24.

Lawyer Theodore Te, SC

spokesperson, said the Court ruled that it saw no reason to deviate from PMA’s findings.

In ruling against Cudia, the tribunal stressed that Cudia’s rights to due process were not violated by the PMA when it enforced its rules on disciplines, including the honor Code.

The SC also said that “it is the responsibility of the cadets to maintain the highest standard of honor and throughout his or her stay in the PMA, he or she is absolutely bound by it.”

It also recognized the PMA’s knowledge and expertise gained from handling of specific matters falling under

their respective jurisdiction.

Cudia was found guilty of lying about his reason for being late in a class and was not able to join his classmates of the Siklab Diwa class during their graduation rites last March 16, 2014. he filed an appeal but it was dismissed by the PMA, while a meeting with the President also did not bore fruit as the latter only directed then AFP Chief of Staff emmanuel Bautista to conduct a review of the case.

Cudia then filed a petition with the SC but the high Court did not issue a status quo ante order or a temporary restraining order that would

have allowed him to graduate.

Cudia PAO Chief Persida Ruth Acosta insisted that he was not accorded fair trial by the PMA honor Committee.

The former PMA student cited the final report of the Commission on human Rights which investigated the issue that found that Cudia was “given nothing but a sham trial and that the PMA honor Committee violated the honor Code when it refused to accept the “not guilty” verdict and instead called for a “chambering” changing the 8-1 votes to 9-0 and leading to his dismissal from the military academy.

spokesperson for political concerns, Rico Quicho earlier said.

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IN BRIEF Arrest Pastor’s wife, says QC court THE Quezon City Regional Trial Court on Tuesday ordered the arrest of Dalia Guerrero who is charged with parricide for the death of her husband international car racer Ferdinand “Enzo” Pastor.

Branch 91 Judge Lita Genilo through clerk of court Nelia Martis directed the National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine National Police and the Makati City police to carry out the arrest warrant.

No bail was recommended on Guerrero, who remained at large after the killing of Pastor on June 12, 2014.

Rio N. Araja

Unsanitary. Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno on Tuesday padlocks two milk-tea houses in Sampaloc, Manila for lack of sanitary and health permit. The inspection of milk-tea houses in Manila came in the wake of the death of two persons who had ingested the beverage. DANNY PATA

Erap weighing options; Isko eyeing Senate seat

By Vito Barcelo

MANILA Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada said he might seek re-election next year to continue his mission to make Manila great again.

However, Estrada said that nothing is final yet and he may not run again to give way to Vice Mayor Isko Moreno whose term as the second highest local official of Manila will end in May next year.

“I would be forced to seek re-election if Vice Mayor Isko Moreno pushes through with his plan to run either for senator or congressman in the 2016 elections,” Estrada said in press conference.

Estrada said he would support Moreno if he runs for higher office.

Immediately after assuming his post as Manila mayor in 2013, Estrada declared he would not seek another term to give way to Moreno.

But for Moreno, the former matinee idol who turned to politics, said he would set aside his personal interest and dream to become mayor because he has seen how Estrada was determined to bring Manila

back to its glory days as the progressive capital city of the country.

Moreno said he wanted Estrada to continue the good programs he had started.

Estrada for his part said he wanted to continue his projects and help increase the city revenues by raising real property tax rates.

Programs the mayor claimed he initiated in the city must be properly implemented to help Manilenos, he said.

“There are still many reforms to be done to sustain the city’s improving economic condition,” Estrada said in Pilipino.

Estrada has again ruled out running for presidency in 2016, saying he wants to concentrate “restoring Manila’s old glory.”

When asked who would be his running mate as vice mayor, Estrada did not name names saying he would choose from among the current councilors.

Manhunt vs Magsino killers on MALACAÑANG on Tuesday ordered an intensive manhunt against the killers of a former news correspondent slain in broad daylight in Batangas last Monday.

It also condemned the killing of Melinda Magsino, whom it described as a “crusading journalist” while serving as a newspaper correspondent.

Magsino became the 27th Filipino media worker to perish under the Aquino administration which should be held accountable for her death, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said.

Sandy Araneta

‘No building permit for Blue Ridge school’

By Rio N. Araja A QUEZON City judge on Tuesday ordered two city officials to stop the construction of a high-end school in Barangay Blue Ridge A to prevent a major disaster from happening once a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hits the area.

Branch 226 Judge Manuel Sta. Cruz issued a writ of preliminary injunction, directing Isagani Verzosa and Tomasito Cruz, the city’s Department of Building Official chief and Planning and Development chief, respectively, not to grant a building permit for the Multiple Intelligence International School and to implement the city’s Revised Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance or Sangguniang Panglunsod 2200 of 2013

that classified the area as a special urban development zone.

Sta. Cruz took into account the arguments of Blue Ridge A chairman Gabriel Legaspi, along with barangay councilor Marie Antoinette Mendoza and homeowners Victor Endaya, Gonzalo Misa, Sonia Roco, Sonia Mendoza, Wilfred Datu Cruz, Raul Consunji, Maria Lourdes Manzano Carlos, Lester Lao and Lonabel Encarnacion “to prevent any untoward incident that may happen should there be an earthquake given that Blue Ridge is near the Marikina fault line and the proposed site of MIIS’ school abuts a cliff.”

“On this score, this Court sees that petitioners’ concerns are not simply for convenience. They were able to demonstrate the presence of a strong, valid and compelling interest – the health and

safety of residents and the need to prevent the perceived environmental harm,” the order read.

Even the environmental compliance commitment (certificate) issued to the school management would not guarantee that there would be no environmental hazards to result from school’s construction and operation, the court said.

Sta. Cruz also took into considerations the complaints of Legaspi and company that traffic would worsen along Katipunan Avenue because of the school’s operation, citing the failure of MIIS to substantiate that there would be no gridlock due to its operation.

He said the school management only prepared an “internal traffic system” inside the school premises which could accommodate only 75 vehicles.

Bombs away. Female students throw paint bombs at the main gate of the office of the Commission on Higher Education in protest against tuition hike.

MANNY PALMERO

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Govt needs P89 billion this year to rehab Yolanda areas

By Sandy Araneta

THE government needs to raise P89 billion in 2015 to implement rehabilitation projects for Yolanda-ravaged areas.

At a Palace meeting Tuesday, President Benigno Aquino III ordered his Cabinet to accelerate infrastructure, housing, livelihood and social services projects for victims of the November 2013 ty-

phoon.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said his department would be able to provide for these rehabilitation projects through existing budgetary sources.

Between 1.2 million and 1.4 million families were affected by the typhoon, according to Palace spokesman Secretary Herminio Coloma.

The Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery said total funding requirement was P161.87 billion, broken down into infrastructure (P35.15 billion), social services (P26.4 billion), resettlement (P75.68 billion)

and livelihood (P30.63 billion).

Some P51.63 billion in requirements have already been funded in 2013 and 2014.

Coloma added that the priority was on resettlement and building of permanent housing for those in high-risk areas and those needing on-site shelter assistance for families with totally damaged and partially damaged

houses. National Housing Authority General Manager Chito Cruz said all requirements will be completed next year.

Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson said construction of key public infrastructures are in various stages of completion and preparation, with the end-goal of sustaining economic and social activities in the affected areas.

Hut on a truck. A vehicle loaded with a “kubo” or bamboo hut makes its way along a busy highway in General Santos City. The hut was made in the nearby town of Polomolok, South Cotabato where residents sell it between P30,000 and P45,000 per unit. OMAR MANGORSI

Dinamulag celebrates Zambales’ mangoes IBA—Zambales province will celebrate its annual Dinamulag festival this week, from April 15 to 18.

Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said the festival celebrates the province’s mangoes, known worldwide for its sweetness.

“The festival is our way of giving thanks for a good harvest and promoting our delicious mangoes that the country could be proud of,” he said.

In 1995, the Guinness Book of World Record cited Zambales mangoes as the sweetest in the world. In 2013, no less than the Agriculture Department said Zambales mangoes remained the sweetest in the country.

Even fruit experts from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna and Bureau of Plant Industry have considered Zambales’ Sweet Elena variety as the best carabao mango strain for commercialization.

Over 5,000 tourists are expected to flock to Zambales during the four-day festival, which will include activities ranging from sports events, interfaith prayers, dance competitions, float parade, and beauty contests.

The festival is free and open to the public.

Customs to auction rice seized in Mindanao port

By Vito Barcelo MORE than P70 million worth of smuggled rice seized in Mindanao will be auctioned, according to the Bureau of Customs.

Customs commissioner John Phillip Sevilla said that BOC-Port of Cagayan de Oro will sell 33,480 smuggled sacks—equivalent to 837,000 kilograms—of rice on April 22.

The seized goods consist of 64 container vans of glutinous rice, 59 of which were seized from EC Peninsula Commercial and New Dawn Enterprise in November 2014. The other five

vans were seized from Gold Friends Enterprises in September of last year.

He said that the firms are facing multiple rice-smuggling cases filed by the BOC before the Department of Justice.

The seized goods shall be available for public viewing and pre-bid conference on Monday and Tuesday, April 20-21, 2015, according to Sevilla.

The public auction through sealed bidding will be conducted at the 2nd floor, BOC Conference Hall, Port of Cagayan de Oro Building, Macabalan, Cagayan de Oro City.

Cross work. The Augustinian community has hired experts to repair the Cross of Magellan in Cebu City.

This is in preparation for the Kaplag Anniversary on April 27. RALPH PIEZAS

A8

ADELLE chuA editor W E D N E S D AY, A P R I L 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

opinion [ EDI TORI A L ]

Abuse of position EVEN when he was just a failed coup leader, Antonio Trillanes IV was touched with megalomania, a psychopathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of power, relevance, omnipotence and inflated self-esteem.

With an amnesty from President Benigno Aquino III, in 2010, Trillanes escaped legal liability for seeking to overthrow the government by violence, and has since been repaying his patron in the Palace by blindly defending him and attacking his enemies.

One of these has been Vice President Jejomar Binay, whom he accused of accepting kickbacks when he was still the mayor of Makati.

To bolster these accusations, Trillanes has provided no credible evidence and offered only witnesses who would later perjure themselves before the Senate. But on the strength of rumors, innuendo and conjecture, Trillanes used the Senate to launch a fishing expedition against the Vice President, the frontrunner in the 2016 presidential elections that Trillanes also hopes to join.

Stupefyingly, he and his colleagues in the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee have dedicated more than 15 hearings to the anti-Binay probe, dwarfing by far any other investigation of issues of even greater national import, including the pork barrel scam, the Disbursement Acceleration Program and the Mamasapano massacre.

Throughout these hearings, Trillanes has exhibited a reckless disregard for facts that can only be described as breathtaking.

This week, the senator stayed true to form and accused two Court of Appeals justices of accepting bribes of P25 million each to stop the Office of the Ombudsman from carrying out a suspension order against the Vice President’s son, Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. Again, the senator provided no evidence and pointed only to an unnamed witness to bolster his accusations. In what passes for logic in the senator’s mind, Trillanes argued that the issuance of a preliminary injunction on Mayor Binay’s suspension proved that the justice system was corrupt.

In a bid to keep the anti-Binay pot boiling in the Senate in the run-up to the 2016 elections, the senator urged his colleagues to investigate his bribery allegations, hoping to set in motion yet another wild fishing expedition that would grab headlines but provide little by way of proof or enlightenment.

But Trillanes’ actions betray his own lack of evidence.

If he really has indisputable proof of judges being bribed, he would be duty-bound to file a complaint before the proper authorities. Instead, he has gone to the media to smear more reputations.

In the 1950s, the US Supreme Court stopped the wave of McCarthyism that was marked by reckless, unsubstantiated accusations against political enemies.

We can only hope that our own justices live up to the challenge today to put an end to Trillanes’ excesses and his deplorable abuse of position and power.

Standard TODAY Manila

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Janet gets it posh Magallanes Village under the watchful eye of Napoles’ brother Reylowdown nald (who remains unindicted and at large) really merited such a harsh jojo A. penalty. robles But overall, a conspiracy of silence greeted the verdict handed down on A MAkATI court threw the book at the woman who was at the very center Janet Lim Napoles yesterday, sentenc- of the recent pork scandal that once ing the controversial businesswoman forced a clearly panicked President to 40 years in prison for illegally detaining her own relative, pork barrel scam whistle-blower Benhur Luy. And nobody uttered a word.

Malacanang Palace, which was i’m betting that earlier rocked by allegations that the highest officials in the land were janet stays quiet as among Napoles’ clients in her lucrashe awaits the time tive – but hardly unique – business of turning congressional projects into when she will be set private funds for public officers, didn’t free way before her even mention the story. No one in ei40-year sentence ther House of Congress, where many legislators of every political stripe ends. were believed to have profited directly from Napoles or through Napoles-like schemes, said anything, either.

Napoles, her eyes shielded by her sunglasses, was silent during yesterday’s sentencing. Her lawyer made the obligatory noises about seeking Noynoy Aquino to personally meet an appeal, even as his client was re- Napoles in Malacanang when she manded to the Women’s Correctional surrendered and which landed three jail in Mandaluyong to start serving senators in jail. It was as if Napoles was never of any importance and her her severe sentence.

Luy himself was not even in court, jailing was nothing really remarkable.

Then I get a call from someone for a still undetermined reason. Relatives of his who were present were close to the case, who provided me guardedly joyful, perhaps because with a lot of valuable insights into even they were shocked that Benhur’s the Napoles case in the past, when it three-month detention in a house in was still obligatory headline material.

MST Management, Inc. Philip G. Romualdez Arnold C. Liong Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Jocelyn F. Domingo Ron Ryan S. Buguis

Chairman President & Chief Executive Officer Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Director of Operations Finance Officer

Ma. Editha D. Angeles Advertising Manager Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager

The message, in brief, was that the sentencing of “Ma’am Janet,” as she was once reverentially called by Mar Roxas, was really intended to test if she would now start singing like a canary and attempt to bring the whole house (and the Senate and the palace, as well) with her.

“Janet’s handlers in government have offered her a deal that will get her out of jail on appeal, if she stays silent,” my source told me. “If she decides to be a good girl and shut her mouth, she’ll be out in no time on a technicality.”

If Napoles starts squealing, she’s basically going to rot in jail – or at least spend the next four decades ruing the day she broke her vow of silence. (Understand, while the pork barrel scandal basically ran on a steady diet of revelations provided by Luy, Janet herself has never admitted anything, much less implicated any of the officials in Congress or the Executive who benefited from her largesse.)

According to my source, Janet was also promised that the whole pork barrel controversy will go away if she follows the gangster’s policy of omerta. She was, after all, convicted on the illegal detention charge, not on any suit relating to facilitating the systematic theft of billions of pesos in Priority Assistance Development Fund allocations—something that no one in Malacañang or Congress really wants, because it would immediately and logically lead to their own incrimination as Janet’s co-conspirators. Continued on A11

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

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a10 No fiNal peace iN MiNdaNao

W e d n e s d ay: a P R I L 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

caN pH retHiNk failed diploMacy?

PreSIDeNT DeSPITe US President Barack time issues and the law of the sea. He to the Aquino is conBaCK Obama’s berating China not to gave us a historical insight on lost oppoint vinced that the Channel bully its neighbors, Beijing conportunities for rapprochement with Bangsamoro Basic emil p. tinues its land reclamation to China, recalling remarks by the late alejandro Law is the way jurado build forward military bases in del roSario Premier Deng Xiaoping’s to “let sleepto peace and dethe disputed South China Sea. The ing dogs lie.” Deng who is credited for velopment and Philippine response is a diplomatChina’s economic miracle had proposed Mindanao. ic protest saying China is destabilizing the peace and a preventive conflict management by “shelving soverequally convinced are his friends and allies in the security of the region.

As with Manila’s other diploeignty issues for later generations to solve.”

Peace Council, which the President himself formed. matic protests to Chinese provocations in the West Deng’s pragmatic approach was an implied reYes, the people of Mindanao have long been suffering from strife and internecine war. But does the BBL Philippine Sea, the note is ignored and dismissed by action to Marcos’ Presidential Decree 1596 which Beijing as “megaphone” diplomacy. proclaimed Philippine sovereignty over some parts really guarantee peace and development ?

The aggressive Chinese action can be seen as a caliof the Spratly islands. This triggered assertions by Should not the ratification of the BBL be nationbrated race against time before the UN International other concerned countries in the region for the same wide because the P75 billion initial funding for the Bangsamoro Juridical entity will come from all Tribunal rules next year on the Philippine case against strategic reasons that impelled the Philippine claim.

China’s sweeping nine-dash line claiming nearly the The prospect of a resource-rich seabed that can be Filipinos who pay their taxes? plumbed for oil, gas and minerals fueled further the Those who know Muslim history and culture will entire South China Sea. Why are we where we are in our relations with our race to claim the shoals, reefs, cays and protruding tell you that peace cannot be guaranteed.

Foremost, the Aquino administration is talking giant neighbor across the pond? rocks in the South China Sea. to only one segment of the Moro rebels – the Moro The country’s sorry situation can be traced to our encomienda also cited a speech before the Islamic Liberation Front. But the MILF is divided into failed diplomacy in past dealings with Beijing and be- Australian Parliament by President Xi Jinping who three factions. There is the MILF proper headed by ing unable to grasp the global role of a rising China, said: “It is China’s long-standing position to address Al-Haj Murad ebrahim (MILF chairman), Ghadzali according to Ambassador Alberto encomienda dur- peacefully its disputes with countries concerned Jafaar (vice chairman), and Mohagher Iqbal (peace ing a chance meeting at the Foreign Office. and territorial sovereignty and maritime interests negotiator), all using their noms de guerre or aliases.

With a new government coming in after the 2016 through dialogue and consultations” These men claim that the MILF remains a revolution- presidential elections, Ambassador encomienda sugThe Philippines, however, failed to act on the deary organization until the full implementation of the gested a need to rethink our relationship with China marche offered by the Chinese leader. There were only BBL. and formulate a coherent, forward-looking foreign ambiguous and ambivalent reactions by Philippine There are also the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom policy. Despite the verbal tussling, it may not be too officials at the highest level during visits by each side Fighters and the MILF “lost command” that speciallate to mend fences with China and concede that our up to the time of former President Gloria Macapagal izes in extortion and kidnapping. foreign policy officials failed to read the straws in the Arroyo. Whatever the reason for the non-reply, the That the Aquino government chooses to talk peace wind as strewn by China. failure of the Philippine side to respond positively to with only the MILF is a stupid thing to do. The govA new Philippine President who can think out these initiatives by China could have provided a conernment should know that there are many other of the box might provide the window for renewstructive cooling off period for the simmering terrimovements at war with government, seeking independence. The fact that Middle east jihadists are now ing bilateral talks Vietnam, with its own overlap- torial row. ping claim is reportedly talking to the Chinese deThe Aquino administration filed a case for internain Mindanao is another cause for concern. spite being dealt a disastrous naval defeat over the tional arbitration after a series of Chinese provocaThe MILF itself has no full control over the other Paracels in 1974. tions in the Panatag/Scarborough shoal and Ayungin separatists. This was shown by the slaughter of the This early, our foreign service experts on maritime reef which Manila deems part of the West Philippine 44 police commandos in Mamasapano. The MILF leaders claimed they were not aware of the fact that issues should be formulating a new approach to the Sea. China, however, has made clear it will not parinternational terrorist Marwan and Filipino terrorist South China Sea problem for the incoming admin- ticipate in the Hague arbitration hearing nor abide istration to consider. The present administration is by its ruling. A favorable judgment on Manila’s claim Abdul Basit Usman were in their “territory.”

The police commandos were able to kill only too preoccupied with politics and the 2016 presi- based on UNCLOS would be hard to enforce. A sense Marwan; Usman got away. In the MILF report, the dential polls to focus on this major foreign policy of history and realpolitik would show a weak, small MILF leadership claimed that some of its members issue In its waning year and two months, Aquino nation can never win against a big, powerful country may have known about this, but not the MILF as an is on the defensive. It is busy parrying issues arising like China. organization. It was a lame excuse, giving proof to from controversial events, such as the Mamasapano, Case in point: Great Britain which is 7,864 miles claims that the MILF is no longer a monolithic group. Maguindanao incident. from the Falklands asserted its claim through miliSanta Banana, even the main organization of Ambassador encomienda is a career diplomat tary might by overrunning the poorly equipped Misuari’s Moro National Liberation Front is split three with postings in Malaysia, Greece and the Philippine and outnumbered Argentines who had seized the ways.Another group is headed by the former mayor Mission to the United Nations in New York. He at- disputed island Argentina calls Malvinas which is of Cotabato City, while yet another is headed by a tended various international conferences on mari- only 300 miles from Patagonia. Next page Maranao (they do not like to be headed by Misuari, a Tausog from Sulu). This simply proves the deep tribal differences among the Maranaos, to have been given love potions by the MILF leaders. rebels from invading their lands.

Maguindanaos and the Tausogs.

Government peace negotiators and advisers are now Above all, don’t discount the There’s also the Pentagon Gang, lotaking the side of the MILF and even speaking on Christians that would be included in the cated at the Liguasan marshlands. behalf. This is shown by their undying defense proposed territory.

They, too, are fully They only go to cities and towns to do Can we still armed as they were when during the their of Iqbal using his alias in signing the Framework their worst.

Agreement of the Bangsamoro in October 2012 and era of “Toothpick, ” an Ilonggo that was trust My gulay, don’t count out the Sultanate a match for the MNLF incursion into the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro of Sulu that has a claim on Sabah as Christian communities. My gulay, out in March 2014. the MILF? shown by historical records. The fact To make it even worse, Senator TG Guingona, who of reported 1.2 million loose firearms that the Malaysian government still pays is from Mindanao, has belittled the use of noms de nationwide, there are some 600,000 in rent yearly to the Sultanate is enough guerre by the MILF leaders. He says it’s a political isMindanao. proof of it. recall that it sent some 200 sue.

I could not believe it, coming from the son of Lasting peace and development in heavily-armed Tausogs to Sabah some years ago to my good friend, former Senator and Vice President Mindano?

That’s a joke and the people know it. lay their claim, but failed.

Teofisto Guingona.

Christians in Mindanao know too well how the Then, there’s still the potent terror group Abu Sayyaf By using aliases since the beginning, the MILF in Basilan and Sulu. Just like the BIFF, the Abus have Moros tick since their culture and history prove it. links with jihadists from the Middle east and the ISIS They are clannish and tribal in nature so much so that showed duplicity of purpose going to the negotiating terror movement. This is another problem that pres- one clan cannot afford to be out-gunned, much more table as a “revolutionary organization.” Iqbal himself ents a big challenge to the peace and development of subjugated by another clan. History tells us that the stated that they would not accept the BBL’s wateredMoros were never colonized by the Spaniards, the down version. Santa Banana, now the MILF is blackMindanao.

Coupled with the Moro rebel problem are the Americans and the Japanese. They have always con- mailing and threatening government!

The MILF wants to have its cake and eat it, too. It all Lumads and other indigenous tribes to be included sidered themselves independent. boils down to trust. With the duplicity of the MILF, The President and his peace negotiator Miriam in the Bangsamoro Juridical entity. reports have it that they are now gathering arms to prevent the Moro Coronel Ferrer and peace adviser Teresita Deles seem can government still trust it?

W e d n e s d ay: a P R I l 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

adelle chua EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

The PeZA mirAcle If foreign industrial companies inside in the country’s hundreds of export zones were to cease operations, nearly all the world’s cellular phones and a quarter of new cars would stop working or at least, probably perform erratically, like a robot gone berserk.

Most of the world’s Airbus and Boeing jets would stop flying or working. The jumbo aircraft would be bereft of navigational aids and of amenities – things as basic as seats, oxygen masks, lavatories, toilets and cups of hot coffee or chilled juices, not to mention mood lighting, air outlets, and call attendant lights.

The Japanese would have to stop eating quality bananas. The world would miss its usual ration of chunks of delicious pineapples. Quite possibly, because the Philippines is now a global call center and business process outsourcing (BPO) hub, the world’s largest companies wouldn’t be able to service their customers nor process their payroll, payables and receivables, to name a few services.

As for the Philippines, close to P3 trillion worth of investments would go to naught, $44 billion worth of export earnings would be foregone yearly, 1.17 jobs would be lost directly, another 5 million gone indirectly—leading to loss of livelihood and future for a quarter of the country’s 25 million families. Invariably, given the mess, you would say there would be an upheaval, or something worse.

Such is the global and local impact of the work done by the state-run Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).

In the last 20 years, the agency has created hundreds of pockets of paradise for foreign investorswhat it calls economic zones.

To-date, there are 316 economic zones nationwide.

VIRTual REalITy TOny lOpEz They include 164 IT centers (housing call center and BPO offices), 43 IT parks (hosting chips and semiconductor factories, including makers of chips of 98 percent of cellular phones), 19 tourism ecozones (hotels and resorts), medical tourism parks (world-class hospitals like St. Luke’s), 20 agro-industrial parks (to produce and process pineapples, coffee and rice and other agro produce), and the most significant of them all, 68 manufacturing zones. An additional 123 have been proclaimed while 300 others are under development.

Total in all, eventually – 739.

The 68 operating manufacturing zones are home to makers of a dizzying array of products, including auto wire circuits, capacitors that regulate power in nearly all gadgets, designer bags and garments, disk drives, printers, solar panels, electronic goods, to name a few.

The Iron Lady behind PEZA is lawyer Lilia de Lima, scion of a prominent and influential family in Bicol.

Lilia joined PEZA in 1995, summoned by then-President fidel V. Ramos to give heart and soul and direction to a previously soporific agency.

Before that, Lilia’s jobs included helping draft the Philippine Constitution, managing a trade and convention center, mediating meddlesome horse owners, and handing out amnesty papers to reformed rebels. PEZA is her seventh job and it is where he she has found her true calling and genuine service to the people and to the nation.

Can.. From A10 The official Philippine position on the South China Sea territorial dispute is premised on the following principles: • The South China Sea dispute cannot be addressed bilaterally with Beijing because there are multiple claimant countries in the region involved, plus other interested parties such as the US and its concern for freedom of naviga-

#failocracy

The whole notion of opening economic zones is creating jobs, industrializing the economy, revitalizing exports. When that happens, there would be inclusive growth. Lilia has achieved all three goals, marvelously. This has made her a Miracle Woman”.

So good is she that President Aquino in a recent speech, revealed, jokingly, that “our R and D teams are seriously studying how to clone Lilia de Lima!”

Indeed, Lilia is one of a kind, a sui generis, as a public servant and as a human being.

She has received the highest decorations from foreign governments. In Manila, she became the first woman Management Man of the Year awardee, by the Management Association of the Philippines, which counts more than 700 CEOs among its members. BizNewsAsia calls her a National Treasure. from 1995 to the end of this year, some P3 trillion in investments would have been registered, brought in by no less than 3,496 enterprises or locators.

Cumulative exports in 20 years is $563 billion. Job creation is 1.17 million directly; another 5.5 million indirectly.

The investors were attracted by the Philippines’ advantages, natural and man-made: The country’s strategic location, at the center of Southeast Asia; an English-speaking hardworking work force; investor-friendly policies; and a matchless regime of tax deductions and other perks. There is, of course, the mantra of good governance.

Good governance has long been the clarion call at PEZA. More than that, it is a habit; not just a slogan.

“We insist on absolute honesty and integrity and utmost service in dealing with our investors,” thun-

tion thus “internationalizing” the issues.

• The appropriate international approach would be through the Association of Southeast Nations and the ASEAN-China Dialogue forum considering that four of the claimant states are ASEAN member countries.

• The South China issue is an ownership or sovereignty/sovereign rights claim over marine geological features in the Spratly island group (

A11

Janet.. From A8 ders Director General de Lima.

That meant a lean but mean service team. PEZA personnel were reduced from 1,006 to less than 500 today. They were told to do the impossible – service locators and investors 24/7, nonstop, except on Good friday. “We have a one-stop shop and later, a nonstop shop.” No red tape, only red carpet treatment.

The PEZA chief explains: “Import permits of all export enterprises and export permits of semiconductor and electronic enterprises are processed electronically and continuously day and night even as we continue to aggressively pursue our automation agenda toward paperless transactions. We will be sad if any entity anywhere can beat our nonstop services. No red tape, only redcarpet treatment. Our investors are not just our customers; they are not just our clients. They are our partners and as partners we have a stake in their success. No corruption. If it rears its head, just let us know and we will throw the book at the erring PEZA official or employee.”

PEZA has also stopped being a developer. “We left that job to the private sector.” Private developers went on a frenzy – developing industrial lands and putting up factory buildings. The lands were readily snapped. The factory buildings are all used up.

In places like Cavite, Batangas, and Laguna, “there is no more industrial land to buy or lease long term,” laments a Japanese company executive.

Lilia’s guarantee of no red tape, no corruption at PEZA helped improved the Philippines’ competitiveness rankings, globally, in ease of doing business and as a place to do business.

biznewsasia@gmail.com

President Aquino’s bravado in proclaiming “what is ours is ours” appears to have been the foundation and the folly on which our SCS policy is anchored).

• A peaceful resolution of the disputes must be “rules based” and since the essence of the disputes relate to maritime territorial jurisdictional and sovereign rights entitlements, the applicable rules are those of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas.

it’s Janet napoles’ choice, really. and given her past actuations, i’m betting that she stays quiet as she awaits the time when she will be set free way before her 40-year sentence ends. no one will be the wiser. no big fish lands in jail like Janet while the other 70 or so pork barrel entrepreneurs (and the legislators who directly handled their own pork through dummy ngos) get off scot-free, as well. it’s the daang matuwid, after all, where those in power are counting on the short attention span of the public to bury their sins until they are no more. and that is really the bigger scam. *** The subtext in the allegations made by Senator antonio Trillanes against two justices of the court of appeals who allegedly received scads of money in exchange for issuing a permanent injunction against the suspension of Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay is really the continuing battle for control over what remains of what was once the most powerful law office in the land, the one known simply as The firm.

The fact that the formerly ubiquitous lawyer Pancho villaraza has been accused by Trillanes as having handed over P50-million bribes to two justices handling the younger Binay’s case only means, to observers of the legal profession, that Mar roxas’ top political strategist (and villaraza’s former partner) avelino “nonong” cruz is using the senator to hit back at his ex-friend in the law office. of course, everyone knows that The firm is still undergoing a messy divorce, with the factions of villaraza and cruz continuing to squabble over money, clients and assets after the breakup. and cruz is still with roxas, who is going all-out to demolish Binay in a bid to make himself a viable presidential candidate.

More on this in another column soon. Stay tuned.

• In pursuing a rules-based approach for an enduring resolution of the South China Sea dispute, the proper recourse is “compulsory” arbitration under UNCLOS, as negotiations would not be appropriate where one party is major power as against a lesser power.

• Supplementary rules would be the ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties to the South China Sea.

chong ardivilla

1.

Sec. 89, which prohibits any candidate, political party or organization or any person from giving or accepting transportation, free of charge, directly or indirectly during the five (5) hours before and after a public meeting, on the day preceding the election and on election day;

2.

Sec. 95, which prohibits contributions for partisan political activity given directly or indirectly by natural or juridical persons operating a public utility; or by natural or juridical persons who hold contracts or subcontracts to supply the government or any of its agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities with goods or services or to perform construction or other work; or by natural or juridical persons who have been granted franchise, incentives, exemptions, or allocations or similar privileges or concessions by the government or any of its agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities including government-owned or controlled corporations; or by natural or juridical persons who within one (1) year prior to the date of the election have been granted loans or other accommodations in excess of P100,000.00 by the government or any of its agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities including government-owned or controlled corporations;

Republic of the Philippines

COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS Manila

D E P U T A T I O N OF CERTAIN DEPARTMENTS UNDER THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH, GOVERNMENT-OWNED AND CONTROLLED CO R P O R AT I O N S AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN CONNECTION WITH THE MAY 08, 2015 RECALL ELECTIONS FOR MAYOR IN THE CITY OF PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN, PURSUANT TO COMELEC RESOLUTION NO. 150284 DATED 7 APRIL 2015. x---------------------------x

LIM, Christian Robert S. PARREÑO,Al A., GUIA, Luie Tito F., LIM, Arthur D.

Acting Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner

PROMULGATED ON: April 13, 2015

3.

Sec. 97, which makes it unlawful for any person or organization, whether civic or religious, to directly or indirectly solicit and/ or accept from any candidate for public office or from his campaign manager, agent or representative, or any person acting in their behalf, any gift, food, transportations, contribution or donation in cash or in kind from the commencement of the election period up to and including election day;

4.

Sec. 261 (o), which prohibits the use under any guise whatsoever, directly or indirectly of any printing press, radio or television station or audiovisual equipment operated by the government or by its subdivisions, instrumentalities, agencies or instrumentalities, including government-owned or controlled corporations, or any equipment, facility, apparatus, paraphernalia or vehicle owned by the government or by its political subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities, including government-owned or controlled corporations or by the Armed Forces of the Philippines for any election campaign of for any partisan political activity; and

RESOLUTION NO. 9946 WHEREAS, pursuant to the Constitution, the Omnibus Election Code, Republic Act 9164, and other election laws, the Commission on Elections (Commission) may deputize certain departments under the Executive Branch, Government-Owned-and-Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) and Financial Institutions in connection with the May 08, 2015 Recall Elections for Mayor in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, pursuant to COMELEC Resolution No. 15-0284 dated 7 April 2015.

NOW, THEREFORE, the Commission on Elections, has RESOLVED, as it hereby RESOLVES to deputize, the following departments under the executive branch, government-owned and controlled corporations and financial institutions, and to perform specific duties relative to the conduct of the elections, as follows: I. THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION The Department of Education (DepEd) is hereby deputized to comply with and enforce all orders and instructions of the Commission relative to the election duties and functions of public school teachers in connection with the May 08, 2015 Recall Elections for Mayor in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, and perform such other measures as are necessary including the use of all public school buildings designated as polling places/ centers.

Where it is necessary to constitute new or additional BEI, preference for appointment shall be given to public school teachers who efficiently served in the October 28, 2013 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, and who are registered voters of the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

II. THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE The Department of Finance (DoF) is hereby deputized to enforce and ensure that during the election period from April 20, 2015 to May 18, 2015: The City Treasurer of Puerto Princesa, Palawan shall: a. Remain in his present assignments and not be transferred or detailed, whether temporarily or permanently, to another province, city or municipality, except upon prior written authority of the Commission; b. Not be allowed to go on leave of absence from office during the period starting two weeks before and two weeks after the recall election except upon prior written approval of the Commission. He shall at all times assign responsible employees in his office to receive telegrams and instructions from the Commission relative to election matters to insure immediate action thereon; and c. Not designate temporary or casual employee as Officerin-Charge of the Office of the Treasurer.

The City Treasurer of Puerto Princesa, Palawan shall: a. Under the direct orders and supervision of the election officer, preserve, take custody and be responsible for the storage of election forms, ballot boxes, paraphernalia, supplies and materials entrusted to him and prevent any loss, destruction, impairment or damage thereto; In the discharge of his duties as deputy of the Commission, the City Treasurer of Puerto Princesa, Palawan shall not be subject to the command, control or orders of the mayor or other local executive officials. In this respect, it shall be unlawful for the mayor or local executive officials to intervene or interfere in the discharge of the City Treasurer’s duties in connection with the recall elections; b. Keep a record of the quantity and serial numbers, if any, of official ballots, and ballot boxes allocated for distribution to the various precincts in their respective jurisdiction, and furnish legible copies of such record to the candidates, the Election Officer of the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, and the Election Records and Statistics Department (ERSD), Commission on Elections, Manila, immediately after distribution; c. Distribute in the presence of watchers, if available, the official ballots, ballot box, and other election paraphernalia, to the BEI not earlier than the first hour on election day.

However, the Provincial Election Supervisor of Palawan, upon request of the Election Officer of the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, may authorize the City Treasurer, to distribute the election forms, materials, supplies and other paraphernalia, at an earlier time and with written notice to the candidates and political parties, for reasons such as, but not limited to, distance and weather condition in the locality and difficulty of transportation, number of precincts in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, and prevailing peace and order; The BEI shall issue the proper receipt stating clearly the date of receipt, the number of sets and the corresponding quantity and serial numbers of the official ballots, ballot boxes, and other accountable forms and supplies. d. Submit the accomplished Certificate of Receipt of Official Ballots and Other Forms and Supplies to the election officer within five days after election day; and e. Submit to the election officer an official report on ballot boxes which were not returned to him by the BEI immediately after its adjournment. The ERSD shall be furnished with a copy of said report.

The City Treasurer of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, is hereby designated for the purpose herein provided as Deputy under the direct and immediate supervision of the Commission in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

III. THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is hereby deputized to perform the following duties and functions: a. Circularize to all owners and operators of land and air transportation facilities and telecommunications services, holders of certificates of public convenience, franchises or other forms of authorization, that the following provisions under the Omnibus Election Code are election offenses:

5.

Sec. 261 (dd), which penalizes any operator or employee of a public utility or transportation company operating under a certificate of public convenience who refuses to carry official election mail matters free of charge during the election period.

b. Direct its agents to apprehend violators of the aforesaid provisions of the Omnibus Election Code and refer such violations to the Commission, through the Regional Election Director or Provincial Election Supervisor, for proper action; c. Require all transportation companies engaged in the operation of transportation facilities to report within thirty (30) days following the day of the election, the use, rental or hiring of their facilities by any candidate, political party, coalition of political parties, or groups or organizations in connection with the election campaign, including the amount paid for such use, rental or hiring, which report shall be submitted to the Regional Election Director of Region IV, who in turn shall submit the same to the Law Department, Commission on Elections, Manila, for the purpose of proper accounting and monitoring of expenses under Secs. 100 and 101, respectively, in relation to Sec. 112 of the Omnibus Election Code; and d. Perform such other duties and functions which the Commission may prescribe from time to time.

IV. THE PHILIPPINE POSTAL CORPORATION, THE NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION, AND THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS OFFICE The Philippine Postal Service Corporation, the National Telecommunications Commission, and the Telecommunications Office are hereby deputized to perform the following functions and duties: a. Instruct their respective personnel and the management of all private telecommunications firms to give special preference to, and effect immediate transmission and delivery of messages or telegrams of the Commission, its field personnel and deputies during the election period; and between and among the Commission’s field offices, its deputies and other assisting agencies until after the proclamation of the winning candidate in the Recall Elections for Mayor in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan; b. Impress upon such personnel and management that noncompliance with the provisions of Sec. 9 of the Omnibus Election Code on preferential transmissions of official mails, messages and telegrams relative to the elections, constitutes an election offense punishable under Sec. 264 of said Code with imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six (6) years and shall not be subject to probation. In addition, the guilty party shall be sentenced to suffer disqualification to hold public office and deprivation of the right of suffrage; c. Assign sufficient number of personnel to receive, transmit and deliver election messages ten (10) days before election day, on election day, and ten (10) days after election day; d. Make operational all its stations during the election period; and e. Perform such other duties and functions which the Commission may prescribe from time to time.

V. THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES The Department of Energy and electric cooperatives in the local government units concerned are hereby deputized to perform the following: a. Provide uninterrupted power supply on the day before and on election day, until the termination or conclusion of the canvassing of the election returns and proclamation of the elected official; and b. Perform such other functions that the Commission may prescribe from time to time.

VI. THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION The Civil Service Commission (CSC) is hereby deputized to enforce and implement the provision of the Constitution of the Philippines particularly paragraph 4, Section 2 (B), and Section 6 of Article IX, which provides that: “(4) No officer or employee in the civil service shall engage, directly or indirectly, in any electioneering or partisan political campaign.”

(6) No candidate who has lost in any election shall, within one (1) year after such election, be appointed to any office in the government or any government-owned or controlled-corporations or in any of its subsidiaries.” and the provisions of the Omnibus Election Code, particularly Section 261: “ Section 261.Prohibited Acts.– The following shall be guilty of an election offense: x xx x xx x xx g.) Appointment of new employees, creation of new position, promotion, or giving salary increases. Appointment or new employees, creation of new position, promotion, or giving salary increases. During the forty five (45) days before a regular election; and thirty days before a special election; (1) any head, official appointing officer of a government office, agency or instrumentality, whether national or local, including government-owned or controlled corporations, who appoints or hires any new employee, whether provisional, temporary or

casual, or creates and fills any new position, except upon authority sought unless, it is satisfied that the position to be filled is essential to the proper functioning of the office or agency concerned, and that the position shall not be filled in a manner that may influence the election.

As an exemption to the foregoing provision, a new employee may be appointed in case of urgent need: Provided, however, that notice of the appointment shall be given to the Commission after three days from the date of the appointment. Any appointment or hiring in violation of this provision shall be null and void.”

(2) Any government official who promotes, or gives any increase of salary or remuneration or privilege to any government official or employee, including those in government-owned or controlled corporation. h.) Transfer of officers and employees in the civil service. – Any official who makes or causes transfer or detail of any officer or employee in the civil service including public school teachers, within the election period except upon prior approval of the Commission. i.) Intervention of public officers and employees. – Any officer or employee in the civil service, except those holdings political offices; any officer, employee, or member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, or any police force, special forces, home defense forces, barangay self-defense units and all other paramilitary units that now exist or which may hereafter be organized who directly or indirectly, intervenes in any political activity, except to vote to preserve public order, if he is a peace officer.” x xx

x xx

x xx

and other related provisions of law on the matter.

VII. COMMISSION ON AUDIT AND DEPARTMENT OF BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT The Commission on Audit (COA) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) are hereby deputized to enforce and implement the provisions of Section 261, paragraph (v) and (w) of the Omnibus Election Code.

IX. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS The Department of Public works and Highways (DPWH) is hereby deputized to assist the Commission in removing and tearing down all unlawful election materials. The deputation of DPWH shall be limited to the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

The DPWH shall provide facilities and/or equipments necessary in the tearing down of illegal propaganda materials.

X. THE PHILIPPINE INFORMATION AGENCY The Philippine Information Agency (PIA) is hereby deputized to perform the following duties: 1. Assist the Commission in its education and information campaign on the aforesaid elections; 2. Make available to the Commission its facilities and services of its personnel, as may be necessary to ensure implementation of the programs of activities or operation plans for the Commission’s information campaign; 3. Produce such information materials as the Commission may deem necessary to ensure the conduct of free, orderly, honest, peaceful and credible Recall Elections in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan; Provided, that in all cases: a.

The Agency shall adhere strictly to the policy of the Commission that the education and information campaign must be absolutely impartial, objective and neutral;

b.

The expenses it may incur as such deputy for the information campaign of the Commission, i.e., production of information materials, shall be for the exclusive account of the Agency; and

c.

Any information material which the Agency, as such deputy, shall produce upon the direction of the Commission, shall be published/ distributed/ released only upon prior clearance from the Commission to ensure that nothing therein contained shall detract from or violate the policy of impartiality, objectivity and neutrality.

4. Perform such other duties and functions which the Commission may prescribe from time to time.

XI. GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, AND OTHER GOVERNMENT-OWNED OR CONTROLLED CORPORATIONS The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), the Social Security System (SSS), the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC), the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), the National Food Authority (NFA), the National Electrification Administration (NEA), National Printing Office (NPO), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and the Population Commission are hereby designated as deputies of the Commission.

As such deputies, they shall place at the disposal of the Commission their land, air and water craft, such as airplanes and helicopters, trucks, jeeps, vans, cars and the like, ships, launches, barges, and speedboats, and communication facilities, as the Commission may need from time to time.

Said vehicles shall be used to ferry the personnel of the Commission and of its deputized agencies in the performance of their election duties, and to transport election forms, supplies and materials to their places of destination, particularly in areas with inadequate or without regular means of transportation.

For the above purposes, they shall provide the Commission with a list of available vehicles, together with the pilots/ captains, shipmasters, or drivers assigned to said crafts or vehicles. These crafts or vehicles shall be at the disposal of the Commission immediately and until the end of the election period.

EFFECTIVITY This Resolution shall take effect after its publication in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.

DISSEMINATION The Executive Director shall furnish all the above deputized, departments, offices, or agencies, through their respective heads, copies of this Resolution pertinent to their agencies.

The Education and Information Department shall cause the publication of this Resolution in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines and, disseminate this Resolution for the information of the public.

SO ORDERED.

CHRISTIAN ROBERT S. LIM Acting Chairman

AL A. PARREÑO Commissioner

LUIE TITO F. GUIA Commissioner

ARTHUR D. LIM Commissioner

The chief of police/detachment concerned shall conduct a preliminary examination and submit the result thereof to the city prosecutor for preliminary investigation, furnishing copies thereof to the Election Officer of the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, the Law Department of the Commission and their respective operations centers.

SEC. 12. Report of the Law Department.- The Law Department shall submit to the COMELEC a progress report stating the particulars of all arrests made during the election period.

Republic of the Philippines COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS Manila GUIDELINES ON THE ES TA B L I S H M E N T AND OPERATION OF COMELEC CHECKPOINTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE MAY 08, 2015 RECALL ELECTIONS FOR MAYOR IN THE CITY OF PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN, PURSUANT TO COMELEC RESOLUTION NO. 150284 DATED 7 APRIL 2015. x--------------------------x

LIM, Christian Robert S. PARREÑO,Al A., GUIA, Luie Tito F., LIM, Arthur D.

SEC. 13. Effectivity. – This Resolution shall take effect after its publication in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.

Acting Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner

SEC. 14. Dissemination. – The Education and Information Department shall cause the publication of this Resolution in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation, and shall furnish copies thereof to the Chief of Staff of the AFP, the Director General of the PNP, the Regional Election Director of Region IV, the Provincial Election Supervisor of the Province of Palawan and the Election Officer of the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

SO ORDERED.

PROMULGATED ON: April 13, 2015

WHEREAS,, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) will implement the Rules and Regulations on: (a) Bearing, Carrying or Transporting Firearms and Deadly Weapons; (b) Security Personnel or Bodyguards; (c) Bearing Arms by any member of Security or Police Organization of Government Agencies and other similar organization; (d) organization or maintenance of reaction forces during the election period in connection with the May 08, 2015 Recall Elections for Mayor in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, pursuant to COMELEC Resolution No. 15-0284 dated 7 April 2015;

AL A. PARREÑO Commissioner

LUIE TITO F. GUIA Commissioner

SEC. 3. Checkpoint signboard. – Every COMELEC checkpoint shall have a signboard measuring three feet by four feet (3’ x 4’), to clearly identify the place as a COMELEC checkpoint from a reasonable distance.

The following shall be printed/painted on both sides of the signboard in bold letters on a white background: STOP COMELEC CHECKPOINT Please bear with us Thank you for your cooperation. ______________________________________ Name and Address of Election Officer ______________________________________ Name of Commanding Officer/Team Leader SEC. 4. Notice of location of checkpoints. – The commanding officer/ team leader of the checkpoint must give notice to the Election Officer of the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, as well as non-governmental organizations and other civic organizations about establishment and location of COMELEC checkpoints in the locality.

SEC. 5. Spot checkpoint. – Where the circumstances warrant, spot checkpoints may be established in locations other than those mentioned in the preceding section. Before establishing such checkpoints, the commanding officer/team leader shall give notice to the Election Officer of the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

SEC. 6. Personnel to man checkpoint.– Any unit designated to man a COMELEC checkpoint must be led by a regular member of the AFP or the PNP with the rank of at least Sergeant or its equivalent.

All personnel manning the checkpoints must be in complete uniform and shall not be under the influence of liquor/drug. Any violation hereof will subject the offender and his commanding officer jointly liable for administrative/ criminal action.

SEC. 7. Briefing by the commanding officer/team leader. – The commanding officer/team leader must give a briefing to all members of the unit who will be designated to man the checkpoint, with emphasis on the proper manner of searching with reasonableness.

SEC. 8. Searches at COMELEC checkpoint.– Only members of the unit designated to man the same shall make the search at any COMELEC checkpoint. It should be done in a manner with the least inconvenience upon the person or persons so searched, to the end that civil, political and human rights are not violated.

As a rule, a valid search must be authorized by a search warrant duly issued by the proper authority. However, a warrant-less search can be made in the following cases: a) Moving vehicles and the seizure of evidence made in plain view; b) As long as the vehicle is not searched or its occupant/s subjected to a body search, and the inspection of the vehicle is merely limited to a visual search;

__________________________________________

Republic of the Philippines COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS Manila GUIDELINES ON THE E S TA B L I S H M E N T AND OPERATION OF COMELEC CHECKPOINTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE MAY 08, 2015 RECALL ELECTIONS FOR MAYOR IN THE CITY OF PUERTO PRINCESA, P A L A W A N , P U R S U A N T TO COMELEC RESOLUTION NO. 150284 DATED 7 APRIL 2015. x-------------------------x

LIM, Christian Robert S. PARREÑO,Al A., GUIA, Luie Tito F., LIM, Arthur D.

Acting Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner

SEC. 10. Record of arrest.– Any arrest made at a COMELEC checkpoint shall be immediately and chronologically recorded in a logbook for the purpose, specifically stating the circumstances of the arrest and other particulars about the person and confiscated weapons, ammunitions and materials, if any.

The arresting officer shall execute an affidavit of arrest stating clearly and distinctly the facts and circumstances surrounding the arrest.

SEC. 11. Report and turn-over of arrested person. – Any person arrested at a COMELEC checkpoint, including the confiscated material, weapon and ammunition, must be immediately turned-over to the nearest law enforcement station or office with the corresponding affidavit of arrest for proper action.

2. Direct its agents to arrest any person who violates the provisions of the Omnibus Election Code and other pertinent election laws and the Rules and Regulations promulgated by the Commission;

4. Comply with the orders and directives of the Commission, which shall be given priority over orders and directives from other sources, except the Supreme Court and those issued in haeas corpus proceedings.

III. THE BUREAU OF JAIL MANAGEMENT AND PENOLOY

and to comply with all orders, directives and resolutions, which the Commission may, from time to time, promulgate.

PRECEDENCE OF COMELEC ORDERS Orders issued by the Commission in connection with the May 08, 2015 Recall Elections for Mayor in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, shall take pecedence over and above the orders and directives issued by any other office or agency of the Government.

EFFECTIVITY This Resolution shall take effect after its publication in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.

PROMULGATED ON: April 13, 2015

RESOLUTION NO. 9950 WHEREAS, pursuant to the Constitution, The Omnibus Election Code, Republic Act No. 6646, Republic Act No. 7166, and other election laws, the Commission on Elections ( Commission) may deputize law enforcement agencies and instrumentalities of the government, including the Philippine National Police, and exercise direct supervision and control over such agencies required by law to perform duties relative to the conduct of the elections; WHEREAS, there is a need to deputize, with the concurrence of the President of the Philippines, such law enforcement agencies and instrumentalities of the government, including the Philippine National Police and to prescribe their duties and functions to ensure the holding of the free, orderly, honest, peaceful and credible Recall Elections for Mayor on May 08, 2015 in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan pursuant to Comelec Resolution No. 15-0284 dated 7 April 2015; NOW, THEREFORE, the Commission on Elections, by virtue of the powers vested in it by the Constitution, the Omnibus Election Code, Republic Act no. 6646, Republic Act No. 7166, and other related election laws, has RESOLVED, as it hereby RESOLVES, to deputize the following law enforcement agencies and instrumentalities of the government, to perform specific duties relative to the conduct of elections, as follows: I. THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, THE NATIONAL POLICE COMMISSION AND THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), are hereby deputized in connection with the May 08, 2015 Recall Elections for Mayor in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, and as such, shall, within the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan:

DISSEMINATION The Executive Director shall furnish copies of this Resolution to all the above deputized departments, agencies, offices or agencies, through their respective heads, the Regional Election Director of Region IV, the Provincial Election Supervisor of Palawan, and the Elction Officer of the City of Puerto Princesa, and coordinate with the above-nemed departments, offices or agencies for effective implementation thereof.

The Education and Information Department shall cause the publication of this Resolution in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines, and disseminate this Resolution for the information of the public.

SO ORDERED.

CHRISTIAN ROBERT S. LIM Acting Chairman

AL A. PARREÑO Commissioner

LUIE TITO F. GUIA Commissioner

ARTHUR D. LIM Commissioner

__________________________________________

1. Effect no changes, during the election period from April 20, 2015 to May 18, 2015, in the assignments of city station unit commanders of the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, without the prior written permission of the Commission; 2. Strictly observe the following duties and functions:

b. Provide security to personnel of the Commission, its deputies and other persons performing election-related functions including election paraphernalia, equipments, forms and supplies, that will be used by the Commission;

c) To be released from detention if no charges have been filed against him within eighteen (18) hours from the arrest, unless he is charged under P.D. 1866, as amended.

1. Deploy its agents to designated places in order to effectively carry out the objective of this Resolution, furnishing the Commission with a list of said agents;

However, nothing contained herein shall be construed as in any manner affecting or constituting an impairment of the Constitutional powers of the President of the Philippines to conduct and direct the general peace-keeping functions of the Philippine National Police.

d) On the basis of prior confidential information which are reasonably corroborated by other attendant matters.

b) To have competent and independent counsel preferably of his own choice, and if he cannot afford the services of counsel, he must be provided with one, which right cannot be waived except in writing and in the presence of counsel;

14. Render periodic reports on actions taken in accordance with this deputation.

“SEC. 261 (n). Illegal release of prisoners before and after election. The Director of the Bureau of Prisons, any provincial warden, the keeper of the jail or the person or persons required by law to keep prisoners in their custody who illegally orders or allows any prisoner detained in the national penitentiary, or the provincial, city or municipal jail to leave the premises thereof sixty days before and thirty days after the election. The municipal or city warden, the provincial warden, the keeper of the jail or the person or persons required by alw to keep prisoners in their custody shall post in three conspicuous public palces a list of the prisoners or detention prisoners under their care. Detention prisoners must be categorized as such.”

a. Provide security to polling places, polling centers/voting centers, and such other places or building, the members of the boards of election inspectors and the voters whenever the need arises, or whenever the Commission through the Election Officer so requires;

a) To remain silent, which cannot be waived except in writing and in the presence of counsel;

13. Perform such other functions and duties or implement such other directives as the Commission may issue from time to time; and

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) is hereby deputized to enforce the following provision of the Omnibus Election Code:

c) When the occupant/s of the vehicle appear to be nervous or there is probable cause to believe that either the occupant/s is a law offender or that the instrumentality or evidence pertaining to the commission of a crime can be found in the vehicle to be searched; and

SEC. 9. Rights of person arrested. – Any person arrested at a COMELEC checkpoint must be treated humanely and with utmost respect for his constitutional rights. He must be informed of the following rights:

12. Implement strictly the rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission;

3. Report from time to time to the Commission actions taken pursuant to this Resolution; and

ARTHUR D. LIM Commissioner

NOW, THEREFORE, the Commission on Elections has RESOLVED, as it hereby RESOLVES, to promulgate the following guidelines for the establishment and operation of COMELEC checkpoints:

SEC. 2. Checkpoint location. –The officials mentioned in the immediately preceding section shall, in consultation with the Election Officer of the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, establish COMELEC checkpoints in well-lighted places or in places where there are sufficient illumination. In areas where electric light is not available, artificial lighting shall be provided for the purpose.

11. Take steps to prevent private security agencies from acting as private armies of any candidate or as campaigners for terroristic or violent acts against persons in connection with May 08, 2015 Recall Elections for Mayor in theCity of Puerto Princesa, Palawan;

II. THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

WHEREAS, it is necessary to establish COMELEC checkpoints to effectively implement said rules and regulations and at the same time ensure that in the establishment and operation of checkpoints, civil and political rights are not infringed and that constitutional and legal procedures are observed properly;

SECTION. 1. Comelec Checkpoints. – There shall be at least one (1) COMELEC checkpoint in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Additional checkpoints may be established at the discretion of the highest ranking official of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) or the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

10. Take effective measures to prevent members of civilian vigilante units and barangay tanods from engaging in partisan political activities or any act of terrorism, intimidation, coercion, harassment or reprisal;

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is hereby deputized for purposes of the May 08, 2015 Recall Elections for Mayor in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, and, upon prior Order from the Commission, shall:

CHRISTIAN ROBERT S. LIM Acting Chairman

RESOLUTION NO. 9947

9. Comply with and/or implement directives or resolutions which the Commission may issue or promulgate from time to time;

3. Deploy, at the least time possible, troops for election duty in coordination with the Regional Election Director of Region IV, the Provincial Election Supervisor of Palawan and Election Officer of the City of Puerto Princesa; 4. Make available, at the least time possible, land, air and water-craft assets, communication systems and other equipment, in connection with the delivery and retrieval fo election equipment, documents, supplies, forms and paraphernalia; 5. Look into the existence of any armed group organized to commit, or which is committing or attempting to commit, acts of terrorism, or threats to intimidate or coerce any person to vote for or against a candidate, and to suppress or prevent said acts of terrorism or threats; 6. Assist the Commission in implementing more effectively election laws and/or rules and regulations, particularly the laws governing prohibition against military, policemen and provincial guards acting as bodyguards or security guards for the candidates, the use of armored vehicles and air or water craft, and the prohibition on bearing, carrying or transporting firearms and other deadly weapons in public places; 7. Provide security escorts to candidate/s subject to the conditions and restrictions on the Resolution imposing the gun ban; 8. Conduct a periodic assessment of the peace and order conditions in the Commission in the interest of free, orderly, honest, peaceful and credible elections;

Republic of the Philippines COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS Manila RULES ON THE LIQUOR BAN IN CONNECTION WITH THE MAY 08, 2015 RECALL ELECTIONS FOR MAYOR IN THE CITY OF PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN, PURSUANT TO COMELEC RESOLUTION NO. 150284 DATED 7 APRIL 2015. x-----------------------------x

LIM, Christian Robert S. PARREÑO,Al A., GUIA, Luie Tito F., LIM, Arthur D.

Acting Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner

PROMULGATED ON: April 13, 2015

RESOLUTION NO. 9951 WHEREAS, the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines provides: “Sec. 261. Prohibited Acts. – The following shall be guilty of an election offense: “x x x x xx x xx (dd) xxx (1) Any person who sells, furnishes, offers, buys, serves or takes intoxicating liquor on the days fixed by law for the registration of voters

in the polling place, or on the day before the election or on the election day. Provided, That hotels and other establishments duly certified by the Department of Tourism as tourist-oriented and habitually in the business of catering to foreign tourists may be exempted for justifiable reasons upon prior authority of the Commission. Provided, that foreign tourist taking intoxicating liquor in said authorized hotels or establishments are exempted from the provisions of this sub-paragraph.”

WHEREAS, violation of said prohibited acts shall be punishable with imprisonment of not less than one (1) year but not more than six (6) years and shall not be subject to probation, and in addition, the guilty party shall suffer disqualification to hold public office and deprivation of the right of suffrage;

rules to enforce the provisions of Section 261, subsections (v) and (w) of the Omnibus Election Code in connection with the conduct of the May 08, 2015 Recall Elections for Mayor in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan pursuant to COMELEC Resolution No. 15-0284 dated 7 April 2015: SEC. 1.Coverage. –The provisions of this Resolution shall be applicable only to the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

SEC. 2. (A)Prohibition on Release, Disbursement or Expenditure of Public Funds. –Effective April 23, 2015 until May 07, 2015, no public official or employee including barangay officials and those of government-owned or controlled corporations and their subsidiaries concerned, shall release, disburse or expend any public funds for: 1.

Any and all kinds of public works, except the following:

NOW, THEREFORE, the Commission on Elections (Commission) pursuant to the powers vested in it by the Constitution, the Omnibus Election Code, and other election laws, has RESOLVED to promulgate as it hereby promulgates the following implementing rules in connection with the conduct of the May 08, 2015 Recall Elections for Mayor in the City of the Puerto Princesa, Palawan, pursuant to COMELEC Resolution No. 15-0284 dated 7 April 2015;

(a) Maintenance of existing and/or completed public works project: Provided, That not more than the average number of laborers or employees already employed therein during the six-month period immediately prior to April 23, 2015, shall be permitted to work during such time: Provided, further, That no additional laborers shall be employed for maintenance work staring April 23, 2015 until May 07, 2015;

SEC. 1. Prohibited Acts. – It shall be unlawful for any person, including owners and managers of hotels and establishments in the City of the Puerto Princesa, Palawan, to sell, furnish, offer, buy, serve, or take intoxicating liquor.

(b) Work undertaken by contract through public bidding held, or by negotiated contract awarded, before April 23, 2015: Provided, That for the purpose of this Section work undertaken under the so-called “takay” or “paquiao” system shall not be considered as work by contract;

SEC. 2. Prohibition Period. – The liquor ban shall be in force and effect on May 07, 2015, the day before the election, and on May 08, 2015, the day of the elections.

(c) Payment for the usual cost of preparation for working drawings, specifications, bills of materials, estimates, and other procedures preparatory to actual construction including the purchase of materials and equipment, and all incidental expenses for wages of watchmen and other laborers employed for such work in the central office and field storehouses before April 23, 2015: Provided, That the number of such laborers shall not be increased over the number hired when the project or projects were commenced; and

SEC. 3. Exemption. – Hotels and other establishments duly certified by the Department of Tourism as tourist-oriented and habitually in the business of catering to foreign tourists may be exempted from the liquor ban, PROVIDED they secure prior written authority from the Commission, as provided for in Section 4 below, upon showing that there are justifiable reasons therefor.

Foreign tourists taking intoxicating liquor in said authorized hotels or establishments are exempted from the prohibition.

SEC. 4. Where to apply for and secure exemption. – Applications for exemption together with supporting documents, shall be filed with, and duly acted upon by the Election Officer of the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

SEC. 5. Conditions for grant of exemptions. – Exemption may be granted only upon compliance and submission of the following: a.)

the request/petition/application for exemption must be under oath and must contain a statement that the hotel/establishment operators/owners have not been convicted for an election offense;

b.)

Certification by the Department of Tourism shall state that the requesting hotel or establishment is touristoriented and is habitually in the business of catering to foreign tourists;

c.)

Certification by the Department of Tourism to prove that said hotel or establishment is currently licensed to do business; and

d.)

Certification by the Department of Tourism to prove that the individual or establishment has paid the required taxes and/or fees imposed by the government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities.

SEC. 6. Revocation of exemption. – The exemption granted may be revoked or set aside by the Commission upon petition of any interested party on showing, among others, that the reason upon which the exemption was made does not exist or is not justifiable, or that the requesting party or applicant has committed misrepresentation in the application, or introduced or submitted falsified documents.

SEC. 7. Who shall implement. – The officers concerned of the Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Regional Election Director (RED) of Region IV, Provincial Election Supervisor (PES) of the Province of Palawan, and Election Officer (EO) of the City of Puerto Princesa, and the COMELEC Election Laws Enforcement Team, if any, which will be fielded by the Commission in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, shall implement this resolution.

SEC. 8. Penalty. – Any violation of the provisions of this Resolution shall, consistent with Sections 261 and 264 of the Omnibus Election Code, constitute an election offense and shall be punishable by imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six years, among other penalties provided for by law.

SEC. 9. Effectivity. – This Resolution shall take effect after its publication in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.

SEC. 10. Dissemination. – The Education and Information Department shall cause the immediate publication of this Resolution in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines, and shall furnish copies thereof to the Department of Tourism, Association of Hotels and Restaurants, Regional Election Director of Region IV, Provincial Election Supervisor of Palawan, Election Officer of the City of Puerto Princesa, the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Accredited Citizens’ Arm of the Commission.

SO ORDERED.

CHRISTIAN ROBERT S. LIM Acting Chairman

AL A. PARREÑO Commissioner

LUIE TITO F. GUIA Commissioner

(d) Emergency work necessitated by the occurrence of a public calamity, but such work shall be limited to the restoration of the damaged facility.

No payment shall be made within five (5) days before the date of election to laborers who have rendered services in projects or works except those falling under subparagraphs (a), (b), (c), and (d), of this Section.

The prohibition shall not apply to on-going public works projects commenced before the campaign period or similar projects under foreign agreements. For purposes of this provision, it shall be the duty of the government officials or agencies concerned to report to the Commission the list of all such projects undertaken by them as provided for under Sec. 2 of this Resolution.

2.

3.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development and any other office in other departments of the government performing functions similar to said department, except for salaries of personnel, and for such other routine and normal expenses, and for such other expenses as the Commission may authorize after due notice and hearing. Should a calamity or disaster occur, all releases normally or usually coursed through the said departments and offices of other departments shall be turned over to, and administered and disbursed by, the Philippine National Red Cross, subject to the supervision of the Commission on Audit (COA) or its representatives, and no candidate or his or her spouse or member of his family within the second civil degree of affinity or consanguinity shall participate, directly or indirectly, in the distribution of any relief or other goods to the victims of the calamity or disaster; and The Human and Urban Development Coordinating Council and any other office in any other department of the government performing functions similar to said department, except for salaries of personnel and for such other necessary administrative or other expenses as the Commission may authorize after due notice and hearing.

(B).Prohibition Against Construction Public Works, Delivery of Materials for Public Works and Issuance of Treasury Warrants and Similar Devices or Maintenance of National, Provincial, City and Barangay-Funded Roads and Bridges.– Effective April 23, 2015 to May 07,2015 (1) the construction of any public works, except for projects or works exempted in the preceding Section; or (2) the issuance, use or avail of treasury warrants or any device undertaking future delivery of money, goods, or other things of value chargeable against public funds in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, shall be prohibited.

SEC. 3. Submission to the Commission of Lists of Authorized Public Works Projects. – On or before April 23, 2015, the Secretary of Public Works and Highways, the Provincial Governor of Palawan, the Mayor and Punong Barangays of the City of Puerto Princesa, shall submit to the Commission in Manila thru the Provincial Election Supervisor of Palawan/ Election Officer of the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, as the case may be, a certified list of all on-going public works, projects under foreign agreements and those undertaken by contract through public bidding, negotiated contract undertaken before April 23, 2015 in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

Any public works not included in the list herein required to be submitted by the Secretary of Public Works and Highways, the Provincial Governor of Palawan, the Mayor and Punong Barangays of the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, which are not among the exceptions under Section 261, subsection (v) of the Omnibus Election Code shall be considered as falling under the public works ban.

SEC. 4. Immediate Payment of Laborers Required. – Any laborer who may have worked on construction and maintenance of provincial, city, municipal, and barangay-funded roads and bridges which have to be suspended pursuant to the fifteen (15) day ban shall be paid immediately his complete earned wage upon the suspension of said projects. In no case shall the earned wage or any portion thereof be retained to be paid only within five (5) days before or on the day of the election.

SEC. 5. Injunction. – The Department of Budget and Management and the Commission on Audit, including all its field offices, are hereby enjoined not to release or authorize the release of any appropriation, or to pass in audit payments or expenditures of public funds that may directly or indirectly be used in violation of the prohibitions contained in Section 261 (v) and (w) of the Omnibus Election Code and Section 1 hereof.

ARTHUR D. LIM Commissioner __________________________________________

The concerned field office of the Commission, including those of its deputized agencies and citizens arm therein, are directed to monitor compliance with the requirements under Sec. 2 hereof by the local executive officer of the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, and submit immediately to the Commission a written report on any violation of said provisions.

SEC. 6. Penalty. – Any violation of the provisions of this Resolution shall, consistent with Sections 261 and 264 of the Omnibus Election Code, constitute an election offense and shall be punishable by imprisonment of not less than one (1) year but not more than six (6) years, among other penalties provided for by law.

Republic of the Philippines COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS Manila RULES AND R E G U L AT I O N S G O V E R N I N G PUBLIC WORKS BAN AND RELEASE, DISBURSEMENT AND EXPENDITURES OF PUBLIC FUNDS IN CONNECTION WITH THE MAY 08, 2015 RECALL ELECTIONS FOR MAYOR IN THE CITY OF PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN, PURSUANT TO COMELEC RESOLUTION NO. 150284 DATED 7 APRIL 2015. x---------------------------x

LIM, Christian Robert S. PARREÑO, Al A., GUIA, Luie Tito F., LIM, Arthur D.

SEC. 7. Effectivity. – This Resolution shall take effect after its publication in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.

Acting Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner

Republic of the Philippines COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS Manila

SEC. 8. Dissemination. – The Education and Information Department shall cause the publication of this Resolution in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines, immediately after promulgation hereof, and shall furnish the Executive Secretary, the Chairman of the Commission on Audit, heads of all departments, and national offices, Provincial Governor of Palawan, the Mayor of the City of Puerto Princesa, and other agencies of the government, including government-owned or controlled corporations, political parties concerned and the concerned field offices of the Commission copies hereof.

SO ORDERED.

IN THE MATTER OF ADOPTING COMELEC RESOLUTION NO. 9615 PROMULGATED ON JANUARY 15, 2013, AS AMENDED BY COMELEC RESOLUTION NO. 9631 PROMULGATED ON FEBRUARY 1, 2013, AND AS FURTHER MODIFIED

BY THE DECISION OF THE SUPREME COURT DATED SEPTEMBER 2, 2014, IN G.R. NOS. 205357; 205374; 205592; 205852, AND 206360, IN CONNECTION WITH THE MAY 8, 2015 RECALL ELECTIONS FOR MAYOR IN THE CITY OF PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN. X---------------------X

LIM, CHRISTIAN ROBERT S., PARREÑO, AL A., GUIA, LUIE TITO F. LIM, ARTHUR D.

Acting Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner

Promulgated: April 13, 2015

RESOLUTION NO. 9954 WHEREAS, Section 1 of Republic Act (R.A.) No. 9006 provides for the holding of free, orderly, honest, peaceful and credible elections through fair election practices; WHEREAS, on January 15, 2013, the Commission promulgated COMELEC Resolution No. 9615 entitled “RULES AND REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9006, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE “FAIR ELECTION ACT”, IN CONNECTION TO THE 13 MAY 2013 NATIONAL AND LOCAL ELECTIONS, AND SUBSEQUENT ELECTIONS”; WHEREAS, on February 1, 2013, COMELEC Resolution No. 9615 was amended by COMELEC Resolution No. 9631 entitled “IN THE MATTER OF E.M. NOS. 13-001 & 13-002 RE:LETTERS OF GMA NETWORK AND KBP SEEKING RECONSIDERATION AND CLARIFICATION OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS IN RESOLUTION NO. 9615, AND SOME MINOR CORRECTIONS OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS THEREIN”; WHEREAS, on September 2, 2014, in several cases docketed as G.R. Nos. 205357, 205374, 205592, 205852, and 206360, the Supreme Court held: “WHEREFORE, premises considered, the petitions are PARTIALLY GRANTED, Section 9 (a) of Resolution No. 9615, as amended by Resolution No. 9631, is declared UNCONSTITUTIONAL and, therefore, NULL and VOID. The constitutionality of the remaining provisions of Resolution No. 9615, as amended

by Resolution No. 9631, is upheld and remain in full force and effect.”; WHEREAS, COMELEC Minute Resolution No. 15-0284 dated April 7, 2015 scheduled the Recall Elections for Mayor in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan on May 8, 2015.

NOW, THEREFORE, the Commission, by virtue of the powers vested in it by the Constitution, the Omnibus Election Code, Republic Act Nos. 6646, 7166, 9006 and other related laws has RESOLVED, as it hereby RESOLVES, to adopt COMELEC Resolution No. 9165 promulgated on January 15, 2013 entitled “RULES AND REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9006, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS “THE FAIR ELECTION ACT”, IN CONNECTION TO THE 13 MAY 2013 NATIONAL AND LOCAL ELECTIONS, AND SUBSEQUENT ELECTIONS”, as amended by COMELEC Resolution No. 9631 promulgated on February 1, 2013 entitled “IN THE MATTER OF E.M. NOS. 13-001 & 13-002 RE:LETTERS OF GMA NETWORK AND KBP SEEKING RECONSIDERATION AND CLARIFICATION OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS IN RESOLUTION NO. 9615, AND SOME MINOR CORRECTIONS OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS THEREIN”, and as further modified by the decision of the Supreme Court dated September 2, 2014 in G.R. Nos. 205357, 205374, 205592, 205852, and 206360, in connection with the May 8, 2015 Recall Elections for Mayor in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, pursuant to COMELEC Minute Resolution No. 15-0284 dated April 7, 2015.

This Resolution shall take effect after its publication in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.

Let the Education and Information Department, this Commission, cause the publication of this Resolution in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines and furnish copies thereof to the Regional Election Director of Region IV, the Provincial Election Supervisor of the Province of Palawan, the City Election Officer of Puerto Princesa City, mass media entities and deputized government agencies/offices.

SO ORDERED.

CHRISTIAN ROBERT S. LIM Acting Chairman

CHRISTIAN ROBERT S. LIM Acting Chairman AL A. PARREÑO Commissioner PROMULGATED ON: April 13, 2015

AL A. PARREÑO Commissioner

LUIE TITO F. GUIA Commissioner

LUIE TITO F. GUIA Commissioner

RESOLUTION NO. 9952 The Commission on Elections, pursuant to the powers vested in it by the Constitution, the Omnibus Election Code, and other election laws, has RESOLVED, as it hereby RESOLVES to promulgate, the following

ARTHUR D. LIM Commissioner

ARTHUR D. LIM Commissioner

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK W E D N E S D AY : A P R I L 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

LOTTO RESULTS

Army sinks Navy bets

6/49 00-00-00-00-00-00 6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00 6 DIGITS 0-0-0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

ARMY used its experience and bench depth to overpower Navy, 25-19, 25-12, 25-15, and bounce back into contention following a straight-set setback to powerhouse PLDT Home Ultera in the Shakey’s V-League Season 12 Open Conference at The Arena in San Juan City yesterday.

Veteran Mary Jean Balse led the Army charge with 13 hits, including eight on attacks and three service aces while playing all throughout 69-minute romp. Joanne Bunag and setter Tina Salak each fired seven hits and Nerissa Bautista added six points in limited minutes.

“She’s one of the more experienced players in this team that’s why I kept her in the game,” said Army coach Rico de Guzman, referring to Balse, a former MVP of the league sponsored

by Shakey’s and presented by PLDT Home Ultera.

It was Army’s second win against a loss, which came at the hands of the Ultra Fast Spikers, 16-25, 23-25, 26-28, last Sunday.

But the Lady Troopers vented their ire on the Lady Sailors with Michelle Carolino and Honey Rose Tubino adding five points apiece and Rachel Ann Daquis, Genie Sabas and top hitter Dindin Santiago-Manabat chipping in three hits each.

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Manilenya wins PCSO trial ROSARIO Lao’s filly Manilenya HE HOARSE WHISPERER c l o c k e d 1:27.2 to qualify ahead of nine others in the April 8 trial for the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s 3YO Special Maiden race at Metro Turf racecourse in Malvar, Batangas.

Ridden by veteran Jonathan B. Hernandez, Manilenya hit the wire two lengths ahead of second-placer Magnetism, who set a time of 1:28.8.

The other placers were, in order: Gypsy Queen, Pursuitofhappiness, Keeper of Grace, Divine De Grace, Agila, Alim’s Joy, Whoopee, and Rafa’s Girl last.

Expect Manilenya (Quaker Ridge x Raise the Bar), RMR Equine’s colt Magnetism (Elysium Fields x Aurora’s Charm), Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur Abalos’s Pursuitofhappiness (Ibarra x Cleave Hill), and Jeci Lapus’s Gypsy Queen (Ibarra x Stowaway Lass) to jockey for sales shares on the day of the actual race—April 18, Saturday—also at Metro Turf.

This race is also interesting because it will show somewhat of the talents of some of Ibarra’s progenies.

Owned by Mayor Abalos, Ibarra holds the status of track icon and during his racing career in the previous decade was a phenomenal stayer. He still shares with Real Spicy the record for the 2,050 meters at 2:09 (set in 2008) and for the 1,750 meters at 1:48 (set in 2007).

Ibarra is an island-born sired by Yonaguska out of broodmare Fire Down Under, the dam of many other Abalos champions. *** The Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom) led by its chairman Andrew A. Sanchez will be strictly implementing prerace inspection guidelines of horses prior to the start of every racemeet.

The guidelines are expected to reduce the instances of scratching at the gate and jockeys’ refusals to mount at the gate due to perceived problems with the horses.

All entries running for the day, including those participating in the official barrier trials, will be required to undergo pre-race inspection to be conducted by the racing club veterinarian two races or one hour before the race, under the supervision of a Philracom veterinarian.

The horse’s owner, trainer, or authorized representative is required to be present during the inspection; if pre-race inspection is refused, the entry shall be withdrawn. *** Racing fans have marked their calendars for this year’s Kentucky Derby, one of the sport’s iconic races and the kick-off of the American Triple Crown series for 2YO. As always, the race is held at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May, which this year falls on May 2 and coincides with the date of the “Fight of the Century”— the showdown between pugilists Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas.

That Saturday will have fans’ attention flicking from one event to the other—what a grand day for both sports.

Speaking of the Triple Crown, the Philracom version of the three-leg battle for elite 3YO will start on May 17 at San Lazaro Leisure Park at 1,500 meters.

The second leg will be on June 14 at Santa Ana Park over 1,800 meters, and the last leg on July 12 at Metro Turf over 2,000 meters. *** Facebook: Gogirl Racing, Twitter: @gogirlracing, Blog: http://jennyo.net JENNY ORTUOSTE

T

Army’s Mary Jean Balse fires away a smash against Navy’s Lilet Mabbayad and Lou Oserio during their Shakey’s V-League Open Conference duel at The Arena.

PH volley team boasts of powerhouse roster FILIPINO-SETTER setter iris Tolenada and premier hitters Aby Marano and Dindin Manabat lead a solid cast of Philippine Superliga stars, who will banner the country in the 18th Asian Senior Women’s Championships in Tianjin and Beijing, China from May 20 to 28.

A former Most Valuable Player in the highly competitive California Collegiate Athletic Association and now seeing action for Philips Gold in the ongoing PSL All-Filipino Conference, Tolenada tries to help the Nationals regain their lofty status in the international stage after decades of silence.

She will be backed by Mar-

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ano and Manabat -- a pair of hard-hitting belles, who have lifted Petron to an impressive six-game winning run in the PSL wars.

Cignal mentor Sammy Acaylar will be the head coach, while serving as his deputies are Francis Vicente of Philips Gold, Rosemary Prochina of Mane ‘N Tail and Benson

Bocboc of Shopinas.

The 18-man lineup was already submitted to the Asian Volleyball Confederation and the organizing committee of this tournament, billed as the highest level of volleyball competition in the continent. It will be trimmed down to the final 12 at least a week before the opening day.

“This is part of our commitment to the newly formed national sports association for volleyball—the Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc.,” said PSL president Ramon “Tats” Suzara.

“I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the team owners, coaches and players who gave us their valuable time and

Roach...

From A16

PSA Forum. Christopher Quimpo (second from left) is joined by (left) 2nd

SUN Cellular National Juniors Badminton Tournament organizer Yoly Araullo as he briefs sportswriters on the coming tournament and the Samahang Basketbolista ng Pilipinas-Talk ‘N Text second Tatluhan National Basketball Tournament during an appearance at the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum. United Football League Gen. Manager Rely San Agustin and UFL Marketing Manager Rico Meneses also graced the forum. EY ACASIO

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Roach revealed that for the first time, they watched a video of southpaw Zab Judah in his fight against Mayweather and that Pacquiao was eager to learn.

Former Pacquiao strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, who is now working with Mayweather, downplayed reports that the undefeated pound-for-pound No. 1 had a busted lip that affected his training and that his knuckles were cut and bothering him.

Ariza said the cut was caused by a head-butt in sparring, while the apparent damaged skin on his knuckles was no cause for concern.

resources for this noble endeavor. I hope this will trigger the start of our return to the international arena.”

Aside from Tolenada, also making the pool from Philips Gold are Shaya Adorador, Melissa Gohing, Michelle Gumabao and Myla Pablo, while Petron will be represented by Manabat, Marano, Carmina Aganon, Mary Grace Masangkay, Frances Molina and Ivy Perez and Cignal by Jheck Dionela, Jeanette Panaga, Janine Navarro, Lourdes Clemente and Rica Jane Enclona.

Rising star Kim Dy is the lone representative from Shopinas, as well as Aby Praca from Mane ‘N Tail.

Meanwhile, international referee Bruce McTavish, a New Zealand native, who has lived in the Philippines for over 40 years and is on the verge of being granted Philippine citizenship

by Congress, thinks the Nevada State Athletic Commission will pick Kenny Bayless to referee the Pacquiao-Mayweather Jr. “Battle for Greatness” at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 3 (Manila time).

“I think Bayless will get it.

He’s the most experienced and he’s done fights of Pacquiao as well as Mayweather before.

Tony Weeks, the other leading contender is also an excellent referee. He is calm and handles himself very well,” said McTavish, who regularly gives seminars on refereeing at the WBC Annual Conventions.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK W E D N E S D AY : A P R I L 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

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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

PHLPost to release “Fight of the Century” Pacquiao postage stamps. The Philippine Postal Corporation will release special postage stamps in support of the boxing icon Manny Pacquiao in his “Fight of the Century” with undefeated American Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 3. The Manny Pacquiao “Fight of the Century” Philippine postage stamps will be released at P10 each. PHLPost is set to issue 500,000 copies featuring a photo of Pacman. About 30,000 copies of the souvenir sheet will also be released at P40 each.

Clash of the Titans: TNT, Rain or Shine begin war

By Jeric Lopez

POWERHOUSE against powerhouse.

Cage titans Rain Or Shine and Talk ‘N Text begin their best-ofseven championship in the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup. Game 1 between the top-seeded Elasto Painters and the second seed Tropang Texters is slated at 7 p.m. today at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Coaches from both squads expressed their teams’ eagerness to go all out in the chase for the championship.

“We’ve been to several finals already in the past conferences, but now we really want to finally get that championship,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao, whose Painters are in their third finals appearance in the last five conferences.

Army sinks Navy TURN TO A15

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

“We’ll just continue what we’ve been doing and that’s play good team basketball. Rain or Shine is a strong team and we need to have a lot of contributions for us to win the series,” said Talk ‘N Text coach Jong Uichico.

The two squads last faced off in the finals back in the Philippine Cup of the 2013 season, where Talk ‘N Text swept Rain or Shine. That was the Tropang Texters’ last title run.

Both squads will head into the finals with momentum going for them as they had played consistent heads-up basketball since the start

of the conference.

Rain or Shine is unbeaten in the playoffs and is riding a seven-game winning streak overall, while Talk ‘N Text is on a three-game winning run and has won seven of its last nine games.

One thing, however, may spell the difference, which is in the ingame momentum.

The Tropang Texters wrapped up their semifinal series against Purefoods last Saturday, while the Elasto Painters enjoyed a full week, 7-day rest after quickly disposing of Meralco, 3-0, in the previous round.

Serena joins Manila Mavericks TOP women’s singles player Serena Williams has moved to Manila Mavericks for the second season of the CocaCola International Premier Tennis League, set from Dec. 2 to 20 and will be held in five cities this year.

Williams was acquired by the Mavericks during the global Player Draft held last April 12 in Dubai, replacing Maria Sharapova, who moved over to a new team, the Japan Warriors.

Williams will play alongside Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and teammates Richard Gasquet, Sabine Lisicki, Mark Philippousis, Jarmila Gajdosova, tennis sensation Borna Coric, and the Philippines’ Treat Huey.

With Serena Williams out front, the Manila Mavericks will be looking to challenge the supremacy of 2014 winners Micromax Indian Aces and UAE Royals. Peter Atencio

Roach says Pacquiao is phenomenal

By Ronnie Nathanielsz HALL of Fame trainer Freddie Roach said eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao looks phenomenal after the Filipino southpaw resumed training at the Wild Card Gym yesterday.

Pacquiao did 16 rounds on the punch-mitts after a morning run at Griffith Park and indicated his oneweek layoff from sparring had fired him up, just as Roach had expected.

However, there was no definite word on whether Pacquiao will resume sparring on Tuesday (Los Angeles time).

Roach asked him to skip sparring last week after 29 hard-fought rounds the previous week, concerned that his ward may burn himself out and leave the fight in the gym.

ABS-CBN reporter Dyan Castillejos told the Standard/boxingmirror.com that Roach was “over the top” after Pacquiao displayed “amazing speed and power,” when working on the punch-mitts, during which the trainer got hurt after being tagged a couple of times.

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CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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WEDNESDAY: APRIL 15, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

SM Prime Holdings Inc., the property unit of tycoon Henry Sy, is spending P80 billion in 2015 to support its expansion. Shown during the company’s annual stockholders meeting at SM Aura in Taguig City are (from left) SM Prime president Hans Sy, chairman of the board Henry Sy Jr. and vice chairman Jose Cuisia Jr. BOBBY CABRERA

Sy to spend P20b yearly in China PSe comPoSite index Closing April 14, 2015

8500 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000

8,056.49 16.76

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing APRIL 14, 2015 46

P44.600

45

CLOSE

44 43 42

HIGH P44.590 LOW P44.655 AVERAGE P44.634 VOLUME 514.000M

P508.00-P728.00 LPG/11-kg tank P37.27-P42.82 Unleaded Gasoline P27.40-P31.70 Diesel

oPriceS il P today

By Jenniffer B. Austria

SM PRIME Holdings Inc., the country’s largest property developer owned by billionaire Henry Sy, said it will spend P20 billion annually in China to expand its shopping malls, launch residential projects and acquire lots for future development.

SM Prime executive vice president Jeffrey Lim said in a news briefing following the annual stockholders’ meeting the bulk of the investments in China would be used to build new malls and acquire new properties, while a small portion would be allocated for residential development.

The P20-billion annual spending in China would form part of the company’s P400billion programmed capital

By Jennifer Ambanta

P23.70-P24.40 Auto LPG

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue on Tuesday filed a P144.49million tax evasion case against businessman Joseph Calata, the president and chief executive of listed agricultural products supplier Calata Corp.

Calata was accused of violating Sections 254 and 255 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, when he allegedly failed

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

44.6330

Japan

Yen

0.008327

0.3717

UK

Pound

1.468200

65.5302

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129032

5.7591

Switzerland

Franc

1.023332

45.6744

Canada

Dollar

0.794281

35.4511

Singapore

Dollar

0.729395

Australia

Dollar

0.757576

33.8129

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652520

118.3899

32.5551

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266624

11.9002

Brunei

Dollar

0.726744

32.4368

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000077

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.030733

1.3717

UAE

Dirham

0.272257

12.1516

Euro

Euro

1.057600

47.2039

Korea

Won

0.000908

0.0405

China

Yuan

0.160857

7.1795

India

Rupee

0.016036

0.7157

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.269906

12.0467

New Zealand

Dollar

0.744380

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031923

33.2239 1.4248 Source: PDS Bridge

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

world’s second largest economy.

“I do believe that it’s the best time to go in [China] because land prices are still up within our mall areas and a lot of competition are not that aggressive because of some circumstances in China.

Overall, it’s the best time for SMDC to build condominium projects,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lim said the group planned to borrow at least 40 percent of the P400 billion programmed spending from the debt market while the remaining 60 percent would come from internally generated funds.

SM Prime will spend P80 billion in 2015 to support its aggressive expansion. The company said it would increase by 12 percent its mall space in the Philippines and would launch five high rise residential projects with at least 11,000 units.

BIR files P144m-tax evasion case against Calata

P35.40-P39.15 Kerosene

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Tuesday, April 14, 2015

spending in 2014 to 2018, which includes P80 billion in 2015.

SM Prime president Hans Sy said the company, which planned to have nine malls in China by 2018, had secured four more new sites for expansion.

SM Prime currently has five shopping malls in China which are located in Xiamen, Jinjiang, Chengdu, Suzhou and Chongqing.

Two more China malls are

expected to open this year, including SM Zibo and SM Tainjin.

The company also started building its first residential project in China, near one of the company’s shopping malls.

Future residential projects in China will also be located within existing malls in Xiamen and Jinjiang, it said.

The company’s first residential project in China would have 300 to 400 units, catering to the middle-income market.

Sy said because of the lower cost of materials in China, the residential units would be priced at an average of P900,000 per unit, compared to the P2million selling price in the Philippines.

SM Prime chairman Henry Sy Jr. said it was the right time to invest in China, despite the cooling property prices in the

B3

to pay correct taxes in 2011.

Calata is the sole proprietor of Zeon Paint Service Center and the president and chief executive of Bulacan-based Calata Corp., formerly known as Planters Choice Agro-Products Inc. Calata denied the allegation.

“I’m not guilty. I am not stealing from the government. I don’t evade taxes. I pay what is required of me. What I know is that I try to create jobs and develop

Govt to honor Maynilad deal

B4

agriculture,” Calata said in a text message to The Standard.

“Agriculture is where 70 percent of Filipinos depend for their livelihood. I’m optimistic that justice will be done to me through the judicial process.

In the meantime, a man is innocent until proven guilty,” Calata said.

BIR said its investigation discovered a huge increase in the amount invested by the young

Govt cuts business procedures

businessman in Calata Corp. from P600,000 in 2010 to P217.7 million in 2011. Records from the BIR showed Calata declared gross sales/receipts of only P2.756 million in the period 2005 to 2011.

“In fact, Calata’s annual income tax return for taxable years 2009 to 2010 revealed that he only paid an amount of P10,000 for each year and P100,000 for taxable year 2011,” BIR said.

B6

LBC eyes backdoor listing

WEDNESDAY: APRIL 15, 2015

B2

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

MST BuSineSS Daily STockS Review Tuesday, april 14, 2015

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

7.88 75.3 124.4 104 63 2.49 4.2 18.48 31.6 9.5 890 1.01 99.4 30.5 75 94.95 137 361.2 59 174.8 1700 127.9 3.26

2.5 66 84.6 84.5 45.8 1.97 2.03 12.02 23.55 6.3 625 0.225 78 18.02 58 76.5 95 276 45 107.6 1200 66 2.65

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

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank PB Bank Phil Bank of Comm Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities

7.1 70.8 120.00 105.00 46.5 2.33 2.17 16.4 24.5 8.94 765.00 0.440 98.85 18.36 31.00 78.95 94.9 335 45 174 1361.00 70.00 3.07

35.6 1.6 1.04 1.41 7.92 14.6 62.5 10.08 29.15 1.04 10.72 8.44 9.79 5.43 9.54 1.06 18.06 67.9 0.0076 13.24 3.12 0.395 168 8.65 2.3 1.63 16 24.4 16.2 7.62 250.2 3.87 9 3.7 9.94 3.03 2.22 1 4.72 6 201.6 1.67 0.122 2.01 143.4 4.28 0.670 1.39

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

Asiabest Group Century Food Chemphil Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Concepcion Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) EEI Euro-Med Lab First Gen Corp.

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

Lafarge Rep LMG Chemicals Mabuhay Vinyl Macay Holdings Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A’ Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Petron Corporation Phil H2O Phinma Corporation Phoenix Petroleum Phils.

Phoenix Semiconductor Pryce Corp. `A’ RFM Corporation Roxas Holdings San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ Splash Corporation Swift Foods, Inc. Trans-Asia Oil Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

43.8 1.65 1.1 2 12.3 19.5 200 34.45 61.1 1.81 12.9 18.600 11.58 8.30 9.94 2 29.4 97.5 0.4500 14.50 6.28 0.600 219.00 9.26 2.58 3.6 54.00 26.95 25 7.840 263.80 4.04 9.98 5.15 11.68 4.08 2.51 3.04 4.85 6.5 203 1.72 0.170 2.20 219.4 4.5 0.69 1.46

0.45 48.1 20.85 1.6

0.455 58.10 27.00 1.38 1.18 7.00 1.90 0.28 800 8.76 15.66 4.52 0.325 1344 6.13 73.20 8.84 0.78 16.54 0.65 4.63 5 3.39 0.0400 0.780 71.80 949.00 1.20 0.90 263.20 104.80 0.3900 0.2440

47 5 1.66 2.36 15.3 20.6 125 32 65.8 4.57 23.35 21.6 12.98 9.13 12.34 2.89 31.8 109 0.820 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 12.5 3.95 4 45.45 33.9 90 13.98 292.4 5.25 13.04 6.8 14.5 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.68 8.1 253 3.28 0.315 2.68 226.6 5.5 1.3 2.17 0.7 59.2 31.85 2.16

Close

High

Low

FINANCIAL 8 7.1 70.85 69.55 120.30 118.50 105.40 104.00 46.5 46.45 2.33 2.29 2.16 2.15 16.6 16.2 25.15 24.4 8.89 8.65 765.00 760.00 0.430 0.425 99.2 98.65 18.40 18.24 31.00 31.00 79.00 77.00 94.9 94.9 332 328 45.5 45 179 174.5 1365.00 1365.00 70.30 69.50 3.1 3.07 INDUSTRIAL 44.3 43.7 1.68 1.68 1.1 1.05 2.03 2 12.3 11.22 19.78 19.26 131 141 34.5 32.8 62 61.1 1.83 1.78 12.98 12.72 18.640 18.12 11.60 11.44 8.30 8.15 9.95 9.81 2.05 1.88 29.4 29 98 95 0.4700 0.4400 14.50 14.50 6.31 6.2 0.610 0.590 219.80 216.40 9.31 9.1 2.64 2.54 4.3 3.01 53.00 48.00 26.95 26.35 25.25 24 7.850 7.710 264.40 263.60 4.18 4.04 10.18 9.90 4.8 3 11.66 11.48 4.15 4.08 2.54 2.49 3.14 2.85 5.15 4.80 6.55 6.5 202.8 202 1.72 1.65 0.171 0.169 2.23 2.18 220 217.2 4.5 4.5 0.69 0.69 1.50 1.46 HOLDING FIRMS 0.460 0.460 58.00 27.55 27.25 26.40 1.33 1.30 1.33 1.30 7.00 6.96 1.80 1.74 0.00 0.28 801.5 796.5 8.75 8.55 15.60 15.48 4.58 4.52 0.325 0.315 1391 1335 6.13 6.13 75.75 73.80 8.98 8.83 0.82 0.77 16.6 16 0.62 0.64 4.69 4.54 5.2 5.2 3.4 3.4 0.0420 0.0400 0.780 0.770 71.60 70.30 945.00 932.50 1.21 1.21 0.90 0.88 263.00 263.00 106.80 103.10 0.4050 0.3950 0.2420 0.2330 PROPERTY 9.050 8.870 10.94 10.94 0.91 0.89 1.360 1.300 41.20 40.45 4.35 4.3

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

7.2 70.85 118.50 105.40 46.5 2.33 2.15 16.4 24.45 8.65 760.00 0.425 99 18.24 31.00 77.00 94.9 328 45.5 177 1365.00 70.30 3.07

1.41 0.07 -1.25 0.38 0.00 0.00 -0.92 0.00 -0.20 -3.24 -0.65 -3.41 0.15 -0.65 0.00 -2.47 0.00 -2.09 1.11 1.72 0.29 0.43 0.00

235,400 13,100 2,778,640 936,260 24,700 23,000 182,000 191,600 508,900 23,200 130 250,000 4,518,440 55,000 25,000 122,160 140 22,520 1,181,800 256,370 100 25,810 43,000

44 1.68 1.1 2.01 12 19.38 150 34 61.5 1.78 12.78 18.300 11.46 8.21 9.88 2.04 29.3 95.2 0.4700 14.50 6.2 0.590 216.80 9.1 2.54 3.01 53.00 26.55 24.55 7.710 263.80 4.11 9.92 4.45 11.64 4.08 2.51 3 4.98 6.55 202 1.72 0.170 2.20 219 4.5 0.69 1.47

0.46 1.82 0.00 0.50 -2.44 -0.62 -25.00 -1.31 0.65 -1.66 -0.93 -1.61 -1.04 -1.08 -0.60 2.00 -0.34 -2.36 4.44 0.00 -1.27 -1.67 -1.00 -1.73 -1.55 -16.39 -1.85 -1.48 -1.80 -1.66 0.00 1.73 -0.60 -13.59 -0.34 0.00 0.00 -1.32 2.68 0.77 -0.49 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.18 0.00 0.00 0.68

3,959,500 6,000 1,088,000 1,436,000 15,200 337,900 22,338 339,500 507,450 351,000 65,900 13,902,800 1,631,800 33,767,100 1,098,600 79,000 2,796,500 252,400 760,000 1,400 861,900 10,000 405,210 2,643,400 69,000 340,000 1,270 664,600 2,573,100 59,100 127,190 1,043,000 1,339,400 478,700 36,100 95,000 446,000 1,142,000 1,933,000 4,200 20,720 55,000 720,000 237,200 1,596,310 90,000 293,000 194,000

0.460 58.00 27.25 1.30 1.3 7.00 1.74 0.28 798.5 8.55 15.50 4.58 0.325 1370 6.13 74.85 8.91 0.77 16 0.65 4.54 5.2 3.4 0.0400 0.770 71.10 940.00 1.21 0.88 263.00 103.90 0.4000 0.2420

1.10 -0.17 0.93 -5.80 10.17 0.00 -8.42 -1.79 -0.19 -2.40 -1.02 1.33 0.00 1.93 0.00 2.25 0.79 -1.28 -3.26 0.00 -1.94 4.00 0.29 0.00 -1.28 -0.97 -0.95 0.83 -2.22 -0.08 -0.86 2.56 -0.82

10,000 998,630 4,512,600 50,000 50,000 31,700 17,000 2,650,000 86,643 1,830,100 10,795,700 34,000 440,000 315,105 2,010,000 2,985,900 1,764,900 1,481,000 6,540,500 161,000 30,904,000 150,000 2,000 200,000 1,057,000 1,460,930 327,650 30,000 211,000 20 15,960 4,830,000 20,000

8.870 10.94 0.89 1.300 40.60 4.31

-1.44 0.74 -1.11 0.00 0.00 -0.92

432,200 100 268,000 95,000 11,979,800 1,284,000

84,519.00 847,277.00 -74,452,083.00 2,057,060.00 -74,452,083.00 -907,860.00 -450,565.00 87,800 76,500.00 109,839,746.00 826,632.00

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

5.4 5.6 1.54 1.97 0.201 0.305 2.25 1.87 1.8 4.88 0.180 0.470 0.72 8.54 31.8 2.29 3.6 20.6 1.02 7.56 1.96 8.59

4.96 2.8 0.89 1.1 0.083 0.188 1.4 1.42 1.19 2.75 0.090 0.325 0.39 2.57 21.35 1.64 3.08 15.08 0.69 3.38 1 5.69

Cebu Holdings Cebu Prop. `A’ Century Property City & Land Dev. Crown Equities Inc. Ever Gotesco Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Interport `A’ Megaworld Corp.

MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Estates Corp.

Phil. Realty `A’ Primex Corp.

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

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 15.82 0.1460 4.61 99.1 12.3 2.6 9 2090 8.41 1.97 119.5 7 12.5 0.017 0.8200 2.2800 5.93 12.28 2.85 2.2 3.2 5.9 2.46 15.2 22.8 6.41 14 3486 0.710 2.28 48.5 90.1 11.6 0.87 10.2 0.490 1.6

1.97 32.5 1 0.6 9.61 0.0770 2.95 46.55 10.14 1.6 5.88 1600 5.95 1.36 105 3.01 8.72 0.012 0.036 1.200 2.34 6.5 1.69 1.1 2 1.05 1.8 8.7 14.54 3 4.39 2726 0.380 0.32 31.45 60.55 7.59 0.63 6.45 0.305 1.04

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

Manila Broadcasting Manila Jockey Melco Crown Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

PAL Holdings Inc. 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 1.2 1.73 10.98 4.2 0.48 0.455 0.475 0.023 0.026 8.2 49.2 4.27 1.030 3.06 0.020 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9 0.016

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

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

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’ Petroenergy Res. Corp.

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

TA Petroleum United Paragon

70 553 525 120 515 8.21 12.28 111 1060 1047 76.9 84.8

33 490 500 101.5 480 5.88 6.5 101 997 1011 74.2 75

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

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

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

10.96 15 88 12.88

2.4 3.5 13.5 5.95

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

High

Low

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

5.24 6.49 0.94 1.21 0.156 0.193 1.50 1.96 1.44 5.52 0.132 0.3550 0.5100 7.88 29.10 1.79 3.16 20.45 0.82 7.51 1.080 8.100

5.26 5.2 5.21 6.48 6.48 6.48 0.96 0.93 0.95 1.20 1.20 1.20 0.158 0.155 0.158 0.193 0.193 0.193 1.54 1.49 1.50 2.05 1.95 2.02 1.47 1.46 1.47 5.77 5.47 5.5 0.135 0.129 0.129 0.3500 0.3400 0.3500 0.5300 0.5300 0.5300 8 7.86 7.89 29.35 29.00 29.00 1.77 1.76 1.76 3.16 3.13 3.14 20.95 20.30 20.50 0.83 0.81 0.82 7.52 7.52 7.52 1.050 1.040 1.040 8.200 8.040 8.100 SERVICES 6.82 6.91 6.55 6.79 63.15 64.05 63.5 63.6 1.03 1.09 1.03 1.04 0.690 0.710 0.690 0.690 11.80 12.12 11.80 12.04 0.1160 0.1150 0.1130 0.1140 3.7 3.7 3.35 3.5 84.4 85.25 83.05 83.9 10.06 10.06 10.06 10.06 1.7 1.72 1.72 1.72 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 2220 2270 2240 2270 6.45 6.59 6.43 6.53 1.56 1.56 1.54 1.54 110.8 110.8 107.9 108 8.00 10.00 8.00 9.90 12 11.9 11.9 11.9 0.014 0.014 0.014 0.014 0.233 0.235 0.232 0.234 1.2700 1.2600 1.2600 1.2600 2.66 2.63 2.62 2.63 8.81 8.85 8.71 8.71 2.02 2.05 2.00 2.05 1.32 1.35 1.33 1.34 2.09 2.11 2.11 2.11 3.35 3.12 3.12 3.12 1.98 2 1.98 2 10.46 10.56 10.4 10.46 18.48 18.7 18.48 18.64 4.50 4.50 4.46 4.46 14.18 14.20 14.16 14.18 2940.00 2940.00 2916.00 2920.00 0.600 0.610 0.610 0.610 1.660 1.680 1.660 1.680 39.95 40.50 39.45 39.50 83.10 86.00 82.65 86.00 10.00 10.08 9.90 9.90 0.67 0.68 0.66 0.67 6.88 6.88 6.75 6.77 0.345 0.355 0.350 0.355 1.430 1.330 1.320 1.330 MINING & OIL 0.0058 0.0059 0.0057 0.0058 2.61 2.79 2.79 2.79 8.49 8.50 8.30 8.30 0.260 0.265 0.260 0.260 1.11 1.11 1.09 1.09 0.93 0.92 0.91 0.92 7.82 7.99 7.70 7.87 2.1 2.12 1.94 1.94 0.450 0.465 0.410 0.420 0.244 0.240 0.236 0.237 0.247 0.245 0.244 0.244 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 0.0150 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 4.62 4.62 4.3 4.31 23.5 23.5 22 22 3.82 3.89 3.55 3.6 0.7200 0.7200 0.7200 0.7200 2.100 2.120 2.070 2.110 0.0130 0.0130 0.0120 0.0130 5.88 5.88 5.70 5.78 6.94 7 6.69 6.69 2.06 2.24 2.01 2.01 0.016 0.016 0.015 0.015 166.80 169.00 166.00 166.70 4.1 4.12 4.1 4.1 0.0110 0.0110 0.0100 0.0100 PREFERRED 65 65 64 64.6 515.5 516 515.5 516 523 524 524 524 115.3 116 116 116 525 510 510 510 6.35 6.3 6.3 6.3 1.08 1.08 1.08 1.08 109 109 109 109 1090 1150 1150 1150 1046 1047 1046 1047 76.1 76.2 76.1 76.2 84.75 84.75 84.55 84.75 WARRANTS & BONDS 4.140 4.160 4.050 4.100 SME 8.56 9.18 8.56 9.1 5.5 7.8 5.45 6.2 73 72.8 72 72.7 9.71 9.71 9.54 9.54 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 131.5 132 130.9 131

-0.57 -0.15 1.06 -0.83 1.28 0.00 0.00 3.06 2.08 -0.36 -2.27 -1.41 3.92 0.13 -0.34 -1.68 -0.63 0.24 0.00 0.13 -3.70 0.00

10,800 800 4,395,000 40,000 10,230,000 70,000 1,145,000 49,742,000 61,000 80,473,100 4,230,000 440,000 202,000 1,043,500 8,851,800 221,000 70,000 10,024,500 2,065,000 2,000 201,000 9,837,700

-0.44 0.71 0.97 0.00 2.03 -1.72 -5.41 -0.59 0.00 1.18 0.00 2.25 1.24 -1.28 -2.53 23.75 -0.83 0.00 0.43 -0.79 -1.13 -1.14 1.49 1.52 0.96 -6.87 1.01 0.00 0.87 -0.89 0.00 -0.68 1.67 1.20 -1.13 3.49 -1.00 0.00 -1.60 2.90 -6.99

128,800 17,740 21,000 136,000 13,943,500 22,440,000 1,322,000 1,871,150 2,700 10,000 52,900 44,840 61,700 307,000 1,541,180 18,900 100 3,000,000 1,770,000 10,000 9,000 605,800 51,000 100,000 2,000 1,000 105,000 9,829,300 24,600 56,000 169,900 77,430 1,482,000 13,573,000 2,552,100 1,709,050 9,708,000 1,741,000 442,800 30,000 23,000

0.00 6.90 -2.24 0.00 -1.80 -1.08 0.64 -7.62 -6.67 -2.87 -1.21 0.00 -6.67 -6.71 -6.38 -5.76 0.00 0.48 0.00 -1.70 -3.60 -2.43 -6.25 -0.06 0.00 -9.09

600,000,000 -11,600.00 25,000 497,200 42,000.00 420,000 144,000 720,000 10,600 16,259,000 859,970.00 10,780,000 26,430,000 360,000 9,100,000 200,000 1,428,000 86,200.00 6,847,600 3,356,360.00 3,873,000 1,961,320.00 28,000 1,776,000 97,290.00 1,700,000 2,800 2,217,000 -3,656,274.00 1,343,000 694,620.00 12,900,000 15,000.00 312,200 -19,013,712.00 87,000 20,500.00 1,000,000

-0.62 0.10 0.19 0.61 -2.86 -0.79 0.00 0.00 5.50 0.10 0.13 0.00

263,690 3,090 3,000 22,500 3,450 15,000 472,000 131,350 245 2,010 204,030 61,890

-0.97

459,000

6.31 12.73 -0.41 -1.75

5,229,400 67,600 190 828,700

2,223,907.00

-0.38

6,410

39,600.00

-146,150.00

-1,090,310.00 11,919,430.00 -273,525,879.00 -127,650.00 1,542,995.00 28,119,975.00

MST

7.39 2.27 3.4 800 11.06 84 5.14 0.66 1380 6.68 72.6 9.25 0.9 18.9 0.73 5.53 6.55 9.66 0.0670 0.84 87 934 2.2 1.39 390 156 0.710 0.435

6.62 1.210 1.4 600 7.390 14.18 4.25 0.144 818 5.3 46.6 4.43 0.59 12 0.580 4.22 4.5 3 0.036 0.450 66.7 709.5 1.13 0.93 170 85.2 0.200 0.173

Abacus Cons. `A’ Aboitiz Equity Alliance Global Inc. Anglo Holdings A Anglo Holdings B Anscor `A’ Asia Amalgamated A ATN Holdings A Ayala Corp `A’ Cosco Capital DMCI Holdings Filinvest Dev. Corp.

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

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

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

Minerales Industrias Corp.

MJCI Investments Inc. Pacifica `A’ Prime Orion San Miguel Corp `A’ SM Investments Inc. Solid Group Inc. South China Res. Inc. Transgrid Top Frontier Unioil Res. & Hldgs Wellex Industries

10.5 26.95 1.99 2.07 40 6.15

6.01 12 0.91 1.29 29.1 4.1

8990 HLDG 9.000 Anchor Land Holdings Inc. 10.86 A. Brown Co., Inc. 0.90 Araneta Prop `A’ 1.300 Ayala Land `B’ 40.60 Belle Corp. `A’ 4.35

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

SHARES 11,417,701 82,375,426 78,104,983 197,425,173 90,205,775 698,893,624 1,164,554,990

-4,759,169.00

0.00 -8,722,085.00 -25,998,019.00 136,500.00 24,665.00 -35,780,020.00

-109,000.00 -20,000.00

-3,991,152.00 -86,125.00 -195,386.50

-158,712,602.00 -2,073,656.00 -49,068,283.00 358,844.00

-52,934,015.00 -4,821,755.50 26,800.00 622.00

-10,439,908.00 -387,224.00

2,438,275.00 2,362,540.00

-5,673,340.00 594,800.00 -2,799,754.00 111,250.00

12,450.00 50,200.00 -20.00 -1,662,310.00 1,231,388.00

-51,536,142.00 310,500.00 6,900.00

7,438,244.50 -15,269,425.00

229,131,190.00 3,273,753.00 -15,249,366.00

-70,385,755.00 61,300.00 66,674,558.50 -170,767.00 12,319,058.00

12,062,320.00

-26,270,766.00 -202,749,955.00

61,200.00 -5,260.00

-922,111.00 53,400.00 91,000.00 239,167,990.00 3,813,220.00

Double Dragon Makati Fin. Corp.

IRipple E-Business Intl Xurpas

T op g ainerS VALUE 1,016,482,541.58 1,585,564,213.12 2,460,298,028.90 1,605,978,012.67 1,335,099,548.75 358,976,519.201 8,418,546,798.02

STOCKS

FINANCIAL 1,878.31 (down) 1.36 INDUSTRIAL 12,514.70 (down) 66.21 HOLDING FIRMS 7,212.34 (up) 5.51 PROPERTY 3,282.48 (down) 8.33 SERVICES 2,170.71 (down) 4.99 MINING & OIL 14,966.69 (down) 367.02 PSEI 8,056.49 (down) 16.76 All Shares Index 4,605.92 (down) 10.84 Gainers: 67; Losers: 105; Unchanged: 44; Total: 231

36,295,325.00 64,800.00

-2,973,269.00 61,210.00

70,221,448.00

68,000.00 -49,834,872.50

15,419,900.00

-94,619,529.00

77,220.00

-202,480.00 32,430,514.00

-55,017,500.00 -61,000.00 -8,493,600.00 -31,783,335.00 91,998,410.00 5,408,027.00 -1,044,280.00 -435,237.00

721,334.00

-166,750.00 -966,580.00

-372,156.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Imperial Res. `A'

9.90

23.75

Chemphil

150

-25.00

Makati Fin. Corp.

6.2

12.73

Mabuhay Vinyl

3.01

-16.39

Apex `A'

2.79

6.90

Phil H2O

4.45

-13.59

Double Dragon

9.1

6.31

United Paragon

0.0100

-9.09

PCOR-Preferred A

1150

5.50

Asia Amalgamated A

1.74

-8.42

Greenergy

0.4700

4.44

Ferronickel

1.94

-7.62

Minerales Industrias Corp.

5.2

4.00

Yehey

1.330

-6.99

Phil. Realty `A'

0.5300

3.92

Manila Broadcasting

3.12

-6.87

Robinsons RTL

86.00

3.49

Marcventures Hldgs., Inc.

4.31

-6.71

Filinvest Land,Inc.

2.02

3.06

Geograce Res. Phil. Inc.

0.420

-6.67

WEDNESDAY: APRIL 15, 2015

B3

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

Security Bank CBA. Security Bank Corp. and the Security Bank Employees’ Union reached an amicable conclusion to the collective bargaining agreement for 2014-2016. Shown at the signing of the CBA agreement at the Security Bank head office in Makati City are (from left, seated) executive vice president Eduardo Olbes, RCMB-IVB director Jay Jasper Javines, lawyer Arnel Dolendo, SBC president Alberto Villarosa, SBEU-PTGWO president Carlo Gabriel Tabia, management panel chairman SVP Joselito Mape, management counsel Ma. Natividad Tankiang and RCMB-NCR director Edgar Aquino.

Govt to honor Maynilad deal In BrIef Contractor sues EDC

WEIR Engineering Services Ltd., a contractor of Bac-Man Geothermal Inc., has filed an arbitration case against the unit of Energy Development Corp. for alleged unpaid balances.

EDC said Weir filed the case with the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission in relation to unpaid balances of the contract price, legal interest, attorney’s fees, liquidated damages, and sums due to Bacman Geothermal.

Bac-Man Geothermal is the operator of the Bac-Man power plants in the Bicol region.

BacMan Geothermal engaged Weir in 2012 to complete works on the steam turbine and generator Bac-Man units 1 to 3.

EDC in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange said the Bacman Unit 3 resumed operations April 8 after it autotripped early March due to a minor lube oil leak. Alena Mae S. Flores

PetroEnergy offering

PETROENERGY Resources Corp. plans to raise P600 million from a stock rights offering to finance projects.

“The company expects to raise gross proceeds of approximately P600 million.

The offer price will be computed based on the volume-weighted average price of the company’s common shares on the PSE for the five trading days from the PSE board of directors’ approval of the offer,” the company said in a disclosure.

PetroEnergy’s unit PetroGreen Energy Corp. is pursuing the expansion of the 20-megawatt Maibarara geothermal power plant by another 10 MW. Maibara Geothermal is 65 percent owned by PetroGreen, TransAsia Oil & Energy Development Corp. (25 percent) and PNOC Renewables Corp. (10 percent).

The Maibarara geothermal project in Sto. Tomas, Batangas started commercial operations early this year.

Alena Mae S. Flores

PPA earmarks P543m

THE Philippine Ports Authority has allotted P543 million to construct and expand four ports in Luzon and Visayas.

In a bid bulletin, PPA in a bulletin said it was bidding out the construction of a back-up area and reinforced concrete pier extension in port of Baybay in Leyte for P79.76 million; the proposed Tubigon Port Extension project in Bohol, P212.59 million; port operations building in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, P52.44 million; and the rehabilitation of a damaged wharf in Tobaco City, Albay, P198.55 million.

The PPA said the submission and opening of bids was set on May 6 for Leyte and Bohol ports and May 7 for Oriental Mindoro and Albay ports.

The port authority said it reserved the right to accept or reject any bid to annul the bidding process. Darwin G. Amojear

By Jennifer Ambanta

THE Finance Department said Tuesday the government will honor its contract with west zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said the agency had asked the Solicitor General to assess the claims of Maynilad.

“The important thing is we’ll honor whatever the government’s responsibilities are,” Purisima said at the sidelines of a forum, where the government announced several reforms to ease the business environment in the country.

Maynilad filed another case before the in-

ternational arbitration court in Singapore against the government last month for the state’s alleged refusal to implement a tariff increase.

Metro Pacific Investments Corp., the parent company of Maynilad, said Maynilad on March 27 served the government a notice of arbitration and statement of claim through the Finance Department.

“Pursuant to the undertaking, the arbitration proceedings shall be conducted in Singapore before a three-man panel,” Metro Pacific said.

Maynilad was claiming compensation from the government for revenue losses due to the delayed implementation of the water rate increase. Maynilad earlier asked the government to pay P3.44 billion as sovereign compensation for revenue losses it incurred from

Jan. 1 2013 to Feb. 28 this year.

Purisima confirmed he received a letter from Maynilad. “The arbitration was part of the last letter they sent me, which I forwarded to the Office of the Solicitor General,” Purisima said “Because it’s the Department of Finance that issued the performance undertaking, so the issue is whether that’s part of the coverage. Because they are the lawyers, they have to guide us on how to address all these legal issues,” Purisima said, referring to the Office of the Solicitor General.

Maynilad claimed it continued to lose a minimum of P200 million for every month of delay in the base rate hike.

The Finance Department said it would verify the demand of Maynilad for its compensation claims.

Globe Telecom alloting P2.2b for start-up firms

By Darwin G. Amojelar GLOBE Telecom Inc. is alloting P2.2 billion in fresh funds to finance high-potential startups companies in the Philippines and overseas.

Globe president and chief executive Ernest Cu said in a press briefing Tuesday the company earmarked $50 million in a new venture capital fund, which whol-

ly-owned subsidiary Kickstart Ventures Inc. would use to help drive the rapid growth of highpotential startups.

The growth fund, or “Fund 2,” targets startups in expansion mode anywhere in the world with clear regional and global prospects.

“In the Philippines, I have yet to see a startup breakthrough in a big way, not because of lack of tal-

ent but because the whole sector is devoid of support. Large tech incumbents operate well here, but startups struggle,” Cu said.

He said that Kickstart had invested $200,000 in Kalibrr Ventures Inc., an online jobmatching, hiring and recruitment platform established in 2012.

“Kalibrr is one of the most successful startups that we have funded through Kickstart which

Stocks down again; Nickel Asia falls THE stock market declined for the second day Tuesday on profit-taking following losses on Wall Street overnight.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index lost 16.76 points, or 0.2 percent, to 8,056.49 on a value turnover of P8.42 billion. Losers overwhelmed gainers, 105 to 67, with 44 issues unchanged.

Megaworld Corp., the biggest lessor of office spaces, tumbled 3.5 percent to P5.50, while BDO Unibank Inc., the largest lender in terms of assets, slipped 1.2 percent to P118.50.

Nickel Asia Corp., the biggest nickle miner, sank 6.4 percent to P22, while International Container Terminal Services

Inc., the largest port operator, fell 2.5 percent to P108.

Energy Development Corp., the biggest producer of steam energy, dropped 1.1 percent to P8.21, while DMCI Holdings Inc., which is into coal mining, power generation, construction and water distribution, lost 1 percent to P15.50.

Hong Kong, meanwhile retreated on profit-taking Tuesday after a near-15 percent rise over eight days, while Tokyo was hurt by a stronger yen as Asian investors await the release of key data later in the week.

The tepid performance among most Asian markets follows losses on Wall Street

as US investors prepare for the corporate earnings season to get under way.

Hong Kong had fallen 1.30 percent in the afternoon but Shanghai ended up 0.34 percent, or 13.85 points, at 4,135.57.

Tokyo was flat, edging up 3.22 points to close at 19,908.68 and Sydney fell 0.23 percent, or 13.7 points, to close at 5,946.6.

But Seoul rose 0.61 percent, or 12.80 points, to 2,111.72.

With few catalysts to spur business, traders took the opportunity to cash in before key events this week, including US retail sales data, Chinese growth figures and a European Central Bank meeting. With AFP

includes 21 other companies.

When the the idea of Kalibbr was pitched to us in 2012, we knew that they had the potential to disrupt the human resource industry--especially at the backdrop of the BPO sector hyper growth,” Cu said.

“Fast-forward to 2015 and here we are seeing the future of jobmatching. We are happy to see the growth of Kalibrr and believe that they have the capability to become a leader in this new service category,” he added.

Dexter Ligot-Gordon, chief operating officer of Kalibrr, said the company aimed to expand its jobseeker base to one million and its employer base to nearly 20,000 before the end of the year.

“Since the platform went online in late 2014, it has amassed over 65,000 active job seekers and about 3,000 companies, some of which are government institutions like the Department of Finance, Department of Transportation and Communications, Department of Education and Bureau of Internal Revenue,” Ligot-Gordon said.

Paul Rivera, chief executive and founder of Kalibrr, said the company would expand in the region and throughout the world.

B4

BUSINESS

Govt cuts business procedures Govt to prohibit overbooked flights

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE government plans to prohibit domestic airlines from overbooking seats during the peak travel period and cap overbooking during non-peak season at 10 percent.

“While overbooking is an internationally-accepted practice, there should be a limit so as to protect the interests of passengers.

We see no reason to allow overbooking of domestic flights during peak seasons because there is a foreseeable surge in the demand for seats, so most flights are full anyway,” Transportation Department spokesman Michael Arthur Sagcal said.

There is no current limit on overbooking flights during peak and non-peak seasons.

The Civil Aeronautics Board and the Transportation and Trade Departments issued in 2012 the Bill of Rights for air passengers and carrier obligations, which cover denial of boarding, flight delay, flight cancellation, off-loading of baggage, overbooking, advertisement of promotional and regular fares, re-fundability and re-bookability of fares, death and bodily injury, and express lane for persons with disabilities and senior citizens.

Sagcal said the government saw an opportunity for further improvements in the air passengers’ Bill of Rights.

“For example, we still see cases of passengers being denied boarding despite having valid tickets – something that should be dealt with more firmly,” he said.

The proposed improvements, which are currently under review, include shortening the period before a delay becomes compensable from three hours to two hours, banning overbooking of domestic flights during peak seasons and limiting overbooking during offpeak seasons at 10 percent, in accordance with global practice.

The government also wants a fixed a minimum compensation for any passenger who is denied boarding due to overbooking and to tighten up rules on flight delays and cancellations.

By Othel V. Campos

THE government on Tuesday unveiled reforms that aim to cut the process of starting a business to six steps in eight days from the existing 16 steps in 34 days.

The government also announced e-government initiatives for accessible and convenient online transactions for payroll-related payments to Philhealth and Pag-IBIG, reducing the number of payments from 36 to 13 per year.

Officials of Finance, Trade and Local Government Departments, National Competitiveness Council and nine other institutions launched the new reforms work under the NCC’s Gameplan 3.0.

Gameplan 3.0 streamlines and simplifies government processes across 10 transactions related to the “Ease of Doing Business” as measured annually by the World Bank and International Finance Corp.

“We are proud to show how it’s clearly more fun, and way easier, to do business in the Philippines.

This is a whole-of-government approach with 11 other partners—I thank all of them for their hard work in this continuous process of making the country a better place to do business in. Together, we are making the business of realizing dreams in the Philippines ever easier,” said Finance Secretary Ce-

sar Purisima.

The package of reforms involving starting a business include merging several steps together to create single-window applications powered by more interconnectivity across IT systems of different agencies, the removal of several outdated procedures and the introduction of enhanced one-stop-shop procedures in local government units.

These changes involved coordination and partnership across government agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Social Security System, Pag-IBIG, PhilHealth and the local government unit Quezon City.

The net effect is that the time it will take to incorporate new corporations, partnerships and nonstock corporations at the Securities and Exchange Commission will be reduced from 16 steps and 34 days to 6 steps and 8 days.

Initial roll-out of the reforms will begin at SEC’s Manila office starting this month, where most companies are incorporated.

Roll-outs will continue in suc-

ceeding months across all SEC offices and a full on-line system will be made available next year.

Meanwhile, payroll-related payments to Pag-IBIG and PhilHealth are being moved online for companies employing more than 10 employees.

Payments to SSS have already been moved online for companies with more than 10 employees since last year. Online banking facilities at Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines which require no minimum average daily balance for these transactions are being made available for enterprises.

This will reduce the number of payments from 36 to 13 per year, representing major time and cost savings for businesses and entrepreneurs.

“We continue to be encouraged by reforms that will make our business registration faster, simpler, more efficient and more transparent. DTI is committed to sustaining the momentum to achieve improved competitiveness and encourage inclusive growth. This ties in nicely as well with our role to boost the development of micro, small and medium enterprises. These reforms will motivate SMEs to incorporate when they see the need to do so, as they start or run their businesses,” said Trade Secretary and NCC co-chairman Gregory Domingo.

W E D N E S D AY : A P R I L 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

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

Millions of domestics denied basic labor rights NO MATTER how this administration tries to spin it, there’s no denying that the country’s economic growth is driven by the precious dollar remittances sent in by the millions of overseas Filipino workers deployed all over the world. Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas show that OFW remittances increased 5.8 percent to $24.3 billion in 2014 from $22.96 billion in 2014. A lot of the dollars come from such countries as the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Hong Kong, Canada, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Yet who knows what kind of sacrifices or abuses many of our OFWs, especially those employed as domestic workers, endure for those dollars? According to the International Labor Organization, majority of the 53 million people employed as domestic workers are women, and they are increasingly becoming an economic force as they account for nearly 4 percent of all wage employment.

However, 47 million or about 90 percent of these domestic workers are denied basic labor rights as those employed in other sectors.

For one, they are paid below minimum wage rates as their salaries may vary depending on the generosity or stinginess of the employer.

According to the ILO, majority of domestic workers in Asia and the Middle East do not get the minimum wage prescribed by law.

Of the 53 million domestic workers, more than half or 30 million work beyond the normal working hours and do not have days off or holidays, with 40 percent of the female domestics not entitled to maternity leaves or benefits.

Just recently, the United Kingdom passed the Modern Slavery bill to combat modern-day slavery and human trafficking. Estimates by the Human Slavery Index place the number of workers living under slave-like conditions at 36 million. Critics of the UK government allege that the introduction of the so-called “tied visas” for foreign domestic workers has encouraged abusive labor practices known as “kafala” from employers mostly coming from the Middle East. Under the tied visa system, employees lose their right to legally remain in the United Kingdom if they change employers. This has affected construction workers and domestic workers, many of them from the Philippines and Indonesia who are subjected to slave-like conditions —long hours of work, very little pay, and under risk of sexual abuse.

Interviews conducted by researchers from the University College of London recounted the experience of two Filipino domestics who said they thought their conditions would be better when their Middle Eastern employers transferred to London. No such luck, because the tied visa program gave the employers the license to abuse the workers who would be declared as illegals if they leave their employers. Aside from low pay and long hours, the domestics reported going hungry and being physically and sexually abused.

The UK government has resisted moves to change the law saying it would become a magnet to domestic workers wanting to immigrate

to the United Kingdom, but critics say the domestics have no choice because they are brought to the UK by their employers.

According to an article by Guardian.com, human rights advocates all over the word have documented accounts of domestic workers being beaten, forced to work 22 hours a day, not given food and worse, not paid for their work.

“When domestic workers are so systematically denied the basic labor rights afforded to other workers, employers cannot be held accountable for the mistreatment of those working in their households.

Workers themselves also have no way of protecting themselves from exploitation.

“When national laws ignore the rights of millions of employed people, the message that these are not ‘real’ workers filters down, adding to the vulnerability and abuse experienced by domestic workers. Unless this changes, there is no way truly to hold those responsible to account,” the article concluded.

MVP donates P20 million to PLM At the 47th commencement exercises of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Philippine Long Distance Telephone boss Manny V. Pangilinan (MVP) made a personal donation of P20 million to the university run by the city government of Manila. Pangilinan, who was conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Humanities, told the graduates there is no magic formula or secret recipe to success. All it takes is hard work, honesty and fairness.

“There is no magic. No mystery. No secret recipe. Success springs from values as basic and old- fashioned as being honest and truthful.

Working hard, playing fair, setting goals, and having the discipline and determination to pursue them,” he said.

We’re sure Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada was happy to note that in one part of his speech, MVP acknowledged that like the mayor, Manila and San Juan played an important part in the life of MVP. “I was born at the Fabella Memorial Hospital in Oroquieta. My father then was a messenger at the Philippine National Bank in Escolta,” disclosing that they lived with his grandparents in Sampaloc, and that the “mall” then was the central market located at the corner of Quezon Boulevard and Fugoso Streets.

“Our pastime then was to watch movies at the Central Theater… and of course, our favorite was Mayor Erap in the movies Kandilang Bakal, Lo Waist Gang and Cuatro Cantos,” he said in the vernacular.

••• For comments, reactions, photos, stories and related concerns, readers may email to happyhourtoday2012@yahoo.com. You may also visit and like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ happyhourmanilastandard. We’d be very happy to hear from you.

Cheers!

B5 EastWest prices stock rights offer at P21.53

By Jenniffer B. Austria EASTWEST Banking Corp., the banking unit of the Gotianun family, has priced its planned stock rights offering at P21.53 per share to raise P8 billion to support expansion.

EastWest said a disclosure to the stock exchange the final offer price would represent a 12.8-percent discount to the stock’s volume-weighted average price for the past 15 trading days immediately prior the pricing date.

It would also represent a 12-percent discount to the stock’s closing price of P24.50 on Monday.

The bank said it would offer as much as 371.585 million right shares which would entitle existing shareholders to subscribe to 32.93 right shares for every 100 shares owned.

Offer period will be from April 24 to April 30 while listing date was set on May 8.

HSBC is the sole international lead manager while Unicapital Inc is the sold domestic lead manager and underwriter for the offering.

EastWest said proceeds from the offering would be used to further enhance its capital adequacy and financial strength, as well as support critical strategic growth initiatives, including expanding its balance sheet to meet increased demand from the growing economy across the bank’s target market of retail customers and mid-market corporates.

WEDNESDAY: APRIL 15, 2015

B6

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

LBC eyes backdoor listing Republic of the Philippines Office of the President

By Jenniffer B. Austria

National Irrigation Administration (PAMBANSANG PANGASIWAAN NG PATUBIG)

IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT OFFICE Biliran ̶ Leyte del Norte ̶ Leyte del Sur

Office Address:

NIA Road, Marasbaras Tacloban City, Philippines www.nia.gov.ph

Website:

Tel No. Fax No.

(053) 323-6210 (053) 323-7204

InvItatIon to BId The National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Biliran-Leyte del Norte-Leyte del Sur Irrigation Management Office, Marasbaras, Tacloban City through the General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2015, intends to apply the sum of Six Million Five Hundred Twenty Thousand Five Hundred Four Pesos and 68/100 (P 6,520,504.68) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) , to payment under the contract for Tugbong CIS, Kananga, Leyte.

The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) now invites bids for: Contract No. : BNLSL-LCB-03-2015 Project Description : Repair and Improvement of Canal System Work completion : 150 Calendar Days Approved Budget for Contract (ABC) : P 6,520,504.68 Bidding will be conducted in accordance with relevant procedures for open competitive bidding as specified in the IRR of RA 9184. Bids received in excess of ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The contract shall be awarded to the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bidder (LCRB) who was determined as such during post-qualification.

Interested bidders may submit a Letter of Intent together with the Class “A” documents addressed to the Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee, NIA, Biliran-Leyte del Norte-Leyte del Sur Irrigation Management Office, Marasbaras, Tacloban City.

The schedules of BAC activities are as follows: BAC Activities 1. Issuance of Bid Documents 2. Pre-Bid Conference 3. Receipt and Opening of Bids

Schedule Starting April 15, 2015 April 22, 2015 May 4, 2015

Time 8:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m 10:00 a.m 2:00 p.m

LBC Express Inc., one of the country’s leading courier and freight forwarding companies owned by the Araneta family, plans to acquire dormant and listed Federal Resources Investment Group Inc.

The move will pave the way for a backdoor listing of LBC Express, which last year withdrew its application for a planned P7.7-billion initial public offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“Please be advised that Federal Resources Investment Group Inc. has acceded to the request of a substantial shareholder to allow LBC Express Inc. to conduct a due diligence review of the company for the purpose of assessing a potential acquisition, buy-in or investment of an interest in FED by LBC or its affiliates,” Federal said.

“The request was made by such substantial

stockholder for himself and on behalf of other shareholders of FED who have expressed [or who may express] willingness to cede some or all of their interests in FED in favor of LBC,” Federal added.

No definitive agreement has been reached by the parties so far.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Stock Exchange will lift the trading suspension on Federal shares today after the company requested for the voluntary move for a maximum of three business days pending disclosure of material information.

LBC in February 2014 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission an application to conduct an IPO and hired UBS as sole international bookrunner and underwriter.

LBC would have used the proceeds from the IPO to finance strategic acquisitions, organic expansion, information technology system upgrades and refleeting of delivery vehicles as well as for other corporate purposes.

But LBC Express withdrew the IPO application, saying “other fund raising opportunities have presented themselves and that it has decided to explore the same.”

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by the interested bidders from the address above and upon payment of a non-refundable fee of P10,000.00 to the Cashier.

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

For further information, please refer to: CATHERINE G. MACANIP National Irrigation Administration Marasbaras, Tacloban City (053) 323-6210

InvItatIon to BId for One (1) LOt COrpOrate DesktOp (Sgd.) CATHERINE G. MACANIP BAC Chairman

Noted: (Sgd.) PEDRO C. RUBIO, JR. Division Manager, IMO

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), through the PCSO Corporate Budget for 2015 intends to apply the sum of Fifteen Million Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (Php 15,500,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for One (1) LOt COrpOrate DesktOp. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

1.

The PCSO now invites bids for one (1) Lot Corporate desktop. Delivery of the Goods is required within thirty (30) calendar days. Bidders should have completed, within the last ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

2.

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

(TS-Apr. 15, 2015)

Republic of the Philippines Office of the President

National Irrigation Administration (PAMBANSANG PANGASIWAAN NG PATUBIG)

Region 8, Tacloban City

Office Address: Website:

NIA Road, Marasbaras Tacloban City, Philippines www.nia.gov.ph

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

Tel No. (632) 323-7596 TIN 000-916-415

INVITATION TO BID No. 05-2015

3.

The National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Region 8, Marasbaras, Tacloban City through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), hereby invites Domestic Contractors, registered with and classified by the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), to bid for the hereunder contracts. Bids received in excess of ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

Approved Budget for Contract (Php)

Item/Description

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders on April 15, 2015 (Wednesday) from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Twenty-Five Thousand Pesos (P25,000.00).

Duration

1. BHHDRIS Contract #13-2015 – Construction of Canal Lining along Main Canal, Lateral & MFDs and Fabrication/ Installation of Steel Gates of Bito RIS, Abuyog, Leyte

8,884,423.00

280 cd

2. BHHDRIS Contract #14-2015 – Construction of Canal Lining along Lateral & MFDs, HH RIS, Hindang, Leyte

6,384,616.83

240 cd

3. BHHDRIS Contract #15-2015 – Construction of Canal Lining, Checkgate and Structures of HH RIS, Hindang, Leyte

14,012,019.95

280 cd

4.

BHHDRIS Contract #16-2015 – Repair of Canal Lining at Lateral B, Das-ay RIS, Hinunangan, Southern Leyte

4,975,827.22

210 cd

5.

BTRIS Contract #17-2015 – Construction of Canal Lining at Tibak RIS, Tanauan, Leyte

5,930,004.08

240 cd

6.

BTRIS Contract #18-2015 – Construction of Canal Lining at Tibak RIS, Tanauan, Leyte

3,620,528.03

180 cd

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

4.

The PCSO will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on April 21, 2015 (Tuesday) at 1:30pm, BAC Room, 3/F Conservatory Building, 605 Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City, which shall be open to all interested parties.

5.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before 10:00am of May 4, 2015 (Monday). All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

The Prospective Bidders should have completed, within five (5) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project whose value must be at least fifty percent (50%) of the ABC. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/ fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of republic Act 9184 (R.A. 9184), otherwise known as the “Government procurement Reform Act”.

Prospective Bidders are not allowed to participate if they have negative slippage in their on-going contracts.

Individuals with Special Power of Attorney (SPA) are not allowed to transact and participate in the procurement utilizing another construction firm. The pre-bid conference shall be open only for those who have purchased the Bid documents. No more sale of bid documents after pre-bidding conference in order for the bidders to submit a highly technical and educated bid.

The schedule of BAC activities are as follows: BAC Activities

Schedule

Bid opening shall be on May 4, 2015 (Monday) at 10:30am at BAC Room, 3/F Conservatory Building, 605 Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

6.

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

7.

For further information, please refer to:

Time

1.

Issuance of Bid Documents

Starting March 30, 2015

8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

2.

Pre-bid Conference

April 6, 2015

2:00 p.m.

3.

Receipt and Opening of Bids

April 17, 2015

2:00 p.m.

The BAC will issue a complete set of Bidding Documents to eligible bidders from the address above and upon payment of non-refundable amount of P5,000.00 for package no. 4 & 6, P10,000.00 for package no, 1, 2 & 5, P15,000.00 for package no. 3 to the Cashier.

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

Interested bidders may obtain further information from PCSO Bids and Awards Committee and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00am to 5:00pm.

The BAC Chairman c/o The Secretariat PCSO BAC Room 3/F Conservatory Building 605 Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City (02) 997-0247 (Telefax) www.pcso.gov.ph

(Sgd.) GLORIA A. SEVILLA BAC Chairman Noted:

(Sgd.) CONRADO C. ZABELLA BAC Chairman

(Sgd.) ROMEO G. QUIZA Regional Manager (TS-Apr. 15, 2015)

(TS-Apr. 15, 2015)

BSP offers deposit facility THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has bared a new deposit facility for banks, part of its efforts to curb liquidity and influence market interest rates more effectively.

Banks will have to compete in weekly auctions for a fixed volume of term deposits with tenors ranging from one month to one year, Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said Monday.

The overnight deposit will be auctioned daily in the afternoon in limited volumes, he said.

“With excess liquidity under control, movements in the policy rate will more effectively convey monetary policy stance to the market with market interest rates moving closer to it,” Guinigundo said in an e-mail earlier.

Bangko Sentral is accelerating efforts to move to a multiple interest-rate policy regime, first announced in 2013.

The central bank seeks to gain greater control of movements in market rates by using the new auctions to manage liquidity.

“With this new facility, BSP can preemptively address inflation risk because they’ll have more policy rates they can tweak,” said Jill Singian, a bond trader at Bank of the Philippine Islands.

“Moving forward, the government securities curve should be flatter as interest rates on the shorter end should go higher.”

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WORLD

cesar barrioquinto EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

B7

Release of 5 feminists hailed BEIJING—Campaigners on Tuesday welcomed China’s release of five feminist activists held for more than a month, saying the surprise move after an international outcry showed Beijing does sometimes respond to outside pressure.

The five, all aged 32 or younger, were taken into custody shortly before International Women’s Day last month as they were preparing to hand out leaflets about sexual harassment on public transport.

The European Union, US Secretary of State John Kerry and his predecessor Hillary Clinton had all issued calls for their freedom, while Beijing said it was an internal issue.

Their lawyers said all five were released on bail on Monday, the deadline for prosecu-

Rubio to run for US president MIAMI—US Senator Marco Rubio launched his presidential campaign Monday at a rally in Miami, calling for a new era of American leadership that is not “stuck in the 20th century.”

The conservative 43-year-old first-term lawmaker, son of poor immigrants from Cuba, presented the 2016 presidential election as “a generational choice”—a clear jab at his more senior rivals, notably the newly-announced Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and his fellow Republican and potential adversary Jeb Bush.

“I have heard some suggest that I should step aside and wait my turn.

But I cannot, because I believe our very identity as an exceptional nation is at stake, and I can make a difference as president.”

Americans have “the opportunity to author the greatest chapter yet in the amazing story of America,” he said.

“We can’t do that by going back to the leaders and ideas of the past. We must change the decisions we are making by changing the people who are making them.”

While not mentioning former secretary of state Clinton by name, Rubio made clear he was targeting her as one of the politicians of the past.

“The time has come for our generation to lead the way toward a new American century,” he said.

“Just yesterday, a leader from yesterday began a campaign for president by promising to take us back to yesterday,” Rubio added. AFP

tors to formally charge them.

But authorities said Tuesday an anti-discrimination group connected with them, Yirenping, was suspected of breaking the law and would be punished “in accordance with the law”.

China’s ruling Communist Party does not tolerate organized opposition, and often clamps down on small activist groups, with controls tightening since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012.

Nonetheless the women’s detentions were seen by rights

groups as unusually harsh given the small scale of their stunts, and previous positive coverage they received in China’s state-run media.

If Chinese activists are charged, prosecution and a guilty verdict normally follow but the women’s release showed that Beijing had bowed to the “unprecedented global response” to their case, said Maya Wang, China researcher for Human Rights Watch.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to co-host a women’s summit at the UN in September, and rights groups called for a boycott of the event unless the five activists were released -- a potential embarrassment for Beijing, which is seeking to build an image as a “responsible stakeholder” on the global stage.

“The optics of this arrest

were obviously pretty terrible,” said Joshua Rosenzweig, a human rights researcher based in Hong Kong.

The EU delegation to China said in a statement it noted the release “with relief”.

The five were held in Beijing, Guangzhou and Hangzhou during a meeting of China’s rubber-stamp parliament in the capital, when security is stepped up nationwide and activists often detained or warned not to travel.

The fact that they were linked to actions in different Chinese cities may also have raised concerns among Communist authorities, despite them highlighting issues such as domestic violence and the poor provision of women’s toilets.

“Whenever you have crosslocality activism, that sets off alarm bells in the security

apparatus,” said Leta Hong Fincher, a Hong Kong-based writer on Chinese feminism.

Police originally told lawyers the activists were suspected of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”, a vague charge increasingly used by authorities under President Xi Jinping to detain and jail protesters for holding small-scale demonstrations.

They later changed the accusation to “illegal assembly”, which carries the same maximum punishment of five years imprisonment.

Their release comes with conditions and Liang Xiaojun, one of their attorneys, said: “In the eyes of the police, they are still suspects... they will need to regularly update authorities on their whereabouts.”

Several of the women were involved with the Chinese

advocacy group Yirenping, which campaigns to end discrimination against women, the disabled, people with HIV/AIDS and others.

The group has come under increasing pressure over the past year, and its office was raided last month, with several of its members subsequently going into hiding.

Activists have expressed concern that it will come under further pressure if a law clamping down on foreignfunded NGOs is passed later this year, as expected.

Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters Tuesday that Yirenping was “suspected of violating the law and will face punishment in accordance with the law”.

He denied Beijing had bowed to foreign pressure over the five, saying China was a country “ruled by law”. AFP

W e d n e s d ay: a P R I L 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

B8

cesaR baRRIoquInto EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

world

Bengali New Year. Revelers attend a rally in celebration of the Bengali New Year or “Pohela Boishakh” in Dhaka on April 14. The Bengali calendar or Bangla calendar is a traditional solar calendar and the year begins on Pohela Boishakh, which falls on April 14 in Bangladesh. AFP

Math poser stumps Internet SINGAPORE—A math problem that first appeared in a test for Singapore’s elite high school students has baffled Internet users around the world after it went viral, prompting a rush of attempts to solve it.

The question, involving a girl asking two boys to guess her birthday after giving them scant clues, first appeared in an April 8 test organized by the Singapore and Asian School Math Olympiads.

It was meant for 15- and

16-year-old elite secondary school students, but swiftly went global after a local television news presenter posted it on his Facebook page Saturday.

In the question, Cheryl gives her new friends Albert and Bernard 10 pos-

sible dates when they inquired about her birthday, before separately giving each of them further clues.

Test-takers are then asked to use logic to deduce Cheryl’s birthday using a short conversation between the two boys about the information given to them.

By Monday Internet users around the world were posting meticulously detailed answers to the puzzle on social media networks such as Facebook and Red-

dit, only to prompt a slew of comments disputing their findings and methodology.

Others posted sardonic comments about “coy Cheryl”.

“Cheryl obviously didn’t want Albert and Bernard at her party. Should have taken the hint when Cheryl decided to play this little game,” wrote David Leong on Facebook.

The “mind-boggling” problem also made the mainstream media, with

leading websites including the Guardian newspaper and Buzzfeed publishing articles about the puzzle.

In a Facebook post late Monday, SOSMA provided the full question and a model answer, which can be found at https://www. facebook .com /4sa smo/ posts/983396811695295.

The post also clarified earlier reports that the question was posed to primary schoolchildren, saying SOSMA thought it important to specify the age

of the students involved so “Singapore parents will not start to worry so much”.

The question was “actually from the secondary 3 and secondary 4 SASMO contests held on April 8, 2015”, it said, adding it was “meant to sift out the better students”.

Singapore is renowned worldwide for its national math system, which has been emulated by schools in other developed countries and cities, including New York. AFP

Charged over anti-alien forum

Official visit. Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves (L) talks with German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen (R) during her visit on April 14 in Tallinn, Estonia. AFP

SINGAPORE—A Singaporean man and an Australian woman behind an online forum that often attacks immigrants and foreign workers in Singapore were charged Tuesday with sedition, an offense punishable by jail.

Singaporean Yang Kaiheng, 26, and Japanese-Australian Ai Takagi, 22, each face seven counts of sedition for articles published on a website called The Real Singapore and its Facebook page between October 2013 and February this year, court documents showed.

The two, described by local media as a couple based

in Australia, were also charged with withholding documents on the website’s finances from police. They immediately posted bail.

The Real Singapore’s Facebook page has more than 415,000 followers, and commentators on technology forums say the website likely earns thousands of dollars a month in advertising revenues.

Singapore clamps down hard on anyone seen to be inciting communal tensions after experiencing bloody racial riots in the 1960s.

The case comes a week after a Filipino nurse who insulted Singaporeans online

and called for the takeover of the city-state by his countrymen was slapped with two charges under the Sedition Act, a rarely used colonialera law.

Among other matters, the law makes it an offense to promote hostility between different races or classes in multiracial Singapore, which is mainly ethnic Chinese.

The charge sheets said seven articles posted by Yang and Takagi on The Real Singapore “have the tendency to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different classes of the population of Singapore”. AFP

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BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

g l w e e ke n d @ g m a i l . c o m

LIFE

C1

Maçka Residences, Istanbul photographed by Gionata Xerra

THE ART OF LIVING

by Giorgio Armani

During the Salone del Mobile in Milan the Armani/Teatro offers a fascinating voyage through some of the world’s most dynamic cities. It is a journey that takes in different cultures and inspires a variety of emotions, looking at ways of life and examining local sensibilities. It is a history of the introduction of innovations and a reflection of an aesthetic sense that redraws the boundaries of taste.

Some of the Armani/Casa Interior Design Studio’s most important global projects are on display here for the first time. Sketches, renderings, plans and cross sections, photos, scale models, layouts, samples of fabrics and materials – all reveal the breadth and richness of the Studio’s stylistic research, both formal and material, and illustrate the Studio’s working methods and the various phases that constitute the preparation of projects. The installation concept metaphorically evokes the atelier where ideas are conceived and take form.

Continued on C2

Century Spire Residences (Manila) Relaxation Area Rendition photographed by Fabrizio Marco Nannini

C2

W E D N E S D AY : A P R I L 1 5 : 2 0 1 5

LIFE

FROM C1

Century Spire Residences Show Flat (Manila) photographed by Fabrizio Marco Nannini

Century Spire Residences Show Flat (Manila) photographed by Fabrizio Marco Nannini

Giorgio Armani says: ‘For the past decade my Interior Design Studio has been working on outstanding projects all over the world, coming up with new creative solutions in which an aesthetic of luxurious simplicity is interpreted through the local culture and ethos. In this exhibition I wanted to present this very complex, wide-ranging experience, a voyage through innovation in hospitality and the dream of living, working with great masters of contemporary architecture.’

The exhibition represents an important milestone in Armani/Casa’s quest, which began in 2004 when Giorgio Armani surprised the world by signing a partnership with Emaar Properties PJSC. The company’s chairman, Mohamed Alabbar, had the intuition to contact the Italian designer, known for his passion for detail and endless striving for perfection, to add character and personality to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building. It was to become home to the first Armani Hotel. This initiative was then repeated in Milan and in other cities, from Miami to Istanbul, from Mumbai to Manila, and from Tel Aviv to Chengdu and London. Indeed, the UK’s capital is the location of the latest project, just completed, a preview of which is presented in the exhibition.

Just as the design philosophy of the designer – an approach that perfectly represents Made in Italy – changed the world of fashion, his interior design has changed our concepts of ease and comfort within architectural spaces.

His signature aesthetic is a taste for luxurious simplicity, and this sums up the designer’s profound design identity. It is this sensibility that affects all the senses and is transformed into a cultural factor underlining the uniqueness of his projects, revealing their profound harmony with their surroundings.

Iconographic elements characterising different places and cultures and the inspiration of encountering new materials and unusual colours provide the basic stylistic inspiration for each individual project.

THE PROJECTS EXHIBITED

Harbaa Towers Tel Aviv

Queen’s Gate Place London photographed by Davide Lovatti

Some of the Armani/Casa Interior Design Studio’s most important global projects are on display for the first time at the Salone del Mobile in Milan. (This includes the Century Spire Residences in Manila.) Sketches, renderings, plans and cross sections, photos, scale models, layouts, samples of fabrics and materials – all reveal the breadth and richness of the Studio’s stylistic research, both formal and material, and illustrate the Studio’s working methods and the various phases that constitute the preparation of projects.

The installation concept metaphorically evokes the atelier where ideas are conceived and take form.

EDITOR

g l w e e ke n d @ g m a i l . c o m

THE ART OF LIVING

Century Spire Residences (Manila) Lobby Rendition

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE

Queen’s Gate Place in London in collaboration with Alchemy Properties. In a historic townhouse built in 1863 and subject to strict heritage building regulations, Giorgio Armani came up with a truly contemporary plan, which nonetheless respects all the valuable original elements of the architecture. Indeed, he decided to showcase these with careful attention to their composition and detail. The plasterwork, the cornices and the stairway, with its highly decorative iron railings, have been restored to their original splendour, in perfect harmony with the project’s modern spirit and use of today’s most advanced materials and technologies.

Inaugurated in 2010, the Armani Hotel Dubai, with its 160 luxurious rooms and suites, eight restaurants, shops, spa and 144 Armani Residences, offers a whole world of harmony, privacy and calm, giving the concept of comfort a whole new look, which characterises all the interiors designed by the Armani/Casa Interior Design Studio.

In The World Towers in Mumbai, the world’s tallest residential building, designed

by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and promoted by the Lodha Group, India’s biggest real estate developer, the interior design of the various different types of residential unit and the large common areas creates a style perfectly integrated with India’s traditions and customs: iconographic elements of Indian culture, such as the jali, are reinterpreted in a modern way to create warm, cosy spaces characterised by unusual effects of light and shadow and the juxtaposition of original shapes and textures.

In an extraordinary building in Makati, an elegant residential district in Manila, the Armani Group has formed a partnership with Century Properties to design the interiors of residential units and common areas of the Century Spire. The building’s bold structure, that seems to open up at the tip like a bud, and the dynamism of the oblique lines of the façades, provided key sources of inspiration for the development of the interior concept, which features all the comfort and elegance associated with the Giorgio Armani name, here sitting in perfect harmony with the expressiveness of Daniel Libeskind’s architecture.

A partnership between Giorgio Armani, Dezer Development and the Related Group led to the creation of the prestigious Residences by Armani/Casa in a building of bold structural design built by César Pelli in Miami’s exclusive Sunny Isles Beach neighbourhood. In the interiors he designed for this project, the designer reinterprets the art deco style associated with the city in a contemporary form, creating a colour palette that pays homage to the colours of the ocean in all six types of residential unit and in a great variety of common areas and amenities.

Giorgio Armani and Mind Group’s first residential project in China, located in Chengdu, includes two residential buildings in a large multi-purpose architectural complex overlooking the Jinjiang River and the historic Wangjianglou Park, which dates back to the Qing dynasty. The Art Residences, situated in the twin towers designed by Aedes, have a curved symbol on their walls that the designer took from the pattern of a fabric in his collection, giving the two buildings iconic value. The interior design of the many different types of residence, and the common areas (which are two floors high), pays homage to the local culture, reinterpreting the theme of bamboo and the wave (water), key iconographic elements in this part of China.

In the central residential district of Nisantasi, the Maçka Residences, promoted by Astas Holding, is Istanbul’s most exclusive residential project. The three towers, with spectacular views over the Bosphorus, the Prince Islands and Seraglio Point, include various different types of residential units and three big lobbies that have come to symbolise style in the city of Istanbul. The lobbies are characterised by sculptural curved staircases winding through the double height of the space and majestic curved walls made using advanced technology.

Giorgio Armani’s first architectural project in Milan, in partnership with Emaar Properties, is the Armani Hotel in Via Manzoni, located in a historic Rationalist building designed by architect E. Griffini in 1937. Every detail of the development expresses the Armani aesthetic, combining light, warmth and beauty in a new form that is a contemporary expression of hospitality.

The designer came up with an original solution for the little lobby at San Pietro all’Orto 6, a complex of serviced apartments in the heart of Milan for which the Studio designed the interiors of the common areas and all the furnishings for the residential units.

In the Harbaa Towers in Tel Aviv, designed by architect Moshe Zur and promoted by the Hagag Group, the Armani/Casa Interior Design Studio was asked to design the entrance lobby and the large skylounge. The challenge here was how to give soul and character to spaces that are by nature transitional areas where people don’t spend much time. The Studio’s stylistic research and study of the icons of the city gave rise to the idea of using a stylised palm as a leitmotif in the design. The symbolic plant, rendered evanescent by skilful combinations of technologically advanced materials, characterises the walls of the entrance lobby, so that it appears to be an extension of the space outside.

W E D N E S D AY : A P R I L 1 5 : 2 0 1 5

LIFE

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

g l w e e ke n d @ g m a i l . c o m

CHEEKY UNCLE KARL

C3

Tapas Night last Saturday at Green Sun was one of the culminating events leading to Madrid Fusion Manila

BY ED BIADO

At 81 years old, Karl Lagerfeld is nothing short of legendary. As the creative director of luxury labels Chanel and Fendi and his eponymous brand, the Kaiser is a cultural icon and he certainly knows it. He’s one of perhaps two or three fashion designers who can say something so controversial and get away with it after a single news cycle. And he’s probably the only one who can sell merchandise fashioned after his own image and likeness and not be accused of being too vain.

Lagerfeld’s trademark look of white hair, sunglasses and high starched collars is known all over the world and any iteration of such is easily recognizable. His latest non-fashion project, Karlywood, banks on that kind of fame. Karlywood is a series of 10 mock movie posters illustrated by Tiffany Cooper featuring Uncle Karl as the protagonist of some of Hollywood’s most popular pictures, both then and now. The cartoon version of the designer is fun, comedic and humorously self-mocking.

Always in his signature attire, Lagerfeld appears as Karllander, King Karl, Gossip Karl, Karl Bond and Karl Bill, and takes the lead in Karl Alone, Karl Fiction, Karl-lanta, Breakfast at Karl’s and Fifty Shades of Karl. His almost equally famous pet Birman cat, Choupette, makes a cameo in five of the posters.

Only 20 copies of each poster design are printed. The prints are individually numbered, signed and available for sale exclusively at the Karl Lagerfeld store on St. Germain in Paris.

The three-year-old feline, a gift to the designer from his so-called “boy toy muse” Baptiste Giabiconi, is also the star—alongside her human—of a new summer-inspired capsule collection of apparel, accessories and merchandise under the Karl Lagerfeld brand, which graphics are designed by Cooper as well. There’s a really hilarious T-shirt that can be described as the catwang to beat all catwangs, showing the face of the cat on the designer’s body.

These aren’t the first instances of Lagerfeld immortalizing himself through various media. Last year, Mattel launched the “platinum-level” $200 Barbie Lagerfeld at Paris Fashion Week while in 2008, the designer collaborated with Steiff to create a collector’s edition of 2,500 teddy bears in his own likeness, which sold at $1,500 apiece.

The Bellota Jamon being carved was the most popular food of the Tapas Night

BIGGEST SPANISH GASTRONOMIC EVENT IN ASIA The Philippines was colonized by Spain for 327 years, that is from 1571 to 1898 – some historians would even argue that it was longer and dated it back to 1521 when Ferdinand Magellan (though Portuguese) arrived as part of the Spanish expedition and landed in Cebu. Regardless of the 327 or 377 years, we are still talking of over three centuries. This is also the reason why I believe the Philippines, and Manila in particular, has been chosen as the first Asian venue of Spain’s biggest gastronomic fair called Madrid Fusion. We do not have to look far to see the Spanish influence in our food. Several of our Filipino foods are already Spanish by name: caldereta (stew), asado (roast) and arroz caldo (rice in broth) to name a few. The obvious choices for Asia would have been Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai or even Singapore, but Manila’s rich Spanish heritage cannot be ignored, and on this coming April 24 to 26, Madrid Fusion Manila will take place at the SMX Convention Centre in the Mall of Asia.

BACKGROUND ON MADRID FUSION

Madrid Fusion is an annual international gastronomic event which started in 2003 in the capital city of Spain. Spain was already back then becoming a huge gastronomic hub, thanks mostly to the exploits of one of the world’s most famous chefs, the incomparable Ferran Adria. In 2002, Ferran Adria’s El Bulli restaurant in Catalonia was already a 3 Michelin Star restaurant and then it captured the inaugural top spot on the prestigious World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list is compiled annually by British magazine Restaurant, and tabulated based on a poll of international chefs, restaurateurs, and big-time restaurant critics. El Bulli would go on to win the top spot of the list a record of four more times in consecutive years from 2006 to 2009.

El Bulli restaurant shut down last 2011. Whether it was `molecular gastronomy’ or `culinary foam’, the success of Ferran Adria had put Spanish culinary excellence in the world map and Madrid Fusion will forever be the avenue for gastronomic gatherings of big international significance. This 2015, Madrid Fusion has for the first time taken the event and brought it overseas, with Manila being the beneficiary city, thus the arcane sounding moniker `Madrid Fusion Manila’.

PERSONAL MADRID FUSION EXPERIENCE

I was very fortunate to have attended Madrid Fusion in Madrid in January of 2007. The Spanish Trade Commissioner, then the uber-hardworking Jose Miguel Cortes sent me as of one of the two Philippine journalists (the other journalist was my good friend Reggie Aspiras) to attend the 5th edition of Madrid Fusion. 2007 was also the year the Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade (ICEX) celebrated its 25th year of their Wines From Spain division – which was formed to promote the export of quality Spanish wines. To commemorate this special silver anniversary, 25 of the most influential Spanish wines in the last two decades and half were carefully chosen and served for one hedonistic tasting galore – and that was actually the reason I was in Madrid Fusion that year. Despite not being in

the culinary field, I tried to attend as many culinary seminars as possible given so much activities going on. I attended one symposium conducted by Ferran Adria himself. During evenings too I would attend special dinners. I got myself into Ferran Adria’s dinner, featuring his more than a dozen chefs from El Bulli in a 20 or so course surreal meal. I also attended the dinner of the former Santi Santamaria.

Really an unbelievable gastronomic experience unmatched by anything I have seen till present. I am therefore very excited to see what is in store for us Filipinos when Madrid Fusion Manila finally happens less than 10 days from today.

HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR LOCAL GOURMANDS

This is a world class event brought over from Spain and F&B industry stalwarts, practitioners and students should take advantage of this rare opportunity to have some of the biggest culinary luminaries right here in our own turf. Ten renowned international chefs, including eight from Spain are coming to do symposiums and even cook in select restaurants around the metropolis. Three of the biggest names coming are from the most highly acclaimed restaurants in Spain: Andoni Luis Aduriz of Mugaritz, Elena Arzak of Arzak and Quique Dacosta of Quique Dacosta Restaurante. And then there is also Paco Roncero, the Ferran Adria protégé. Aside from the international lineup, top local chefs from Fernando Aracama, Margarita Fores, Jay Gamboa to Juan Carlos Terry (ok …. He is a Spanish import) will also be around to lend their expertise. The three day affair that starts on April 24 will have two main components: • An International Gastronomy Congress: from 10:30am to 7:30pm, various seminars on different culinary topics will be tackled by the international and local experts; I saw the lineup already and I will really want to hear what Chefs Andoni Luis Aduriz and Elena Arzak have to say when they discuss about culinary `Creativity’ in their respective forums; I suggest that visitors check out the website and queue up early for the symposiums they want to attend • A Trade Exhibition: The exhibition is divided into two sections, one as the Spanish Pavilion, so all Spanish products only, and the other as the Philippine Pavilion, covering the rest of the world including Philippine products. The exhibit will feature food and beverage products, kitchen equipments, restaurant accessories and anything relevant to gastronomy. There will also be various activities in the exhibition area, including wine seminars I will be conducting in behalf of the Spanish Trade Commission. Please come to the venue early to get the schedules of the seminars. As of this writing, I still have no firm schedule of my seminars, but I do know that several companies will also be having their own seminars on products they represent.

This is indeed an exciting event not to be missed!

Madrid Fusion Manila is made possible because of the participation of our very own Department of Tourism led by Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr., and its agency, Tourism Promotions Board, in partnership with Spain’s Madrid Fusion organizers. With this high profile event, Manila should be on its way to being recognized as the new emerging gastronomic hub in this part of the world.

To register and be part of this momentous Madrid Fusion Manila event, visit the official website http://madridfusionmanila.com. Nos vemos pronto amigos!

For comments, inquiries, wine event coverage, wine consultancy and other wine related concerns, please e-mail me at protegeinc@yahoo.com. I am a proud member of the Federation Internationale des Journalists et Ecrivains du Vin et des Spiritueux or FIJEV since 2010. You can also follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/sherwinlao.

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LIFE

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

g l w e e ke n d @ g m a i l . c o m

GALOPPING TIME

ROLEX KENTUCKY THREE-DAY EVENT ATTRACTS STELLAR FIELD OF COMPETITORS INCLUDING GREAT BRITAIN’S ZARA PHILLIPS

T

he sport of threeday eventing is considered to be the ultimate test of horse and rider.

To win, the combination must endeavour to succeed faultless performances in the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country and show jumping. All three elements requiring a unique range of skills; precision, elegance, harmony, bravery, physical and mental fortitude, balance and perfect timing.

The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials and the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials are considered the greatest three-day events in the world. United, they form the sport’s most valuable prize, the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing.

The first of these takes place from 23-26 April, in the heartland of the United States at The Kentucky Horse Park. The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is the only four-star competition in the continent – the highest level possible.

INTERNATIONAL FIELD OF ENTRIES

This year’s edition has attracted one of the most exciting international fields the event has seen in years. For the first time in her Eventing career, Rolex Eventing Testimonee and 2006 World Champion Zara Phillips will be competing at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.

She takes with her High Kingdom, who she won silver medals with at the 2012 Olympic Games and 2014 World Equestrian Games.

The supremely talented British rider will face challenges from many of the globes finest riders. Among

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An ode to spring, TWG Tea’s Mari Collection offers a large collection of Japanese teapots and coasters, all made of cast iron, a material that maintains the heat of the tea it contains for a longer period of time. In Japan, cast iron tea ware has been used for centuries for their practical functionality and exquisite shapes. Each teapot is handmade in Japan using the same methods passed down for generations, and display a deep respect for the traditions, historic shapes and trimmings for this age-old craft. The Mari teapots come in black, green, red, blue, and, of course, pink, to mirror the delicate beauty of the dainty pastel blossoms.

TWG Tea Sakura! Sakura! Haute Couture Tea retails at P1595 and is available from April 2015 at all TWG Tea locations in the Philippines.

them, the phenomenal German Michael Jung, who won individual gold at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky in 2010 and who is the current Olympic title holder.

Britain’s William Fox-Pitt has won the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event trophy three times - in 2010, 2012 and 2014 – and he will return with a top team of horses to defend his title.

All of North America’s best equestrian athletes will be competing at Rolex Kentucky this year. Among them will be the 2008 winner Phillip Dutton, Olympic team member Boyd Martin and Buck Davidson, son of Bruce Davidson, who won the 1978 World Championships at Kentucky – the first major event to be held at the venue.

The European challengers also include Britain’s Nicola Wilson and Francis Whittington, and Germany’s Andreas Dibowski.

HISTORY

Rolex has been closely associated with this exceptional equestrian challenge in the beautiful surroundings of the Kentucky Horse Park since 1981. Its facilities are recognised as the best of any three-day event in the world, and its cross-country course, devised by the United States’ top coursedesigner Derek Di Grazia, is renowned for testing the courage and stamina of both horse and rider.

Rolex’s support has seen the event develop into one of the most prestigious in the world, with top riders from round the globe now vying to compete there.

THE ROLEX GRAND SLAM OF EVENTING

When Rolex was inspired to link the three foremost eventing competitions in

the world into a Grand Slam in 2001, it was immediately apparent that it would require a series of outstanding performances from a remarkable athlete to complete the challenge.

Kentucky, and Badminton – the British horse trials on which the modern sport of eventing was founded – run two weeks apart in the spring, and Burghley, in the east of England, is the autumn highlight of the global sport. All three have stunning settings and attract vast crowds over the four days of competition.

To date, only one rider – Rolex Eventing Testimonee Pippa Funnell – has won this most prestigious series.

In 2003 the much-medalled mainstay of British teams for many years took the Rolex Kentucky crown on Primmore’s Pride. She progressed to Badminton a week later and won there on Supreme Rock, her double European Champion, and added the Burghley title that autumn on Primmore’s Pride – beating Zara Phillips into second place on her four-star debut at the same time. Pippa Funnell immediately joined the ranks of sporting greats, respected by her peers and the media alike as an exceptional athlete.

Since then, two of the three legs of the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing have been won by four riders: the Australian Andrew Hoy, Britain’s William FoxPitt and Oliver Townend, and the New Zealand hero of six Olympic Games and current live Rolex Grand Slam contender, Andrew Nicholson. None of these top-class riders have yet succeeded in triumphing over the series and winning the final element of the Rolex Grand Slam.

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SHOWBITZ

C5

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

KAPUSO IS NO. 1 IN URBAN LUZON

GMA Network’s top-rating programs include Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, Celebrity Bluff with Eugene Domingo, Magpakailanman with Mel Tiangco, and Pepito Manaloto with Michael V.

AND MEGA MANILA

G

MA Network remained the most watched television network in the key areas of Urban Luzon and Mega Manila in the month of March.

According to data from the industry’s widely-trusted ratings service provider Nielsen TV Audience Measurement, GMA prevailed over other free-to-air channels in the said areas from March 1 to 31 (with the dates of March 22 to 31 based on overnight data), staying ahead in all dayparts with stronger leads in the morning and evening blocks. Urban Luzon and Mega Manila account for 77 and 59 percent, respectively, of the total urban TV households nationwide.

GMA posted a 37.6 percent total day audience share in Urban Luzon, surpassing ABS-CBN’s 30.8 percent by 6.8 points, and TV5’s 8.7 percent by 28.9 points.

The Network likewise reinforced its leadership in Mega Manila, where it registered 39.7 percent, up by 12.5 points against ABS-CBN’s 27.2 percent and 30.7 points, also TV5’s 9 percent.

In NUTAM (National Urban TV Audience Measurement), GMA maintained its hold of the morning and afternoon blocks.

GMA won in the morning block with a 34.9 percent audience share, higher than ABS-CBN’s 30.6 percent by 4.3 points and TV5’s 9.7 percent by 25.2 points. Meanwhile, in the afternoon block, GMA posted 35.6 percent, beating ABS-CBN’s 31.4 percent by 4.2 points and TV5’s 10.8 percent by 24.8 points.

Internationally-recognized news magazine program Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho once again grabbed the no.1 spot in Urban Luzon and Mega Manila, while lead-

ing all Kapuso programs in NUTAM. In relation to its closest rival, GMA also had more entries in the list of top-rating regular programs in NUTAM, Urban Luzon and Mega Manila. In addition to KMJS, these include Magpakailanman, Celebrity Bluff, Pepito Manaloto, Sunday Night Box Office, The Half Sisters, Pari ‘Koy, Ismol Family, Once Upon A Kiss, 24 Oras, and Empress Ki. For data covering January to March, GMA was ahead of other networks in over-all NUTAM ratings with 34 percent, versus ABSCBN’s 33.9 percent and TV5’s 10.4 percent.

The Network is gearing up to launch a new slate of game-changing programs in the second quarter including The Rich Man’s Daughter topbilled by Marian Rivera and Let The Love Begin starring the up-andcoming love team of Ruru Madrid and Gabbi Garcia.

GMA Network claims leadership in Urban Luzon and Mega Manila according to NUTAM (National Urban TV Audience Measurement) something the other networks can’t lay claim to bolster their positions in the broadcast industry

BLOODY VALENTINE In February, the station with a heart continued to make a difference in the lives of Filipinos with the annual Kapuso Bloodletting Day held across the Philippines.

Now on its 7th year, the Kapuso Bloodletting Day is a project of GMA Network’s Corporate Affairs Division in cooperation with the Network’s socio-civic arm, GMA Kapuso Foundation and GMA Regional TV, in partnership with the Philippine Red Cross.

The event, which encouraged the entire Kapuso workforce to take part in saving lives by donating blood, was held lon February 11 at GMA Network Center in Quezon City. The whole day affair saw employees, officers, artists and even their family and friends taking time out from their daily work activities to participate in the worthy cause.

The initiative was also extended nationwide with bloodletting drives held in the regions, namely, Ilocos, Dagupan, Bicol, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Davao and GenSan, on February 14.

The Kapuso Bloodletting Day yielded a total of 1, 783 blood bags (799, 550 cc) with the event in Quezon City producing 333 blood bags (147, 050 cc) and the regional bloodletting drives producing 1, 450 blood bags (652, 500 cc).

“This event was a success, not only because the donations this year surpassed the prior year but also because this huge turnout and continued support is a testament to our solidarity with the Network’s commitment to uplift the lives of our fellow Filipinos,” says GMA Kapuso Foundation EVP and COO Mel C. Tiangco.

“None of this would be possible without the generosity and bravery of each Kapuso donor who believe in and donated to our cause,” she furthers.

GMA Corporate Affairs AVP Teresa L. Pacis, meanwhile, says this activity is a concrete means by which employees can engage in the Network’s corporate social responsibility efforts.

“The annual bloodletting program is an integral part of our CSR platform. We look after the welfare of our employees by encouraging them to mine the health benefits of donating blood. At the same time, we get our employees to actively take part in enriching the lives of our fellow Filipinos.”

The ceremonial turnover of blood bags was led by, from let, GMA Corporate Affairs AVP Teresa L. Pacis, PRC National Blood Center OIC Dr. Edmundo N. Marra, Chairman of PRCQuezon City Chapter Dr. Hermogenes D. Jarin, and GMA Kapuso Foundation EVP and COO Mel C. Tiangco

Award-winning GMA News personality Kara David is among the hundreds of Kapuso workers who donated to the Kapuso Bloodletting Day in Quezon City

Phytos Ramirez shows donor card after donating blood

GMA resident meteorologist Nathaniel “Mang Tani” Cruz supports the Network’s annual bloodletting drive

The GMA Regional Bloodletting drive in Iloilo draws hundreds of donors

Kapuso volunteers flock to malls in Cagayan de Oro for the bloodletting

Donors in Ilocos join Kapuso Network’s efforts to save lives through the Kapuso Bloodletting Day

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SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

MAD ABOUT MOZART I n the theater, the term “Black Box” refers to a space where daring experiments and new visions are tested through performance. Performers who choose to go and perform in a black box are usually the ones with the most open hearts and sincere desire to hone their talent.

With the success of Philippine Opera Company’s Young Artists Black Box Series now on its second season, the audience will witness a bolder and braver take on Mozart’s masterpieces in Mad About Mozart: Sex, Seduction, Death, and Transcendence, this time in collaboration with RankOne Productions.

Mad About Mozart: Sex, Seduction, Death, and Transcendence will present excerpts from the seminal operas and oratorios of Mozart integrated with dance, stream of consciousness narrative, and mixed media.

All performers — singers, dancers, actors, and musicians — will be integrated with the audience for an all-immersive 360-degree black box theater experience.

Mozart’s music is alternatingly sacred and profane, exploring the perennial conflict between the id, the ego, and the super ego. Ultimately, the programming of the scenes will demonstrate that we can attain a state of classical “balance” and inner peace by exploring the layered dimensions of dark and light.

As RankOne President and Executive Creative Director Jon Meer Vera Perez says, “The show is, an exploration of the subversive themes in the seminal operatic works of Mozart; by journeying into the shadow world does one enter into the full grace of Light and Resurrection.”

The music will be presented in a contemporary setting, with modern and contemporary imagery, to challenge our perceptions of classical music in the 21st century.

Mozart’s themes, both the sacred and the profane, are as relevant in 2015 as they were in 1791 when he died, giving us extraordinary insight into how we manage our lives through the choices that we make, and how those actions affect our relationships and the world around us. Ultimately, we only find peace by acknowledging our weaknesses, resolving to learn from our mistakes, and inevitably surrendering to the healing power of forgiveness and eternal Love.

The Young Artists Series provides a professional training ground for young classical singers in the art and craft of stage performance. It gives them the opportunity to integrate singing with stage acting, diction, repertoire, script analysis, dance & movement, and understand better the use of production elements. The goal is to furnish

them with a solid foundation on which to build a sustainable performance career.

“We are very happy to be collaborating with RankOne Productions because we have the same vision and objective in bringing opera to a different perspective, to attract a wider audience to appreciate classical music especially opera,” Philippine Opera Company’s Artistic and Managing Director Karla Gutierrez says.

RankOne Productions, a full mixed media production house, is one of the most dynamic players in multimedia productions in the Philippines and internationally. RankOne strives to provide innovative solutions by which a vision can retain its artistic merit while gaining greater commercial value, working tirelessly to provide alternative creative and technical solutions by which their clients can effectively launch their creative ideas into the full power of the digital age.

Featured artists are Karla Gutierrez, Tricia Amper Jimenez, Lorraine Lisen, Joseleo Logdat, Bernadette Mamauag, Krissan Manikan, Gabri Dolor Panlilio, Nomer Son, Jurgen Unterburg with RankOne guest performers Christine Crame, Anton Ferrer, Jon Meer Vera Perez, Stephanie Reese, and Jonathan Wagner.

Mad About Mozart will be staged on April

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN BRANDED AS ‘THE DUFF’?

Young adult New York Times bestseller The Duff (written by Kody Keplinger when she was 17 and was published when she turned 19) is now a major motion picture starring today’s young rising stars Mae Whitman, Bella Thorne, Skyler Samuels, Bianca Santos, Robbie Amell ,and Nick Eversman along with Ken Jeong.

The Duff finds Bianca (Mae Whitman) as a content high school senior whose world is shattered when she learns the student body refers to her as ‘The DUFF’ (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) to her prettier, more popular friends (Skyler Samuels and Bianca Santos). With her universe turned upside down, she ignores words of wisdom from her favorite teacher (Ken Jeong) and enlists Wesley (Robbie Amell), a slick but charming jock, to help set her apart from the pack and erase her label forever. In doing so, she hopes to land her crush Toby (Nick Eversman), and find the confidence to overthrow the school’s ruthless label maker Madison (Bella Thorne) by reminding everyone that no matter what people look or act like, we are all someone’s DUFF…and that’s totally fine.

The Duff is about teen-agers who think they’re fat and ugly

The Duff was borne out of the author’s curiosity once she heard of the term “duff,” such curiosity led to a bestselling tome that also started a teenage-empowerment movement.

The author considers herself a duff, “When I first heard it…I thought, ‘That’s hilarious and super clever.’” recalls Keplinger,

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 45 46 48 50 51 52 54 58 62 63 65 66 67 68 69 70 71

Noted groundhog Better trained Got it (2 wds.)

Calms Golly!

Haggard Raw leather Fancy fasteners Bonfire residue Smell awful Water, to Pedro Trouser feature Pinnacle Tulip colors Bodies of water Pitch It has rings

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Blueprint, briefly 5 Horror-film servant 9 Like city lots 14 Sudden silence 15 Girl in “Dracula” 16 Riled up 17 “— La Douce” 18 Quick lunches?

19 Family men 20 Not C.O.D. 22 Locker room speech (2 wds.)

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Detest Wrinkled, perhaps Town near Palm Springs Gator kin NASA nix (hyph.)

Luau welcome Earliest Sis’s sibling Screenwriter James —

DOWN 1 Galley or bireme 2 Cat sound 3 Salinger heroine 4 Raja’s bread 5 Drink 6 a funny Radner 7 Mich. neighbor 8 Grate upon 9 Parka feature 10 Speech 11 AutoZone competitor

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015

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Mad About Mozart goes on stage with performers in the “black box”

22, 7 p.m., at the Opera Haus (3657 Bautista St. Palanan, Makati).

Directed by award-winning director and writer, Floy Quintos with Jon Meer Vera Perez as Music Director and Photography/ Creative Design by Ash Reginald Evasco.

For inquiries call 822-9609 or 09175272880 or follow Philippine Opera Company on Facebook.

now 23, who will see the film adaptation of her young-adult novel. “Then, I thought — ‘Wait, that’s super mean.’ And then: ‘Oh crap, that’s me! I am the DUFF of my group!’”

But when she did an informal survey of her pals, she was surprised to learn that she wasn’t alone. “I realized that everyone is insecure and thinks they’re the DUFF,” says Keplinger.

Mae Whitman who plays the titular role in the comingof-age movie drew inspiration in playing her role from her own experience with bullies. “I was super-nerdy, and I got bullied a lot and labeled a lot,” said Whitman, in various interviews, adding that she was a tomboy in high school. “It was not a pleasant experience, which is why I was really passionate about doing this movie.”

Eventually, Whitman learned that “The people who shine the brightest are the ones they try to tear down the most,” she said. When asked if these sorts of stereotypes apply to actors, Whitman noted: “I think it happens all the time in life anyway, but especially in Hollywood, in typecasting and labels and stuff like that. It’s definitely something you have to battle, but that’s why you create movies like this, to kind of create some space under there.”

The Duff opens today in cinemas nationwide from Pioneer Films.

W E D N E S D AY : A P R I L 1 5 : 2 0 1 5

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

‘YOU’RE MY BOSS’ BOX OFFICE FORMULA

Barbie Almalbis endorses a brand of guitar she uses in her gigs

BARBIE’S NEW ENDORSEMENT

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From C8

hilippine music’s rock royalty is likely to an ultimate endorser.

Barbie Almalbis signed a new endorsement deal with D&D Custom Guitars. She was also signed a contract extending for another year and a half Nestle’s NIDO Powdered Milk endorsement.

All these for a rock royalty who teamed up with rock legends Ely Buendia, Raimund Marasigan, and Rico Blanco. She also shared the screen with Megastar Sharon Cuneta for a recent TV commercial.

Endorsing D&D Guitars for some time now, the new contract with the custom guitar company only proves Barbie is effective for the brand. Her publicity pictures while strumming the guitars and using them in her performances put the brand in prominence. Many aspiring musicians go to D&D offices and shops to purchase, or at least sample the models she uses.

A youthful mother (only 37), Nido, the powdered milk brand, finds her to ideal to continue as its brand ambassador. She can teach young mothers not to worry about their kids as long they get proper nourishment that helps them grow up in good health.

After three years of balancing her numerous gigs and show schedules with endorsement activities, the rock royalty released a new album. Aptly entitled My New Heart, Barbie said, “This album is my most heartfelt and most adventurous. That’s because the all original compositions reflect the new phase of my life as a hands-on mom, and becoming closer with my husband.”

She collaborated closely with artist-husband Martin Honasan who did the abstract artwork that slowly shows the pretty rocker’s face whose profile seems pensive.

HHHHH The most awaited boxing match of the century is finally making its way to the big screens.

The Mayweather vs. Pacquiao match will be screened in SM s and Walter Mart cinemas nationwide. Mark the date – May 3 – as it’s the day of the world’s highly anticipated fight between the era’s greatest world boxing champions: Pound per pound Pinoy pride Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and 11-time world champion, the undefeated Floyd Mayweather.

SM Cinema together with WM Cinemas will bring the heart pounding action to the big screens via live telecast -- making the audience feel part of the real-time battle between the boxing giants all the way in Las Vegas.

“SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc. is a company that strongly advocates the development of the Filipino talent through sports. Manny Pacquiao is truly one of the greatest Filipino sports icons who inspires us all to believe that we, as Filipinos, can do anything we set our minds to.” Says SMLEI President, Edgar Tejerero. “We, at SMLEI, fully support Manny Pacquiao and are willing to dedicate all theatres if need be to accommodate the patrons who would like to be part of the biggest sports event in Philippine history.”

SM Cinema is selling tickets now. Patrons can avail of promos and freebies when they choose to watch the fight on the big screen.

As an added treat, early ticket holders will receive a specially designed t-shirt for free with each single-receipt purchase! ePLUS cardholders get a complimentary ticket to the fight along with a free t-shirt, when they purchase using their e-PLUS cards.

The newly opened SM Cinema at Light Mall and all Directors Club Cinema branches across the metro will have the option of including a buffet treat into their ticket purchase. The Mall of Asia Arena has announced that the venue will also hold a viewing event for the legendary fight— however ticket details are yet to be confirmed.

film, she let the charA romantic comedy is WITHOUT WANG 2 acters to verbally tell light-hearted, humorthe story instead of ous and most of the

BY NICKIE WANG allowing the audience time centered on rouncover the different mantic ideals such as facets of Georgina and that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. And Antoi- Pong’s behavior through a better way nette Jadaone’s fifth directorial assign- of storytelling.

Apart from the obvious implausibiliment stayed true to that principle.

It’s hard to ignore a film that has al- ty of the film, it’s also funny to note that ready made millions, P100 millions to watching You’re My Boss is not about be exact, just after one week of commer- discovering two characters playing cats cial release. Not that it’s rare but it’s in- and dogs and becoming lovers in the triguing how a formula film, completed end. It’s about watching Toni and Coco in less than 2 months, tricks moviegoers play themselves. There’s no slight hint to see a familiar template only made dif- that the director tried to create a differferent by the location, and characters ent person out of the two leading stars.

In a previous interview, Jadaone and the stars that play them.

To cut the chase, You’re My Boss said she wanted to come up with new is an entertaining movie by any rom- characters not associated with the two com standard – contrived plot where showbiz “brands” because the producboy meets girl who is his total oppo- ers obviously didn’t want anything as site. But is it a great rom-com film? If a repeat of the previous box-office atyour definition of a great funny date traction (But who would complain if movie is something that will go down the box office results are better than in history as it features a hilarious they expected?). Now, she receives a clash of good manners and modern markdown on this department.

Given Toni’s versatility and Coco’s temperaments and its story communicates something meaningful, then the acting chops, Jadaone could have created two inspiring characters audiencanswer to the question is no.

The story centers on a smart and es would love to meet in real life. This bossy airline company executive also explains why the romantic aspect named Georgina (Toni Gonzaga) who of the film is too bland it wouldn’t put will do everything to close an impor- the audience in any mood for love.

Perhaps that what made the movie tant deal with foreign investors. They, however, wouldn’t negotiate with any- successful. The film’s target audience one in their company save for their big are those who will see a movie not beboss, who’s on leave. In a desperate at- cause of the story the production outfit tempt to win them over, she introduc- is trying to sell but because of the stars es her assistant Pong (Coco Martin) featured in the movie. Hence, listing as the president, and thus begins the Toni and Coco’s star power as the main pretense turning Georgina into Pong’s strength of You’re My Boss. Secondary stylist, language coach and eventually is the picturesque Batanes, which serve as the set where Georgina and Pong a travel companion.

It’s hard to imagine (in real world) how learn what is lovable about each other.

Considering the amount of time dea regular employee who badly needs an appointment with a speech therapist, voted to finish the film, Jadaone was ends up presenting before some foreign able to create a movie she can call very investors who seriously mean business. current and fresh. She, being the movie And how a supposedly smart company writer, too, was even able to incorporate executive even allows that to happen. in the film Toni’s punchline in the BinibTalk about making sound decisions on ining Pilipinas pageant, which happened just four weeks ago. But more than its a strictly business setting.

It’s also an insult to the audience’s hilarity, which appears to be a huge hit intelligence when the characters them- to its focused market, You’re My Boss is selves explain the reason why they be- another validation that Star Cinema will have the way they do. For sure, Jada- never get tired of producing rom-coms one, a Palanca awardee herself, can featuring its celebrated stars. The instant do better than that. But in her current return of investment is very inviting.

The Pacquiao-Mayweather match will be screened in SM and Waltermart Cinemas You’re My Boss stars Toni Gonzaga and Coco Martin are the newest box office darlings

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W E D N E S D AY : A P R I L 1 5 : 2 0 1 5

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

NEW BATCH JOIN USANA PHILIPPINES FAMILY SIMPLY RED ISAH V. RED USANA’s Team Pangilinan, composed of Anthony Pangilinan and wife Maricel Laxa along with their children Ella, Donny, Hannah, Benjamin and Solana, has new allies as Team USANA Pilipinas Batch 2 joins USANA’s existing brand ambassadors former beauty queen and entrepreneur Patti Betita as well as athletes Janice Lagman, Japoy Lizardo, L.A. Tenorio, Tin Patrimonio, P.J. Tierro, Gaby dela Merced, Alyssa Valdez, Neil Flores, Bing Amit and Abe Avena.

USANA Health Sciences Philippines welcomes 2015 with a strengthened vision and passion to promoting good health and wellness among Filipinos.

“We at USANA Philippines believe in the power and value of inspiration,” explains USANA Philippines General Manager Aurora “Duday” Gaston. “Alongside our products that help Filipinos achieve good health, we deem it is necessary to help them get inspired and because of this, we partner with these generous personalities to help our countrymen become more driven, empowered and inspired.”

ONE HEALTHY FAMILY

Family-centered wellness goes to the spotlight as Team Pangilinan, joins USANA Philippines’ growing roster of brand ambassadors.

Team Pangilinan is a regular participant of multi-sport activities, including fun runs, triathlons, marathons and even Ironman competitions with the vision to promote a Christ-centered, balanced, and productive lifestyle as a family.

Team Pangilinan shares their enthusiasm to join USANA Philippines in their vision. “For us, this is a new platform to share our lifelong mission to promote family wellness and togetherness through sports,” explains Anthony Pangilinan. “We feel that we need to share the benefits of using USANA products to help more families nationwide to do more and further grow their family healthily,” says Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan.

PINOY ATHLETICISM

Following the success of the first batch of Team USANA Pilipinas, USANA Philippines further expands the family with the second batch of outstanding Pinoy athletes as they promote fitness and wellness among Filipinos.

This year’s roster includes Misagh Ba-

hadoran, Chieffy Caligdong and Belay Fernando for football, Biboy Rivera for bowling, Sid Isidro for dragon boat, Michelle Cojuangco-Barrera for equestrian, and Peter June Simon for basketball. These athletes follow in the footsteps of other USANA-partnered international athletes like boxer Timothy Bradley, tennis stars Samantha Stosur and Sloane Stephens, and Olympic gold medalists Tyler McGill and Meaghan Mikkelson.

“Much like in sports, we believe that good health and fitness is necessary in one’s journey towards success,” explains Cojuangco-Barrera. “It is for that reason that we see our partnership with USANA as something more meaningful than just promoting a product, but a profound privilege in inspiring our fellow Filipinos to achieve good health as an important tool for success.”

With the new roster of brand ambassadors locked in and geared up for 2015, USANA Philippines General Manager Gaston shares that this is just a start of a bigger year of the company. “As we inspire our fellow countrymen we at USANA are also geared to continue providing more high quality wellness products and will even launch new offerings this year to better arm Filipinos with better access to good health and helpful tools to success,” concludes Gaston.

Members of the new batch of athletes to join USANA Philippines family

Maricel Laxa Pangilinan of Team Pangilinan talks about the benefits of using USANA products

Continued on C7

Alongside our products that help Filipinos achieve good health, we deem it is necessary to help them get inspired and because of this, we partner with these generous personalities to help our countrymen become more driven, empowered and inspired

Team Pangilinan with Anthony Pangilinan and Maricel and their children

– Duday Gaston

TeamPangilinan with the new batch of USANA Philippines