The Standard - 2015 August 15 - Saturday

VOL. XXIX  NO. 184  3 Sections 32 Pages P18  SATURDAY : AUGUST 15, 2015  www.thestandard.com.ph  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Binay hits Morales for misuse of govt lawyers

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COMELEC UNDER FIRE Decision to lease 94,000 Smartmatic PCOS machines blasted

By Sara D. Fabunan

THE Commission on Elections drew heavy fire Friday from poll watchdogs, a lawmaker and others who were dismayed by its decision to lease almost 94,000 optical mark reader (OMR) machines from Smartmatic-Total Information Management Corp., which has been sued for electoral sabotage.

“They are just following what Smartmatic wants. It’s all a sham. Whatever Smartmatic wants, that’s what they’ll do,” said former elections commissioner Augusto Lagman, who had filed an electoral sabotage complaint against the company in July.

Lagman said the Comelec was using time constraints as an excuse to opt for awarding the P10 billion lease contract, and could have avoided having to shelve the thousands of precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines used in the previous elections if only they had done the necessary maintenance and repair of the units.

“Part of the contract with Smartmatic was the training of the Comelec staff on diagnostics and repair of the machines.

Did they do that? If they did, then the trained people could have started the repair in late 2014 and the whole of 2015,” Lagman said.

Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares described the Comelec decision as “suspicious,” and accused it of wasting money.

He called on the Comelec to reconsider a hybrid system proposed by Lagman, and questioned the poll agency’s findings that it would be more expensive.

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Chaos in the city. The traffic was bumper to

bumper in Metro Manila on Friday, particularly in this section of Edsa and Kamuning in Quezon City.

LINO SANTOS

Bongbong Japan: Let’s play more war games points on Jieitai chief of staff Admi- exercises with the Philippines

By Francisco Tuyay ral Katsutoshi Kawano also in the future, particularly amthe government of Prime phibious landing exercises and BBL okay, THE head of the Japan Self De- said Minister Shinzo Abe is bent on amphibious operations,” Defense Forces or Jietai, is interestboosting in Southeast fense spokesman Peter Paul ed in holding more military expanel says ercises with the Armed Forces of Asia and issecurity pushing for the pas- Galvez said.

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the Philippines and to heighten humanitarian assistance and disaster relief cooperation, the Defense Department said Friday.

sage of national security legislation in the Japanese Diet.

“Admiral Kawano expressed interest in conducting more

Kawano arrived in the country on Wednesday to observe various activities under the

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Japan From A1...

New Globe store. Globe Telecom head of stores and retail transformation management Joe Caliro, Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu, Globe and Ayala Corp. Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Singtel Group CEO Chua Sock Koong, Singtel Chairman Simon Israel and GEN3 store designer and founder & CEO of Eight, Inc. Tim Kobe offer a toast at the opening of the new Globe store in Greenbelt 4, Makati.

Negotiators: Marcos’ BBL points welcome “Certainly, we welcome this development in the Senate, especially because it means the plenary debates in the upper house will begin at last,” the chairman of the government peace panel, Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said in a statement.

Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles, the presidential assistant on the peace process, added: “We are happy because the Senate is finally catching up with the House of Representatives in terms of this process, and because we are another step closer to the passage of the BBL.”

Both Ferrer and Deles had come under fire for conceding too much to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), failing to consult with other groups outside of the rebel group, and drafting a law that was riddled with unconstitutional provisions, prompting Marcos to submit a substitute bill.

Ferrer on Friday denied that the government did not consult with enough stakeholders.

The Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which was the basis for the BBL, was already the product of more than 550 consultations done by the Office of the

Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process, in addition to consultations also done by the MILF panel, Ferrer said.

She said the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, which drafted the bill, and both chambers of Congress have also conducted their respective consultations.

The House Ad Hoc Committee on the BBL, she continued, held 51 public hearings and consultations. The Senate panel chaired by Marcos conducted 12 public hearings and one briefing.

“The BBL also has numerous provisions to ensure inclusiveness, especially in terms of guaranteeing the rights and encouraging the participation of sectors like women, indigenous peoples, and so on. This, in addition to the number of consultations we made, shows that the BBL is inclusive both procedurally and substantively,” Ferrer noted.

Comelec

poll body should have waited for the Supreme Court’s decision before announcing it had chosen Smartmatic to supply the 93,977 OMR machines.

The Supreme Court had struck down an earlier Comelec contract with Smartmatic to refurbish the old PCOS machines because the poll body did not bid out the work.

“It’s fishy and smelly because the Comelec seems tied to Smartmatic,” the bishop said.

In her concurring opinion in support of the lease contract, Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon appealed to the public to understand their “difficult predicament” citing lack of time and said they had no choice but to award the deal to Smartmatic-TIM. “What is further deplorable in this whole state of affairs is that the Smartmatic joint venture seemed to have taken advantage of the time constraint the commission is confronted with,” Guanzon wrote.

“Their refusal to participate in the bidding for the refurbishment of the ex-

isting PCOS machines is, to my mind, pushing the commission to the edge so that it is left with no choice but to award to Smartmatic the lease with option to purchase… which we would not have preferred over the less costly refurbishment of the existing PCOS machines,” Guanzon said.

Without naming former commissioner Sixto Brillants Jr., Guanzon blamed previous Comelec members for awarding a negotiated contract to Smartmatic to refurbish the old machines, only to see the deal struck down by the Supreme Court.

“Our hands are tied, but it is not of our own making,” she said.

Guanzon said that if the Comelec had enough time, she would choose to refurbish the old PCOS machines.

Comelec Commissioner Sheriff Abas also admitted that he preferred the option to refurbish the old PCOs machines, saying this would be more economical and advantageous to the government.

However, he said, the Comelec had

By Sandy Araneta GOVERNMENT peace negotiators welcomed Friday the sponsorship by Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of a substitute bill for the Palace-drafted Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), but denied his suggestion that they did not consult with enough stakeholders and chided the Senate for “ finally catching up with the House of Representatives.”

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“We should be very vigilant on this issue,” Colmenares said.

Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal also questioned the Comelec for spending so much to buy 81,896 PCOS machines, then spending more on 94,000 leased OMR machines.

Automated Election System Watch spokesman Nelson Celis also expressed dismayed over the Comelec deal.

“Without awaiting the Supreme Court action on the legal questions raised against the Comelec and Smartmatic, the Comelec proceeded to award the lease of 94,000 expensive new PCOS units to a sham joint venture, in violation of the Constitution and laws as well as COA regulations. Such impunity, lies and blatant treachery to voters, taxpayers and the Filipino people,” he said.

Auxiliary Manila Bishop Broderick Pabillo agreed with Celis, saying the

Ferrer also said that from the start, the original draft of the BBL was conceived to be inclusive and multi-sectoral.

Deles, for her part, said that the entire process leading to the crafting of the BBL had been open and transparent, a claim that critics of the BBL have belied.

“Not many people were very interested in the peace process then, but those who have always been closely monitoring its progress would recall that we always have media sessions after the talks to update the public on the state of the process,” Deles said.

In recognition of the crucial role of Congress in the implementation of the Bangsamoro peace pact, Deles said several lawmakers, including Senators Aquilino Pimentel III and Teofisto Guingona III, were invited to observe the conduct of the peace talks in Malaysia.

Pacific Partnership 2015, the largest multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-AsiaPacific region, and to hold talks with Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.

“Aside from defense equipment cooperation, Admiral Kawano stressed the importance of capacity building cooperation with the Philippines, particularly on matters concerning humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” Galvez said.

“He also raised the need to share information to address common security issues. He expressed his belief that Japan and Philippines share the same values,” Galvez said.

Kawano said the Philippines-Japan Memorandum on Defense Cooperation and Exchanges had served as a framework for increasing high level exchanges between the defense and military establishments of the two countries, Galvez added.

Galvez added that Kawano also told Philippine defense officials that the national security legislation was already in the Diet.

He acknowledged that the Japanese public does not understand how recent developments necessitate changes in Japan’s security policies, but said Abe is bent on pushing for national security legislation that would allow Japanese troops to expand activities with the Philippines, Galvez said.

“On regional security issues, he mentioned that China is attempting to change the status quo in the region with its reclamation activities. In response, [Gazmin] pointed out that stronger defense relations between the two countries will promote security and stability in the region,” Galvez added.

Galvez also questioned China’s claim that facilities being built on the disputed territories were there to support freedom of navigation, search and rescue efforts, and scientific research.

“For whom are those search-andrescue facilities for?” Galvez said.

Regardless of any good intentions they may claim, he said, the Chinese “illegally and blatantly continue with their aggression as these are mere elements of their island building militarization which needs to be stopped and be dismantled.”– With PNA

only nine months before the May 2016 elections to refurbish thousands of PCOS machines.

“This period would have to be added to the procurement timeline, which has yet to be completed considering the recent failure of the second round of bidding for refurbishment. In other words, opting to refurbish puts the timely conduct of the 2016 elections in possible jeopardy,” Abas said.

Both commissioners Arthur Lim and Luie Tito Guia believed that using Filipino-made technology is the best option for future voting exercises, but not for the 2016 elections.

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said they expect several legal challenges against the lease contract.

“Even before we could reach today’s decision, a cacophony of various legal challenges have been brought against the Comelec, threatening to sideline our ongoing preparations, or worse, risking to frustrate the conduct of our election next year,” Bautista said.

“No doubt, form our decision, others will see another opportunity to find fault, unmindful and inconsiderate of the reality that we are running out of time to properly and adequately prepare for next year’s elections,” he added.

Smartmatic said it was unfair for Guanzon to pin the blame on them.

“We respect the separate concurring opinion of Commissioner Guanzon.

However, we beg to differ with her assertions,” Smartmatic-TIM president Cesar Flores said.

“It is unfair to pin the blame on us when the reason why the refurbishment could not have been done in time were the interminable delays caused by all the legal cases and Comelec’s own actions or inaction,” he added.

Flores said Smartmatic had been proposing the refurbishment of the PCOS machines since 2013.

“Records will bear out the fact that we had been vigorously recommending this option as a means for the government to save money and to maximize its investment,” Flores said.

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‘Anti-VP traders behind MBC poll’ THE camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay on Friday dismissed the Makati Business Club’s survey that ranked the Office of the Vice President as the worst-performing agency this year, saying the club had no right to appraise any government official’s performance.

The MBC had ranked the OVP last in a field of 64 agencies, but Binay spokesman Joey Salgado said the MBC could not feel the services of Binay, the housing czar, because it was not its target beneficiary.

“They don’t have the right to evaluate any government officials, particularly the OVP, because we fully know that they will support wealthy candidates,” Salgado said.

“With all due respect, 67 wealthy businessmen in Makati cannot represent the sentiment of our people nationwide.

They cannot be expected to give a true and objective assessment of the performance of all government agencies, most especially the OVP.” Salgado made his statement even as Malacañang said the MBC’s rating indicated the business community’s dissatisfaction with Binay and his family.

“The business community indicated their disagreement or dissatisfaction on VP’s actions, including criticisms against the administration in which he served as a Cabinet member for the past five years,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said.

Salgado said some MBC members had long-held biases against Binay and his family and were staunch supporters of the Aquino administration.

“There are MBC officials like its executive director who were present at the anointment of Secretary Mar Roxas as PNoy’s chosen one,” Salgado said. Vito Barcelo and Sandy Araneta

Roxas must now resign from DILG—lawmaker INTERIOR Secretary Manuel Roxas II should now leave his Cabinet post because he is already “clearly pursuing his presidential ambitions,” a staunch critic of the Aquino administration said Friday.

“As the so-called anointed one, Secretary Roxas is practically now have at his disposal the vast machinery and resources of the government. Thus, questions about the sources of his early massive campaign ads is not outlandish,” Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate said.

“That you already have the presidential spokesman answering questions for Mar speaks volume of how the ruling party takes advantage of the government

machinery to push this early his candidacy.”

Zarate made his statement even as presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte defended Roxas.

“The President has already underscored the importance of a proper transition in the DILG to avoid unnecessary delay in the delivery of services for the people,” Valte said.

“Of course, Bayan Muna cannot be expected to allow reason to get in the way of their unfettered bias against any administration.”

As an appointed Cabinet official, Zarate said, it was but expected that the provincial sorties and high-profile media ads of Roxas this early would be subjected to close scrutiny, particularly now that Congress was on the national budget season.

“Thus, instead of dillydallying, President Aquino must let go of his anointed one,” Zarate said.

Earlier, Zarate pointed out how the funds for the

DILG increased dramatically from P65.6 billion in 2010 to P104.5 billion in 2015, with a lump-sum appropriation of P13.7 billion in 2015 alone.

“We have pointed out how huge lump sums are vulnerable to abuse for corruption and patronage, especially with Malacañang’s brazen moves to perpetuate the pork barrel system by redefining the meaning of savings in the proposed national budget,” Zarate said.

“Additionally, the heavy funding of the DILG to local government units is a campaign maneuver because it is common knowledge among politicians that LGUs are the base in ensuring electoral victories for presidential races.”

Zarate also criticized funding for housing and water supply under the DILG, which was described as outside the agency’s mandate. Maricel V. Cruz and Sandy Araneta

Hard work. Workers rush to finish shaping the steel bars that will be used as pillars for stage 3 of the Skyway on Quirino Highway in Manila. Sonny ESpiritu

Ombudsman: Pork cases welcome

Losing bidders. Representatives of Avante Tech International and Dermalog

Identification Systems hold a press conference after losing their bid to provide the Commission on Elections with Optical Mark Readers for the 2016 elections. Comelec awarded the contract to its longtime provider, Smartmatic. SArA FABunAn

AFTER filing the third and last batch of pork barrel fund misuse cases, the Office of the Ombudsman said Friday it is open to accepting other related cases against lawmakers.

Assistant Ombudsman Asyrman Rafanan said other people could initiate the filing of graft cases after lawyer Levito Baligod claimed there were still cases on the misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund that had not yet been filed.

“Any party can file complaints,” he said.

Baligod reacted to the filing by the Department of Justice through the National Bureau of Investigation of the last batch of cases of pork

barrel fund misuse against nine people: Senator Gregorio Honasan II (P1.75 million), Manila Rep. Amado Bagatsing (P600,000), former Pangasinan Rep. and incumbent Abono party-list Rep. Conrado Estrella III (P45.03 million), former Abono party-list Rep. Robert Raymund Estrella (P22.675 million), former La Union Rep. Manuel Ortega (P14.35 million), former La Union Rep. Victor Francisco Ortega (P9.58 million), former Zamboanga del Sur Rep. Isidro E. Real Jr. (P3.25 million), Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (P2.099 million), and Technical Education and Skills Development

Authority director general Emmanuel Joel Villanueva (P2.33 million).

They were charged before the Ombudsman with misuse of public funds, direct bribery and corruption.

Baligod, one of the people who exposed the pork barrel scam, challenged the Justice Department why there would be no more PDAF cases to be filed.

Instead of those nine accused in the third batch of cases, he said, there should have been 29 lawmakers involved.

He said he was studying the filing of separate complaints against those not included in the recent charges. rio n. Araja

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Corona hearing set for Oct. 15

By Rio N. Araja

Pit Señor. Catholic devotees welcome the image of Santo Niño de Cebu after it arrived at the San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila on Friday for the 444th anniversary of the establishment of the Order of Saint Augustine in the Philippines. A fluvial procession along Pasig will be held on Sunday before its departure from Biñan, Laguna on Monday. DANNY PATA

Aquino scored over water bills

By John Paolo Bencito AN activist group warned President Benigno Aquino III and Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima against paying water firms Maynilad and Manila Water the P82.44 billion they are claiming as compensation on the basis of sovereign guarantees.

“The demand for almost P83 billion to cover the water companies projected losses is outrageous and unjust and should be rejected,” said Samuel Gamboa, secretary general of the

Freedom from Debt Coalition.

“Why should we pay money out of the national coffers to ensure the profits of wealthy corporations when we don’t even have enough for basic social services?” asked Gamboa.

The Maynilad had demanded from the government the amount of P3.44 billion while Manila Water asked for P79 billion to recover losses arising from the arbitration controversy following the resolution of their separate arbitration cases stemming from a 2013 ratesetting dispute.

“Just to put things in perspective, the money the water companies are asking for is significantly bigger than the Aquino administration’s P53.9-billion 2015 allocation for basic education facilities which includes the construction of 31,728 classrooms and the repair of 9,500 more,” Gamboa said.

“It is more than double the P37.1-billion cost of Philhealth premium subsidies which will benefit 15.4-million poor families. Instead of being used to guarantee Maynilad and Manila Water’s profits, we should use the money to fund essential public services so we won’t have to rely on private businesses to provide them,” he added.

The group also argued that paying compensation to these water companies may legitimize their exploitative practice of passing on their corporate income taxes to unsuspecting water consumers leading to what they call a “tax injustice”.

“This is an issue of tax justice. A big chunk of the compensation claim is tied to corporate income taxes. If we pay Maynilad and Manila Water compensation, we are saying their unjust practice of passing their taxes on to consumers is okay,” he said.

THE Sandiganbayan’s Third Division has set the arraignment of impeached chief justice Renato Corona on Oct. 15 after it found probable cause to charge him for eight counts of perjury and eight counts of false declaration in his Statement of Assets and Liabilities Net Worth (SALN).

The court resolved the determination of probable cause through a “division of five,” instead of involving only three justices since the Wednesday’s decision was not unanimous.

With a vote of 4-1, the anti-graft court junked Corona’s plea for judicial determination.

Presiding Justice and Third Division chair Amparo CabotajeTang, Justices Jose Hernandez, Alex Quiroz and Maria Theresa Dolores Gomez-Estoesta voted to drop the motion while Associate Justice Samuel Martires dissented.

“The Office of the Ombudsman did not file any civil case before it filed the present cases with the court.

Then it cannot be justly accused of not having the cold neutrality of an impartial judge when it conducted preliminary investigation,” said the court in its ruling.

The Office of the Ombudsman charged Corona for his failure to declare his peso and dollar accounts in various banks totaling P14,102,177.37 and declaring P3 million as the cost of his La Vista house which was acquired at a price of P11 million.

Corona was charged before the Sandiganbayan with eight counts of perjury and another eight counts of violations of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees for his alleged undeclared assets in his SALN. The Ombudsman indicted Corona for allegedly deliberately lying on his true net worth by not declaring properties and several bank accounts as well as undervaluing a number of realestate properties that he declared.

Flyers stuck in traffic

By Eric B. Apolonio THOUSANDS of airline passengers missed their flights on Friday due to bumper-to-bumper traffic that snarled three busy roads leaving to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, according to airport officials.

The officials could not give precise data on the number of affected passengers, but they said many passengers were forced to walk with their luggage in tow along Andrews Avenue, Airport Road and Sucat Road starting 10 a.m. Friday.

Passengers complained they had to endure the exorbitant fees charged by pedicab drivers because missing their flights would mean re-booking fees that will cost them thousands of pesos in penalties.

Arriving passengers are also got stuck up at the airport terminals as both public and private vehicles were marooned at roads leaving the airport.

Traffic was still not moving at 6 p.m.

and many passengers were seen walking or haling pedicabs around the NAIA’s four terminals.

The traffic was blamed on the construction of the NAIA Expressway project which closed several lanes of the busy thoroughfares around the airport with only one lane available for vehicles.

The P15.4-billion ($349.17 million) expressway project aims to link NAIA’s three main terminals with the casino and entertainment complexes being developed in Pasay City.

Last May, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the cities of Parañaque City and Pasay City agreed on a deployment scheme to ease congestion around the NAIA complex to little avail.

Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Jose Angel Honrado asked that the government deploy more traffic personnel around the airport because the construction is not expected to be completed until 2017.

Lesson learned. Officials of the Guiuan town in Eastern Samar break ground for the

evacuation center the town government will build in Barangay Cogon. The town was badly hit

by Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013. MEL CASPE

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Binay hits Ombudsman

By Vito Barcelo OMBUDSMAN Conchita Carpio-Morales should be charged for violation of the Ombudsman Act and the AntiGraft and Corrupt Practices Act when she employed government lawyers to defend her in the private P200-million libel suit Vice President Jejomar C. Binay filed against her, Binay’s lawyer said.

Crossing party lines. Leyte Rep.Ferdinand Martin Romualdez (left) hands over a plaque of recognition to Isabela Gov. Faustino Dy

III for immediately sending teams and relief goods after Super Typhoon Yolanda devastated Leyte and other parts of Eastern Visayas in 2013. VER NOVENO

CHR eyes P5-m intel fund

By Maricel V. Cruz THE Commission on Human Rights has asked Congress to approve its proposed P5 million intelligence fund under the proposed P3.002 trillion national budget for next year, an amount up from a measly P1 million intelligence budget this year.

At the hearing on the CHR’s proposed P428.526 million budget for 2016, Commissioner Karen Lucia Gomez Dumpit told the House Committee on Appropriations chaired by Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab that increasing the agency’s intelligence fund from P1 million to P5 million is among their four budgetary proposals to Congress.

Dumpit said the CHR needs adequate intelligence fund for the quick reaction teams of the agency’s investigators and

officials, and to service the immediate protection needs of victims and witnesses of human rights violations.

Dumpit said all that the CHR wants is a small fraction of the enormous intelligence funds of the government.

“We just want a little bit of it which can help in our investigation, informationgathering and quick response while the information we have is still in the field,” said Dumpit.

Dumpit expounded on the CHR’s intelligence fund in response to the query of some lawmakers on what purpose is it serving.

The CHR’s intelligence fund is listed as confidential fund in the agency’s expenditure programs. Aside from increasing its intelligence fund from P1 million to P5 million next year, the CHR

urged lawmakers to provide a P7 million lump sum fund under Personnel Services for contractuals/consultants for the Offices of the Chairman and Commissioners.

Moreover, Dumpit said the CHR is seeking the inclusion of a special provision on the use of savings to be stated as follows “The Commission on Human Rights is hereby authorized to use savings in its appropriations to augment actual deficiencies incurred for the current year in any item of expenditures and other official purposes, subject to existing government rules and regulations.”

The fourth CHR proposal according to Dumpit is to restore the budget appropriation of the CHR on unfilled positions transferred by the Department of Budget and Management to the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund.

“Ombudsman Morales is herself guilty of graft and corruption in using her entire office and government resources for her personal defense. It bears to stress that the P200-million damage suit filed by VP Binay against her is a personal civil action and is not against the Office of the Ombudsman,” lawyer Claro F. Certeza said.

Certeza cited Section 13 of the Ombudsman Act (Republic Act 6770), which states the Office of the Ombudsman may only investigate or prosecute erring officials and has no authority to represent the Ombudsman in her personal capacity.

“She should either represent herself or hire her own lawyer. She should not use the taxpayers money for personal gain,” Certeza said.

The Vice President named Morales in the P200 million civil suit for prejudging plunder cases filed against him and for saying that the evidence against him were strong even if the preliminary investigation was not yet completed.

Certeza said Morales also took an undue interest in Binay’s prosecution to the extent that she chose to defy a temporary restraining order issued by the Court of Appeals stopping her from suspending the son of the Vice President as Mayor of Makati.

She also voluntarily initiated, appeared and argued a petition before the Supreme Court to question the TRO issued by the Court of Appeals despite the fact that this is the role of the Office of the Solicitor General, Certeza said.

She also refused to apply the principle of “condonation” to exculpate the Vice President’s son from administrative liability but applied the very same doctrine to other respondents before her office, he added.

27 SAF cops transferred

By Francisco Tuyay AT least 27 members of the Philippine National Police’s commando Special Action Force (SAF), including the lone survivor of the Mamasapano incident, sought transfers out of the elite unit for still undetermined reasons, an official of the unit said on Friday.

SAF spokesman Senior Inspector Jason Baldoz said in a press briefing that at least 27 members of the elite unit, including 12 wounded survivors of the disastrous Oplan Exodus, have asked to be reassigned.

“There’s no exodus … they have just opted to be reassigned to other units of the PNP and besides they have that option to move out after completing at least five years in the SAF,” Baldoz said.

Baldoz said among those who asked to be transferred was PO2 Christopher Lalan, the lone survivor of the force that were pinned down during the Mamasapano incident.

The transfers were sought after two SAF

commandos who were supposed to receive medals of valor were removed from the list of awardees during the PNP anniversary at Camp Crame.

The SAF spokesman said all 27 transferred officers were immediately replaced from the more than 200 new recruits who took their oath on July 1 after completing their yearlong training.

Baldoz also thanked Vice President Jejomar Binay for acknowledging the heroism of the 44 commandos slain during the Mamasapano incident.

“That’s good. At least he acknowledged the efforts of the SAF,” Baldoz said, adding that the Mamasapano incident is now serving as “an eye opener.”

Although he admits that grief still haunts SAF members, “we make sure that SAF remains in its fighting form despite what happened in Mamasapano.”

“The entire Filipino nation grieved when that happened, what more of us who treated the slain as brothers,” Baldoz said.

No potheads. Members of Philippine College of Physician thumb down House Bill No. 04477 on the legalization of the medical use of Cannabis sativa, or marijuana, during a health forum at Annabels Restaurant in Quezon City. LINO SANTOS

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LRT to pilot ‘tap-and-go’ system with beep cards

By Joel E. Zurbano

No comfort. Filipina comfort women protest in front of the Japanese embassy along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City. DANNY PATA

‘Premium taxi not designed to compete with Uber, etc.’

By Rio N. Araja

THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s premium taxi service in the National Capital Region is not designed to compete with private motorists who operate Uber, GrabCar and GrabTaxi vehicles, a ranking official saidFriday.

Roberto Cabrera, LTFRB executive director, debunked speculation that their new program of premium taxi service is direct competition that would kill the operation of the other private car service providers.

“That’s not our purpose,” he said.

The premium taxi service under new franchises would instead encourage the existing taxi firms to improve the quality of their service.

“In a meeting with taxi operators, they see this (program) a stimulus to help them in their business. They have saturated the

taxi (business), and they want a better service to offer without shifting [their business]. They want to retain being a taxi company,” he said.

Under the newly implemented premium taxi service, at least 5,000 additional taxi units are expected to ply the roads in Metro Manila.

Ariel Enrile Inton Jr., a board member of LTFRB, earlier said a memorandum circular has already been issued and published to accept the applications for new franchises under the agency’s premium taxi service, “a service like that of app-based transportation providers Uber, GrabCar,

and GrabTaxi.”

“With premium taxi, there would be global positioning system. We rely on the operators’ word that they would provide us with their drivers’ lists. We also want to protect the taxi users,” Cabrera said.

He called on operators of the app-based Uber and other firms to comply with policies of LTFRB to ensure the safety of their passengers.

LTFRB Chairman Winston Ginez had earlier ordered a clampdown on unregistered service providers of Uber, GrabTaxi and GrabCar units beginning August 21.

THE Light Railway Transit will start pilot-testing on Sunday, Aug. 16 its new beep card ticketing or the tapand-go system on the southbound direction of LRT Line 1 from Roosevelt to Baclaran stations.

The move came following the successful testing of the Contactless Automatic Fare Collection System at the LRT-2 stations last month.

Lawyer Hernando Cabrera, LRTA spokesman, said holders of the magnetic card, specifically stored value card, have started availing cash refund last August 8. He added the process for cash refund will end today (Aug. 15).

“After August 15, cash refund will no longer be accommodated. However, any unused credit in an old magnetic SVC may be transferred to the new beep card beginning August 16. This may only be made in the LRT1 Central Station teller’s booth,” he said.

Cabrera said AF Payments Inc., the private firm partner for the project, is keeping the new system for the LRT and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) in test mode until September. He added the firm is on track to meet the deadline of the migration from the magnetic to the tap-and-go cards.

For LRT-1, the southbound direction of all 20 stations will be ready to sell and reload beep cards as well as the new single journey tickets and have gates that accepts the new contactless cards beginning Sunday.

“The positive results of the trial at LRT-2 give us and the LRTA the confidence to implement a similar public trial on LRT-1,” said AF Payments Inc. chief executive officer Peter Maher.

The government patterned the tap and go system to the one using in other Asian countries like Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong.

The LRT-1 began operating in 1984, is one of the three rapid transit lines in Metro Manila that traversed the area of Pasay City, Manila and Caloocan City. It serves more than 300,000 passengers daily.

Cebu Pac steward accused of stealing from passengers

By Vito Barcelo A MALE flight steward of Cebu Pacific who allegedly stole some 8,000 Chinese yuan (P58,000) from passengers in a China-bound flight is now under investigation.

Cebu Pacific officer-incharge for corporate affairs Paterno Mantaring Jr. said that the company has been informed of the theft and has been “conducting a thorough investigation in parallel with an independent third-party investigating body.”

The report, which came out in a China-based daily and circulated on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter, said that the August 11 flight from the Kalibo International Airport had just landed at the Changsha Huanghua International Airport in China when the theft was discovered.

Three passengers reportedly found out that they had lost cash amounting to 8,000 yuan from their baggage and sought the help of local authorities.

Police recovered some of the missing money inside

the aircraft.

Initial investigation, a male steward had allegedly tried to get rid of the cash in the restroom, throwing them in the trash can and flushing them down the toilet.

“As part of standard procedure, cabin crew members of the said flight will be placed on paid leave and a non-flying status, pending the completion of the investigation,” Mantaring said.

He said the airline would take the appropriate action, depending on the result of the investigation.

Tap and go. Lawyer Hernando Cabrera, LRTA spokesperson and Peter Maher, AF Payment Incorporated CEO, tap the beep card during its formal launch at the LRT Central Station in Manila. DANNY PATA

S AT U R D AY : A U G U S T 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

A7

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Armyworms infest rice fields

By Johanne Margarette R. Macob

L I N G AY E N — R i c e fields in at least nine villages in the towns of Agno and Mabini in the western part of Pangasinan have been infested with armyworms.

Fresh catch. A vendor sorts the fish delivered to a market in Sultan Naga Dimaporo town in Lanao del Norte. The town faces the Celebes Sea. LANCE BACONGUIS

Team has 3 months to finish Butuan water probe

By Alvin T. Guanzon BUTUAN CITY—The fiveman fact-finding team formed by the Local Water Utilities Administration to probe the company supplying potable water to the city’s 300,000 residents has three months to wrap up its investigation.

A consumer group called Butuan Water Rights Alliance had requested the Local Water Utilities Administration and the Commission on Audit central

offices to investigate the Butuan Water District because of the month-long water supply crisis in February.

Lead convenors of the water group, Dr. Potenciano Malvar who is also Butuan-Agusan Hotel and Restaurant Association President and former Butuan City Rep. Charito Plaza, requested the LWUA Administrator to conduct a performance audit on BCWD’s operations, administration and inspection of water facilities.

The law requires all water dis-

tricts in the country to make its water supply safe to drink and safe for human consumption and make available water supply flow up to the last water pipe and farthest communities it can reach.

Malvar said that lack of water supply and the high cost of water affect Butuan City tourism initiatives.

The LWUA fact-finding team is headed by lawyer Roberto San Andres, engineer Danilo De Leon, former BCWD General

Manager Alfredo Bayanin, who is LWUA in charge for Mindanao operations; Maria Luz E. Del Puerto and Mrs. Jesselyn Catapang.

Water samples from BCWD will be brought to Manila for laboratory testing.

BWRA also requested the Commission on Audit to conduct probe in Butuan City Water District’s financial condition, specifically on its loan obligations, disallowances, bonuses and travels.

According to the Center for Integrated Pest Management of the North Carolina State University, armyworms which feed on leaves and occasionally stems at night “can severely damage seedling stands.”

Assistant provincial agriculturist Nestor Batalla said the armyworms were discovered last Tuesday in over 140 hectares of farms in five villages in Agno and four villages in Mabini.

Barangays San Juan, Cayungnan, Macacaboni, Bangan Oda, and Patar in Agno were attacked by armyworms, affecting 146 farmers.

Meanwhile, said pest infested around 20 hectares farmlands Caranglaan, Caabiangan, Magalong, and Calzada and at least 80 cavans of seedbeds in Mabini, affecting 100 farmers.

The provincial government immediately dispatched technical personnel to conduct monitoring and evaluation in the said areas and confirmed the report of armyworm infestation in newly transplanted or rice seedlings.

“We advised the farmers to spray (contact insecticide), otherwise, all seedlings will be destroyed,” said Batalla.

He said that farmers, following their advisory, have been spraying insecticides, and some areas now are controlled. Department of Agriculture Regional Crop Protection Center also checked on the areas and provided insecticides.

“Armyworms are easily controlled chemically when buildup occurs...but since the moths are strong fliers, most areas will be subject to constant reinfestation,” according to the CIPM.

Retired cop, tricycle driver shot to death in Pangasinan BINALONAN, Pangasinan —A retired senior police officer of this town was shot to death by still-unidentified motorcycle riding criminals in Barangay Moreno at about 10 in the morning Friday.

SPO1 Victorino Baybayan, a former warrant officer in the Binalonan Police Station, was pronounced dead on the spot, after sustaining gunshot wounds.

According to Pangasinan Provincial Police Office of-

ficer-in-charger provincial director, Senior Superintendent Rolie Saltat, initial investigation revealed that the culprits used highpowered rifle as shown by a 5.56 caliber spent shell recovered in the crime scene.

Culprits fled to an unknown direction using a green motorcycle without a plate number.

Work-related motive, among other motives, is being looked at in the crime investigation, said Saltat.

Meanwhile, in Labrador, motorcycle riding criminals also downed a certain Rick Bautista.

The victim—a 42-yearold driver, and resident of Brgy. Biec, Binmaley, Pangasinan- was driving his tricycle when he was shot in Brgy. Uyong national highway at around 8pm Thursday.

Suspects reportedly fled westward after the incident.

Johanne Margarette R. Macob

A memory. Men stand on what was once the berth of United Molasses Corporation in Cagayan de Oro City. The iron pipes have been taken by scavengers hoping to sell scrap for a price. LANCE BACONGUIS

S AT U R D AY : A U G U S T 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

A8

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

POWER POINT ELIZABETH ANGSIOCO

TRAFFIC ON ‘DAANG MATUWID’

[ EDI TORI A L ]

STUCK ON THE ‘STRAIGHT’ ROAD THERE was a time when traffic was bad because it was nearing Christmas. Or there was road work. Or there was an accident. A sudden downpour, perhaps, that triggered flash floods on many streets.

Perhaps it was payday, and the big malls were having their respective midnight sales.

These days, traffic is bad, period. At any time of the day, and practically at every corner of the metropolis, major and minor thoroughfares alike.

No explanation is in order. The volume of vehicles is just too overwhelming, the ineptitude of traffic managers even more so.

And the administration says, be thankful! This is progress. Look, the average wageearner is able to take out a loan to purchase his own car!

Easy for those in power to say. After all, they do not have to go through hell every day.

The alternative looks grim. Try hopping out of your bus or car to take the train to work because you’re running late—and the so-called pass you can show your boss is too laughable a concept to be taken seriously, anyway. You will soon regret it because then you will find yourself in a sea of human bodies, exhausted and drained even before they log into their offices.

And do not discount the possibility of the train breaking down in the middle of your journey, and you having to walk on the railway, in between stations.

If you can think ahead and tap away to find a ride through your application-based transport provider, hurry up. The government is clamping down on it soon, because, it turns out, it wants to launch its own version of the network. That’s assuming it can perform as efficiently as those already in the market—something we seriously doubt.

Through all these daily difficulties, the ordinary Filipino worker who simply wants to earn a living and attain some measure of comfort and optimism finds himself wondering if this is the straight path promised by the administration when it first took office five years ago.

The exhausted, underpaid, oft-inconvenienced middle-class worker—which according to a study by the Philippine Institute of Development Studies carries a disproportionate portion of the tax burden—deserves so much more from a government that prides itself in treading a straight path, supposedly of righteousness and honesty.

But what’s the use of a straight path when you don’t know where it’s leading?

What’s to be treasured about traversing a straight line when you can’t even move forward because of numerous obstacles that constrain you from taking the next step?

And yet, as he endorsed his anointed one for next year’s elections, the President promises it will be more of the same, a continuation of what we “enjoy” right now—really, doublespeak, hypocrisy, self-righteousness and self-congratulation, and gaping inequality for the rest of us.

The thought of getting stuck some more is too repulsive for those who simply want to work hard and do little things here and there to contribute to society. No, thanks—we don’t want more of the same.

If all else fails, we’re getting out of the vehicle, and we’re walking to our individual destinations.

AN ALL-EMBRACING PEACE BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO WHEN Senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. assumed the chairmanship of the Senate committee on local government, little did he know he would be thrust to national prominence because of his key role in the controversial Bangsamoro Basic Law. Dissecting the BBL and expunging it of its constitutional infirmities fell on the shoulder of Marcos and his committee.

Reviewing and revising many sections of the BBL draft to conform to the Constitution, the Marcos committee report includes the draft of his substitute bill which seeks a seamless transition of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. The Marcos bill provides a mechanism for a demilitarized zone, and the sharing of Mindanao’s rich natural resources by all the stakeholders to develop and bring economic prosperity to the region. The bill is clear that it would not allow the creation of an indepen-

dent state within a state.

In a passionate privilege speech sponsoring his substitute bill, Marcos called for an all-embracing peace in Mindanao, stressing that all-out war is not an option nor the solution to the decades-long problem of poverty which creates a fertile ground for rebellion.

“Peace cannot be achieved and cannot be sustained if it is not an inclusive, all-embracing peace. Peace cannot only be for the MILF, or the MNLF, or the BIFF. Peace cannot distinguish between Christians and Muslims, between Tausog and

A9

The bill is clear that it would not allow the creation of an independent state within a state.

Maranao, between Lumads and other indigenous peoples. Peace must embrace all faiths and all peoples,” intoned Marcos.

His new draft bill, according to the senator, is dedicated to the Fallen 44 members of the elite PNP-Special Action Force who were massacred by a combined force of MILF and BIFF rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao during a police operation last January.

“Our heroes died for peace and we honor them because a country without heroes is a country without a soul,” said Marcos.

Although the substitute bills has gotten the nod of 17 senators , it will still undergo debate in plenary. MILF officials and

the government panel headed by Professor Miriam Coronel Ferrer, who said the original BBL has been drastically changed, are expected to lobby for the restoration of some parts of the original draft.

China’s cryptic message Historian and military analyst Jose Custodio has decoded a cryptic message from China contained in a paid advertisement in a major Manila morning daily.

Custodio said the hidden message in the literary fable about an Oriole

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-

ready to pounce on an unsuspecting praying mantis stalking a cicada is a veiled threat against the Philippines.

China, in the cryptic message, alluded to the Philippines as a praying mantis which will soon pay the price for being a predator.

But as usual, Beijing got it the other way around. It is China that is the real predator. Its “crouching tiger, hidden dragon” encroachment in the oncecalm waters of the South China is raising tension in the region. China is the preying mantis which will be struck

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

MST ONLINE

can be accessed at: www.manilastandardtoday.com

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

down by the United States if it sees a threat to its own security interests in the region.

A possible collision course may have already been raised by the Chinese ambassador to Manila. At the sidelines of a recent diplomatic event, Ambassador Zhao Jianhua stated that there are limits to freedom of navigation.

“China will not allow the warplanes or warships of any foreign government to intrude in its sovereign space in the South China Sea,” said Zhao.

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. Isabel “Gina” P. Verzosa Head, Advertising Solutions Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager

TRAFFIC has become a political issue.

Personally, my mobility is severely limited by the daily horrendous traffic in Metro Manila. I have become quite choosy in the events that I go to, and there are places I like but no longer visit.

I dread the hours that I will most probably waste in traffic.

When I can, I forego having meetings in Makati and only go there when absolutely necessary. I kid people that it is a foreign territory and I need a visa to enter. Seeing friends is always a lengthy negotiation for venue because we come from different areas. I go to Batangas almost weekly and more than half of the three- to four-hour trip is spent along EDSA or C5.

I know, however, that mine is not as bad as others’ experience. I live and work in Quezon City and I do not keep regular hours so I am not as harassed when I do not have commitments outside.

But if one is a regular worker or employee, it must be very different. Imagine spending four to five hours a day just for travel to and from work. Just thinking of the long lines one has to endure under the sun or rain to take the few running MRT coaches, or standing for a long time in a bus after a hard day’s work to be able to go home, already makes me feel sick. Sure, one can take a taxi, if the driver agrees to take you, or if a negotiated amount is agreed upon. But whether one is in a bus, a taxi, a jeepney, or a private vehicle, you would still be subjected to the very heavy traffic.

CNN Philippines in a recent report said that there are no longer peak hours for traffic. It remains quite bad even during the so-called non-peak hours. And it is no longer limited to main thoroughfares as even alternate routes are regularly full of vehicles. The report warned that things will even worsen if authorities fail to address present problems.

Studies conclude that we lose billions of pesos in terms of productivity due to traffic. This is not surprising as employees are already exhausted when they reach their workplaces at the day’s beginning.

Traffic also has social costs. Apart from productivity loss, many of our workers are parents as well.

If a father or mother, or in the case of many families, both have to leave home very early and come back quite tired and irritable late at nights because of traffic, I wonder how they fulfill their parental obligations. How much quality time do they still spend with their children? How do kids cope? Do they grow up having Continued on A11 Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

S AT U R D AY : A U G U S T 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

A8

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

POWER POINT ELIZABETH ANGSIOCO

TRAFFIC ON ‘DAANG MATUWID’

[ EDI TORI A L ]

STUCK ON THE ‘STRAIGHT’ ROAD THERE was a time when traffic was bad because it was nearing Christmas. Or there was road work. Or there was an accident. A sudden downpour, perhaps, that triggered flash floods on many streets.

Perhaps it was payday, and the big malls were having their respective midnight sales.

These days, traffic is bad, period. At any time of the day, and practically at every corner of the metropolis, major and minor thoroughfares alike.

No explanation is in order. The volume of vehicles is just too overwhelming, the ineptitude of traffic managers even more so.

And the administration says, be thankful! This is progress. Look, the average wageearner is able to take out a loan to purchase his own car!

Easy for those in power to say. After all, they do not have to go through hell every day.

The alternative looks grim. Try hopping out of your bus or car to take the train to work because you’re running late—and the so-called pass you can show your boss is too laughable a concept to be taken seriously, anyway. You will soon regret it because then you will find yourself in a sea of human bodies, exhausted and drained even before they log into their offices.

And do not discount the possibility of the train breaking down in the middle of your journey, and you having to walk on the railway, in between stations.

If you can think ahead and tap away to find a ride through your application-based transport provider, hurry up. The government is clamping down on it soon, because, it turns out, it wants to launch its own version of the network. That’s assuming it can perform as efficiently as those already in the market—something we seriously doubt.

Through all these daily difficulties, the ordinary Filipino worker who simply wants to earn a living and attain some measure of comfort and optimism finds himself wondering if this is the straight path promised by the administration when it first took office five years ago.

The exhausted, underpaid, oft-inconvenienced middle-class worker—which according to a study by the Philippine Institute of Development Studies carries a disproportionate portion of the tax burden—deserves so much more from a government that prides itself in treading a straight path, supposedly of righteousness and honesty.

But what’s the use of a straight path when you don’t know where it’s leading?

What’s to be treasured about traversing a straight line when you can’t even move forward because of numerous obstacles that constrain you from taking the next step?

And yet, as he endorsed his anointed one for next year’s elections, the President promises it will be more of the same, a continuation of what we “enjoy” right now—really, doublespeak, hypocrisy, self-righteousness and self-congratulation, and gaping inequality for the rest of us.

The thought of getting stuck some more is too repulsive for those who simply want to work hard and do little things here and there to contribute to society. No, thanks—we don’t want more of the same.

If all else fails, we’re getting out of the vehicle, and we’re walking to our individual destinations.

AN ALL-EMBRACING PEACE BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO WHEN Senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. assumed the chairmanship of the Senate committee on local government, little did he know he would be thrust to national prominence because of his key role in the controversial Bangsamoro Basic Law. Dissecting the BBL and expunging it of its constitutional infirmities fell on the shoulder of Marcos and his committee.

Reviewing and revising many sections of the BBL draft to conform to the Constitution, the Marcos committee report includes the draft of his substitute bill which seeks a seamless transition of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. The Marcos bill provides a mechanism for a demilitarized zone, and the sharing of Mindanao’s rich natural resources by all the stakeholders to develop and bring economic prosperity to the region. The bill is clear that it would not allow the creation of an indepen-

dent state within a state.

In a passionate privilege speech sponsoring his substitute bill, Marcos called for an all-embracing peace in Mindanao, stressing that all-out war is not an option nor the solution to the decades-long problem of poverty which creates a fertile ground for rebellion.

“Peace cannot be achieved and cannot be sustained if it is not an inclusive, all-embracing peace. Peace cannot only be for the MILF, or the MNLF, or the BIFF. Peace cannot distinguish between Christians and Muslims, between Tausog and

A9

The bill is clear that it would not allow the creation of an independent state within a state.

Maranao, between Lumads and other indigenous peoples. Peace must embrace all faiths and all peoples,” intoned Marcos.

His new draft bill, according to the senator, is dedicated to the Fallen 44 members of the elite PNP-Special Action Force who were massacred by a combined force of MILF and BIFF rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao during a police operation last January.

“Our heroes died for peace and we honor them because a country without heroes is a country without a soul,” said Marcos.

Although the substitute bills has gotten the nod of 17 senators , it will still undergo debate in plenary. MILF officials and

the government panel headed by Professor Miriam Coronel Ferrer, who said the original BBL has been drastically changed, are expected to lobby for the restoration of some parts of the original draft.

China’s cryptic message Historian and military analyst Jose Custodio has decoded a cryptic message from China contained in a paid advertisement in a major Manila morning daily.

Custodio said the hidden message in the literary fable about an Oriole

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-

ready to pounce on an unsuspecting praying mantis stalking a cicada is a veiled threat against the Philippines.

China, in the cryptic message, alluded to the Philippines as a praying mantis which will soon pay the price for being a predator.

But as usual, Beijing got it the other way around. It is China that is the real predator. Its “crouching tiger, hidden dragon” encroachment in the oncecalm waters of the South China is raising tension in the region. China is the preying mantis which will be struck

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

MST ONLINE

can be accessed at: www.manilastandardtoday.com

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

down by the United States if it sees a threat to its own security interests in the region.

A possible collision course may have already been raised by the Chinese ambassador to Manila. At the sidelines of a recent diplomatic event, Ambassador Zhao Jianhua stated that there are limits to freedom of navigation.

“China will not allow the warplanes or warships of any foreign government to intrude in its sovereign space in the South China Sea,” said Zhao.

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. Isabel “Gina” P. Verzosa Head, Advertising Solutions Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager

TRAFFIC has become a political issue.

Personally, my mobility is severely limited by the daily horrendous traffic in Metro Manila. I have become quite choosy in the events that I go to, and there are places I like but no longer visit.

I dread the hours that I will most probably waste in traffic.

When I can, I forego having meetings in Makati and only go there when absolutely necessary. I kid people that it is a foreign territory and I need a visa to enter. Seeing friends is always a lengthy negotiation for venue because we come from different areas. I go to Batangas almost weekly and more than half of the three- to four-hour trip is spent along EDSA or C5.

I know, however, that mine is not as bad as others’ experience. I live and work in Quezon City and I do not keep regular hours so I am not as harassed when I do not have commitments outside.

But if one is a regular worker or employee, it must be very different. Imagine spending four to five hours a day just for travel to and from work. Just thinking of the long lines one has to endure under the sun or rain to take the few running MRT coaches, or standing for a long time in a bus after a hard day’s work to be able to go home, already makes me feel sick. Sure, one can take a taxi, if the driver agrees to take you, or if a negotiated amount is agreed upon. But whether one is in a bus, a taxi, a jeepney, or a private vehicle, you would still be subjected to the very heavy traffic.

CNN Philippines in a recent report said that there are no longer peak hours for traffic. It remains quite bad even during the so-called non-peak hours. And it is no longer limited to main thoroughfares as even alternate routes are regularly full of vehicles. The report warned that things will even worsen if authorities fail to address present problems.

Studies conclude that we lose billions of pesos in terms of productivity due to traffic. This is not surprising as employees are already exhausted when they reach their workplaces at the day’s beginning.

Traffic also has social costs. Apart from productivity loss, many of our workers are parents as well.

If a father or mother, or in the case of many families, both have to leave home very early and come back quite tired and irritable late at nights because of traffic, I wonder how they fulfill their parental obligations. How much quality time do they still spend with their children? How do kids cope? Do they grow up having Continued on A11 Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

A10 BEHIND THE FACADE OF OPTIMISM debt default. In fact, the huge annual budgetary appropriations incurred during the six years of this administration now apWHEN Local Govern- pear to have surpassed all ment Secretary Manu- budgetary appropriations el “Mar” Roxas II was from the time of Manuel anointed by President B.S. Roxas up to the time of Aquino as the standard Gloria Mapacagal Arroyo.

Mar can never dissocibearer of the Liberal Parate himself from this rety, people expected him to gime that has consistently rejoice. That could have been pretending to be been the penultimate step honest.

Signs are evident. towards attaining his amAfter being anointed, bition to become the next his rating failed to make President of the Republic. a dramatic lift-off.

In First, his anointment other words, pessimism means he would no longer pass through the continues to hound him: Could he gauntlet of really make being nomiit? People nated by a remain pasparty leadsive with ership that Roxas some even is saddled having their with opporcan never a n t i p a t h y, tunists and dissociate not only ambitious himself from a g a i n st politicians. him, but Second, this regime also against his anointthat has the party. ment means consistently It and that that he now flaunts to holds the been people political war pretending to our that selling chest that as be honest. the interwe know is est of this the adrenalcountry is in that keeps a virtue. all politiMar failed cal parties to assess that the party to in this country alive and which he is identified has kicking.

These factors now become a liability.

It now greatly favor Mar has been addicted to the Roxas; many concede that the throne has finally use of pork barrel to get been handed to him on a things done. This now has become a dilemma on silver platter.

But despite the advan- how they could possibiltage, one could sense that ity repackage his image to there is in Mar and his ca- make him palatable to our bal of self-righteous men people.

Of course, Mar is not an inner sense of anxiety alone to blame. The one – he might just not make who anointed him is partly it.

It seems Mar could to blame for his sheer hynot fill up the political pocrisy, insisting as ever void that has been created that his administration by a leadership that has consistently presented its remains committed to the own litany of lies. Maybe tuwid na daan. The mainthere is still in him the stream media and their élan’ vital to become an- controlled poll survey outother Roxas president, but fit have consistently placed outside of the elitist circle, him on the high pedestal, the people have their res- despite the corruption, ervation whether we will the fiascos, and the scanbe having an honest elec- dal that continues to rock tion in this country. Even his administration. Some Liberals feel that Mar’s believe that had it not for candidacy still lacks the the money that is oozing ingredients of incisiveness in the Liberal Party, many and direction. He cannot of its members would have point to any accomplish- bolted if only to ensure ment in which he could their reelection. Many of partly claim his contri- them are embarrassed bebution, except to point at cause as mostly incumbent the huge debt of P6.422 officials seeking reelection, trillion. Some say he is they could not present any likely to inherit a crisis of accomplishment.

BACK­ BENCHER ROD P. KAPUNAN

S AT U R D AY : A U G U S T 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

EAGLE EYES DEAN TONY LA VIÑA

BINAY GAINS FROM ROXAS-POE STALEMATE

VICE-President Jejomar Binay has always been considered the favorite in the 2016 presidential race. Although his survey ratings, compared to other candidates’, went down in the last quarter, that is by no means a trend. As I wrote recently in Rappler, I would not certainly count him out of the race this early. By no mean is VP Binay now an underdog. In fact, Without Grace Poe in the race, if she decides not to run or is disqualified, I think Binay would still be the candidate to beat. The machinery the Vice-President has built over decades is formidable and his personal relationships with many local politicians and supporters all over the country are invaluable.

VP Binay could also benefit from what seems to be the escalating conflict between the Roxas and Poe camps. Without knowing anything other than what I can read in the traditional and social media, I can sense a growing distrust among Poe supporters with Roxas handlers for what they might be perceive as bullying on the part of the Liberal Party to get Poe to slide to become the VP candidate of Roxas. On the part of the latter’s supporters, I sense frustration at the insistence of Poe to keep her independence and not yield to what they think is a good deal for Poe and for the country. I see only tragedy ahead in these intramurals between two good people, with VP Binay profiting from it. I think it is time for the Roxas campaign to let things go and accept the inevitable that Grace Poe will be running for President.

Notwithstanding the strength of his political machinery, I pointed out in my Rappler article that Binay needs to do several things to regain momentum and be in a position to use that machinery come Election Day. I suggested that it is paramount for Binay to craft a few consistent and coherent messages about what an administration under his leadership would do and how it will be different and better, not from an Aquino administration but from a Roxas, Rather, many of those accomplishments end up as off-limits to most of our poor people because of the charges and fees collected by private contractors on top of the already sizable amount of taxes they pay to sustain a government that lives on lies and rhetoric.

The people are apprehensive, for they could sense the forthcoming election is all but predetermined.

Suspicions are rife that the election of Mar Roxas is already a done deal, which reason why many have lost their enthusiasm to campaign. Where before the advent of computerization in our electoral system, the counting was a bit acrimonious, and at times violent, but nonetheless the winner could say, with a degree of

Poe, Duterte, or Lacson government.

I also opined in that article that Binay’s current strategy of attacking President Aquino and everything the administration has done is wrong and is likely to backfire. Such a strategy is big mistake; it is a message that will not fly because of the popularity of Aquino and will only expose him as a hypocrite and an ingrate. In my view, if Binay has to turn negative, he should stick to those negatives of the Aquino administration that could be identified with Secretary Mar Roxas – for example the MRT mess and the failures in Yolanda.

Another suggestion I made in my Rappler article is for VP Binay to choose the right messenger and do away with his current spokespersons.

The proliferation of the latter has been disastrous for the Vice-President and as a result we have heard confusing and mixed messages. The fact is that voters want to hear directly from VP Binay: they want to know his plans, for example on inclusive development, which has so far eluded the Aquino administration.

The strongest argument in favor of voting for VP Binay as president is his record in Makati. He should turn positive and talk constantly and loudly about those successes. I think people would like to know Binay’s plans and how he hopes to replicate his success in Makati all over the country. “Today, Makati; tomorrow, the Philippines.” That’s a positive message that Binay should make to overwhelm the negativity around his campaign. He must give specific pathways that will bring the country to that state and not just give promises that people will see through.

I believe the people would also like to hear VP Binay talk about his family and what roles he envisions them to play in a Binay government. On this, as I suggested that he should make a definitive statement that his family would not be allowed to meddle in national programs and projects during his administration. Perhaps, he can even be more dramatic and announce

certainty, that he won in that election. Today, both the winner and loser could no longer say that. There is no way a voter could verify whether the one he voted won or that his vote was duly counted. He does not have any proof that he actually voted for his candidate, except for the indelible ink that is soaked in his right-hand finger.

Now there is a somber mood because people suspect the computerization has given way to wholesale electoral fraud. The danger is clear, for aside from the candidates of the ruling party, those candidates who are made to win are known to support the administration’s pro- US economic policies with an added color that he should

that for 2016 both Junjun and Abigail Binay, two of his children up for reelection, would not be running.

The elephant in the room in the Binay campaign is of course corruption. So far, VP Binay has not been able to find an effective strategy to deal with the corruption charges that has hounded him for months now. Many have already concluded that if there is smoke, there must be fire. Certainly, there has been a lot of smoke. And more is coming, courtesy of the Senate and Senator Antonio Trillanes. Moreover, there is that Damocles sword of the Ombudsman possibly deciding sometime soon to charge the Vice-President with plunder in the case of the alleged overpriced parking lot in Makati City Hall. If filed, such charges have the potential of creating enormous damage on the Binay campaign with the possibility even of him not being able to recover from it politically. This is so even if he wins the constitutional battle on the issue of whether he can immediately be tried even before he is removed by impeachment. As I have said before, I believe the VicePresident has no immunity from suit but no case can proceed to trial until he is impeached first. Thus, once the Ombudsman files the case, the Sandiganbayan would likely have to postpone the proceedings until he is removed from office by impeachment or he resigns or his term expires.

Personally, I do not like this use of law to influence, in fact negate political processes. The plunder charge against Binay might be justified but if filed in the middle of the political campaign, it could be disruptive.

It could be a major disservice to our people and to the electoral process.

The disqualification case against Grace Poe is of a similar character and should be dismissed on grounds that the issues involved are ultimately political and should be sent to the people, and not the courts, for decision.

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be anti-Chinese. The electronic system of election determines not only the candidates; it could possibly add qualifications such as only those candidates friendly or accommodating US interests should be allowed to win. This now is a big possibility. One must draw our lesson from the fact that those who topped the senatorial election were almost all openly supportive of the US economic and political policies for this country. In fact, some have been acting as lobbyists of US interest with one even sporting her US citizenship.

This now brings truth to the accusation that our electoral system has been hijacked by foreign corporations. Some would even

dare speculate that the reason possibly why the Maoists have not made an issue about the computerization of our election is their fear that they too could easily be wiped out should they make protest. Maybe, the ruling party has assured them that if they distance themselves from those noisy group protesting against the computerization of the election, particularly in the awarding of the contract to Smartmatic, they could be assured of an even greater number of seats, with the possibility of their leader being allowed to return to negotiate peace but should parrot the same xenophobic policy that has been enunciated by the Department of Foreign Affairs. Continued on A11

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OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA SINGAPORE is now 50 years old. Lee Kuan Yew was the founder of Singapore and its longest-serving prime minister.

He passed away last March.

From the start, Lee ran Singapore under an intolerant, ruthless authoritarian regime. Everything in Singapore was strictly regulated and thoroughly regimented.

Free speech or press freedom did not exist, and both capital and corporal punishment were imposed. As a result, his people readily became docile followers. Moreover, foreign investments quickly poured into Singapore which eventually made the small city-state wealthy.

International eulogies praised Lee for making Singapore an economic powerhouse. Nonetheless, his authoritarian methods are cited not in approval but only for the historical record because the economic success of Singapore came at a tremendous moral cost. Decades of life under a dictatorship where prosperity was the sole and ultimate goal of its government and citizenry made Singaporeans oblivious of civil and political rights, particularly the respect due the rights of nonSingaporeans sojourning in Singapore.

As a result of decades of garrison-state mental and behavioral conditioning, present-day Singaporeans are focused on commerce and the wealth that goes with it, without much regard for how other people think and feel. Today, Singaporeans comport themselves as if they own Asia. They are generally rude, and they are harsh towards Asian overseas contract workers in their country. Philippine news media have many accounts of Singaporeans severely

An all.. From A9 This runs counter to US policy, which although not taking side in the overlapping claims, does not recognize any one country as having sovereign rights in the South China Sea. In May this year, a US navy reconnaissance plane that flew over military installations on islands China built on reclaimed land was shooed away

by Chinese patrol boats. Both sides exercised restraint to avoid any untoward incident.

But there is no telling when the next flashpoint could lead to a conflagration. A “red line” has already been crossed by China with its reclamation and island-building which impedes the freedom of navigation. The Chinese have been warned.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the recent regional security forum in Kuala Lumpur bristled that the Philippines, Japan and the US are ganging up on China. But what better way to deal with a neighborhood bully than to gang up on him, so said a reader.

Behind.. From A10 Thus, people will protest not on the basis that their candidates lost in the election, but of the fact that there was no valid basis for the proclamation of the winners. In fact, many are questioning the Comelec’s decision to abnegate from its responsibility by subcontracting

A11

THE MORAL COST OF SINGAPORE’S PROSPERITY maltreating their Filipino domestic helpers. Also, Singaporeans think very lowly of Filipinos that they make it a point to be rude to Filipinos in public places. They deliberately block the way of Filipinos on the sidewalks, and many restaurants there will not serve Filipinos.

In 1995, the Singapore government hanged Flor Contemplacion, a Filipino domestic helper working there. Contemplacion was accused of killing her friend Delia Maga, a fellow Filipino domestic helper also in Singapore, and convicted solely on the basis of her confession prepared by Singapore policemen and printed in a language she did not understand. Why Contemplacion would kill a friend in a foreign country where she had few friends to begin with was never explained by the prosecution. President Fidel Ramos tried his best to persuade the prime minister of Singapore to grant clemency to Contemplacion, but his pleas were ignored.

Contemplacion’s children went to Singapore to bid their mother goodbye minutes before her hanging, but they were not allowed by prison officials to kiss, hug, or even touch her. They were permitted to see Contemplacion through a glass panel.

Compared to Contemplacion and her children, Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos and his son were definitely better off when they were captured by Japanese soldiers in the Philippines during World War II. Before the Japanese executed Abad Santos, they allowed him and his son a few minutes together. To think the Japanese invaders were considered barbarous by historians.

Filipinos who have worked in Singa-

pore tell of a notorious police interrogation center where suspects are forced to confess to crimes. The suspect is thrown inside a small air-conditioned shower room and compelled to take a shower with clothes intact. After the suspect is wet all over, the air-conditioner is turned on. His wet clothes ultimately amplify his physical misery. The suspect is left to shiver until he is ready to “cooperate” with the police. Female detainees are treated just as badly.

Laws in Singapore include the dreaded Internal Security Act which allows the indefinite imprisonment of anyone. The courts are prohibited from releasing detainees. Only the prime minister may do so.

Singaporeans are encouraged by their government and their opinion leaders to be nice only to nationals of countries from which they need something on a regular basis. For example, because Singapore depends heavily on Malaysia for its water supply, Singaporeans are generally not openly hostile to Malaysians. To make sure this state policy is not breached, Singapore laws impose a very stiff penalty on anybody who says anything against Malaysia.

The rules for achieving national economic prosperity in a democracy differ from those which apply to a government operated under a dictatorship. National economic prosperity is difficult to achieve in a democracy because the bulk of the government’s resources is allotted to the protection of civil and political rights and liberties.

This means that part of the public money must be spent on courts and the judicial system. In a dictatorship, however, public

The Association of Southeast Nations at its foreign ministers meeting in Kuala Lumpur is also standing up against China.

Finally finding its voice, Asean defied Beijing’s warning not to take up the South China Sea issue in a multilateral forum.

Where are the open spaces?

The whole country went on an earthquake preparedness drill in anticipation of the “big one.” Urban residents dutifully complied with the earthquake drills under the direction of the Metro Manila Development Authority.

In Makati, condominium dwellers who filed out of the tower complexes found little comfort that some of the designated open spaces were too small and in the proximity of other tall buildings that could collapse on them. This is particularly true in the Salcedo and Legazpi Villages, a mix of low residential homes and towering condo dwellings where the space in designated evacuation sites are too small.

Parks, that by law are supposed to serve as green oases offering open spaces, have

been taken up by real estate developers whose building binge seems to have no limit but the sky. The lack of urban planning contributes to a situation where the cities are choking themselves from congestion, traffic and pollution.

Specifically, the parking lot at the Don Bosco church/school and the Velasquez Park in Salcedo Village would not provide enough space in the event of a major earthquake. The evacuation sites are more spacious in Fort Bonifacio’s sprawling Global City. The downside to its location is that the area is sitting right along the West Valley fault line that runs along Marikina, Quezon City, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Pasay, Manila. Muntinglupa, and the nearby Laguna towns of Binan, Calamba and Sta. Rosa.

If the “big one” does happen, we can say that it will be the great social equalizer. Rich and poor alike will be affected. If it lives up to its grim prediction that about 30,000 people could die, this earthquake will be the great leveler. Literally.

its duty to a foreign firm that already made a successful run in the 2010 and 2013 elections where many of the candidates who did not expect to win surprisingly won, and where those expected to win lost miserably.

With Smartmatic having been given a blanket authority to operate the system, it cannot now be denied that that we are

perhaps the only country to be colonized without our colonizers firing a single shot to control us. This apocalyptic observation was well noted by Rene Azurin who wrote a book titled: “Hacking Our Democracy: The conspiracy to electronically control Philippine elections. (rpkapunan@gmail.com)

money can be spent entirely on the furtherance of a strong, profit-oriented economy.

Civil and political rights take a backseat to the quest for wealth. Indeed, it is easier to achieve national economic prosperity under a dictatorship like Singapore.

It does not always follow, however, that a dictatorship will always lead to economic prosperity. For instance, dictatorship is the proximate cause of abject poverty and famine in North Korea and Uganda, with only the dictator and his cohorts awash in wealth. It just so happened that Singapore was lucky in that Lee did not keep the national wealth for himself.

Singaporeans gambled with Lee, won, and Lee gave them their share of the gambling spoils. That is all there was to it.

For the record, the Singaporeans in the early part of the 20th century were virtually treated as slaves by their British colonial masters. On the other hand, Filipinos of that period led by Manuel Quezon were already preparing for self-government under the auspices of the Americans. Despite this historical antecedent, Lee once lectured the Philippines, saying the Filipino penchant for democracy is the biggest stumbling block to economic prosperity in the Philippines.

In other words, if the Filipinos want more bread, they must sacrifice their freedom.

Decades before Singapore was born, the late Filipino nationalist Jose P. Laurel wrote the perfect rebuttal to the Lee formula. In his treatise called Bread and Freedom, Laurel said a real leader does not make his people choose between bread and freedom; he should give his people both bread and freedom.

Traffic.. From A9 more interaction with nannies or extended family members? And how do daily stress and exhaustion affect the couples’ relationships? These are unchartered territories as of now as there are no known studies on these in the country.

Road accidents are not rare. Apart from collisions, buses exploding, and vehicles falling off the Skyway have become ordinary that no one keeps tabs on lives lost on the road.

And speaking of deaths, I have lost count of the number of times when while stuck in unmoving traffic, I see ambulances with sirens blaring trying to weave through other vehicles in the attempt to save the lives of patients they carry. I wonder how many lives have been lost (because they arrived at the hospital too late) which could have been otherwise saved if our roads were not as clogged. Times like this, a few minutes can make a big difference in losing or saving a life.

Numbeo, a Seria-based research firm said that the Philippines is 9th in the world, and 4th in Asia in its report on countries with the worst traffic. We are world-class.

As expected, not a few are complaining. People vent on social media and rant against government, particularly the Department of Transportation and Communications for its inability to deal with this terrible traffic situation.

Coincidentally, for the 2016 elections, the ruling party’s mantra is “daang matuwid”, or “the right, moral road”. Also, Mar Roxas, administration’s presidential candidate, was DOTC secretary for years. Roxas is

touted as the person who will continue “daang matuwid” if he wins.

Some quarters are blaming Roxas for the traffic mess because he did not do anything significant when he headed DOTC. After all, the problem has been identified and ongoing for years now.

It appears that “daang matuwid” is heavily congested and traffic is at a standstill. Moreover, the one leading the pack is someone who miserably failed to address this road congestion. Worse, the promise is to continue with the way things are done, or not being done.

If this is so, how will the country have real progress?

Stress levels because of traffic are high and people want both immediate and lasting solutions. They are looking for someone to address this.

While the country has a lot of problems, heavy traffic stares them in the face on a daily basis. This angers the people. Thus, traffic is now a political and electoral issue.

As far as Metro Manila is concerned, the number of people stuck in traffic without seeing a reprieve may be inversely proportional to the number of people who will vote for Roxas come 2016. As early as now not a few are saying that if “daang matuwid” means more traffic, they’d rather choose a different way.

Just like traffic reports, I hope that from “heavy traffic on daang matuwid”, this administration will do miracles to solve the problem, and will report “light traffic on daang matuwid” instead. bethangsioco@gmail.com @bethangsioco on Twitter Elizabeth Angsioco on Facebook

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A12

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Adidas signs Harden to $200-m deal F R A N K F U RT— G e r m a n sports giant Adidas on Thursday agreed a sponsorship deal with NBA superstar James Harden which was reported to be worth $200 million in a major blow to heavyweight rivals Nike.

Aboitiz TRI2015 goes to Pico de Loro FOLLOWING the success of the Aboitiz TRI2014 triathlon last year, Aboitiz Equity Ventures is now set to host the event’s exciting sequel, Aboitiz TRI2015, at the scenic Pico de Loro Beach and Country Club, Hamilo Coast, Nasugbu, Batangas on Sept. 12.

Aboitiz TRI2015 will start at 2 p.m., and engage participants in an Olympicdistance, point-to-point course in and around Pico de Loro and the NasugbuTernate Highway.

The 1.5-kilometer (km) swim leg will be at Pico Beach followed, by a 40-km cycling stretch that includes a steep hill climb to the highest point of Pico de Loro out to Nasugbu-Ternate highway before heading to T2 (Transition 2) at the Marina.

The 10-km run leg passes through tree-less avenues, rolling hills, a steep descent to the main resort area, and loops around the lagoon area leading to the finish line at around sunset.

“Aboitiz believes in doing well by doing good—always making the right long- term decisions that balance the interests of people, planet, and profit. By joining Aboitiz TRI2015, you help create a more sustainable future through a healthy, active lifestyle,” said Erramon I. Aboitiz, AEV President and Chief Executive Officer.

Aboitiz TRI2015 is organized by Bike King and supported by AboitizPower, UnionBank, and WeatherPhilippines, together with Pico de Loro Beach and Country Club, Orbea, Nuun, , Sante Barley, Philippine Star, SPIN.ph, Multisport, and RaceDay. Athletes who wish to learn more about the event may visit the Aboitiz TRI2015 page at www. bikekingphilippines.com.

The contract for the 25-year-old Houston Rockets star takes effect from October 1 and is understood to span 13 years.

Adidas said it would not divulge the value of the long-term deal although American sports network ESPN claimed it was worth $200m (180 million euros).

“From the start of this partnership, Harden is going to play a role in the worldwide promotion of Adidas which will coincide with the start of the new NBA season,” said a spokesman.

“He will also have a key role in creating and developing a line of sports shoes and clothing.”

Last year, Adidas announced a 10year link-up with English Premier League giants Manchester United worth a minimum £750 million (940 million euros).

The group is also attempting to reestablish its foothold in North America in the face of competitors, Nike and Under Armour. AFP

James Harden of the 2015 USA Basketball Men’s National Team attends a practice session at the Mendenhall Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Harden is moving over to Adidas. AFP

Cobras overcome Panthers, 86-76

By Mikey Izumi CEBU CITY – Using a 9-man rotation, the defending champions Southwestern University Cobras turned back the challenge of the returning University of Southern Philippines Foundation Panthers in a huge fourth-quarter run en route to a 86-76 victory in a thrilling match in the 15th season of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. basketball tournament last Thursday at the Cebu Coliseum.

The Cobras had to overcome the pressure defense of the Albert Alocillo-coached, who banked on their 3-point shooting to keep the game close and were even just one point behind at halftime, 42-41.

After six lead changes in the third period, the boys of Coach

Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba showed their veteran smarts and championship experience and poise, anchored on the trio of reigning MVP Mark Jayven Tallo, Anton Pardo and rookie Fil-Samoan Jesse “Juju” Bautista to grab the lead at the end of the third, 63-60.

USPF kept the game close in the fourth period with three 3-pointers by Karl Langahin and Kimo Bajamunde, but SWU’s Bautista sealed the game for the Cobras as he finished off the Panthers with an offensive rebound and a putback to give the Cobras a 90-81 lead, with 1:45 left in the game en route to their second win of the season.

Bautista’s superb all-round game in which he scored 27 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and converted

15 of 17 free throws earned for him the Best Player of the Game accolade from Viva Sports TV panelists Rico Navarro and Sandi Grumo.

Pardo added 21 points and four rebounds; while Tallo recorded a near triple-double with 18 points, 17 rebounds and 9 assists.

The Panthers, who suffered their third straight setback, were led by Bajamunde with 15 points and three rebounds, while Brantford Borces and Mhike Patalinghug scored 14 and 12 points respectively.

In the juniors’ division, the University of the Visayas Baby Lancers cruised to an easy victory over the Don Bosco Technology Center Greywolves, 76-37 for their 2nd win in three outings. The Greywolves suffered their third straight loss of the season.

Robinsons Calasiao hosts Slalom invitational 3rd leg RACE Motorsports Club is holding the third out of its four-leg Slalom Invitational on Sunday at the Robinsons Place Calasiao parking lot.

Registration will start at 7 a.m. and will continue for the rest of the day.

Practice runs are allowed until 11 a.m., before the start of the official runs at 11:30 a.m.

Free slalom clinics will be held from 9 to 10 a.m.

Expected to participate are the different clubs/teams, headed by Baguio Auto Forum, BARFTECH, Team Kuneho, Corolla Auto Club Baguio, Team Makaluma, Cabanatuan Auto Club, Wholesome Concepts, Manantan Team, SPEEDLIMITS and privateers from Dagupan, Pangasinan, Tarlac and Metro Manila.

The 2015 RACE Motorsports Club Slalom Invitational is sponsored by Shell Helix Motor oils, Federal Tyres, Outlast Battery, Starbright Body Kits, Auto Transporter, medical team Aeromed and media partners Stoplight TV and C! Magazine.

The last leg will be held on Nov. 8, also at Robinsons Calasiao. For details, contact Bing Bang O. Dulce at tel. nos. 928-6951, 0922-8165344 or 0917-8119337, or e-mail racemotorsportsclub@yahoo.com.

Jhon Guintu of Wholesome Concepts Baguio City prepares for his turn.

Fil-Chinese 5 in semis KUCHING, Malaysia — The 60-years-old squad of the Filipino-Chinese Veterans Basketball Association also advanced to the semis by completing a two-game sweep of its group elims in the 24th ASEAN Seniors’ Basketball Tournament Thursday here.

Drawing decent numbers from Kenneth Yap and Zotico Tan, the FCVBA dethroned Hatyai of Thailand, 4740, in Group B action. It will face local team in the semis.

The 40-years’ squad also swept its group elims by drubbing Asaba of Indonesia, 66-49, for its third straight win, but the 50s suffered a stinging 66-60 defeat to Kinsar of Malaysia.

Despite their defeat – their first in three games – the 50s still emerged No. 1 in their group.

Yap and Tan led the 60s with 13 points, while Julio Cruz, Jimi Lim, Bong dela Cruz and Terry Que of Rain or Shine supplied the needed help to march into the next round unbeaten.

Lim sealed the win for the FCVBA with a jumper off a perfect assist by Que, 43-35, with barely three minutes left. Lim added four points.

SAT URDAY : AUGUS T 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

A13

Djokovic, Murray notch 50th wins MONTREAL—Novak Djokovic racked up his 50th win of 2015 to reach the Montreal Masters last eight and then blasted Nick Kyrgios for the crude sexual slur at Stan Wawrinka which has rocked the sport.

The top seed, and three-time champion in Canada, scored his 28th consecutive victory at the Masters level by seeing off Jack Sock of the United States 6-2, 6-1.

The win, in just 54 minutes, put the world number one Serb into the quarter-finals against Latvian qualifer Ernests Gulbis.

Second seed Andy Murray, who is chasing a third title in Canada, also took his season’s win tally to 50 with a smooth 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller.

Djokovic lashed out at Kyrgios who was fined $10,000 for an obscene sexual remark made in Wednesday’s third round.

On-court microphones picked up the remark made by the 20-year-old Australian concerning Wawrinka’s girlfriend.

Kyrgios said that the woman had been involved with his close friend Thanasi Kokkinakis.

“Sorry to tell you that mate,” Kyrgios is heard to say with his back turned to the French Open champion.

Djokovic, a close friend of Wawrinka, said Kyrgios deserved to be punished.

“Some players have problems to control themselves on the court. Sometimes when you go through the emotional challenges, it slips out of your mouth,” said the top seed. AFP

Novak Djokovic of Serbia hits a return against Jack Sock of the USA during day four of the Rogers Cup at Uniprix Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Novak Djokovic defeated Jack Sock, 6-2, 6-1. AFP

Alvarez fights Cotto on Nov. 21 in Vegas

By Ronnie Nathanielsz A FIGHT that boxing fans have longed for is finally a done deal.

Roc Nation Sports, Oscar Del La Hoyta’s Golden Boy Promotions, Miguel Cotto Promotions and Canelo Promotions have finally announced the eagerly awaited battle between World Boxing Council middleweight champion Miguel Cotto and Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

The fight will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events

Center in Las Vegas on Nov. 21 and will be on HBO payper-view.

When the announcement was made, Cotto said: “I will give the fans the fight they want to see. As I have always said during my whole career, I am here to fight the best names and the best fighters.

This will be another chapter in my career and I will be ready for him. Fans will enjoy a real fight . another

classic battle in the Puerto Rico vs Mexico rivalry.”

For his part, Alvarez said: “Historically, mega fights are made because the fans demand them. In this case, the fans have spoken out, longing for this fight and it is my pleasure to say it is finally happening.”

Alvarez added, “all fights at this level are very important but this fight in particular has something more. It will hold a special place in history as part of the big rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico and I promise all the fans that this is going to be an event that will not disappoint.”

Cotto, who has a record

of 40-4 with 33 knockouts, is coming off a spectacular fourth-round TKO of Daniel Geale last June 6, while Alvarez who has a record of 45-1-1 with 32 knockouts, is coming off an equally spectacular third-round knockout of James Kirkland last May 9.

The 25-year-old Alvarez’s only defeat was a 12-round majority decision loss to undefeated pound-for- pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Sept. 14, 2013, while one of the defeats of the 34-yearold Cotto was a 12th-round TKO to eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 14, 2009.

Nietes headlines blockbuster card

By Ronnie Nathanielsz WORLD Boxing Organization light flyweight champion Donnie “Ahas” Nietes has been added to the inaugural venture of ALA Promotions at the StubHub Center in Carson City, California as the headliner in a blockbuster card that will also feature the promising Pagara brothers, Prince Albert and elder brother Jason and the exciting Mark “Magniifico” Magsayo on Oct. 17.

ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer told The Standard/boxingmirror. com that the decision to feature Nietes, the longest-reigning Filipino world champion, was made on Thursday.

Nietes was informed of the decision on Friday.

“I am sure Donnie will be happy because his dream has been to fight in the United States,” said Aldeguer.

This also means that the planned title defense of Nietes in Bacolod City would have to be shelved for the time being.

PRU Life-PH promotes sports to employees PRU Life UK-Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer Antonio “Jumbing” de Rosas certainly walks the talks when it comes to adopting an active and sporty lifestyle, something that he promotes among the 500 employees of the company he runs.

A martial arts expert (he is a 4th dan karatedo black belter), a long-distance runner, who has completed three full marathons and countless other shorter distance foot races here and abroad, an accomplished swimmer and biker, and a triathlete when the sport was just starting to emerge in the 1990s, the 50-year-old De Rosas swims, bikes or runs six days a week and engage in a regular karate training.

De Rosas said that all these activities are all worth it.

He says that his serious involvement in sports which started when he was a competitive swimmer in high school while studying in Hong Kong, has certainly developed positive traits that helped him face the daily challenges of running a company. As company president, De Rosas said that on top of his list are discipline, perseverance, and the willingness to go beyond the normal and the willingness to take risks and face new challenges.

As for being an athlete, he says that aside from from the healthy benefits, both physically and mentally, sports gives an athlete self-confidence.

Pru-Life UK-Philippines promotes sports to its employees, encouraging them to engage actively in sports, and provides them with support when they do get into sports. Recently, the company sent a 4-man relay team which participated in the 400-kilometer peloton relay, one of the races in the Prudential RideLondon, the world’ biggest Pru LifeUK-Philippines President/CEO Antonio “ Jumbing “ de Rosas biking festival that attracted 95,000 participants is shown with the 4-man bike team sent by the company to this year. the recent Prudential RideLondon bike festival. The bikers are Joy The team placed in the upper half of the Cagurangan, Paul Andrada, Pedro Guzman, and Michael Palisoc. standings in this category with a cumulative time of over seven hours, but failed to beat De Rosas’s on a regular basis, badminton, basketball, and ten pin individual clocking of over five hours. bowling are played by employees. The company also De Rosas gave up his slot and instead sent company has its own 6-man triathlon team. staff officers Joy Cagurangan, Pedro Guzman, Michael Outside of its walls, the company is now on its third Palisoc, and Paul Andrada, who are all multi-disciplined year as a supporter of football, starting off with the Little athletes.

Azkals, the PH Azkals and for this year, nationwide Earlier this year, the company’s employees and sales football clinic dubbed as Football for a Better Life with agents joined in the first ever Pru Life UK-Philippines’ former Azkal team captain Chieffy Caligdong as chief fun run, featuring 4K, 8K, and 16K distance races, while instructor and football ambassador.

S AT U R D AY : A U G U S T 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

A14

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

PH rugby teams eyeing Olympics

By Peter Atencio

Property giant, Megaworld, welcomes the Philippine National Rugby Union Team, better known as Philippine Volcanoes, to its new home—the McKinley Hill Stadium in Megaworld’s 50-hectare McKinley Hill township in Fort Bonifacio. In a press briefing, Megaworld and the management of the Philippine Volcanoes officially announced the partnership and the upcoming welcome game for the Southeast Asia’s No. 1 rugby team which will be held through a Rugby Youth Camp on Sunday. Photo shows (from left) Jake Letts, team captain-men’s volcanoes of the Philippine Volcanoes; Matt Cullen, director of rugby, Philippine Rugby Football Union; Jericho Go, senior vice president, Megaworld; Acee San Juan, team captain-lady volcanoes, Philippine Volcanoes; and Tefel Pesigan-Valentino, senior assistant vice president for marketing and business development, Megaworld Commercial Division. The McKinley Hill Stadium is located at Campus Avenue corner, Wells Fargo Drive, McKinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. For the Rubgy Youth Camp and exhibition game, gates will open at 10 a.m. Admission is free.

EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE WITH DEED OF ABSOLUTE SALE Notice hereby given that the estate of the late ALFREDO ANG was E X T R A - J U D I C I A L LY SETTLED by his heirs KHA TY CHAN, WILLIAM ANG, GEORGE ANG, RICHARD ANG & JOHN ANG as per Doc. No. 309 Page No. 63; Book No. XX, Series of 2015 before Notary Public Atty. Geronimo B. Halili (TS-AUG. 1,8,15,2015)

ERRORS & OMISSIONS In Classified Ads section must be brought to our attention the very day the advertisement is published.

We will not be responsible for any incorrect ads not reported to us immediately.

FOLLOWING their successful stints in the recent Southeast Asian Games in Singapore, the Philippine Volcanoes men’s and women’s teams are set to seek qualifying slots to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

This was bared by head coach Matt Cullen, who added that the teams are now in the thick of training at the McKinley Hills Stadium courtesy of property giant Megaworld.

The Volcanoes, whose men’s team won a gold and the women’s squad settling for bronze in the SEAG, began training last Wednesday at the all-weather turf of the stadium, which uses the Max-S 60 mm variety of renowned Italian brand Limonta Sport, one of the few

turf providers certified

by FIFA. “We started training there last night. It was an excellent session, the best one we had since the SEA Games,” said Cullen during a press conference at the McKinley Hills Showroom at Mckinley Hills in Taguig City.

The Volcanoes, ranked no. 5 in the men’s division in the SEA region, are set to compete in three legs of the Asian 7s series from September to October against the top 12 teams in Asia and will go on to par-

ticipate in the 2015 Olympic Qualification competitons in Hong Kong on Nov. 7 and 8.

Megaworld executives, led by its vice president for business development Jericho Go, said the stadium is open for training for the Volcanoes teams on a weekly basis.

“They are doing this for the country. We thought that for them to be competitive, they cannot do this on their own,” said Go. The Volcanoes will see action in the China 7s series on Sept. 5 and 6 before heading for the Thailand 7s from Sept. 26 to 27, and then the Sri Lanka 7s from Oct. 10 to 11.

In celebration of their partnership, Megaworld said it will offer its stadium to host the opening ceremony and activities welcoming the Volcanoes on Aug. 16, Sunday.

Republic of the Philippines Province of Ilocos Sur MUNICIPALITY OF MAGSINGAL INVITATION TO BID FOR THE PROCUREMENT OF PAYLOADER(TCM 830-2), MAGSINGAL, ILOCOS SUR 1.

2.

3.

The Local Government Unit of Magsingal, Ilocos Sur, through R.A. 7171 intends to apply the sum of Two Milliion Seven Hundred Thousand Pesos(Php 2,700,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for Contract No.1508-42. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE- HEAD OFFICE INVITATION TO BID 1.

The Local Government of Magsingal, Ilocos Sur now invites bids for Procurement of Payloader, Magsingal, Ilocos Sur . Completion of the Works is required within 7 calendar days. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instruction to Bidders.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites bidders to apply for eligibility and to bid for the hereunder requirement: Name of Requirement/ Brief Description Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)

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

Completion period

Supply of Labor, Tools, Equipment, Materials and Supplies, including Supervision for Janitorial, Hauling, Landscaping and Other Related Services for BSP Davao Regional Office, as per BSP Terms of Reference Php3,663,000.00, VAT inclusive Within one (1) year reckoned from the date stipulated in the Notice to Proceed to be issued by the Facilities Management and Engineering Department (FMED)

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

2.

Bidders should have completed from Y2010 to present a contract similar to the requirement. The Eligibility Check/Screening and Preliminary Examination of Bids shall use non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria.

4.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from Local Government Unit of Magsingal and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

3.

5.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Five Thousand Pesos (Php 5,000.00).

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

4.

All particulars and activities relative to Eligibility of Bidder’s, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-bid Conference Meeting, Evaluation of Bids, Postqualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by Republic Act No. 9184 and its revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).

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

6.

The local Government of Magsingal will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on August 20, 2015 at Municipal Hall Lobby, Magsingal Ilocos Sur which shall be open to all interested parties.

Schedule

Location

a. Issuance of Bid Documents

Starting 14 August 2015 (from 9:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. only)

7.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before September 2, 2015 until 9:00 A.M. at Municipal Hall Lobby. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Procurement Office, Room 212, 2/F, 5-Storey Bldg., BSP Main Complex, Malate, Manila Tel. / Fax Nos. 306-2832; 708-7115

b. Site Inspection

Starting 14 August 2015

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

Contact Person: Mr. Ray T. Rosales Tel. No: 02-306-2494/2263

c. Pre-bid conference

28 August 2015; 4:00 P.M.

Bid Opening shall be on September 2, 2015 at 10:00 A.M. at Municipal Hall Lobby, Magsingal, Ilocos Sur.

d. Opening of Bids

MR2A Conference Room, 2nd Floor, 5-Storey Bldg., BSP Main Complex, Malate, Manila

09 September 2015; 2:00 P.M.

8.

The complete schedule of activities is listed as follows Activities Issuance of Bid Documents Pre Bid Conference Submission/Receipt/Opening of Bids Bid Evaluation Post Qualification Issuance of Notice of Award 9.

Schedule August 14-September 2, 2015 August 20, 2015 September 2, 2015 at 10:00 A.M., Municipal Hall Lobby, Magsingal, Ilocos Sur September 3, 2015 September 4, 2015 September 7, 2015

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

10. For further information, please refer to: (SGD) MARIVIC P. ALVAREZ Office of the Mayor Municipal Hall Main Building San Julian, Magsingal, Ilocos Sur (0927) 599-97-25 lgumagsingal@yahoo.com (SGD) TIBURCIO T. TABARREJO, JR. BAC Chairman/MPDC

Activities

5.

The bidding documents are posted at the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the BSP Website (www.bsp.gov. ph). Prospective bidders may download the bidding documents from any of these websites; provided that bidders shall pay a non-refundable fee of Php5,000.00, at the address above prior to, or upon submission of their bids.

6.

The pre-bid conference shall be open to interested parties. However, only those who have purchased the bidding documents shall be allowed to participate in the pre-bid conference and raise or submit written queries or clarifications. To ensure completeness and compliance of bids, bidders are advised to send not more than two (2) technical and/or administrative representatives who will prepare the bidding documents.

7.

The BSP assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify any bidder for expenses incurred in the preparation of bid.

8.

The BSP reserves the right to reject any bid, declare a failure of bidding, not award the contract, annul the bidding process and reject all bids at any time prior to award of contract, without thereby incurring any liability to affected bidders.

Further, the BSP reserves the right to waive any minor defects or formality and to accept the proposal most advantageous to the agency.

(SGD) SILVINA Q. MAMARIL-ROXAS Chairperson

(TS-AUG. 15, 2015)

( T S - A U G U S T 15 , 2 015 )

Eagle...

From A16 But the names who dominated the build-up to the tournament found it sometimes heavy going.

McIlroy and Spieth both fired one-under par 71, with Zach Johnson settling for a three-over par 75 that left him nine adrift -- tied for 86th in a group that also included Tiger Woods.

“I think anything under par this afternoon was a decent score,” said McIlroy, who bounced back from an opening bogey with a birdie at the second, and was even through the turn after going bogey-birdie at eight and nine.

Along the way he rolled his trouser leg up to save par from the shallow water of a pond at the par-five fifth.

He got to two-under with birdies at 11 and 16 before dropping a shot at the last.

McIlroy settling in McIlroy was untroubled by the torn ligament in his left ankle that he suffered on July 4, although he admitted to some nerves teeing it up in his first tournament since the US Open in June.

“Once I got those first couple holes out of the way, I felt like I settled into the round really nicely,” he said.

Spieth was steady as a rock, parring his first 10 holes before a bogey at the par-five 11th, where he missed a three-footer for par.

He responded with a chip-in birdie at the 12th, and also birdied the parfive 16th to finish at oneunder.

“I hit some really good putts early in the round, had some chances to go under par, even in these conditions that we had,” said Spieth.

“I think (it was) one of the better rounds in the afternoon,” he said, adding a note of admiration for Lingmerth’s effort.

“That’s a heck of a round of golf in those conditions,” Spieth said.

In the more hospitable morning conditions, Johnson opened his round with back-to-back birdies at the 10th and 11th before his eagle at 16.

He added birdies on one, two and four, and his lone bogey, a failed up and down at the parthree third, was followed by a birdie at the fourth before he capped his round with a 10-foot par putt at the ninth. AFP

S AT U R D AY : A U G U S T 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

A15

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Better times ahead?

NOW that the heartache of losing our bid to host the 2019 World Cup of basketball in the Philippines RONNIE NATHANIELSZ to mighty China, despite a superbly crafted and truly emotional presentation, anchored by the remarkable Fil-American actor Lou Diamond Phillips whose soul was its substance, we can now sit back and look at why we failed to win despite the FIBA Central Board deliberating longer than expected with two extensions before a final decision was announced.

Was it FIBA’s way of stringing us along as they appeared to have done all throughout the run-up to the final showdown with China? Or was it a genuine struggle within the Central Board on whether to play safe by going with China or to take a risk on the promises made by the Philippines?

Eventually, FIBA, which is a fairly conservative organization went with a country where all the criteria set by FIBA were met, in some cases over what was required as in the number of top class playing venues.

FIBA wanted four, China offered eight.

The Philippines, on the other hand, could offer only three venues with the fourth in Cebu a mere promise.

Given the country’s reputation—not the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas or the eminent businessmansportsman Manny Pangilinan’s—history of failing to fulfill promises made, it was a risk FIBA was clearly not prepared to take.

Besides, while the sprawling Philippine Arena could accommodate 55,000 fans, its location left much to be desired given the fact that there were no hotels anywhere near the venue and the horrendous traffic getting into the NLEX where the flow is smooth, was another drawback.

While there are first-class hotels near the superb Mall of Asia Arena and the Smart Araneta Coliseum, which is being refurbished, the traffic gridlock along EDSA makes getting to the Araneta even from the EDSA Shangrila Hotel a major hazard.

China in contrast offered a smooth as silk network of highways, trains and other means of rapid transportation as against our own dilapidated transport system.

One other factor that probably weighed on the minds of the FIBA Central Board members was the politics that continue to hound the Philippines and are generally regarded as a debilitating factor.

Even today, politics and personal, selfish interests have undermined the forming of a competitive team for the FIBA Asia Championships this year which may well have made FIBA wonder whether we could form a team of consequence if we won the right to host the 2019 World Cup. They probably wondered who would be president in 2019 and would that individual support the hosting of the World Cup. For all the criticism of President Benigno Aquino III and his seeming lack of interest in sports, we must be fair to our president because he did support the country’s bid.

By allowing Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario and Tourism secretary Ramon Jimenez to be part of the delegation, as well as Deputy Speaker Robbie Puno and Sen. Sonny Angara, both basketball enthusiasts, President Aquino tacitly supported the Philippine bid.

But the corrupt politicians who robbed our people of billions through the pork barrel scam and other nefarious schemes deprived our national government of the funds that could have been channeled to large-scale infrastructure development. Perhaps, if found guilty through the proper judicial procedure, they should be banished to one of the disputed islands in the West Philippine sea, to pay for their sins.

In our presentation, we deftly stayed away from our obvious weaknesses and anchored our bid on the passion of 100 million Filipinos to whom basketball is an inherent element in their everyday lives which is manifested in the following of the Philippine Basketball Association which is the second oldest professional basketball league behind the world’s greatest – the NBA. While China with its huge population outnumbers the Philippines and can, like a machine, ensure that their stadiums are filled on game days, there is no way they could match the incredible passion of the Filipinos for the game itself and their knowledge of its nuances.

In the end, money talks and while our economy has concededly improved in recent years, we are no match against China whose economic and military power are a significant reality in the modern world.

China offered Euros 30 million while Manny Pangilinan initially offered Euros 12 million and subsequently, at the prodding of FIBA upped it to 14 million as though it would have made a difference to FIBA to whom basketball has been transformed into big business and where a passionate heart cannot conceivably overcome the lure of big bucks.

That the Philippines garnered 7 votes as against China’s 14 speaks volumes of the success of our presentation and the positive response by the more forward-looking members if FIBA who were willing to take a gamble on a country whose love for basketball, which is our No.1 sport by far and whose unbridled passion is a testament to that love in a heart that beats strong even in the face of defeat.

Mr. Pangilinan was a beacon to those who dare to lead and who keep the faith with dignity. Perhaps, he should look at a more realistic target which may well be to seek the right to host a world youth championship when young sensations like Kobe Paras, Bobby Ray Parks and Kiefer Ravena among others can carry our colors with honor.

Although we lost this time around, we can hold our heads up high because we earned the respect and the hearts of millions around the world for how we stood up to a giant in China and never flinched even for a moment.

Our people and the delegation members shed tears, but they were tears that mirrored our anguish and also our hope for better times ahead and success in the future.

INSIDE SPORTS

Gilas stint to sharpen Rosario for the pros

By Jeric Lopez

TROY Rosario is happy and grateful to be a part of the Smart Gilas pool.

The amateur standout from National University and a projected Top 2 pick in the Philippine Basketball Association Draft late this month, said his stint with the national team has polished his skills which he said would prepare him for the pro league.

“Malaking tulong pagkakasama ko sa Smart Gilas para sa akin,’’ said Rosario.

“Bukod sa happy and honored ako dahil napasama ako sa pool ng National

team, nakakatulong pa ng malaki sa akin sa preparation ko for the PBA para hindi na ako mahirapan masyado mag-adjust.”

The agile 6’7” big man said that training with PBA veterans such as Asi Taulava, Sonny Thoss, Jimmy Alapag and naturalized star Andray Blatche, among others, is a huge privilege since the veterans have given him a lot of tips and advices on how to further improve his game. ‘’Sinasabihan nila ako

minsan kung anong dapat na gawin sa court and also giving some advice na din kung paano ko mapapabuti ‘yung laro ko pa.’’

Rosario said his older and more experienced teammates taught him to toughen up as he braces himself for the PBA and possible international compeitions. “‘Yung mga veterans pag sa practice sinasabihan nila ako na maging tough talaga kasi medyo nahihiya pa ako siyempre and mas magpalakas pa lalo kasi nga mataas talaga na ang level of competition sa PBA,” he said.

Getting a taste of what it would be like in the PBA, Rosario admitted that the level

of competition between amateur and professional basketball are quite different.

“Mas higher level of competition na talaga if you’re going up against PBA players compared in the amateurs.

Pareho naman magagaling pero pag sa PBA, mas hasa na at experienced talaga ang mga players.”

After leading the NU Bulldogs to championship in the UAAP last year, Rosario’s stock has risen leading to next week’s as he continues to impress consistently.

Rosario and FilipinoTongan Moala Tautuaa are considered as the clear-cut top two aspirants in the PBA Draft ahead.

Top seed Khim Iglupas dominated Maia Balce in the opening set then broke her sixth-ranked rival once in the second to complete a 6-1, 6-4 victory.

Iglupas, Capadocia forge Olivarez title duel KHIM Iglupas and Marian Capadocia lived up to the hype and ripped their respective rivals in emphatic fashions to seal a showdown for the women’s Open singles crown in the sixth Olivarez Cup Tennis Championship at the Olivarez Sports Center in Sucat, Parañaque City yesterday.

The top seeded Iglupas dominated Maia Balce in the opening set then broke her sixth-ranked rival once in the second to complete a 6-1, 6-4 victory while No. 2 Capadocia held off No. 4 Christine Patrimonio in the first frame then stamped her class in the next for a 6-4, 6-2 victory in the semifinals of the center-

piece event presented by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala through COO Bobby Castro and sanctioned by Philta.

They dispute the crown at 1 p.m. today (Saturday) with Iglupas, 17, gunning for backto-back after repulsing Edilyn Balanga, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4, in last

Ateneo, NU step up volley drive TITLE favorites Ateneo and National University hope to ride the crest of their imposing stints in the group stages as they take on separate struggling rivals at the start of the quarterfinal phase of the Shakey’s V-League Season 12 Collegiate Conference at The Arena in San Juan City today.

The Lady Eagles, who

carried a league-leading 3-0 card after sweeping Group B, face a UP Lady Maroons side needing no less than a victory in a bid to revive their semifinal hopes hampered by a poor 0-3 mark.

That makes the 3 p.m. clash between the Loyolabased schools worth watching with Ateneo expected to come in full force to keep its win run going and UP

going all out for the muchneeded win in the crucial phase of the mid-season offering of the league presented by PLDT Home Ultera.

That will also be the theme in the NU-La Salle Dasmariñas clash in the 12:45 p.m. opener with the Lady Bulldogs hoping to break off a four-way tie for second with a victory over the Lady Patriots.

year’s finals of the event backed

by Dunlop Fort Clay Court as the official ball, Stronghold Insurance and Aseana City.

“They both played aggressively and won impressively.

The finals will be worth watching,” said Philta president and Paranaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez.

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

A16

S AT U R D AY : A U G U S T 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

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

Dustin Johnson of the United States hits his tee shot on the sixth hole during the first round of the 2015 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. AFP

Outside sniping fuels Knights past Cardinals

By Peter Atencio

THE Letran Knights leaned on their outside shooters, led by Rey Nambatac in the final period to turn back the Mapua Cardinals, 80-77, yesterday in the 91st National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament at the San Juan Arena.

Nambatac drilled in four of his five treys in the final quarter and finished with 22 to lead the Knights to the tightly fought contest.

The Knights thus picked up their eighth win against a single loss to finish the first round.

Their lone loss was dealt by the Emilio Aguinaldo College

Djokovic notches 50th win TURN TO A13

Generals, 69-83, a week ago.

The Cardinals were still ahead, 67-60, to start the fourth quarter on Allwell Oraeme’s layup and Exequiel Biteng’s trey, when Nambatac caught fire and started firing away from the three point territory.

Behind by as many as 21, 27-48, in the second period, the

Cardinals rallied in the third and threatened. 59-60, with 1:04 left behind free throws from Darrell Menina and Oraeme.

Oraeme finished with 23 points and a season-high 28 rebounds, while Biteng and Que had 15 and 13 for the Cards, who dropped to 4-5.

The Cards played minus CJ Isit, who is out for three weeks due to a dislocated elbow, and Josan Nimes, who sat out the game because of a back problem.

“Grabe ang pressure going into this game. I know this is going to be big after a loss.

We had to win this game,”said Knights coach Aldin Ayo, back after a one-game suspension.

Nambatac also had some

help from Mark Cruz as the two guards provided the spark in the second half, with Cruz hitting his own triple to give Letran an 80-75 spread in the last 1:54.

The Cards threatened for the last time, 76-80, behind the charities of Oraeme and Stephen Que with 41 seconds to go and had a chance to force an extension, but John Nieles bungled a pass inside the paint before time expired.

In the junior side, Sherwin Concepcion hit 21 points and had eight rebounds for the Mapua Red Robins, who demolished the Letran Squires, 97-63.

The Red Robins picked up their eighth win in nine

Adidas signs Harden for $200m TURN TO A12

Games Tuesday (San Juan Arena) 10 a.m. • JRU vs Perpetual Help (jrs) 12 nn • San Beda vs Arellano University (jrs) 2 p.m. • JRU vs Perpetual Help (srs) 4 p.m. • San Beda vs Arellano University (srs)

games and stayed aT second place to end their first-round stint behind the unbeaten San Beda Red Cubs (8-0).

Concepcion scored eight points in the first period to lead the Red Robins to a 20-13 edge.

In the other juniors’ match, La Salle Greenhills drew the big plays from Ricci Rivero and three other teammates in dumping the Arellano Braves, 90-69 and improve to 5-4 win-loss at fifth.

Eagle nets Johnson PGA lead KOHLER—Dustin Johnson shook off any bitter memory of Whistling Straits, seizing the first-round lead at the PGA Championship on Thursday to steal the show from Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth.

A 28-foot eagle at the parfive 16th and five birdies saw Johnson grab the early lead just as world number one and defending champion McIlroy, Masters and US Open champion Jordan Spieth and British Open winner Zach Johnson were heading to the first tee.

With afternoon winds making scoring tough on the par-72, 7,501 Whistling Straits course on the shores of Lake Michigan, Johnson’s score was still atop the leaderboard at the end of the day.

Sweden’s David Lingmerth mounted the strongest afternoon challenge, moving as low as six-under before settling for an impressive fiveunder par 67.

“Today was pretty easy,” Johnson said. “I felt like I was just super-patient, stayed focused all day and I was swinging well. I was controlling it.”

Eight players shared third place on four-under par 68: Australians Jason Day and Matt Jones, South Koreanborn New Zealander Danny Lee and Americans J.B. Holmes, Russell Henley, Matt Kuchar, Scott Piercy and Harris English.

Continued on A14

B1

SATURDAY: AUGUST 15, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

Drought cuts agriculture output

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales

AGRICULTURE production fell 0.37 percent in the second quarter from a year ago, as the El Niño dry spell cut rice and corn harvest, the Philippine Statistics Authority said Friday.

The second-quarter contraction in farm and fishery output reversed the 1.8-percent growth in the first quarter and the 2.73-percent expansion a year ago. It is also expected to drag down gross domestic product growth in the second quarter, as agriculture accounts for

nearly 15 percent of the economy.

Data from the PSA showed that despite the second-quarter slump, first-half agriculture production grew 0.7 percent, slower than the 1.8-percent expansion registered a year ago.

Total value of agriculture production reached P372.4 billion

at current prices in the second quarter, lower by 5.2 percent than P392.8 billion in the second quarter of 2014, the agency said.

It said that in terms of output, the crops subsector, which accounted for nearly half of the total production, shrank 3.05 percent in the second quarter, because of lower rice and corn harvest.

Palay (unmilled rice) production contracted 2.9 percent in the second quarter to 4 million metric tons from 4.07 million MT a year ago “The significant reduction in palay production was due to contraction in harvest area and

reduction in yield as a result of prolonged dry spell, insufficient rainfall and intense heat,” the agency said.

Corn production also slid 15.8 percent to 1 million MT in the second quarter from 1.2 million MT last year.

The drop in corn production was due to the decreased harvest area and yield in Davao region, Soccsksargen, Cagayan Valley, Northern Mindanao and Bicol region amid insuficient water supply.

Coconut production fell 0.81 percent to 3.40 million metric tons as most of the coconut pro-

ducing provinces was affected by typhoon Glenda. Laguna, Batangas and Quezon provinces were also affected by the coconut scale insect infestation.

Meanwhile, the fisheries sector registered a 1.53-percent decline in output in the second quarter, as intense heat affected the catch of milkfish, tilapia, roundscad and skipkack which were also affected by intense heat.

PSA said the livestock sector grew 5.2 percent in the second quarter, led by higher production of cattle, hog, goat and dairy while the poultry sector grew 4.7, on higher chicken output.

PSe comPoSite index Closing August 14, 2015

8500 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000

7,408.44 31.36

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing AUGUST 14, 2015 42

P46.215

43

CLOSE

44 45 46

HIGH P46.130 LOW P46.270 AVERAGE P46.208 VOLUME 674.400M

P475.00-P675.00 LPG/11-kg tank P39.10-P45.35 Unleaded Gasoline P25.30-P28.55 Diesel

oPriceS il P today

P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene P23.70-P24.40 Auto LPG A Cebu Pacific jet takes off from Manila airport in this photo taken August 11, 2015. The country’s pioneer budget carrier said on August 14 net profit for the January-June 2015 period soared 63 percent to $112 million. AFP

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Friday, August 14, 2015

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

46.1290

Japan

Yen

0.008037

0.3707

UK

Pound

1.561500

72.0304

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128961

5.9488

Switzerland

Franc

1.025115

47.2875

Canada

Dollar

0.765990

35.3344

Singapore

Dollar

0.716230

33.0390

Australia

Dollar

0.736485

33.9733

Bahrain

Dinar

2.656889

122.5596

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266596

12.2978

Brunei

Dollar

0.713674

32.9211

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000073

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.028346

1.3076

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

12.5603

Euro

Euro

1.116000

51.4800

Korea

Won

0.000850

0.0392

China

Yuan

0.156274

7.2088

India

Rupee

0.015324

0.7069

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.249501

11.5092

New Zealand

Dollar

0.656901

30.3022

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031087

1.4340 Source: PDS Bridge

Cebu Pacific booked P5.2-b income in 6 months

By Darwin G. Amojelar CEBU Air Inc. said Friday net profit grew 64 percent in the first semester of the year on higher passenger traffic and lower fuel expenses.

The operator of budget carrier Cebu Pacific and Cebgo, formerly Tigerair Philippines, said net income amounted to P5.2 billion in the January-to-June period from a P3.18-billion profit year-on-year.

The CEB Group generated revenues of P29.51 billion in the first six months of the year, up 10 per-

cent from P26.72 billion on year.

Passenger revenues rose 9.4 percent to P22.813 billion in six months from P20.85 billion on year.

The airline attributed the higher revenues to the 8.2-percent rise in passenger volume to 9.2 million from 8.5 million in 2014, driven by the increased number of flights in 2015.

The number of flights grew 11 percent on year after the group added more aircraft to its fleet, especially its acquisition of widebody Airbus A330 with a con-

figuration of more than 400 alleconomy class seats.

Cargo revenues rose 11 percent to P1.601 billion in the Januaryto-June period from P1.437 billion on year following the increase in the volume of cargo transported in 2015.

The group incurred operating expenses of P23.469 billion, down 1.2 percent from P23.76 billion on year.

It attributed the decrease to the substantial reduction in fuel costs incurred during the period following the sharp decline in global

jet fuel prices.

Aviation fuel expenses fell 22 percent to P9.156 billion from P11.669 billion on year.

The average published fuel MOPS price stood at $71.87 per barrel during the period from $120.93 per barrel in 2014.

The drop in fuel prices, however, was partially offset by the weakening of the peso against the US dollar.

The peso depreciated to an average of 44.55 per US dollar during the six-month period from an average of 44.49 last year.

SATURDAY: AUGUST 15, 2015

B2

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Friday, august 14, 2015

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 17 30.45 10.4 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 91.5 361.2 57 180 1700 124 3.26

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.97 12.02 19.6 6.12 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 62 276 41 118.2 1200 59 2.65

AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. COL Financial Eastwest Bank Filipino Fund Inc. MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

PB Bank Phil. National Bank PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities

3.25 70.3 103.00 92.50 43.1 2.44 16 20.7 7.27 0.415 87 0.98 18.84 62.50 305 38.7 138.4 1505.00 59.00 3.28

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 148 20.6 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 17 31.8 109 20.75 15.3 9.4 241 12.5 3.95 4 33.9 90 13.26 293 5 5.25 12.98 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.34 238 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 5.28 1.3 26 2.17

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 32 15.32 10.08 29.15 1.5 1.5 10.72 9.55 9.04 6.02 8.86 8.61 20.2 71.5 13.86 13.24 5.34 173 8.65 2.3 1.63 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 3.37 3.87 8.45 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 5.9 161 1.55 0.138 1.02 2.09 152 4.28 0.640 10.02 1.2

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

Asiabest Group C. Azuc De Tarlac Century Food Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Concepcion Crown Asia Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) EEI Federal Res. Inv. Group First Gen Corp.

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

Lafarge Rep LMG Chemicals Mabuhay Vinyl Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A’ Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp.

Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Petron Corporation Phoenix Petroleum Phils.

Phoenix Semiconductor Pryce Corp. `A’ RFM Corporation Roxas Holdings San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ Splash Corporation Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp.

Trans-Asia Oil Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp.

Vivant Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

42.65 1.43 0.94 1.87 11.12 92.95 18.1 27.55 50 2.99 1.52 12.1 21.800 9.40 6.65 9.45 14.58 25.4 76.1 13.48 13.30 5.95 188.10 10.12 2 1.73 24 25.2 6.1 299.00 3.88 4.55 8.50 3.32 2.21 3.68 4.18 6.05 161 1.82 0.145 1.15 2.07 190.8 4.22 0.69 22.95 1.13

0.59 59.2 30.05 7.39 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 3.35 4.92 0.66 1455 76 9.25 0.85 17.3 0.71 5.53 6.55 9.66 0.0670 1.61 2.99 84.9 974 1.66 390 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

0.44 48.1 20.85 6.62 0.23 0.23 634.5 7.390 12.8 2.6 2.26 0.152 837 49.55 4.84 0.59 12 0.580 4.2 4.5 3 0.030 0.550 2.26 59.3 751 1.13 170 80 0.211 0.179 0.310

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

Forum Pacific GT Capital JG Summit Holdings Lopez Holdings Corp.

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

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

Minerales Industrias Corp.

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

0.455 57.5500 22.30 6.90 0.260 0.26 755 7.36 12.66 3.09 4.19 0.199 1318 70.00 6.95 0.62 15.12 0.57 5.08 8.02 3.6 0.0290 2.320 2.8 56.00 914.50 1.26 147.00 77.800 0.3050 0.1820 0.255

10.5 1.99 1.75 0.375 41.4 5.6 1.44 1.97 1.48

6.74 0.65 1.2 0.192 30.05 3.36 0.79 1.1 0.97

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

Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. `A’ Century Property City & Land Dev. Cityland Dev. `A’

7.050 0.70 1.220 0.221 38.00 3.37 0.81 1.13 1.04

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

SHARES 6,049,799 98,936,578 147,547,374 116,345,686 175,645,281 900,972,945 1,449,136,483

Close

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.39 3.2 70.65 70.05 103.20 100.00 93.00 90.65 43.15 42.9 2.51 2.44 16 16 20.9 20.7 7.89 7.80 0.405 0.395 87.35 85 0.98 0.98 18.86 18.82 63.95 62.85 304 304 38.9 38.55 139 137.1 1505.00 1500.00 59.00 58.00 3.26 3.23 INDUSTRIAL 43 42.25 1.43 1.41 1.02 0.96 1.86 1.85 11.18 11.12 109.90 93.00 18.1 17.8 27.65 27 50 45 3 2.84 1.6 1.5 12.36 12.06 22.000 21.2 9.50 9.29 6.77 6.60 9.67 9.20 14.8 14.1 26 25.6 76.05 75.5 13.86 13.86 13.38 13.30 6.05 5.94 190.00 188.30 10.14 10.12 2.02 2.01 1.8 1.73 24.5 24.05 25.9 24.8 6.45 6.08 299.00 295.40 3.86 3.85 4.64 4.55 8.74 8.31 3.30 3.25 2.24 2.21 3.79 3.52 4.33 4.15 6 6 165.5 165 1.83 1.82 0.145 0.140 1.15 1.15 2.09 2.07 190.7 189.4 4.22 4.22 0.69 0.67 22.95 22.95 1.14 1.13 HOLDING FIRMS 0.455 0.440 57.5000 57.2000 22.70 22.10 6.80 6.75 0.255 0.255 0.26 0.26 767 754 7.75 7.36 12.70 12.00 2.76 2.76 4.40 4.30 0.195 0.193 1325 1312 70.90 69.00 7.02 6.92 0.63 0.62 15.1 14.8 0.59 0.56 5.05 5 8.1 8.05 3.61 3.6 0.0380 0.0310 2.540 2.260 2.8 2.79 56.00 55.55 933.00 902.00 1.28 1.25 140.00 140.00 79.500 77.650 0.3150 0.3050 0.1720 0.1720 0.255 0.255 PROPERTY 7.200 7.060 0.70 0.68 1.300 1.200 0.221 0.221 38.05 37.50 3.36 3.3 0.81 0.8 1.13 1.03 1.05 1.00

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3.39 70.1 103.00 93.00 42.9 2.51 16 20.8 7.80 0.400 85 0.98 18.86 62.85 304 38.8 137.7 1500.00 58.20 3.24

4.31 -0.28 0.00 0.54 -0.46 2.87 0.00 0.48 7.29 -3.61 -2.30 0.00 0.11 0.56 -0.33 0.26 -0.51 -0.33 -1.36 -1.22

40,000 16,180 1,824,030 898,160 29,800 23,000 300 270,400 1,100 290,000 2,140,830 1,000 9,100 5,690 720 99,700 157,460 85 105,500 135,000

43 1.43 1 1.86 11.18 93.00 18 27 45 2.92 1.51 12.34 21.650 9.50 6.65 9.30 14.1 25.6 75.8 13.86 13.30 5.98 188.40 10.12 2.02 1.74 24.05 25.9 6.14 297.40 3.85 4.64 8.40 3.28 2.23 3.66 4.28 6 165 1.82 0.140 1.15 2.07 190 4.22 0.69 22.95 1.13

0.82 0.00 6.38 -0.53 0.54 0.05 -0.55 -2.00 -10.00 -2.34 -0.66 1.98 -0.69 1.06 0.00 -1.59 -3.29 0.79 -0.39 2.82 0.00 0.50 0.16 0.00 1.00 0.58 0.21 2.78 0.66 -0.54 -0.77 1.98 -1.18 -1.20 0.90 -0.54 2.39 -0.83 2.48 0.00 -3.45 0.00 0.00 -0.42 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

1,456,300 10,000 129,000 338,000 2,900 1,020 1,077,200 335,300 149,280 7,504,000 719,000 23,000 7,582,300 327,400 22,519,500 1,713,100 43,700 1,698,900 1,550,030 100 71,800 162,400 177,890 745,200 20,000 69,000 56,900 167,900 15,100 156,220 11,000 140,000 2,775,700 82,000 257,000 2,359,000 591,000 200 140 311,000 15,570,000 14,000 953,000 2,182,700 2,000 244,000 100 150,000

0.440 57.5000 22.30 6.80 0.255 0.26 759 7.75 12.00 2.76 4.40 0.195 1312 69.30 6.95 0.63 15 0.59 5.01 8.1 3.6 0.0380 2.260 2.8 55.65 929.00 1.28 140.00 77.650 0.3100 0.1720 0.255

-3.30 -0.09 0.00 -1.45 -1.92 0.00 0.53 5.30 -5.21 -10.68 5.01 -2.01 -0.46 -1.00 0.00 1.61 -0.79 3.51 -1.38 1.00 0.00 31.03 -2.59 0.00 -0.63 1.59 1.59 -4.76 -0.19 1.64 -5.49 0.00

230,000 716,650 5,559,700 10,000 560,000 100,000 198,800 5,187,500 10,503,000 340,000 209,000 210,000 134,250 1,375,600 818,700 51,000 3,936,300 2,400,000 13,048,000 1,426,000 13,000 49,500,000 47,722,000 153,000 170,900 511,020 157,000 50 3,740 1,720,000 20,000 400,000

7.100 0.68 1.200 0.221 37.50 3.35 0.8 1.13 1.05

0.71 -2.86 -1.64 0.00 -1.32 -0.59 -1.23 0.00 0.96

131,900 1,009,000 5,000 90,000 9,127,200 301,000 2,399,000 46,000 51,000

517,428.00 -2,708,433.00 -27,114,097.00

4,750,135.00 -59,424,235.50 -118,195.00 124,225.00 -3,972,829.00

-22,570,315.00 12,870.00 -30,960.00 185,000 2,272,110.00 -6,074,404.50 211,370.00 20,337,550.00 553,808.00 -32,517,607.00 -8,092,548.00 -124,070.00 24,779,310.00 -5,354,421.00 -928,372.00 93,288.00 -7,266,354.00 -2,340,756.00 262,820.00 -1,419,905.00 -5,967,834.00 569,580.00 -620,378.00 78,900.00 2,230.00 29,980.00 530,560.00 29,980.00 -903,680.00 -146,970.00 13,214,849.00 -8,440.00

-5,826,628.50 22,496,115.00 26,000.00 11,093,390.00 22,704,994.00 19,667,664.00

-112,095,390.00 -14,363,428.50 233,307.00 -4,947,422.00 35,730,650.00 40,600.00 -42,900.00 -2,367,530.00 -3,636,952.00 236,598,275.00 -217,101.50

250,404.00

39,965,130.00 203,380.00 -704,910.00 3,770.00 -16,890.00

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 0.305 2.22 2.1 1.8 4.88 0.180 0.470 0.72 27 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 7.56 1.62 8.59

0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 0.188 1.15 1.42 1.27 2.75 0.090 0.290 0.39 23 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 3.38 0.83 5.73

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 28.5 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 12.3 7.67 1700 2720 8.41 1.97 119.5 7 12.5 0.017 0.8200 2.2800 12.28 3.32 2.53 3.2 95.5 2.46 15.2 0.62 6.41 4 18 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

1.97 35.2 1 0.63 18.2 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 10.14 4.8 830 1600 5.95 1.23 102.6 3.01 8.72 0.011 0.041 1.200 6.5 1.91 1.01 1.95 3.1 1.8 6 0.335 3 2.28 8.8 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

STOCKS

Close

High

11.6 0.85 10 0.490 1.9

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

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

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

Manila Broadcasting Manila Jockey Melco Crown MG Holdings PAL Holdings Inc. Paxys Inc. Phil. Racing Club Phil. Seven Corp.

Philweb.Com Inc. PLDT Common PremiereHorizon Premium Leisure Puregold Robinsons RTL SBS Phil. Corp.

7.59 SSI Group 0.63 STI Holdings 5 Travellers 0.315 Waterfront Phils.

1.14 Yehey

0.0098 5.45 17.24 25 0.330 12.7 12.8 1.19 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 1.030 3.06 0.020 0.021 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9

0.0043 1.72 6.47 9.43 0.236 6.5 5.11 0.85 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 0.365 1.54 0.012 0.013 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67

Abra Mining Apex `A’ Atlas Cons. `A’ Atok-Big Wedge `A’ Basic Energy Corp.

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

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

TA Petroleum

70 553 515 8.21 1047 76.9 78.95 84.8

33 490 480 5.88 1011 74.2 74.5 75

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. PF Pref 2 SMC Preferred A SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

12.88

5.95

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

Xurpas

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

0.124 0.120 0.120 0.480 0.450 0.450 12.96 12.6 12.82 0.870 0.830 0.870 0.170 0.170 0.170 1.29 1.22 1.22 1.90 1.85 1.85 1.29 1.29 1.29 4.61 4.56 4.6 0.098 0.098 0.098 0.2950 0.2900 0.2950 0.3700 0.3700 0.3700 20.00 20.00 20.00 29.00 28.15 29.00 1.65 1.64 1.65 3.25 3.24 3.24 20.90 19.98 19.98 0.74 0.71 0.71 7.16 6.76 7 0.810 0.770 0.770 7.080 6.930 6.960 SERVICES 10.72 11.4 10.74 11.32 63.45 64.5 63.45 64.1 1.15 1.15 1.14 1.15 0.600 0.620 0.590 0.590 27 27 27 27 7.98 7.98 7.21 7.40 0.0750 0.0760 0.0740 0.0740 4.05 4.24 3.89 4.18 93.95 96.25 93.9 94.15 10 10.1 10.1 10.1 5.15 5.58 4.70 4.89 985 920 920 920 2656 2668 2602 2636 6.47 6.57 6.46 6.47 1.32 1.36 1.29 1.29 103.6 103.9 103 103.7 3.31 3.50 3.50 3.50 12.38 12.18 11.52 12.18 0.012 0.012 0.011 0.012 0.193 0.189 0.181 0.183 1.3000 1.3100 1.3000 1.3100 9.20 9.34 9.38 9.20 2.17 2.18 2.16 2.17 1.29 1.20 1.20 1.20 2.06 2.08 2.08 2.08 39.50 39.50 39.00 39.50 2 2 2 2 6.21 6.5 6.01 6.11 0.310 0.310 0.295 0.310 5.02 5.12 5.02 5.10 3 3 3 3 9 8.81 8.65 8.65 100.00 103.10 102.00 102.00 18.88 18.86 17.90 18.40 2708.00 2718.00 2700.00 2712.00 0.640 0.660 0.630 0.640 1.420 1.420 1.330 1.330 36.50 37.00 36.00 36.35 75.00 75.00 74.05 74.50 5.49 5.58 5.25 5.26 7.90 8.00 7.61 7.61 0.63 0.64 0.63 0.63 5.18 5.28 5.15 5.15 0.320 0.320 0.320 0.320 2.660 2.730 2.560 2.610 MINING & OIL 0.0060 0.0059 0.0058 0.0059 2.30 2.40 2.30 2.38 4.93 5.00 4.85 4.90 11.78 11.74 11.00 11.74 0.210 0.211 0.208 0.208 6.4500 6.4500 6.4000 6.4500 6.7800 6.76 6.64 6.6400 0.67 0.68 0.67 0.67 0.73 0.71 0.68 0.7 6.90 6.90 6.53 6.83 1.3 1.33 1.25 1.27 0.300 0.305 0.300 0.300 0.205 0.204 0.202 0.204 0.210 0.210 0.209 0.210 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.013 0.014 0.013 0.013 0.013 2.69 2.7 2.64 2.64 9.4 9.4 8.98 9.11 3.75 3.82 3.56 3.6 0.5900 0.5900 0.5900 0.5900 1.9000 1.9000 1.8400 1.8400 0.0092 0.0092 0.0092 0.0092 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 4.11 4.13 4.11 4.13 5.27 5.300 5.250 5.30 1.59 1.620 1.570 1.59 0.010 0.010 0.010 0.010 127.40 129.90 127.40 129.50 9.16 9.45 8.85 8.98 PREFERRED 64.8 64.8 63 64.05 527 525 525 525 520.5 520 520 520 6.4 6.4 6.38 6.38 1020 1020 1020 1020 75.45 75.55 75.5 75.5 79 80 76 76 80 81.85 80 80 WARRANTS & BONDS 3.600 3.730 3.590 3.630 SME 11.96 12.08 11.18 11.2 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 121.2 121.9 120.5 121

0.00 -2.17 -0.31 4.82 0.00 0.00 -1.60 -1.53 1.10 -1.01 1.72 -7.50 -13.04 2.29 0.00 -0.31 -4.63 0.00 -2.23 -2.53 -0.57

310,000 6,640,000 783,100 346,000 110,000 6,582,000 12,913,000 112,000 30,808,000 10,000 180,000 180,000 200 1,055,800 208,000 39,000 31,180,800 170,000 22,600 494,000 7,698,400

5.60 1.02 0.00 -1.67 0.00 -7.27 -1.33 3.21 0.21 1.00 -5.05 -6.60 -0.75 0.00 -2.27 0.10 5.74 -1.62 0.00 -5.18 0.77 -1.50 0.00 -6.98 0.97 0.00 0.00 -1.61 0.00 1.59 0.00 -3.89 2.00 -2.54 0.15 0.00 -6.34 -0.41 -0.67 -4.19 -3.67 0.00 -0.58 0.00 -1.88

1,606,900 33,180 25,000 329,000 100 83,386,600 7,820,000 994,000 1,062,850 1,500 1,037,100 20 36,060 669,900 529,000 1,380,600 2,000 600 74,000 8,540,000 707,000 950,400 377,000 1,000 69,000 500 84,000 18,464,200 180,000 144,300 20,000 22,400 960 428,600 141,400 1,382,000 18,651,000 724,400 330,500 9,054,800 4,587,400 618,000 2,367,800 20,000 454,000

-1.67 3.48 -0.61 -0.34 -0.95 0.00 -2.06 0.00 -4.11 -1.01 -2.31 0.00 -0.49 0.00 8.33 -7.14 -1.86 -3.09 -4.00 0.00 -3.16 0.00 0.00 0.49 0.57 0.00 0.00 1.65 -1.97

602,000,000 58,000.00 145,000 34,000 15,260.00 3,900 370,000 22,300 8,200 805,000 201,000.00 4,421,000 17,500.00 50,300 5,055,000 -1,060,260.00 190,000 610,000 2,560,000 -16,800.00 61,000,000 113,400,000 2,445,000 -1,912,310.00 4,366,200 -3,841,568.00 3,275,000 250,800.00 30,000 282,000 370.00 2,000,000 800,000 8,800.00 20,000 344,700 -426,529.00 696,000 42,430.00 93,200,000 546,000 42,478,628.00 1,565,200 -1,191,891.00

-1.16 -0.38 -0.10 -0.31 0.00 0.07 -3.80 0.00

27,590 6,000 100 65,000 2,295 3,000 80,650 57,310

0.83

113,000

-6.35

3,628,700

2,869,330.00

-0.17

10,120

4,824.00

220,000.00 13,236.00 -826,680.00 -20,213,470.00 -12,991,710.00

-9,806,680.00 -133,650.00 -268,887,291.00 -127,580.00 -8,295,419.00 7,602,144.00

-314,173,412.00 -7,978,770.00 132,325.00 4,094,130.00 -79,980.00 14,704,469.00 12,000.00 20,650.00 1,610.00 464,327.00

-36,619,565.00 -17,510.00 22,509.00 -421,140.00 -81,968,500.00 -5,111,000.00 7,005,480.00 11,234,838.00 700,082.00 -10,602,247.00 -315,640.00 -1,227,434.00

970,666.00

20,400.00 179,690.00 -6,125,860.00

T op L oSerS

STOCKS

FINANCIAL 1,630.83 (down) 6.88 INDUSTRIAL 11,224.85 (down) 6.43 HOLDING FIRMS 6,783.15 (up) 5.76 PROPERTY 3,032.68 (down) 53.69 SERVICES 2,022.31 (down) 10.03 MINING & OIL 11,747.09 (down) 9.65 PSEI 7,408.44 (down) 31.36 All Shares Index 4,244.99 (down) 18.78 Gainers: 62 Losers: 103; Unchanged: 50; Total: 215

Close

Crown Equities Inc. 0.120 Cyber Bay Corp.

0.460 Double Dragon 12.86 Empire East Land 0.830 Ever Gotesco 0.170 Global-Estate 1.22 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.88 Interport `A’ 1.31 Megaworld Corp.

4.55 MRC Allied Ind. 0.099 Phil. Estates Corp.

0.2900 Phil. Realty `A’ 0.4000 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 23.00 Robinson’s Land `B’ 28.35 Rockwell 1.65 Shang Properties Inc. 3.25 SM Prime Holdings 20.95 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.71 Starmalls 7.16 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 0.790 Vista Land & Lifescapes 7.000

T op g ainerS VALUE 495,803,861.77 1,834,124,122.97 1,515,870,573.92 1,357,635,655.01 1,758,032,606.54 165,121,920.886 7,169,167,346.10

Low

Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Pacifica `A'

0.0380

31.03

Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry

20.00

-13.04

Manila Mining `A'

0.013

8.33

F&J Prince 'A'

2.76

-10.68

Filipino Fund Inc.

7.80

7.29

Concepcion

45

-10.00

Alliance Tuna Intl Inc.

1

6.38

Phil. Realty `A'

0.3700

-7.50

Imperial Res. `A'

3.50

5.74

Bloomberry

7.40

-7.27

2GO Group'

11.32

5.60

Manila Mining `B'

0.013

-7.14

Cosco Capital

7.75

5.30

Lorenzo Shipping

1.20

-6.98

Filinvest Dev. Corp.

4.40

5.01

FEUI

920

-6.60

Empire East Land

0.870

4.82

Xurpas

11.2

-6.35

AG Finance

3.39

4.31

Premium Leisure

1.330

-6.34

SATURDAY: AUGUST 15, 2015

B3

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

Market slumps; SMIC climbs STOCKS slumped for the third day, weighed down by jitters over the impact of China’s yuan devaluation and the timing of a US interest rate rise.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, lost 31 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 7,408.44 Friday, the lowest in a month.

The heavier index, representing all shares, also tumbled 18 points, or 0.4 percent, to settle at 4,244.99, on value turnover of P7.2 billion.

Losers outnumbered gainers, 103 to 62, while 50 issues were unchanged.

SM Investments Corp., the holding company of tycoon Henry Sy, was the biggest gainer among the 20 most active stocks, as it climbed 1.6 percent to P929.

Real estate unit SM Prime Holdings Inc., however, fell 4.6 percent to P19.98.

Property developer Megaworld Corp., gained 1.1 percent to P4.60, while conglomerate Ayala Corp. rose 0.5 percent to P759.

Bloomberry Resorts Corp., which reported a net loss in the first half, slid 7.3 percent to P7.40.

DMCI Holdings Inc. fell 5.2 percent to P12.

Meanwhile, Tokyo ended down 0.37 percent, or 76.10 points, at 20,519.45 and Sydney lost 0.58 percent, or 31.37 points, to 5,356.50.

Hong Kong and Shanghai were flat in afternoon trade, while benchmarks in Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Manila also dipped.

Seoul’s financial markets were closed for a public holiday.

China’s central bank calmed markets when it said would not let the yuan slump, and on Friday set its rate against the dollar marginally higher than the previous day’s close after three days of falls.

The comments, and news it had intervened to support the Chinese currency, reassured nervous investors after a surprise devaluation of the yuan and two subsequent cuts roiled financial markets.

But Asian shares gave up early gains on Friday and some AsiaPacific currencies retreated, including the South Korean won and Philippine peso, as investors mulled the impact of a longerterm fall in the yuan. AFP

E-commerce workshop.

The Trade Department recently participated in the China-Asean Workshop on E-commerce in Beijing, China organized by the Department of International Cooperation—Ministry of Industry and Information Technology People’s Republic of China. Trade Undersecretary Prudencio Reyes Jr. (seated fifth from left) attended the workshop alongside Minister and Consul Ivan Frank Olea (seated fourth from left) of the Philippine Embassy to Beijing and other representatives from China and Asean member states which include the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Lao and Cambodia.

Ayala Land acquires 51% of Prime Orion

By Jenniffer B. Austria

PROPERTY developer Ayala Land Inc. is acquiring a majority 51.36-percent stake in Prime Orion Philippines Inc., a listed company that owns Tutuban Center, for P5.62 billion.

The deal is expected to boost Ayala Land’s leasing business as Prime Orion, a company controlled by businessman Felipe Yap, owns Tutuban Center in Divisoria, Manila through unit Tutuban Properties Inc. Tutuban Center has a gross leasable area of about 60,000 square meters, offering various concepts from wholesale and bargain stalls, to regular retail and food outlets.

“The acquisition is aligned with the company’s thrust of expanding its leasing business,” Ayala Land chief finance officer Jaime Ysmael said.

Under the agreement, Ayala

Land will subscribe to 2.5 billion shares in Prime Orion, equivalent to 51.36-percent interest.

The shares to be issued to Ayala Land will come from the increase Prime Orion’s authorized capital stock to P7.5 billion from P2.4 billion. The increase is still subject to shareholders approval.

“With the entry of ALI, Popi [Prime Orion] will be able to benefit from the expertise and resources of ALI and optimize the development of its property assets, especially Tutuban Center.

Tutuban Center, which sits on a 20-hectare property, will be the location of the North South Railway Project Transfer Station

Teleperformance summit. Teleperformance, the world’s leading provider of outsourced

customer experience management services, recently held the OneLeadership Summit, a one-day convention of the senior leadership team of Teleperformance Philippines, which aimed at celebrating the successes, as well as examining the challenges of the company over the past year. Shown are Teleperformance Philippines leaders during the summit held at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City.

which will interconnect with the LRT 2 West Station,” Prime Orion said.

Expansion plans are also underway for Tutuban Center, by adding another 40,000 square meters of leasable space over the net two to three years.

Prime Orion registered a net loss of P35 million in the the first nine months of fiscal year ending March 2015, from a net loss of P206 million recorded in the same period a year ago.

Prime Orion attributed the net loss to the additional rental payments to the Philippine National Railways.

PNR turned over to TPI about three hectares of the leased

property (Phase II, along the Tayuman area) in March and in turn, TPI paid the corresponding rental of about P38 million.

The turnover of the additional land will be a major component in the redevelopment of Tutuban Center which is envisioned to integrate the North South Railway Project Ayala Land has been expanding its leasing revenues, by building new malls, hotels, resorts and offices in line with its target to achieve a 50:50 revenue sharing between real estate sales and leasing/recurring revenues.

The company’s recurring income accounted for 44 percent of revenues as of end-June.

Alliance Global, FDC register higher profits CONGLOMERATES Alliance Global Group Inc. and Filinvest Development Corp. reported higher profits in the first half of 2015, boosted by the expansion of the real estate sector.

AGI, the holding company of tycoon Andrew Tan, said in a disclosure to the stock exchange net income attributable to equity holders increased 4 percent to 7.5 billion in the January-June period as consolidated revenues rose 11 percent to P65.4 billion.

“Our group’s sustained profitability continues to be underpinned

by AGI’s subsidiaries as they all consistently show visible earnings.

All the consumer-centric companies that are majority-owned by AGI exhibited profitability in the first half of this year,” AGI president and chief operating officer Kingson Sian said.

AGI’s real estate unit Megaworld Corp. posted a 12.5-percent yearon-year increase in recurring earnings to P5.4 billion while gaming firm Travellers Hotel International Group Inc. posted a net income of P2.4 billion. Quick service restaurant chain Golden Arches Development Corp., which holds the exclusive rights for McDonald’s in the Philippines, reported a net income of P324 million.

Meanwhile, FDC, the holding company of the Gotianun family, said net income in the first half climbed 19.1 percent to P3.47 billion from P2.91 billion recorded in the same period last year.

Consolidated revenues rose 31.7 percent to P24.83 billion from P18.86 billion in the first half of 2014.

FDC said revenues increased across all subsidiaries, including FDC Utilities, Inc. which saw its first significant revenue stream in the first half of the year, as a result of its independent power producer administrator contracts.

SATURDAY: AUGUST 15, 2015

B4

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

IN BRIEF Foreign funds flee FOREIGN funds fled the country in July this year on investors’ concern over the expected interest rates hike by the US Federal Reserves this year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Friday.

Data showed registered foreign portfolio investments, or “hot money,” last month posted a net outflow of $160 million, a reversal of the $321-million net inflow a year ago.

The Bangko Sentral said in a statement the fund withdrawals occurred “as the imminent interest rates hike in the US weighed down on investor sentiment.” Total inflows in July reached $1.43 billion, which were offset by the gross outflows of $1.590 billion.

The July outflow, however, was lower than the $521 million net outflow in June this year. But it marked the fifth straight month in 2015 that hot money registered a net outflow.

In January and February, net inflows were recorded at $592 million and $1.19 billion, respectively. But net outflows of $21.58 million, $31.14 million, $569 million and $521 million were registered in March, April, May and June, respectively. Julito G. Rada

First Gen nets $95.3m FIRST Gen Corp. of the Lopez Group on Friday reported a 7.1-percent decline in its net income attributable to parent of $95.3 million for the first half from $102.7 million year-on-year.

First Gen attributed the decline to the lower earnings booked by unit Energy Development Corp., resulting from the outage of the Tongonan geothermal power plant in Leyte, trading losses in the Unified Leyte strip business, higher operating expenses and typhoon-proofing works.

“Despite the positive contribution of the gas projects, EDC’s geothermal operations suffered reliability issues which we are now addressing. Due to the aging fleet of EDC’s portfolio, we will implement major rehabilitation programs in order to prevent any unforeseen outages going forward,” First Gen President Francis Giles Puno said.

“Moreover, we continue to focus our efforts on bringing Avion to commercial operation in the third quarter of 2015 so that it can augment power available to the grid. San Gabriel’s construction is likewise progressing with all the major components already on-site,” he said.

Alena Mae S. Flores

Liberty’s loss down THE telecommunications unit of San Miguel Corp. said Friday it booked a lower net loss in the first six months of 2015, mostly because of reduced operating expenses.

Liberty Telecoms Holdings Inc. said net loss amounted to P432.95 million in the January-to-June period, down 29 percent from P556.77 million on year.

Revenues amounted to 144.69 million in the first semester of the year, lower than last year’s P151.44 million.

“The group’s revenues for the period reflect the decrease in subscribers of postpaid and pre-paid Wimax broadband services and increase in non-service revenue due to additional rental income from other telecommunication companies,” Liberty Telecoms said.

Costs and expenses amounted to P559.05 million in the first half of the year from P622.92 million on year.

Liberty Telecoms attributed the drop in expenses to lower personnel costs, rental and utilities and professional fees. Darwin G. Amojelar

Blims, Gautier tie up BLIMS Lifestyle Group recently forged an exclusive distributorship deal with premium French furniture brand Gautier to open its first prestige outlet at the Shangri-La At the Fort within Bonifacio Global City before the end of 2015.

Blims chairman Sammy Lim said Friday the tie-up with the stylish French brand would mark make the company’s entry into the luxury brand market.

“Gautier is a very high-end brand.

We have expensive European furniture brands here but most of them have Italian designers [and] are all made in China. Gautier is 95 percent Frenchsourced, French-manufactured,” he told reporters at the sidelines of the preevent briefing for the upcoming 17th Asia Pacific Retailers Convention and Exhibition 2015.

Gautier carries genuine European furniture brands for the remaining 5 percent of its collection.

Blims recently ditched efforts to get Swedish furniture brand Ikea into the Philippines and had since launched its Garant furniture line. Othel V. Campos

Fisheries commitment. Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala (center) shakes hands with Thailand’s Minister of Agriculture and

Cooperatives Petipong Pungbun Na Ayudya to re-affirm their commitment to a more robust relation between their two nations. The Philippines and Thailand agreed on technical cooperation in the fisheries sector in a deal signed in 2003. The two officials met in Bangkok on August 9, 2015 during Alcala’s official visit.

GT Capital’s income climbs 42% to P5.6b

By Jenniffer B. Austria

GT Capital Holdings Inc., the listed holding company of tycoon George Ty, said Friday first-half consolidated net income grew 42 percent to P5.62 billion from P3.96 billion year-on-year, boosted by the robust performance of core businesses.

The conglomerate has investments in banking, real estate, automotive, power generation and insurance sectors.

GT Capital said in a disclosure to the stock exchange consolidated revenues in the Januaryto-June period increased 12 percent to P74.3 billion from P66.2 billion on year.

GT Capital attributed the higher revenues from Toyota Motor Philippines Corp and

Toyota Cubao Inc, which posted combined sales of P56.6 billion, up 76 percent from a year ago level, higher real estate sales from Federal Land Inc. and increase in net premium from Charter Ping An Insurance Corp.

The conglomerate registered 57-percent increase in equity earnings from associates to P2.8 billion from P1.8 billion in 2014.

“GT Capital’s January-toJune results were at pace with

our expectations. From the beginning of the year, our key component companies mostly sustained their revenue and income expansion, at times outperforming the industries in which they operate. Supported by benign inflation, heftier government spending, and the overall positive macroeconomic indicators projected for the rest of 2015, we remain confident in continuing the momentum we have achieved,” GT Capital chairman Francisco Sebastian said.

GT Capital posted a net income of P2.82 billion in the second quarter, up 27 percent from P2.22 billion on year.

The company’s second quarter consolidated revenues also rose 10 percent to to P38.46 billion from P35.04 billion in 2014.

GT Capital last week reported that it was acquiring a 22.68-percent stake in mass housing developer Property Company of Friends Inc. for P7.24 billion.

The agreement gave the company an option to increase its direct shareholdings in PCFI to 51 percent within the next three years.

The acquisition marks the conglomerate’s first venture into the mass housing development and is expected to complement its real estate unit Federal Land Inc. GT Capital has earmarked P50.8 billion in capital expenditures this year, with P21 billion allotted for power expansion, P15 billion for the property business, P8 billion for automotive and P3 billion for banking unit Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co.

Malaysia seeks palm oil deals with PH investors

By Othel V. Campos MALAYSIAN palm oil investors are exploring partnerships with Filipino companies to invest in both the Philippines and Malaysia.

The Selangor state government of Malaysia is pursuing Filipino businessmen to invest in Selangor and helping Malaysian companies at the same time in exploring business opportunities in the Philippines.

“We want to increase intraAsean trade which will be boosted by the investments from the

Philippines,” Malaysian Palm Oil Council chairman Lee Yeow Chor said during a recent trade fair at the Makati Shangri-La Manila hotel in Makati City.

The Malaysian team said a successful palm oil production and trade would require an investment $2.3 billion in the next eight years.

Malaysian investors also urged the Philippine government to free up as much as 360,000 hectares of land for oil palm cultivation.

Local lands planted to oil palm have gradually increased by an average of 7.6 percent a

year from 38,599 hectares in 2008 to 53,014 hectares in 2012, data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics showed.

The Philippines obtains about 90 percent of its palm oil requirement from Malaysia. Palm oil imports in 2014 amounted to 620,000 metric tons, mostly from Malaysia.

The Malaysian group is banking on forecasts of a disruption in coconut oil production for more two years. The situation may force several countries to rely on palm oil for their food preparation and non-food appli-

cations.

“The challenge for the Philippines is to participate in the world production and global supply of palm oil,” said Chor.

The Trade Department is looking at the Philippines as the next global producer of palm oil with assistance from Malaysian experts.

“Malaysia has been our potential partners for long. With the ongoing cyclical low production of coconut supply due to calamities, there is extreme pressure from the coconut industry to produce more,” Trade Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya said.

S at u r d ay : a u G u S t 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

B5

ceSar barrioquinto EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

N. Korea denies land mine attack SEOUL—North Korea on Friday denied it was behind a series of mine blasts that maimed two South Korean soldiers earlier this month and triggered a spike in cross-border tensions.

The powerful National Defense Commission said the accusation that its soldiers had sneaked across the border and planted the mines along a known patrol route was “absurd”.

“If our army really needed to achieve a military purpose, we would have used strong firearms, not three mines,” the commission said in a statement carried by the North’s official KCNA news agency.

The mines were tripped by a South Korean border patrol on August 4 in the demilitarized zone a buffer zone stretching two kilometers on either side of the actual frontier line dividing the two Koreas.

One soldier underwent a double leg amputation, while another lost a single leg.

In what was the North’s first comment on the incident, the NDC suggested the mines were most likely South Korean devices that had been moved out of their original position by flood waters.

Accusing Seoul of seeking to slander North Korea, the commission challenged the South Korean military to provide video evidence to back up its charges.

“If they cannot, they should not speak of provocations by the DPRK,” it said, using the official acronym for North Korea.

The UN Command monitoring the ceasefire that ended the 1950-53 Korean War concluded after a special investigation that the devices were North Korean “wooden box” land mines.

It also determined they had been recently laid, ruling out the possibility that there were old mines that had been moved by shifting soil patterns or flooding.

South Korea is convinced of the North’s responsibility, and has warned that Pyongyang will pay a “harsh price” for breaching the ceasefire agreement. AFP

world China battles fires at chemical blast site TIANJIN—Chinese authorities struggled Friday to extinguish fires and identify dangerous chemicals at a devastated industrial site, two days after giant explosions killed dozens and left residents in fear of being cloaked in a toxic cloud.

7 col x 10 cm

Banquet. Actors Topher Grace and Ashley Hinshaw attend the Hollywood Foreign Press

Association’s Grants Banquet on August 13 in Beverly Hills, California. The Grants Banquet supports non-profit entertainment-related organizations and scholarship programs. AFP

How do you want your news served today? www.thestandard.com.ph

Officials in the northern port city of Tianjin, where the blasts killed at least 50 people and injured more than 700, told a news conference they did not yet know what materials were at the hazardous goods storage facility that exploded, or the cause of the blast.

But Chinese media and environment group Greenpeace warned a host of potentially extremely dangerous chemicals may have been stored there.

At least 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide were at the site, along with other dangerous substances, and the poisonous chemical had been detected in nearby drains, the Beijing News initially reported.

But the report was no longer available on the newspaper’s website on Friday, giving rise to suspicions that the Chinese government was clamping down on sensitive information relating to the tragedy.

The official Xinhua news agency said a team of 217 nuclear and biochemical materials specialists from the Chinese military had traveled to Tianjin to inspect the site.

With dozens of people still missing, authorities were also focused on trying to find any more potential survivors.

There was a rare moment to cheer on Friday morning when rescue workers pulled a 19-year-old firefighter from the rubble.

However, up to 1,000 firefighters were still struggling to extinguish blazes at the site, with smoke billowing from three areas, adding to uncertainty over whether more chemicals may be leaking. AFP

B6

s at u r d ay : a u G u s t 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

WORLD

cesar barrioquinto EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Pardoned Korean tycoon apologizes SEOUL—The head of South Korea’s third largest conglomerate apologized Friday after being released from jail on a controversial presidential pardon, vowing to turn over a new leaf and help develop the national economy.

SK Group chairman Chey TaeWon, who was serving his second jail term for multi-million dollar fraud, was pardoned Thursday along with thousands of others by President Park Geun-Hye to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of Japanese colonial rule over Korea.

It was the second such pardon Chey has received and it sparked criticism of the president, who came to power promising to reform South Korea’s all-powerful, familyrun conglomerates, or “chaebols.”

“I sincerely apologize for causing public concern,” Chey Tae-Won told reporters as he left a jail north of Seoul shortly after midnight.

“I will do my best for the economic and social development of our nation,” Yonhap news agency quoted him as saying.

He also vowed to reform corporate governance practice at the SK Group “so that it can be reborn as a corporation beloved by people”.

Chaebols dominate the national economy and their chief executives have repeatedly been imprisoned on charges of fraud and embezzlement.

Releasing them with the argument that they can help stimulate economic growth has been a common theme of presidential amnesties over the years.

It was underlined this time around by Justice Minister Kim Hyun-Woong, who said that freeing convicted business leaders gave them “the chance to contribute to the country’s economy again”.

Aside from Chey, a dozen other businessmen were freed by Park in what was her second amnesty list since taking office in 2013.

Chey, 54, had served 31 months out of his 48-month prison sentence for embezzling 46.5 billion won (US$43.6 million) from two SK Group affiliates and funneling the funds into personal investments in stock futures and options in 2008. AFP

Onstage. US singer Patti Smith performs at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen on August 13, 2015. AFP

Greek lawmakers back bailout after long debate ATHENS—Greek lawmakers finally voted through the country’s third international bailout Friday after a bitter all-night debate, hours before European finance ministers were due to meet to approve the deal with Germany digging in its heels.

As Eurogroup ministers gathered in Brussels to rubber stamp the 85-billion-euro ($95-billion) rescue plan, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras warned that any German bid to palm off his debt-ridden country with a bridging loan rather than a new deal would be “a return to a crisis without end”.

Tsipras appealed to other EU countries to reject the alternative solution that Germany was suggesting, which he claimed would only prolong the agony.

“It is what certain people have been looking for systematically, and we have a responsibility to avert that, not to facilitate it,” the embattled premier told the parliament after a day

and night of heated debate on drastic austerity measures that have deeply divided his radical Syriza party.

Athens needs to unlock bailout funds before a 3.4-billion-euro repayment to the European Central Bank falls due on August 20.

A majority of 222 lawmakers approved the 400-page draft deal with 64 voting against, including 40 from Tsipras’ own leftist party ranks.

Outspoken former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis and other senior Syriza cadres refused to support the three-year deal, which the premier has previously warned would force him to call early elections.

Tsipras said that failure to ratify the deal would enable Germany

to push forward its proposal for a bridging loan.

But Berlin, Europe’s paymaster, insists it needs further clarifications from Greece before giving the deal the nod.

Facing down critics in his own party, Tsipras told MPs: “I prefer compromise to the heroic dance of Zalongo” a reference to a notorious 19th-century mass suicide in northern Greece when a group of women and children jumped to their deaths rather than submit to the cruel Ottoman governor Ali Pasha.

His government “had taken on the responsibility to continue the fight rather than commit suicide and then go running to other international forums saying it wasn’t fair that we had to kill ourselves,” he added.

Tsipras had argued there was no choice but to agree to he swingeing cuts and sell-offs demanded by its international creditors “to assure the country’s ability to survive and keep on fighting.”

The vote was originally set for late Thursday, but was held up by proce-

dural wrangling from hard-line parliament chief Zoe Constantopoulou, who termed the bailout unconstitutional.

“Every corner and beauty of Greece is being sold... the government is giving the keys to the troika along with sovereignty and national assets,” she said, referring to the country’s creditors the EU, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

The highly-charged clashes on the deal began in parliamentary committees on Thursday, with debate raging on for nine hours through the night in the full chamber.

Now the drama moves to Brussels where eurozone finance ministers are expected to issue their verdict on the draft deal reached by Athens and officials from the creditors after weeks of negotiations.

German’s deputy finance minister Jens Spahn sounded a note of caution about the prospects of a final deal there, saying Berlin and Paris still had questions on Greece’s plans to privatize parts of its economy. AFP

Australia to tag sharks SYDNEY—Australia’s most populous state said Friday it will boost the monitoring and tagging of sharks off its beaches but ruled out culling great whites after a spate of attacks left one surfer dead and two seriously hurt.

Locals from the tourist hub of Ballina, some 750 kilometers north of Sydney, have pleaded with the New South Wales government for help, saying visitor numbers to the coastal region have plunged after three attacks this year.

The most recent encounter in late July left a 52-year-old surfer with serious arm and leg injuries, while earlier in the month, a 32-year-old body boarder was mauled on both legs.

In February, a 41-year-old Japanese surfer died after his legs were torn off by a shark.

The state’s Primary Industries

Minister Niall Blair said A$250,000 (US$185,000) would be invested in observing, tagging and tracking sharks in the area, with world-renowned experts temporarily based in the region to lead the project ahead of the busy summer season.

“Let’s not forget the ocean is the domain of the shark,” Blair said in a statement.

“However, this government is taking action to gain a better understanding of the local risks and how they can be reduced to help inform and protect the public.”

The state has ruled out culling sharks, with a spokeswoman for Blair telling AFP officials were exploring non-lethal methods for lowering risks including barriers preventing sharks from getting near swimmers. AFP

Crisis. This picture taken on August 2, 2015, shows cattle farmers collecting water from a well for their livestock in Pitsane, southern Botswana. As the water level is sinking, farmers have expressed their concern that the situation will become a challenge to the life of livestock in the area. AFP

S AT U R D AY : A U G U S T 1 5 : 2 0 1 5

PROPERTY

JOEL D. L ACSAMANA EDITOR

jdlacsamana@gmail.com

ALI has made sustainability part and parcel of their developments since they took the step of developing barren earth south of old Manila a few years after the war.

They have, in fact “sustained sustainability” for over half a century since its first decade of building.

Mixed use developments, the way to go?

COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP

WALKING THE TALK AYALA LAND BUILDS FOR THE FUTURE

A

yala Land, Inc.’s (ALI) commitment to building sustainable communities is well known in the Philippines’ property scene.

Known for its masterplanned communities spanning 45 growth centers across the country, ALI’s efforts in sustainability and corporate governance is visible in the design of its large-scale integrated mixed-use developments.

“We recognize the importance of building with minimum impact to the environment and maximum benefit to people,” Anna Maria M. Gonzales, ALI sustainability manager, told The Standard recently.

“This is why all the property components in our integrated developments are designed to promote interaction and increase economic opportunities.”

Ayala Land’s sustainability focus has become the blueprint of every ALI development and the company’s motivation in fulfilling its vision of continuously en-

hancing land and enriching lives for more people.

According to Gonzalez, ALI makes sure that it chooses the proper locations and carefully studies the condition of the land prior to developing a project. “We recognize that respecting the natural terrain and native vegetation increases site resilience,” she said.

“We make sure our developments are connected to public transport and encourage walking. The business districts we are known for become platforms for local economies to grow and flourish.

For us, these elements result in sustainable communities.”

Land and real estate developers have appropriated “sustainability” as a mantra for projects ranging from subdivisions to high-rise towers. But the claim, for many, extends little beyond advertising and marketing campaigns, or billboards flashing the LEEDs logo.

ALI’s commitment to building for future generations is embedded in their corporate DNA. Tony Aquino, ALI’s former head, planted the seeds of sustainable development when he ran Manila Water about a dozen years ago. The utility company had wanted to revive the Balara Filters compound as a green recreational amenity to be open to the public. A master plan was prepared by Paulo Alcazaren to conserve the open spaces and heritage structures of the site (vintage Manosa) for the use and enjoyment of the diverse communities that surrounded the facility. The exercise showed Aquino’s commitment to community building as part and parcel of his and his company’s focus on the environment (of which water is an essential element). Aquino’s ability to sustain that agenda at Manila Water, while achieving business success, led him to the top post of ALI in 2009.

Gonzalez, in her interview with The Standard, touched on three

SELLING GREEN

Not a few developers have followed in ALI’s stead. The word sustainability, along with “green,” has been used, or actually overused, over the past few years in tandem with architecture, planning, building or development in the local real estate scene.

Making life easy. The elevated walkway at Greenbelt in Ayala Center, one of the many pedestrian connections between establishments tin the Makati CBD.

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pillars of ALI’s sustainability agenda: community stewardship; environmental protection; and economic development.

The concept of community stewardship, she said, has evolved with ALI. The idea is to create and sustain communities that, ‘do not harm or inconvenience surrounding communities.’ This has been proven time and time again in ALI developments that have seen its larger physical and economic context appreciate in functionality, quality of life, and appreciation of land values.

Secondly, ALI builds hand-inhand with the communities already in and around the site, as well as the local government unit or units of the area.

MIXED USE DEVELOPMENTS

Meanwhile, ALI currently develops a wider range of dedicated and mixed use developments. Their developments have morphed into diverse Filipino communities that embrace a range of residential, business and recreational functions.

The success of ALI’s efforts are seen in the strong identity that its pioneer developments have attained. The Makati Central Business Districts and its satellite residential enclaves and commercial center have a distinct identity as the metropolis’ premier district. This identity has evolved and improved over the decades and is now enhanced by ALI’s developments in the complimentary district of Bonifacio Global City.

In addition to sustainability awards, a number of ALI’s residential brands have likewise attracted recognition in the recent 2015 Philippines Property Awards. Among these were the Park Terraces (Best Residential Architectural Design), Anvaya Cove (Highly Commended award in the Best Luxury Development Resort Category), Alveo’s Abreeza Residences and Solinea for Best Residential Development in Davao and Best Condo Development in Cebu, respectively.

Property scene’s pick and perfection. More than 350 of the nation’s brightest leaders and talents in real estate, architecture and design were rewarded recently at the third annual Philippines Property Awards 2015. The gala dinner and awards presentation ceremony, part of the decade-old Asia Property Awards series, was held at the Fairmont Hotel in Makati following a rigorous six-month entry process – which was free to enter – and comprehensive site inspection period by an independent panel of judges. “Our panel of judges worked hard to ensure that we had the highest quality Winners across all categories from all deserving developers and projects that showcase the best of the best in the country’s real estate sector,” said (shown in photo) Terry Blackburn, publisher of Property Report magazine. The Awards celebrated the finest current projects in the residential, commercial, office, retail, hospitality, villa and green segments in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao.

BORA TO GET DOSE OF SWISS HOSPITALITY

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts recently signed a deal to manage the Sol Marina Resort, which will soon be renamed Mövenpick Resort Boracay, in the Philippines. Perched on the north west of the island on idyllic Punta Bunga Beach, the upscale 333-key property will start welcoming guests in December 2015. The property will shore up Mövenpick’s presence in the Philippines, where it already manages Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu. The property’s owner, Ambassador Alfredo Yao, who is also the founder and owner of Zest-O and a partner in AirAsia Zest, Philippines, said signing the management agreement with Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts marks the start of a “new exciting era” for the resort. “Mövenpick Resort Boracay will mark a new beginning for our beautiful property,” vowed Yao

Bicutan top-off. Amaia Land recently topped off Aria A Building at Amaia Steps Bicutan 1 in Parañaque City. The ceremony was attended by guests and Amaia officials, Loren B. Sales, AVP; Ms. Cybill Samillano, senior project development manager;Kristel Manalo, project development manager; Nadine Kison, project development associate; Manuel Baltazar, Innovative and Design group manager; Regidor Mapanao, architectural supervisor; Jose Pangan, project manager; Joselito Sanchez, Jr., area manager; and Rev. Fr. Henry John. Amaia Steps is along West Service Road corner Sun Valley Drive in Brgy. Sun Valley. It has unit types such as Studio, Deluxe, and Premier, with sizes from 23-44sqm.

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JOEL D. L ACSAMANA EDITOR jdlacsamana@gmail.com

PROPERTY

BEAT THE RAINY SEASON, PROTECT YOUR HOME

BY JOEL LACSAMANA

L

et’s face it: houses in the Philippines have two worst enemies, tropical thunderstorms and baking heat.

Over time, even structures deemed sturdy will suffer from cracks, water leakage, mildew, mold, and rotting when left uncared for. Especially during the monsoon and typhoon seasons. Homes that are not weatherproofed won’t be able to protect homeowners from the elements.

Prep your house—especially the exteriors—to withstand the challenges of the rainy season. One of the best ways to do this is to ensure the quality of the materials used inside and outside the structure.

James Hardie—an innovator in the build-

MILESTONE PURCHASE. Ovialand Inc recently launched Terraza de Sto. Tomas, its newest venture in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, once a bucolic, rural area which has transformed itself into one of the premier real estate areas in South Luzon.

The project offers a brand of living ideal for those who still value comfort and privacy, while still wanting to be in the center of things. Ovialand Inc. is a subsidiary of the Malate Construction and Development Corporation (MCDC).

ing materials industry—believes in designing and manufacturing building products of good quality. These products, include the tried-and-trusted HardieFlex® brand of durable fiber cement boards, which are the homeowner’s best ally to ensure the protection of his house and family.

Check out these few steps that could make a difference: Inspect, prepare the roof. Before the heavy rains come, the roof should be inspected at least twice a year. Repair, or replace cracked shingles and roof ridges, and look for rust and holes. If no one in the household can perform this biannual inspection, contact a professional.

Clean gutters regularly to ensure that the rainwater drains properly. Trim tree branches that hang over the roof to avoid leaves filling the gutters, and to prevent big branches falling on and severely damaging the house. Other unstable structures should also be cleared in the case of strong winds. Damaged eaves can also cause water to seep into the walls. If the eaves show yellow or brown spots, or are showing signs of sagging, it is time to replace them.

Invest in exterior walls. The house’s exterior walls are constantly exposed to the elements. Hence, the need for top-notch protection.

Resist damage caused by moisture, fire, and termites by using HardiePlank® Siding, one of the fiber cement siding boards manufactured by James Hardie. HardiePlank® Siding is engineered to withstand harsh weather conditions. It features a wood grain profile and a smooth profile. These fiber cement siding boards require less maintenance compared to wood siding. James Hardie offers a 15-year product warranty.

Weatherproof interiors. Do a simple inspection of the ceilings, walls, and floors.

Discolored walls and ceilings, paint bubbles, and dark spots mean that water is already entering the house. Moisture not only ruins the appearance of the house’s interiors, but can also affect appliances, furniture, other household items, and even the health of the residents. Where possible, seal exterior areas where the leak begins. For parts that need replacement, lightweight and asbestos-free HardieFlex® products can be used as flooring, ceiling and walls. These products are all resistant to moisture damage.

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TATUM ANCHETA EDITOR

BING PAREL

A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R

BERNADETTE LUNAS WRITER

life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

P OP CU LT U RE

LIFE

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SA PUSO’T DIWA THE ARMCHAIR PILOSOPA

BY IZZY WARREN GONZALEZ

W

hen Florante de Leon wrote, “Ako’y isang Pinoy, sa puso’t diwa,” I highly doubt Pinoy was employed to explain the congested streets, the lack of punctuality, or the tamaditis that hits around three in the afternoon when you’ve just had a cup of coffee and you really can’t be bollocksed into do anything but shoot the breeze with your officemates. Pinoy should in fact never be a respite for bad cultural habits, but rather, indicative of an ownership over whatever it is applied to. Katibayan ng Pinoy. Pagmamahal ng Pinoy. Pananampalataya ng Pinoy. All these are proudly Filipino, and thus deserving of their slang familiarity. Not these apologetic dismissive cases such as isip-Pinoy to indicate a shortcut or an easier way out, gawang Pinoy to mean shoddy workmanship, or “Pinoy ang pasimuno niyan” when somebody somewhere was able to put one over the other in an even-steven deal.

We placed much more emphasis on our regard of ourselves as a people back when Baybayin was still in use in pre-colonial times, I think. If you break down the language to its simplest syllabic forms, you will find a great deal of meaning, of virtue, of otherworldly

After “A” takes place, from “Ka”, “Ba”, “Ya”, to “Na”, a self-sufficient cycle of “offspring” (Anak) and “nation” (Bayan) takes place. In each symbol of the cycle, “A” is always referenced.

wisdom that bears note. The most basic syllable, “A”, already speaks of a civilization far more advanced than what we give ourselves credit for. Written in Baybayin, it looks like a neurotransmitter, the most minute receptor for thought.

For me, this could mean that our philosophy as a people was predicated on thought. Moreover, on openness of thought.

“KA” means connection. The two wavy lines joined by the bridge is actually a pictograph of a creation myth; Kaptan and Maguayen are two gods who made an agreement to begin the universe. Ka is also Katawoan (the human race), which was the last creation of the two gods. The myth goes, humans were made so that we would care for the world that Kaptan and Maguayen built after they lost their grandchildren. In essence, we are merely caretakers of a shrine, and must remember the solemnity of our duty and maintain peace.

When you know what the syllable of Ka does within Filipino

words, that is, creates a relation or a connection (Ka-patid, ka-sintahan, ka-puwa, ka-lakbay, ka-klase, etc.), what becomes immediately apparent is the courtesy and regard our ancient philosophy had for our fellow man.

“BA” on the other hand is a symbol of the feminine principle, and it looks like a cute little bottom, like an indentation left on a soft chair.

It signifies fertility, new beginnings, maybe even birth. The shape of Ba is likened to a circle, starting from a point, descending, then ascending into a loop, downwards again, and ascending once more to meet at the point. If we take the strokes themselves to have meaning, it would indicate that after initial contact, there is reproduction that takes place, or the result of understanding. In essence, Ba indicates completion, of something coming full circle.

“YA” is another interesting symbolic syllable. It is written similarly to A, sans the extra stroke at the head, which might be indicative

of a particular function or purpose.

The act of akbay for instance begins with an openness to express a closeness with someone else. It is, in its very essence, an invitation to trust, a soft and welcoming place in which to be unconditionally loved.

Then you have “NA.” As Baybayinalive.blogspot.com, a favorite reading resource of mine, posted: it is the symbol to indicate now, or being present. The downward line represents the present moment in a progression of time. It can also be interpreted as a woman’s vagina, a closed door, an opening to a cave.

Many understand this to illustrate something new and mysterious, with the caveat to take great care if you wish to take on its challenge.

Na, taken with something as pregnant with meaning as Ka, could necessarily show the seemingly codependent relationship Filipino parents have with their children as “anak.” Na is the birthing process, the mysterious challenge needing steady and stable purpose to unravel it. When a mother or Ina (the birther? Maybe) finally gets to hold her newborn in her arms, ka, the connection takes place – a sacred imprinting of feeling, seeing, smelling, hearing, and tasting a new relationship.

What I like most about Baybayin is that it’s like Story by Numbers, in that if we broke things down into their simplest syllabic form, we stand the chance to reveal great knowledge behind what we had otherwise taken for granted. Take lakbay and bakla, for example.

If we break it down, we see the journey outwards (lakbay) is

just as strenuous, physically and emotionally taxing, and in need of companionship and support and akbay as the journey within (bakla). It needs connection, purpose, and eventually realization, or completion. In fact, we might even take it one step further to say that one cannot journey outwards if one has not journeyed inwards, from a place of unconditional love.

Baybayin allows us to tell a story that we never thought needed telling, and by forgetting about it, we may have caused ourselves to feel alienated from our Mother Country and our own people. Ka is very important to us in that it signifies an ongoing act of close and nurturing kinship among connections.

Unlike Baruch Spinoza and Levinas, there is no other that predates the self, but a single stream, river, a tsunami of life that ebbs and flows with itself and of itself. I like to think our ancient society was one of unperturbed fellowship with each other, and it was very polite indeed.

This Linggo ng Wika, let’s revive the spirit of Baybayin in the regard we pay each other with the words we use. Seek a connection, find unconditional love in the crook of a friend’s arm, and most of all, pay the due and proper respect to your Mother that She deserves.

Start a conversation at thearmchairpilosopa@gmail.com, follow me on Twitter @ArmchrPilosopa, IG and Tumblr: thearmchairpilosopa and let’s give our language the credit that is long overdue.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

Harana (Parokya ni Edgar)

Philippine Treasures (Angelo Favis)

Florante Aguilar

REMEMBERING HARANA In 1997, Parokya ni Edgar asked, “Uso pa ba ang harana?”

While the song “Harana” became one of the few standout THE GIST OPM hits of the

BY ED BIADO past two decades, it s subj e c t matter, the forgotten tradition of serenading, never resurfaced from the bowels of obscurity.

This very premise is the plot of the critically acclaimed 2012 documentary Harana: The Search for the Lost Art of Serenade, which follows musician Florante Aguilar on his quest to unearth, if not revive, the distinctly Filipino musical art form. In the film, Aguilar and his companions perform an authentic harana, something that notably differs from the harana that most of us know.

Harana, apparently, is not just a serenade. It’s not simply a guy singing cheesy love songs and acting silly in front of the house of the girl he’s wooing – with or without friends to back him up. According to the documentary’s website, harana is “a traditional form of courtship in the Philippines wherein men introduced themselves and/or wooed women by singing underneath her window at night. It was widely practiced in old Philippines with a set of protocols, a code of conduct and a specific style of music.”

Aguilar, who has somewhat become an expert on the topic, explains on his blog that harana has a formal structure. It begins with the “panawagan” or announcement of the haranista’s arrival, followed by the “pagtatapat” or declaration of the suitor’s romantic intentions,

“panagutan” or the woman’s response, and ends with the “pamaalam” or bidding goodbye at the end of the night. All these parts are carried out by singing songs expressing each specific message. (Aguilar has all the details here: www. florante.org/blog/2010/10/28/the-differentstages-of-harana-serenading/) In the traditionally conservative Philippines, where chastity and family values were of utmost importance, harana was one of the acceptable ways to woo a girl you liked, which of course took place under the watching eye of her parents. But those days are far gone.

The pamamanhikan – or asking parents for their daughter’s hand in marriage – is the sole survivor of the classic Filipino mating rituals. To a lesser extent, the panliligaw or long courtship still exists, but most people would rather date, see movies and eat out than entertain a queue of suitors at home with their mothers hovering.

Meanwhile, harana fell out of practice because it reached the point of irrelevance. In this age of social networking, playlists and emoji, you don’t have to do it. There are other ways to impress the object of your affection, most of which don’t involve making a fool of yourself with off-key notes in front of an audience consisting of her whole family and next-door neighbors.

But for a truly memorable and romantic gesture that’s all the way kilig and mom-and-dadapproved, our very own “lost art of serenade” is the way to go. So beg your grandfather to teach you songs from his youth, grab your friends and a guitar, put on your old barong, knock on her door and sing your heart out.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @EdBiado

Harana movie

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

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IT’S OVER

It cannot be denied: when we end an online relationship, it also signals the end of the relationship in real life.

How did we get to this?

BY KAI MAGSANOC

U

nfriend.

How much has this word scared you?

Social media as an expanse venue for self-expression is a good thing. Heck, it’s a great thing: a grandmother found her long lost sick husband after people started sharing and reposting his photo; a child who studied on the sidewalk received a scholarship after his photo – taken by one sympathetic soul – went viral, that even foreign media picked it up.

This is the good aspect of social media: the one that helps people have better lives.

And if there’s a group of people that knows social media all too well, it’s us Filipinos. According to Google Philippines at the launch of their #LoveYourLanguage campaign last August 5, at least 100 million Filipinos are getting more connected. Forty-seven million are Internet savvy; 32 million are active on mobile.

We can almost be sure that, while online, among the many things they are doing is checking their social media accounts and interacting with their friends.

As an avenue for self-expression, social media can be abused. And because we post while facing a machine or gadget and not necessarily a person, we tend to reveal more of who we are, our thought process, our values.

Us who see these posts realize there are people we’d rather not be friends with or be connected with, at least online, because their posts are always very negative (rants), narcissistic (selfies even while having a facial), or full of themselves (#blessed).

The problem is, once you click that “unfriend” button, there’s a scary possibility that the friendship might end in real life. It’s just that unforgivable.

How did this happen? Since when did online relationships outweigh real-life relationships or dictate which direction they would go?

A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION

For Chris Cahilig, social media and PR expert, this started when Friendster was introduced, and people started having extended identities online. Whoever they were in real life, they started sharing it on their social media accounts.

“A lot of people use social media to find romantic relationships or friendships. Absentee friendships are now accepted,” Cahilig begins.

“Before [social media], friends needed to talk to or see each other personally. Today, friendships are fueled by social media content.

Strangers can become good friends through social media.

You find out who shares the same interests and opinions as you, and words are exchanged. This equates to small talk in real life. When you finally meet in person, there is no more ice to break. It’s like you’ve known each other for a long time.

TO UNFRIEND OR NOT

Unfriending someone on Facebook for whatever reason signals that you are no longer in good terms.

Fortunately, Facebook doesn’t notify when a person unfollows or unfriends you. You will only find out once you interact again.

“The dormant friendships… you won’t feel [the unfriending] immediately. The active friendships… that’s a different matter,” says Cahilig. “It’s risky to unfriend someone, especially if that person is very sensitive.”

But why would we get unfriended?

Cahilig cites some reasons: • You are too “loud” or you post too often and flood other people’s news feed • You said something offensive directly or indirectly to them

They get to know what happened to someone or what her emotional state is and everything else through social media.”

Business relationships also thrive on social media. In Cahilig’s experience, a lot of his new clients (he is the president of PR firm Insight 360) find him through social media. They also communicate on social media.

“Social media made the whole world shrink and the connections we have with each other develop faster. There’s a lot of opportunity for communication,” he says. “Ergo, you don’t have an excuse for not knowing what’s going on with another person, or for not keeping in touch.”

If you need to talk to a person, you text or call. If there is no reply,

you message through Facebook, or you post a tweet and tag him.

If this doesn’t work, you can post a comment on his Instagram.

For Cahilig, this means that communication has become more efficient. There is no more excuse for not updating people.

THE CHANGING CYCLE OF RELATIONSHIPS

With social media, people tend to be extra honest. They can easily give comments without feeling too responsible about what they say.

They can be very straightforward and expressive. Some just want to draw the public’s attention to their sentiment or plight. Some want to express their opinion, especially on national issues.

“They are more outspoken, which can be both good and bad, because they can be tactless,” says Cahilig. “When face to face, people are more tactful because they can see the face of the other person, the reaction. On social media, it’s free game.”

The social media relationship then becomes the measure of the real human relationship. “You would know people who really follow you and who are loyal to you through how they comment on or like your posts. The simple act of liking or commenting nicely on a post brings goodwill to a lot of people,” Cahilig posits. “You tend to like these people better in real life than people who are rude to you on social media.”

“Unfriending is a basis for a possible conflict outside of the social media accounts,” Cahilig laments.

His advice to us: before you unfriend someone, think twice.

“Think of the possible consequences. If you unfriend someone, expect the other person to feel offended,” Cahilig says.

“Know that the act of unfriending is serious. People take almost everything online seriously.”

And if you’ve been unfriended – before you react violently and lash out – evaluate why. Were you too loud? Were you offensive? Is there a real life conflict that would cause the unfriending?

“It could also be that you’re not really friends, and a person can only accommodate 5,000 [friends] on a personal account,” says Cahilig.

“Maybe you’re not a real life friend or contact.”

Some people may unfriend people because their account is very personal and they want to keep it as private as possible. There’s a chance the person just doesn’t want to share too much information with people they don’t know.

Can two people still be friends even if they are not connected online? Cahilig says it may be challenging.

“A good friendship involves communication. Without it, it’s hard to maintain the friendship,” he says.

“And social media is how we communicate now.”

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

Vows

Manila

Daily Mantra

Calligraphy with Flourishing

Nature

Take this fainted heart

ADVENTUROUS CURIOSITIES OF A CALLIGRAPHY ARTIST

BY SOLEIL BADENHOP

Brush Lettering for @thegoldinitiative

Collaboration with Renegade Folk and Jamie Catt

W

hen you start leading the life you were meant to lead, your dreams become bigger than you could have ever imagined. For Anina, the arts have always been her first love and it didn’t take long before she pursued it.

Anina Rubio is a Manila-based creative designer, calligraphist, and an engineer by profession. “I worked in a corporate world for a few years (from IT to Marketing) but eventually shifted to doing what I am most passionate about – which is this,” she tells us.

The bustling art community of Manila today has embraced the art of written words popularly known as calligraphy. Influenced by fellow Filipino calligraphist, Fozzy Dayrit and international calligraphists, Joluvian and Seb Lester, Anina got curious and decided to explore calligraphy herself in 2014. “I wanted to open my mind’s creativity and do something I haven’t done.”

Just like her free-spirited character, Anina’s calligraphy style is ever-evolving as it is more focused on freehand brush calligraphy using her own handwriting. Each stroke demonstrates finesse as she applies the concept of adding contrast and weight to her letters.

“I started with pointed pen and then delved into using brushes and watercolor. I shuffle different tools on most days because I want to

Watercolored artwork for Heima

Card collaboration with Bespokepress Australia

Anina Rubio

Heima- Good times

continue experimenting and learning different ways to maximize the tools I have for different types of projects” Anina tells us. Today, we can see that she has delighted in the use of gold paint in her calligraphy pieces.

It usually takes her a day to do at least two pointed pen calligraphy projects or one watercolor project depending on the size and design of the artwork. Her collaboration on gold foil card pieces with Bespoke Press Australia would have to be her favorite project to date. “I love that I was able to use my own handwriting for the project and the cards turned out very beautiful especially with the gold foil stamping process that the printer made.”

When asked about her daily habits, she tells us that she makes time for exercise and a cup of coffee. She also allows herself to get out of her workspace, “I’d like to think inspiration can be found in random places and not just online. I also make time for experiments, practice, and personal projects,” she adds.

One of the few things that keeps her inspired is her immense love for the Philippines and its beautiful islands, disclosing that she makes time to travel for inspiration. “I got inspired to write more when I travelled to different islands in the country. I wanted to be able to translate

Card collaboration with CardNest UK

into a beautiful writing the experience, emotion, music, etc., during those moments when I was out of the city. I travel and check out different islands in the Philippines. I really love to explore the underwater scene here in the country,” she says.

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths,” she quotes Walt Disney in her blog. For a passionately driven creative like Anina, she puts in the hours to refine her craft. “I want to continue developing my skills and learning more and more ways to express art.” She also added that her next goal is to learn Spencerian, a script style calligraphy pertaining to vintage American letter writing.

Anina currently holds workshops in different parts of the country but here’s a quick advice from her for all the aspiring calligraphers out there: “Make time for practice. Experiment and do research. You don’t need to buy a lot of tools – you just need to know how to use one and maximize what you already have.”

Follow Anina’s artworks and get updates on her workshop schedule on www.aninarubio.com or on her Instagram at @aninarubio.

SAT URDAY : AUGUST 15, 2015

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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NOVICE BANDS ROCK VALKYRIE NIGHTCLUB

E Grand Prize winners B-Boys with Senior PR and Corporate Affairs Manager Cookie Cabrera

Favorite Ng Barkada winners Papapeta with host and Greenwich kabarkada Yassi Pressman

Hosts and Greenwich Kabarkadas Andre Paras and Yassi Pressman with 2nd place winners Offlane Pitch

A special performance by #UltimateBandkada Search Judge Mark Bautista

BY NICKIE WANG

ight emerging bands performed live at the Valkyrie Nightclub stage on Aug. 8 turning the venue into an underground concert hall for the final showdown of the first band search organized by Greenwich.

Billed #UltimateBandkada showdown, the search began in March, when Greenwich called for onthe-ground and online auditions in their search for young musicians that would walk home with a 1-year music contract with Viva Records, P100,000 cash, and a management contract with Viva Artist Agency.

SYVA, Sweet December, Papapeta, Offlane Pitch, Hiyas, Invisible Drums, B-Boys, and Adonai battled it out by performing just one song during the finals. The bands had to tweak the song, based on their chosen genre, and make it their own. In the end, crowd favorite B-Boys was declared winner bringing the audiences to their feet while sending the band a rousing applause. The trio is composed of Ernest ‘EJ’ Lebrilla (vocals), Jay Aballe (percussion), and Joel Diche (guitar) .

B-Boys, which was heavily influenced by Maroon 5, Jason Mraz, and Sam Smith, came from different bands and it was luck that got them all together to form a band of their own.

“We’ve known each other for a long time but we’ve only been playing together for three months,” says EJ. During the competition, each

band worked on a the music of an original Greenwich song written by singer and songwriter Thyro Alfaro. This song best embodies the Greenwich brand and made more flavorful with the mash up of at least two of the following genres: Pop, Rock, EDM and Hip-Hop. Thyro Alfaro, Yumi Lacsamana, and Jeric Medina, who performed their Philpop 2015’s winning song “Triangulo” complemented the bands’ performances with their short intermission numbers. Kapuso singer Mark Bautista, who also sat as one of the judges, treated the crowd to a live performance.

Special award was given to Papapeta for winning the online poll. The band also bagged the P40 thousand-cash prize and the third place trophy. Offlane Pitch took home P60 thousand for winning second place.

The emotion-filled night was capped off with a rousing performance by Climax, and closing to some chill beats by DJ DCFER. The audition, which started in March, called for musicians to create mashups of the most popular genres today, for an ultimate sound that everyone can get down to. Eight bands stood out against the rest and were invited to join in a 10-week Bandkada session under the mentorship of producer and EDM artist Kio Priest, singer-songwriter Pow Chavez, founders of Musikaramay and rock band, Climax, and Viva Records’ top honchos, Executive Vice President MG Mozo and A&R Manager Civ Fontanilla.

NEW SET OF KILL FILMS BRING REALISTIC FEARS

B

ughuul is back and scarier the second time around in Sinister 2 wherein a newly separated mother of twins, Courtney, played by Shannyn Sossamon has no idea that she has resettled her family to a place where murder has occurred. Through her twins, Dylan and Zach, Bughuul becomes even more powerful, stealing children’s souls and compelling them to make the kill films.

Bughuul is back as the twisted visionary behind the nightmarish kill films, with the slayings caught on camera by the victims’ children whose souls he has conscripted.

While expanding the mythology, scribes Derrickson and Cargill also sought consistency by setting the story in another isolated home where horrible murder has occurred.

Unlike Ethan Hawke’s character of Ellison in Sinister, Sossamon’s character

of Courtney in Sinister 2 follows a mother struggling the demons that she’s fighting.

Sossamon reflects, “The drama of what this mom is going through – I’m a mom myself – felt very real. I’d done a couple of horror films and really didn’t ever want to do another because they’re draining, but this script was very good.

Sossamon elaborates, “Courtney is experiencing her own horror in a bad marriage. She’s protective of her two boys, and makes the decision to save herself and them by going on the run from Clint, the abusive husband and father.

“The character from the first film, So & So, is someone Courtney doesn’t know at all – much less that he has become driven to solve the Bughuul mystery. When his findings lead him to the abandoned house in which we are hiding, his instinct is to protect them from what they’re running

The film has more realistic scare than the first Sinister

from. All the while, he is trying to solve and deal with this horror that he can’t quite say out loud.”

The actress reveals, “Courtney wonders if she can trust him because that’s a big part of who she is. The scariest parts for

me on this movie were the scenes with the ex-husband. I struggled with those in pre-production when we finally filmed the scenes.”

Sinister 2 opens Aug. 26 in cinemas nationwide from Pioneer Films.

SAT URDAY : AUGUST 15, 2015

C6

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

MUTYA NG PILIPINAS 2015 NEWLY CROWNED QUEENS

T

he grand coronation spectacle of the 47th annual Mutya ng Pilipinas was recently concluded at the Resorts World Manila. For those who missed it on ABS-CBN Sunday’s Best, here’s a quick recap of the winners.

People’s Choice is Katherine Caguioa (Tuguegarao) and Viva New Discovery is Hershey Gajudo (Cebu City).

Mutya ng Pilipinas 2015 2nd Runner-up is Brenna Cassandra Gamboa (Nueva Ecija), Mutya ng Pilipinas 2015 1st Runner-up is Julee Ann MarieBourgoin (Cagayan de Oro) who also won Best in Modern Terno and Mutya ng Resorts World Manila. Mutya ng Pilipinas 2015 Overseas Communities is Nina Josie Robertson (Australia).

Miss Friendship and the newly crowned Mutya ng Pilipinas-Tourism goes to Janela Joy Cuaton (Doha, Qatar). She will represent our country in the 19th Miss Tourism International in Vietnam on Nov. 28.

Philippine representative to the Miss Tourism Queen of the Year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Dec.9 is Leren Mae Baustista (Los Banos, Laguna) –Mutya ng Hanna and the newly

crowned Mutya ng Pilipinas 2015 Asia Pacific.

Best Designer is Mac Tumang, his creation was worn by Jessica Rose McEwen (Central Luzon) who was among the top 10 finalists too. The other top 10 finalists were Aislinn Anne Sebastian (Southern California), Kerlyn Horn (Northern California), Shannon Rebecca Bridgman (Melbourne) and Jessie May Delprete (Arizona). They wore black and white Filipiniana gowns created by Renee Salud.

Beauty queen Maggie Wilson-Conseji and celebrity Arci Munoz were in the panel of judges along with Margarita TingTing Cojuangco.

Senator Antonio Trillanes, Col. Ricardo Nolasco, Jr., Eric Yaw, Jasper Tiu, Dino Chua, Danny Ooi, Stephen Reilly, and Consul General Christian Hue. The event was hosted by the Gutierrez siblings Raymond, Richard and Ruffa.

This pageant organization is motivated and inspired by its guiding thrust to assist in promoting Tourism, Social Responsibility and Fashion. It engages in worthwhile endeavors that will enable it to achieve and make a contribution to promote the Philippines as a major and a revered tourism destination.

The winners of Mutya ng Pilipinas 2015

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 48 50 53 54 55 57 58 60 65 66 67 68 69 70

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Coral ridges 6 Go ape 11 Elev.

14 Dawdle 15 Weight unit 16 Before, to Blake 17 Lucci or Sarandon 18 Not even once 19 Kind of service 20 Winter quaff 22 “Me And Bobby —” 24 Crimson Tide

28 29 30 32 33 35 39 40 41 42 43 45 46

Lake in a desert Posh Iota preceder Business VIP Stair post It may be knitted Hockey need Drink with scones Invited Reproving clucks Pesky insects Elvis, to some Arctic canoe

Not ours Dirigible filler Like some investors Storrs coll.

Sudden impulses Extinct bird Baobab and banyan “— when?”

Primeval Freshman course word “Satchmo” Armstrong Musical notes Ruhr Valley city Jazzman — Blake

DOWN 1 Hwys.

2 Grenoble water 3 Urban people-movers 4 Spring training loc.

5 Grammar 6 Jane or Peter 7 Regretted 8 Greed’s cousin 9 Score 100 on 10 “Muppet Show” host 11 Hagar’s wife 12 “Peer Gynt” composer 13 Cheyenne abode

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2015

21 23 24 25 26 27 28 30 31 34 36 37 38 43 44 47 49 50 51 52 53 55 56 59 61 62 63 64

Birds of ill — More grouchy Dexterous Luxury car Noted wise guy Frontier garb Gibson of “Lethal Weapon” Fine-tune Kind of wave Mediterranean landmark Half diameters Some bouquets Celtic language Locker locale Stalk Daddy’s sister Give a hard time Laughing matter Quebec school Washday units Plains drifters Dampens Present ER staffers Debtor’s note Worn-down pencil A fifth of DX Flight dir.

WILLIE HAPPY AND CONTENT WITH ‘WOWOWIN’ NEW TIMESLOT TAKE ONE

BY GLEN REGONDOLA Stage lights beamed brightly as Willie Revillame emerged from the backstage chanting, “Handa na ba kayo?”

The host started to sing “Igiling-giling” and that turned the crowd into a frenzy.

This was the actual scene from GMA’s Sunday game show Wowowin in its Aug. 9 telecast in the new timeslot – 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. from the previous 3:50 p.m. to 5 p.m. schedule.

During the show, Revillame seemed more vibrant, lively and engaging. Also, he presented the show according to what he promised the members of media during the announcement of its new timeslot - to make the show more entertaining as possible.

Amid talks that the show would go off air after more than two months since its grand launch on May 10, Willie was grateful to GMA executives for giving him another chance to prove they made the right decision to give the show a better timeslot and an extended time on air.

“I never thought that there’s a station like this. I thought there will be no response to what I’m saying. The truth is, it (Wowowin) is supposed to end on Aug. 2. As a producer, it’s really hard that our previous timeslot isn’t being patronized by advertisers,” Willie revealed.

According to Willie, he has lost around P50 million s since the airing of Wowowin on GMA that’s why he is grateful that apart from the new timeslot, the network also gave him a big discount from the budget he presented them.

“What more can I ask for? They gave me more than what I expected,” Willie exclaimed. ★★★★★

The Quezon House at Quezon Memorial Circle

Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista takes pride in the reconstructed Quezon Heritage House located at the Quezon Memorial Circle across the city hall.

The building used to be the house of former Commonwealth president and Quezon City founding father, Manuel L. Quezon.

The Quezon house was originally built on Gilmore in Quezon City, but Mayor Bautista initiated its transfer to be part of the city’s cultural and historical treasure. It serves not only as a museum but also as an inspiration to every Filipino who values history and family heritage.

It is exactly on this venue where the press conference for musical entitled MLQ: Ang Buhay ni Manuel L. Quezon was held, so everyone who participated had the feel of the Quezon abode.

The musical, which tells the lifestory of the former president, will open on Aug. 19 at the Kia Theater (formerly, New Frontier Theater) in Cubao.

Stage actor Arnold Reyes will play the lead while singer Gian Magdangal is his alternate.

This stage play is part of the city’s Diamond Jubilee Celebration in which a lot of activities are in store not only for the people of Quezon, but also for all the visitors of the city.

SAT URDAY : AUGUST 15, 2015

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

Winglip K. Chang, president and CEO of iKitchen, Inc. owner and operator of Kuya J Restaurant Chain

CEBUANO BUSINESSMAN CONQUERS MANILEÑO DINERS From C8

Restaurants that originate outside of Metro Manila have a hard time attracting diners, particularly if their menus offer predominantly dishes unfamiliar to Manileños. Maybe, for curiosity, foodies (as people regularly dining out are called now) would try the restaurants once, twice or even for the third time, but after that returning customers would wane.

So, Winglip K. Chang, president and chief executive officer of iKitchen Inc., the premier company behind Kuya J Restaurant, told himself and his Cebuano partners, “We can’t be too Cebuano in our restaurant. We should be more Filipino.” And by that he meant the dishes on the menu should be familiar to the majority of diners in Metro Manila where he brought the Cebu-based Kuya J Restaurant when he decided to expand.

Chang is a seasoned and accomplished entrepreneur in the restaurant industry. With nearly 30 years of remarkable experience, he has already created a repertoire of building brands into a giant culinary magnet.

This is largely credited to his exceptional entrepreneurial skills, paired with his penchant taste of constantly bringing food and services to a whole new level.

As a testament of Chang’s expertise, he has pioneered and established one of the biggest businesses in Cebu to date, 101 Restaurant City Inc. in which he heads and manages Cebu’s well-renowned convention center, the Grand Convention Center of Cebu, with three exquisite restaurants.

The Grand Majestic is the forerunner and most successful buffet restaurant in Cebu. It has a grand selection of dishes. Isla Sugbu Seafood City is Cebu’s

quickly becoming the destination for delicious Filipino food, we can only expect no less than the best from Kuya J. HHHHH

COFFEE INCREDIBLE ON ‘GANDANG RICKY REYES’

Grilled Scallops

Crispy Pata

pride when it comes to seafood goodies with the largest selection of fresh and live seafood.

In fact, Sunstar awarded it as the Best Seafood Restaurant in Cebu. Lastly, but certainly not the least is Tsay Cheng, one of the leading fine dining Chinese restaurants in Cebu that constantly delivers a splendid feast.

No wonder it always enjoys a full-house patronage.

Kuya J Restaurant is a name that used to be Ang Kan-anan ni Kuya J, a hole-in-the-wall eatery in Cebu. Chang bought the name and transformed it into a full-blown Filipino restaurant, initially offering indigenous Cebuano delicacies. It immediately became a big buzz among diners in Cebu prompting Chang to offer a couple of branches in the Visayan metropolis. Eventually, he brought the restau-

rant in Metro Manila, “We are expanding more,” Chang announced when we had lunched with him in the newly opened SM Megamall branch. “Thus far we are in SM Novaliches, Sta Mesa, Marikina, San Mateo, SM Center Pasig, Manila, BF, Clark, Pampanga and Downtown San Fernando apart from the branches at SM Escario Cebu, SM Cebu and Consolacion.

Kuya J is also at SM Bacolod and in Boracay.

As a casual dining restaurant that offers delicious Filipino food, Kuya J always prepares dishes from fresh and top-quality ingredients. That’s the reason why Kuya J’s signature dishes always come out special namely, Crispy Pata, Lumpia Presko, Kare-kare, Grilled Scallops, Mango Pandan and Tokwa’t Baboy.

Now, with Kuya J Restaurant

Coffee used to be just a drink to perk up our mornings. Today, based on various research data, coffee is discovered to be a healthy drink for everyone any time of the day.

Watch GMA News TV lifestyle show Gandang Ricky Reyes Todo Na Toh (GRR TNT) 9 a.m. today and watch resource persons explain what makes “coffee incredible”.

In this episode, Ricky Reyes features as well “hairway to the max” that delves on the favorite hairstyles of stylish women today. Some ladies choose the shiny, curly and bright-colored crowning glory while others go for more conservative black, brown or mahogany long hair.

As they say: It’s different strokes for different folks.

Also part of the show, the GRR TNT staff and crew embark on another food trip and visited restaurants and different gimmick places for foodies, especially those who like British, American and Japanese deelights. The segment is called “eats around the world.”

Reyes will have a tete-a-tete with Asia’s Sentimental Singer Imelda Papin. The years that passed brought bitter and sad memories, yet Mel survived through it all with her faith in God and unparalleled enthusiasm. With a newfound love and flourishing business in the US, she sings no more sad songs.

Always make a date with Mother Ricky every Saturday on GRR TNT produced by ScriptoVision.

C7

Blink lets you #watchmore SM Lifestyle Entertainment Inc. (SMLEI) has recently partnered with Solar Entertainment Corporation for the majority ownership OMNI Digital Media Ventures, Inc., which operates Blink.

Blink is a video-on-demand technology that enables users to watch a variety of movies, TV series, news and other content anytime and anywhere, using their gadgets such as mobile phones, tablets, computers and smart television sets. Endless opportunities are made available with the coming together of the entertainment and lifestyle giants.

Now under SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc., which also operates the country’s biggest cinema chain, SM Cinemas, Blink prides itself with being able to offer contents straight to its platform with Blink Cinema, where contents that have not been released in cinemas will be shown exclusive.

Among its products are Blink Unlimited, which enables its customers to have unlimited access to vast content of movies and TV series. Blink is the only VOD service in the country to offer Transactional Video on Demand (TVOD), an option wherein a customer can access their choice of movies on a per title basis.

Blink Pay Per View (PPV), another unique capability of Blink, will make live entertainment and sporting events available on demand.

Blink carries not only films, TV series, Pay Per View events but also live TV channels such as ETC, 2nd Avenue, BTV, Home Shopping Network, and CT which are only available on BLINK, enabling consumers to #watchmore with its platform.

Omni recently celebrated partnerships with top media companies like 20th Century Fox, CBS, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Viacom, and Paramount while the SMLEI-Omni conglomerate also made way to new partnerships with Walt Disney, Crystal Sky, Captive Media, Pioneer, PBA and ABS-CBN. Among its corporate partners, Omni took pride in announcing their partnership with the PLDT Group which includes PLDT and telco leaders Smart Communications and Sun Cellular not only for content, but by also allowing their subscribers to charge their transactions to their bills or load. It also announced their partnership with SM Advantage, SM Advantage Prestige, BDO Rewards, SM Development Corp., Global Pinoy and E-plus.

Blink completes your unlimited entertainment experience from your mobile gadgets to the big screens.

Start blinking now! Log on to www. blink-now.com for more information. #Watchmore.

SAT URDAY : AUGUST 15, 2015

C8

ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ Funny One grand winner Ryan Rems Sarita

RYAN REMS WONDERS HOW HE BECAME A HIT

Philip Lampart, Determined Dad ng Australia and his son baby Romeo

YOUNGEST HOUSEMATE JOINS ‘BIG BROTHER’ FOR A REASON Through the special task, the reality TV show sought to make Filipino families aware of the problem of absentee fathers and its possible impact on the families

ISAH V. RED

Big Brother’s youngest housemate, baby Romeo, the oneyear-old son of Pinoy Big Brother 737 regular housemate, Philip Lampart, has finally entered the famous house last Wednesday night and stayed until Friday for a special task that highlighted the importance of bonding between a father and his child.

Through the special task, the reality TV show sought to make Filipino families aware of the problem of absentee fathers and its possible impact on the families.

To ensure that baby Romeo’s needs would be fully taken care of, Big Brother talked to the Lampart family and allowed the mother to have access inside the house anytime.

Since its launch in 2005, Pinoy Big Brother has mirrored the hopes, plight, and aspirations of Filipinos through its diverse mix of housemates. Big Brother formulates tasks and challenges for the housemates to bring out their best, test their strengths, and foster camaraderie as they undergo a transformative journey inside the house.

Aside from Philip and Romeo, eleven other regular housemates have entered the PBB house, namely Mr. Kulit of Japan Jyo Yokohama, Tour Guide Tatay of

Jessica Marasigan, California Dreamgirl ng USA

Jyo Yokohama, Mr. Kulit ng Japan

Miho Nishida, Sexy Mommy ng Japan

Roger Lutero, Tour Guide Tatay ng Bacolod

Richard Juan, Charming Chinito ng Parañaque

Mikee Agustin, Bungisngis Bebot ng Bulacan

Bacolod Roger Lutero, Bombshell Baker of Paranaque Dawn Chang, Soldier’s Boy of Pampanga Charlhone Petro, Bungisngis Bebot of Bulacan Mikee Agustin, Independent Sweetheart of Manila Margo Midwinter, Charming Chinito of Paranaque Richard Juan, Worldwide Worker of Surigao James Linao, California Dreamgirl Jessica Marasigan, Madiskarteng Inday of Iloilo Krizia Lusuegro, and Sexy Mommy of Japan Miho Nishida.

Pinoy Big Brother 737 airs weeknights after On the Wings of Love, Saturdays after MMK, and Sundays after Rated K on ABS-CBN. To get to know the housemates better, watch PBB 737 Gold narrated by Toni Gonzaga and PBB 737 Online hosted by Bianca Gonzalez, Robi Domingo, and Enchong Dee. For updates, visit pinoybigbrother.com, like www.facebook. com/OfficialPinoyBigBrotherAbsCbn, and follow @PBBabscbn on Twitter and @pinoybigbrother on Instagram.

He did not just bring home the P1 million cash prize after being named the first-ever grand winner of “Funny One.” Now, Ryan Rems has his very own segment in It’s Showtime. The audience can now watch him crack jokes every day.

“How I became a hit is still a mystery, even to me. I lost in my first weekday match. I thought this was all worthless. And then I lost again. It’s okay. I’m surprised I tapped an audience that does not watch TV or does not have a TV at home,” said the former English instructor and call center agent.

Rems gained popularity in the early stages of the competition because of his signature line “rock and roll to the world.”

And compared to his fellow komikeros on “Funny One,” Rems is all relaxed on stage, a style he says he has long used even when he performs at stand-up comedy bars.

“They say my jokes are intelligent, but not really. Let’s put it like this: In a family, one member will get me. The other five will swear at me. That one person is enough for me,” he said.

Rems’ new segment is just one of the many offerings It’s Showtime has in store for its loyal madlang people. And since he started appearing in the noontime program, he has gained more fans, including women.

“Before, I already got used to receiving one or two messages on Facebook per week. Now I can no longer count them. There are women who message me things like, ‘You destroyed my world, Ryan Rems. I am all yours,’” Ryan revealed, laughing.

Despite not being comfortable performing on television before, Ryan Rems has managed to become more calm and enthusiastic on stage as people cheer him on.

He also added that he is open to offers that will require him to act or star in a sitcom.

Aside from Ryan Rems, viewers can also expect projects featuring other komikeros – Crazy Duo (1st runner-up), Nonong Ballinan (2nd runner-up), No Direction (3rd runner-up), and Gibis Alejandrino (4th runner-up).

Don’t miss the fun in It’s Showtime, 12:15 p.m. from Monday to Friday and 12 noon on Saturdays on ABS-CBN. For updates, follow @ItsShowtimena on Twitter, @ItsShowtimeOfficial_IG on Instagram, and like www.facebook.com/itsShowtimena. Continued on C7