The Standard - 2015 May 26 - Tuesday

VOL. XXIX  NO. 98  3 Sections 32 Pages P18  TUESDAY : MAY 26, 2015  www.manilastandardtoday.com  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

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PH to keep flying over disputed sea

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‘VP’s chances will depend on his defense’

PNOY TO SENATE: LET’S TALK ABOUT BBL Next page

Back-to-school message. President Benigno Aquino III delivers a speech during the Brigada Eskwela and Oplan Balik Eskwela at the Marikina Elementary School in Marikina City.

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Hobbled James lifts Cavaliers

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Pad Thai and more at the Pen

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Exclusion of sultanates from drafting of law hit

By Macon Ramosaraneta

Pro-BBL. Supporters of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law urged senators not to dilute it during rally on Monday. Lino SantoS

PNoy wants to meet senators about BBL

By Sandy araneta

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III said Monday he is ready to meet with the senators regarding the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), but only if they invite him to do so. “ Of course I do want to meet with them. But I don’t want to interfere with them since they:are anindependent body,” Aquino said in response to a question from reporters.”

Earlier, Aquino met with House leaders in the Palace ahead of a vote on the BBL last week, triggering accusations of executive interference.

Congressmen who had vowed to oppose several provisions ofthe BBL on questions of their constitutionality abruptly reversed their positions after two meetings with the President, and approved a version of the bill that hewed closely to the Palace-drafted document.

Aquino on Monday said he would wait to hear from Senate President Franklin Drilon if a similar meeting with the senators were needed.

“If they (senators) want to talk to me ko regarding this, and they would invite me to give an opinion during their

talks, why not? I am ready for it,” said Aquino.

Aquino also said that the Senate committee report of Senator YIiriam Defensor Santiago, which questioned the constitutionality of the BBL, was “just an opinion.”

Aquino said the members of the constitutional commission who drafted the Constitution have come out in support of the BBL. The President also said he was confident the law, which is the lynchpin in the government’s peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), would withstand the test of constitutionality .

Aquino said lawmakers should use congressional debates to calmly scrutinize the draft BBL, not to gain media mileage.

In a draft Senate committee report released to the media last week, Santiago said the draft BBL will raise constitutional problems if it is passed in its current form.

Santiago argued in the committee report that draft BBL will create a state within the Philippine state. She also claimed that the measure is intended to have the same effect as the Constitution.

The BBL has been passed at the committee level in the House of Representatives, but is still undergoing committee hearings in the Senate.

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, who chaired the ad hoc committee on the BBL, said the House would conduct marathon deliberations in plenary starting Wednesday to meet the Palace’s June 11 deadline for its approval on third and final reading.

“We will hold marathon hearings from June 1 to 4 and from June 8 to 11 , that is Monday to Thursday and we are willing to start our deliberations at 10 a.m. and finish at midnight,” said Rodriguez, who has been widely criticized for reneging on his promise to excise eight unconstitutional provisions from the Palace-drafted bill after the meetings with the President.

Rodriguez said Monday the President would have to certify the BBL as urgent to enable both chambers of Congress to speed its passage and to ratify it by July, before

Aquino delivers his last State of the Nation Address.

He said his panel would ask the President to approve the substitute bill attached to it and ask that it be certified as urgent.

He said a BBL passed by Congress would be the best SONA gift that lawmakers could give to the President, whose term ends on June 30, 2016.

Last week, Rodriguez’s panel approved the amended Palace-version of the BBL, as contained in the substitute bill, and rejected most of the individual amendments that members pro posed.

The joint House committees on appropriation and on ways and means are scheduled to tackle the funding and taxation aspect of the measure Tuesday.

Rodriguez defended the substitute version of the bill that was approved, saying it addressed all the constitutional questions raised by Santiago.

He also appealed to his Senate counterpart, Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. , to abide by the House timetable.

Marcos has repeatedly questioned the need to rush the BBL, saying it was more important to pass a good bill than to meet the Palace deadline.

SENATOR Ferdinand Marcos Jr. castigated the government’s peace panel Monday for excluding the sultanates of Mindanao from peace talks that led to the drafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

Marcos, chairman of the committee on local governments, grilled Undersecretary Jose Lorena of the Office of the Presidential Advicer on the Peace Process (OPAPP) during the resumption of hearings on the BBL Monday.

“Why did OPAPP not consult with any of the sultanates? How is it that you imagine that something as wide ranging, as important, something as profound as the creation of the Bangsamoro could possibly succeed without the support and the participation of the sultanates?” Marcos asked.

Lorena, who spoke on behalf of chief negotiator Miriam FerrerCoronel, admitted that none of the sultanates or local government officials were represented in the government panel that negotiated a peace pact with the MILF. “So you were negotiating about the land, the culture... and they were not included in the negotiations?” Marcos asked.

The senator said the government could not have a successful and all-inclusive peace agreement without including the most ancient royal houses.

“The sultanates... are still extremely important in any political change,” he added, noting that they were included in previous negotiations because they were necessary to the peace process.

But Lorena said the MILF represented the Bangsamoro people— including the sultanates-during the negotiations.

“After the negotiation, the idea was to submit this to legislation for purposes of crafting an inclusive Bangsamoro law,” he said.

“The OPAPP sees a two-tier consultation process: one in the actual negotiation with the MILF panel and another, during the process of legislation for the BBL when the royal families of Mindanao, the IPs and other stakeholders will be consulted,” Lorena said.

But Marcos said Congress is now doing the job of the OPAPP. “We are doing your work. This is some-

thing you should have done during the process of negotiations so that when you presented the BBL to Congress, then that version of the BBL, all of the views, opinions, suggestions from all of the stakeholders were incorporated into it,” Marcos told Lorena.

He said if only the OPAPP ensured that proper consultations were done, it would have ironed out early on any problems that would hinder BBL’s passage in Congress.

Marcos said when he met with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Secretary General Iyad bin Amin Madani, said the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) was the body that the OIC recognizes and noted that the MNLF was not involved in any of the discussions or negotiations that led to the drafting of the BBL. The senator also said the position papers submitted to his panel belie OPAPP’s claim that consultations were made with all stakeholders in the process leading to the drafting of the BBL. In fact, he decided to conduct the haring to address the “shocking revelation” that the sultanates were not consulted on the BBL, along with other major stakeholders such as the MNLF, indigenous peoples and local government officials.

“This is part of the series of hearings that this committee is undertaking for the specific purpose of giving voice to those stakeholders on the Bangsamoro issue,” he said.

The sultan of Sulu and North Boreno said Monday the government should not entertain any armed group like the MILF which will later claim Mindanao as its own.

Sultan Rodinood Jlaspi Kiram II said the MILF absolutely had no right to use the history of the Sultanate of Sulu as their shield in their negotiation to pass the BBL. He also said giving too much power to the MILF will only create more problems.

“Mindanao is not only for Muslims, but it is also for different religions just like in Luzon and the Visayas, which are not only for Catholics,” Kiram said.

“Putting several cities in Mindanao under the BBL and naming it Bangsamoro... is giving us the impression of a country within a country, which is obviously unconstitutional,” he added.

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PH to join First World if it stays ‘matuwid’ JOINING Department of Education officials in launching its annual Brigada Eskwela on Monday, President Benigno S. Aquino III reiterated the achievements of his administration and said the Philippines may soon be First World nation because of his “Tuwid na Daan” (Straight Path) program.

Speaking at the Marikina Elementary School in Marikina City, Aquino noted that the improvements in employment and self-rated hunger are indicators of the gains of his Straight Path policy.

“And that is only in five years of treading the Straight Path, what more in the next generations if the seeds we planted are nurtured and the people we have sent to school finally get deccent jobs,” Aquino asked his audience.

“Maybe we will finally reach First World status at that time. It is feels good to dream about this, especially since we already know that

we can reach this if we continue to strive, contribute and ensire that we have proper and honest government,” he added.

Praising the volunteers who join the DepEd program every year, Aquino noted that 46,624 public schools across the country become the center of community, where citizens meet to help clean and repair classrooms.

He also lauded the cooperation underlying the DepEd’s Oplan Balik Eskwela program where various government agencies and other stakeholders from the private sector make preparations to ensure the smooth opening of classes.

The Brigada Eskwela and Oplan Balik Eskwela are annual activities of the Department of Education (DepEd) held two weeks before the official start of classes, during which teachers, parents and students take part in cleaning classrooms in public schools nationwide.

Senate hearing. Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito questions LTO officials Jose Perpetuo Lotilla and Alfonso Tan Jr. during the Senate hearing on the office’s “No Registration, No Travel” policy on Monday. Lino SantoS

Noy: Binay win will hinge on his defense

‘Plastic’ makes MRT stall this time

By Sandy araneta

By Joel e. Zurbano

Asked if Binay remained the man to beat in 2016, Aquino expressed his doubts.

He said while opinion polls showed Binay leading the race, the charges of corruption could hurt the vice president.

“The impression has been that he has been at the forefront... as we look at all of the surveys. But at the same time, I think that question rests on his ability to answer all of the allegations that he is being confronted with,” Aquino said.

Last week, the Court of Appeals approved a request from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to freeze the bank accounts of Binay, members of his family, as well as his friends and associates.

Binay is also being investigated by the Ombudsman and a Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee on allegations that he benefited from the overpricing of several projects when he was still mayor of Makati.

Binay, who has declared his intention to run for president under the opposition United Nationalist Alliance, has accused the administration and the ruling Liberal Party of using the investigations to diminish his chances of winning in 2016.

On Monday, Senate President Franklin Drilon branded as “malicious and pointless” the called made by Binay for the AMLC to look into his bank accounts and those of Budget Secretary Florencio Abad and other Liberal Party

THE management of Metro Rail Transit 3 was forced to stop serving North Avenue in Quezon City to Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City Monday afternoon because of a plastic material that was thrown into an electricity cable at the Ortigas Avenue Station.

At 3 pm the train system was only able to load and unload passengers only on Shaw Boulevard to Taft Avenue and vice versa while the management waited for the plastic material to be removed.

It wasn’t clear what plastic material had been thrown on the railways’ catenary system overhead, which officials said could have caused an accident.

“MRT’s operations between Shaw Boulevard and North Avenue stations were suspended,” MRT general manager Ramon Buenafe said.

The MRT resumed normal operations after 30 minutes, or at 3:30 pm. The management then appealed to the public not to throw garbage on the tracks to avoid disrupting the train system’s operations.

Monday was not the first time that the MRT operated on only a few stations because of a trash problem.

In November 2014 the MRT suspended operations for two hours after someone threw a plastic bag full of trash on the tracks between Magallanes and Taft Avenue.

The management said a passerby could have thrown the trash from the pedestrian overpass near Evangelista Street.

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III said Monday that Vice President Jejomar Binay’s chances in the 2016 presidential election will all depend on how he defends himself against the accusations of corruption hurled against him.

tourist attraction. This altar in Northern Samar depicting Spanish culture was built by locals and foreigners and is one of the tourist attractions on the island. MeL CaSpe

Visit to iloilo. Residents of New Lucena and Pototan towns in Iloilo receive Vice President Jejomar Binay during his visit to distribute wheelchairs to senior citizens.

members who were implicated in anomalies.

Renato Bantug Jr., Drilon’s chief of staff, said Binay’s statements served no other purpose but to divert public attention from him.

“There is no necessity for the Binay camp to give AMLC a to-do list, as is it, by virtue of law, part of the responsibilities of the AMLC to monitor all bank accounts including those belonging to public officials, and investigate those they would find suspicious,” Bantug said.

He also said the charges filed before the Office of the Ombudsman against Drilon over the alleged overpricing of the Iloilo Convention Center were dismissed.

Reacting to the President’s statement, Binay said the AMLC had yet to give him an official copy of the report that has already been leaked to the media.

“This has deprived us of the chance to refute point by point their false, misleading, and erroneous conclusions,” Binay said in a statement.

“I am very confident that we can debunk all the false, erroneous, and misleading conclusions of AMLC, which is just part of a conspiracy of the Liberal Party to unleash government agencies against my family and private individuals in their efforts to malign me,” he added.

He also accused the senators leading the Blue Ribbon subcommittee of prejudging him and declaring him guilty. – With Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

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PH will still fly over Spratlys

By Sandy Araneta

THE Philippines will continue to fly their usual routes over disputed areas of the South China Sea even after the Chinese military warned off a United States surveillance plane over international airspace and waters, President Benigno Aquino III said on Monday.

Toxic imports. Environmental activists stage a protest rally at the Bureau of Customs on Monday to

demand that all the 98 container vans from Canada that were found to be containing garbage. LINO SANTOS

Comelec eyes drive vs early campaigning

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan ALL poll watchdog groups should start campaigning against premature campaigning activities to educate voters against the practice, the Commission on Elections chief said on Monday.

Comelec chairman Andres Bautista lamented that since potential candidates have yet to file their certificates of candidacy, the Comelec has no authority to penalize those who are releasing television information commercials.

“The well-meaning civil society organizations should come out and say ‘are these the candidates we should vote for?’” said Bautista.

He cited the great influence of citizen’s organizations in encouraging the public’s mentality on how to correctly choose their candidates.

Under Republic Act 9369, “any person who files his certificate of candidacy (COC) shall only be considered as a candidate at the start of the campaign period” and that “unlawful acts applicable to a candidate shall be in effect only upon that start of the campaign period”.

“We will still fly the routes that we fly based on international law and the various conventions, agreements that have been entered into through [several] decades,” Aquino told reporters a few days after the Chinese military last week ordered a US Navy P-8 Poseidon away from airspace above the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea. “We will still exercise our rights over our exclusive economic zone.

At the same time, we have maritime awareness. We know what’s happening, and we have a calculated response to all of these incidents that are happening,” Aquino said.

“Bottom line is, we will defend our rights to the best of our abilities,” he said, adding that the US government is already helping the Philippines in the area of maritime awareness, but he declined to elaborate.

Aquino insisted, however, that there is no need to convene the National Security Council C\SC), as some senators have suggested, because He is the main architect of foreign policy.

“The [Cabinet] security cluster, I believe, is adequate together with the legal cluster. Those [steps] suggested [by senators], we are doing already,” said Aquino.

“Although I am supposed to be the main architect for foreign policy, we have tried to get as many voices from

the different branches of government to have different perspectives and come up with the best solution to this problem,” he said.

Aquino made the remarks as Beijing announced that it objected to the P-8 Poseidon flight, which it described as “provocative behavior.”

China also tried to electronically jam transmissions from US Global Hawk surveillance drones that were checking on Chinese reclamation works in disputed international waters.

“We urge the U.S. to correct its error, remain rational and stop all irresponsible words and deeds,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.

“Freedom of navigation and overflight by no means mean that foreign countries’ warships and military aircraft can ignore the legitimate rights of other countries as well as the safety of aviation and navigation,” Hua added.

The Chinese declaration came after US Vice President Joe Biden attacked China’s aggressive expansion in the South China Sea, saying Friday that Beijing’s actions raised the potential for conflict in the region.

In the graduation ceremony at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Biden said Chinese actions in the South China Sea were testing the principles of peacefully resolving territorial disputes and ensuring freedom of navigation in the crucial waterway.

“They’re building air strips, they ‘re placing oil rigs,” said Biden.

He also cited China’s unilateral ban on fishing, the declaration of air d.efense zones, and the massive reclamation of land in disputed territories.

Addressing the graduates from the naval academy, Biden added: “We are going to look to you to uphold these principles where\l\er they are challenged [and] to strengthen our growing security partnerships and to make good on our unshakeable commitment to the mutual defense of our allies.”

Biden also said that US policy was shifting toward a stronger presence in the Asia-Pacific region. By 2020, he said, 60 percent of US naval forces would be in the region.

Autistic Pinoy allowed to stay in Australia SYDNEY – An autistic Filipino boy whose fight against deportation from Australia prompted tens of thousands to petition the government on his behalf will be allowed to stay, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said Monday.

Tyrone Sevilla arrived in Australia as a two-year-old with his nurse mother Maria Sevilla.

But after eight years in the country, the pair were denied continuing visas due to the probable cost of providing for Tyrone’s care, with Maria Sevilla saying they had been labelled a “burden” to taxpayers.

Dutton said he had overturned the decision.

“I looked at the case and I have

determined we will provide these people with a permanent arrangement and permanent outcome in Australia and I think that’s good for them,” he said.

“I’m very pleased we can provide the assistance to a young boy who is in need of medical and educational support and as a generous country that’s what we do.”

The case made headlines after one of Tyrone’s young friends raised a question about the case on a live national television program.

“If he can get along with us and we can get along with him, why does he have to leave?” the child, who went to after school care with Tyrone, asked. AFP

Brigada Eskwela.

President Benigno Aquino III and Education Secretary Armin Luistro greet school girls who accompanied their parents who volunteered to join the program that helps prepare public schools get ready for school opening in June.

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Graft raps vs Munti ex-mayor THE Office of the Ombudsman on Monday indicted former Muntinlupa City Mayor Aldrin San Pedro for illegally awarding a contract to a trading firm in 2008 for the purchase of 40,000 pieces of trolley bags worth P20,821,428.58 Also charged with violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act were then officer in charge accountant Edwin Suitado; bids and awards committee chairman Roberto Bunyi; BAC vice chairman Michael Racelis; BAC members Avelino Orellana, Rodolfo Oliquino, Vicente Navarro, Peter Salonga and Sonia Laureta; technical working group chairman Roderick Espina, and TWG members Eduardo Bautista and Glenn Santos.

Court junks BF owners petition THE Court of Appeals has dismissed the petition filed by the majority stockholders of the Banco Filipino Savings and Mortgage Bank seeking to extend the bank’s corporate life by another 50 years after its lapse on June 25, 2014.

The CA’s Special First Division through Associate Justice Edwin Sorongon denied for lack of merit the plea of Banco Filipino’s stockholders for the issuance of a temporary restraining order or a writ or preliminary injunction to enjoin Security and Exchange Commission from performing any act in derogation of its corporate legal existence after June 25, 2014.

Show of force. The Philippine Navy exhibits its weapons and equipment at the Pascual Ledesma Station in Fort Felipe, Cavite City during the Navy’s 117th anniversary celebration on Monday, May 25. Inset: Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin troops the line. DANNY PATA

COA stops payment to car plates supplier

By MACON RAMOS-ARANETA

ATHE Commission on Audit on Monday said it has ordered the Department of Communications and Transportation to suspend payment to JKG Power, its supplier of car license plates.

Testifying at the Blue Ribbon subcommittee hearing on the alleged anomalous procurement of P3.8-billion DOTC license plates, COA Director Cecilia Camon said the suspension order took effect last April 10.

She said they also gave DOTC 90 days to submit to them all documents pertaining to the license plates transaction.

Camon told the panel headed

by Senator JV Ejercito that COA

is currently investigating the procurement of license plates whose contract was signed sometime in 2013 although DOTC had only P187 million available budget.

In the same hearing, it was established that DOTC already paid JKG Power a total of P477 million or 15% of the contract price.

LTO bidded out its license-plates standardization program in 2013

despite the lack of appropriation in the General Appropriations Act for the whole project amount.

The DOTC-Bids and Awards Committee was the body which undertook the bidding of the P3.8-billion license plates.

Lawyer Jose Lotilla, chairman of the BAC, appeared before the committee and explained the basis for the bidding was the 2014 GAA. However, the senators did not buy his explanation.

Another issue that surprised the senators was the add-on fees in the registration and purchase of license plates.

Ejercito criticized the DOTC and LTO after they could not explain the basis for these add-ons.

“Why was there an additional

P50 charge exacted by the LTO for stickers.? This should have been included in the payment,” said Ejercito.

The senator vowed to scrutinize how the LTO spends the collection of payment from the public.

Ejercito also noted that the delay could have been prevented had the plates been manufactured in the country.

“If the license plates can be manufactured in the country, why don’t they just do it here? We can also generate employment for our people,” he said.

He promised to find out whether the law needed to be amended to match the realities of the present situation.

De Lima hits out at Duterte-DDS link

Year of soils.Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala (left) and Senator Cynthia Villar

take turns answering questions from the media during the press conference to mark the Philippine Observance of the International Year of Soils. MANNY PALMERO

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

By Rey E. Requejo

PRESIDENTIAL aspirant and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte may be held liable for confessing he has links to the Davao Death Squad, which was facing investigation for its extrajudicial activities.

Justice Secretary Leila De Lima criticized Duterte for his admission, saying it is “simply unacceptable” because it would send a wrong signal to the international human rights community.

“Killing is killing, and therefore if he admitted that he is responsible

for these killings, then he must be criminally liable,” De Lima said, in an interview.

“Those statements of his at the very least are annoying and definitely disturbing. I mean, what kind of statements are those - a public servant, one who is very popular right now like Mayor Duterte and idolized by many, making those statements?” she added.

“If we would agree with such view, international organizations like Human Rights Watch will mock us. Some of us are happy and they idolize

Mayor Duterte. But is that right? It’s not right,” the Justice Secretary said.

Because of this, De Lima revealed that the National Bureau of Investigation is currently conducting an investigation into the Davao death squad after a witness surfaced.

She said the NBI probe has been ongoing for months so it has nothing to do with Duterte being a popular candidate for next year’s presidential election.

De Lima declined to further elaborate when asked if the witness implicated Mayor Duterte to the DDS.

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Veloso kin reject recruiters’ defense

By Rey E. Requejo

THE camp of Mary Jane Veloso has rejected the defense of her alleged recruiters although they cleared her of involvement in drug trafficking.

In a reply filed with the Department of Justice on Monday, the parents and sister of Mary Jane still pressed for the filing of criminal charges -- illegal recruitment, human trafficking and swindling – against her alleged recruiters Maria Cristina Sergio and live-in partner Julius Lacanilao.

The Velosos urged Asst. State Prosecutor Susan Azarcon to reject the counter-affidavits of the Sergio and Lacanilao and recommend the filing of the cases in court.

“It is undeniable that the version of Sergio and Lacanilao was tailor-made to fit their claim of innocence. Apart from saying Mary Jane is innocent at that Maria Cristina and Mary Jane went to Malaysia together, the rest of their statements were a clear attempt to clear them of charges but were far from truth,” the reply-affidavits said.

The Veloso family cited for instance the claim of Sergio and Lacanilao that they just helped Mary Jane find job abroad by lending her money for her expenses.

“How could they lend (money to) Mary Jane if their source of income is unknown even in their town?

Even Sergio’s claim that she was a consultant with Century Properties was denied by the firm in a certification last May 6 by their lawyer Elvis Uy,” they said.

“Sergio was correct in admitting that Mary Jane is innocent and had no idea she was carrying illegal drugs to Indonesia. But it does not mean that Sergio and Lacanilao have no liability under the law for the ordeal of Mary Jane,” the complainants said.

In her affidavit, Sergio said Veloso fell prey to two “dark skinned, curly-haired men” she identified as Ike and John while they were in Malaysia in April 2010 to look for job.

She believes that Veloso was a victim who “was taken advantage of because she didn’t know any better, was in dire need of a job, and because of her tendency to trust people, even strangers.”

“I fully believe that Mary Jane Veloso is innocent in the case lodged against her for smuggling illegal drugs from Malaysia to Indonesia, which led to her death sentence in Indonesia,” Sergio stressed.

“I believe Mary Jane did not know that she would be asked to bring a suitcase instead of hand-carry luggage by the dark-skinned man and that she did not know that she was made to bring illegal drugs,” she said.

In BrIef Diesel down, gasoline up Chevron Philippines and PTT Philippines raised gasoline prices by P0.50 per liter but cut the price of diesel and kerosene

by P0.50 per liter starting today (May 26).

Other oil firms are expected to follow suit but have not made announcements as of presstime.

World oil prices declined on Friday last week due to the strengthening of the dollar and drilling slowdown in the US. Traders also took into consideration that continuing oversupply in the world crude market which could result to continued lower oil prices.

Last May 19, most of the oil companies implemented an increase of P0.35 per liter for gasoline and P0.15 per liter for diesel.

Alena Mae S. Flores

Makati names 5 special moms MAKATI City Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay on Monday announced this year’s Five Outstanding Mothers of the city for their contribution to the community.

The awardees are Flora Custodio of Barangay Pitogo, Criselda Rebenque of Barangay Bangkal, Narcisa Reynaldo of Barangay Pio del Pilar, Corazon Sanchez of Barangay West Rembo, and Ma. Lourdes Lilia Sison of San Lorenzo Village.

They received a plaque of recognition, a bouquet and a cash prize of P20,000 each. On the other hand, the nominees received a bouquet and a certificate of appreciation from the city government. Joel E. Zurbano

Taguig revisits disaster plan Pressing need. Workers belonging to the ill-starred Kentex Manufacturing Corp. troop to the Social Security System’s national office in Quezon City to press for immediate assistance to the families of victims and survivors of the Kentex factory fire. MANNY PALMERO

QC judge opts out of Harbour Center feud

By Rio N. Araja

Sister cities. Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan (left) and South Korea’s Incheon Metropolitan City Mayor Heung-Su Lee sign an agreement establishing sisterhood relations between Caloocan and Incheon. JUN DAVID

A QUEZON City judge on Monday inhibited himself from handling the nullification case filed by businessman Reghis Romero II against his son and rival claimant, Michael Romero.

Branch 97 Judge Bernelito Fernandez directed his staff to forward the civil suit of declaration of nullity of deeds of assignment, injunction and other reliefs with prayer for issuance of a temporary restraining order and/or writ of preliminary injunction filed by the older Romero to the Office of the Clerk of Court for a re-raffle.

“The Presiding Judge must maintain and preserve the trust and faith of the parties-litigants. He must hold himself above reproach and suspicion. At the very first sign of lack of faith and trust in his action, whether well-grounded

or not, the judge has no other alternative but to inhibit himself from the case. The better course for the judge under the circumstances is to disqualify himself,” his ruling read.

“That way, he avoids being misunderstood; his reputation for probity and objectivity is preserved [Konrad and Conrado Rubin vs. Judge Evelyn Corpus-Cabochan OCA I.P.I. No. 11-3589 RTC July 29, 2013].”

According to Fernandez, Michael Romero’s doubts were “nothing but his own creation.”

He denied having any interest in the instant case, saying that he “has acted only in accordance with the merits of the same.”

Four days ago, the camp of Michael Romero urged Fernandez to stay away from hearing the Harbour Port Terminal ownership dispute where he is pitted against his father.

THE city government of Taguig is preparing a revised contingency plan following reports that 12 areas in the city were identified as earthquake-vulnerable sites.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology identified Taguig as one of the cities in Metro Manila to be severely affected by a massive quake if the Valley Fault System (VFS) moves.

The agency warned the public of a massive quake if the Valley Fault System moves.

The system is comprised of the 10-kilometer East Valley Fault in Rizal, and the 100-kilometer West Valley Fault, which passes through six Metro Manila cities and parts of the Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal provinces.

According to the VFS, areas in Taguig that are situated over the West Valley Fault include Bagumbayan, Bagong Tanyag, Upper Bicutan, Central Bicutan, Lower Bicutan, Maharlika Village, Pinagsama, North Signal Village, Central Signal Village, South Signal Village, Ususan and South Daang Hari.

The West Valley fault also passes through Quezon City, Marikina, Pasig, Makati and Muntinlupa. Joel E. Zurbano

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Blackouts plague Presidential hopefuls, v. 2016 Mindoro provinces spECiAl REpoRt

sECond of two pARts

By Macon Ramos Araneta Concluded from Monday Many believed it was the “FPJ magic” that worked for her and not her brief stint as chairman of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board. She was totally unknown when thrust into the political arena, having spent her most of her life in the United States.

Binay has said that the Philippines cannot afford an “inexperienced” leader, saying the next President should have experience and competence. He came out with the warning a few days after the meeting between aquino met Poe. Observers interpreted the remark as a “swipe” at the inexperienced Poe. Poe however insisted that “honesty” and “quality service” were more important.

For Marcos, the only son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and Ilocos norte Rep. Imelda Marcos, the presidency is a matter of destiny.

But he is often lumped together with the “undecided presidentiables” and has been consistently called upon to declare his intentions.

Marcos said the only thing clear and definite is that he would run in the coming elections. He is eligible to seek another six years as senator. as chairman of the Senate local government committee, he is now focused on studying and reviewing the Bangsamoro Basic Law, a priority bill of the Palace intended to help bring lasting peace in the Muslim Mindanao region.

“Many have been saying that I should run for President. I listen to all of them. I’m happy for their strong support. So we will thoroughly study everything,” he said recently. although he shares his mother’s dream that he become president, Marcos said there are many considerations. The nacionalista Party senator has been involved in local and national governance for over two decades, starting as vice governor of Ilocos norte at the age of 23.

On the recent remark of President aquino that he (Marcos) would never become President, the senator simply said: “that’s his opinion.”

Just like Lacson and Marcos, Escudero says he will become President if it is his destiny. “no matter how you prepare for it, if it is not meant for you, you will not be President,” Escudero said.

Escudero said he still does not have any decision for May 2016 since it is still far away. He has no plan to rush whatever plans he may make.

On a “Chiz-Grace” or “Grace-Chiz” ticket, Escudero said there are no such talks yet with Poe, who is his supposed best friend in the Senate.

Duterte, who has been known for his tough stance on criminals, had once said he would shoot anybody who would dare day he would run for President. He has shrugged off calls for him to try his luck and seek the country’s highest elective post.

But the Davao city executive has been on a “listening tour,” giving speeches and issuing controversial statements, the latest of which discussed his plans on “killing of all criminals.”

Due to the timing of these statements, including his latest challenge for members of the international group Human Rights Watch to do drugs in his city so he can personally kill them, many believe he is eyeing the presidency. But he has consistently denied this. “no, I am not running for President. I never categorically said I was running for President,” said Duterte. as for his going around the nation, Duterte said he is merely pushing his advocacy for a federal form of government. He believes adopting federalism would hasten development in the countryside. Federalism, he said, can also end the many years of armed conflict in Mindanao with the expected rejection of BBL. Duterte also noted that he has no money to bankroll a presidential campaign —and that begging for money is not his style.

By Robert A. Evora

SAN JOSE, Occidental Mindoro—Residents and business owners of the two Mindoro provinces have asked their government leaders to act on the power shortages sweeping this island for several months now.

This developed as an estimated 5,000 electric consumers from several municipalities of Occidental Mindoro signed a petition addressed to Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla to “investigate the almost two decades of six-to-12-hour blackouts in Occidental Mindoro.”

The power problem peaked Thursday, May 21, when a 16-hour black-out hit Sablayan municipality and its adjoining towns. Sablayan is the center of agricultural—rice, corn and

fishery—production in this province.

On May 13, a 10-hour outage swept through Mamburao and other adjoining towns.

In Oriental Mindoro, power outages are also being experienced by residents and operators of business establishments.

They also complained of three-to-eight hour blackouts in its 15 municipalities, including Calapan City and Puerto Galera, a major resort town.

Congressman Reynaldo

V. Umali, chairman of the House committee on energy, resides in the province.

The petitioners also called on the Department of Energy official to “end the culture of impunity that prevents residents from gaining access to stable, renewable and affordable electricity.”

Lawyer Patti Miranda, one of the convenors of the social movement, “100% BrownOut Free Occidental Mindoro (100% BFOM),” said the “16-hour power outage in Sablayan does not occur regularly or daily. It really fluctuates, in april, sevento-14 hours ang brown-out.” aside from government inaction, the petition also stressed that the worsening power problem is aggravated “by long legal battles between Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Omeco) and Island Power

Corporation (IPC),” an independent power producer, who cornered a 25-year exclusivity contract with Omeco.

“Our electric cooperative is hogtied by litigation, the reason why the economic growth is paralyzed by the 17-year power crisis,” the BFOM said.

“We and thousands of Mindoreños refuse to kowtow any longer and accept that blackouts are a way of life while we wait for the protracted litigation to end,” the 100% BFOM petition stressed.

They said that “the 17 years of daily brownouts is economically devastating, demoralizing, and a violation of our human right to access to electricity. Occidental Mindoro’s power crisis needs an urgent resolution.”

Cooperatives Congress. The president of Al-Rahman Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative from Barangay Monangkaling, Mamasapano in Maguindanao shows the organic rice produced by his cooperative to ARMM Executive Secretary Laisa Alamia (center) during the 1st ARMM Successful Cooperatives Congress. The CDA-ARMM registered around 4, 600 cooperatives from 2010-2014, making the ARMM the region with the highest number of cooperatives in the country. OMAR MANGORSI

Olongapo mayor faces graft suit over ‘Calvary’ OLOnGaPO City Mayor Rolen Paulino, four officials of the local government and a female pastor are facing charges of violation of Republic act 3019 for allegedly mediating and facilitating the sale and transfer of government land intended for institutional use. a city councilor, Eduardo Piano, filed the administrative and criminal complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman, saying that the 894-square meter property on which Calvary Church -- a spiritual “service center” used by many religious groups since the time of the americans -- used to stand was transferred “in favor of a private

person for monetary consideration, to the prejudice, gross disadvantage and undue injury to the government.” according to Piano’s affidavit, Paulino’s involvement in the dubious transfer was revealed through an exchange of private messages made public on the social media account of the city council by a disgruntled middleman who claims she did not get her fair share of the deal.

Charged along with Paulino in the March 17 complaint were Tony Kar “TK” Balde III, coordinator city planning and development office; Marife Castillo, officer-in-charge,

City Environment and natural Resources Office; napoleon Geraldino and Pabliito archupa, Special Investigator and Management Inspector of the DEnR; as well as one Monique aquino. aquino claimed she had been occupying said property since October 2014 and that she was issued a certification by Mayor Paulino that the property, which should have institutional use as stipulated in the zoning ordinance, may be used for residential purposes.

The Olongapo city officials included in the complaint all facilitated the reclassification of the property from institutional to residential use.

T u E S D AY : M AY 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

A8

opinion

ADELLE chuA eDitor

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

opinion

eagle eYes DeaN toNY la ViÑa

The holy SpiriT and BleSSed romero

[ EDI TORI A L ]

New thiNgs to learN IN a few days, millions of elementary and high school students from public and private schools will end their summer break and begin a new school year.

There is a certain familiarity in all this. It’s the kind of event that children get excited about – a time when most of them reunite with old friends and get new things. Their parents try their best to prepare for this time of the year and anticipate the extraordinary expenses that go with it. more than the familiarity, however, is a sense of frustration. School opening predictably comes around, but the issue of preparedness has always followed it closely behind. We always hear about the lack of classrooms and teachers, with the gap made wider by the frequent disasters that visit various parts of the country, turning school buildings into evacuation centers if not damaging them altogether. The private sector and development agencies are doing their best to pitch in, but the work seems uneven, at best.

While there are some areas that can claim preparedness and even improvement, there are other places that are sorely lacking in both facilities and manpower, or even the capability to maintain schools so that they would be the places of learning and development they ideally are. Good thing there is Brigada eskwela, or the pre-school opening cleanup by volunteer students, parents, and other members of the community – if not for this, the schools would be in worse shape.

This year, too, the first batch of students covered by the K to 12 program will enter tenth grade, leaving the government a year to ensure that it could cope with the daunting demands of the two extra years the children would stay in school. As in the most basic requirements for school opening, the level of preparedness for K to 12 is also disparate. Some institutions are able and in fact looking forward to test their compliance with the new scheme.

Others are not as eager.

The protests continue, but the objectionable part is not the why – most of us see the need for the two extra years, and the benefits that they would bring – but the how. How, indeed, can government assure every household with students that the extension would be worthwhile, in terms of quality, instead of just a waste of time? Is there a better way to plan and manage this transition?

It’s that time of the year again, when our youth go back to their place of enlightenment and sharpen their tools. We could only wish the ones managing the education system, both nationally and locally, have learned a thing or two.

What’s he smoking? lowDowN jojo a. robles SOmetImeS, I really wonder if President Noynoy Aquino is just smoking regular, storebought cigarettes. Because if there’s something more than nicotine in those marlboros he’s always lighting up, I think the people should have some of that, too, if only to share their President’s boundless optimism.

How else shall I explain Aquino’s assertion yesterday, even as the main metro Rail transit line bogged down once again, stranding tens of thousands of people, that the Philippines is now on stream to hit First World status? maybe Aquino can explain this assertion to those commuters, who were definitely suffering from third World blues: “If the seeds we planted are watered, perhaps we shall finally reach First World status,” he said in

his speech at the marikina elementary School. “It’s so nice to dream of this, especially since we know we can achieve this if we continue striving, contributing and ensuring proper governance in our country.”

If Aquino gave the same speech that he delivered at about the same time to the people desperately – and fruitlessly – trying to catch rides on the stalled mRt, there won’t be enough members of the Presidential Security Group who will be

A9

whatever it is, i’d like to have some of that, so i can join aquino in dreaming his nifty dreams of First worldliness.

able to keep them from tearing him apart, limb from limb. And I’m willing to bet anything that those people would trade proper governance (whatever Aquino meant when he said that) for a proper train ride, similar to the ones they used to have when they “suffered” from bad governance.

Because good governance should translate to good service to the citizenry. And when you can’t even make the trains run on time or at all, I don’t think you have any right to promise First World status to anyone.

Of course, in a real First

World country like Japan, which takes its rail service very seriously, the people in charge of the trains would have committed suicide a long time ago, if they had been put in charge of the Philippines’ miserable train service. In just a span of two weeks, after all, these “accidents” happened to our brokendown train service: A Philippine National Railways train fell on its side, injuring dozens, because no one thought to

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-

inspect the rails before running a train on them. then, just last weekend, two trains of the Light Rail transit collided, something that they never should do.

And let’s not count the number of times the most breakdownprone line of all, the eDSA mRt, has stalled or stopped its service on a regular basis for years now, since good governance was practically invented by this administration. And yes, all these things

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

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PPI

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are unimaginable in a First World country, or even one not even gunning for that goal, like the Philippines was before Aquino became President.

And so I repeat my demand to know what Aquino is really smoking. Because, whatever it is, I’d like to have some of that, so I can join Aquino in dreaming his nifty dreams of First Worldliness.

Wow, man. First World is way cool.

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

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

tHeRe is an old story about St. Augustine who one day was walking along the beach contemplating the mystery of the trinity. then he saw a boy in front of him who had dug a hole in the sand and was going out to the sea again and again and bringing some water to pour into the hole. St. Augustine asked him, “What are you doing?” “I’m going to pour the entire ocean into this hole.” “that is impossible, the whole ocean will not fit in the hole you have made,” said St. Augustine. the boy replied, “And you cannot fit the trinity in your tiny little brain.” the story concludes by saying that the boy vanished because St. Augustine had been talking to an angel.

Indeed, like most of us, St. Augustine struggled to understand the mystery of the trinity. this is because, among the three persons of the triune God, the Holy Spirit is, in spite of its many names (32 according to one book), the least understood.

St. Augustine tells us that the Holy Spirit transforms. the first disciples of Christ, confused and fearful after the passion and death of their master, assumed a different persona and fearlessly proclaimed the message of God. the Holy Spirit showers its gifts to those who respond positively to the call to mission, motivated not by ambition or love of self, but the desire to do God’s will.

I was reminded of this transforming character of the Holy Spirit this last Pentecost Sunday, when meditating on the presence of the Holy Spirit throughout human history, I could not help but be moved by the wonderful event that was unfolding in San Salvador, el Salvador, i.e. the beatification last Saturday of Archbishop Oscar Romero.

I first heard the name of Blessed Romero of America on the day I graduated from Ateneo de manila on march 28, 1980. the late Cardinal Jaime Sin was our commencement speaker and he used that occasion to signal a readiness to confront the marcos regime, veering away from the much-criticized “critical collaboration” approach he was known for up to that point. In the middle of the good cardinal’s speech, he diverted from his prepared text, became emotional, and condemned the assassination of Archbishop Romero, which happened only a few days earlier, on march 24.

Archbishop Romero was killed while saying mass, in fact just before consecration, the most solemn part of the eucharist. As the Catholic Herald puts it: “that he should die as he was about to offer the Sacrifice of the mass only served to throw into relief the example of a truly holy man who had taken Continued on A11 Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco-Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

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

T u E S D AY : M AY 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

A8

opinion

ADELLE chuA eDitor

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

opinion

eagle eYes DeaN toNY la ViÑa

The holy SpiriT and BleSSed romero

[ EDI TORI A L ]

New thiNgs to learN IN a few days, millions of elementary and high school students from public and private schools will end their summer break and begin a new school year.

There is a certain familiarity in all this. It’s the kind of event that children get excited about – a time when most of them reunite with old friends and get new things. Their parents try their best to prepare for this time of the year and anticipate the extraordinary expenses that go with it. more than the familiarity, however, is a sense of frustration. School opening predictably comes around, but the issue of preparedness has always followed it closely behind. We always hear about the lack of classrooms and teachers, with the gap made wider by the frequent disasters that visit various parts of the country, turning school buildings into evacuation centers if not damaging them altogether. The private sector and development agencies are doing their best to pitch in, but the work seems uneven, at best.

While there are some areas that can claim preparedness and even improvement, there are other places that are sorely lacking in both facilities and manpower, or even the capability to maintain schools so that they would be the places of learning and development they ideally are. Good thing there is Brigada eskwela, or the pre-school opening cleanup by volunteer students, parents, and other members of the community – if not for this, the schools would be in worse shape.

This year, too, the first batch of students covered by the K to 12 program will enter tenth grade, leaving the government a year to ensure that it could cope with the daunting demands of the two extra years the children would stay in school. As in the most basic requirements for school opening, the level of preparedness for K to 12 is also disparate. Some institutions are able and in fact looking forward to test their compliance with the new scheme.

Others are not as eager.

The protests continue, but the objectionable part is not the why – most of us see the need for the two extra years, and the benefits that they would bring – but the how. How, indeed, can government assure every household with students that the extension would be worthwhile, in terms of quality, instead of just a waste of time? Is there a better way to plan and manage this transition?

It’s that time of the year again, when our youth go back to their place of enlightenment and sharpen their tools. We could only wish the ones managing the education system, both nationally and locally, have learned a thing or two.

What’s he smoking? lowDowN jojo a. robles SOmetImeS, I really wonder if President Noynoy Aquino is just smoking regular, storebought cigarettes. Because if there’s something more than nicotine in those marlboros he’s always lighting up, I think the people should have some of that, too, if only to share their President’s boundless optimism.

How else shall I explain Aquino’s assertion yesterday, even as the main metro Rail transit line bogged down once again, stranding tens of thousands of people, that the Philippines is now on stream to hit First World status? maybe Aquino can explain this assertion to those commuters, who were definitely suffering from third World blues: “If the seeds we planted are watered, perhaps we shall finally reach First World status,” he said in

his speech at the marikina elementary School. “It’s so nice to dream of this, especially since we know we can achieve this if we continue striving, contributing and ensuring proper governance in our country.”

If Aquino gave the same speech that he delivered at about the same time to the people desperately – and fruitlessly – trying to catch rides on the stalled mRt, there won’t be enough members of the Presidential Security Group who will be

A9

whatever it is, i’d like to have some of that, so i can join aquino in dreaming his nifty dreams of First worldliness.

able to keep them from tearing him apart, limb from limb. And I’m willing to bet anything that those people would trade proper governance (whatever Aquino meant when he said that) for a proper train ride, similar to the ones they used to have when they “suffered” from bad governance.

Because good governance should translate to good service to the citizenry. And when you can’t even make the trains run on time or at all, I don’t think you have any right to promise First World status to anyone.

Of course, in a real First

World country like Japan, which takes its rail service very seriously, the people in charge of the trains would have committed suicide a long time ago, if they had been put in charge of the Philippines’ miserable train service. In just a span of two weeks, after all, these “accidents” happened to our brokendown train service: A Philippine National Railways train fell on its side, injuring dozens, because no one thought to

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-

inspect the rails before running a train on them. then, just last weekend, two trains of the Light Rail transit collided, something that they never should do.

And let’s not count the number of times the most breakdownprone line of all, the eDSA mRt, has stalled or stopped its service on a regular basis for years now, since good governance was practically invented by this administration. And yes, all these things

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

CYaN MageNta Yellow blaCK

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

are unimaginable in a First World country, or even one not even gunning for that goal, like the Philippines was before Aquino became President.

And so I repeat my demand to know what Aquino is really smoking. Because, whatever it is, I’d like to have some of that, so I can join Aquino in dreaming his nifty dreams of First Worldliness.

Wow, man. First World is way cool.

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

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

tHeRe is an old story about St. Augustine who one day was walking along the beach contemplating the mystery of the trinity. then he saw a boy in front of him who had dug a hole in the sand and was going out to the sea again and again and bringing some water to pour into the hole. St. Augustine asked him, “What are you doing?” “I’m going to pour the entire ocean into this hole.” “that is impossible, the whole ocean will not fit in the hole you have made,” said St. Augustine. the boy replied, “And you cannot fit the trinity in your tiny little brain.” the story concludes by saying that the boy vanished because St. Augustine had been talking to an angel.

Indeed, like most of us, St. Augustine struggled to understand the mystery of the trinity. this is because, among the three persons of the triune God, the Holy Spirit is, in spite of its many names (32 according to one book), the least understood.

St. Augustine tells us that the Holy Spirit transforms. the first disciples of Christ, confused and fearful after the passion and death of their master, assumed a different persona and fearlessly proclaimed the message of God. the Holy Spirit showers its gifts to those who respond positively to the call to mission, motivated not by ambition or love of self, but the desire to do God’s will.

I was reminded of this transforming character of the Holy Spirit this last Pentecost Sunday, when meditating on the presence of the Holy Spirit throughout human history, I could not help but be moved by the wonderful event that was unfolding in San Salvador, el Salvador, i.e. the beatification last Saturday of Archbishop Oscar Romero.

I first heard the name of Blessed Romero of America on the day I graduated from Ateneo de manila on march 28, 1980. the late Cardinal Jaime Sin was our commencement speaker and he used that occasion to signal a readiness to confront the marcos regime, veering away from the much-criticized “critical collaboration” approach he was known for up to that point. In the middle of the good cardinal’s speech, he diverted from his prepared text, became emotional, and condemned the assassination of Archbishop Romero, which happened only a few days earlier, on march 24.

Archbishop Romero was killed while saying mass, in fact just before consecration, the most solemn part of the eucharist. As the Catholic Herald puts it: “that he should die as he was about to offer the Sacrifice of the mass only served to throw into relief the example of a truly holy man who had taken Continued on A11 Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco-Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

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

T U E S D AY : m AY 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

A10

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

The rush To enacT BBL PEOPLE are wondering why President Aquino and his EMIl p. lackeys in Congress jURAdO are hell bent on passing the constitutionally flawed Bangsamoro Basic Law by June 11. The very fact that the President met with his lapdogs at the House of Representatives not only once, but twice, indicates that Malacanang wants the BBL enacted during his remaining year in office at all costs.

True to form, the majority of the House ad hoc panel tasked to get things done railroaded the BBL. The panel was led by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, who had earlier came out publicly against no less than eight provisions in the BBL he said were unconstitutional.

And lo and behold, the original version of the BBL that the President and his friends in the Moro Islamic Liberation Front was contained in the so-called “chairman’s draft” that Rodriguez and his cohorts rammed through the House panel. This version was an exact copy of the original BBL draft that the President, together with peace panel members Teresita Deles and Miriam Coronel Ferrer, and their cohorts in the MILF had agreed on.

The question is this: Will the Senate do as the Rodriguez panel did? Not at the rate some senators are talking about sticking to the major amendments of BBL! The approval of the BBL in the House plenary is almost a done deal. What happens in the Senate, however, bears watching. In many of the consultations done by Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as chairman of the committee on local government, the thinking was that aside from the need to do away with unconstitutional provisions, there were not enough consultations among the many sectors in Mindanao. Not a few claim that the BBL would make the MILF too powerful – and wealthy, besides.

It appears that the BBL is being rushed so that President Aquino, in his last State of the Nation Address, can claim that his greatest legacy is peace and development in Mindanao.

A head-on collision between the Senate and House on which version would prevail looms. Again, granted that the Senate finally approves the BBL, there’s still the combined Senate-House bicameral committee to reckon with to reconcile the different versions. That will take a lot of time – and the Sona is far too close.

Malacanang says that the critics of the BBL should just question the law before the Supreme Court. My gulay, why wait for the BBL to be questioned before the Supreme Court when we, taxpayers, are paying members of Congress to legislate laws that conform with the Constitution? That message of Malacanang can only come from idiots.

What is really sad about all these is that President Aquino seems bent on selling the whole country down the river. Peace, my foot! I’m willing to eat the paper where my column is printed if final peace is ever achieved in Mindanao, given that the President himself has only been talking with the MILF. *** Those in the know say that to win an election in the Philippines, one aspiring for the presidency must have P3 billion to P5 billion in his war chest. That’s why there is now a mad scramble to be the administration candidate.

That’s also why I pity Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, the Liberal Party’s presumptive presidential candidate. President Aquino seems willing to dump him for an alternative candidate like Senator Grace Poe. Just why Roxas is allowing himself to be treated this way makes us all think that Roxas is a wimp who does not have any self-respect.

TO THE pOINT

sLim pickings WHO is your bet for the presidenand we’re all being made to believe ARE WE cy in 2016? I have been asked this that they are not actively seeking THERE YET? the presidency although they have question quite a number of times in the last few weeks and my reaction on many occasions communicated BONG C. has been the same – I don’t know their interest in being considered.

AUSTERO yet; it depends on who is running.

There seems to be some wisdom in It’s a copout response, though. The truth is that keeping one’s cards close to the chest; for as long no one from among those who have signified their as one has not declared his candidacy, one is still intent to run for president, or who have commu- spared from direct and vicious attacks - look at nicated their willingness or desire to be consid- what happened to Binay. But still, it would be ered as candidate, has caught my interest. To be very helpful to get a glimpse of what the two really honest, there have been many occasions in the last stand for outside of the motherhood statements few months when I felt like putting my hands up about how they would be in a position to perpetuin the air in exasperation. Seriously, folks, isn’t ate the legacy of the Aquino administration. Rethere anyone else more deserving of our trust and gardless of how highly the Aquino cabinet regards confidence that can lead this country forward? I itself, people do want candidates who are able to know. There are people that seem perfect for the stand up on their own feet. role – the likes of Gibo Teodoro and Tony Meloto I am not sure the others who are offering themand even Serge Osmena - but they do not seem selves as possible candidates deserve serious coninterested in becoming president, and I cannot sideration, particularly those that have resorted blame them. Becoming president of this country to premature campaigning. The backlash that is like setting one’s self up for self-annihilation; the TV ads have generated in social media should we have not had a president in the last 60 years be more than enough reason to have them pulled who did not end up being vilified, demonized, or out. Instead of endearing them to the electorate, jailed. But then again, that has not seemingly dis- people are now openly asking where the money couraged certain people from keeping a moist eye that is being used for the ads come from and how on the highest post in the land. these politicians intend to recoup their campaign The presumed frontrunner, Vice President Je- expenses. For me, the problem is not just that jomar Binay, is supposed to be someone whose the ads are premature but that they represent the heart is in the right place. I have met many peo- political version of the Dance of the Seven Veils ple who root for Binay on the strength of first- – they tease and seduce in an almost scandalous hand experiences with the man, citing various way but don’t really reveal anything worth considincidences where they were at the receiving end ering. The ads are an exercise in shameless selfof personal attention or service. I have personally promotion, nothing more. held office in the same building and floor with BiIt does seem as if we are being conditioned to nay and I can also attest that he is someone who settle for the lesser evil, to accept a compromise. is approachable, and with a touch for the common The technical definition of a compromise is that tao. However, it is just so darned difficult to ig- it’s a situation where nobody wins – both parties nore the mountains of accusations that have sur- lose. It’s either we settle for someone with experifaced against him, and they are getting more and ence, but who is corrupt, or go for someone who is more scandalous each week. It is tempting to dis- a political rookie with very little actual experience miss the accusations as politically motivated, but in governance but who is supposed to be clean.

I firmly believe that the post of president of the Or we can pick a trusted lieutenant who has pocountry is first and foremost a position of cred- litical experience, but is, for all intents and puribility. Binay needs to clear his name first before poses a wimp who has not been able to prove his he can be presumed to lead this country effec- leadership and management skills despite many tively. It is almost difficult to imagine how Binay opportunities. Or we can pick someone who has can command moral authority over the whole bu- political will renowned for his no-nonsense apreaucracy when he has all these unresolved cases proach to getting things done in the city where of graft and corruption haunting him. We’re not he has been mayor for decades, but whose human even talking yet about the possibility of the presi- rights record and tolerance for diversity is dismal. dency precisely being sought as a tool for vindiThe question that no one seems to be asking is: cation and redemption; such a scenario would be Why do we have to settle for this very short list? disastrous for everyone.

Someone has said this before but I am going to The putative candidates of the administration repeat it just the same. It is inconceivable that in are Senator Grace Poe and Local Government a country brimming with talent and real leaders, Secretary Mar Roxas. Both have been playing coy, our choices have become almost zero.

A president like President Aquino is likely to do anything to have his candidate win at all costs.

The opposition candidate would largely depend on contributions from the usual sources—taipans, business conglomerates, friends.

But, Santa Banana, these sources are “seguristas,” contributing not only to one presidential candidate, but two or three who they think can win.

Most of all, the bulk of Filipino voters, mostly from the provinces and rural areas, must perceive a candidate as one whom they can rely on in times of need. The poor, who constitute bulk of the electorate, have one thing in mind when they cast their votes—what’s in it

I’m willing to eat the paper where my column is printed if final peace is ever achieved in Mindanao.

for me and my family? Will this candidate improve my life?

That’s why there’s so much corruption. Businessmen and individuals cannot just contribute millions to a candidate without expecting anything in return.

Santa Banana, why do you think President Aquino is so beholden to the businessmen along Ayala Avenue?

If there’s so much corruption in our midst, it’s all because of our political system where only the rich and the elite are elected.

If you do not have funds, forget running for public office, national or local. Even popularity is not an assurance of winning.

T u e S d aY : m aY 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

adelle chua EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA As approved by the House of Representatives at the committee level last week, the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) calls for its ratification in a regional plebiscite exclusive to areas in Mindanao with a pronounced Muslim voting population. Why? The House relied on section 18, Article X of the Constitution, which governs autonomous regions in the country – “the creation of the autonomous region shall be effective when approved by majority of the votes cast by the constituent units in a plebiscite called for the purpose, provided that only provinces, cities, and geographic areas voting favorably in such plebiscite shall be included in the autonomous region.”

A careful scrutiny of section 18 and related provisions in Article X, however, reveals that a nationwide plebiscite is not out of the question.

First, although section 18 mentions “constituent units” which suggests a regional plebiscite, section 18 does not prohibit a nationwide plebiscite.

If section 18 intended to disallow a nationwide plebiscite, then it should have used the prohibitory language found in other sections of Article X, particularly sections 8 and 10, or the limiting language employed in section 11 also of Article X. The absence in section 18 of any prohibition against a nationwide plebiscite suggests that a regional plebiscite is merely a minimum requirement. second, disallowing popular participation in an election is the exception, not the general rule. An example is seen in

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THE SENATE MAY LAWFULLY REQUIRE A NATIONWIDE PLEBISCITE ON THE BBL section 12, Article X which states that if a charter of a city does not expressly prohibit its registered voters from voting for elective provincial officials, then such voters cannot be deprived of their right to participate in the provincial elections.

Back in 1990, the supreme Court found no substantial difference between participation in an election and participation in a plebiscite.

Third, section 1, Article II of the Constitution provides that “the Philippines is a democratic state” and “sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them.” Taken together, these provisions mean that the ratification of an extra-ordinary law with far-reaching national consequences (like the BBL) by the entire Filipino people is more in accord with democracy and popular sovereignty than its approval by a mere segment of the population.

Fourth, the extra-ordinarily huge annual budget the BBL will allocate to the Bangsamoro territory means a cor responding reduction in what will be left for Luzon, the Visayas, and the nonMuslim areas in Mindanao. since the BBL will reduce what the people of Luzon, the Visayas, and the non-Muslim areas in Mindanao will receive from the national budget, fairness demands that these people be allowed to participate in a nationwide plebiscite on the BBL. Fifth, President Benigno Aquino III repeatedly insists that everybody in the country has a stake in the BBL. Being so, limiting the plebiscite to only a few areas in Mindanao violates the equal protection clause of the Constitution,

*** One thing I can’t attribute to strange cigarettes – unless all government officials are now smoking them – is the lack of interest in new infrastructure projects. How ever can we hit First World status is the government can’t spend what it allocates – or even follow through with its approval of much-needed infrastructure projects that it won’t even pay for?

Take, for instance, the lack of urgency to speed up completion of the parallel expressways being built separately by san Miguel Corp. and the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. to connect the North Luzon Expressway and south Luzon Expressway. MPTC’s unsolicited proposal is to build a 13.4-kilometer expressway linking NLEX and sLEX next to the parallel skyway now being built by sMC through its consortium with the Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corp.

The sMC project is the skyway stage 3 of the sLEX, while MPTC’s portion involves the construction of the four-lane elevated expressway, originally via the Philippine National Railway tracks, with three exits to connect NLEX with sLEX. But both mega-expressways are now facing delays after the National Economic and Development Authority Board chaired by Aquino recently gave its go-ahead to the North to south Railway Project.

Public Works Undersecretary Rafael Yabut said the completion of the two connector roads will be delayed by the entry of the North and south railway projects, as both will have to be “reconfigured” with the planned rebuilding of the railway going to southern Luzon.

This is because the railroad tracks will run parallel to the connector road now being built by sMC and to the other one that MPTC offered in May 2010.

EEI Corp., announced last May 4 that it had been tapped by sMC to build sections 3 and 4 of its connector road, from Aurora Boulevard to Quezon Avenue and Quezon Avenue to Balintawak.

MPTC’s own Connector Road project has yet to take off as government agencies have taken years to decide on how to implement it.

But high-impact projects have to happen in the coming months for Malacañang to arrest the alarming decline of the President’s satisfaction ratings and enable him to dramatically improve them before he steps down on June 30 next year. But it looks like that’s not happening, man.

which means that people similarly situated should be similarly treated. sixth, the need for a nationwide plebiscite on the BBL was recognized by government peace negotiator Miriam Coronel Ferrer when she revealed that consultations on the BBL were held as far north as Ilocos. Even the so-called peace panel on the BBL headed by retired Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. had representatives from outside Muslim Mindanao. seventh, what is it about the MILF that entitles it to the extra-ordinary special treatment it enjoys from President Aquino and the House of Representatives? The Constitution only mentions autonomy in Muslim Mindanao, not extra-ordinary, unprecedented special treatment for a select few residing there.

Only a nationwide plebiscite on the BBL will make up for the unwarranted preferential treatment so far given by the government to the MILF. Eighth, leaders of the MILF and other supporters of the BBL contend that the BBL is the final chance of securing lasting peace in Muslim Mindanao, a peace that will be beneficial to every Filipino.

It that is so, there is greater reason to subject the BBL to a nationwide plebiscite, instead of a regional one. A nationwide plebiscite will let the Filipino people decide for themselves if the BBL is truly a final chance for peace in the south Ninth, a peace deal ratified by only a small percentage of the Filipino people cannot compare with one ratified in a nationwide plebiscite. For one, a peace

The holy.. From A9 Christ’s words, ‘This is my body which will be given up for you,’ directly into the essence of his own spiritual life.” Indeed, as the article describes it, ever since the brutal murder of his Jesuit friend Fr. Rutilio Grande three years earlier, Blessed Romero “had been on a course of spiraling confrontation with the murderous forces of political repression.” A pastor with a reputation of conservatism and compromise “came to an understanding through his rich prayer life that the demand of loyalty to the Gospel brooked no room for such concessions.”

Definitely, it was the Holy spirit at work with Archbishop Romero that gave him the courage to speak truth to power, even going to the extent of telling soldiers and police to defy their superiors and refuse orders to kill and oppress their fellow El salvadorians.

Most definitely, it is also the Holy spirit that moved the Catholic Church to recognize the sanctity of Blessed Romero.

Curiously, it took 35 years for Rome to acknowledge what the poor of El salvador knew in their hearts that very day of Romero’s assassination, that their country named for The savior had “a saint and martyr in their midst from that very moment.” But the spirit moves at its own pace and not according to human expec-

deal that bears the approval of the majority of the Filipino people cannot be easily ignored in the Philippines. For another, a peace deal approved by a minority group somewhere in the country will have a difficult time getting accepted by the rest of the nation.

Tenth, while it is possible that the BBL will not survive a nationwide plebiscite, and all the work that led to the BBL will be put to naught, these are not sufficient reasons to warrant a strict construction of section 18, Article X of the Constitution. In a democracy, the special interests of a few cannot prevail over the bigger, national interest. Therefore, as far as democracy and popular sovereignty are concerned, it is better for the government to err after a more extensive consultation with the entire Filipino people, than to err after a limited consultation done over an arbitrarily selected area in the country. Arbitrarily selected, because the decision of Congress as to which provinces and cities are to be included in or excluded from the coverage of the BBL is essentially the result of an arbitrary selection process.

In fine, a nationwide plebiscite on the BBL is not prohibited by the Constitution, and it is in accord with the principles of democracy and popular sovereignty enshrined in it. Evidently, the senate committee on the BBL headed by senator Marcos should reject the BBL outright, or in the worst case scenario, let the Filipino people as a whole and in their sovereign capacity decide the fate of the BBL by calling for a nationwide plebiscite in lieu of a regional one.

tation and demand.

And yes, it is the Holy spirit who guided the Church to a new understanding of what is Christian martyrdom. According to Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the postulator or main proponent of Romero’s cause, Pope Francis “confirmed the acceptance of a new understanding that martyrs can be killed, even by churchgoing Catholics, out of hatred for their Gospel-inspired work in favor of the poor and disenfranchised.” Paglia explained: “If in the past the term ‘in odium fidei’ was strictly linked to the faith ... today it is filled with the great themes of charity, justice and peace.”

Pope Francis’ letter sent to the current Archbishop of san salvador on the day Blessed Romero was beatified says it all: “In that beautiful Central American land, bathed by the Pacific Ocean, the Lord granted his Church a zealous Bishop who, loving God and serving the brothers and sisters, converted into an image of Christ the Good shepherd. In times of difficult coexistence, Archbishop Romero knew how to lead, defend and protect his flock, remaining faithful to the Gospel and in communion with the whole Church. His ministry was distinguished by a particular attention to the most poor and marginalized. And in the moment of his death, while he celebrated the Holy sacrifice of love

and reconciliation, he received the grace to identify himself fully with He who gave his life for his sheep. On this feast day for the salvadoran nation, and also for neighboring Latin American countries, we give thanks to God because he granted the martyred Bishop, the ability to see and hear the suffering of his people, and molded his heart so that, in His name, he could direct them and illuminate them, even making of his work a full exercise of Christian charity.

The voice of the newly Blessed continues to resonate today to remind us that the Church, a convocation of brothers surrounding their Lord, is the family of God, in which there should be no division. Faith in Jesus Christ, when understood well and its final consequences assumed, generates communities of that are builders of peace and solidarity. This is what the Church in El salvador is called to today, in America and in the whole world: to be rich in mercy and to convert into the leaven of reconciliation for society.”

In the life and death of Blessed Romero of America and in how the Catholic Church came to recognize his martyrdom, one can only exclaim how mysterious yet profoundly beautiful the work of the Holy spirit. Don’t you think so?

Facebook page: deantonylavs Twitter: tonylavs

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Sharapova, Murray start bids PARIS—Defending champion Maria Sharapova and men’s third seed Andy Murray get their French Open campaigns underway on Monday.

Life won’t be the same for Korean WENTWORTH-South Korea’s Byeong-hun An said his life will never be the same again after he turned the European PGA Championship into a procession winning the prestigious event by six shots at Wentworth on Sunday.

Twenty-three-year old An carded a final round 65 to finish on a tournament record mark of 267, 21-under par, beating the 19-under winning scores recorded by Scott Drummond in 2004 and Anders Hansen in 2002.

An pocketed a winning prize of 833,333 euros for the best performance of his career in his 31st event on the European Tour.

An gets a three-year exemption on the European Tour as well as the massive prize money pot and will shoot up the world rankings from 132nd place.

“I never thought I would win this event,” An told reporters.

“It’s going to be life changing. It’s the biggest event on The European Tour and you get a lot of benefits.

This has got me into a lot of events.

I’m just over the moon right now.”

On a memorable day for Asian golf Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee finished in a tie for second on 273 alongside Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez and two shots clear of England’s Chris Wood who had a hole-in-one on his way to a 66.

Italy’s Francesco Molinari, who was tied for the lead with An overnight, faded to a closing 74 and fifth after leading for the first three days.

In Fort Worth, American Chris Kirk held his nerve to capture his fourth career US PGA title on Sunday, firing a four-under-par 66 to win the Crowne Plaza Invitational by one stroke. Kirk finished on 12-under 268 to win the $1.17 million top prize from a $6.5-million purse with Jordan Spieth, the second-ranked reigning Masters champion, sharing second with fellow Americans Jason Bohn and Brandt Snedeker on 269. AFP

Russia’s Maria Sharapova takes part in a training session during the 2015 French Tennis Open in Paris. Inset shows British tennis player Andy Murray and a trainer. AFP

Maradona blasts FIFA chief Blatt LONDON—Argentina legend Diego Maradona has attacked world football chief Sepp Blatter, calling the 79-year-old Swiss “a dictator” and claiming his bid for a fifth term as FIFA president is “an absurdity”.

Maradona’s scathing personal attack in The Daily Telegraph comes days before Blatter seeks an unprecedented fifth term at the helm of football’s governing body.

Blatter is in a two horse race to continue in the post he assumed in 1998 - the only other candidate being Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan after Luis Figo and Michael van Praag pulled out last week.

Blatter has been widely criticised during his reign and Maradona is aghast that he is the overwhelming favourite to retain his position.

The 1986 World Cup winner told The Telegraph: “Under Sepp Blatter, Fifa has become a disgrace and a painful embarrassment to those of us who care about football deeply.

“While I find almost no one openly supporting Blatter, many think he will win a fifth term. Why? The whole notion of a fifth term is an absurdity in 2015.

“No one has argued that he is the best man for the job and deserves to win. AFP

Sharapova, second seed behind Serena Williams, tackles experienced Estonian Kaia Kanepi who was a quarter-finalist in 2012.

Despite a healthy 4-0 career record over the world number 49, Sharapova will not underestimate a player who she also defeated in Paris seven years ago.

“She’s played really well here at the French Open.

She’s capable of playing good tennis. She’s a big hitter and great server,” said the Russian star.

“It’s a tough start for me, but I don’t know when it’s ever really an easy one at a Grand Slam.”

British third seed Murray may be able to count on some Paris support as he is coached by former French world number one Amelie Mauresmo.

Murray comes into Roland Garros having picked up his first ever titles on clay this year in Munich and Madrid where he beat Rafael Nadal in the final.

His claycourt record this season reads 10-0.

Murray, twice a semi-finalist, tackles Argentine qualifier Facundo Arguello who reached the main draw as a lucky loser having lost in the final round of qualifying.

Ranked 139 with a career high of 104, the 22-yearold from Cordoba is a pupil of 2004 Roland Garros champion and former world number five Gaston Gaudio.

“It’s probably the best I have played on clay, for sure.

I mean, I never really felt particularly comfortable on the surface,” said Murray who has been drawn in the same section as nine-time champion Nadal and top seed Novak Djokovic.

“But winning tournaments and beating good players helps with the confidence. I just feel like I have an idea of what I’m doing on the court sometimes.

“In the past I have not really known what was happening on the court and felt like I was struggling with my movement.”

Meanwhile, Roger Federer blasted French Open organisers Sunday after a fan breached tight security and raced on to court to grab a ‘selfie’ with the Swiss great.

The 17-time Grand Slam winner had just completed a routine 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win over Colombia’s Alejandro Falla when he was shocked to see a young fan sprinting towards him on the showpiece Philippe Chatrier Court.

It was particularly embarrassing as security at this year’s French Open has been tightened following January’s deadly Islamist attack on Paris-based satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Although the male fan was quickly manhandled away, 33-year-old Federer was furious with the lapse in security, claiming he had also been targetted in practice on Saturday.

“I am not happy about it. It happened yesterday in the practice, too. It’s just a kid, but then three more kids came. And today on centre court where you would think this is a place where nobody can come on, just wanders on and nothing happens,” said Federer. AFP

Yabut Realty-A wins chessfest

By Arman D. Armero

Yakult 10-MILER winners. Cindy Lorenzo (third from left) and Kenyan Eluid Kering display their trophies after topping their respective events in Sunday’s Yakult 10-MILER run. They are shown with Yakult Phils. Inc. officials (from left) Michael Ong,Yakult Phils. Inc. Director; Mitzuo Taniguchi, Plant Manager; and Koji Kuroda, Plant Technical Manager.

MARK Yabut Realty-A scored a combined 19 points after seven rounds to emerge the solo champion team in the 1st Mayor Rolen C. Paulion Open Chess Team Tournament Sunday at the Harbor Point Mall in Subic Bay, Olongapo City.

The team, backstopped by International Master Joel Pimentel, Alfredo Rapanot, Kevin Marano and Christian Arroyo, outshone 35 other participating teams in the one-day event organized by the city government of Olongapo, led by co-organizers Joel Villanueva and Joel Vergara, to take home the lion’s share of P25,000 cash prize and a trophy.

Aside from contributing to the team’s victory, Rapanot and Marano topped the individual best titles in Board 2 and Board 3, respectively. Rapanot (6.5 points) won an additional P2,000 for his efforts, while Marano (6.5) won P1,000.

Reigning national champion Marie Joseph Turqueza of Team Baste, who finished with

seven points, was tops in Board 1 and won P2,000, while Michael Punzalan of Mark Yabut-B topped Board 4 (6 points) and won P1,000.

FS Design (Bandila Partylist), backstopped

by NM Roel Abelgas and veteran Rodolfo Panopio, grabbed second place and took home P12,000 plus a trophy, while Global College Dream Boys of NM Marc Christian Nazario placed third and won P8,000 and a trophy.

Other awardees in the tournament also backed by Harbor Point and Lyceum Subic Bay were National University High School team as the Best High School Team, San Sebastian College B as the Top College Team, and University of Santo Tomas as Top Women’s Team.

National Chess Federation of the Philippines director and Fide Arbiter Atty. Edmund Legaspi, a native of Olongapo City, formally opened the tournament by performing the ceremonial moves with GMs Oliver Barbosa, Darwin Laylo and IMs Paulo Bersamina, Ronald Dableo and Pimentel.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Philracom backs jockeys’ racefest

TO show its support for a major sector of the horseracing industry – the jockeys – the Philippine Racing Commission has added to its usual sponsorship for the 12th Jockeys’ Day racing festival to be held this weekend at Metroturf Racecourse in Malvar, Batangas.

Aˇccording to Philracom Chairman Andrew Sanchez, the Commission will increase to P900,000 from P750,000 its support for the two-day event that will benefit the New Philippine Jockeys Association, Inc.’s Disabled Jockeys Fund.

The NPJAI currently has 12 riders on its disabled list.

There will be four NPJAI-Philracom Cup races on Sunday, three with guaranteed prizes of P250,000 each, and one with a prize of P150,000.

“This is the ninth year in a row,” said Sanchez, “that the Commission has been supporting this worthy cause, and we assure the jockey community of our continued cooperation in their endeavors to benefit their injured and disabled members.”

The Commission, as a further show of solidarity, also approved the jockeys’ request to hold a charity footrace in between two regular races, also on Sunday.

The footrace is patterned after similar fundraising events in the United States, where jockeys, “declared” to run by sponsors who donate a certain amount, will run out of the starting gate like horses in a 100-meter dash to the finish line.

This will be the first time that such an event will be held in the country, and it is a much-anticipated by racing fans, who are also eager to meet and greet their favorite riders during the Jockeys’ Day weekend.

Children from Quezon City participated in a two-day street soccer training and tournament conducted by the Loyola Meralco Sparks Football Club and the Meralco Football Club.

Donaire shuns title eliminator vs no. 1

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

FIVE-DIVISION world champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire has decided to shun a World Boxing Council title eliminator against No.1-ranked Hugo Ruiz.

Donaire instead plans to face Frenchman Anthony Settoul in a 10-round super bantamweight bout in Macau on July 18 before hopefully getting a crack at World Boxing Association champion Scott Quigg of Britain, should the Brit over-

come Kiko Martinez, also on July 18 in Manchester.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman wrote in an email after Promociones del Pueblo won the purse bid for the DonaireRuiz title eliminator with a bid of $537,000, which will be split

evenly among the two fighters: “I am very happy to see a good fight lined up for Nonito.”

Sulaiman asked The Standard whether it had gotten a response from Donaire about the opportunity to regain the WBC title.

But Donaire’s wife Rachel said she didn’t think they would fight Ruiz as Top Rank Promotions did not even join the purse bid where the winner would have emerged as the mandatory challenger to current champion Leo Santa Cruz, who is expected to relinquish the title and move up in weight.

As this developed, Donaire was

training in a twice-a-day routine with his father/trainer Dodong Donaire.

Top Rank has scheduled a 10-round bout for Donaire (34-3, 22 KOs) against the Frenchman Settoul, who has a record of 20-3 with 8 knockouts in a tune-up fight prior to a showdown with Quigg, which was confirmed

by Donaire’s manager Cameron Dunkin in a conversation with USA Today.

The 32-year-old Donaire is expected to have a comparatively easy fight against Settoul, similar to his second-round technical knockout of Brazil’s William Prado last March 28, 2015.

Pantino, Guarde lead Cebuana net winners PHILIPPINE Tennis Academy’s Arthur Craig Pantino led several double winners in the recent Ubay, Bohol leg of the Cebuana Lhuillier Age-Group Tennis Championship after taking both the boys’ 16- and 18-under titles against separate opponents.

Pantino, who hails from Cebu, was an easy 6-0, 6-1 winner over Marawi City’s Duma Hakim Boloto in the 16-under finals and duplicated it in the 18-under group, 6-3, 6-1 over Misamis Oriental’s Auden Aron Paduganan.

Pantino also shared in the 18-under doubles’ title with Francis Hidalgo after the duo beat Boloto and Clyde Mari Casino, 8-7, in the finals of the event backed by Dunlop Sports as official ball.

“His participation in the series provides an opportunity to the others to play against a higher-caliber opponents as Pantino has long been training and competing abroad under the PTA, which we also support,” said Cebuana Lhuillier President/Chief Executive Officer and Philippine Tennis Association Chairman Jean Henri Lhuillier, Carlyn Bless Guarde from Sultan Kudarat matched Pantino’s feat in the girls’ side, winning the 14- and 16-under crowns.

Cebuano Arthur Craig Pantino, who trains under the Philippine Tennis Academy and Sultan Kudarat native Carlyn Bless Guarde led the double titlists at the recent Ubay, Bohol leg of the Cebuana Lhuillier Age Group Tennis Championship

She disposed of Cebu bet Elizabeth Abarquez, 6-3, 6-3, in the 14- under, but was extended 4-6, 6-1, 11-9, by another Cebu entry Shynne Villareal in the 18-under finale.

Villareal took consolation in pocketing the 18-under title after she beat local bet Dawn Albert Uy 6-4, 6-3 in the championship match of the leg that attracted 118 entries and was hosted by the

Sto. Nino Tennis Club.

Villareal, together with Abarquez, ruled the 18-under girls’ doubles event.

Last year’s 10-under perennial champion Brent Sigmond Cortes from Lanao del Sur, now competing in the next higher age group, went home with the 12-under crown and shared the 14-under doubles’ title with John Sonsona.

Meralco backs street soccer MANILA Electric Co. (Meralco) and the Quezon City government recently launched the Mayor’s Cup 2015 at the Quezon City Memorial Circle.

The Summer Street Soccer Tournament is part of the LGU’s continuing sports and youth development program.

Already on its second year, the event attracted kids from all around Quezon City, 12 years old and under. The program’s main objective is to steer children away from vices and trouble by engaging them in productive sports activities.

Ten teams, and over 100 underprivileged children from different barangays in Quezon City, participated and competed for the tournament’s title.

The day’s program began with the opening ceremony, where One Meralco Foundation donated soccer balls to the participants. The turnover was followed by a two-hour MiniSoccer Clinic, where professional players from the Loyola Meralco Sparks Football Club and members of the Meralco Employee Football Club taught the children and enhanced their basic skills in passing, tackling, catching, kicking, and other football skills. Some kids also had a chance to play with the elder football players in a friendly match.

Through the QC Mayor’s Cup 2015, Meralco and Quezon City aim to synergize in promoting teamwork and camaraderie among the youth.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Pacman fights must go thru Top Rank

By Ronnie Nathanielsz EIGHT-DIVISION world champion Manny Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz has made it clear that any return fight by the Filipino ring icon, possibly in the Philippines after he recovers from his surgery for a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder will have to go through Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who has a contract with Pacquiao until December, 2016.

Koncz made the statement to The Standard/boxingmirror.com in reaction to a report that former North Cotabato governor Manny Pinol had been talking to Pacquiao about promoting a possible fight in Manila following his unanimous decision loss to undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr last May 2.

“Anything we do relating to boxing has to be approved

by Arum and the people who try to negotiate a fight on Manny’s behalf have no idea what it takes moneywise to host a fight in the Philippines with a boxer of Manny’s stature,” said Koncz.

At the same time, Koncz pointed out that “everybody, whether authorized or not, has been trying to negotiate a fight in Manila for three or four years now.”

Pinol said he had been given the go-signal by Pastor Quiboloy to talk to Pacquiao and that since the 65,000-capacity King Dome won’t be ready for a fight in early 2016, the proposed Pacquiao-Amir Khan or Pacquiao-Paulie Malignaggi bout could be held at another venue in Metro Manila.

Pinol said he would revive the talks with Pacquiao once he recovers from his shoulder injury.

Marc Pingris of Star Hotshots (left) clogs the driving lane of San Miguel Beer’s Gabby Espinas in a Governor’s Cup game won by the Beermen, 100-89.

Texters, Carnival take on nd separate foes, eye 2 spot

By Jeric Lopez

TALK ‘N Text and Kia aim on getting a piece of second place as they both resume their campaigns against separate foes in the resumption of the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup. The Tropang Texters (2-1) will try to list their first winning streak of the conference when they take on struggling sister team NLEX (1-3) at 7 p.m. at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City tonight.

On the other end, can Kia (2-1) continue to impress?

That’ll be answered when

it tackles Blackwater (1-3) at 4:15 p.m. in the opening game.

Should Talk ‘N Text and Kia list another one in the win column against their respective oppositions, they will earn a secondplace tie with Alaska, which is up there behind leagueleader Barako Bull with its 3-1 card.

Incidentally, it was Talk ‘N Text, which dealt the Aces their first taste of defeat when it eked out a 104-103 squeaker last week with the return of Ranidel De Ocampo clearly helping the Tropang Texter’s cause.

After missing Talk ‘N Text’s first two games to rest his banged up knees, De Ocampo, the finals’ Most Valuable Player of the Commissioner’s Cup, picked up right where he left off as he scattered 13 points to help Talk ‘N Text scrape past Alaska.

Talk ‘N Text coach Jong Uichico knows how much the return of De Ocampo can enhance the Texters’

chances against the tall ball club of NLEX, which lost a tough 85-82 decision over the surprising Carnival also last week. ‘’Ranidel’s (De Ocampo) return is helping us. It will give us more options and more weapons and I hope we can continue what we started in our next game,’’ said Uichico.

Furthermore, Talk ‘N Text might even welcome the return of superstar Jayson Castro, who is also resting his banged-up body to start the conference, should he be available already to play his first game of the tournament. At the moment, Castro is listed as day-to-day and it’ll be

game-time decision on whether he’ll be back in action against NLEX or not yet.

As for Kia, that victory against the Road Warriors, who placed it in a good spot in the upper half of the ladder, last week certainly gives it more confidence as it braces itself in facing fellow league newcomer Blackwater. ‘’Our confidence is very high right now. Our chemistry is getting better. We’re looking to keep it in our next games,’’ said acting Kia coach Chito Victolero.

Games Today (Cuneta Astrodome, Pasay City) 4:15 p.m. - Kia vs. Blackwater 7 p.m. - Talk ‘N Text vs. NLEX

PLDT backs International netfest OVER 30 of the most iconic names in tennis invade the country from Dec. 6 to 8 as PLDT HOME Fibr— Home’s most powerful broadband—in cooperation with Smart Communications, brings the newly renamed Philippine Mavericks in the International Premier Tennis League’s final leg in Manila.

The IPTL, led by its Vice President for Operations Abhishek Ponia, formally bared the 2015 edition of this prestigious undertaking which stars the top Association of Tennis Professionals and Women’s

Tennis Association players as well as s few legendary names in one is deemed as one of the most popular sports on the planet.

The former Manila Mavericks squad has been renamed the Philippine Mavericks to make a larger scope and not just central Manila.

This was the explanation of Mavericks team co-own Jean Henri Lhuillier on the rebranding of the contingent composed of eight powerhouse names in the sport.

“If you notice all the other teams are focused

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

on their countries,” Lhuillier said. “So we wanted to pick up that semblance for the Philippine side so we decided to change it to the Philippine Mavericks.”

Lhuiller, who is also the Team Manager, is joined by fellow owners Hans Sy, Kevin Belmonte and Haresh Hiranand at the helm of the Philippine Mavericks.

Joining the Mavericks in the league are defending champions Indian Aces, Singapore Slammers, UAE Royals and newcomers, the Japan Warriors. The IPTL kicks off in September.

The International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) is poised to return for a second spectacular season on December 2015. Seen at the recent press conference at the SM Mall of Asia Arena are (from left) Smart Sports Marketing’s Christopher John Quimpo, PLDT VP and HOME Marketing Head Gary Dujali, SM Lifestyle Entertainment President Edgar Tejerero, IPTL VP for Operations Abhishek Ponia and the Philippine Mavericks co-owners Jean Henri Lhuillier, Kevin Belmonte and Haresh Hiranand.

T UE S DAY : M AY 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

A15

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

1 batch of SEAG bets leave today st

By Peter Atencio

A 20-MAN national men’s football team will be the first batch of athletes leaving today for the 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore.

The Marlon Marocoached national squad will begin preparing for their matches, which will start way ahead of the opening ceremonies on June 5.

The squad is made up of Arnel Amita, Fitch Arboleda, Florencio Badelic Jr., Mark Anthony Besana, Paolo Bugas, Jaime Cheng, Julian Clarino, Dominic del Rosario and Neil Dormon.

The rest includes Shirmar Felongco, Daniel Gadia, Paolo Salenga, Francisco Santos, Connor Tacagni, Kennedy Utoka, Gerardo Valmayor and Nathanael Villanueva.

A total of 472 athletes and 189 officials will represent the Philippines in Singapore.

Athletes from 11 countries will compete for the 402 gold medals at stake.

Chef de mission Julian Camacho, who just came from a delegation registration meeting in Singapore, said the other batches of athletes will be leaving next week.

He added that some athletes, most of them Fil-Ams and Fil-foreigners, will have to shoulder their tickets if they are not making a direct flight to Singapore.

Camacho explained that the Philippine Sports Commission is shouldering their plane tickets from their country of origin going to Singapore.

“It will be more expensive for them to go to Singapore if they fly in first from the Philippines. If that’s the case, some of them may have to spend for their own tickets,” explained Camacho.

Tri-Challenge. Triathlete pros Michael Murphy and Eric Watson try to edge out each other as they race out of the water

during a past staging of the Tri-Challenge Series, which will have the inaugural Yellow Cab Challenge CamSur half-distance triathlon on June 13. Yellow Cab Challenge CamSur, part of the global triathlon series by the Challenge Family and the second installment of the brand in the Philippines, will host the very first Tri-Challenge SPRINT with a 1-km swim, 30-km bike, and 6-km run race course. The sprint’s race course will run through a portion of the Challenge CamSur course as it loops in and around CamSur Watersports Complex.

Melindo is focused vs Mexican

By Ronnie Nathanielsz INTERNATIONAL Boxing Federation light flyweight title challenger Milan Melindo is sharply focused in his bid to win the world title in a showdown against Mexico’s Javier Mendoza on May 30 (May 31) in Manila, in a fight that will take place in Mexico.

ALA Promotions’ trainer Edito “Ala” Villamor told The Standard/ Boxingmirror.com in an overseas telephone conversation from Los Angeles, where Melindo has been training at the Wild Card Gym, that the

Filipino boxer’s focus was “terrific.”

He added that Melindo is ripped and ready to win a world title in his second attempt, after losing in his bid to wrest the World Boxing Organization/World Boxing Association flyweight crown from tough and talented Juan Francisco Estrada on July 27, 2013.

Villamor said Melindo had shown his stuff in sparring sessions with Mexican, Japanese and Australian opponents and that “he really wants to win.”

They are scheduled to drive to Mexico today.

Melindo has a record of 32-1, with 12 knockouts, while the champion Mendoza has a record of 22-21, with 19 knockouts, which reflects the Mexican’s punching power.

Mendoza won the title from Ramon Garcia Hirales by a 12-round unanimous decision, even as he dropped the latter once in Round 5 and then again in Round 9 in June, 2013.

Hirales earlier lost his WBO light flyweight title to Donnie “Ahas” Nietes in Bacolod City.

Nietes is currently the longestreigning Filipino world champion.

Forum tackles PH boxers, jockeys’ race THE highly-touted Philippine boxing team’s coming campaign in the 28th Southeast Asian Games will be the topic of discussion in today’s session of the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Shakey’s Malate.

Alliances of Boxing Association of the Philippines executive director Ed Picson is coming over in the session aired live over

Hobbled... From A16 up with Cavaliers Matthew Dellavedova. The incident occurred after Horford and Dellavedova were fighting for a loose ball rebound.

Horford was assessed a foul and was thrown out of the game. He had scored 14 points on seven-of-10 shooting before leaving the contest.

“He was carrying us,” Hawks guard Jeff Teague said.

DZSR Sports Radio 918 and presented by San Miguel Corp., Shakey’s, Accel, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation to personally asses both the men and women’s teams’ bid in the biennial meet set June 6-15 in Singapore.

Also appearing in the public sports program is Philippine Jockeys Association president

The scrappy Dellavedova, who was handed a technical foul on the play, injured Korver Friday when he dove into his legs going for a loose ball.

Horford retaliated against Dellavedova after a similar aggressive low dive.

“There has just got to be a line at soms e point,” Horford said. “He is a competitor. But he has to learn that at end of the day it is a big brotherhood. Guys look out for each other.” AFP

Gilbert Francisco as he talks about the 1st Jockeys Footrace to be held on May 31 at Metroturf.

Likewise, coaches and members of PLDT and Philippine Army have been invited in the session to discuss the winnertake-all match for the Shakey’s V-League Season 12 Open Conference championship set Sunday.

BENGUET CORPORATION 7 t h Fl r . U n i ve r sa l – R e Bu i l d i n g 1 0 6 Pa se o d e R o xa s, 1 2 2 6 M a ka ti C i ty

ANNOUNCEMENT Notice is hereby given that the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting of Benguet Corporation will be held on Thursday, May 28, 2015 at 3 o’clock in the afternoon at the Big Function Room of Manila Golf and Country Club, Inc., Harvard Road, Forbes Park, Makati City, Philippines.

The agenda of the meeting provides, among others: 1.

For election of the Board of Directors;

2.

Approval of Minutes of the last annual stockholders’ meeting held on May 28, 2014;

3.

Approval of the increase in the number of members of the Board of Directors from 10 directors to 11 directors and the corresponding amendments of Article Sixth of the amended Articles of Incorporation and Article III, Section 1 of the amended By-Laws of the Company;

4.

Approval of the change in the Par Value of both Common Class A and Class B shares from P3.00 to P1.00 per share and the corresponding amendments of Article Seventh of the amended Articles of Incorporation and Article I, Section 1, of the amended By-Laws of the Company;

5.

Approval of the creation of a new class of shares to be called “Redeemable Non-Retirable Common Class B Shares” with Par Value of P1.00 per share and the corresponding amendments of Article Seventh of the amended Articles of Incorporation and Article I, Section 1, of the amended By-Laws of the Company;

6.

Approval of the amended requirement that only the affirmative vote of two third (2/3) of the total outstanding stocks of the Company, regardless of class, is needed to approve the following corporate acts: (i) amendment of Articles of Incorporation; (ii) delegation of power to the Board of Directors to amend, repeal or adopt new By-Laws; (iii) increase or decrease in authorized capital stocks; and (iv) Any sale, exchange, lease, mortgage or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the corporation and the corresponding amendments of Article Seventh (B) of the amended Articles of Incorporation and Article VI, Section 1 of the amended By-Laws of the Company;

7.

Approval of the deletion of the amendment made on 28 December 1973 which reclassified outstanding Common Shares (Class A and B) to Common Class B shares due to the non-implementation of the provision and the corresponding amendment of Article Seventh (A)(2) of the amended Articles of Incorporation;

8.

Approval of the deletion of the By-Laws provision on the authority given to one of the Vice Presidents to be in-charge of all mining operations, and have general control and supervision over all exploration and development activities of the Company, and the corresponding amendment of Article IV, Section 3 of the amended By-Laws;

9.

Ratification of all acts, contracts, resolutions and proceedings made and entered into by the Board of Directors and/or the management for the preceding term; and

10. Such other matters as may properly come before the meeting and which are not known to management at a reasonable time, including the adjournment of the meeting for up to ninety (90) days from May 28, 2015.

By authority of the Board of Directors (Sgd.) HERMOGENE H. REAL Corporate Secretary ( T S - M AY 2 6 , 2 0 15 )

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK T UE S DAY : M AY 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

A16

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

LeBron James (23) of the Cleveland Cavaliers knocks DeMarre Carroll (5) of the Atlanta Hawks to the court as he drives in the fourth quarter during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2015 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. AFP

JRU jr cager dies after collapsing

By Peter Atencio A JOSE Rizal University junior basketball player, who lost consciousness during a game game with La Salle-Zobel last Saturday, passed away Sunday evening.

School officials announced yesterday the passing of 17-yearold Carl Jimwell “CJ” Servillon.

In an official statement, officials confirmed that Servillon was a member of the JRU Light Bombers’ Basketball Team for the last two years.

He unexpectedly lost consciousness during a time-out in a FilOil Tournament game last May 22.

“Jose Rizal University and the whole Rizalian community have sent their deepest condolences to the Servillon’s family,” the statement said.

After he collapsed, Servillon was immediately brought to Cardinal Santos Memorial Hospital, where he was confined at the Intensive Care Unit. He passed away the following night.

“We urge everyone to extend their prayers to CJ’s Family during these trying times,” added in the statement.

The coaching staff, through Nathaniel Gregorio, is discussing whether the team will continue to play in tournaments for the rest of the summer.

Hobbled James lifts Cavaliers to 3-0 lead CLEVELAND—LeBron James played through a myriad of injuries Sunday as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Atlanta Hawks 114-111 in overtime to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

James recorded his first triple double of the playoffs, finishing with 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists as Cleveland pushed the Hawks to the brink of elimination in the best-of-seven series.

“No matter how I am feeling I have got to try and make some plays,” James said. “I felt like I couldn’t give more, but then it was mind over matter. I was able to push through.”

The banged up Cavaliers can

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

advance to the NBA finals with a win in game four on Tuesday.

A hobbled James thought about taking himself out of the game in overtime but changed his mind.

The pain on his face was plain to see when he drained a three pointer with under a minute left to give the Cavaliers the lead.

Exhausted and sore, James then dropped to the floor after Sheldon Mack’s potentially tying shot from beyond the arc bounced off the

Sharapova, Murray start French Open campaigns TURN TO A12

rim and out of harm’s way as the final buzzer sounded.

“You name them. We could play doctor right now with how many injuries I got,” James said.

“We are a desperate team. We are a banged up team and if we come out and play as hard as we can, we defend on a high level and we share ball offensively then we will give ourselves a chance to win.”

James, who missed his first 10 shots, ended 14-of-37 from the field. His shot to give Cleveland a 112-111 advantage with 36 seconds left was his only three pointer of the contest in front of a crowd of 20,500 at Quicken Loans Arena.

He banked in a field goal with 12 seconds left just one possession later, and Mack missed a pair of

three-point attempts in the final five seconds.

- Battles through crampsCavaliers coach David Blatt said James was dealing with cramps.

“He played through pain, he played through cramps and he just would not let us lose. He wouldn’t let us lose, amazing,” Blatt said.

James has had dehydration problems throughout his career.

He had to leave game one of the 2014 NBA finals while a member of the Miami Heat with painful and debilitating leg cramps.

Already without Kyle Korver on Sunday due to an ankle injury, the Hawks lost all-star forward Al Horford during the final minute of the opening half following a dust Continued on A15

TNT, KIA shoot for 2nd place TURN TO A14

B1

TUESDAY: MAY 26, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

Govt underspent in Q1 again

By Julito G. Rada

THE government’s budget deficit shrank 60 percent to P33.5 billion in the first quarter from P84.1 billion a year ago, as revenue collection rose at double-digit but expenditures fell below target, the Finance Department said Monday.

Data from the agency showed the first-quarter deficit was 66 percent or P64.6 billion lower than the P98.1-billion deficit target for the period.

Revenue collection rose 18 percent in the January-March period

to P470.5 billion from a year ago, but were still 3 percent lower than the P484.1-billion goal.

Expenditures increased 4 percent to P504 billion, but still fell P66 billion or 13 percent below the P570-billion spending target

for the first quarter.

Netting out interest payments, the government achieved a P67.1 billion primary surplus in the first quarter, or more than triple the P19-billion surplus recorded in the same period last year.

Higher revenue collections by the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of the Treasury led the double-digit rise in revenue collection.

“I am pleased to note that the BIR notched consistent double digit year-on-year growth for each month of the quarter. Further, despite lower oil prices, BOC collections still managed to continue growing. The key is al-

ways to look at the overall trend lines—and for the recent years they have kept moving on up,” Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said in a statement.

He said the robust revenue growth drove the expansion of the government’s fiscal space.

BIR raised P307.1 billion in the first quarter, up by 16 percent from a year ago, but this was 9 percent or P31 billion below the P338.1-billion government target.

Customs’ collection in the three-month period rose 7 percent to P92.292 billion while income of the Bureau of Treasury grew 81 percent to P37.874 bil-

lion.

Meanwhile, debt interest payments, which comprised 20 percent of the total expenditures, declined 2 percent to P100.614 billion.

“We are no doubt in a very good place; foreign and domestic institutions alike have recognized our sound position amid global economic volatility,” Purisima said.

He said the first-quarter fiscal numbers clearly exhibited the commitment the government to ensure that macroeconomic fundamentals remain sound and that resources are enough to fuel its path forward.

PSE COMPOSITE INDEX Closing May 25, 2015

8500 8000 7500 7000 6500

Telecom award.

6000

Globe Telecom Inc. is adjudged Best Emerging Market Operator at the recently-concluded 18th Annual Telecom Asia Awards, the most prestigious and longestrunning telecom awards in the region. Globe bagged the best performing fixed or wireless carrier in an emerging Asian market among other nominated operators in the continent, including India’s BhartiAirtel, Indonesia’s Telkomsel and XL Axiata, as well as its Philippine competitor in the same category. Globe vice president for IT-Enabled Services Group Reynaldo Lugtu (left) receives the Best Emerging Market Operator recognition from an official of the 2015 Annual Telecom Asia Awards.

7,761.53 48.64

PESO-DOLLAR RATE

Closing MAY 25, 2015 46

SAN Miguel Corp. is planning a possible merger with a foreign company that could “double the size” of the Philippine conglomerate and boost annual revenues to over P1 trillion, its top executive said Monday.

“I’m looking at a large company which I hope to convince soon and this company will double the size of San Miguel all of a sudden,” San Miguel president Ramon Ang told reporters.

“This is like a merger with one company which is a little bit bigger or about the size of San Miguel,” he said.

Ang did not provide additional

CLOSE

44 43 42

HIGH P44.590 LOW P44.640 AVERAGE P44.621 VOLUME 272.300M

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

OPRICES IL TODAY

P38.50-P42.30 Kerosene

San Miguel, big foreign firm in talks for merger

By Alena Mae S. Flores

P44.615

45

details, but said the foreign company had “huge profit” and its precash flow was around $3 billion.

Ang said the merger would help bring San Miguel closer to achieving its target of P1 trillion in annual revenues.

“When we consolidate all our businesses, maybe we’ll hit it next year,” he said.

San Miguel’s net income fell 45 percent in 2014 to P28.1 billion from P50.7 billion in 2013, but consolidated sales revenues rose 5 percent to P782 billion, as majority of its businesses posted higher sales.

The conglomerate’s 2013 net income included P40 billion in one-time gain from the sale of

the company’s stake in Manila Electric Co. San Miguel said recurring net income posted a 244-percent hike in 2014.

San Miguel is among the largest and most diversified Philippine conglomerates. Its wide range of businesses include beverages, food, packaging, fuel and oil, energy, infrastructure, telecommunications, mining and real estate.

San Miguel said first-quarter net income this year stood flat at P6 billion, as the P3-billion loss incurred by oil unit Petron Corp. tempered the strong performance of beer, packaging and food manufacturing subsidiaries.

San Miguel said in a presenta-

tion material posted on its Web site first-quarter net sales declined 18 percent to P159.2 billion from P194.9 billion posted in the same period a year ago.

Income from operations, however, grew 4 percent to P22.4 billion.

“Both its core businesses and power unit delivered solid results underlining the value of the company’s diversified and balanced portfolio that enabled it to cushion the impact of Petron’s weak performance,” San Miguel said.

Petron earlier reported an 88-percent drop in first quarter net income to P257 million from P2.22 billion a year ago, as net sales declined 31 percent to P86.7 billion.

P23.70-P24.40 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, May 25, 2015

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

44.5130

Japan

Yen

0.008230

0.3663

UK

Pound

1.549800

68.9862

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129017

5.7429

Switzerland

Franc

1.060108

47.1886

Canada

Dollar

0.813802

36.2248

Singapore

Dollar

0.748335

33.3106

Australia

Dollar

0.782779

34.8438

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652309

118.0622

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266660

11.8698

Brunei

Dollar

0.745545

33.1864

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000076

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.029994

1.3351

UAE

Dirham

0.272257

12.1190

Euro

Euro

1.102000

49.0533

Korea

Won

0.000915

0.0407

China

Yuan

0.161353

7.1823

India

Rupee

0.015764

0.7017

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.279174

12.4269

New Zealand

Dollar

0.730674

32.5245

Taiwan

Dollar

0.032849

1.4622 Source: PDS Bridge

TUESDAY: MAY 26, 2015

B2

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

MST Business Daily Stocks Review Monday, May 25, 2015

52 Weeks Previous High Low STOCKS Close High Low Close 7.88 75.3 124.4 104 63 4.2 18.48 31.6 9.5 2.95 890 1.01 99.4 1.46 30.5 94.95 137 361.2 59 174.8 1700 127.9 3.26

2.5 66 84.6 84.5 45.8 2.03 12.02 23.55 6.3 1.75 625 0.225 78 0.9 18.02 76.5 95 276 45 107.6 1200 66 2.65

AG Finance 7.5 Asia United Bank 73.5 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 115.90 Bank of PI 101.50 China Bank 47.1 Bright Kindle Resources 2.03 COL Financial 15.7 Eastwest Bank 21.7 Filipino Fund Inc. 7.37 I-Remit Inc. 1.68 Manulife Fin. Corp.

795.00 MEDCO Holdings 0.425 Metrobank 93.6 Natl. Reinsurance Corp. 1.07 PB Bank 18.24 Phil. National Bank 73.85 Phil. Savings Bank 94.5 PSE Inc. 313.2 RCBC `A’ 44.8 Security Bank 168 Sun Life Financial 1435.00 Union Bank 65.30 Vantage Equities 3.15

FINANCIAL 7.19 7.19 73.5 73 116.50 113.90 102.10 101.00 47.05 46.8 2.12 2.01 16 15.88 22.5 21.6 7.20 6.92 1.70 1.70 795.00 790.00 0.450 0.425 93.65 92.6 0.99 0.99 18.20 18.10 74.20 73.90 95 95 313.8 312.6 46 45 170 167.8 1435.00 1435.00 65.30 65.00 3.17 3.15 INDUSTRIAL 43.25 42.85 1.4 1.4 1.09 1.05 2.26 2.08 11.7 10.88 19.16 19 145 145 68 66.95 27.85 25 58.3 57.2 1.85 1.7 1.75 1.72 12.76 12.66 20.200 19.96 10.08 9.98 7.90 7.76 10.60 10.46 1.69 1.68 15.78 14 27.5 26.65 90 88.1 14.50 14.48 5.89 5.77 0.590 0.580 213.80 210.00 10.36 10.14 2.5 2.2 26.8 26.5 26.9 26 7.35 6.9 274.00 272.80 4.10 4.10 4.21 4.21 9.80 9.60 4.4 4.38 11.70 11.50 3.94 3.90 2.36 2.28 2.33 2.13 5.00 4.90 2.24 1.8 6.25 6.25 188 184 1.62 1.57 0.163 0.158 1.25 1.25 2.35 2.28 202.4 196.6 0.76 0.73 22.00 20.85 1.33 1.32 HOLDING FIRMS 0.470 0.460 57.45 57.20 23.05 22.60 7.03 7.03 0.285 0.270 0.29 0.27 810.5 805.5 8.09 8.02 15.00 14.90 4.56 4.53 0.245 0.235 1440 1420 6.40 6.01 73.20 72.35 4.24 3.9 5.4 5.4 6.88 5.4 7.69 7.49 0.74 0.72 14.38 14.16 0.66 0.65 4.77 4.66 5.11 4.99 0.0390 0.0390 1.290 1.290 0.950 0.900 2.55 2.49 65.80 65.00 2.75 2.73 914.00 898.50 1.28 1.23 84.00 82.65 0.3700 0.3650 0.2150 0.2020 0.305 0.305 PROPERTY 8.340 8.250 0.80 0.78 1.280 1.270 0.255 0.255

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

7.19 73.5 114.30 101.40 46.8 2.01 15.9 21.7 6.92 1.70 795.00 0.445 93 0.99 18.10 73.90 95 313 45 168 1435.00 65.00 3.15

-4.13 0.00 -1.38 -0.10 -0.64 -0.99 1.27 0.00 -6.11 1.19 0.00 4.71 -0.64 -7.48 -0.77 0.07 0.53 -0.06 0.45 0.00 0.00 -0.46 0.00

100 18,090 1,365,220 448,910 33,500 100,000 2,600 360,100 64,100 1,000 150 230,000 3,556,980 17,000 47,900 29,590 10 550 8,000 242,910 25 11,380 105,000

42.9 1.4 1.07 2.1 11.3 19.04 145 68 26.5 57.2 1.72 1.72 12.66 20.150 9.98 7.85 10.60 1.68 14 26.65 89 14.48 5.82 0.590 211.00 10.2 2.42 26.5 26.5 7.18 273.00 4.10 4.21 9.69 4.4 11.50 3.94 2.28 2.16 4.94 1.89 6.25 188 1.62 0.158 1.25 2.28 199 0.74 20.85 1.32

-0.58 0.00 -0.93 -2.78 -2.59 0.21 0.00 0.74 -4.33 -1.38 -6.52 -2.27 -0.31 0.25 -0.99 0.00 1.53 -1.18 -9.09 -1.30 0.00 0.14 -1.36 0.00 0.00 -0.20 -6.92 -0.75 -1.67 -2.45 -0.07 6.49 0.00 -0.62 2.80 -0.52 0.00 -2.56 -3.57 0.61 -16.00 0.00 1.08 1.25 -1.25 0.00 -1.30 -1.00 1.37 0.00 0.00

1,551,800 2,000 702,000 9,846,000 9,600 1,679,200 70 500 121,100 5,240 7,764,000 851,000 93,300 1,058,500 6,812,300 12,992,500 530,000 20,000 242,300 2,284,900 143,120 11,300 162,000 426,000 1,418,920 312,500 34,000 498,900 35,400 2,256,300 745,440 1,000 10,000 552,100 14,000 56,000 156,000 835,000 386,000 129,000 1,126,000 8,100 570 396,000 2,360,000 61,000 562,000 2,548,050 1,466,000 1,800 56,000

0.470 57.40 22.75 7.03 0.280 0.29 806 8.02 14.92 4.54 0.235 1426 6.40 72.50 4 5.4 5.4 7.61 0.74 14.2 0.65 4.69 5.11 0.0390 1.290 0.930 2.55 65.80 2.75 911.00 1.28 82.70 0.3650 0.2150 0.305

0.00 -0.09 0.22 0.00 -1.75 1.79 -0.56 -0.62 -0.13 0.67 -2.08 -0.14 0.00 -0.68 4.99 -6.90 7.14 0.00 0.00 -1.25 -2.99 -1.68 2.20 5.41 -0.77 0.00 6.25 0.92 -2.14 1.22 5.79 -1.55 -2.67 -1.38 0.00

250,000 334,350 4,914,600 53,000 4,710,000 530,000 387,210 1,024,900 1,187,400 575,000 80,000 200,150 126,000 1,300,940 8,000 1,300 1,800 702,400 160,000 795,800 580,000 6,459,000 126,500 200,000 30,000 583,000 21,000 155,940 189,000 164,070 8,000 1,570 1,870,000 36,000 30,000

8.300 0.79 1.270 0.255

-0.48 0.00 -0.78 10.87

204,700 980,000 105,000 10,000

504,482.00 -29,015,549.00 -9,516,511.00 14,040.00 14,070.00 2,496,705.00 95,400.00 28,251,728.00

52 Weeks Previous High Low STOCKS Close High Low Close 40 6.15 5.4 1.54 1.48 0.201 1.09 0.305 2.25 1.87 6.34 4.88 0.180 0.470 8.54 31.8 2.29 3.6 20.6 1.02 7.56 1.96 8.59

29.1 4.1 4.96 0.89 0.97 0.083 0.85 0.188 1.4 1.42 2.8 2.75 0.090 0.325 2.57 21.35 1.64 3.08 15.08 0.69 3.38 1 5.69

Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. `A’ Cebu Holdings Century Property Cityland Dev. `A’ Crown Equities Inc. Empire East Land Ever Gotesco Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Keppel Properties Megaworld Corp.

MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Estates Corp.

Primex Corp.

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

40.00 4.03 5.18 0.88 1.05 0.151 0.860 0.180 1.34 1.98 5.97 5.2 0.125 0.3300 7.28 28.60 1.71 3.23 19.70 0.72 7.11 0.920 7.250

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

40.00 39.40 39.65 4.03 3.98 3.99 5.2 5.18 5.2 0.89 0.86 0.87 1.08 1.06 1.06 0.151 0.147 0.147 0.870 0.850 0.850 0.189 0.179 0.179 1.36 1.34 1.34 2.03 1.96 1.97 5.94 5.11 5.30 5.19 5 5 0.124 0.118 0.123 0.3300 0.3300 0.3300 7.35 7.28 7.28 28.85 28.55 28.60 1.7 1.67 1.68 3.30 3.24 3.26 19.68 19.54 19.64 0.74 0.69 0.73 7.15 7.15 7.15 0.910 0.850 0.850 7.300 7.160 7.250 SERVICES 1.97 2GO Group’ 6.72 6.96 6.53 6.7 32.5 ABS-CBN 61.8 62.2 61.5 61.7 1 Acesite Hotel 1.09 1.09 1.09 1.09 0.6 APC Group, Inc. 0.720 0.730 0.700 0.700 10 Asian Terminals Inc. 13.78 13.58 13.56 13.58 9.61 Bloomberry 9.90 10.00 9.39 9.55 0.0770 Boulevard Holdings 0.0950 0.0970 0.0920 0.0970 2.95 Calata Corp.

4.7 4.83 4.27 4.27 46.55 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 90.6 90.95 90.35 90.35 10.14 Centro Esc. Univ.

10 10 10 10 1.6 Discovery World 1.67 1.7 1.67 1.67 5.88 DFNN Inc. 6.60 6.50 5.55 5.70 830 FEUI 987 987 987 987 1600 Globe Telecom 2608 2610 2598 2600 5.95 GMA Network Inc. 6.30 6.36 6.27 6.27 1.36 Harbor Star 1.35 1.43 1.30 1.30 105 I.C.T.S.I. 111.6 111.6 108 110 3.01 Imperial Res. `A’ 5.17 6.32 5.12 5.12 0.036 Island Info 0.231 0.237 0.228 0.235 1.200 ISM Communications 1.2500 1.2900 1.2500 1.2900 2.34 Jackstones 2.36 2.4 2.39 2.4 6.5 Leisure & Resorts 9.73 9.75 9.73 9.73 1.69 Liberty Telecom 2.65 2.65 2.52 2.57 2 Macroasia Corp.

2.10 2.02 2.02 2.02 1.05 Manila Broadcasting 56.00 62.90 56.00 57.15 0.490 Manila Bulletin 0.680 0.700 0.670 0.670 1.8 Manila Jockey 2 2 1.95 2 8.7 Melco Crown 8.38 8.59 8.21 8.24 0.34 MG Holdings 0.365 0.365 0.350 0.365 3 PAL Holdings Inc. 4.56 4.70 4.50 4.70 8.8 Phil. Racing Club 9.49 9 9 9 79 Phil. Seven Corp.

106.60 108.00 108.00 108.00 4.39 Philweb.Com Inc. 21.05 21.05 19.56 20.50 2726 PLDT Common 2860.00 2860.00 2836.00 2840.00 0.380 PremiereHorizon 0.660 0.650 0.640 0.650 0.32 Premium Leisure 1.620 1.640 1.580 1.600 31.45 Puregold 39.00 39.70 38.75 38.75 60.55 Robinsons RTL 81.90 81.90 79.40 79.40 7.59 SSI Group 10.52 10.56 10.14 10.22 0.63 STI Holdings 0.67 0.68 0.66 0.66 1.71 Transpacific Broadcast 1.76 1.77 1.77 1.77 6.45 Travellers 6.39 6.5 6.2 6.2 0.305 Waterfront Phils.

0.330 0.350 0.330 0.330 1.04 Yehey 1.280 1.280 1.250 1.250 MINING & OIL 0.0043 Abra Mining 0.0051 0.0051 0.0050 0.0050 1.72 Apex `A’ 2.70 2.66 2.66 2.66 8.65 Atlas Cons. `A’ 7.50 7.69 7.50 7.62 9.43 Atok-Big Wedge `A’ 15.50 15.50 15.50 15.50 0.236 Basic Energy Corp.

0.250 0.250 0.250 0.250 6.5 Benguet Corp `A’ 7.4000 8.9800 7.9500 8.3800 6.98 Benguet Corp `B’ 7.7000 8.5000 7.3200 8.4100 0.61 Century Peak Metals Hldgs 1 1.02 0.98 0.99 0.78 Coal Asia 0.86 0.86 0.85 0.86 5.99 Dizon 7.47 7.63 7.48 7.48 1.08 Ferronickel 1.58 1.58 1.35 1.37 0.330 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.340 0.345 0.335 0.340 0.2130 Lepanto `A’ 0.237 0.240 0.235 0.240 0.2160 Lepanto `B’ 0.247 0.249 0.245 0.248 0.014 Manila Mining `A’ 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 0.014 Manila Mining `B’ 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 3.660 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 3.95 3.95 3.89 3.9 20.2 Nickelasia 25.35 25.2 24.4 24.7 2.11 Nihao Mineral Resources 3.85 3.9 3.8 3.85 0.365 Omico 0.6900 0.7000 0.6800 0.6800 1.54 Oriental Peninsula Res. 2.070 2.120 2.060 2.120 0.013 Oriental Pet. `B’ 0.0130 0.0130 0.0130 0.0130 7.26 Philex `A’ 6.49 6.7 6.44 6.49 2.27 PhilexPetroleum 2.12 2.18 1.95 2 0.015 Philodrill Corp. `A’ 0.016 0.016 0.015 0.016 115.9 Semirara Corp.

159.30 160.00 157.50 157.80 3.67 TA Petroleum 10.86 11.5 10.78 10.86 0.0100 United Paragon 0.0100 0.0100 0.0100 0.0100 PREFERRED 33 ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 63 63 63 63 490 Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ 522 523 523 523 500 Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ 526 526 526 526 480 GLOBE PREF P 521 521 521 521 5.88 GMA Holdings Inc. 6.4 6.3 6.3 6.3 6.5 Leisure and Resort 1.1 1.12 1.1 1.12 101 MWIDE PREF 111.1 113.5 113.5 113.5 1011 PF Pref 2 1050 1050 1050 1050 74.2 SMC Preferred A 76.75 76.85 76.7 76.7 74.5 SMC Preferred B 84 85.6 85.3 85.6 75 SMC Preferred C 86.95 87 86.95 87 WARRANTS & BONDS 0.8900 LR Warrant 4.340 4.310 4.120 4.150 SME 2.4 Double Dragon 10 10.04 9.68 9.69 3.5 Makati Fin. Corp.

7 7.7 6.01 7.7 5.95 Xurpas 10.2 10.46 9.97 10.1 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 105.6 First Metro ETF 127.2 127.8 126.5 126.5

-0.88 -0.99 0.39 -1.14 0.95 -2.65 -1.16 -0.56 0.00 -0.51 -11.22 -3.85 -1.60 0.00 0.00 0.00 -1.75 0.93 -0.30 1.39 0.56 -7.61 0.00

5,554,100 3,346,000 804,000 4,270,000 81,000 16,200,000 100,000 1,220,000 1,021,000 5,760,000 19,600 58,032,500 3,960,500 100,000 51,700 2,606,600 274,000 40,000 3,785,100 202,000 1,000 2,583,000 36,321,039

-82,603,210.00 -5,970,210.00

-0.30 -0.16 0.00 -2.78 -1.45 -3.54 2.11 -9.15 -0.28 0.00 0.00 -13.64 0.00 -0.31 -0.48 -3.70 -1.43 -0.97 1.73 3.20 1.69 0.00 -3.02 -3.81 2.05 -1.47 0.00 -1.67 0.00 3.07 -5.16 1.31 -2.61 -0.70 -1.52 -1.23 -0.64 -3.05 -2.85 -1.49 0.57 -2.97 0.00 -2.34

99,100 5,480 6,000 1,779,000 5,400 20,339,000 15,410,000 4,157,000 256,620 300 5,000 298,100 40 26,845 96,800 282,000 917,090 11,100 4,190,000 66,000 4,000 1,072,900 138,000 5,000 7,020 466,000 227,000 1,461,600 20,000 30,000 1,000 630 259,400 16,915 1,660,000 26,253,000 1,377,100 1,543,640 2,937,600 1,588,000 51,000 6,964,600 210,000 41,000

2,660.00

-1.96 -1.48 1.60 0.00 0.00 13.24 9.22 -1.00 0.00 0.13 -13.29 0.00 1.27 0.40 0.00 0.00 -1.27 -2.56 0.00 -1.45 2.42 0.00 0.00 -5.66 0.00 -0.94 0.00 0.00

191,000,000 30,000 114,800 -22,530.00 800 320,000 6,100 38,300 -770.00 1,958,000 495,000.00 12,000 600 48,104,000 -4,779,200.00 910,000 130,650.00 3,660,000 40,000 19,400,000 1,000,000 926,000 -15,600.00 4,361,300 31,901,940.00 408,000 15,240.00 102,000 1,126,000 480,560.00 3,900,000 251,900 345,415.00 4,746,000 -266,100.00 23,700,000 698,630 -9,466,615.00 1,713,600 -2,596.00 5,000

0.00 0.19 0.00 0.00 -1.56 1.82 2.16 0.00 -0.07 1.90 0.06

20,000 238,770.00 100 4,730 100 300 1,438,000 50 2,125 779,770 1,150 14,080 -79,170.00

-4.38

291,000

-45,490.00

-3.10 10.00 -0.98

823,900 3,100 834,600

427,470.00

-0.55

11,220

415,710.00 -25,440.00

-2,012,980.00 -90,655,488.00 -90,655,488.00

MST

47 35.6 5 1.6 1.66 1.04 2.36 1.41 15.3 7.92 20.6 14.6 125 62.5 85 20.2 32 10.08 65.8 29.15

4.57 1.04 23.35 10.72 21.6 8.44 12.98 9.79 9.13 5.43 12.34 9.54 2.89 1.06 17 8.61 31.8 18.06 109 67.9 15.3 13.24 9.4 3.12 0.98 0.395 241 168 12.5 8.65 3.95 2.3 33.9 24.4 90 16.2 13.98 7.62 292.4 250.2 5 3.37 5.25 3.87 13.04 9 6.8 3.7 14.5 9.94 7.03 3.03 3.4 2.22 4.5 1 6.68 4.72 7.86 1.65 8.1 6 253 201.6 3.28 1.67 0.315 0.122 2.5 1.02 2.68 2.01 226.6 143.4 1.3 0.670 26 9.01 2.17 1.39

Aboitiz Power Corp.

43.15 Agrinurture Inc. 1.4 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 1.08 Alsons Cons.

2.16 Asiabest Group 11.6 Century Food 19 Chemphil 145 Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ 67.5 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 27.7 Concepcion 58 Crown Asia 1.84 Da Vinci Capital 1.76 Del Monte 12.7 DNL Industries Inc. 20.100 Emperador 10.08 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 7.85 EEI 10.44 Euro-Med Lab 1.7 Federal Res. Inv. Group 15.4 First Gen Corp.

27 First Holdings ‘A’ 89 Holcim Philippines Inc. 14.46 Integ. Micro-Electronics 5.9 Ionics Inc 0.590 Jollibee Foods Corp.

211.00 Lafarge Rep 10.22 LMG Chemicals 2.6 Manila Water Co. Inc. 26.7 Maxs Group 26.95 Megawide 7.36 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 273.20 Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp. 3.85 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 4.21 Petron Corporation 9.75 Phil H2O 4.28 Phinma Corporation 11.56 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 3.94 Phoenix Semiconductor 2.34 Pryce Corp. `A’ 2.24 RFM Corporation 4.91 Roxas and Co. 2.25 Roxas Holdings 6.25 San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ 186 Splash Corporation 1.6 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.160 TKC Steel Corp.

1.25 Trans-Asia Oil 2.31 Universal Robina 201 Vitarich Corp.

0.73 Vivant Corp.

20.85 Vulcan Ind’l.

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 6.66 9.25 0.9 18.9 0.73 5.53 6.55 0.0670 2.31 0.84 2.99 87 3.5 934 2.2 156 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 3.52 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 85.2 0.200 0.173 0.310

Abacus Cons. `A’ 0.470 Aboitiz Equity 57.45 Alliance Global Inc. 22.70 Anscor `A’ 7.03 ATN Holdings A 0.285 ATN Holdings B 0.28 Ayala Corp `A’ 810.5 Cosco Capital 8.07 DMCI Holdings 14.94 Filinvest Dev. Corp.

4.51 Forum Pacific 0.240 GT Capital 1428 House of Inv. 6.40 JG Summit Holdings 73.00 Jolliville Holdings 3.81 Keppel Holdings `A’ 5.8 Keppel Holdings `B’ 5.04 Lopez Holdings Corp.

7.61 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.74 LT Group 14.38 Mabuhay Holdings `A’ 0.67 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 4.77 Minerales Industrias Corp. 5 Pacifica `A’ 0.0370 Prime Media Hldg 1.300 Prime Orion 0.930 Republic Glass ‘A’ 2.4 San Miguel Corp `A’ 65.20 Seafront `A’ 2.81 SM Investments Inc. 900.00 Solid Group Inc. 1.21 Top Frontier 84.00 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.3750 Wellex Industries 0.2180 Zeus Holdings 0.305

10.5 1.99 2.07 0.375

6.01 0.91 1.29 0.192

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

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

SHARES 8,722,661 64,200,331 82,103,526 116,766,076 96,494,636 313,621,173 683,581,242

8.340 0.79 1.280 0.230

364,000.00

-67,500.00 39,314,808.00

-12,060,235.00 -168,200.00

14,505,314.00

-36,460.00 -94,600.00 734,654.00 3,939,648.00 -65,250,460.00 -10,904,379.00 1,064,534.00 -96,662.00 -24,830,700.00 -2,028,695.00

71,448,082.00 2,036.00

12,987,630.00 -391,780.00 5,501,625.00 176,083,530.00 -1,030,681.00 -3,510.00 219,010.00 385,000.00

-509,290.00 -20,600.00 13,121.00 -371,240.00

229,500.00 -176,170,359.00

-2,908,697.50 -30,970,825.00 -28,823.00 49,500.00 -52,037,550.00 -3,969,828.00 -3,640,110.00 2,269,500.00

24,460,975.00 312,400.00 -43,602,681.00

-268,267.00 312,126.00

8,597,140.00

-45,500.00

-6,414,235.00 234,780.00 -40,605,140.00 50,020.00 222,650.00

419,393.00

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 12.46 15.82 0.1460 4.61 99.1 12.3 2.6 9 1700 2090 8.41 1.97 119.5 7 0.8200 2.2800 5.93 12.28 2.85 3.2 5.9 1.97 2.46 15.2 0.62 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

0.0098 5.45 17.24 25 0.330 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 0.021 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9 0.016 70 553 525 515 8.21 12.28 111 1047 76.9 78.95 84.8 6.98 10.96 15 12.88 130.7

T op G ainers VALUE 832,302,547.19 1,672,254,290.715 2,503,055,832.995 744,525,004.71 831,129,063.862 331,196,889.471 6,932,422,175.447

12,497,810.00

52,335,040.00 -201,820.00 -1,225,912.50 -63,409.00 -3,342,870.00 -56,506,659.00

10,175,673.00

-2,113,412.00

1,404,629.00 -42,060,690.00 2,395,460.00 -18,161,945.00 68,825,995.50

1,005,985.00

2,688,034.00

T op L osers

STOCKS

FINANCIAL 1,802.17 (down) 10.00 INDUSTRIAL 11,950.53 (down) 59.96 HOLDING FIRMS 6,942.14 (down) 21.48 PROPERTY 3,148.99 (down) 27.27 SERVICES 2,138.13 (down) 23.83 MINING & OIL 14,803.56 (down) 121.31 PSEI 7,761.53 (down) 48.64 All Shares Index 4,466.82 (down) 26.72 Gainers: 53 Losers: 115; Unchanged: 56; Total: 224

33,874,840.00 5,040.00

Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Benguet Corp `A'

8.3800

13.24

Roxas and Co.

1.89

-16.00

Arthaland Corp.

0.255

10.87

DFNN Inc.

5.70

-13.64

Makati Fin. Corp.

7.7

10.00

Ferronickel

1.37

-13.29

Benguet Corp `B'

8.4100

9.22

Keppel Properties

5.30

-11.22

Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp.

4.10

6.49

Calata Corp.

4.27

-9.15

Republic Glass 'A'

2.55

6.25

Federal Res. Inv. Group

14

-9.09

Solid Group Inc.

1.28

5.79

Suntrust Home Dev. Inc.

0.850

-7.61

Pacifica `A'

0.0390

5.41

Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

0.99

-7.48

Jolliville Holdings

4

4.99

LMG Chemicals

2.42

-6.92

MEDCO Holdings

0.445

4.71

Keppel Holdings `A'

5.4

-6.90

TUESDAY: MAY 26, 2015

B3

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

AlloyMTD plans more PPPs

By Othel V. Campos

AlloyMTD Philippines Inc., a unit of the AlloyMTD Malaysia Group, plans to develop more townships and public-private partnership projects with the Philippine government after it completes its Mini Putrajaya project in Calamba, laguna province.

Malaysian Minister for International Trade and Industry Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed said the company was looking for more investments in the Philippines after successfully penetrating the local infrastructure sector.

“They are talking about building new townships across the Philippines. That is a serious commitment to investing in the Philippines,” he said in a press briefing during a trade and in-

vestment mission Monday at the Fairmont Hotel in Makati City.

AlloyMTD bagged the South Luzon Expressway project contract and completed it in 2010.

It also recently completed the first phase of the P2.5-billion Regional Government Center in a three-hectare area in Barangay Mapagong, Calamba City.

Over 5,000 employees of some 50 national government agencies can be accommodated in the one-

stop-shop government center for Region IV-A in Calamba City.

The government center in Calamba City will serve as hub for all activities in Region IV-A, which consists of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon, the most densely-populated region in the Philippines, benefitting its more than 12.6 million constituents.

The company lists the Leyte, Camarines Sur and GSIS government centers as prospective projects.

It recently pre-qualified for the bidding of the LRT 1 south extension and operation and maintenance and the Cavite Laguna Expressway Project.

Mohamed said many Malaysian companies were interested to locate their operations in the Philippines and create a manu-

facturing hub here to sell in Asia.

“We’re talking about mutual gain--Malaysian companies investing in the Philippines and Filipino companies investing in Malaysia, “ he said.

Noted Philippine investments in Malaysia are the power and energy projects of San Miguel Corp. and the manufacturing operations of snack food maker Universal Robina Corp.

Total bilateral trade between Malaysia and the Philippines reached $5.3 billion in 2014, up 18 percent from $4.5 billion in 2013.

The Malaysian trade mission includes 12 fast-moving consumer goods companies and 11 information and communications technology firms. Four power concerns and six construction and building materials firms also joined the mission.

‘Adopt a Seedling.’

ADEC Innovations, a global leader in environmental, social and governance solutions, is supporting a seedling campaign that aims to restore Philippine forests.

ADEC Innovations in a recent donation turnover ceremony adopted 1,250 seedlings through the ‘Adopt a Seedling’ campaign of Haribon Foundation. Shown are ADEC Innovations general manager for Asia Jurgen Tanpho (left) and Haribon Foundation manager for constituency development Arlie Jo Endonila.

The seedlings will be planted by the company’s employees on June 27 at Mt. Banahaw and San Cristobal Protected Area of the municipality of Rizal, Laguna.

Market sinks; Megaworld, Bloomberry tumble THE stock market declined Monday as concern grew that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates.

The Philippine Stock exchange Index dropped 48.64 points, or 0.6 percent, to 7,761.53 on a value turnover of P6.9 billion. Losers overwhelmed gainers, 115 to 53, with 56 issues unchanged.

Fed Chair Janet Yellen said Friday that she expects to raise borrowing costs this year.

“It seems emerging markets are affected by Yellen’s statement,” Jeffrosenberg Tan, a portfolio manager at PT Sinarmas Asset Management, said in Jakarta. “Riskier assets will be hit the most. Markets are also a bit slow and thinly traded with some countries on holiday.”

Megaworld Corp., the biggest

lessor of office spaces, tumbled 3.7 percent to P5, while Bloomberry Resorts Corp. sank 3.5 percent to P9.55.

Robinsons Retail Holdings Corp. of airline and retail tycoon John Gokongwei fell 3 percent to P79.40, while Nickel Asia Corp., the largest nickel producer, lost 2.6 percent to P24,70.

The rest of Asian markets advanced on Monday, with Tokyo boosted by a weaker yen after the US Federal Reserve chief stuck to her plan to raise interest rates by year-end.

The euro suffered further losses as Greece warned it did not have enough money to service its debts next month without the rest of its bailout cash.

Tokyo closed 0.74 percent

higher, adding 149.36 points to reach a 15-year high of 20,413.77, while Sydney jumped 1.00 percent, or 56.8 points, to 5,721.5.

Shanghai surged 3.35 percent, or 156.20 points, to 4,813.80 as traders moved into undervalued stocks.

Hong Kong and Seoul were closed for public holidays.

Yellen said she expects to raise rates from historic lows “at some point this year,” warning that a delay could risk overheating the economy. However, she also said there were still weaknesses, including slackness in the job market despite unemployment at 5.4 percent.

Her comments came two days after minutes of the Fed’s April policy board meeting made it

clear that slow growth in recent months meant it was not expecting a rise before late July.

Adding to the dollar’s strength was news from the US Department of Commerce that core consumer prices--which exclude food and energy--jumped 0.3 percent in April from March, the largest one-month rise in more than two years.

The dollar was at 121.62 yen Monday, against 121.52 yen in New York and sharply up from 120.71 in Tokyo earlier Friday.

“Inflation is speeding up a little in the US, and we can see the intention to raise rates sometime this year,” said Shoji Hirakawa, chief equity strategist at Okasan Securities Co in Tokyo.

With Bloomberg, AFP

DMCI offering home bonds

By Jenniffer B. Austria DMCI Holdings Inc. said its real estate unit plans to issue P1 billion in fixed-rate retail bonds that could serve as an alternative saving instrument for future home buyers.

DMCI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange DMCI Project Developers Inc. filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the issuance of P1 billion with an initial offering of P500 million.

“Proceeds of the offer will be used by the company for working capital and other general corporate purposes,” DMCI said.

The bonds to be called DMCI Home Savers Bond is an interest-earning financial instrument that primarily targets retail investors who want to allot funds that may be used as full or partial downpayment to purchase units in any DMCI Homes development.

Other property developers like Ayala Land Inc. and Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc. earlier issued similar alternative saving instruments.

DMCI hired SB Capital as underwriter for the bond sale.

DMCI Homes, a leasing midsegment real estate developer, earlier said net income might hit P3.6 billion in 2015, up 11 percent from last year’s P3.2 billion.

The expected growth in net income will come from five new residential projects set to be launched this year and offer more than 3,000 units and 16 others currently under construction.

The projects to be launched this year include Ivorywood and Maple Place in Taguig, Bristle Ridge in Baguio City, Valenia Residences in Mandaluyong and Lumiere Residences North in Pasig.

Sales and reservations this year are expected to reach P22 billion from last year’s P20 billion.

DMCI Homes this year is earmarking P5 billion purely for land acquisition and and up to P7 billion for development cost.

DMCI Homes has also lined up nine new projects in 2016 that will offer 10,700 units in the market.

DMCI Homes since its establishment in 1999 has launched 56 projects, which are mostly larger-than-usual condominium units in mid-rise and high-rise developments across Metro Manila.

B4

BUSINESS

Economic growth likely reached 6.1% in first quarter—DBS

By Julito G. Rada ECONOMIC growth in the first quarter likely reached 6.1 percent, slower than the 6.9-percent expansion registered in the fourth quarter, according to DBS Bank of Singapore.

“First-quarter 2015 GDP is due this week and we expect it to come in at 6.1 percent [YoY]. Several things are important to note at this juncture. GDP growth momentum is likely to have slowed from 4Q, given that export growth has also moderated,” DBS said

in a report Monday.

“Indeed, export growth was flat in 1Q15, as the global economy remains weak,” DBS said.

Recent data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that merchandise exports in the first three months of 2015 declined 0.2 percent to $14.247 billion from $14.277 billion a year ago.

DBS said what boosted GDP growth in the fourth quarter of 2014 was the sharp rise in fiscal spending after a slow patch in the second and third quarters.

“The pace of fiscal spending

is likely to have normalized again in 1Q. Private consumption remains resilient though.

After a slow start to the year, retail sales inched higher in March. Motor vehicle sales are still trending circa 20 percent.

Loan growth remains fairly strong, also close to 20 percent,” DBS said.

The bank said remittances from Filipino workers overseas would continue to be robust, reaching $25 billion this year.

“All these point to private consumption growth staying steady, if not slightly faster

in 1Q15. As overall export growth this year is set to slow to about half the pace seen in the last three years, the pace of investment growth will take a more prominent role in providing yet another boost to GDP growth,” it said.

It said investment growth would likely remain around 8 percent this year, as the government remained active in infrastructure overhaul.

“Earlier this year, we have highlighted risks concerning next year’s presidential election and how it may mean protec-

tionist interests to surface this year. Thus far though, there is no sign that the authorities are turning away from their efforts to boost foreign direct investment flows into the economy,” the bank said.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. earlier said economic growth in the first quarter 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.

El Nino destroys P2.19-b crops

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales

THE El Niño dry spell has destroyed some P2.19 billion worth of crops as of May 21 this year, the Agriculture Department said Monday.

Data from the department showed that El Niño had affected 25,086 hectares of rice in the country, including 14,298 hectares that had no chance of recovery. Value of losses in the rice sector reached P1.21 billion.

The Agriculture Department said the drought had also affected 21,633 hectares of corn. Of the total corn area, 22,319 hectares had no chance of recovery.

It said production losses in the corn sector hit P958.43 million while damage to high value crops amounted to P19.45 million.

Most affected provinces were North Cotabato, Sarangani, South Cotabato and Sulatan Kudarat which accounted for losses worth P1.002 billion.

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, Davao del Norte and Agusan del Norte.

The agency said it continued to intensify its monitoring and reporting about the status of drought

incidence, coordinating with the National Irrigation Administra- A pond is dried up due to an El Nino-induced drought, in Jones, Isabela province, the Philippines, on Feb. 25, tion for better management of ag- 2010. A drought in the Philippines is destroying crops and reducing the country’s water supply. BLOOMBERG ricultural water, fast-tracking the implementation of small-scale irrigation projects and constructing rainwater harvesting facilities and appropriate drainage facilities and By Anna Leah E. Gonzales in crop production as their main FMRs and found small bridges in source of livelihood,” Balisacan Datu Paglas in Maguindanao. rural farm roads.

The rest of the amount will be The department said it distrib- THE Agriculture Department said in a statement during the used to rehabilitate 8.6 kilometers uted drought-resistant palay seeds and the Japan International Co- signing.

The grant assistance was made of FMRs and a river crossing faciland assisted farmers in the adjust- operation Agency have signed a ment of their cropping season, grant agreement for the construc- possible through the Japan- ity in Alamada, North Cotabato.

The Agriculture Department conducted pre-cloud seeding op- tion and rehabilitation of farm-to- Bangsamoro Initiatives for Remarket roads in conflict-affected construction and Development. said it would shoulder the value erations, urged farmers to practice areas in Mindanao.

The community development added tax component of the projcrop rotation to break the life cycle National Economic and Develproject, to be implemented by the ect and the counterpart fund of of pests and to break the continuopment Authority director-gen- Agriculture Department, was en- P50 million. ous supply of food to the pest. eral and Economic Planning Sec- dorsed through diplomatic chan“The proposed construction It said it also intensified efforts retary Arsenio Balisacan signed nels on Sept. 17, 2014. and rehabilitation of FMRs will to rejuvenate the country’s agri- the agreement with Jica Philip“We look forward to the at- contribute to livelihood improvecultural farmlands to help farm- pine office chief representative tainment of full benefits from ment in terms of improving the ers increase their harvest.

Noriaki Niwa. this undertaking and eventually transport of agricultural products Bureau of Soils and Water The grant amounting to 1.117 to the enjoyment of ‘dividends of and increase in job opportunity Management executive director billion yen, or around P500 mil- peace’ in Mindanao through the for local farmers,” the department Silvino Tejada said some por- lion, will be used to fund farm-to- implementation of various peace said. tions of the country’s agricultur- market road projects in Bumba- and development programs in the It said the establishment of al areas were already degraded. ran in Lanao del Sur, Datu Paglas area,” Balisacan said.

FMRs would stimulate invest“We have a total of 30 million in Maguindanao, and Alamada in It will rehabilitate 4.7 kilome- ment for agriculture production, hectares of agricultural land and North Cotabato. ters of road and one small bridge provide access to social services “Through linking target farm in Bumbaran, Lanao del Sur. for isolated communities and en11.2 million hectares are already The amount will also be used hance income generation and job degraded. There is a need to re- villages to major highways, the pair these areas so we can help project is expected to enhance the to construct and rehabilitate 8.7 creation of target communities by welfare of farmers that rely largely kilometers of new and existing improving access to the market. our farmers,” said Tejada.

Japan grants P500m for Mindanao roads

T U E S D AY : M AY 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

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

B5

A call to arms UBUNTU creator Mark Shuttleworth issued a call to CHIN WONG arms this month to developers of all Linux desktop environments to work together to bring their applications to a converged platform that will run Ubuntu on phones, tablets and PCs. In a video address to kickoff the Ubunt Online Summit, Shuttleworth said convergence was rapidly transforming personal computing.

“The form factors of personal computing have evolved faster during these last 10 years than at anytime in the generation before them, and I don’t think the disruption is finished yet,” Shuttleworth said.

Four years ago, he said, Ubuntu mapped out a vision of convergence built around its Unity interface that was now coming true.

“Right now you can install software on your phone and have it present for you a desktop experience,” he said.

Shuttleworth went on to announce that his company Canonical, in partnership with a manufacturer, would ship a device this year, “which will fit in your pocket, which will be a phone, and which will give you a desktop experience.”

“I’m issuing a call to people who participate in every desktop environment,” Shuttleworth said. “This is a seminal moment in personal computing. Once again we’re about to see personal computing disrupted, transformed, [and] changed and history shows that if you are there in that moment, you have the opportunity to bring people with you and to bring people to your platforms.

“So and my call is to folks who’ve worked on all of the Linux desktop environments to set aside our differences, to recognize that the opportunity now is bigger than all of those differences to create experiences that span phones and tablets and PCs, to bring all of our best desktop applications, none of which is exclusively on one desktop environment or another, to everybody.”

The call to unity (pun intended) was understandable—and ironic, all at the same time, given Shuttleworth’s propensity to anger some members of the free software community by going his own way instead of working with others to fix problems in existing open source tools.

This was certainly the case with Mir, Ubuntu’s own display server, and Unity, its own user interface for Ubuntu that is designed to work well with touch-screen devices.

Writing in Network World, Bryan Lunduke, cited the reaction of Aaron Seigo, a prominent member of the KDE world, who wrote on Google Plus: “The first step in making the world you want is to behave in line with that vision. Mark apparently doesn’t understand that, having spent the last years creating schism after schism in the Linux desktop world, from Mir to Unity to making their own QML API from scratch and developing a mobile UX behind closed doors separate from work being done in the broader community, he is now suggesting that all the desktop projects should work together towards a common goal.”

Lunduke concluded: “Disappointment does not quite start to describe my feelings about this call to arms. It’s the right message, but delivered by someone who does not follow it at all.”

On the other hand, Jack Wallen, writing for TechRepublic, said that “misplaced ire toward Canonical and Ubuntu” was hurting Linux.

“Linux has been at this same crossroad for a very long time -- a point where it will take a leadership willing to make the hard decisions in order to force Linux through a very thick [and brittle] ceiling. That’s what Canonical is attempting to do.

“One simple goal: make the Linux desktop a household name.

What Linux and open source fan doesn’t want that?

“If we [the Linux and open source community] want Linux to succeed as a mass-market desktop option, one thing has to happen: Every member of the Linux/open source community needs to rally behind the Linux desktop distribution that has the best chance at making the leap into the homes and businesses of the masses. Considering all that Canonical has done to leverage Ubuntu as a commercially viable option, the choice should be obvious to everyone.”

Wallen goes on to observe that while there are many excellent Linux distributions, only Canonical has invested the time and effort to build a brand that is consumer-worthy.

Having been an Ubuntu user for many years, I tend to agree with Wallen. Shuttleworth and Canonical may not be the most ideologically correct members of the free software community—but that isn’t necessarily a weakness, particularly when pragmatism is the order of the day. If Ubuntu represents the best opportunity to break Linux out of its niche, then all of us in the free software community ought to find a way to get over our differences and get behind it.

DIGITAL LIFE

Column archives and blog at: http://www.chinwong.com

Best cash management. Singapore-based publication The Asian Banker has named for the

second time BDO Unibank Inc. the Best Cash Management Bank in the Philippines at the recently held Transaction Banking Awards in Hong Kong. BDO first vice president for transaction banking group-account management Edgardo Marcelo Jr. (second from left) displays the plaque of recognition given by The Asian Banker representatives.

Common rail ticket delayed by a month

By Darwin G. Amojelar

THE implementation of a common ticket for Metro Manila’s three rail systems was postponed, as testing of the new payments technology remains in progress at Light Rail Transit Line 2.

“The ongoing testing is aimed at further strengthening the operational readiness of the new system originally scheduled to go live at LRT 2 this May,” Peter Maher, chief executive of AF Payments Inc., said.

AF Payments, a consortium led by Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp., won the P1.72-billion contract for the Automated Fare Collection System project.

The new system will use contactless smart card technology to upgrade and integrate the ticketing infrastructure for the country’s major railways, including LRT Line 1 and 2 and Metro Rail Transit Line 3.

The company said it was still taking measures to ensure that the new fare payments system would be implemented smoothly.

“While AF Payments Inc. is keen on introducing the modern ticketing system that will improve the traveling experience of commuters of the LRT and the Metro Rail Transit, it is taking all necessary measures in addressing technical issues to ensure full system acceptance and customer satisfaction,” Maher said.

“With this development, AF Payments Inc. asks for the continued patience and understanding of train commuters. We remain committed to the on-time de-

ployment of a new, reliable and unified rail ticketing system in the Philippines,” he said.

Maher assured that the common ticket system for LRT Line 1 and MRT Line 3 would go live

by September.

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

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

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

The tap-and-go system, which the winning bidder will operate for 10 years, will also enhance fare collection efficiency by reducing leakage and fraud.

5 foreign, local groups eye Davao port

By Darwin G. Amojelar FIVE foreign and local groups have expressed interest to participate in the auction for the government’s first international seaport project under the government’s public-private partnership program.

Transportation Department spokesman Michael Arthur Sagcal said Madrid-based multinational construction and civil engineering company Obrascón Huarte Lain S.A., French investment and industrial firm Bolloré S.A., Singapore-based Portek International Pte. Ltd., Davao International Container Terminals Inc. and Portek International Pte. Ltd. purchased bid documents for the

P17-billion Davao Sasa port modernization project.

The contract includes a 30-year concession to operate the seaport.

The invitation documents for the project were made available on April 14 for a non-refundable fee of P300,000.

Sagcal said bid submission of pre-qualification documents for the project was set on June 30, while the target for bid submission was December 2015.

International Container Terminal Services Inc. chairman Enrique Razon earlier said the port operator was unlikely to participate in the auction of the Davao Sasa port project, saying the largest investment required in the project might not be recovered.

“We are not quite sure if we are going to bid. What we are seeing is the investment requirement is so large. Numerous private ports are already in the area. So we may not bid for that,” Razon said.

The Davao Sasa wharf is the country’s major port for bananas, one of the Philippines’ biggest exports.

It has a capacity of 700,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, but the Philippine Ports Authority forecast that volumes would rise to 1.2 million TEUs in the next five years.

The winning bidder will build a new apron and linear quay, expand the back-up area, container yards and warehouses and install ship-to-shore cranes and rubbertyred gantry.

TUESDAY: MAY 26, 2015

B6

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

AES also keen on banked gas

By Alena Mae S. Flores

AES Philippines, the local unit of AES Corp. of the US, may also bid for the Malampaya banked gas in northwest Palawan, its first natural gas project in the country.

“We started the process and are evaluating it, but no formal letter submitted,” said Neeraj Bhat, AES Philippines managing director when asked about the company’s interest in the Malampaya banked gas.

The Malampaya consortium composed of Shell Philippines Exploration B.V., Chevron Malampaya LLC and PNOC Exploration Corp. and state-owned Philippine National Oil Co. is jointly offering the banked gas, which can fuel a natural gas plant with a capacity of 400 megawatts.

The invitation to prospective investors for the banked gas earlier said Spex, Chevron, PNOC Exploration and PNOC began the process of jointly tendering their respective gas volume entitle-

ments under service contract 38 in northwest Palawan.

The quantity of gas available is up to 227.995 petajoules and an average daily quantity of up to 78.1 terajoules per day, available for delivery as early as January 1, 2016 and up to February 23, 2024.

Spex, as lead contractor of the Malampaya gas-to-power project, has its own banked or stored gas in the Malampaya reservoir.

The other banked gas, also stored in the Malampaya reservoir, is owned by the state-owned PNOC. AES Philippines, through Masinloc Power Partners Co. Ltd., is preparing the 600-megawatt expansion program of the Masinloc coal plant after winning the bid to supply 105 MW to eight electric

cooperatives.

Masinloc Power Partners was declared the lowest bidder in the joint competitive selection process to supply the base load power requirements of eight electric cooperatives from the Region 1 Electric Cooperatives Association and the Cordillera Administrative Region Electric Cooperative Association (collectively, the R1+CAR).

“This win establishes our expansion project as the most competitive new capacity in the country, and we are pleased to provide this benefit to the R1+CAR customers,” Bhat said earlier.

AES Philippines is the majority owner and operator of Masinloc Power Partners which owns the 600 MW Masinloc coal-fired power plant. Masinloc Power Partners is embarking on another 600-MW expansion in the same area.

AES, a Fortune 200 global power company with presence in 20 countries expect the transaction to close in the third quarter. AES recorded revenues of $16 billion in 2013.

AY Foundation search. The AY Foundation and the Junior Chamber International Manila launched

the search for the 28th Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Awardee, the program that recognizes individuals who have been uplifting the poor and underprivileged Filipinos, regardless of race or religion. The BTCA has recognized a number of awardees who have dedicated at least 25 years of their selfless service, as doctors, priests, anthropologists, and educators, among many others, since the award was institutionalized in 1983. Shown (first row from left) are JCI Manila executive vice president Benedict del Rosario, JCI Manila president Steven Paul Anthony Baltao, AY Foundation EVP Michele Marie Dee, and JCI Manila BTCA search committee chairman Jeremiah Jimenez.

Rockwell Land buys Batangas property

By Jenniffer B. Austria ROCKWELL Land Inc., a premier property developer of residential and commercial projects, has acquired a 5.9-hectare property in Sto. Tomas, Batangas as it plans to venture into the socialized and affordable housing segment of the real estate market.

Rockwell Land president Nestor J. Padilla said in an interview at the sidelines of the annual stockholders’ meeting of First Philippine Holdings Corp. the company’s venture into affordable housing segment was in preparation for the enactment of a bill requiring condominium developers to build socialized housing projects.

“There is already a draft bill. So we are already preparing for that,”

Padilla said.

The company’s venture into socialized housing sector will enable it to diversify into new markets and expand its footprint in Luzon.

Socialized housing projects refer to house and lots costing not more than P400,000 per unit.

Under the draft bill Balanced Housing Development Act, “owners and/or developers of proposed subdivision and condominium projects shall be required to develop an area for socialized housing equivalent to at least 20 percent of the total subdivision or condominium net saleable floor area or total subdivision or condominium project cost within the same city or municipality....”

The draft bill also seeks to address the housing backlog by

enabling property developers to help the government in its socialized housing program.

Meanwhile, Rockwell Land closed two new long-term lease agreements. These are the retail and office venture on a 1.3-hectare property in San Juan and another one-hectare property at the corner of United and Sheridan Streets in Mandaluyong City. ockwell Land is also expanding its Power Plant Mall by adding another 5,700 square meters of additional leasable space and two cinema theaters. Construction is expected to start by the middle of this year for completion by 2017.

Rockwell is the real estate unit of Lopez Group that is primarily engaged in the residential development of high-rise condominiums and retail and office leasing.

What happened to TOKTEN and South-South THE last few decades of the twentieth century were RUDY ROMERO a time of intellectual ferment within the United Nations, with new ideas and concepts giving rise to additions to the UN institutional structure.

Recently I wrote a piece in which I asked what had happened to two of the products of that intellectual ferment, viz, UNCTAD (UN Conference on Trade and Development) NIEO (New International Economic Order). Today I am turning my attention to two more, namely, TOKTEN (Transfer of Knowledge to Emerging Nations) and the concept of mutual assistance and cooperation among Southern Hemisphere (South-South) countries. TOKTEN and the South-South concept were – are? – related to one another, for some of the TOKTEN donors are/were developing countries themselves.

Like UNCTAD and NIEO, TOKTEN and the South-South concept were presented to the international community with much publicity and hype. The entire UN apparatus was deployed to inform the world that it was about to witness of two additional instruments for the acceleration of international economic development and the enhancement of world socio-economic stability. UN officials and staff members crisscrossed the globe to conduct conferences and workshops and hold consultations with the economic policymakers and development planners of the developing UN member-countries.

Information kits and other literature explaining the SouthSouth concept and TOKTEN were distributed to the media.

The distribution function was jointly performed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the National Economic and Development Authority. The DFA pointman, I recall, was Dr. Federico Macaranas, deputy minister for scientific matters.

The rationale for TOKTEN and the South-South concept was the notion that the North – the countries of the Northern Hemisphere – was not the sole repository of scientific and technical knowledge and that some Southern Hemisphere developing countries – the South – also possessed the capability to provide such knowledge. That being the case, there was no reason why countries of the South should not be called upon to provide scientific and technical assistance to the so-called emerging nations and other countries on the path to economic development.

The list of potential South-South and TOKTEN donors spanned Asia, Latin America and Africa. In some areas of human scientific and technical endeavor countries like Brazil, India, Singapore, South Africa and the Philippines had expertise and experience that other developing countries could benefit from. The Secretariats of the directly-affected UN specialized agencies – particularly UNCTAD and UNIDO (UN Industrial Development Organization) – collated the donor countries’ expertise and experiences and compiled them into a register which was made available for study by the prospective donee countries, which then indicated the particular kinds of assistance that they needed.

In many instances South-South aid exchanges were considered preferable by the donee countries because of the similarity of needs, experiences and cultures. All too often there were less than perfect matches, or even outright mismatches, between developed-country expertise and developing-country need. By contrast, officials of South donor countries and South donee countries were generally able to communicate their particular situations to one another with greater effectiveness.

And so I repeat the question that is the title of this column.

What has happened to TOKTEN and other programs of South-South assistance? I hope that what we have hear is just a case of reduced publicity and the keeping of a lower profile.

South-South assistance programs make eminently good sense and should be maintained and strengthened.

BUSINESS CLASS

E-mail: rudyromero777@yahoo.com

t u e s D aY : M aY 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

WORLD

cesar barrioquinto EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Malaysia finds 139 graves in the jungle WANG KELIAN, Malaysia— Malaysian police said Monday they had found 139 grave sites and 28 abandoned “detention” camps capable of housing hundreds of people, laying bare the grim extent of the region’s migrant crisis.

National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said authorities were exhuming the remains and it remained unclear how many bodies may lie in the pits, located in a remote and hard-to-reach area of mountainous jungle along the Thai border.

But the findings appeared to indicate a system of jungle camps and graves that dwarfs those found

by Thai police in early May, a discovery that ignited regional concern about human smuggling and trafficking.

The discovery also follows repeated denials by top Malaysian officials—who have long been accused by rights groups of not doing enough to address the illicit trade—that such grisly sites existed on their soil. “[Authorities] found 139 suspected graves. They are not sure how many bodies are inside each grave,” Khalid told reporters in the town of Wang Kelian near the Thai border.

“The also found 28 detention camps.”

He said authorities were now exhuming bodies and will conduct post-mortems, adding that at least one body was “badly decomposed.”

So far police have provided no details on what caused the deaths.

The number and size of the camps suggest they may have been capable of housing hundreds of people.

Khalid said the largest could hold up to 300 people, another had a capacity of 100, and the rest could hold about 20 each.

By comparison, Thai police have said they found five secret jungle camps and 35 bodies so far on their side of the border.

A subsequent Thai crackdown appears to have caused nervous traffickers to abandon boats carrying migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar’s oppressed Rohingya minority. AFP

B7

Cannes winner looks at plight of refugees CANNES—The debate around the world about what to do with growing waves of desperate migrants will be spurred by a Cannes Film Festival triumph for a movie that looks at the plight of a refugee hero.

Memorial. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offers a chrysanthemum during an annual memorial service at Tokyo’s Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery, the tomb for unknown war victims of World War II, on May 25. AFP

“Dheepan”, a French movie about a Sri Lankan former soldier’s struggles in a Paris ghetto in the grip of narco-gangs, didn’t set out to tackle that wider thorny issue.

But the fact that the film’s win comes as refugee boats set off across Asian waters and the Mediterranean—the same sea lapping at glittering Cannes and its super-yachts—inevitably means it will figure in that context.

“It’s important to reflect on the situation,” the movie’s director, Jacques Audiard, admitted to reporters insistently raising the question.

But he stressed, “I started writing the screenplay four or five years ago and the situation wasn’t as critical as it is now”.

Nevertheless, “if it helps the situation, then so much the better”.

The movie won’t begin its release in cinemas for another three months. Its Cannes win will no doubt take it to countries that might otherwise have not seen it.

Some of those countries are ones grappling with the problem of immigrants.

Europe is experiencing a huge surge, particularly from Syrians fleeing the vicious four-year-old war in their country. States bordering Syria—Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon—are already saturated with refugees.

Thousands of Bangladeshis and ethnic Rohingya leaving Myanmar are also posing a challenge for Asian nations, especially after a Thai crackdown early this month on human trafficking threw the illicit trade into chaos.

“Dheepan” keeps its action centered on its central character, a former Tamil Tiger fighter who escaped the mayhem of his war-ravaged homeland and teamed up with two strangers, a woman and a girl, to pretend to be a family to win refugee status in France.

The actor, Anthonythasan Jesuthasan, brought authenticity to the role, having actually been a teen fighter for the Tamil Tigers who escaped to Thailand, made his way to France in 1993 and eventually got political asylum.

The character, he said, is “50 percent” himself.

Presumably the part of the movie where he uses his battle skills to explosively confront the Paris drug gangs is the other, fictional half.

Some of the other awards handed out at Cannes by a jury headed by the Coen brothers and including Jake Gyllenhaal nodded to different perplexing real-world issues. AFP

Ornithologists aflutter as albino sparrow is seen in Australia SYDNEY—A rare pure white sparrow has been spotted in Australia, leaving ornithologists all aflutter Monday.

The albino was photographed at Sanctuary Lakes near Melbourne, but it is not expected to survive long with its snowy white plumage making it stand out to birds of prey.

Bob Winters, a birdwatching expert and environmental educator, photographed the Rare bird. This undated handout photo received on May 25 by Bob Winters, a animal after being alerted to bird- watching expert and environmental educator, shows an albino sparrow at its presence by a friend. But it left, one of the rarest birds in the world, in the outer Melbourne suburb of Point wasn’t an easy task.

Cook. The albino was photographed at Sanctuary Lakes near Melbourne, but it is “It’s a very nervous animal, not expected to survive long with its snowy white plumage making it stand out understandably, so I had to to birds of prey. AFP

try for quite a few days to get some photos,” he told AFP, adding that pure white sparrows had been seen globally only “once in a blue moon”.

Australian media said there had been a handful of confirmed sightings of the bird across the world, including one reported in Britain in 2010.

Winters judged that the bird was six or seven months old, which in itself was an achievement due to its lack of camouflage and disabilities that come with being a genetic mutation.

“This bird has got so many

disadvantages. They usually get kicked out of the nest because they’re different and it has fragile feathers that make it quite difficult to fly,” he said.

“Probably no-one wants to breed with it, and it’s easy pickings for a bird of prey.”

Albinism is a recessive characteristic that only shows up when a bird inherits the albino gene from both parents.

It affects all the pigments, with albino birds showing no color whatsoever. They also have pale pink or reddish eyes, legs, feet and a pale bill.

AFP

B8

T U E S D AY : M AY 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

cESAr bArrioqUinTo EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

world

House on the cliff. A view of Balcony House, one of the cliff dwellings built by the Ancestral Puebloans at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, taken on May 14, 2015. AFP

Living in fear in wild Mexico China busts ‘terror’ gangs BEIJING—A “strike hard” campaign against what China calls terrorism in the largely Muslim region of Xinjiang and beyond has seen 181 gangs busted, authorities said Monday, a year after the controversial measures were launched.

Rights groups have labeled the crackdown discriminatory, raising further concerns after Beijing announced in January the measures would be extended until at least the end of 2015.

Authorities launched the campaign after 39 people were killed last May in a bloody market attack which was blamed on separatists in Urumqi, the capital of the vast, north-western region of Xinjiang.

Scores of people have been sentenced to death as part of the drive, while hundreds have been jailed or detained on terror-related offenses.

“As of April 30 this year, 181 violent terror gangs have been destroyed, with 96.2 percent being thwarted at the planning phase,” the Xinjiang government’s Tianshan web portal reported, adding that 112 suspects surrendered to the police.

Clashes between authorities and alleged Islamist separatists—as well as attacks killing civilians—have spread in recent years, both in Xinjiang, which is home to just over 10 million of the mainly Muslim

Uighur minority, and outside it.

More than 200 people died last year in violence either in or traced back to Xinjiang, according to media reports.

Among the most shocking incidents was a deadly rampage by knife-wielding assailants at a train station at Kunming in China’s southwest, when 31 people were killed and four attackers died.

Three men convicted on terror charges were executed this March for their part in the attack.

Authorities have also targeted religious practices, such as the wearing of veils, which activists say has created an atmosphere of repression and led to violence.

China defends its policies, arguing that it has boosted economic development in the area and that it upholds minority and religious rights in a country with 56 recognized ethnic groups.

But Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress, said: “So-called equal laws deprive Uighurs of freedom of expression and rights.

“The law upholds Beijing’s political interests rather than judicial justice, and it is possible for any person at any time... to lose their freedom for being resentful of China’s policies,” he said in an emailed statement. AFP

TANHUATO DE GERRERO, Mexico— Rodolfo Chagoya was about to cut firewood near the El Sol ranch in western Mexico when suddenly, he said, “I heard ‘rat-at-at-at!’ It was a horrible thing.”

The corn farmer said Friday’s gunfight that killed 42 criminal suspects and one federal police officer made him even more afraid of working his plot of land in the violent region.

The ranch was the scene of one of the bloodiest battles in nearly a decade of drug conflicts in Mexico, with burning vehicles blowing up and assault rifles echoing across corn fields.

The shootout took place in Tanhuato, Michoacan state, near the border with Jalisco.

The two states have endured some of the worst violence in the drug war.

This month, a mayoral candidate was assassinated in Yurecuaro, a Michoacan town near Tanhuato ahead of the June 7 elections.

The mayor of Tanhuato, Gustavo Garibay, was assassinated by an armed group in March 2014. The municipality’s secretary general was also murdered.

In La Barca, a Jalisco municipality bordering the two states, 64 bodies were unearthed from mass graves in 2013.

“There’s a lot of missing and dead people,” an elderly man who refused to give his name said in Tanhuato.

“This is no man’s land.”

The Jalisco New Generation drug cartel is the dominant criminal group in the region.

Earlier this month, it downed a military helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade, killing seven soldiers and a policewoman. It has killed 20 other police officers since March.

Despite their exposure to violence, residents of the region were shocked by the intensity of Friday’s battle, even though they didn’t witness it.

“You don’t get used to things like that,” Chagoya said under his straw hat in the nearby town of Ecuandureo, while a friend lamented that he was unable to sell products Friday because people were hiding inside their homes.

Chagoya said he often sees “bad people” cross the fields, though he never came face to face with armed gangsters.

The region is known as the “western drug corridor” with mountains that provide cover for labs producing synthetic drugs that are smuggled into

the United States.

The New Generation, a former wing of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, now dominates the regional underworld after fighting the ultra-violent Zetas gang in Jalisco and the Knights Templar criminal group in neighboring Michoacan.

President Enrique Pena Nieto’s administration launched on May 1 an operation to dismantle the New Generation, whose attacks on police has made it a top target.

Friday’s clash was part of the efforts to break up the group.

The local population, meanwhile, is afraid to openly talk about living in fear of the New Generation cartel.

Many in Tanhuato claim they didn’t even hear Friday’s gunfight, which authorities said lasted three hours and involved a police helicopter.

“I didn’t know about this. I don’t get out of my house,” said a woman who sells clothes from her house before abruptly closing her door.

It is a scene repeated in many parts of Mexico, where people are too afraid of retaliation to discuss cartel problems in their towns.

“One of the most sacred places we have is the church and even there we can’t talk about these [cartel] people.

There are eyes and ears everywhere,” said a man selling flowerpots.

“Small town, big hell,” he said. AFP

T U E S D AY : M AY 2 6 : 2 0 1 5

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

BING PAREL A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R g l w e e ke n d @ g m a i l . c o m

LIFE

HOTELS

TASTEFULLY THAI Pad Thai and more at the Pen

Catch “Tastefully Thai,” a week-long food festival at Spices that ends today, and get a delicious glimpse of the charming culture of the “Land of Smiles” through home-style Thai dishes served with down-to-earth flavor and masterful flair, courtesy of visiting Chef Chamnan Thepchana.

Chef Chamnan, Thai Chef de Cuisine of the Peninsula Bangkok, has whipped up an irresistible menu that includes Pad Thai (stir-fried rice noodle), Som Tam (papaya salad with tomatoes and cashew nuts), Laab Moo Nai Taeng Kwa (spicy minced pork salad in cucumber), Tom Som Salmon (sweet and sour soup with salmon and ginger), Pla Hima Sam Rod (black cod with sweet and sour sauce), Gaeng Massam Nua (Massaman curry with beef tenderloin and potatoes), Sang

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Kha Ya Fak Thong (steamed custard in pumpkin), Thab Thim Krup (ruby water chestnut with coconut milk and crushed ice), and Khao Niew Ma Muang (mango with sticky rice).

Known for introducing a contemporary twist to classic Thai cuisine, Chef Chamnan also offers his fresh take on dishes based on recipes passed down over the centuries by cooks at the Thai Royal Palace.

Today is also the last chance for guests participating in the “Tastefully Thai” festival to win round-trip business class tickets for two to Bangkok and a three-night stay in a Grand Deluxe Room at The Peninsula Bangkok.

For inquiries or reservations, call 887-2888, extension 2168 and 2956 (Spices) and 2205 (restaurant reservations).

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T U E S D AY : M AY 2 6 : 2 0 1 5

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE

LIFE

EDITOR

BING PAREL A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R

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HOTELS & HOSPITALIT Y

MEXICAN MADNESS CONTINUES

Cinco de Mayo has long passed, but the spirit of the Mexican holiday lingers on at The Bellevue Manila’s Vue Bar as celebrations are extended till the end of May. Go all out Mexican as Vue Bar serves up a wide array of Mexican fare like tacos, burritos, chimichangas, enchiladas, and more. Diners who order from this Fifth of May-approved menu get a free Mexican mule.

For inquiries, call 771-8181, email tbmnl@ thebellevue.com, or visit the website www.thebellevue.com.

FILIPINO FARE FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY From June 3 to 14, Diamond Hotel Philippines’ Corniche buffet restaurant will present “Feasts from a Filipino Kitchen,” featuring everyone’s favorite, roasted suckling pig, better known as lechon, prepared by homegrown culinary personality Dedet dela Fuente Santos of Pepita’s Kitchen.

Dela Fuente Santos has become an icon, taking lechon to a whole new level; her culinary innovations have reached Singapore and New York.

Popularly referred to as the “Lechon Diva,” her signature style involves stuffing lechon with a variety of rice and noodle mixes.

The buffet spread will offer delicious lechon variations from the classic Lechon de Leche to thet imaginative Stuffed Lechon with Truffle Rice, Binagoongan Rice and more, as well as other creatively prepared Filipino dishes. The lunch buffet is priced at P2,150 nett per person, while dinner is at P2,550 nett per person.

Guests with a minimum P5,000 nett spend at the buffet will be entitled to a raffle stub for a chance to win round trip airline tickets for two to Boracay.

For inquiries, please call 528-3000 or email bizcenter@diamondhotel.com

SAKURA SEASON AT TOKYO BUBBLE TEA Sakura season is huge in Japan. It is when the cherry trees blossom, heralding the arrival of Spring. For hundreds of years, the Japanese have celebrated this magnificent season by holding “hanami” or flower viewing parties under cherry blossom trees.

People from all over the world travel to Japan to see the cherry blossoms and experience their own hanami, but one need not travel that far nor spend that much because Tokyo Bubble Tea is bringing the Sakura season to you.

Feel the summer vibe when you take a sip of the Sakura JCC Milk Teas such as the Sakura Royal Milk Tea, Sakura Strawberry Milk Tea or the Sakura Taro Milk Tea! These bubbly beverages will surely quench your thirst as they have a Sakura spin on the typical Tokyo Bubble Tea JCC. Sate the appetite, too, with Sakura Bento Trays offering Sakura Chicken Katsu, and Sakura Ebi Furai with Hamburg Steak.

Each tray comes with a main course, miso soup, fried rice, Sakura salad and maki that were made especially for the season.

Mix and match the trays and drinks and get a chance to pick a prize from their special Sakura tree with exclusive merchandise including the super cute “Bubblets” Sakura, Midori and Ichiban!

Like the Sakura season, this offer is for a limited time only, so take the opportunity to celebrate at Tokyo Bubble Tea.

Everybody’s enjoying the Sakura season celebration at TOKYO BUBBLE TEA

Meet the TOKYO BUBBLE TEA Bubblets - Midori, Ichiban and Sakura

Mr. Reagan Tan, owner of Tokyo Bubble Tea, enjoys a light moment with his wife Aileen, and the Bubblets

T U E S D AY : M AY 2 6 : 2 0 1 5

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE

LIFE

EDITOR

BING PAREL A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R

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HEALTH

STAYCATION CHRONICLES: AT HOME IN ORTIGAS

BY ED BIADO As a Makati guy, I’ve developed this habit of not leaving this particular side of town unless utterly necessary.

Going outside of Makati is practically an “experience” for me and exploring the things that other parts of the metropolis can offer sounds like a vacation. So if you’re like me, why not make it a staycation?

I’ve recently been introduced to the beautiful Capitol Commons and hidden gems like Kanto Freestyle Breakfast around the Ortigas area and I’ve been dying to see it all without having to worry about the traffic going home. So I got in touch with Agoda. com for a recommendation on where to stay in the vicinity and they gave me the relatively new Privato Hotel.

Located along Shaw Boulevard, Privato is an Italian-inspired business and lifestyle hotel with 177 rooms, and minimalist and modern facilities. It’s nothing too fancy (as it is a business

hotel) but it isn’t cheap either. The lobby alone is impressive, with its slightly industrial feel and interesting pieces of art placed strategically throughout the area. I also love the design and the very contemporary décor elements of the Piazza Privato restaurant. Aside from that, they have a nice and lounge-y roof deck pool with breathtaking views of the city – perfect for relaxing afternoons before hitting the town for dinner and drinks later at night.

The guest rooms are compact and smartly utilize every space available.

But instead of describing them and raving about how they’re simply made for weary bodies after a whole day of shopping, I’m just going to show you pictures to make my case. (Get a suite if you’re planning a sleepover!)

And that’s to say that if you’re looking for a good place to stay when you’re in Ortigas, Privato is the hotel to check out.

For more information, go to www. privatohotel.com and to get discounted rates up to 22 percent, book your room through www.agoda.com.

STEM CELL FOR DUMMIES

MakatiMed gives the lowdown

W

e may have heard of it, but since we’re not all science geeks, the question remains: What is stem cell treatment and how does it work? Premier healthcare facility Makati Medical Center’s Cellular Therapeutics Center gives the basics on a treatment paradigm dubbed as one of the biggest breakthroughs in the field of medicine. Here are five facts you need to know about stem cell treatment: • It uses unspecialized cells. Think of these cells as little kids who have yet to determine what they want to be. Stem cells are formed with no specific function, thus giving them potential to develop into different cell types. Like kids who become later doctors, lawyers, or engineers, stem cells acquire specific functions like red blood cells or brain cells once they divide.

• It is established to treat blood disorders.

Stem cell treatment, which was developed in the 1970s, can treat numerous blood disorders. Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) has been used to cure malignant and nonmalignant diseases including but not limited to: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, congenital disorders of blood, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma, Myelodysplatic Syndrome, Myeloproliferative disorders, Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia, testicular cancer, and autoimmune disorders.

Allogeneic HSCTs (a procedure which uses stem cells derived from various individuals) have also been used for stem cell disorders, erythrocyte disorders, inherited immune system deficits, and congenital metabolic diseases including: Aplastic Anemia, Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria, and Sickle Cell Anemia.

• It is best for patients who have undergone chemotherapy. According to MakatiMed Cellular Therapeutics Center Co-Director Francisco S. Chung Jr., Ph. D., stem cells infused into the body postchemotherapy migrate to the bone marrow and produce healthy stem cells. Since the strong substances in chemotherapy drugs also harm the healthy cells, the introduction of new, healthy cells through stem cell treatment greatly aid in the patient’s healing process.

• Its sources may vary. Stem cells can be autologous, or from the patient’s body;

allogeneic, or from a donor; and syngeneic, or from an identical twin. They are usually extracted from the blood or bone marrow and injected during the transplantation procedure.

• It is a process that requires utmost care and precision. Chung explains that harvesting of immature dendritic cells (DCs), such as those used in the US FDA-approved cancer immunotherapy for prostate cancer patients, begins with apheresis, wherein DCs are separated from the patient’s blood. Next is maturation, where the cells are immersed in an environment where they are cultured to perform their functions.

DCs then go through a stage called education, where they interact with the patient’s cancer cells to help the healthy cells identify the bad guys. Once the cells have been “taught” to destroy the cancer cells, they are then injected back to the patient.

“Cell-based therapy is the future of medicine. The current paradigm has proven to be very promising in cancer-related, autoimmune, neurologic, and cardiac cases and we are excited for more developments,” says co-director Dr. Manuel O. Fernandez Jr. While it is now extensively used for blood-related disorders, further studies and tests can make stem cells treat even multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries and Parkinson’s disease.

Dr. Fernandez also notes other positive changes observed among patients who have undergone stem cell treatment, “With our regenerative program which involves 12 months of patient monitoring, we have seen significant reduction in reactive oxygen species (also known as free radicals) in our patients post stem cell infusion. Some age-related symptoms such as chronic pain and skin thickness also started to improve.”

Here in the Philippines, MakatiMed’s Cellular Therapeutics Center carries out stem cell procedures in a Biosafety Level 5 laboratory that exceeds even the most stringent standards. Equipped with state-of-the-art facilities from the US, Germany, and Japan, MakatiMed’s Cellular Therapeutics Center ensures 9095 percent cell purity and viability, making this treatment paradigm a great help for those who most need it.

For more information, contact MakatiMed On-Call at 8888.999, email mmc@makatimed.net.ph, or visit www.makatimed.net.ph.

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T U E S D AY : M AY 2 6 : 2 0 1 5

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE

LIFE

EDITOR

BING PAREL A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R

g l w e e ke n d @ g m a i l . c o m

Holiday Inn and Suites Makati Flavors Restaurant

WHAT ARE YOU EATING FOR LUNCH?

BY ANA J. GLORIA

I

n the middle of busy errands and meetings, it can sometimes be a challenge to find healthy meals. Any time we step beyond the confines of our own kitchens, we are at the mercy of the menus of restaurants and cafes. To those who are watching their weight and wish to be healthy, it is difficult to control the quality and nutritional value of food being eaten.

So what is all the hype about caloriecontrolled meals, lean protein-rich diets, and natural food?

A balanced diet coupled with proper nutrition and physical activity are the foundation of clean health and well-being. And the link between nutritious food and good health is too significant not to be taken seriously. Wise eating choices need to be made.

Restaurants such as Flavors in Holiday Inn Makati offer an enjoyable and deliciously different dining option for the health-con-

Quinoa Shrimp Fried Rice

scious. The contemporary buffet set up at Flavors presents meals by taste instead of by course. This unconventional approach makes sampling the food a pleasurable experience. Eating at Flavors also offers a respite from the hustle and rush of metropolitan life, thanks to its casual yet elegant interiors.

On the 23rd, 24th, 30th, and 31st of May, Flavors will have lunch and dinner buffets featuring the concoctions of Chef Barni Alejandro. Gluten-free, low carb, and vegan choices will be made available for a limited time. Barni, who is one half of the sister act behind Sexy Chef along with singer-entrepreneur Rachel, will prepare tasty, low calorie dishes ranging from appetizers, salads, main courses, and pastries.

Take advantage of every opportunity to treat yourself and your family to healthy yet delicious meals. Nutritious food need not be bland, if you know where to look when you eat out.

Raw Energy Nut Trufflet

Hotel Manager, Karim Klaa with The Sexy Chef Rachel Alejandro and Chef Barni Alejandro-Rennebeck

California Maki Pinwheels

Cauliflower Couscous

Coconut Chicken and Oats Soup

T UES DAY : M AY 26 : 2015

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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Rak of Aegis, the well-loved Fiilipino musical with music adapted from the songs of Rock of Aegis, returns for another series of performances expected to draw record-breaking crowds

RAK IS BACK

I

t’s been a fruitful 47th theater season for the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA); and while the theater is ablaze with the ongoing Summer Program, the company shows no signs of stopping for a breather.

PETA’s 48th season sees the comeback of crowd favorite and hit comedy musical Rak of Aegis. Fans and first-timers are expected to flood the theater for this record-breaking hit that is set to open this June, due to insistent public demand.

Breakout Kapuso star Aicelle Santos, and 2009 WCOPA Champion Kim Molina come back as Aileen; the promodizer with big dreams to raise her family from the knee-deep floods that have plagued their town for months. This all-Filipino, all-original musical features songs from the iconic band Aegis, with a star-studded ensemble on an award winning, must-see set.

This comedy musical has hit a record-breaking 135 shows in the first year of its showing alone, a milestone for the theater company

and indeed, for Philippine theater.

This run also welcomes many new neighbors to Barangay Venizia.

Actor and singer Lorenz Martinez plays Aileen’s father Kiel, opposite Lani Ligot (Priscilla Queen of the Dessert; Broad Way, Narrow Way) who plays Mercy, Aileen’s mother; The Company’s Sweet Plantado also joins the cast as Mary Jane. The ensemble is joined by PETA artist-teacher Roi Calilong (D’ Wonder Twins of Boac, PAMANA), and Teetin Villanueva (MANHID, Maxie the Musical).

The cast also sees the return of talented ensemble members.

The play runs from June 17 to Aug. 16 from Tuesdays to Fridays (8PM) and Saturdays to Sundays (3:00pm and 8:00pm) at the PETA Theater Center located at No. 5 Eymard Drive, New Manila, QC. Tickets are available via www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999. For more information contact PETA at 725-6244 or 0917-5765400, petatheater@gmail.com or visit www.petatheater.com.

SYMBOLIC RED SUITCASE RETURNS TO EUROPE

A

ward-winning filmmaker Richard Soriano Legaspi’s first documentary Ang Walang Kapagurang Paglalakbay ng Pulang Maleta (The Untiring Journey of the Red Suitcase) had public screenings in selected venues in Italy and Berlin next month.

Produced by Red Room Media Productions and Cine Totoo with the support of Università delle Idee and ILLY – Italy, the film tells the remarkable stories of inspiration of a close-knit Filipino community in the town of Biella, Italy and how they create a community where the culture of both worlds can be freely woven together.

On May 1, during the celebration of the International Labor Day, the Red Suitcase became part of a contemporary art exhibition entitled Exploring Resilience at MILA Kunstgalerie in Berlin. It traveedl to Ambasciata d’Italia for exhibition under the

program “Embodied Resilience II,” curated by PeninsulaLab, Wollinerstrasse, starting May 18, also in Berlin.

The film will go back to Biella, Italy on June 6 for a public screening at Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto. This will be an opportunity for Legaspi, a 2013 UNESCO Laureate Artist and alumnus of Università delle Idee, to present his works in one of Europe’s famous contemporary art institutions. The foundation was instituted in 1998 as a concrete action of the Progetto Arte Manifesto where the artist Michelangelo Pistoletto proposed a new role for the artist – that of placing art in direct interaction with all the areas of human activity which forms society.

“It is not easy to shoot a documentary in a foreign land alone but like the film’s prevailing message that each fabric of wool has been trying to weave together

the culture, history and people of Biella, including the Filipino workers and their families who continuously toil and embrace Italy, I was able to manage and finish it with the help of other people,” Legaspi said.

Legaspi started shooting the documentary in 2013 using a small camera and he returned to Italy in 2014 to continue documenting the journey of Filipinos in Biella. “They sort of took care of me and embraced my presence for three consecutive years.

Technically I was alone filming but the Filipino community in Biella helped me complete this project. This is a clear example of a participatory and community art project which I am very proud of,” he explained.

Another film screening is set on June 14 at the Philippine Embassy in Milan. Also included in the program are the short films Pipo, Fare L’amore con il Vento, and

Richard Legaspi's Ang Walang Kapagurang Paglalakbay ng Pulang Maleta is screened again in international festivals

Dimensions of Belonging, other narrative and experimental films directed by Legaspi, a two-time Gawad Cultural Center of the Philippines awardee in 2010 and 2011, a Carlos Palanca Awardee for Literature in 2012 for the screenplay “Primera Bella,” and a Gawad Urian nominee in 2010.

Legaspi directed award-winning films like Paano Ko Sasabihin? starring Enchong Dee and Erich Gonzales, which won the Special Jury Prize, Audience

Award and Best in Editing at the 2009 Cinema One Originals and was a finalist at the Babel Film Festival in Italy. He is also the director and writer of Manenaya, Special Jury Prize winner at the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and the opening film of the Asiatica Film Mediale in Rome in 2012, and Ambulancia, which earned the Miglior Montaggio Award at the San Gio Film Festival and was a finalist at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF).

T UES DAY : M AY 26 : 2015

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I

SHOWBITZ

EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

CELEBRATING CHILDREN’S RIGHT TO PLAY, EDUCATION

n celebration of children’s rights to play and education, UNICEF collaborates with Creative Kids Studio’s 20th Anniversary this month to highlight traditional Filipino games and children’s art. Dubbed Laro, the event will feature Community Art, an open art activity until May 30 at the Activity Center of Alabang Town Center where children’s art works will be on sale to the public.

Creative Kids Studio will raise funds to support UNICEF’s work in promoting education and play for Filipino children.

“Laro is an advocacy campaign bringing children back to the outdoors through play. Using their artistic talents, it showcases Filipino games interpreted through different art and musical forms to inspire the enrichment of children through play,” says Bambi Mañosa, founder

UPAA DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDEES

and chief curator of the studio.

Apart from the Community Art sale, Laro featured Paint it Forward, a display of children’s art work to the public (12-24 May); Tara, Laro!, where kids played traditional Filipino street games (16-17 May); and a weekend of Interactive Storytelling on Filipino children’s literature (23-24 May). The festival will culminate with the Laro Fashion Show on May 30, showcasing children’s designs inspired by indigenous fabrics. All events are open to the public at the Activity Center of Alabang Town Center.

“Play is crucial in shaping a child’s future success, a powerful educational and development tool.

The earlier we start with enabling children to play, the better impact it can have on their physical and cognitive development. That’s why we are very grateful to Tukod

Officers of UNICEF and Bambi Mañosa of Creative Studios agree to support "Laro"

Foundation and the Creative Kids Studio for promoting the importance of play. It is energising to see Creative Kids alumni support the most vulnerable Filipino children through UNICEF’s work. There is nothing more inspiring than seeing children helping other children,” says UNICEF Philippines Representative Lotta Sylwander.

In support of Tukod Foundation, Laro will also build a children’s playground for the resettlement community of Calauan,

Laguna, for informal settlers and evacuees of natural disasters like Ondoy (2009) and Yolanda (2013). “The resettlement community in Calauan is no stranger to sadness and hopelessness. On top of providing employment through livelihood programmes, we can help the community to uplift their spirits. By providing them a playground, they will be able to exercise their right to play and to live a happy and hopeful life,” Mañosa added.

KOMIKET LEVELS UP KOMICS CONVENTION

Ready for a Komiks Adventure?

After its successful debut on Easter Sunday, the first Filipino Komiks Market, a.k.a. the KOMIKET is gearing up for a bigger and brighter Oct. 3-4 event at Centris Elements. The Komiket aims to grow the komiks community and help build a comics industry through the following activities: (1) The Komiks Market. Meet and greet hundreds of comics creators, illustrators, writers, graphic artists, and typographers as they share their latest works on sale. And for the first time, we’re opening a children’s section!

(2) The Komiket Pitch. Com-

Poster of Komiket that will hold a convention for Komiks writers and readers in October

ics creators pitch their finished comic books to mainstream publishers such as Visprint, Anino, Meganon Comics and more; deadline of submission is on Aug. 28.

(3) The Komiket Awards. A

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 44 45 48 49 50 52 57 58 60 61 62 63 64 65 66

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Male offspring 5 Mo. with no holidays 8 Woodland deity 12 Big-time operator 14 Pocket bread 15 Ocean flier 16 Jungian term 17 Shaman’s quest 18 Plops down 19 Makes shiny 21 Realizes (2 wds.)

23 Grand total

ISAH V. RED

24 25 26 30 32 33 37 38 39 40 42 43

Badminton need Urban trains Zigzag course Fizzy drinks Nimbuses Brat’s display With, to Henri Censor Durable wood Clean-up committee?

Yard enclosure Madras garments

Hurled Mai — Gary’s st.

Woolly animal Ballet’s Nureyev Crabwise Gas or tel.

Bulrush or cattail Hold, as attention Aloof Gardner of mystery Ill will This, in Tijuana Sushi morsel Fix typos

DOWN 1 Trade 2 What have I done!

(2 wds.)

3 Mr. Armstrong 4 Freight hauler 5 Objectives 6 Sporty truck 7 Joined forces (2 wds.)

8 Gab or slug ender 9 Pop up 10 No later than 11 Robin domiciles 13 Rodeo gear 14 Jingle or haiku

jury-based awards that celebrates the best comic books first launched at the Komiket; deadline of entries is on Sept. 12.

(4) The Komiket Student Competition. Komiket wants to discover new comics creators.

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

20 22 24 26 27 28 29 30 31 33 34 35 36 38 41 42 44 45 46 47 49 51 52 53 54 55 56 59

Fridge sound Handy Latin abbr.

Eminent “Candida” writer Fluid rock Porter and stout Lomond and Ness Tea-leaves readers Jades Like tartan Jarrett and Beatty Hamster’s digs Used sparingly Elsa’s story (2 wds.)

A bad thing to jump Four-baggers Youngster Temporary peace Traffic jammers Dunce Be a passenger Earthen pot Bear’s advice Towel off Eager Bigfoot’s kin Dele canceler Before

Open to high school and college students, submit a 16-24 page komiks of any genre, art style, in English or Filipino. The best entries get published in a comics anthology Komiks Cum Laude. deadline of entries is Aug. 31.

Support a Filipino Komikbook! Do you also want to help grow the community? Be a KOMIKSTARTER patron! Komikstarter is a crowd-funding platform on which your donations can help jumpstart a comic creator’s next comic book.

Email komiket.awards@gmail. com for more details or Like the KOMIKET page on Facebook for all the application forms.

The University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) announced the choices for this year’s UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awardees. The outstanding graduates will be recognized at the U.P. General Alumni Homecoming, June 20, 3 p.m. at Luciano E. Salazar Hall, Ang Bahay ng Alumni, U.P. Diliman Campus.

This year’s UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus is Dr. Ernesto O. Domingo, AA’56; MD’61.

Six alumni are being recognized for Lifetime Achievement: Dr. Benjamin D. Adapon, MD’58; Celia Diaz-Laurel, BFA’52; Dr. Florante P. Gonzaga, AA’53; MD’58; Engr. Rufino S. Ignacio, BSEE’63; Dr. Reynaldo O. Joson, BS’69; MD’74; MHA’91; MHProfEd’93; MSCMEd’98; and Cayetano D.L. Santiago, AB’51; MA’53.

The five UPAA Distinguished Service Awardees are Marquez O. Go, AB’75; MMgt’79; Dr. Irma R. Makalinao, BS’82 cl; MD’86; Dr. Rodrigo Angelo C. Ong, BSChem’95; Dr. Eli M. Remolona, MEP’74 and Dr. Cirilo R. Reyes, Jr., DVM’81.

The U.P. Pharmacy Alumni Association and U.P. Vanguard Corps of Sponsors Alumni International will receive this year’s UPAA Distinguished Service Award for An Alumni Chapter.

For the other awardees and inquiries on the U.P. General Alumni Homecoming, please contact the UPAA Secretariat at landline numbers (632) 9206871, (632) 9206868, (632) 9206875, e-mail upalumn@ yahoo.com, or cellular phone number (0917)837-2098. Visit the UPAA website at http:// www.upalumni.ph.

T UES DAY : M AY 26 : 2015

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

C7

COCO MARTIN IS KAPAMILYA’S ‘ANG PROBINSYANO’ From C8

A Coco Martin stars in the upcoming drama series Ang Probinsayno based upon the FPJ movie of the same title, one of the films entrusted to ABS-CBN President and CEO Charo Santos Concio (right) according to Susan Roces (left), widow of Da King

Julie Ann San Jose spends her birthday with fans with a mini concert at GMA Network studios

Vic Sotto is featured in a TVC showing him playing basketball with professional players and enjoying a bottle of pale pilsen

BS-CBN and Dreamscape Entertainment Television officially announced that Coco Martin will topbill the TV adaptation of FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, one of the films that starred the late Fernando Poe, Jr..

Through the partnership of ABS-CBN and FPJ Productions, Ang Probinsyano will be the newest FPJ classic that will surface on the TV screens as a drama series. The series will be featuring the heroism of the country’s policemen.

According to FPJ’s widow, Susan Roces, her lhusband entrusted the library of all his films under FPJ Production to ABS-CBN President and CEO Charo Santos-Concio, hence the series based upon one of Da King’s mos popular films.

Albert Martinez, Angeline Quinto, Arjo Atayde, Bela Padilla, and Jaime Fabregas are also in the cast of the series that will be directed by Avel Sunpongco and Malu Sevilla.

HHHHH GMA Artist Center star Julie Anne San Jose was all smiles during the mini-birthday concert for her fans on, May 16 at Studio 1 of GMA Network Center.

Glowing in her blue off-shoulder top and showing off her slim physique, Julie Anne was unstoppable in giving her all in the intimate get-together that she prepared for her fans. She showed her gratitude by performing songs they requested plus a series of medleys from foreign artists like Beyonce and Nicki Minaj.

The stage was starting to heat up when she balanced the mood by singing her mellow songs – “Tulad Mo,” “Right Where You Belong,” and the latest single from her Deeper album, “Kung Maib-

abalik Ko Lang.”

Later in the program, a surprise visit from her co-GMA Artist Center talent Ken Alfonso left the fans swooning. Ken dedicated a sweet rendition of “Minsan Lang Kitang Iibigin” to Julie Anne and garnished his harana act with a rose that he gave to the birthday celebrant.

Julie Anne felt the warm support that she gets from her fans, but on top of the list she wanted to thank was her Mommy, Marivic. Teary-eyed, the Kapuso singer, with her guitar, expressed her love for her mother, and gave a smooth interpretation of the song “Coming Home.”

After the performance, she left the stage to hug her mother and shared to the audience that it was her mother’s support that motivated Julie Anne through the years.

“I want to thank all of you.

Sobrang nagpapasalamat ako sa inyo. Hindi kayo nagsasawang suportahan ako, kaya hinding-hindi rin ako magsasawa to be here for you,” said Julie Anne.

HHHHH Vic Sotto loves basketball and remembers fondly his film involving the sport when he did the latest television commercial for San Miguel Pale Pilsen.

Sotto, also known as Bossing, says he once did a film Shoot That Ball in 1987 as part of the popular comedy trio of Tito, Vic and Joey.

“I love basketball and started playing the sport when I was young. I remember the Shoot That Ball movie I did many years ago. I was with Tito and Joey plus Martin Nievera, Jimmy Santos and former PBA import Michael Hackett. We had a lot fun doing that film and had a lot of body pains doing it,”Sotto said.

“That’s why when I heard the TVC will be about basketball, I think I needed to stretch a lot since it’s been a long while since I played basketball. But I used to play in the PBA and that is the Philippine Bulagaan Association (PBA),” adds Sotto, referring to the then-basketball segment of popular noontime show Eat Bulaga.

In the newest TVC, Sotto shares the limelight with Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) cagers June Mar Fajardo, Marc Pingris, Arwind Santos, a nd Marcio Lassiter. In the ad, their team is up against a group of ‘imports’ for a cooler filled with ice-cold San Miguel Pale Pilsen. He wore his retro basketball outfit and even made the key basket in the TVC’s zany ending.

“These players are fun to work with. I already worked with June Mar and Marc in the first San Miguel television commercial so it was an easy shoot,” Sotto says.

Sotto could not hide his admiration for the four players, who all played for teams under San Miguel Corporation. “June Mar is an MVP and led San Miguel to a championship. Marc is my sonin-law and I know he is a good provider and even won a grandslam. Marcio is a great shooter.

Arwind’s three-point shot was a big factor in the championship and I heard he also has a music career with his song ‘Bagyo’.”

Sotto also paid tribute to San Miguel Pale Pilsen, which will celebrate its 125th anniversary this year.” It’s like the movie industry. If you are not a good actor, then you won’t last that long with the heavy competition. Just imagine that San Miguel Pilsen has been here for 125 years and it’s still going strong.”

TAGALOG-DUBBED MEXICAN TELENOVELAS ON BEAM CH 31

G

ood news for lovers of classic Mexican telenovelas who are looking for an alternative to local and Korean standard drama fare.

Tagalog-dubbed hits La Madrasta (The Stepmother), Palabra de Mujer (A Woman’s Word), and Big Love (Llena de Amor) now air daily over BEAM UHF Freeto-Air Channel 31 in Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao, Baguio, Naga, Iloilo, and Zamboanga. The programs are also available on cable in NCR via SkyCable Channel 72, Destiny Cable Channel 80, Cable Link Channel 82, and CableStar Channel 4, and Skycable Channel 20 in Cebu, Davao, and Baguio.

Airing starts daily from 5am -7 am and 7 pm to 11 pm with catchup marathon on weekends in the same time slots.

La Madrasta, which starred Victoria Ruffo and Cesar Evora,

was an unexpected success when it was broadcast in Mexico back in 2005. The drama is about Maria who was wrongly accused of murder. After many years in prison, she returned to be with her children and exact revenge on his husband Esteban who turned his back on her during the ordeal only to later be torn between her desire for justice and finding the strength to forgive.

A Woman’s Word, on the other hand, premiered in 2007 and is also the name of a TV talk show featured in the series. It follows the intertwined lives of Vanesa, Fernanda, Paulina, and Matilde who despite their very different social backgrounds, embarked together on an exciting adventure in search of their personal fulfillment as professionals, and more importantly, as women. It was top-billed by Edith González,

Yadhira Carrillo, Ludwika Paleta, and Lidia Ávila.

Meanwhile, Big Love, aired in 2010, tells the story of Marianela, who may be huge in weight but is very positive in life even though she lived most of her childhood without the love and warmth of a family. Played by Ariadne Diaz, Marianela experienced struggles in countless family intrigues that led her to live with her aunt in Spain. After her aunt’s death, she went back to Mexico filled with optimism and self-confidence, determined to find her big love.

BEAM Channel 31 is a freeto-air TV being operated by Broadcast Enterprises and Affiliated Media, Inc. (BEAM), owned by a joint consortium led

by Bethlehem Holdings, Inc., an investee of Globe Telecom’s Retirement Fund.

Mexican telenovela fans can now watch their favorite series on Beam 31

T UES DAY : M AY 26 : 2015

C8

ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

GERALD ANDERSON TALKS ABOUT HEALTH ISAH V. RED It is not surprising to hear handsome actor Gerald Anderson talking about good health and well being. He is after alll one of the few actors that put a premium to his health.

At a recent press gathering at a hotel in Quezon City, the actor who has become tabloid fodder after an unceremonious break up with girlfriend Maja Salvador and soon after compromising images uploaded on social media with older actress Janice de Belen said he’s rath- er not talk about either of the two. “Let’s just focus on Cosmo Cee,” he said curtly.

Cosmo Cee, according to its manufacturer Bargn Farmaceutici Philippines Company (BFPC), offers a better, healthier and more tummy-friendly Vitamin C supplement.

Says Anderson, “Not at all Vitamin C supplements are the same—or even created equal.”

Doses might vary, packaging might differ, but the difference is in the formulation and that’s where one can find out which is ordinary and which is superior.

“Cosmo Cee is especially formulated with sodium ascorbate and citrus bioflavonoids,” notes Nino Bautista of BFPC, adding that bioflavonoids which is present in citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables is another type of Vitamin

C that the public is mostly unaware of.

“It is actually the only type of Vitamin C that can be easily absorbed by the body.”

According to Bautista this quality makes Cosmo-Cee a better alternative to other Vitamin C brands as its formulation enables it sustain and prolong the benefits of Vitamin C for a longer period of time than other Vitamin C supplements. The key to all of this of course is the bioflavonoids in Cosmo-Cee which are essential for the proper absorption of the vitamin.

Unfortunately, bioflavonoids are not made by the human body and must be regularly supplemented.

Although it is readily available in such delicious and zesty fruits like lemons, limes, grapefruits, oranges and tangerines; Red Gatus notes that an individual must consume a hefty quantity of these foodstuffs to get the needed amount. “With regular Cosmo Cee consumption though, one need not do this as all one has to do is to take at least 2 to 3 tablets daily to ingest the needed amount,” he says, noting Cosmo Cee’s convenience.

But the end results are seemingly worth it. “Bioflavonoids will provide natural antiviral, anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties, as it also stimulates the production of collagen for younger-looking skin,” Bautista shares, adding that it could also provide good support for proper blood circulation, healthy blood pressure and normal cholesterol level. “Cosmo-Cee with its special sodium ascorbate and citrus bioflavonoids formulation can boost energy and once’s immunity—the way a superior Vitamin C supplement should.”

BFPC hosted a soiree of sorts for its friends in the media at the Luxent Hotel in Quezon City, where actor and athlete Gerald Anderson was introduced as the newest brand ambassador of Cosmo Cee. “With his sporty and active lifestyle as well as his committment to healthful living, Gerald is simply brimming with zestful energy that Cosmo-Cee can give to ordinary Filipinos,” says Bautista about Anderson.

For his part, Gerald was all praises for the unique qualities of the Vitamin C supplement, most notably its formulation. The actor also gamely answered questions about his different sporty activities that necessitates daily vitamin supplementation, including the daily intake of Cosmo Cee. Seemingly, Cosmo Cee is the secret to Anderson’s glow these days, and not the people the tabloids have been screaming about.

Cosmo Cee comes in 700 grams per tablet bottles. It is available in all Watsons and selected drugstores nationwide. It is manufactured in the Philippines by BFPC—the makers of high-quality cosmeceuticals and nutriceuticals like Cosmo Skin cosmetics, Cosmo Skin Glutathione Soap, Euphoria Maxx and Cosmo Body. ➜ Continued on C7

Not at all Vitamin C supplements are the same—or even created equal Gerald Anderson, actor and athlete

Gerald Anderson is the new brand ambassador of Cosmo-Cee with BFPC Directors Nino Bauitista (left) John Redentor Gatus. Anderson typifies Cosmo Skin’s desire to make heathful living easily accessible to the public