The Standard - 2015 May 23 - Saturday

VOL. XXIX  NO. 95  2 Sections 24 Pages P18  SATURDAY : MAY 23, 2015  www.manilastandardtoday.com  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

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Cayetano: BBL won’t ensure peace

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Binay eyes Duterte as running mate

US WILL CONTINUE SPRATLYS MISSIONS Next page

Anti-Chinese sentiment. A protester at an anti-China rally in front of the Chinese consular office in Makati last year expresses her sentiments about Beijing’s construction of military facilities in the Spratly Island Group in the West Philippine Sea. AFP

Warriors seize 2-0 advantage

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Alviera revs up phase one

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PH seeking ways to avoid escalation of tensions

No stopping flights. US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel is greeted in Washington by Philippine Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia during a recent diplomatic gathering.

Spratlys flights will continue, US vows WASH I NGTON— The United States has rejected Beijing’s demands that US surveillance planes stop flying over the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, US Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel said Thursday.

exclusive interview that the incident confirmed there was “absolutely” a risk that the United States and China could go to war in the near future.

Media outlets reported last week that US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter was considering expanding military patrols around the Spratly Islands, an archipelago off the Philippine, Malaysian and Vietnamese coasts.

Former senator Panfilo Lacson said Friday the US government is sending a strong signal to China and the international Over the past few months, community.

“The fact that the US conChina has been building artifiducted patrol over the contested cial islands on coral reefs in the islands which China is claiming Spratly Islands region it claims to be exclusively their own and in the South China Sea. The US State Department has thereafter, releasing the incident expressed concern over Beijing’s through international media claims to 90 percent of the South says a lot already,” said Lacson.

“My concern is, it takes an agChina Sea region. gressive action from any party Russel said the United States in interest, no matter how insigwould continue “to fully exercise nificant, to spark a dangerous our rights globally to the international space” and defend the armed confrontation that could rights of all countries to freedom lead to war,” said Lacson.

Because of this, Lacson urged of navigation and overflight in President Benigno Aquino III to the region. convene the National Security On Thursday, CNN reported Council (NSC) to discuss these that a Chinese naval vessel issued issues with China and look for eight warnings on Wednesday possible courses of action in to a US P8-A Poseidon advanced surveillance aircraft asking it to dealing with the above-stated “please go away… to avoid a mis- possibilities.

Aquino has never convened understanding.” the NSC, which is composed of Former CIA Deputy Director former presidents and his CabiMichael Morell told CNN in an

net secretaries.

“This is a serious threat that needs study and enlightened discussion among our security officials and top policy makers,” Lacson said.

Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he doubts if the current friction would lead to direct confrontation. He said the US seemed to be probing Chinese intent, with the aime of setting limits on its territories and actions.

US surveillance aircraft and naval ships have yet to test China’s territorial claims around artificial islands built in the South China Sea, but the Pentagon warned Thursday that could be the next step.

Although the United States does not recognize China’s claims of sovereignty around the man-made structures, American P-8 surveillance planes and naval vessels patrolling the area have not ventured within 12 nautical miles of the artificial islands -- the standard territorial zone around natural land.

“That would be the next step,” Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren told reporters.

Asked if the military would move to within that sensitive zone, he said: “We don’t have any announcement to make on next steps. We are going to continue our routine flights.”

US officials have said they are weighing sending warships and

surveillance aircraft within 12 nautical miles of the man-made islands in the South China Sea to test Beijing’s controversial territorial claims.

But the move could raise tensions and lead to a standoff on the high seas -- in an area vital to global shipping lanes.

Beijing regards almost the whole of the South China Sea as its own.

The US Navy has released video from a P-8 Poseidon surveillance flight in the South China Sea which received several warnings from the Chinese military.

It showed a flotilla of vessels carrying out reclamation works in one lagoon, and an airstrip under construction on another island.

“You can see here the landing strip and on the back side there is the taxi way,” an officer says, pointing at a screen, adding that “hundreds of meters” have been built in “the past couple of months.”

The officer explained the huge dredging operation, taking material from the seabed as part of the reclamation project to provide fresh space for construction.

The new video came after a CNN television crew aboard a P-8 Poseidon plane captured a tense radio exchange between the US aircraft and Chinese forces in the area. AFP

MALACANANG said Friday it was trying to avoid creating more tension in the South China Sea amid reports that a US surveillance plane was warned by the Chinese Navy against flying over disputed territories in the Spratly Islands that it claims.

“We need to verify this as this is still at the level of media reports,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. repeatedly told reporters who asked him about the confrontation.

Former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell told CNN Wednesday night that “the confrontation indicated there was absolute risk of the US and China going to war sometime in the future.”

Coloma would only say that the Philippines will continue to comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. is also continuing to coordinate with the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

He said President Benigno Aquino III was meeting with the Palace legal team on the country’s case before the UN Arbitral Tribunal.

Coloma said the President would take up the issue of territorial disputes in the South China Sea during his state visit to Japan from June 2 to 5.

“When the President has opportunities to meet with the different representatives of governments and states, he will be taking up this issue. This is an important global concern, especially in the region,” Coloma said.

The issue would also be taken up when the Philippines hosts the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit this year, he said.

According to the Japanese Embassy, Aquino, will call on the Emperor and Empress of Japan, who will host a state banquet in his honor.

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a meeting with as well as host a dinner for the President.

“The Government of Japan sincerely welcomes the visit of the President, which will further strengthen the friendly relations between Japan and the Republic of the Philippines,” said the Japanese Embassy in Manila.

The embassy declined to say what Aquino will be discussing the Japanese officials during his state visit.

The Japanese press office also refused to refer inquiries from the Manila Standard to any relevant Japanese officials. – Sandy Araneta

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Binay eyes Duterte as partner

By Vito Barcelo and Maricel V. Cruz VICE President Jejomar Binay said Friday he is considering Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Valenzuela Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian or former Manila mayor Lito Atienza as running mates for the 2016 presidential elections.

Binay earlier said it would be risky to entrust the country to a person without experience and competence, but later denied he was referring to Senator Grace Poe, who is being recruited by the ruling Liberal Party.

In a TV interview, Binay said he was considering Duterte because he was qualified, since he was a successful mayor like he was.

The Vice President said he was also considering Gatchalian, the mayor of Valenzuela City, because of his wide experience in public service, having served as a mayor and a congressman.

Binay said that when he assumed the leadership of Makati, the annual income was P208 million with an expenditure budget of P269 million, or a deficit of P60 million.

“Makati was already the financial center, but public services were at best similar to those of a fourth class municipality.

Makati hosted the top corporations and the country’s richest men and women, but it also played host to some of the poorest in the country, in the hovels of the enlisted men’s barrios or the Embo’s as they were known and in the many informal settler communities,” he said.

Binay said the city gained its economic footing under his leadership and was still growing under his son’s leadership.

“I sincerely believe that the issue in this coming election -- for the presidency particularly -- is experience and competence.

We have undergone and still undergoing so many things that could not have been serious problems were it not for the fact that one does not have experience and competence,” said Binay in a statement.

Kiosks for jobseekers. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz and Commission on Higher Education Chairman Patricia Licuanan try out a new Job Search Kiosk machine, which provides information on local and overseas employment opportunities. The ATM-type kiosks will soon be deployed to strategic, high-traffic areas all over the country. MANNY PALMERO

Winning Comelec bidder picked in July

By Sara D. Fabunan THE Philippines is likely to have the machines for the 2016 national and local elections as the Commission on Elections plans to award the contract to acquire them to the winning bidder on July 30, an official said Friday.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said many companies were interested to join the bidding while the Comelec was all set to conduct the bidding for 100,000 Optical Mark Reader units and the repair of 81,000 Precinct Count

Optical Scan machines.

“The Comelec expects to award the winning bidder and issue a notice to proceed

by July 30,” Jimenez said.

During the special en banc meeting on Thursday, the Comelec’s top officials discussed the terms of reference that the bidders would have to comply with for the bidding, Comelec chairman Andres Bautista is in Rome on an official trip and is expected to return next week.

Jimenez said the commissioners had yet to issue the final terms of reference, and

that they had yet to approve two separate terms of reference for the repair of the PCOS machines and the procurement of 100,000 Optical Mark Reader units.

He said the commissioners were looking to continue discussing terms of reference on Tuesday.

“We want to make sure we don’t mis-step. The TOR has lots of details to be settled,” Jimenez said.

He said the latest schedule for the documents and preprocurement conference was still either on May 25 or 27.

The pre-procurement con-

ference is an internal meeting among different elements of the Comelec to finalize the TOR. These groups include the Comelec Bids and Awards Committee, the technical working groups and the media.

“We hope that many companies will participate in this big project. We want to have many bidders to choose from so it will be better for us and the Filipino people,” Jimenez sai He said even if the terms of reference were yet to be approved, the Comelec was still on track to automate the election system for the 2016 elections.

5 Metro, Bulacan schools sit atop quake fault line

By Rio N. Araja and Joel E. Zurbano

Scene of the fire. Police crime investigators take measurements at the site of the Kentex slipper factory in Valenzuela City which was ravaged by a fire that killed 72 workers last May 13.

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AT LEAST five schools in Metro Manila and one in Bulacan sit near or on top of the West Valley Fault and must be dismantled or transferred, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said Friday.

Agency director Renato Solidum Jr. said those schools were Bulacan’s Sitio Karahume Elementary School in San Jose del Monte, Marikina City’s Barangka Elementary School, Makati City’s Tibagan Elementary School, Taguig City’s Anne-Claire Montessori, and Muntinlupa City’s Alabang Elementary School and E. Pedro Diaz High School.

“They need to transfer the kids. It’s not that many,” Solidum said in a television interview.

“They need to discuss it with [the Department of Education] and school

officials. Essentially, they are putting students at risk but to be fair, we don’t know when the fault will move.”

Officials say the school buildings at risk could have been built before reports broke out in the 1990s that the West Valley Fault was still active.

Solidum called on local officials to verify if other schools were also lying along possible fault lines.

He made his statement even as MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said Friday Metro Manila was not prepared in case a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck it.

“Our preparedness on a scale of one to 10 is below 5,” Tolentino said told an earthquake- preparedness forum.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Friday supported the MMDA’s call for drills to prepare Metro Manila for a powerful earthquake.

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PH joins meet on Rohingya refugees

By Rey E. Requejo THE Philippines will attend the 15-nation meeting in Bangkok, Thailand next week to discuss the migration crisis involving thousands of Rohingyas who escaped persecution in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the Philippine government has been invited to the meeting and the Department of Foreign Affairs will lead the delegation after officials met with United Nations High Commission for Refugees representative to the Philippines Bernard Kerblat.

According to De Lima, United States and Australia will also send their representatives to participate in meeting on May 29, which will be attended by Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries.

De Lima said the Philippines might present its position on the issues of refugees and asylum and could formally offer aid in whatever collective actions to be taken by participating nations in addressing the plight of the so-called “boat people.”

“We are not directly affected, but it’s a problem that needs, really, the cooperation of everyone.

It should be a regional action,” she explained.

De Lima said the UNHCR has earlier asked the Philippines to send rescue boats to the seas in Indonesia and Malaysia where about 3,000 Rohingyas have been drifting in the past days, but clarified that the government has not yet decided on it.

“That’s something that we can also endorse, but it’s not going to be my decision, my call,” she said, adding that the government will prepare its position to be presented to the regional meeting.

Kerblat confirmed that the regional meeting was called by the royal government of Thailand and will be attended also by three UN organizations.

“The idea is the fact that there is a growing realization that the issue is so complex, that is cannot and will not be solved by one single state. But it will be solved thru a process of consultation, gathering all impacted states, plus friends of the issue in the region, including the Philippines,” he explained.

“Although Philippines is not affected, we believe the Philippines have a lot to contribute to the debate, to the search for solutions, through goodwill and exchanges,” Kerblat pointed out.

The UNHCR official believes that the regional meeting would be key to solving the crisis.

“It’s a very complex, multifaceted crisis of huge importance because these people are subject to trafficking. A lot of them have experienced persecution in the past, a lot of them are in a very destitute situation,” he said.

“It’s not one country that will solve it, but it’s a result of this general consultation. And we’re very, very happy to take note that the Philippines is ready to positively engage in this process of consultation towards a search for a solution,” he added.

Save our fishing grounds. Members of the Save The Fisheries Now Network gathered at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City on Friday and urges lawmakers to pass the Integrated Coastal Management bill which will address various issues in the fisheries sector. MANNY PALMERO

BBL does not ensure peace, senator insists

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATE Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has warned of a more powerful and dangerous Moro Islamic Liberation Front if the Bangsamoro Basic Law is passed as drafted because the bill undermines a just and lasting peace in Mindanao.

“Let us learn from the lessons of the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao,” Cayetano said.

“We may have silenced the Moro National Liberal Front momentarily, but the peace did not hold.”

He noted the MILF never stopped its terroristic activities, the latest involved the ‘massacre’ of 44 police commandos who went to Mamasa-

pano, Maguindanao to serve a warrant of arrest for a Malaysian terrorist.

He noted that even before the BBL can be passed, the Bangsamoro Islamic Liberation Front BIFF), the Justice for Islamic Movement and other private armed groups have already indicated they do not support the BBL led by MILF. “So this early, we already know

New equipment.

Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Francis Tolentino demonstrates the use of newly-acquired search and rescue camera that can be used to find disaster victims.

DANNY PATA

there can be no just and lasting peace in Mindanao even if we pass BBL. The only inevitable change that can be achieved by a BBL is a more powerful and dangerous MILF,” said Cayetano.

The BIFF, a breakaway group of the MILF, has reportedly forged a tactical alliance with the JIM to fight the government after they were left out of the peace talks.

JIM, among several armed groups in Mindanao, was also driven to fight alongside other armed groups and tribal communities whom the government has failed to reach.

The selective peace talks reportedly led to the emergence of an upfront in Mindanao.

“I, therefore, call on Congress to be extremely cautious even in pass-

ing an amended BBL. Let us recall the statement of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines: “Peace will never come out because of a piece of paper. It might even be complicated... Even if there is a written law, if it will not bring real and lasting peace,” said Cayetano.

He reminded the government that if we pass a new law, it must not be about one group but about a just, inclusive and lasting peace in Mindanao.

“We all want a just, inclusive lasting peace in Mindanao. But the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law as framed mainly points to giving the MILF more power and access to billions, all without any clear and definite accountability to our national government,” he said.

Bacolod mayor arraigned

By Rio N. Araja THE Sandiganbayan on Friday entered a not-guilty plea for Bacolod City Mayor Monico Puentevella after he refused to enter any plea for graft charges.

After two postponed dates of arraignment, Puentevella showed up before the anti-graft court’s Fourth Division.

“Your honors, I refuse to enter plea,” he told the court, spurring the magistrates to enter a plea for him in accordance with legal procedure. The mayor and his lawyers immediately left the court room and refused any media interview.

Puentevella’s first arraignment was set on April 15, but was postponed due to his pending petition for a temporary restraining order at the Supreme Court. Last week, he was not also able to appear in court due to a spike in his blood pressure.

A co-accused, Jessie Garcia of Maryland Publishing Corp., was arraigned earlier and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Last year, another accused, Victorino Tirol, a former regional director of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, succumbed to a heart ailment.

The case stemmed from the alleged anomalous procurement of computers and software for public elementary and secondary schools in Bacolod City from 2001 to 2006.

The Office of the Ombudsman said the procurement of the computer packages from Maryland Publishing Corp. was done without a public bidding.

Former councilor Carlos Lopez filed the complaint, saying the publishing firm was not a supplier of computer units and they only delivered 50 computers instead of the 100 computers in the contract.

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PN inspects 2 attack choppers THE armament packages for the Philippine Navy’s last two AgustaWestland AW-109 naval helicopters are now being processed and subjected to a technical inspection, the Philippine Navy said on Friday.

“The armament packages are now (undergoing processing) by the technical inspection and acceptance committee. Hopefully, within a month or so, the weapons will be given to the Navy for installation [in] the AW-109s,” Navy spokesman Commander Lued Lincuna said.

Defense Undersecretary for Finance Fernando Manalo said that the Philippine Navy will receive two of the newly delivered helicopters while the Philippine Air Force will also get two.

Philippine Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado had earlier announced that six pilots and 22 maintenance crew men for the new attack helicopters were trained in Italy from July to December last year.

These aircraft will be used to perform a range of duties including homeland security, armed reconnaissance and close support, he said.

The AW109s are also likely to be a mainstay on board the PN’s two new strategic sealift vessels on order from the Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL. The vessels are due to be delivered in 2016 and 2017.

The weapons systems of the AW-109 consist of rocket and machine gun mounts which arrived in the second week of May. The last two AW-109 airframes arrived in the Philippines last December.

This is part of the five-helicopter P1.33-billion deal the government contracted with the Anglo-Italian helicopter maker AgustaWestland in early 2013.

Three of the AW-109s were delivered and commissioned in December 2013.

The armed versions of the AW-109s will be supplied with machine guns, 20mm cannons and, possibly, air-to-ground rockets.

The AW-109 “Power” helicopter is a threeton class, eight-seat helicopter powered by two Pratt and Whitney PW206C engines.

The cabin is designed to be fitted with a number of modular equipment packages for quick and easy conversion between roles.

The aircraft’s safety features include a fully separated fuel system, dual hydraulic boost system, dual electrical systems and redundant lubrication and cooling systems for the main transmission and engines.

For shipboard operations, the aircraft has a reinforced-wheeled landing gear and deck mooring points as well as extensive corrosion protection measures. PNA

Not just disco dancing. Some delegates to the Asia-Pacifc Economic Cooperation meeting on Boracay Island experience the backbreaking job of planting rice at Barangay Motag in Malay, Aklan, after a night of disco-dancing on the resort island. PNA

Increased smuggling penalties eyed

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Cynthia Villar wants to widen the scope of economic sabotage by including certain acts of agricultural smuggling In her proposed Senate Bill 2765, or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2015, Villar wants to penalize the smuggling of any agricultural commodity or product with a fine of equal to twice the fair value plus imprisonment of six to 12 years.

“By definition, this includes fish, forestry, seeds, poultry and dairy products that have undergone various degrees of processing,” said Villar, chairwoman of the Senate agriculture and food committee.

Under the bill, she said the modus operandi of traders who use cooperatives to smuggle goods into the country will be considered an act of economic sabotage.

Economic sabotage is defined as any act or activity which undermines, weakens or renders into disrepute the economic system

or viability of the country or tends to bring out such effects and shall include, among others, price manipulation to the prejudice of the public especially in the sale of basic necessities and prime commodities.

“We don’t want smugglers to get away with a mere slap on the wrist. Smuggling is a crime that not only affects the consumers. It also threatens the livelihood of farmers and fisher folks,” she said.

Furthermore, she said smuggling of any agricultural commodity should be punishable by a fine equal to the aggregate amount of the taxes, duties and other charges avoided; confiscation of smuggled articles; cancellation and revocation of business license, import permits, and other pertinent documents for importation; and perpetual disqualification to import agricultural products.

“Any person who shall import or bring into the Philippines agricultural products without the required import permit from the implementing agency, or any person

who shall import agricultural products by means of fraud or by illegally obtaining the required import permit shall be guilty of the crime of smuggling, including those acts which are within the purview of technical smuggling,” the bill said.

“Any person regardless of nationality or citizenship found guilty of engaging in agricultural smuggling, or technical smuggling thereof, of a minimum aggregate amount of P5 million worth of agricultural products or has been found guilty of engaging in agricultural smuggling of rice, or technical smuggling thereof, with a minimum aggregate amount P10 million as valued by the Bureau of Customs, shall be guilty of economic sabotage,” it further said.

The bill noted that when the offender is a juridical person, criminal liability should attach to its president, chief operating officer or manager. In addition, the business permit or licenses of the business entity shall be revoked or cancelled.

Dormitory law in the works

By Maricel V. Cruz

Newsman’s view of history. Spanish journalist and writer Jose “Pepe” Rodriguez presents a copy of his book “Front Pages of Philippine History” to Manuel Baltar, governor of the Galician province of Ourense. “A compact history of the Philippines through the front pages of its newspapers, the day-to-day events of its colonial experience ... an instructive book, one that is entertaining and full of surprises” is how 2010 Nobel Prize Winner Mario Vargas Llosa described Rodriguez’ book.

STUDENTS and other tenants may soon be freed from decrepit and structurally-questionable dormitories and boarding houses if their operation and maintenance is regulated by law, according to Camarimes Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. Under House Bill 5716, Andaya is proposing that the operation and maintenance of boarding houses and dormitories be standardized to provide safety to tenants.

Andaya said the safety and general welfare of tenants is the State’s paramount concern as it recognizes that the students’ holistic well-being is affected by their living conditions.

“As such, it is therefore necessary that the physical and environmental components of these temporary dwellings are safe, healthful and sanitary, and have amenities conducive to learning and living,” Andaya, vice chair of the House committee on appropriations, said.

Under the bill, it will be unlawful for any person to own, keep, maintain or operate any dormitory or boarding house without first obtaining a license from the city or municipal government.

It further states that the license, which shall be re-

newed annually, shall be posted in a conspicuous place and shall specify the number of persons allowed to dwell or board in each dormitory or boarding house.

Likewise, it is mandated under the measure that all local government units, through their respective Sanggunian, shall fix the annual license fees to be imposed on dormitories or boarding houses based on classification enumerated under this Act as well as fix the minimum monthly boarding rentals.

The proposal also requires dormitories and boarding houses to maintain a register of boarders specifying the name, age, sex, address, school and course studied, together with the curriculum year; or place and address for those working, and to include name, address and contact numbers or parents or guardians for minors.

The bill tasks the owners or landlords/ladies to keep a copy of the written permission or contract with parents of minors to board in such boarding house/dormitory. This registry shall record the days, month or years of the stay of the boarders.

All dormitories and boarding house shall give a discount of 10 percent for all students provided they present school registration cards or similar discounts to serve as proof thereof.

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A6 ‘Coco levy substitute bill ignores farmers’ rights’

By Maricel V. Cruz A lAwmAker on Friday criticized the substitute bill drafted by a panel in the House of representatives that is supposed to legislate provisions on the highly contentious coconut levy fund, saying that the rights of the farmers were stricken off, that many government officials were included as committee members, and the farmer-representatives need to be appointed by President Aquino.

Anakpawis party-list rep.

Fernando Hical complained that the draft bill, supposed to stand in for House Bill 1327 or the Genuine Small Coconut Farmers’ Fund, does not promote the welfare of coconut farmers. The draft bill, Hicap said, was prepared by the technical working group of the House committee on agriculture and food.

“The very important provisions that aim to return the coconut levy funds to the poor farmers vanished,” Hicap said.

Hicap that the draft bill provisioned mainly on privatizing the coconut levy fund, creation of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund and the committee to administer and preparation of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan.

He also condemned that even in the preparation of the development plan, the coconut farmers were excluded. The ad hoc committee to prepare the plan included nine government agencies attached to the Office of the President.

“They who were the victims of class extortion and the real owners of the coconut levy, were excluded in preparing the plan,” Hicap said.

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Ormoc farmers demand protection for their land

By Ronald O. Reyes

TACLOBAN CITY—Twenty-one farmers in Ormoc City, Leyte are in need of security and protection after allegedly being harassed by former occupants of the 25-hectare lot they owned in the village of Matica-a, according to land rights advocate Rights Network.

“The most recent [incident of this] was in the afternoon of may 19, 2015 when about 20 or so bolo- and machete-wielding men came in and surrounded the beneficiaries who were then plowing the field,” said Baby reyes, project coordinator of rights Network in eastern Visayas.

Their tarpaulins bearing their rights to the ownership of the land

were also destroyed, reyes added.

According to roselyn Gastalla, a member of the Bugho Farmers Association, several men with bolos and machetes have been coming in and out of the area since their selfinstallation, seemingly to survey the farm and to take videos and photos of the beneficiaries while they engage in farming activities, deliber-

ately ignoring the ‘No Trespassing’ tarpaulin that the BFA had installed.

The farmers decided for themselves to reclaim their ownership of the 25-hectare farm last April 30 after saying they have been driven away from it since 1999. This is in spite of being holders of Certificate of land Ownership Awards from Department of Agrarian reform. rosenda Apay, leader of the farmers, earlier asked DAr for a military or police detachment in the area to keep the peace since Day One of their self-installation.

“However, DAr has only been able to provide roving police in the area and this was not enough to discourage trespassing and robbery of tarpaulins by those men,”

Apay said in a statement.

“DAr’s never-ending slow dance on Ormoc’s self installation is causing their agency to trip and fail again. Nineteen days after Ormoc agrarian reform beneficiaries did DAr’s job for them, DAr is nestling on the ‘compromise agreement’ that they authored, an agreement that they seem to be the only one minding,” added reyes.

“It’s actually the other group that is in dire need of the compromise agreement.

The 21 agrarian reform beneficiaries are in possession of the ClOA and are already installed in the 25 hectares of land.”

Jose Alsmith Soria, DAr regional information chief, said they also want this issue resolved soonest.

Not here. Traffic enforcers of the Metro Manila Development Authority round up an unregistered tricycle blocking the flow of traffic at the Balintawak market along Edsa. MANNY PALMERO

Reds free jail employees

By Florante S. Solmerin

Summit. Representatives of the local government, the academe and the business sector discuss prospects in Quezon City during Business Summit 2015 held at the Crown Plaza Hotel. MANNY PALMERO

THe two personnel of the Bureau of Jail management and Penology abducted last April by the New People’s Army were released Thursday in San miguel, Surigao, the military said Friday. lieutenant Colonel eduardo Gubat, spokesman of the eastern mindanao Command, said Juan Salazar and Feliciano Polan were released at around 8 a.m. in Barangay libasod in San miguel town.

The two were captured on April 27 after a group of rebels ambushed their vehicle while transporting 2 inmates along the national highway in Barangay Amontay, marihatag, Surigao del Sur. They were en route to lianga from Tandag City for a court hearing of two inmates when ambushed. The rebels rescued one of them identified as Jojean Alameda, allegedly a bomb expert of the NPA. Gubat said Salazar and Polan were turned over by the NPA to local officials.

According to Gubat, as of may 20, 2015, there have been 30 civilians abducted by the NPA bandits in eastern mindanao since 2013.

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Police OIC tells Caraga cops: start reform in yourselves

By Alvin T. Guanzon

Never too old. An elderly woman from the Butbot tribe goes about her daily farm chores in Bugnay,Kalinga as children look on. DAVID CHAN

US ambassador inaugurates climate-resilient buildings School children, tuberculosis patients and small entrepreneurs will benefit from the recent inauguration of a climate-resilient school building and health facility as well as 100 new sari-sari stores in Tacloban City and other areas in Leyte province.

United States Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg led the inauguration of the projects, which form part of the US government’s over P6.3 billion ($143 million) Typhoon Yolanda assistance implemented through the US Embassy Manila’s United States Agency for International Development Re-

build project.

“The resilience, courage and determination of the people of Leyte to recover and build back better truly inspire all of us. The U.S. government remains committed to restoring normalcy to the lives of affected families and we will continue to work closely with our friends

in the Philippines to help rebuild this region better and stronger,” the ambassador said.

Over 1,850 children and teachers in San Fernando Central School will benefit from the eight new classrooms.

The assistance also includes classroom furniture and teaching kits and is part of the U.S. Government’s larger effort to construct and furnish more than 250 classrooms in Tacloban City and Leyte province, which will benefit approximately 30,000 students.

Ambassador Goldberg

also inaugurated a twostory health facility at the Tacloban City Health office that will house a tuberculosis treatment clinic.

The new facility, and attendant medical equipment, will benefit about 39,000 residents from 45 barangays. A total of 12 health facilities will be constructed by the U.S. government in partnership with DOH and local government units in areas devastated by Typhoon Yolanda.

“The classrooms and health facilities are designed to be typhoon and earthquake-resilient and

are capable of withstanding high velocity winds up to 360 kilometers per hour and an earthquake magnitude 8.5 on the Richter scale,” Deputy Director Aeschliman said.

To help restore the livelihoods of Yolanda survivors, Ambassador Goldberg turned over 100 sari-sari stores to microentrepreneurs in Tacloban City and Palo, Leyte. These are among the 1,000 stores that will be constructed and restocked with inventory by USAID in partnership with U.S. companies Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble (P&G).

CAMP Rafael Rodriguez— Philippine National Police officer in charge Leonardo Arias Espina reminded the 5,000 members and officials of the PNP regional office here to win back the respect and confidence of the people by starting reform within themselves.

“It is only you who can redeem [that respect]. Remember once you step out of your respective homes to report for duty, whether to patrol the streets, perform office work or provide security to VIPs, it is your uniform that the public will notice,” he said during the awarding ceremonies for deserving members of the police force in the Caraga region held inside this camp in Butuan City.

Espina urged the policemen to avoid temptation and trouble by staying faithful and living within their means.

“Have one spouse,” he said, eliciting laughter from the audience, “live simply and within means, be of service always to others and to your communities and be a role model to the youth,” Espina said in his speech.

Espina acknowledged that much still needs to be done to win back the trust and confidence of the people in the police. Even his own son, he said, fell victim to bad cops two days before he took his oath as chief of the National Capital Region Police Office chief.

“It is through you that people will see the Philippine National Police, not through us in Crame or the police offices”, Espina added.

“If you do good or bad while you are in duty, it will leave a mark on the people’s minds.

You are the PNP because it is through you that the people see the good or the bad. This is why you should be a good role model wherever you are assigned,” Espina said.

He assured policemen that the PNP would continue to take care of them in their retirement and even after death, through assistance extended to their surviving spouses and children.

PhilRice bares 9 drought-resistant breeds

By Ferdie G.Domingo

Climate-resilient structure. US Ambassador Philip Goldberg and USAID Deputy Mission Director Reed Aeschliman turn over a school building to Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez and Leyte 1st district Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. VER NOVENO

MUÑOZ, Nueva Ecija— The Philippine Rice Research Institute central experiment station here has identified nine rice breeds which have been proven to be not only resistant to drought but also high yielding in high temperatures of as much as 38°C. Thelma Padolina, lead researcher of the study, entitled “Screening of rice-induced mutants for heat and drought tolerance,”identified the breeding lines as the Ballatinaw lines, PSB Rc72H and the Azucena lines.

The Ballatinaw lines exhibited over 40-percent grain fertility under high temperature conditions and yielded between 6 and 6.7 tons per hectare during the testing, followed by PSB Rc72H with 6-6.2 t/ha and the Azucena lines with 2.7 to 4.3 t/ha.

These yields are all better than their original parent stock.

The Ballatinaw lines also showed good milling potential with 66.8-70-percent recovery in contrast with PSB Rc72H with only 59.363.7 percent.

The study, completed through a series of field and laboratory heat stress

screening, was co-authored

by Lenie Pautin, Rustom Braceros, Dindo Tabanao, and Arnel Pocsedio.

It was presented under the Plant Breeding and Genetics category during the 23rd Federation of Crop Science Societies of the Philippines, Inc. Scientific Conference in Clark Zone, Pampanga from May 11 to 16.

Padolina said that screening promising lines that exhibit tolerance to drought and heat stress will pave way to the development of new varieties that address climate change in the country’s major rice-growing areas.

S AT u R D AY : M AY 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

A8

opinion

ADELLE chuA eDIToR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

opinion

PoWeR PoINT eLIZAbeTH ANGsIoCo

The erap facTor

[ EDI TORI A L ]

To be jusT The House committee on justice this week voted 8-1 to pass a resolution urging the Sandiganbayan to place former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on house arrest because of her deteriorating medical condition.

Mrs. Arroyo has been detained at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center since December 2012 on plunder charges arising from her supposed role in the misuse of P300 million in the funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

But while her co-accused have been released on bail, Mrs. Arroyo remains under hospital arrest.

The former President is suffering from cervical spondylosis; experts say despite several interventions to improve her situation, she continues to fail to respond to treatment.

In the meantime, no significant progress has been made by the government with regard to proving her guilt.

The lawmakers in the justice committee crossed party lines to express support for their colleague, and only the Akbayan partylist representative voted against urging the Sandiganbayan to let Mrs. Arroyo go home and recover faster from her illness there.

Resolution 1908 is just a piece of paper that expresses the sentiment of the committee members; it will still go to the House plenary to be voted upon. even if the resolution hurdles, this, it remains non-binding on the Sandiganbayan. everybody knows this: that the Sandiganbayan is a separate body altogether. It is a court of law that would decide on evidence and not on any expressions of support or empathy.

If the proof of plunder were really strong against the former leader, the Sandiganbayan should have moved faster instead of glacially, and instead of unjustly detaining her. The court should make the case a priority, try it well, and decide her fate soon.

If on the other hand there is no case whatsoever, and this is really just a case of political vendetta or an attempt to make Mrs. Arroyo the poster child of what the so-called Daang Matuwid warns us against, then the Sandiganbayan must be swayed by the resolution and be reminded of what it has been created to do: dispense justice, and reject injustice in any form.

BBL wiLL go through eye of the needLe in Senate bACK CHANNeL ALejANDRo DeL RosARIo THe Bangsamoro Basic Law may have hurdled the House ad hoc committee under a cloud of suspicion some lawmakers were bribed by the Palace but it will go through the eye of the needle in the Senate.

Senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., chairman of the Senate committee reviewing the proposed measure, made clear he will do the right thing to bring enduring peace to Mindanao but not at the expense of compromising the territorial integrity of the Republic. Marcos stressed the BBL must be in line with the provisions of the Constitution as he cautioned against granting

autonomy to Muslim Mindanao that might lead to the Balkanization of the country’s southern part.

The term Balkanization has its origins in the divisive nature of the Balkans.This was seen in the fragmentation of the Balkan states that used to compose the former Republic of Yugoslavia which led to a bloody war of ethnic cleansing started

by Christian Serbs and Cro-

A9

Marcos said he would not be pressured into passing the proposed law.

ats against Muslims in the 1990’s, Marcos said he will not be pressured into passing the proposed law even as Malacanang denied congressmen led by House BBL ad hoc committee chair Rep. Rufus Rodriguez who were called to a meeting with President Aquino were bribed and given special favors It’s difficult to dismiss the allegation given the Aquino administration’s track record of greasing the rails to railroad the controversial Reproductive Health Bill and the impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice

Renato Corona Senators Marcos, Miriam Defensor Santiago and Joker Arroyo voted to acquit Corona. Once again, Bongbong found common ground with Miriam who insists the BBL by its nature of being an entirely new concept needs a constitutional amendment. Defensor- Santiago is the chair of the Senate committee on constitutional reform.

To have a feel of the people’s sentiment in the affected Mind-

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

Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial), 832-5546, (Advertising), 832-

anao provinces in the proposed Bangsamoro, Senator Marcos went the extra mile by going to them and listening to their views.

Meanwhile, the senator also questioned why congressmen are changing the name of the Northern Luzon expressway (NLeX) built during the Marcos years to Corazon Aquino expressway (CAeX) He said Congress has better things to do than to keep renaming roads and streets just to please the pow-

5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www. manilastandardtoday.com E-mail: contact@thestandard.com.ph

MST ONLINE

can be accessed at: www.manilastandardtoday.com

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

ers-that-be..

Bracing for the ‘big one’ A humanitarian crisis looms if and when a 7.2 plus magnitude earthquake caused by a tectonic shift in the West Valley fault hits Metro Manila, according to Philippine geological experts.. Picture this nightmare scenario. More than 30,000 casualties, 126,000 injured, collapsed buildings and houses, fires triggered by downed power

Continued on A11

Continued on A11

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

THe show has begun. It is less than a year before the 2016 national elections and the frenzied political intramural has started. The electorate is being fed with possible tandems for the two highest positions of the land.

Vice President Jejomar Binay makes no bones about his presidential ambitions. It seems like this position has been his target since he entered politics. If surveys are to be believed, he leads the pack of wannabes despite all corruption allegations against him and his family.

Until now, though, Binay’s group has failed to come up with believable names of possible running mates.

The ruling Liberal Party’s earlier bet, Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, he who in 2010 gave way to the candidacy of now President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino, has been suffering from lack of credibility and popularity because of what people perceive as “trapo” antics.

His biggest problem is image. He is perceived not only as “trapo”, but a wimp who is unable to rise above situations calling for principled and strong leadership.

The issues hounding the administration are not helping Roxas’ chances of recovering lost political ground. He himself seems at a loss on how he should package himself to become the next president. His recent pronouncements that he could be the strongest candidate were met with incredulous comments particularly from netizens who have earlier declared that Mar Roxas has missed the boat.

He needs a miracle of sorts to recoup “pogi points” and make him a viable candidate. Roxas needs something really big, an image-changing issue that will showcase his capacity and political will to shatter perceptions of inadequacy on his part.

Otherwise, he may have really lost his chances.

I do not know how Roxas regarded the meeting that transpired between PNoy and Senator Grace Poe, a possible major presidential candidate.

That meeting I would have considered a slap in the face if I were Roxas especially if PNoy knew that he has not given up on running.

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

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

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

S AT u R D AY : M AY 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

A8

opinion

ADELLE chuA eDIToR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

opinion

PoWeR PoINT eLIZAbeTH ANGsIoCo

The erap facTor

[ EDI TORI A L ]

To be jusT The House committee on justice this week voted 8-1 to pass a resolution urging the Sandiganbayan to place former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on house arrest because of her deteriorating medical condition.

Mrs. Arroyo has been detained at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center since December 2012 on plunder charges arising from her supposed role in the misuse of P300 million in the funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

But while her co-accused have been released on bail, Mrs. Arroyo remains under hospital arrest.

The former President is suffering from cervical spondylosis; experts say despite several interventions to improve her situation, she continues to fail to respond to treatment.

In the meantime, no significant progress has been made by the government with regard to proving her guilt.

The lawmakers in the justice committee crossed party lines to express support for their colleague, and only the Akbayan partylist representative voted against urging the Sandiganbayan to let Mrs. Arroyo go home and recover faster from her illness there.

Resolution 1908 is just a piece of paper that expresses the sentiment of the committee members; it will still go to the House plenary to be voted upon. even if the resolution hurdles, this, it remains non-binding on the Sandiganbayan. everybody knows this: that the Sandiganbayan is a separate body altogether. It is a court of law that would decide on evidence and not on any expressions of support or empathy.

If the proof of plunder were really strong against the former leader, the Sandiganbayan should have moved faster instead of glacially, and instead of unjustly detaining her. The court should make the case a priority, try it well, and decide her fate soon.

If on the other hand there is no case whatsoever, and this is really just a case of political vendetta or an attempt to make Mrs. Arroyo the poster child of what the so-called Daang Matuwid warns us against, then the Sandiganbayan must be swayed by the resolution and be reminded of what it has been created to do: dispense justice, and reject injustice in any form.

BBL wiLL go through eye of the needLe in Senate bACK CHANNeL ALejANDRo DeL RosARIo THe Bangsamoro Basic Law may have hurdled the House ad hoc committee under a cloud of suspicion some lawmakers were bribed by the Palace but it will go through the eye of the needle in the Senate.

Senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., chairman of the Senate committee reviewing the proposed measure, made clear he will do the right thing to bring enduring peace to Mindanao but not at the expense of compromising the territorial integrity of the Republic. Marcos stressed the BBL must be in line with the provisions of the Constitution as he cautioned against granting

autonomy to Muslim Mindanao that might lead to the Balkanization of the country’s southern part.

The term Balkanization has its origins in the divisive nature of the Balkans.This was seen in the fragmentation of the Balkan states that used to compose the former Republic of Yugoslavia which led to a bloody war of ethnic cleansing started

by Christian Serbs and Cro-

A9

Marcos said he would not be pressured into passing the proposed law.

ats against Muslims in the 1990’s, Marcos said he will not be pressured into passing the proposed law even as Malacanang denied congressmen led by House BBL ad hoc committee chair Rep. Rufus Rodriguez who were called to a meeting with President Aquino were bribed and given special favors It’s difficult to dismiss the allegation given the Aquino administration’s track record of greasing the rails to railroad the controversial Reproductive Health Bill and the impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice

Renato Corona Senators Marcos, Miriam Defensor Santiago and Joker Arroyo voted to acquit Corona. Once again, Bongbong found common ground with Miriam who insists the BBL by its nature of being an entirely new concept needs a constitutional amendment. Defensor- Santiago is the chair of the Senate committee on constitutional reform.

To have a feel of the people’s sentiment in the affected Mind-

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

Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial), 832-5546, (Advertising), 832-

anao provinces in the proposed Bangsamoro, Senator Marcos went the extra mile by going to them and listening to their views.

Meanwhile, the senator also questioned why congressmen are changing the name of the Northern Luzon expressway (NLeX) built during the Marcos years to Corazon Aquino expressway (CAeX) He said Congress has better things to do than to keep renaming roads and streets just to please the pow-

5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www. manilastandardtoday.com E-mail: contact@thestandard.com.ph

MST ONLINE

can be accessed at: www.manilastandardtoday.com

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

ers-that-be..

Bracing for the ‘big one’ A humanitarian crisis looms if and when a 7.2 plus magnitude earthquake caused by a tectonic shift in the West Valley fault hits Metro Manila, according to Philippine geological experts.. Picture this nightmare scenario. More than 30,000 casualties, 126,000 injured, collapsed buildings and houses, fires triggered by downed power

Continued on A11

Continued on A11

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

THe show has begun. It is less than a year before the 2016 national elections and the frenzied political intramural has started. The electorate is being fed with possible tandems for the two highest positions of the land.

Vice President Jejomar Binay makes no bones about his presidential ambitions. It seems like this position has been his target since he entered politics. If surveys are to be believed, he leads the pack of wannabes despite all corruption allegations against him and his family.

Until now, though, Binay’s group has failed to come up with believable names of possible running mates.

The ruling Liberal Party’s earlier bet, Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, he who in 2010 gave way to the candidacy of now President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino, has been suffering from lack of credibility and popularity because of what people perceive as “trapo” antics.

His biggest problem is image. He is perceived not only as “trapo”, but a wimp who is unable to rise above situations calling for principled and strong leadership.

The issues hounding the administration are not helping Roxas’ chances of recovering lost political ground. He himself seems at a loss on how he should package himself to become the next president. His recent pronouncements that he could be the strongest candidate were met with incredulous comments particularly from netizens who have earlier declared that Mar Roxas has missed the boat.

He needs a miracle of sorts to recoup “pogi points” and make him a viable candidate. Roxas needs something really big, an image-changing issue that will showcase his capacity and political will to shatter perceptions of inadequacy on his part.

Otherwise, he may have really lost his chances.

I do not know how Roxas regarded the meeting that transpired between PNoy and Senator Grace Poe, a possible major presidential candidate.

That meeting I would have considered a slap in the face if I were Roxas especially if PNoy knew that he has not given up on running.

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

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

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

A10 Where is the LiberaL Party headed?

CHARLATANISM is practically in the soul of the members of the Liberal Party, for it seems this is the only party that would not think twice on whom to draft as its standard bearer for President just to retain their political power.

Maybe it is Machiavellian, for after all, politics is power.

But human civilization has brought with it nuances that power is bestowed, and they expect the one vested with power to make their aspirations tangible by concrete accomplishments.

Our concern is not about the party that has been trumpeting its achievements in having most of its candidate elected president or in highlighting that it accomplished least to our people, but in telling the truth that it is heading towards the ravine. Rumors are rife that the LP would eventually split, and most political analysts see it as the prize for having grown too big and loaded with political jackals. The frantic efforts of President Aquino to ordain his would-be successor spells a bad omen, for unlike in the old tradition where the standard bearer is chosen by nomination in a convention, now the “Boss” is in a dilemma of personally choosing who between Department of Interior Local Government Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas and Senator Grace Poe would be the “one”.

So, the administration that was once touted as the most popular political party has lost much of its energy. It was a lackluster gamble made by our people into tagging corruption as the root cause of poverty. Many continue to say that he was truly elected by the people, and not by the electronic magic of “hocus-PCOS.” It was a costly venture, because the administration now stands as the most expensive government, for we have appropriated an amount that has now exceeded the budget of all the administrations, and have gotten nothing in return, except to hoot that the rich are getting richer and the poor getting poorer.

Mar Roxas would have been the best man PNoy could anoint as successor. He has worked hard for it, and expects to be rewarded in exchange for his faithful subservience.

Of course, he was rightly rewarded by giving him the most powerful position in the Cabinet. But of the many opportunities that could have boosted his political ambition, it was his acerbic character that eroded his chances. He was overwhelmed by his temper that instead of sympathizing with the mayor of Tacloban, Alfred Romualdez, and his constituents after the unprecedented devastation, he antagonized them. He gave the impression that the PNoy’s administration was so insensitive.

His announcer-wife Korina Sanchez also antagonized CNN anchorman, Anderson Cooper, for which many of the rabidly pro-American intelligentsia middle class in the country were turned off. Many suspect, and rightly so, that Secretary Roxas was intentionally excluded in the plan to get Malaysian terrorist Marwan and Basit Usman for fear he would bungle the operation without the administration acknowledging that the more serious problem is with PNoy. His exclusion, however, did not help lift his sagging image.

Because PNoy could see now the precarious dipping of the LP, he is now in a quandary on whom to anoint just to save the party form total collapse. In this country where people can be fooled by images and pretensions, the mainstream media are playing up the role of Senator Poe in the Senate Committee investigating the SAF massacre. Now that it has become an open secret that PNoy met with Senator Poe to talk about the future of the LP, with the possibility that she might just be endorsed, a split now looms because Mar and his followers would claim they worked hard for the endorsement, and would not take being abruptly abandoned by Pnoy sitting down.

According to the poll surveys, which is part of the elaborate syndicate to prop up the candidates eyed by the US, the oligarchy and by the clerics, Poe, it seems, is making a good score. It is a kind of mental conditioning that she is likely to win in the 2016 election, such that people are urged not to waste their votes. People are made to believe that Poe is an achiever despite her being a neophyte senator, and has not accomplished anything to steer a clamor for her to run for President. In fact, she is perceived as more of a stooge out to pursue the traitorous line of her would-be predecessor.

This explains why political opportunists like Congressman Ben Evardone of Eastern Samar and Neptali Gonzales of Mandaluyong are again croaking like bloated toads about PNoy nominating Poe. In fact, not a whimper was heard to question her US citizenship when she ran for the Senate in 2014. As said, bootlicking politicians like Evardone branded the accusation against Poe as a “demolition job.” But one need not be a lawyer to know who is qualified and not qualified for the office. That she admitted

BACK­ BENCHER ROD P. KAPUNAN

S AT U R D AY : M AY 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

Come, hoLy sPirit TOMORROW, Christians will celthe Christians were just drunk (2:12). ebrate Pentecost. It is an important Upon the descent of the Holy SpirEAGLE feast because, in many ways, Pentecost it, the followers of Christ were transEYES is the birthday, the foundation day of formed from timid men to great evanthe Catholic Church. On this day, the DEAN TONY gelizers, sending them on a mission Holy Spirit, as promised by Christ beto preach without fear the message of LA VIÑA fore His ascension, descended upon Christ to all, Jews and Gentiles alike. the apostles and invigorated the fledgWith emboldened hearts, the apostles ling church founded by Christ. There began to proclaim the Gospel, speakwould be no Christians today without Pentecost, cer- ing in different tongues that could be understood by tainly no Catholic Church. all, Jewish pilgrims and foreigners alike who came to During my Ignatian retreat last April, one of the Jerusalem to celebrate the Shavuot (for the Jews a holimost powerful experiences was doing the Contempla- day to commemorate the giving of Laws on Mt. Sinai). tion on the Incarnation. Following , where, following In one of his sermons, Pope Francis emphasized the instructions of St. Ignatius of Loyola in his Spiritu- the role of the Holy Spirit in the Church. According al exercises, I gazed on “the whole surface or circuit of to him, “ . . . only the Spirit can awaken diversity, pluthe world, full of people” with the Trinity—with God rality and multiplicity while at the same time building who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. With the Divine unity.” the Pope said. “When we are the ones who try to Persons, I imagined seeing and hearing what another create diversity and close ourselves up in what makes author has described as “Men and women of different us different and unique, we bring division.” On the sizes, shapes, and colors; rich and poor; old and young. other hand, he said, “when we are the ones who want People speaking different languages. Some being born, to build unity in accordance with our human plans, others dying; some running and playing, others sick we end up creating uniformity, standardization”. The and suffering. Some laughing, others crying. Some Pope said the Holy Spirit can appear “to create disorscreaming and shouting, others praying and singing.” der in the Church” by bringing such different gifts to With the gaze of the Trinity, I found myself consid- its members, but when everyone allows themselves to ering “how people are treating one another: some lov- be guided by the Spirit, they learn to treasure variety ing, others hating; some hugging, others hitting; some rather than letting it become a source of conflict. Inhelping, others ignoring, hurting, and killing.” deed, the Holy Spirit is harmony – “Ipse harmonia est.”

This famous meditation encouraged me to ask: Pope Francis also points out how the Holy Spirit “What do you see and hear? How do you feel as you brings newness, which always makes us a bit fearful. imagine the world in this way? How do the three Di- This is to be expected because we feel more secure if vine Persons respond to the joys and sufferings of the we have everything under control, if we are the ones world? How does the God who is Love respond to us, who build, program and plan our lives in accordance God’s children, who are lost, aimless, suffering, sin- with our own ideas, our own comfort, and our own ning, confused, and hurting? “ preferences. Yet throughout the history of salvation, We are asked to hear the Divine Persons saying, “Let whenever God reveals himself, He brings newness and us work the redemption of the human race”. And from change, and demands our complete trust. The newtheir conversation, a decision is made to send the Son ness that the Lord brings into our life is something that to become a human being like us, to die so we may actually brings fulfillment, and gives true joy and selive, to be resurrected so that death and sin is forever renity, because God loves us and desires only our good. conquered.

On Pentecost, God gave all humanity, believers and After the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus non-believers alike, the Holy Spirit who comes with Christ, as the apostles grappled with the meaning of gifts – wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, the events of Gethsemane, Calvary, and the Sepulcher, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord (wonder and awe). one can imagine also a similar conversation between With the great Comforter, Counselor, and Advocate, the Father, Son and Spirit, and in love and concern for we should be able to make the right decisions about the apostles, a decision is made to send the Holy Spirit. the Bangsamoro Basic Law, on sheltering the RohingThis event was recorded in the Acts of the Apos- ya, overcoming corruption in our society, making the tles that begins, “And when the day of Pentecost had right choices in the 2016 elections and in many other come, [the first followers of Jesus] were all together in things that we face as a nation, as communities and as one place” (2:1). All of a sudden, a sound came from families and as individuals. heaven, like a strong wind, filling the house where the And so tomorrow morning, I will wake up at dawn people had gathered. Something like tongues of fire to sing this song: Come, Holy Spirit, I need you. Come, rested on their heads. “And they were all filled with the sweet Spirit, I pray. Come in your strength and your Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as power. Come in your own gentle way. Come as a rest the Spirit gave them the ability to speak” The languag- to the weary. Come as a balm to the sore. Come, Lord, es spoken by the early Christians were intelligible and as strength to my weakness. Fill me with joy evermore. were heard by thousands of Jewish pilgrims who had Come like a spring in the desert. Come to the withered come to Jerusalem to celebrate Shavuot. The content of of soul. Lord, let your sweet healing power. Touch me the miraculous messages had to do with God’s mighty and make me whole. works (2:11). Many who heard these messages in their own languages were amazed, though others thought Facebook page: Dean Tony La Vina Twitter: tonylavs that she had applied for US citizenship to secure employment is beside the point. What is important is that she was granted US citizenship, and the implication is that she renounced her Filipino citizenship.

Thus, when she reapplied for Filipino citizenship to qualify for the position as head of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) after her appointment by President Aquino, her act of re-applying for Filipino citizenship to qualify for the job is an admission she was no longer a Filipino citizen. That means she is no longer a natural-born Filipino citizen. As the Supreme Court has consistently defined, a natural born citizen is a “citizen of the Philippines from birth without having to perform any act to acquire or perfect his Philippine citizenship.”

One must bear in mind that it is not her intention that counts but the act because that interrupted her status of as a natural-born citizen. Her reacquisition of Filipino citizenship only made her a naturalized Filipino citizen. In other words, she cannot have the best of both worlds as what author Senator Angara envisioned in his dual citizenship novel. No respectable state will subscribe to the

idea of allowing its citizens to have dual citizenship and reap the benefits and protection of the two countries.

Maybe Filipinos as allowed by the Angara law could do that, but as far as the other party is concerned, they only recognize one citizenship especially on matters of taxation, property disposition, estates and inheritance.

The opinion made by Senate President Franklin Drilon is self-serving much that he gave his legal advice as a politician which by necessity is expected to favor a fellow Liberal Party member. It was a dishonest opinion because the senator maliciously and purposely assured Senator Poe that she was qualified for the office which if done by an ordinary lawyer would have caused him his license or possible disbarment because he urged one not to just violate an ordinary law, but the Constitution. If the justices of the Supreme Court would agree with that crooked advice of Senate President, then we say they have no business staying there even for a minute. That would be tantamount to challenging the people’s notion of who really are the citizens of this country.

The administration that was once touted as the most popular political party has lost much of its energy.

rpkapunan@gmail.com

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OPINION

adelle chua EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA In 2001, Congress enacted Republic Act no. 9160 or the Anti-Money Laundering Act due to intense pressure from the international community. Prior to the enactment of the AMLA, the Philippine banking system was a virtual haven for international and local criminal syndicates who need to launder their ill-gotten money. Dirty money, so to speak, was cleaned through bank accounts under fictitious names, or under the names of real persons who are close associates of the syndicates.

Under the AMLA, banking institutions are required to report all “suspicious transactions” to the Anti-Money Laundering Council, the agency which enforces the AMLA. Banks and depositors have opined that this statutory obligation is legally objectionable because it compels the bank to make a judgment call against its own client despite the fiduciary (something built on trust) relationship between the bank and the client.

In doing so, the bank ends up performing a quasi-judicial function which properly belongs to the government. It is objectionable because banks are not supposed to do detective work for the State. This matter was discussed in detail in my essay on the AMLA published in the May 20, 2014 issue of this newspaper.

The AMLA also authorizes the AMLC to petition the Court of Appeals to issue a “freeze order” against a bank account used in illegal activities. A freeze order has the effect of putting the money beyond the reach of the account holder.

Last week, the AMLC revealed that

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AMLC – HOSTILE TO BINAY, NICE TO IQBAL beleaguered Vice President Jejomar Binay, his wife and relatives, and his close associates, have unexplained wealth in billions of pesos, all hidden in numerous bank accounts. At the time the revelation was made, these accounts were already ordered frozen by the Court of Appeals on petition of the AMLC. It is possible that the extra-ordinary attention which the AMLC is giving VP Binay is just a consequence of the ongoing investigation of the alleged largescale corruption in the City of Makati during Binay’s term as city mayor, and during the terms of his wife and son.

That VP Binay is a strong contender for president in May 2016, and that President Benigno Aquino III is not exactly very fond of his vice president, are matters which have been downplayed by Malacañang. Palace spokesmen conveniently point out that President Aquino continues to keep Binay in his Cabinet, despite the allegations against the latter.

The Office of the Vice President insists that Binay’s wealth is not ill-gotten.

VP Binay himself said that his wealth came from his numerous business interests. Despite Binay’s denial, however, the AMLC seems determined to prosecute the Vice President and the others named in their list.

The big paradox is this – Binay, who denies having violated the AMLA, is at the receiving end of the AMLC’s attention, while Mohagher Iqbal, the main man of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the ongoing peace negotiations between the Philippine government and

the MILF, who admitted to the Senate that he violated the AMLA by using a false name in his numerous bank accounts, remains untouched by the authorities. The special preferential treatment accorded to Iqbal (or whatever his real name is) is an indicator that all is not fair and equal in the government’s handling of AMLA cases. It heralds to all and sundry that the government can be very nice to its allies, and terribly mean to its critics.

A classic decision of the United States Supreme Court postulated that a law may be fair in its essence, but if it is applied “with an evil eye and an uneven hand,” any claim to fairness is lost in the process.

Invited as the main speaker in a business conference last May 15, VP Binay said that what happened to him may create a chilling effect on the business community, and that what the AMLC did was an obvious abuse of regulatory power.

Perhaps the vice president may be exaggerating a bit when he said that. The AMLA has been around for some time, and many honest businessmen have figured out creative means to avoid attracting the attention of the AMLC. What the vice president should have emphasized is that while the AMLA is, based on the reasons for its enactment, an effective weapon against organized crime and large-scale corruption, there is nothing to stop its use against the political opposition and other perceived enemies of the state.

Effective law enforcement depends

BBL..From A9

The Erap..From A9

lines, electricity and communications lines cut off for days. An estimated P2.23 trillion will be lost in economic damage. Collapsed bridges spanning the Pasig River could cut off north and south, west and east communities.

Mitigating the risks and effects of such a catastrophe was the focus of the Earthquake Resilience Conference organized by the Carlos P.Romulo Foundation, the Zuellig Family Foundation and the Manila Observatory . The two-day conference at the Manila Polo Club was held in cooperation with the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation, the national Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Metro Manila Development Authority in partnership with San Miguel Corporation.

“Prepare, prevent rather than repair, repent“ is the underlying theme of the private-public sector partnership to mitigate natural disasters The be- proactive instead of reactive Resilience Conference came in the wake of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in nepal which left more 8,000 people dead.

Informal settlers living in makeshift shanties are the most vulnerable in the event of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake. The structural integrity of high rise condominium buildings will also be severely tested. Schoolchildren in Metro Manila—1.5 million in the elementary level—are at great risk if the tremor strikes during class hours. .

The harnessing of government agencies such as the DnD, DOH, DSWD, DPWH, DILG down to the barangay level are in place, according to Undersecretary Alex Pama of nDRRMC which will be coordinating with relevant private sector the rescue, recovery of victims, relief and rehabilitation efforts.

Asked about the danger posed by the Pandacan oil depot, PHILVOCS Director Renato Solidum said contingency plans are in place while Alex Chua of Shell Philippines added that two of the major oil companies have already phased out the storage of bunker fuel in Pandacan which is a densely populated community. Built on soft ground along the Pasig River adjacent to nagtahan Bridge, a 7.2 earthquake would surely trigger a fire in the depot which could reach Malacanang Palace when flammable oil spills into the waterway..

The West Valley fault runs though the cities of Marikina, San Mateo, Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Taguig, Makati, Manila, Pasay, Paranaque, Muntinglupa and as far as Calamba and Sta Rosa.

Laguna.

That meeting gave Poe a lot of political mileage.

She who, in the first place, has been gaining popularity by the day. To ordinary folk, that meeting meant that the president himself may be looking for someone to support in 2016, and that Grace Poe may possibly be the one.

Everyone is observing Poe. Binay is. He took an indirect swipe at her by saying that the country’s affairs cannot be put in the hands of someone inexperienced. But then the following day, his camp floated the idea of Poe as the VP’s running mate.

Binay is keenly aware that the biggest threat to his plans as of now is Grace Poe. Indeed, Poe, the adopted daughter of the movie king and presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. is a neophyte senator. However, she has gained public respect because she has displayed capability, sensibility, and humility in the performance of her Senate responsibilities. She has also maintained a clean image that people see as integrity.

Thus far, what people see in Poe is the complete opposite of the arrogance seen in the Binays.

There are other possible presidential candidates being floated -- former senator Ping Lacson, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, even Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, and most recently, detained senator Bong Revilla and former president now Manila mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada.

Of all these other possible candidates, the one to watch out for is Erap Estrada.

For sometime now, I have been mulling about the possible implications of an Erap candidacy to the present political configurations but have not articulated things. This is because there has been no concrete indication that he would, or, at least that he is entertaining the possibility of running. Recently however, Erap said that he is not closing the door to the idea.

I have no doubt that his entry into the fray would have significant impact on many levels.

The Erap magic, whether we like it or not, is still there. Remember that in 2010, despite being con-

ERRATUM: I don’t know what my fingers were thinking; they typed “companion” instead of “company” union in reference to the United nationalist Alliance in my column last Wednesday. Mea culpa.

immensely on the credibility of the law enforcement agency concerned. From what is taking place in the country right at the moment, it seems that the credibility of the government crusade against money laundering now depends on whether or not the AMLC will take appropriate legal action against Iqbal. ****** Why should the north Luzon Expressway (nLEX) be named after former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino?

The nLEX began as the Manila north Diversion Road, a project of President Ferdinand Marcos to make transportation to northern Luzon faster and easier. In 1969, the road went all the way to Bulacan, and it reached Pampanga in the 1970s. A minimal toll was charged, which could be off-set from the expenses of using the slow, two-lane segment of the MacArthur Highway from Monumento to Pampanga.

Further expansion of the nLEX took place not under Aquino but during the terms of her successors.

Today, the toll charges are very costly.

What used to be the average Filipino’s easy access, inexpensive road to the north is now very expensive to use. Under these circumstances, it may even be unfair to name the expressway after Aquino.

If a road has to be named after Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, a possible option is Times Street in Quezon City, where the Aquino residence and metropolitan ancestral home is located. The expressway diversion road near Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac is another option.

victed for plunder, he came in second to Pnoy. If former president Cory Aquino did not pass on and the contest was between Roxas and Estrada, it is possible that the latter could have won.

To this day, Erap remains to be quite popular especially with the D and E crowd. And they make the majority of the electorate.

The fate of detained senator and son of Erap Jinggoy Estrada hangs in the balance. The cases against the younger Estrada will drag on until the next administration and this may be a big factor that can push Erap to run again. I do not need to explain why.

Roxas running against Erap without Binay will result in an Erap win. no contest.

Erap versus Binay will be an interesting fight.

They were allies but I do not see Binay giving way to Erap. Both claim to represent the interest of the poor, and are banking on the D & E votes. Both of them running has the potential of dividing such votes and may, in the end, favor a third candidate.

What about Poe? Will her possible candidacy be affected by Erap’s? My opinion is yes. Erap and FPJ were best of friends. Through the years, they supported each other. FPJ was Erap’s biggest supporter.

When FPJ ran for president, Erap was there all the way. Grace knows this by heart. As of now, I do not think that Grace will run against Erap.

Should Erap run, Grace Poe might agree to be his running mate. An Erap-Poe tandem will be most difficult to beat. This will be seen as akin to an Erap-FPJ team. Grace will give Erap more credibility because of her image and an Erap presidency will give Grace the time to learn the ropes, gain more experience, and thus, prepare better. I actually think that whether or not Erap wins, Grace will, for Vice President.

Of course if Erap wins, it will be questioned and brought to the Supreme Court because of the constitutional ban on re-election for the position of president. But that is another matter.

The Erap factor cannot be dismissed by all those aspiring to be in Malacanang. He should be closely observed. bethangsioco@gmail.com and @bethangsioco

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Molinari overshadows Rory Blatter vs Prince for Fifa job as 2 pull out

WENTWORTH—World number one Rory McIlroy was left frustrated as Italy’s Francesco Molinari headed the leader board at the end of the first day of the European PGA Championship at Wentworth on Thursday.

PARIS—Luis Figo and Michael van Praag pulled out of the race for the FIFA presidency Thursday, leaving controversial incumbent Sepp Blatter in a straight fight with Jordan’s Prince Ali bin al Hussein.

Former Portugal captain Figo withdrew with a bitter broadside at the contentious election campaign which will culminate in a vote on May 29 where Blatter is widely expected to hang on to a post he has held since 1998.

“I do not fear the ballot box, but I will not go along with nor will I give my consent to a process which will end on May 29 and from which soccer will not emerge the winner,” Figo wrote on his Facebook page.

“My decision is made, I will not stand in what is being called an election for the FIFA presidency.”

Dutch FIFA presidential candidate van Praag also announced he was dropping his bid, saying he will back Prince Ali instead.

Van Praag, a former Ajax chairman announced his candidacy in January, saying he wanted to modernise the world governing body “which has lost all credibility.”

FIFA had become ridden with suspicion, conflicts of interest and allegations of nepotism and corruption, he said at the time.

Observers say Prince Ali stands the best chance to unseat Blatter because the Jordanian had a better campaign budget and contacts within FIFA, having served on its executive committee since 2011.

Figo used his Facebook announcement to also condemn what he believes are double-standards in football’s global ruling bodies.

“I have seen with my own eyes federation presidents who, after one day comparing FIFA leaders to the devil, then go on stage and compare those same people with Jesus Christ. Nobody told me about this. I saw it with my own eyes,” he wrote. AFP

Molinari carded a seven-under par 65 with no bogeys finishing with a flourish with birdies at the 17th and 18th –- both par-5s -– to leave himself two shots in front of Sweden’s Robert Karlsson and six in front of McIlroy who had a 71.

Karlsson is a shot in front of a clutch of players on four-under including 2008 winner Miguel Angel Jimenez, another Spaniard in Jorge Campillo, England’s Chris Wood and Korea’s YE Yang.

Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn shot a 69 whilst Luke Donald, triumphant in 2012 and 2013, had a steady 70 to keep himself in the hunt.

Molinari hinted at a return to form with a tie for second place at the Spanish Open last week but he tumbled out of the world top-50 last October and currently stands 66th in the rankings.

The 32-year-old needs a good finish to boost his chances of playing in the US Open in June, where the top-60 in the world on Monday get exemptions and July’s British Open at St Andrews where the top-50 are granted automatic spots.

“I know that the deadline for the U.S. Open and The Open are close and it would mean a lot to have a good week here,” Molinari told reporters.

“All season, I’ve been pretty much just outside the Top- 50, knowing that a good week would get me in again.

“Dropping out of the Top- 50 didn’t help because it means I need to play more events. I missed the Masters this year and a few majors in a row. So it wasn’t a nice feeling, and I hope to be back very soon.”

- ‘room for improvement’ McIlroy fresh from his win at Quail Hollow in the United States last week had started with a bogey at the par-4 first and was never better than one-under par and could not manage a birdie on the two closing par-5s.

“I felt like I left a couple out there.There’s definitely room for improvement,” said McIlroy.

McIlroy is following a relentless schedule flying into London from the United States on Monday, attending the European Tour’s Players’ Awards dinner on Tuesday night and is playing his fourth of five tournaments in as many weeks.

And the Northern Irishman was aiming to put his feet up after venting his frustrations on the course during his first round.

“Mentally I feel myself getting a bit angry out there which I haven’t been doing the last few weeks,” he said.

“I just sort of need to stay in control of my emotions because I feel like that’s one of the things, if I’m a little tired or a little fatigued mentally, I’ll start to be hard on myself and start to get down on myself. I will try not to do that over the next few days.” AFP

Italian golfer Francesco Molinari acknowledges the crowd after finishing on the 18th green during the first round of the PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club in Surrey, south west of London, England. AFP

IndyCar race on Boston streets BOSTON—Boston is hoping to win the 2024 Summer Olympics as the official US bid city, but it definitely will be welcoming an IndyCar race to the sports calendar in 2016.

The racing series announced Thursday that it will stage a new event next year on the waterfront streets of Boston’s south side during the Labor Day holiday weekend in September.

The IndyCar Grand Prix of Boston will be staged on an 11-turn, 2.25-mile (3.62 Km) temporary street course around the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

Boston was selected over Los Angeles, Washington and San Francisco as the US

candidate city for the 2024 Olympics, but the effort has struggled to find public support.

IndyCar parent company chief executive Mark Miles, the former ATP Tour boss, said that by contrast the race organizing has had major backing.

“The level of enthusiasm we have received from the Boston community has been phenomenal,” Miles said. “We look forward to showcasing the IndyCar Series on Labor Day weekend in 2016.”

This year’s 16-race IndyCar schedule ends a week before the Labor Day holiday and features street-course races in St. Petersburg, Long Beach, Detroit and Toronto. AFP

Slalom at PH Motoring Festival

Milo Rivera of Tough Gear Racing makes his move.

EVERYTHING is all set for this Sunday’s fifth leg of the 2015 RACE Motorsports Club National Slalom Series, featuring the firstever Philippine Motoring Festival at the INC Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

Registration starts at 7 a.m., while practice runs begin immediately after registration until 11 a.m. Late comers won’t get practice runs. A free slalom clinic will be held from 9 to 10 a.m.

All participants will receive a Shell Helix umbrella, while overall winners will get 4 liters of Shell Helix Ultra, with Pureplus Technology.

Ticket entrance for the festival is P100.

The events will accumulate points for the overall and class champions, wherein contenders must use the specified Federal Tyres and must possess the AAP Clubman license.

All drivers will be charged an additional onetime P300 per leg for the Clubman License.

The event is affiliated with the Automobile Association of the Philippines and FIA and is the longest-running motorsports discipline

in the country.

Expected to participate are the series champions, headed by Milo Rivera of Tough Gear Racing Team, Dr. Peewee Mendiola of Big Chill, Mike San Miguel of MSM Motorsports, the father-and-son duo of Paul and Paolo Santos, and Mark Ramos of Mitsu Lancer Phils.

The event is sponsored by Shell Helix Pureplus Motor Oils, Federal Tyres, Outlast Battery, Auto Transporter, Starlight Body Kits, Robinsons Nova Market, Sounds and Lights

by Walter, and media partners Stoplight TV, Inside Motoring C! Magazine and medical team Aeromed.

The following is the tentative schedule of slalom events: June 7 and July 19 at Robinsons Nova Market; Aug. 9 at Robinsons StarmillsPampanga; Sept. 6 at Riverbanks Marikina; Oct. 4 at Robinsons Nova Market; Oct. 25 at Riverbanks Marikina; and Dec. 6 at Robinsons Nova Market, with slalom invitationals slated on May 31, Aug. 16 and Nov. 8 at Robinsons Calasiao.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Parrenas fights for super fly title

By Ronnie Nathanielsz PROMISING World Boxing Organization Oriental super flyweight champion Warlito “Cowboy” Parrenas fights for the WBO Interim world title against Mexico’s David Carmona on June 30 in Mexico City.

WBO Ratings Committee chairman Luis Batista said the winner of the Parrenas-Carmona fight must face champion Naoya Inoue within 90 days of the June 30 bout.

The 31-year-old Parrenas, who is ranked No. 1 by the WBO, has a record of 24-6 with 21 knockouts and is on a seven-fight wining streak .

He is coming off a third-round TKO of Thailand’s Kaichon Sor Vorapin last April 24 in a “stay busy” fight.

Parrenas, who won the WBO Oriental title over Junior Bajawa of Indonesia, who retired in the sixth round on June 7, 2014 and has fought regularly on the Viva Sports weekly boxing show “The Main Event,” had earlier suffered a crushing first-round knockout at the hands of Mexico’s tough Oscar Blanquet in Tokyo on June 25, 2012, but has since recovered well and looked impressive in his recent fights.

Dindin SantiagoManabat and Tina Salak underscore Army’s tough net defense as they foil PLDT’s Gretchel Soltones’ attack in the opener of the Shakey’s V-League Season 12 Open Conference finals at The Arena in San Juan on Thursday.

Santiago-Manabat was one of those chosen to become part of the national team to the Southeast Asian Games in Singapore.

PH women’s team cast to SEAG now complete

By Peter Atencio

DINDIN Santiago-Manabat and Jovelyn Gonzaga took the last spots in the Philippine women’s under-23 team that will see action in the volleyball competition of the 28th Southeast Asian Games, which kicks off next month in Singapore.

Manabat, formerly of National University and who now plays for both Superliga and the Shakey’s V-League, and Gonzaga of the Philippine Army were among those picked by Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas president Joey Romasanta, who announced the final composition of the team yesterday after consulting with the national squad’s coaching staff, led by Rog-

er Gorayeb and Ateneo mentor Tai Bundit.

“This is the best we have,” said Romasanta.

Manabat and Gonzaga will join Ateneo ace Alyssa Valdez and Aby Marano, who were among those who made the initial cut.

The other members of the team are Manabat’s younger sister Jaja Santiago, Jia Morado, Bea de

Leon, Gretchel Soltones, Denden Lazaro, Rhea Dimaculangan, Maika Ortiz and Rachel Ann Daquis.

Veteran spiker Aiza MaizoPontillas, after much deliberation, was the last player to be cut from the roster.

Maizo-Pontillas, who was replaced in favor of Santiago-Manabat and Gonzaga, will still be part of the squad as a reserve and as an assistant coach.

She takes over the spot left by Parley Tupaz, who was asked by Bundit to handle the Ateneo Lady Eagles’ training.

Meanwhile, Nes Pamilar was officially named coach of the men’s SEAG team that will be bannered

by Asian Under-23 veterans Rex Intal, Peter Torres, Marck Espejo and Ish Polvoroza.

The other new additions of the team are PLDT’s Kheeno Franco and Johnvic de Guzman and Cignal’s Sandy Montero.

“We’ll resume practice as soon as the team arrives from Myanmar,” said Pamilar.

This will be the first time in 10 years that national volleyball squads from the Philippines will see action in the biennial meet. The last time a national women’s squad joined the SEAG was in 2005 n Bacolod, where the team won a bronze medal.

Gorayeb said he will try to make do with the little training time his team has with just about two weeks left before the SEAG unfolds “I’m hoping that we can practice with a complete lineup because some players are not showing up,” said Gorayeb.

Manalo is Southern Series’ drag-race champ FORMER national champion Martin Manalo of RSL Motorsports survived the strong fight from defending champion Jonathan Tiu of JCT Blanche Racing to pull off the deciding victory that netted for him the overall plum of the 2015 National Drag Racing Championship Southern Series recently at the Batangas Racing Circuit in Rosario, Batangas.

It was the third win for Manalo, tagged as drag-racing’s ‘Batangas Barako,’ in the premier M&H Pro class that sealed for him the overall Southern Series championship of this event sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines and sponsored by M&H, Sparco, Aguila Auto Glass and GT Radials.

The feat likewise boosted Manalo’s chances for another crack at the national Drag Racing Driver of the Year that he won back in 2011.

Spectators were looking forward to an exciting showdown between the top two drag racers. Everything came to form when Tiu turned back teammate Jonathan Young to barge for the first time this season into the Martin Manalo flashes the No. 1 sign after clinching the finals of the M&H Pro class and seal the ti- overall drag racing southern series plum.

tle duel with Manalo.

Manalo kept composure as he and Tiu were even during the first few meters of their title showdown. But the big twist came when Tiu’s run ended in a breakout that handed the pride of Batangas the outright triumph.

Young eventually settled for third.

Tiu went all out to push his hopes for the Southern Series plum as he strategically made his way up to capture the Quick 8 crown, though his Honda was not as fast as his Nissan R35 that set the Philippine drag racing alltime fastest record of 8.806 seconds.

He clocked 12.190 on his solo final run as Rommel Dural withdrew from the final showdown due to engine problems.

Ryan Quimpo prevailed in the battle for third place with a time of 12.8 seconds.

The 2015 Drag Racing season comes to a close with the final leg of the Northern Series on May 28.

For details, contact the Batangas Racing Circuit, c/o Nelson Gayola or Rodini Rivera at (632) 7295365, mobile 0932-8604522 like the circuit on Facebook, or check out website www.batangasracingcircuit.org.

Yakult 10-Miler lures 2k runners THE 26th staging of the Yakult 10 Miler, the country’s pioneer and premier 10-mile race, fires off tomorrow at the Cultural Center Complex Grounds in Pasay City.

Some 2,000 runners will answer the starter’s gun from the Vicente Sotto St. corner Magdalena Jalandoni and will run on an out-andback course on the south bound side of Roxas Blvd. from P. Burgos in the City of Manila to MIA Rd. in Parañaque City.

All participants are advised to be at the assembly area at the Vicente Sotto St. not later than 4 a.m.

Race starts promptly at 5 a.m. for the 16K run and will be followed by the 5K and 3K run at 5:15 a.m.

Michael Ong, Director of Yakult Phils., Inc., will fire the starter’s gun, assisted by other Yakult Phils., Inc. executives, who will welcome runners and will also award the prizes to top winners of all categories.

Also invited are representatives of support sponsor Mizuno, who will be awarding the champion and top female finisher of the 16k run, with a pair of Wave Universe running shoes plus a Super Light Jacket.

The second placers will receive a pair of Waive Universe shoes, while the third placers will receive a pair of Mizuno Evo Livetas.

The top male and female finishers of the 5K run will receive a pair of Mizuno Evo Levitas running shoes.

Ong said a P7,000 cash prize awaits the overall champion and the top female finisher of the 16K centerpiece event.

In addition, trophies will also be awarded to the Top 3 male and female finishers of the 16K race, while medals will be awarded to the fourth and fifth placers. The Top 3 finishers in the 5K and the 3K age groups will also receive medals. A bag of Yakult unique health drink with lacto bacilli shirota strain, will also be awarded to all winners.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Superal powers PH to 2nd HONG KONG— Princess Superal and Yuka Saso wavered at the finish and carded identical 73s but the Philippines still took runner-up honors in the Queen Sirikit Cup topped by powerhouse South Korea in runaway fashion at the Hong Kong Golf Club’s New Course here yesterday.

Superal, who rebounded from an opening 73 in rainsuspended first round with a 69 Thursday, lost her momentum after a birdie-birdie binge from No. 11 as she missed the greens on Nos. 15 and 18 for bogeys and flubbed a five-foot birdie putt on the 16th for a 3637 card.

After a 79 and 77 in the first two rounds, Saso went twounder after 16 holes but threeputted the par-3 17th and made a double-bogey on the 18th after a poor bunker shot that dropped her ball back to the trap.

Still, those 73s and a 146 proved enough for Team Phl to snatch second at 436 as the Pinay golfers edged erstwhile joint second running Japan and host Hong Kong, which floundered with 148 and 151, respectively.

Pauline del Rosario, who backed Superal’s 73 and 69 with

two 74s in the first two days, skied to a 78 and didn’t count.

Korea, which beat China by six in Malaysia last year and dominated the premier Asia-Pacific ladies team event from 2007-2012, posted a more impressive record this year, assembling a 54-total of 422 after a 141, 14 shots ahead of the Philippines, whose campaign

was sanctioned by the Women’s Golf Association of the Philippines (WGAP) and sponsored by ICTSI. Superal, tied for second in individual play and just two strokes behind Park Hyun Kyung after two rounds, moved to within one off the Korean ace after birdying Nos. 11 and 12. But the top

ICTSI-The Country Club bet’s late bogeys doomed her chances to clinch solo second as she dropped to third with a 215.

Park also ran away with the individual crown with a 69 and a 209 while teammate Jang Eun Soo pounced on Superal’s foldup and completed a 1-2 finish by the Koreans with a 213 after a 72.

Bogey-free 67 nets Mondilla 1-shot lead. Clyde Mondilla, shown here hitting an approach shot from under the trees on No. 10, outgunned Charles Hong and Keanu Jahns in a backside shootout and came away with a bogey-free five-under 67 to seize a one-stroke lead in the third round of the P2 million ICTSI Luisita Championship at the Luisita Golf and Country Club on Friday.

1st Megaworld Cup draws 6 teams

By Peter Atencio SIX teams from the township communities of McKinley Hill and Eastwood City will see action in the first Megaworld Cup slated May 31 at the McKinley Hill Stadium.

The tournament, dubbed as the Puma Head2Head Challenge, is organized by real estate giant Megaworld Corporation in partnership with the Corporate Football Association.

“Megaworld has been very supportive of football. We have invested a lot in a football stadium, and we also want to make sure that all the companies that we have gathered in our township communities have a chance to exhibit their skills and prowess in the game of football,” said Megaworld senior vice president Jericho Go. The tournament will have a special event, with members

of the Azkals playing against celebrity football players like Steven Silva, Paolo Bediones and members of the reality TV group Juan Direction.

In the main offering, the tournament will feature the country’s best young players from top high schools and colleges in Metro Manila.

Lead organizer Angelico Mercader of the Corporate League said the tournament is part of the bigger Corporate

Gagalac wins 2 Head crowns NOLAN Gagalac won two boys’ singles titles to lead all winners in the 11th leg of Globe 17th HEAD Graphene XT Junior Tennis Satellite Circuit recently at the Naga City Tennis Club in Naga, Bicol.

Gagalac captured the boys’ 18- and 16-under division crowns after crushing Joseph Basa, 6-1, 6-4, and Kurt Molina, 3-6, 7-5, 10-5, respectively, in the finals of the competition sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association.

Julia Dominasac defeated Mary Louise Ramos, 7-5, 6-3, to take home the girls’ 18-under trophy, while Danielle Carranza outplayed Joanne Lorin, 7-5, 7-5, to cop the girls’ 16-under title of the annual competition organized by the Dynamic Sports.

The competition was sponsored by Globe Telecommunications, Chris Sports, Head ATP Tennis Balls, Graphene XT, Toalson, Philippine Sports Commission and Philip-

pine Tennis Association, along with Sports Radio 918AM, Home Radio 97.9FM Natural, Boracay Informer, Todo 88.5FM Aklan, Radyo Inquirer 990AM, Power Wheels Magazine, Motorcycle Magazine, Balikbayan The Asian Journal Magazine, Wazzup Pilipinas, Reach Magazine, Oishi and AMAX Inn Makati.

Rainier Angelo Selmar outlasted Mark Selmar, 6-2, 7-6 (5), to grab the boys’ 12-under crown and Ralph Adrian Selmar beat Ryan Christian Taller, 6-1, 7-6 (5), for the Unisex 10-under plum.

In other finals results, top seed Patricia Corporal scored a 7-6 (1) 6-2 win over Kryshana Brazal to cop the girls’ 14-under crown; Osward Hernandez won over Joseph Gregg Illo, 6-4, 2-6, 10-8 for the boys’ 14-under title; Kryshana Brazal whipped Andrika Idioma, 6-0, 6-0, to win the girls’ 12-under crown.

Gagalac

Football League, which drew around 50 participating teams.

Battling in a 9-a-side, double-round robin affair are Bayer, Wells Fargo, FactSet, Talent 2, Thomson Reuters and Enderun Colleges.

The team which will emerge with the most number of points will be declared champion.

Games will be held for three consecutive weekends on May 31, June 7 and May 31 starting at 6 p.m.

Protecting our boxers’ interests THE Games and Amusements Board, ronnie nathanielsz which is under the Office of the President and is currently headed by Ramon “Monju” Guazon, is mandated to protect the interests of our boxers, managers and promoters.

But it continues to fail miserably in its task and indeed compounds the felony with its overall incompetence and a disposition to favor certain individuals in the sport for whatever reasons.

Take the recent expose by Asian Fight Scene about the plight of boxers Ernesto Saulog, the newly crowned World Boxing Organization International bantamweight champion and his opponent Alie Laurel, who figured in the title fight in Kunming, China last May 8.

Credit the internet site for their diligence in probing the anomaly, where Saulog received a purse of a measly $340, while Laurel reportedly received $500.

We took up the issue with our good friend, World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman, who promised to send an additional $1,000 to each of the two boxers which, in itself, is an insult to the local matchmaker Brico Santig, who is known to be a favored one by the GAB and its boxing division head Dr. Nasser Cruz.

At the same time, president Sulaiman said the WBC will forego the sanction fees for the title fight promoted by China’s Liu Gang, who helped out when the fight had to be rescheduled in Kunming.

We updated Sulaiman about the activities of Santig, as well as the failure of the Games and Amusements Board to protect our boxers and welcomed his commitment to constantly monitor what’s happening in the Philippines.

Like his late esteemed father, Don Jose Sulaiman, Maurico has a great deal of affection and respect for the Philippines, but that respect is being eroded more so in our country, where the GAB is totally remiss in its duties.

How in the name of sanity could the GAB have approved the fight contracts with such miserable purses unless they were in connivance with Santig, who arranged the fight?

As Sulaiman pointed out, fighters in Mexico earn $500 for a four-round bout!

Santig’s claim that both fighters agreed to the small purse in order to make sure the fight would take place doesn’t hold.

At the very least, the GAB Boxing division head, who conveniently enjoyed a junket by serving as fight supervisor, should have disallowed such pittances as purses.

Asian Fight Scene earlier quoted Chinese promoter Liu Gang, who said he shouldered the airfare and accommodation of the boxers, as well as some Filipino officials, including Dr. Cruz and Jerold Tomeldan, who was the referee for the fight in which all three judges had Saulog the winner by identical scorecards of 96-92.

Sulaiman had earlier condemned the pittance of the purses, saying it was “not acceptable for a championship fight,” besides being “morally unacceptable,” while WBC executive Mauro Betti described the purses as “ridiculous and offending.”

Of course, President Aquino is too busy enticing congressmen and senators to pass the BBL into law with many allies in Congress ready and willing to sacrifice principles, which makes it harder still to expect the GAB to follow timehonored principles in looking after the interests of our fighters. inside sports

S AT U R D AY : M AY 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

PLDT eyes V-League payback vs Army ITS streak stopped by a fired-up Army side, PLDT Home Ultera tries to reconnect and save its campaign in the Shakey’s V-League Open Conference that once looked so daunting.

“We’ll fight back,” vowed PLDT coach Roger Gorayeb after the Ultra Fast Hitters absorbed a numbing 1325, 25-23, 27-25, 25-22 defeat to the

Lady Troopers in the opener of their and the semis in varying fashions.

“Halong gigil at pagod na din best-of-three title series last Thursday. pero babawi kami,” He rued his Games tomorrow wards’ over-eager- 9 a.m. • Cagayan Valley vs Meralco said Gorayeb.

12:45 p.m. • Army vs PLDT Game Two is set ness to finish off at 12:45 p.m. tomorthe Lady Troopers after posting an emphatic first set row which will be aired live on GMA romp then cited the fatigue factor News TV Channel 11.

Like Army, Cagayan Valley also that helped lead to their first-ever setback after sweeping the elims tries to wrap up their own best-of-

LOTTO RESULTS

three series for third with Meralco, which the Lady Rising Suns swept, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23, also Thursday.

The two-day break is expected to re-energize PLDT main hitter Alyssa Valdez, who had been shuttling to and from practices with PLDT, Ateneo and the national team gearing up for next month’s SEA Games in Singapore.

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

Painters barge into win column DUBAI—Rain or Shine repulsed shorthanded GlobalPort, 119-112, in an extremely-physical game late Thursday night in the first of back-to-back PBA Governors’ Cup games at the Al Shabab Club here.

Down practically to 11 players after guard Jeric Teng turned an ankle in practice and center Raymond Almazan (5 minutes) endured a terrible toothache that left one side of his face swollen, Guiao paced his players so that only three saw action for more than 30 minutes and only import Wendell McKines stayed inside up to 37:04.

“We used our full rotation

and tried to spread our minutes in order to be fresh for tomorrow’s game,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.

Overshadowed by the series of fracas was the 40-point explosion of GlobalPort star Terrence Romeo and Rain or Shine forward JR Quiñahan’s 4-of-8 threepoint shooting and 6-of-6 output from the perimeter.

Quiñahan’s production keyed the ROS bench’s

dominance, 61 points to 31, and an 18-point late first half lead proved an enough cushion against the Romeocharged GlobalPort comeback in the next 24 minutes.

McKines led ROS with 28 points and 13 rebounds, his vicious slam-dunk from an alley-oop pass fed by Gabe Norwood making it 117-106 with 1:23 remaining. Quinahan added 24, including successive clutch 3s halfway in

Commissioner Chito Salud with Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao during the first of two games in Dubai.

the fourth when Romeo, who had 15 points in the first quarter, 4 in the second, 11 in the third and 10 in the fourth, was furiously trying to rally the Batang Pier back in the game.

Together with the 26 points from import Jarrid Famous

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Saturday, May 23, 2015 ACROSS 1 6 9 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 25 26 29 31 32 36 37 38 40 43 45 46 47 50 51 52 54 57 58 61 62 63 64 65 66

Henry — Lodge Utility closet item Unwieldy Island greeting Yes, to Miss Piggy Ridiculous Auto problem (2 wds.)

Virago Jr. naval officer Flu symptom Drones’ homes Genie’s offering Prickly pear Not on board Senate leader Barracks bane Gunslinger’s wear Furry feet Iron pumper’s pride Light bulb measure Tickled pink Quake Runner’s rate Pop’s — Brewer On the up and up Turkey Most arias Far East cuisine “Nature” channel Broadcast portion Gondolier’s song Pay cash That vessel Wars against Carthage Suit material Mattress extra Libya neighbor

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Paleolithic art gallery Cranston or Shepard Moves jauntily Exultant cry Road coating Cadge That hurts!

He reached his peak Miter wearers Square Insect stage Show obeisance

DOWN

and 24 from Omar Krayem, Romeo kept GlobalPort in the thick of it, even engaging Beau Belga in verbal tussles. But without top rookie Stanley Pringle, who sat out the fiercely-fought match with an old foot injury, and

KIA Carnival continue to turn heads in PBA

By Jeric Lopez

13 18 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 33 34 35 37 39 41 42

Evergreen trees Intense beam More than bad Ill temper Zip Cobra cousin Minor setback Coyote’s plaint Entire Coal scuttle Spin around Roof edge 66 and I-80 Tampa Bay pro Refrain syllable Soap opera unit Budgetary waste

43 44 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 59 60

Unflinching Chop down Jeweler’s lens Kind of statesman On the way out Got along Lip, slangily Cookbook qty.

Merry sound (hyph.)

Racehorse, slangily Brief upturn Minority group Tarzan’s nanny Throw —

PREVIOUS PUZZLE SOLVED

5-23-15

© 2015 UFS, Dist. by Univ. Uclick for UFS

Ronjay Buenafe, a third of coach Pido Jarencio’s “threeheaded monster,” clanking 8 of 10 shots, including 1 of 7 treys, the Batang Pier lost most of their fangs in absorbing their second straight loss after a 3-0 start.

WHAT makes Kia a suddenly dangerous and capable squad right in its first season in the Philippine Basketball Association?

Is it the always-inspiring presence of playercoach Manny Pacquiao?

Is it the presence of a gigantic imports the last two conferences? Is it the heady strategies of deputy coach Chito Victolero?

Or is it the collective showing of its erstwhile unheralded players?

Whatever the reason or reasons are, the Carnival are surely making heads turn with their very surprising play in the recent Commissioners’ Cup and now, in the ongoing Governors’ Cup. Its vastly improving play is giving notice to the other 11 squads as it continues to be more and more dangerous, a trait that’s not common in describing expansion teams.

At the moment, Kia has a 2-1 slate, good for fourth place and better than the more experienced and loaded teams such as Star Hotshots, Barangay Ginebra and Rain or Shine.

According to Victolero, who acts as the coach of the squad when Pacquiao is not around, it’s all about the confidence that his players display as they

go along and embrace their PBA lives. ‘’Right now, the players’ confidence is very high. Our chemistry is just improving every game,’’ said Victolero, who is being commended for a job well done in mentoring the Carnival when Pacquiao is not around. ‘’I just always challenge them to play their hardest.’’

Chemistry is certainly something that Kia now has as its coherence on the hard-

wood is very evident in their plays. Emerging star LA Revilla is jelling quite well with his unheralded, but very efficient teammates such as Alex Nuyles, Hyram Bagatsing and Asian import Jet Chang, among others. ‘’I think we’re really motivated right now.

Maganda ‘yung communication namin sa loob ng court on both ends. Makikita talaga ‘yung chemistry. The locals are all stepping up,’’ added Victolero.

EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF THE ESTATE OF THE DECEASED RITA EUCARE, WITH WAIVER OF RIGHTS Notice is hereby given that LOLITA ANG PONIENTE, of legal age, Filipino, married to RODOLFO G. PONIENTE, and with postal address at Blk. 8 Lot 13, 16th Street, Tambo, Parañaque City; DOMINGO EUCARE ANG, of legal age Filipino, married to MARILYN QUEZON ANG and with postal address at Blk. 5 Lot 10, 16th Street, Puyat Compound, Tambo, Parañaque City; MARIA MELINA ANG HUNG, of legal age Filipino, married to HUNG YUK KEI and with postal address at #1 Hermoso Compound Dalandanan, Valenzuela City; ANTONIO EUCARE EGALIN, of legal age Filipino, married to ANGELITA UY EGALIN and with postal address at Blk. 7 Lot 17, Rainbow Drive, Goodwill II Subdivision, Parañaque City; BELLA EUCARE ANG, of legal age Filipino, single and with postal address at 26E Orchid Tower, Oriental Gardens Makati, Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City; -andRUBEN EUCARE ANG, of legal age Filipino, married to ROWENA CHUA ANG and with postal address at Blk. 5 Lot 10, 16th Street, Puyat Compound, Tambo, Parañaque City; Hereafter collectively referred to as the HEIRS: executed an extrajudicial settlement of the estate of the deceased RITA EUCARE with waiver of rights over a certain parcel of land located in Bacoor, Cavite covered by TCT#T-224962 of the Register of Deeds of Cavite. That all the HEIRS by virtue of this instrument agreed to divide the said eal Property in equal sharing and that one of the HEIRS namely BELLA E. ANG waives all her rights & interest over the above property in favor of all her abovementioned siblings. As per DOC. NO. 343, PAGE NO. 69, BOOK NO. 77 SERIES OF 2011 before notary public ATTY. SERGRE MARIO C. IYOG ( T S - M AY 2 3 , 2 0 15 )

S AT U R D AY : m AY 2 3 , 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

Stephen Curry (center) of the Golden State Warriors protects the ball against Corey Brewer (left) and Nick Johnson of the Houston Rockets in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals at the ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. AFP

Warriors seize 2-0 lead over Rockets OAKLAND—NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors edged the Houston Rockets 99-98 on Thursday to double their lead in the Western Conference finals.

Curry again came out on top in a duel with James Harden, stifling the Rockets star in the moments before the final buzzer to preserve the win.

They took a two-games-to-none lead over the Rockets in the bestof-seven series, with the winners to take on the Eastern Conference champions in the NBA finals.

Golden State had to battle to the bitter end. Their eight-point lead was trimmed to one after Harden’s alley-oop pass to Dwight Howard

with 33 seconds remaining.

After Harrison Barnes missed a reverse layup at the other end, the Rockets raced the ball up the court.

But Harden was double-teamed

by Curry and Klay Thompson as the clock ticked down, passing to Howard on the perimeter.

Howard tossed the ball right back, Curry poked the ball away, and the Rockets were unable to get a potential game-winning shot off.

Curry led the Warriors with

33 points, including five threepointers.

The hosts, who let slip an early 16-point lead to head into halftime tied 55-55, regrouped to take a 7775 lead into the final period.

They never trailed in the final period, and appeared to be in control when Curry took charge with less than three minutes to play.

After stealing a Trevor Ariza pass, Curry hit a contested stepback jump shot, then drove left and threw a baseline bounce pass to a driving Andrew Bogut, who withstood a push from Howard and made a running shot for a 9689 Warriors lead.

But Harden’s two free throws,

Manalo is drag-race champion turn to A13

a dunk and two more free throws pulled Houston within 99-96 with less than a minute to go.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he expected every game in the series to be a similar back-andforth battle.

“We’re right where we need to be,” said Kerr, whose team led the league with 67 regular-season victories.

“We won the two at home. Now we head to Houston. Every game is probably going to be like this.”

The final sequence was the only blemish in an otherwise stellar performance from Harden, who finished with a gamehigh 38 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. AFP

Molinari hogs spotlight turn to A12

Late birdie lifts Spieth to share of golf lead FORT WORTH—Masters champion Jordan Spieth drained a 19-foot birdie at the final hole on Thursday to join a four-way tie for the lead at the $6.5 million Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

Playing in front of delighted fans near his hometown of Dallas, Spieth was unfazed by the three-hour delay that pushed back the start of play, recording six birdies without a bogey to tie Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa and fellow Americans Kevin Na and Boo Weekley atop the leaderboard on six-under 64.

Spieth, ranked number two in the world, drew a massive gallery when he teed off at 3:36 pm, the times pushed back after overnight rain and thunderstorms.

He opened with back-toback birdies and picked up another stroke at the seventh, then nabbed three more birdies coming in.

Spieth, whose sensational victory at Augusta National made him the first Texan to win a major title since Justin Leonard won the 1997 British Open, is playing in his home state for the first time since then.

“I’m comfortable enough hitting my nine- eight- seven-irons into the green right now,” he said. “They’re so receptive that you can still fire them right at the flag.” AFP

B1

SATURDAY: MAY23, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

Moody’s: Economy grew 7.3%

By Julito G. Rada

THE Philippine economy likely grew 7.3 percent in the first quarter this year, up from 7 percent a quarter ago, due to higher government expenditures and stronger domestic demand, Moody’s Analytics, a division of Moody’s Corp., said in a report Friday.

Moody’s’ forecast was also significantly higher than the 5.6-percent expansion registered in the first quarter a year ago.

“GDP growth in the Philippines likely ticked up a notch in the March

quarter, after the December quarter’s 7 [percent year-on-year]. Higher infrastructure investment and government spending, alongside robust domestic demand make the Philippines one of Asia’s strongest performing

economies,” Moody’s said.

“Electronics account for half of Philippine exports and they improved over the quarter thanks to improved global demand, especially from the US,” it added.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said Monday economic growth in the first quarter this year would continue to be robust, buoyed mainly by the country’s solid macroeconomic fundamentals coupled with stronger infrastructure expenditures and spending for the 2016 elections.

Tetangco said the planned infrastructure spending and additional government expenses for the up-

coming 2016 elections should provide an additional boost to the local economy.

He said the Bangko Sentral shared the government’s forecast that the domestic economy would expand by 7 to 8 percent in 2015 and 2016.

The government is set to release the first-quarter 2015 GDP results next week.

GDP In the first quarter of 2014 grew 5.6 percent, weighed down by the impact of super typhoon Yolanda on the economy. GDP grew 6.4 percent in the second quarter, 5.3 percent in the third, and 6.9 percent in the fourth quarter.

Full GDP growth last year was

6.1 percent, lower than 7.2 percent in 2013.

Earlier, a study by the Metrobank Research Department said economic growth this year was expected to be higher at 6.4 percent from 6.1 percent a year ago, to be driven mainly by spending for the 2016 elections.

It said the increase in government spending was seen to cause a rebound in investment spending and further boost consumption spending.

Metrobank expects the industry sector will continue to be a top performer this year amid the solid expansions in the manufacturing and construction sub-sectors.

PSe comPoSite index Closing May 22, 2015

8500 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000

7,810.17 25.21

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing MAY 22, 2015 46

P44.545

45

CLOSE

44 43 42

HIGH P44.440 LOW P44.560 AVERAGE P44.513 VOLUME 465.100M

P500.00-P680.00 LPG/11-kg tank P41.45-P46.80 Unleaded Gasoline P29.85-P33.20 Diesel

oPriceS il P today

P38.50-P42.30 Kerosene

Holcim ambassador. Holcim Philippines Inc., one of the leading cement companies in the Philippines, has teamed up with television personality and biodiversity advocate Kim Atienza as its new brand ambassador to help promote the company and its products as the trusted choice for building material. Shown during the contract signing are (from left) Holcim Philippines marketing head Ann Claire Ramirez-Tecson, president and chief executive Eduardo Sahagun, Atienza and commercial vice president William Sumalinog.

Qatar Airways seeks more Manila-Doha flights

By Darwin G. Amojelar

P23.70-P24.40 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Friday, May 22, 2015

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

44.5100

Japan

Yen

0.008260

0.3677

UK

Pound

1.566300

69.7160

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128982

5.7410

Switzerland

Franc

1.067692

47.5230

Canada

Dollar

0.819269

36.4657

Singapore

Dollar

0.748559

33.3184

Australia

Dollar

0.788706

35.1053

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652309

118.0543

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266667

11.8693

Brunei

Dollar

0.745768

33.1941

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000076

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.029931

1.3322

UAE

Dirham

0.272257

12.1182

Euro

Euro

1.111200

49.4595

Korea

Won

0.000915

0.0407

China

Yuan

0.161374

7.1828

India

Rupee

0.015741

0.7006

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.278064

12.3766

New Zealand

Dollar

0.731904

Taiwan

Dollar

0.032852

32.5770 1.4622 Source: PDS Bridge

The Philippines and Qatar are set to hold bilateral air talks next week, after Qatar Airways requested for more flights between Doha and Manila.

The air talks, set on May 27 and 28 in Doha, will focus on the request of Qatar Airways for 13 additional weekly flights to the NinoyAquino International Airport in Manila from Doha’s Hamad International Airport.

Once granted, the request would boost the services of the Qatari airline to 21 Doha-Manila flights

B3

a week, the highest frequency of flights offered by any Middle Eastern airline to the Philippine capital.

Qatar Airways also flies seven times a week from Doha to Clark International Airport, a service inaugurated in 2013 after the Qatari airline reduced its Doha-Naia flights from 14 to 8 times per week in November 2013 to comply with limits set by the Philippines-Qatar air pact currently in effect.

It is not clear if the Doha-Clark flights will continue once Qatar gains the desired additional frequencies to Naia.

The standing policy of the Aqui-

Prepaid Meralco billing okayed

no government under Executive Order No. 29 is to encourage more liberal access to secondary airports in the country such as Clark, Iloilo and Cebu, while retaining restrictions in flights to Naia which has reached saturation point.

The Philippine air panel has not publicly confirmed whether it will stick to its previously stated position against granting additional Naia flights to Qatar due to serious congestion problems at the Naia and to preserve flights to Clark in line with presidential directives and E.O. No. 29.

“The current bilateral market

B4

does not justify an expansion of traffic rights at this time,” Civil Aeronautics Board executive director Carmello Arcilla said earlier.

“The current operations of Qatar Airways between the Philippines and Qatar is actually way above the demand for air travel between the two countries,” Arcilla said.

The Philippine air panel is headed

by Transportation Undersecretary Jose Perpetuo Lotilla.

Arcilla serves as vice chairman while the regular panel members include representatives of the Transportation, Foreign Affairs, Tourism and Trade Departments.

El Niño forces NFA to import more rice

SATURDAY: MAY 23, 2015

B2

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

MST BuSineSS Daily STockS Review Friday, May 22, 2015

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

75.3 124.4 104 63 2.49 4.2 18.48 31.6 9.5 1.01 99.4 1.46 30.5 75 94.95 137 361.2 59 174.8 1700 127.9 3.26

66 84.6 84.5 45.8 1.97 2.03 12.02 23.55 6.3 0.225 78 0.9 18.02 58 76.5 95 276 45 107.6 1200 66 2.65

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. MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

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

73.5 116.00 101.70 47.4 2.50 2.12 15.6 22 7.38 0.440 93.5 1.1 18.18 29.95 74.60 94.1 316 45 168.5 1480.00 65.05 3.14

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 8.61 18.06 67.9 13.24 3.12 0.395 168 8.65 34.1 2.3 16 24.4 16.2 7.62 250.2 3.87 9 3.7 9.94 3.03 2.22 1 4.72 1.65 6 201.6 4.1 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 Crown Asia Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) EEI Euro-Med Lab Federal Res. Inv. Group First Gen Corp.

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

Lafarge Rep Liberty Flour LMG Chemicals 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 and Co. Roxas Holdings San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ SPC Power Corp.

Splash Corporation Swift Foods, Inc. Trans-Asia Oil Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

43.6 1.34 1.06 2.1 11.7 18.98 125 27.6 58.3 1.85 1.76 12.68 20.200 10.50 7.99 10.42 1.79 15.98 26.85 88.1 14.42 5.9 0.600 211.00 10.24 32.05 2.7 52.55 26.7 27 7.4 274.00 4.21 9.94 4.18 11.56 3.95 2.36 2.38 4.96 2.3 6.4 186.8 4.5 1.6 0.160 2.29 208.6 4.43 0.78 1.32

0.7 59.2 31.85 7.39 3.4 3.35 800 11.06 84 5.14 0.66 1380 6.68 72.6 8.9 5.29 9.25 0.9 18.9 0.73 5.53 6.55 0.0670 2.31 0.84 2.99 87 3.5 934 2.2 1.39 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

0.45 48.1 20.85 6.62 1.4 1.6 600 7.390 14.18 4.25 0.144 818 5.3 46.6 4.96 3 4.43 0.59 12 0.580 4.22 4.5 0.036 1.23 0.450 2.26 66.7 1.5 709.5 1.13 0.93 85.2 0.200 0.173 0.310

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

Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Jolliville Holdings Keppel Holdings `A’ Lopez Holdings Corp.

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

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

Minerales Industrias Corp.

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

0.470 57.00 22.55 7.02 0.280 0.29 817 8.21 15.10 4.55 0.240 1444 6.40 73.20 3.97 5.47 7.47 0.74 14.44 0.68 4.67 5.03 0.0370 1.330 0.970 2.5 65.30 2.74 900.00 1.21 0.80 86.00 0.3800 0.2180 0.300

10.5 26.95 1.99 0.375 40 6.15 5.4 1.54

6.01 12 0.91 0.192 29.1 4.1 4.96 0.89

8990 HLDG 8.620 Anchor Land Holdings Inc. 9.96 A. Brown Co., Inc. 0.80 Arthaland Corp.

0.235 Ayala Land `B’ 40.20 Belle Corp. `A’ 4.07 Cebu Holdings 5.2 Century Property 0.88

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 17 31.8 109 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 12.5 79 3.95 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 7.86 8.1 253 5.5 3.28 0.315 2.68 226.6 5.5 1.3 2.17

Close

High

Low

FINANCIAL 73.5 73 117.00 115.20 102.10 101.00 47.4 47.1 2.49 2.44 2.12 2.03 16 15.6 22.2 21.65 7.37 7.37 0.430 0.425 93.95 92.8 1.07 0.99 18.24 18.18 29.55 29.50 74.90 73.85 94.5 94.5 314.6 313 45 44.8 169.5 168 1475.00 1730.00 65.45 65.00 3.15 3.14 INDUSTRIAL 44 42.9 1.4 1.4 1.09 1.06 2.26 2.09 11.8 11.6 19.4 18.98 145 139 27.9 27 58.3 57 1.92 1.81 1.76 1.75 12.76 12.66 20.400 20 10.50 9.80 7.99 7.74 10.48 10.42 1.7 1.7 15.98 15.4 27.3 26.85 90.9 88 14.48 14.40 5.95 5.86 0.590 0.590 212.20 210.40 10.36 10.22 32.50 32.50 2.6 2.6 52.95 49.15 27.05 26.5 26.95 26.5 7.49 7.35 274.80 270.40 4.28 4.21 9.94 9.70 4.28 3.96 12.00 11.56 3.98 3.90 2.40 2.32 2.54 2.22 4.96 4.91 2.27 2.05 6.25 6.25 186 185 4.5 4.5 1.61 1.58 0.163 0.159 2.34 2.27 204.4 199 4.43 4.43 0.82 0.73 1.32 1.28 HOLDING FIRMS 0.470 0.465 57.45 56.80 22.95 22.65 7.04 7.03 0.285 0.275 0.28 0.28 819 808.5 8.29 8.06 15.20 14.86 4.55 4.51 0.245 0.240 1449 1416 6.45 6.40 73.85 72.00 3.97 3.81 6.88 5.8 7.72 7.47 0.75 0.74 14.44 14.2 0.67 0.67 4.79 4.66 5.1 5 0.0370 0.0370 1.340 1.300 0.980 0.920 2.5 2.4 65.80 65.10 2.81 2.81 900.00 895.00 1.23 1.21 0.80 0.78 86.50 82.50 0.3750 0.3650 0.2180 0.2050 0.305 0.305 PROPERTY 8.650 8.310 10.26 9.80 0.81 0.79 0.235 0.230 40.85 39.65 4.07 4.02 5.23 5.18 0.89 0.88

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

73.5 115.90 101.50 47.1 2.44 2.03 15.7 21.7 7.37 0.425 93.6 1.07 18.24 29.50 73.85 94.5 313.2 44.8 168 1435.00 65.30 3.15

0.00 -0.09 -0.20 -0.63 -2.40 -4.25 0.64 -1.36 -0.14 -3.41 0.11 -2.73 0.33 -1.50 -1.01 0.43 -0.89 -0.44 -0.30 -3.04 0.38 0.32

19,930 1,290,100 370,120 43,700 40,000 150,000 55,200 527,000 200 380,000 2,863,430 96,000 1,900 1,600 403,210 12,750 2,220 6,000 475,920 235 22,790 531,000

43.15 1.4 1.08 2.16 11.6 19 145 27.7 58 1.84 1.76 12.7 20.100 10.08 7.85 10.44 1.7 15.4 27 89 14.46 5.9 0.590 211.00 10.22 32.50 2.6 52.85 26.7 26.95 7.36 273.20 4.21 9.75 4.28 11.56 3.94 2.34 2.24 4.91 2.25 6.25 186 4.5 1.6 0.160 2.31 201 4.43 0.73 1.32

-1.03 4.48 1.89 2.86 -0.85 0.11 16.00 0.36 -0.51 -0.54 0.00 0.16 -0.50 -4.00 -1.75 0.19 -5.03 -3.63 0.56 1.02 0.28 0.00 -1.67 0.00 -0.20 1.40 -3.70 0.57 0.00 -0.19 -0.54 -0.29 0.00 -1.91 2.39 0.00 -0.25 -0.85 -5.88 -1.01 -2.17 -2.34 -0.43 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.87 -3.64 0.00 -6.41 0.00

2,538,000 9,000 417,000 5,829,000 16,200 1,661,800 180 534,600 82,230 2,349,000 254,000 20,600 4,921,000 4,182,400 30,665,200 482,700 3,000 16,400 6,541,300 54,400 15,500 386,800 49,000 448,110 411,300 800 5,000 710 1,187,400 90,700 106,700 237,250 1,034,000 1,339,900 6,000 101,800 293,000 391,000 1,233,000 33,000 81,000 500 3,410 10,000 235,000 2,770,000 563,000 4,482,180 55,000 11,223,000 82,000

0.470 57.45 22.70 7.03 0.285 0.28 810.5 8.07 14.94 4.51 0.240 1428 6.40 73.00 3.81 5.8 7.61 0.74 14.38 0.67 4.77 5 0.0370 1.300 0.930 2.4 65.20 2.81 900.00 1.21 0.78 84.00 0.3750 0.2180 0.305

0.00 0.79 0.67 0.14 1.79 -1.75 -0.80 -1.71 -1.06 -0.88 0.00 -1.11 0.00 -0.27 -4.03 6.03 1.87 0.00 -0.42 -1.47 2.14 -0.60 0.00 -2.26 -4.12 -4.00 -0.15 2.55 0.00 0.00 -2.50 -2.33 -1.32 0.00 1.67

260,000 736,800 16,349,300 3,600 1,200,000 340,000 190,600 2,100,700 5,907,700 19,000 180,000 220,755 443,600 1,544,940 5,000 2,700 3,585,500 3,000 414,200 202,000 12,762,000 113,100 300,000 260,000 3,382,000 60,000 104,810 1,000 125,460 30,000 150,000 3,570 3,850,000 470,000 50,000

8.340 9.80 0.79 0.230 40.00 4.03 5.18 0.88

-3.25 -1.61 -1.25 -2.13 -0.50 -0.98 -0.38 0.00

1,413,500 1,100 1,560,000 2,220,000 6,941,900 1,838,000 571,600 1,580,000

958,788.00 8,000,718.00 12,185,043.00 -259,100.00 958,788.00 -15980 -8,881,670.00 27,545,137.00

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

High

Low

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

1.97 1.48 0.201 0.98 1.09 0.305 2.25 1.87 1.8 6.34 5.73 0.180 0.470 0.72 27 8.54 31.8 2.29 3.6 20.6 1.02 7.56 1.96 8.59

1.1 0.97 0.083 0.445 0.85 0.188 1.4 1.42 1.19 2.8 4.13 0.090 0.325 0.39 23 2.57 21.35 1.64 3.08 15.08 0.69 3.38 1 5.69

City & Land Dev. 1.29 Cityland Dev. `A’ 1.04 Crown Equities Inc. 0.153 Cyber Bay Corp.

0.460 Empire East Land 0.860 Ever Gotesco 0.182 Global-Estate 1.35 Filinvest Land,Inc. 2.04 Interport `A’ 1.41 Keppel Properties 5.49 Megaworld 5.41 MRC Allied Ind. 0.123 Phil. Estates Corp.

0.3350 Phil. Realty `A’ 0.4600 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 27.50 Primex Corp.

7.3 Robinson’s Land `B’ 28.95 Rockwell 1.72 Shang Properties Inc. 3.32 SM Prime Holdings 19.58 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.71 Starmalls 7.12 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 0.950 Vista Land & Lifescapes 7.260

1.26 1.25 1.25 1.05 1.04 1.05 0.152 0.151 0.151 0.455 0.450 0.455 0.860 0.860 0.860 0.184 0.180 0.180 1.37 1.34 1.34 2.05 1.98 1.98 1.42 1.38 1.38 5.97 4.04 5.97 5.26 5.16 5.19 0.125 0.125 0.125 0.3300 0.3250 0.3300 0.4950 0.4900 0.4950 26.25 23.05 26.00 7.28 7.28 7.28 29.00 28.60 28.60 1.72 1.71 1.71 3.35 3.23 3.23 19.90 19.64 19.70 0.72 0.69 0.72 7.11 7.05 7.11 0.960 0.880 0.920 7.290 7.230 7.250 SERVICES 6.96 7 6.5 6.72 62 62.2 61.8 61.8 1.07 1.15 1.07 1.09 0.720 0.730 0.700 0.720 13.9 13.78 13.78 13.78 9.90 10.00 9.56 9.90 0.0960 0.0980 0.0930 0.0950 4.54 4.76 4.54 4.7 91.8 92.95 90.5 90.6 10 10 10 10 1.68 1.67 1.67 1.67 6.85 6.90 6.57 6.60 3.51 3.52 3.13 3.52 2508 2608 2508 2608 6.26 6.32 6.22 6.30 25.00 26.00 25.00 26.00 1.33 1.35 1.31 1.35 112.2 112.8 111 111.6 6.00 6.00 5.02 5.17 12.4 12.36 12.36 12.36 0.231 0.237 0.230 0.231 1.2700 1.2900 1.2500 1.2500 2.36 2.36 2.36 2.36 9.80 9.83 9.72 9.73 2.68 2.76 2.63 2.65 2.02 2.10 2.10 2.10 58.40 60.00 54.00 56.00 0.690 0.730 0.670 0.680 2 2 2 2 8.8 8.94 8.35 8.38 0.360 0.365 0.350 0.365 0.440 0.440 0.440 0.440 18.38 18.38 18.38 18.38 4.56 4.70 4.56 4.56 9 9.49 9.49 9.49 103.20 106.60 106.00 106.60 21.30 21.70 20.65 21.05 2862.00 2872.00 2858.00 2860.00 0.660 0.670 0.650 0.660 1.610 1.650 1.610 1.620 39.65 39.75 38.85 39.00 81.90 84.00 81.90 81.90 10.60 10.60 10.44 10.52 0.66 0.68 0.67 0.67 1.9 1.76 1.76 1.76 6.47 6.53 6.39 6.39 0.330 0.340 0.330 0.330 1.300 1.290 1.280 1.280 MINING & OIL 0.0051 0.0051 0.0051 0.0051 2.75 2.75 2.70 2.70 7.56 7.73 7.50 7.50 7.7000 7.4000 7.4000 7.4000 7.7000 8.0000 7.7000 7.7000 1.01 1.02 1 1 0.86 0.87 0.85 0.86 7.45 7.60 7.45 7.47 1.63 1.68 1.58 1.58 0.345 0.350 0.335 0.340 0.237 0.240 0.237 0.237 0.247 0.249 0.245 0.247 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 3.94 4.02 3.91 3.95 25.2 25.7 25.2 25.35 3.82 3.95 3.83 3.85 0.7100 0.7100 0.6900 0.6900 2.080 2.080 2.070 2.070 0.0130 0.0130 0.0120 0.0130 4.42 4.41 4.41 4.41 6.66 6.7 6.48 6.49 2.11 2.3 2.03 2.12 0.016 0.016 0.015 0.016 158.50 162.00 159.00 159.30 9.6 11 9.59 10.86 PREFERRED 63 63 63 63 525 526 526 526 122 119 119 119 119.1 119 119 119 520 521 520 521 6.2 6.4 6.2 6.4 1.09 1.11 1.1 1.1 1040 1050 1040 1050 76.65 76.85 76.75 76.75 86 86.95 85 86.95 WARRANTS & BONDS 4.280 4.340 4.140 4.340 SME 9.91 10.1 9.91 10 7.8 8 7 7 73 73 73 73 10.38 10.38 10.1 10.2 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 127.7 127.8 127.1 127.2

-3.10 0.96 -1.31 -1.09 0.00 -1.10 -0.74 -2.94 -2.13 8.74 -4.07 1.63 -1.49 7.61 -5.45 -0.27 -1.21 -0.58 -2.71 0.61 1.41 -0.14 -3.16 -0.14

54,000 64,000 6,110,000 20,000 33,000 1,340,000 540,000 13,936,000 443,000 3,500 36,092,700 10,000 160,000 30,000 5,400 103,200 5,928,200 52,000 2,035,000 17,015,300 2,635,000 2,300 3,274,000 5,849,800

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 12.46 15.82 0.1460 4.61 99.1 12.3 2.6 9 4 2090 8.41 33 1.97 119.5 7 12.5 0.8200 2.2800 5.93 12.28 2.85 3.2 5.9 1.97 2.46 15.2 0.62 1.040 22.8 6.41 18 110.2 14 3486 0.710 2.28 48.5 90.1 11.6 0.87 2.95 10.2 0.490 1.6

1.97 32.5 1 0.6 10 9.61 0.0770 2.95 46.55 10.14 1.6 5.88 2.58 1600 5.95 30 1.36 105 3.01 8.72 0.036 1.200 2.34 6.5 1.69 2 1.05 0.490 1.8 8.7 0.34 0.37 14.54 3 8.8 79 4.39 2726 0.380 0.32 31.45 60.55 7.59 0.63 1.71 6.45 0.305 1.04

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

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

Discovery World DFNN Inc. Easy Call “Common” Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Grand Plaza Hotel Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. Imperial Res. `A’ IPeople Inc. `A’ Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Macroasia Corp.

Manila Broadcasting Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey Melco Crown MG Holdings NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

PAL Holdings Inc. Phil. Racing Club Phil. Seven Corp.

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

Yehey

-3.45 -0.32 1.87 0.00 -0.86 0.00 -1.04 3.52 -1.31 0.00 -0.60 -3.65 0.28 3.99 0.64 4.00 1.50 -0.53 -13.83 -0.32 0.00 -1.57 0.00 -0.71 -1.12 3.96 -4.11 -1.45 0.00 -4.77 1.39 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.44 3.29 -1.17 -0.07 0.00 0.62 -1.64 0.00 -0.75 1.52 -7.37 -1.24 0.00 -1.54

412,800 7,440 296,000 5,489,000 1,600 3,871,300 26,020,000 2,926,000 458,500 1,000 3,000 148,200 13,000 209,700 75,900 200 63,000 864,570 2,900 100 3,280,000 941,000 10,000 1,912,800 190,000 5,000 6,450 1,051,000 5,000 10,794,300 530,000 60,000 13,100 20,000 200 100 285,900 47,330 356,000 8,509,000 3,344,300 123,280 1,482,600 524,000 5,000 375,800 110,000 94,000

0.0098 5.45 17.24 12.7 12.8 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

0.0043 1.72 8.65 6.5 6.98 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

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

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

TA Petroleum

0.00 -1.82 -0.79 -3.90 0.00 -0.99 0.00 0.27 -3.07 -1.45 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.25 0.60 0.79 -2.82 -0.48 0.00 -0.23 -2.55 0.47 0.00 0.50 13.13

72,000,000 146,000 226,700 8,500 10,100 473,000 1,065,000 1,700 14,364,000 190,000 1,260,000 680,000 8,500,000 100,000 151,000 1,923,400 864,000 851,000 226,000 13,700,000 10,000 2,053,000 15,309,000 33,600,000 563,640 2,102,700

70 525 118 120 515 8.21 12.28 1047 76.9 84.8

33 500 101 101.5 480 5.88 6.5 1011 74.2 75

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

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

0.00 0.19 -2.46 -0.08 0.19 3.23 0.92 0.96 0.13 1.10

15,640 2,000 900 7,050 2,400 4,000 5,000 180 244,520 61,360

-4,550.00 -201,880.00 -2,511,960.00 -66,594,564.00

MST

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

SHARES 9,778,989 93,596,766 57,534,483 212,357,358 109,693,372 257,761,700 742,872,918

-19,031,285.50

-12,528.00 -268,900.00 29,658,911.00 128,975.00

20,965,660.00

-770.00

-26,679,822.00

-123,266.00

114,086.00 -14,812,040.00 -12,986,004.00 -101,292,728.00 4,942,606.00

106,545,770.00 -1,121,581.00

20,745,602.00 -628,940.00

25,996,780.00

-278,309.00 38,927,962.00 0.00 -3,085,192.00 257,360.00 58,810.00 -215,000.00

-497,877,709.00 243,650.00

-5,410,768.00 -92,881,205.00 -14,784.00

2,800.00 -47,551,490.00 -5,929,013.00 -40,518,770.00 31,570.00

53,091,095.00 768,000.00 19,394,436.00 580.00 -204,537.00

-3,427,548.00

13,952,600.00

131,000.00 -59,570.00 -54,477.50

-66,001,750.00

-623,700.00

-1,828,710.00

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

158,000.00

10.96 15 88 12.88

2.4 3.5 13.5 5.95

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

-193,126,385.00 -869,560.00 -344,462.00 48,920.00

Double Dragon Makati Fin. Corp.

IRipple E-Business Intl Xurpas

T op g ainerS VALUE 861,794,226.95 2,184,475,971.726 1,413,863,215.69 1,765,106,281.69 1,512,028,657.575 402,875,598.813 8,164,517,232.446

STOCKS

FINANCIAL 1,812.17 (down) 3.33 INDUSTRIAL 12,010.49 (down) 183.01 HOLDING FIRMS 6,963.62 (down) 6.22 PROPERTY 3,176.26 (down) 11.31 SERVICES 2,161.96 (up) 1.15 MINING & OIL 14,924.87 (up) 6.71 PSEI 7,810.17 (down) 25.21 All Shares Index 4,493.54 (down) 15.41 Gainers:65; Losers: 121; Unchanged: 44; Total: 230

-24,164,910.00 -17,100.00 -6,416,010.00 77,779,002.00

-4,595,729.00 -68,169.00

116,653,247.00 -94,000.00 800.00 2,819,821.50

224,322,600.00

35,813,839.00

-46,400.00

17,073,204.00

-26,951,223.00

1,056,775.00 -64,192,030.00

3,049,860.00 -58,452,315.00 -4,662,288.50 754,356.00 175,987.00

-66,560.00

-1,222,500.00 -101,000.00

-5,763,670.00 23,450.00

7,840.00 -22,300,980.00 543,710.00 225,630.00

-3,923,114.00 -902,950.00 -16,000.00 17,195,501.00 83,181.00 882,000.00

1.40

316,000

0.91 -10.26 0.00 -1.73

646,200 3,200 100 1,479,000

4,122,970.00

-0.39

21,750

1,273.00

2,142,728.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Chemphil

145

16.00

Imperial Res. `A'

5.17

-13.83

TA Petroleum

10.86

13.13

Makati Fin. Corp.

7

-10.26

Keppel Properties

5.97

8.74

Transpacific Broadcast

1.76

-7.37

Phil. Realty `A'

0.4950

7.61

Vitarich Corp.

0.73

-6.41

Keppel Holdings `A'

5.8

6.03

Pryce Corp. `A'

2.24

-5.88

Phil. Racing Club

9.49

5.44

Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry

26.00

-5.45

Agrinurture Inc.

1.4

4.48

Euro-Med Lab

1.7

-5.03

Grand Plaza Hotel

26.00

4.00

Melco Crown

8.38

-4.77

Globe Telecom

2608

3.99

Bright Kindle Resources

2.03

-4.25

Macroasia Corp.

2.10

3.96

Prime Orion

0.930

-4.12

SATURDAY: MAY 23, 2015

B3

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

Prepaid Meralco billing okayed are to be tested and sealed by the the system could implement a dy- deficit, Meralco should inform the commission prior to installation. namic prepaid pricing. customer in order to allow him to Kuryente Load is Meralco’s ERC also asked Meralco to load the necessary amount within newest prepaid service which undertake a “true-up mecha- 48 hours before implementing the allows customers to monitor nism” at the end of the bill- true-up and actual disconnection. and control their consumption ing period to reflect the actual It said no retention periods through daily balance notifica- rate applicable to the customer should be imposed on customers tions and save up to 20 percent in based on the consumption for availing of the prepaid electricelectricity expenses. the billing period. ity service and Meralco “shall be The regulator said Meralco The regulator said at the time liable for any error arising from should use postpaid rate applica- of the true-up, in case the remain- fault or negligence of its telecomble to customers consuming 201 ing balance of the customer was munication partners in the provito 300 kilowatt-hours as default no longer sufficient to cover the sion of the prepaid service.” prepaid rate at the start of the TYPE OF POLICY SERIES FROM SERIES TO N O TIC E TO TH E PU B LIC customer’s billing period until

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE Energy Regulatory Commission approved the application of Manila Electric Co. to offer prepaid retail electric service under the brand Kuryente Load.

ERC said in a decision it approved Meralco’s application subject to certain conditions.

The regulator said once the retail competition and open access were fully implemented, Meralco

should cease the prepaid electricity service or assign it to a qualified entity.

ERC said Meralco should provide the meters for the prepaid retail electricity service. The meters

Pl e a s e b e i nf o r m e d t h at t h e f o l l ow i n g ac c o u nt a b l e f o r m s of I N V ESTO RS ASSUR ANCE C O R P O R AT I O N (I AC) h ave b e e n l o st : TYPE OF POLICY

Future of Asia.

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima delivers a speech at the 21st International Conference of The Future of Asia at a hotel in Tokyo on May 22, 2015. The two-day conference entitled “Asia Beyond 2015: The Quest for Lasting Peace and Prosperity” ends on May 21. AFP

SERIES FROM

C (11) - G e n e r a l B o n d B o n d e d Wa r e h o u s e 4 51

SERIES TO for

C u sto m s 470

C (12) - G e n e r a l Wa r e h o u s i n g B o n d 3 01 310 C (16) - S u r et y B o n d f o r C u sto m s 18 278 18 279 18 3 51 18 3 5 4 18 4 8 9 18 4 9 0 C (17 ) - S u r et y B o n d ( B O C - S B F Z ) 151 16 0 C (18) - S u r et y B o n d f o r Tr u c k O p e r ato r 2 01

210

C (19) - G e n e r a l B o n d f o r L a n d C a r r i e r 2 01

210

C ( 7 ) - B o n d f o r C u sto m s B r o ke r 101 110 C (9) - Re - E x p o r t B o n d 151

16 0

C O C:G R P_ PA - G r o u p PA C e r t i f i c ate of C ove r 2 0151 2 0151 2 0152 20200 20204 20350 C O C: LTO - LTO C e r t i f i c ate of C ove r 6 0 2 8751 6028850

Ayala eyes $3.8-b rail deal with Salim

AYALA Corp., the Philippines’ oldest family- owned company, may partner with a venture of billionaire Anthoni Salim to bid for a $3.8-billion railway project, the most expensive infrastructure work to be auctioned by the government.

Ayala is in talks with Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and will likely take in foreign partners for the 653-kilometer railway that will connect the capital to provinces in the south, Ayala managing director Eric Francia said. To date the conglomerate has invested about $1 billion in infrastructure projects, a figure

that would rise significantly if it wins the rail project and another deal to upgrade Manila’s airport, he said.

“For the larger and more complex projects, it makes sense for us to do this in a consortium,” Francia said in an interview Friday. Entering into partnerships would spread the financial risk and skirt banks’ limits on lending to companies, he said.

President Benigno Aquino, who will step down in June 2016, is seeking to address an infrastructure logjam that has stunted direct investment into

the Philippines. Contract disputes and regulatory reversals in the past have led some foreign companies to leave the Philippines.

The Southeast Asian archipelago is projected to be among the world’s five fastest-growing economies in the next few years, according to a Bloomberg survey of economists. But it ranks 91st in infrastructure in the World Economic Forum’s 201415 Global Competitiveness report, far below neighbors such as Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Bloomberg

Market down; Globe leads gainers STOCKS fell for the second day, amid the specter of higher inflation in the coming months induced by the El Nino dry spell that has already destroyed crops in Mindanao.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, lost 25 points, or 0.3 percent, to close at 7,810.17 on Friday. The index was still up 8 percent since the start of the year.

The heavier index, representing all shares, also shed 15 points, or 0.3 percent, to settle at 4,493.54, on value turnover of P8.2 billion.

Globe Telecom Inc. emerged as the biggest gainer among the 20 most active stocks, as it climbed 4 percent to P100.

Alliance Global Group Inc., the holding company of tycoon

Andrew Tan, gained 0.7 percent to P22.70 while SM Prime Holdings Inc. advanced 0.6 percent to P19.70. First Gen Corp. rose 0.6 percent to P27.

Meanwhile, most Asian markets rose Friday following another record close on Wall Street as the likelihood of a US interest rate hike in the near term dwindled, with Tokyo hitting a new 15-year high.

Chinese shares were again the stand-out performers on hopes that Beijing will announce fresh monetary easing measures after more disappointing economic indicators.

Tokyo reversed a morning selloff to end 0.30 percent higher, adding 61.54 points to 20,264.41 -- its best finish since April 2000, while Shanghai surged 2.83 percent, or

128.17 points, to 4,657.60.

Hong Kong was 1.61 percent higher in late trade.

Seoul closed 1.10 percent up, gaining 23.29 points to 2,146.10 while Sydney ended flat, edging 2.4 points higher to 5,664.7.

On Wall Street the S&P 500 closed at another all-time high thanks to strong earnings results and a multi-billion-dollar pharma merger.

A disappointing reading on US new home sales indicated the economy was still not firing on all cylinders, which suggests it is not yet ready to absorb a Federal Reserve rate rise from record lows.

On Wednesday, minutes from the Fed’s April policy meeting showed board members had similar concerns. With AFP

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INVESTORS ASSURANCE CORPORATION

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SATURDAY: MAY 23, 2015

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

Hospital loan.

Abelardo Monarquia, head of the regional marketing center for Southern Luzon of the Development Bank of the Philippines (front row, third from left), shakes hands with San Pedro Calungsod Medical Center Inc. chairman, chief executive and president Emmanuel Diaz after signing a loan agreement on May 14, 2015. With him are other officers of DBP and SPCMCI. DBP granted a P300-million loan to the SPCMCI to finance the construction of a seven-story, level-2 hospital building in Kawit, Cavite. The new 100-bed medical center will be located along the Centennial Road and will serve the medical needs of residents of the northern part of the province, as well as those living in the southern part of Metro Manila.

In BrIef SEC warns 2 firms

THE Securities and Exchange Commission issued an advisory against two companies and two foundations found to be soliciting investments from the public without prior registration from the corporate regulator.

The SEC on its Web site warned the public against investing in Hyper Program International Direct sales and Trading Corp. and HPI Direct Sales and Trading Corp. and their related affiliates.

SEC investigation showed the two companies were inviting people through the social media to invest in cosmetics and health and wellness products by promising huge returns of up to 30 percent to 35 percent of their investment in a span of 40 to 45 days.

“Those who participate, including those who offer investment through the social media [Facebook, Twitter] in this investment taking of Hyper Program International Direct sales and Trading Corp. and HPI Direct Sales and Trading Corp., are at risk of being prosecuted for criminal violation of the Securities Regulation Code,” the SEC said. Jenniffer B.Austria

El Niño forces NFA to import more rice

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales

THE National Food Authority said Friday it Navotas plant cleared has invited Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand to bid for the contract to supply an adTHE Energy Department has awarded a certificate of compliance ditional 250,000 metric tons of rice this year. to Millennium Energy Inc. for its newly-rehabilitated, 100-megawatt diesel facility in the Navotas Fishport Complex in Navotas City.

ERC rules state that no person may engage in the generation of electricity unless it has received a certificate of compliance from the ERC. Millennium Energy operates the 310-MW Navotas diesel power plants at the port complex and the 620-MW Bataan combined cycle power plant in Limay, Bataan.

The company recently completed the rehabilitation of the diesel plant in Navotas and started delivering power to the Luzon grid.

“Millennium is already running,100 MW,” Energy director Mylene Capongcol said earlier.

The power plant is a merchant plant, which means its capacity will be sold at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, the country’s electricity trading floor. Alena Mae S. Flores

US aids Tacloban City

US AMBASSADOR Philip Goldberg led the inauguration of a climateresilient school building and health facility, as well as 100 new sari-sari stores in Tacloban City.

The projects are part of the US government’s over P6.3-billion Typhoon Yolanda assistance implemented through the United States Agency for International Development Rebuild project.

“The resilience, courage and determination of the people of Leyte to recover and build back better truly inspire all of us. The US government remains committed to restoring normalcy to the lives of affected families and we will continue to work closely with our friends in the Philippines to help rebuild this region better and stronger,” Goldberg said.

Othel V. Campos

The NFA earlier approved the importation of 250,000 MT of rice (25 percent brokens) under a government-to-government procurement mode.

The Philippines may import another 250,000 MT if the El Niño weather phenomenon reduces rice production, depending on the recommendation of the Food Security Committee to the NFA Council.

The Food Security Committee is headed by the National Economic and Development Authority. The members are the De-

partment of Trade and Industry, Department of Finance, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomic Services Administration, Philippine Statistics Authority, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, National Irrigation Administration, Department of Agriculture and the NFA. The initial import volume of 250,000 MT is on top of the 500,000 MT of rice that the government imported earlier this year.

The NFA said in a statement the additional imports would be

Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand asked to supply an additional 250,000 MT. PH may import another 250,00 MT if drought reduces rice output.

used as buffer stocks for the lean season in July to September. The rice imports are expected to arrive before July.

The Department of Agriculture earlier reported that total value of production losses of crops caused by El Niño already

reached P 1.65 billion as of May 5.

Data from DA showed that El Niño already affected 24,662 hectares of rice, with 13,649 hectares with no chance of recovery.

Value of losses for the rice sector amounted to P 1.035 billion.

The DA said the damage to corn sector amounted to P 605 million, while that on high-value crops reached P 14.5 million.

The most affected region, according to the department, was Region 7 which accounted for losses worth P470.94 million.

Other affected areas were Ilocos Norte, Cagayan, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Camarines Sur, Masbate, Zamboanga, Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Oriental, Davao City, Davao del Sur, Compostela Valley and Davao del Norte.

Cebu Pacific flying to Hawaii and Guam this year

By Darwin G. Amojelar CEBU Pacific, the country’s largest budget carrier, plans to mount flights to Hawaii and Guam by the end of the year.

Cebu Air Inc. president Lance Gokongwei said the new long-haul flights were subject to various regulatory approvals.

“Hopefully, before the end of the year we can secure necessary slots,” he said.

Cebu Pacific’s current long-haul flights include Dubai, Riyadh, Sydney, Kuwait and Doha, Qatar.

The airline unit of JG Summit Holdings Inc. said profit in the January-March period hit P1.16 billion, up 20 percent from P962.4 million in the same period last year.

Revenues jumped 12.9 percent to P10.5 billion in the first quarter from P9.3 billion year

ago, supported by higher passenger revenues.

Passenger revenues rose 13.6 percent to P8.169 billion in the first quarter from P7.192 billion last year, as average fares improved 8.3 percent to P2,312 from P2,134 in 2012.

Cebu Pacific flew 3.5 million passengers in the first quarter, higher by 4.9 percent year-on-year, driven by the increased number of flights in 2013.

Cargo revenues grew modestly by 3.5 percent to P570.6 million in the first quarter from P551.2 million last year, following the increase in the volume and average freight charges of cargo transported in 2013.

The company incurred operating expenses of P9.2 billion, or 3.4 percent higher than P8.9 billion a year ago.

Cebu Air earlier rebranded Tigerair Phil-

ippines to Cebgo as part of the airline’s strategy to reduce expenses.

“The new Cebgo brand clearly identifies us as part of the CEB group, and streamlines our operations further. Cebgo will continue to leverage on CEB’s distribution channels and network, and work together to serve more guests,” Michael Ivan Shau, Cebgo president and chief executive, said.

Cebgo will continue to operate flights from Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 4 and Clark International Airport.

It flies to 16 destinations--Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Clark, Cebu, Davao, General Santos, Iloilo, Kalibo, Legazpi, Manila, Roxas, Puerto Princesa, Tacloban, Tagbilaran and Hong Kong.

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CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD

One of the last block shapers. Block shaper Lorenzo Re works on a wooden hat block in his workshop “La Forme” in Paris on May 18. Lorenzo Re is one of the last block shapers in the world. He sculpts hat forms out of wood on which hatters, milliners and designers manufacture their models. Lorenzo works for young designers as well as for the biggest fashion houses including Dior, Chanel, Givenchy and Philip Treacy. AFP

‘Nut rage’ Korean released SEOUL—The former Korean Air executive jailed for disrupting a flight in a rage over macadamia nuts walked free Friday when a South Korean appeals court overturned her conviction for violating aviation safety laws.

The High Court in Seoul ruled that Cho Hyun-Ah, who had been in jail since her arrest in December, was not guilty of the most serious charge of altering an aircraft’s route while in flight.

That overturned the verdict of a lower district court, which had jailed Cho for one year in February.

“The accused had no intention of hampering the safe operation of the plane,” High Court judge Kim Sang-Hwan said, handing down a reduced sentence of 10 months, suspended for two years.

After the hearing, Cho, 40, changed out of her prison clothes and left the court, dressed in black coat and wearing heavy darkrimmed glasses.

Mobbed by reporters outside, Cho, walking with her head bowed, was shielded by a small group of minders who whisked her away to a waiting black sedan.

One of her lawyers offered Cho’s apologies to “all those who have been hurt by this incident”.

The eldest daughter of the airline’s chairman, Cho was a Korean Air vice president in charge of in-flight service at the time of her December 5 “nut rage” meltdown on board a Seoul-bound KAL flight that had

just left the gate in New York.

As the plane was taxiing to the runway, Cho, sitting in first class, became enraged when a flight attendant served her some nuts in a bag, rather than on a plate.

She lambasted the chief steward over the behavior of his cabin crew and then ordered the plane back to the gate so he could be ejected.

In her original trial, the district court determined that an aircraft was “in flight” from the moment it began to move, and therefore Cho had violated aviation safety laws by illegally changing the plane’s route.

But the High Court overturned that decision, ruling that the return to the gate “did not constitute a change” of flight path.

While describing the threat Cho’s actions had presented to the safety and security of the aircraft as “modest,” the court upheld her conviction for hampering the plane’s operations and violence against the cabin crew.

Chief steward Park Chang-Jin had testified that Cho had made him kneel and beg for forgiveness while jabbing him with a service manual.

The flight attendant who served the now infamous nuts has since

filed a civil lawsuit, alleging Cho attacked, threatened and screamed obscenities and then pressured her to cover up the incident by lying to government regulators.

Many South Koreans saw Cho’s behavior as emblematic of a generation of spoiled and arrogant offspring of owners of the giant family-run conglomerates, or “chaebols,” that dominate the national economy.

The “nut rage” case invited international ridicule and Cho was criticized at home for embarrassing the country and damaging its image.

At the same time, some commentators had suggested the original one-year custodial term was harsh given that Cho had already been publicly humiliated and forced to resign her post with the airline.

In deciding on a sentence, Judge Kim said the court had taken into account that Cho had two-yearold twins at home, and no past criminal record.

“She knows she has to live the rest of her life tainted by this incident,” he added.

The initial reaction among South Korean Twitter users was largely critical of the High Court’s decision, which some saw as another example of privilege trumping illegal behavior.

“Does anyone think an ordinary person would have won a suspended sentence? This is why people don’t trust the justice system,” tweeted @sosa9053. AFP

Mao victim gets funeral 50 years after his death BEIJING—A funeral has finally been held for one of the Chinese Communist Party’s early high-profile political targets nearly 50 years after he disappeared, but state-run media said Friday it was not a moment to reevaluate the past.

Chu Anping, a former editor of a Communist newspaper, was the first victim of Mao Zedong’s AntiRightist Movement in 1957, and was again persecuted at the start of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, disappearing soon afterwards.

Some say Chu committed suicide and others that he was beaten to death by Red Guards, groups of young people tasked with purging ideological “foes” in accordance with Mao’s ideas.

His son was told in the 1980s that Chu had died, but was not told how or given the body.

The family finally inaugurated a gravestone for Chu this week in Wuxi, in the eastern province of Jiangsu, placing personal belongings in the tomb instead of any remains.

At the ceremony, Chu’s son reportedly said: “Today is not a sad day, today is a commemoration, memorial and memorable day.”

But the Communist Party, which

has rehabilitated almost all of the 550,000 who were persecuted under the Anti-Rightist Movement, still views Chu as hostile, according to official history.

An opinion piece in the staterun Global Times, affiliated with the People’s Daily, re-iterated that stance Friday.

“No matter what, we should not consume Chu Anping’s work again,” said the article, bylined Shan Renping. “He experienced a very special period in time, and that period will never be repeated.”

Chu penned an article in 1957 criticizing the Communist Party, leaving Mao reportedly unable to sleep for days as a result.

Mao responded in the official Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily with an article that was widely seen as condemning Chu, and subsequently sparked a campaign that persecuted more than half a million people for holding so-called “Rightist” sympathies.

China has yet to fully come to terms with the later, decade-long Cultural Revolution, when Mao forcefully reasserted his power over the Party and the country via public shamings, beatings and killings. AFP

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WORLD

cesar barrioquinto EDITOR

Myanmar navy in first rescue of boat people SITTWE, Myanmar— Myanmar’s navy has carried out its first rescue of a migrant boat, bringing 208 people to shore, an official told AFP Friday, as it faced mounting international pressure to tackle a regional migration crisis.

“A navy ship found two boats... on May 21 while on patrol,” Tin Maung Swe, a senior official in the western state of Rakhine told AFP, adding “about 200 Bengalis were on one of the boats”.

“Bengalis” is a term often used pejoratively by Myanmar officials to describe the Muslim Rohingya minority, 1.3 million of whom live in the country but are not recognized as citizens.

The widespread persecution of the impoverished community in Rakhine state is one of the primary causes for the current regional exodus, alongside growing numbers trying to escape poverty in neighboring Bangladesh.

The Thai-owned boat was guided to shore before dawn on Friday in Maungdaw township— the departure point for many Rohingya boats headed south through the Bay of Bengal.

Photographs on the Ministry of Information’s Facebook page showed scores of bare-chested men crammed into the hull of a wooden fishing vessel as it made land.

The second vessel was empty, Tin Maung Swe said.

“Necessary medical health care and foods have been provided” to the passengers at a temporary camp in Maungdaw, he said.

“All of the 208 on board are from Bangladesh,” he added, repeating Myanmar’s official line that the migrants are from over the border.

On Thursday the foreign ministers of Malaysia and Indonesia whose countries are destination points for Rohingya fleeing persecution met Myanmar officials as pressures mount to stem the migrant exodus from its shores. AFP

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Irish vote on whether gay people could wed DUBLIN—Ireland took to the polls on Friday to vote on whether samesex marriage should be legal, in a referendum that has exposed sharp divisions between communities in this traditionally Catholic nation.

Autumn in Sydney. People walk on pavement covered in autumn leaves following strong winds in Sydney on May 22. Earlier, a severe weather warning was issued for Sydney and adjoining areas with strong winds of up to 90 kilometers per hour and heavy rainfall. AFP

Allowing gay couples to wed would be a seismic change in a country where homosexuality was only decriminalized in 1993, and where abortion remains illegal except where the mother’s life is in danger.

“A lot of my gay friends want to get married. I feel it’s a simple matter of equality,” said Eoghan Bonass, 35, voting in a polling station in the south Dublin suburb of Milltown.

“This referendum has touched a chord. I’ve noticed there’s far more awareness about this one than previous ones,” he said.

Rachael Stanley, 60, said she voted “No” and felt “strongly about it.”

“This is about children. It’s far too radical a step. I want to protect marriage and the stability of children,” she told AFP. “I hope I don’t get tarred and feathered for saying that,” she added.

If the move is approved and the ensuing legislation is passed, Ireland would become the first country to make the change following a popular vote.

Referendums in Croatia and Slovenia both resulted in “No” votes, although in Slovenia, parliament went ahead and approved gay marriage in March.

“We are saying here, in a world first, that the people of Ireland can extend the right of civil marriage to all our citizens,” Prime Minister Enda Kenny said ahead of the vote.

Ireland would be the 19th country in the world to legalize gay marriage and the 14th in Europe.

Across the border in Northern Ireland, which is part of Britain, gay marriage is banned even though it is legal in the rest of the country.

All of Ireland’s main political parties, including conservatives, support amending the constitutional definition of marriage, and the latest polls put their camp in the lead.

“This burden and pressure that’s been on [gay couples], living in the shadows that can be removed on Friday by voting ‘Yes’,” Kenny said. AFP But the result is by no means certain-the Catholic Church has campaigned strongly for a “No” vote, and many older and rural voters agree with the clergy.

Japanese melons sold for $12,400 at auction TOKYO—A single pair of premium melons fetched an eye-watering 1.5 million yen ($12,400) at an auction in Japan on Friday.

The winning bid was placed by a local fruit wholesaler for the first Yubari melons to go under the hammer this year at the Sapporo Central Wholesale Market in northern Hokkaido, officials said.

The figure enough to buy a brand new car in Japan is some way short of the record for the luxury fruit, which fetched 2.5 million yen last year.

High prices are the norm for the opening auction of the season and reflect buyers’ desire for prestige.

Yubari melons are considered a status symbol in Japan like fine wine with many being bought as a gift for friends and colleagues.

The best-quality Yubari melons are perfect spheres with a smooth, evenly patterned rind. A T-shaped stalk is left on the fruit, which is usually sold in an ornate box.

While the prices they fetch at auction are very high, melons are not the only expensive fruit in Japan.

A single apple from a supermarket can cost more than $3 and a presentation pack of 20 cherries might sell for over $100. AFP

At risk. This photo taken on May 21 shows an ethnic Rohingya Muslim woman looking back as she rides a tuk tuk near a camp set up outside the city of Sittwe in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. Malaysia ordered search and rescue missions on May 22 for thousands of boat people stranded at sea as Myanmar hosted talks with US and Southeast Asian envoys on the migrant exodus from its shores. AFP

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PROPERTY jdlacsamana@gmail.com

JOEL D. L ACSAMANA EDITOR

B7

How sweet it is.

CBRE Philippines recently won big at the Asia Pacific Property Awards held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The company bagged the 5-Star Best Lettings Agency Philippines; 5-Star Best Real Estate Agency Marketing Philippines; 5-Star Best Real Estate Agency Philippines; and Highly Commended Property Consultancy Philippines. The awards were given out by the London-based International Property Awards (IPA). The company also snagged two regional nominations for Best Lettings Agency and Best Real Estate Agency Marketing for Juan Luna. CBRE Philippines will compete in December in the international leavel of the awards, together with the highest scoring winners from Europe, Africa, Canada, the USA, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Arabia to find the ultimate “World’s Best” in each category.

Shown in photo is Rick Santos, CBRE Philippines chairman, with the hard-won plaques from IPA.

Green is health. Having an eco-friendly and healthy home does not mean sacrificing an arm and a leg to build one. Using James Hardie building products—specifically, the HardieFlex® fiber cement boards—is one big step to sustainability, cost-efficiency and safeguarding the health of your family. James Hardie, which operates facilities in several countries that manufacture HardieFlex, produces building products that are low in Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), and contain no asbestos. VOC emissions cause injury or disease in humans. Asbestos causes diseases of the lungs, including mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer. James Hardie. HardieFlex® fiber cement boards are made from unbleached pine wood pulp from sustainable plantation timber, ordinary Portland cement, sand, ordinary water and additives. Thus, these products contain no air pollutants and toxic substances. And when properly installed and maintained, HardieFlex® boards create comfortable, energy efficient homes.

Look east, shoppers. SM City San Mateo’s massive doors swung open to the public last week.

Perched along General Luna Avenue in Barangay Ampid 1, the over 20,000 square meters mall is SM Prime Holding’s 52nd leisure center, and its fourth in Rizal Province, after SM City Taytay, Masinag, and Angono. SM City San Mateo was designed by DSGN Associates, JRP Design, Inc., architect on record, and DDT Konstract, general contractor. At the opening ceremonies were: Rizal Governor Rebecca Ynares (fourth from right), Rizal Vice Governor Frisco San Juan, Jr. (second from left), San Mateo Mayor Rafael Diaz, (second from right), Vice Mayor Cristina Diaz (right), Atty. OrlyCalilong (third from left), land owner Rose Libongco (left) and Bishop Gabriel Reyes, D.D. With them were Felicidad T. Sy (6th from left), SM Prime Holdings president Hans T. Sy (fourth from left), and SM Supermarket Vice Chairman Herbet T. Sy (3rd from right).

Seal of approval. Century Property recently got a LEED Certification by the US Green Building Council for its Fort Bonifacio office tower, Asian Century Center in Taguig City. Its other development Century Spire in Century City, Kalayaan Avenue in Makati, is in the running as well, for an LEED seal.. Both developments are implementing integrated sustainable strategies that lessen waste and energy costs for office locators. The LEED Certified Level covers sustainable and energy-saving practices in the construction of the towers, including site sustainability, access to alternative public transportation, development density and community connectivity, parking capacity for alternative transportation, and access to low-emitting and fuel-efficient alternative transportation.

Asian Century has almost 26,000 square meters of leasable office space and is being built in collaboration with the Columbian Group of Companies. Century Spire features an interesting design by the New York Ground Zero masterplan architect, Daniel Libeskind, making it distinct from other structures.

Giving back in spades. Resorts World Manila (RWM) recently held an outreach activity for the elderly residents of Hospicio de San Jose through its L.O.V.E. (League of Volunteer Employees) program. RWM volunteers distributed basic toiletries, clothing, food, and entertained the residents of the institution, who were in their twilight years. The move to make the day brighter for the wards of Hospicio de San Jose was spearheaded by Owen Cammayo, RWM’s director for corporate communications. “We want to build a culture of volunteerism by engaging in activities that make a difference, and help drive change in society,” Cammayo said. RWM is a leisure destination in the Philippines that features recational thrills, world-class performance, and unique events.

S AT U R D AY : M AY 2 3 : 2 0 1 5

B8 Build it, and they will come.

Alviera is expected to be four times larger than the Makati CBD, and six times more than Bonifacio Global City once fully developed

JOEL D. L ACSAMANA EDITOR jdlacsamana@gmail.com

PROPERTY

ALVIERA IN PAMPANGA REVS UP PHASE ONE

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lviera, the 1,100-hectare master-planned township of Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI), is pulling all the stops in its inexorable march to complete phase one of its development in Central Luzon.

This includes the rise of its industrial park, country club, three Ayala Land residential communities and two academic institutions spread over 207 hectares of the property in Porac, Pampanga.

“We’re in the middle of Phase 1 developments which will be undertaken over the next three years at the cost of P7.3 billion,” said John Estacio, Alviera general manager.

Ayala Land Incorporated is pouring P75 billion ($1.68 billion)* over

a 20-year period to transform Alviera into its first large-scale estate development in the region, done in partnership with Leonio Land Holdings Incorporated.

Embankment works have been completed in priority areas, soon to be followed by land development works and utilities. This includes road connection from Alviera to SCTEX. The estate is minutes away from Clark, Angeles and Subic, and is about an hour and a half away from Quezon City via the NLEX-SCTEX. Duplicating the success of its Laguna Technopark in the south, ALI has the Alviera Industrial Park (AIP) to drive economic ac-

tivity in the region. Sixteen lots of the 31-hectare industrial park have already been sold. Three clusters of standard factory buildings are still available for lease.

AIP is seen to complement the industrial hubs in Clark and Subic targeting companies in light to medium enterprises.

Avida Land, Alveo Land and Ayala Land Premier are all offering a broad range of residential options for the growing Alviera community. About 1,500 residential units will be ready by the end of phase 1 development.

Alveo will launch its phase 1 project in the middle of the year, about 784 units of prime lots with scenic views of the mountain range.

Lot cuts will be from 250-542 sqm in size. This new residential community will lie beside Miriam College. Holy Angel University is also set to build a campus in Alviera.

Ayala Land Premier’s project will have the lowest density and the largest lot cuts of 450-1,400 sqm. The community will be launched later this year, and will rise beside the six-hectare Alviera Country Club.

Designed by architectural firm Leandro V. Locsin and Partners, the club will be managed by the Ayala Club Management, Inc., which also manages Anvaya Cove and South Links Golf Club. Club shares go for P580,000 for individuals and P950,000 for corporate shares.

“People can expect retail in

Alviera as residential units are turned over,” said Estacio. “.The retail development will follow the build up of population in the development. Currently, we are developing a retail program for SandBox at Alviera given that the park has been getting a lot of visitors most of which are from Central Luzon and Metro Manila.”

SandBox at Alviera covers about 2 hectares of outdoor attractions such as the country’s first rollercoaster zipline, a giant swing, an aerial obstacle course, a climbing wall, mini golf course, bike trail and more. It recently opened an outdoor archery range and will soon expand to have an urban karting facility.

LANDCO MARKS 25 YEARS OF INNOVATIVE LEISURE LIVING

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atangas is one of the best southern destinations Manila denizens look forward to for bucolic weekends in the sun. And one does not need to look far for seaside escapes than the 88-hectare Peninsula de Punta Fuego in Nasugbu, one of the country’s first world-class residential resorts.

Punta Fuego developer Landco Pacific Corp., recently celebrated its 25 years of building leisure communities, resort-inspired condominiums, and upscale communities.

Founded in 1990 as a realty consulting firm when the Philippines was experiencing a real estate boom, Landco broke ground in 1996 with Peninsula de Punta Fuego. It was soon followed by upscale beach resort Terrazas de Punta Fuego and

oceanfront condominium Amara en Terrazas.

“We’ve consistently pioneered innovative lifestyle products that revolutionize the way people live,” said Landco president Alfred Xerez-Burgos III. He added that Landco also builds development concepts in the real estate industry such as res- idential resorts, leisure farms, and leisure tourism estates.

These include Playa Calatagan and Playa Laiya, both in Batangas, andPlaya Azalea in the Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte, in partnership with the Anflocor Management and Investment Corp.

“For the last 25 years, Landco has made leisure its business, so that families may have the opportunity to spend quality time together.,”Xerez-Burgos said.

Catching rays in the coolest possible way.

Terrazas de Punta Fuego