The Standard - 2015 September 27 - Sunday

VOL. XXIX  NO. 227  3 Sections 24 Pages P18  SUNDAY : SEPTEMBER 27, 2015  www.thestandard.com.ph  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

P4.63B HEALTH FUNDS WASTED, BINAY SAYS

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‘TAKEN TO SULU’

MILITARY SAYS BOAT USED TO FERRY SAMAL HOSTAGES THE military bolstered fears on Saturday that the four foreigners and a Filipino who were kidnapped from a Samal Island resort on Sept. 21 has slipped a security dragnet in Eastern Mindanao and are now in Western Mindanao.

Brig. Gen. Alan Arrojado, commander of Joint Task Group Sulu, said the authorities found a boat they suspect was used by kidnappers to take the victims to an island stronghold of Islamic militants.

The outrigger boat was found Friday on Jolo, more than 500 kilometers southwest of the Samal Island resort where two Canadians, a Norwegian and a Filipina were abducted late Monday, Arrojado said.

Jolo is the main base of the Abu Sayyaf, an Al-Qaeda-linked group that has been blamed for the Asian country’s deadliest terror attacks as well as ransom kidnappings of foreign tourists and Christian missionaries.

“We have eyeballed the seacraft, but not the kidnap victims from Samal,” Arrojado, head of a Jolo counter-terrorism task force, told reporters.

Officials would not say if the discovery

pointed to possible Abu Sayyaf involvement in the kidnapping of Canadian tourists John Ridsdel, 68, and Robert Hall, 50, as well as Norwegian resort manager Kjartan Sekkingstad and Hall’s Filipina girlfriend, Marites Flor.

No group has claimed responsibility for the abductions, the latest in Mindanao, a southern region plagued by decades of Muslim as well as communist Next page insurgencies.

SWEET TWEETS. The phenomenal AlDub love team of Eat Bulaga’s ‘Kalye Serye’ continues to set a global trend with 23 million tweets—and still counting—as of presstime. SCREEN GRAB OF GMA TWITTER ACCOUNT

BATHING WITH GOAT’S MILK

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‘ALDUB’ CATCHES FIRE ON TWITTER

By John Paolo Bencito FILIPINO netizens took to their smartphones and personal computers to make a popular noontime television variety show a global trend with 23 million tweets on internet microblog site Twitter.

Even the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines joined in the

fund and extolled the “AlDub” segment of the noontime show Eat Bulaga on GMA-7 for promoting good values.

“Supporting the noble cause of spreading virtue, values and morality that our nation deserves. #ALDubEBforLOVE,” the CBCP said on its Twitter account.

“AlDub” is a portmanteau of the

names of television actor Alden Richards and Yaya Dub, the character of accidental television celebrity Maine Mendoza, who has become the current favorite of Eat Bulaga’s millions of fans.

The love team launched the Richards-Mendoza “love team” through a running soap opera-like “kalye-serye” Next page

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ALDUB...

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ANTI-DENGUE MEASURE. A city worker uses a fog machine to kill mosquitoes in Barangay Sta. Rita in Parañaque City after the Department of Health reported a 16-percent increase in the number of dengue cases in the country. DANNY

P4.63B HEALTH FUNDS WASTED, BINAY SAYS

By Vito Barcelo

VICE President Jejomar Binay lamented the Aquino administration’s failure to deliver and distribute P4.63 billion worth of medicine and equipment that could have prevented the spread of deadly diseases, such as dengue, malaria, pneumonia, tuberculosis and hepatitis.

“Billions of pesos were wasted. I urge the Department of Health to comply with proper procedures and fast-track delivery of medicines needed,” Binay said, citing a report of the Commission on Audit.

“The delay in the procurement of the medical equipment, medicine and infrastructures defeated the attainment of efficient, low cost but quality health care services to patients,” Binay said, noting that the DoH has also been criticized for letting medicine expire.

Binay noted COA has said “it is imperative for the head of [DoH] to institute mea-

sures to safeguard the assets and promote efficiency, effectiveness and economy in achieving the agency mandate.”

The P4,634,058,266.71 budget was allotted for equipment (P626,050,087.49); facilities (P4,003,565,873.62); and drugs and medicines (P4,442,305.60).

“It is time to review the DoH health programs and realign the budget towards preventing diseases,” Binay said.

Binay made the remark after the DoH confirmed that the number of dengue cases in the country surged by more than 23,000 from Aug.

TAKEN...

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Arrojado said the 25-meter (82-foot) boat suspected of taking the hostages to Jolo was found abandoned at Parang, a coastal town.

It was fitted with two onboard engines, but was taking in water apparently from a breach on its hull, he added.

Regional police spokesman Antonio Rivera told AFP that of all the “threat groups” in the south, those based on Jolo were the ones most skilled in using boats.

9 to Sept. 5 with outbreaks being reported in Cavite, Bulacan, Ilocos Norte, Apayao, Abra and Mt. Province and Negros Oriental.

“No one is safe; anyone is at risk, regardless of age or economic status. Dengue is a serious disease that has already claimed a number of lives, many of whom are children,” said Binay, whose grandson also recently fell ill with dengue.

“The numbers may continue to rise if our citizens remain passive and let government deal with the problem on its own,” he added.

“Let us all unite in the fight against dengue. Let us do our part by keeping our surroundings clean and dry always, especially this rainy season,” Binay said.

“Let us all help, in every way possible, in disseminating accurate information about dengue—its causes, symptoms and cure. Together, we can achieve denguefree communities throughout the country,” he added.

He said that there is the

However, he added: “We cannot say that they [Abu Sayyaf] are involved at this time.”

The authorities earlier said they had received reports the kidnappers had taken their victims to the impoverished Davao Oriental region to the east of Samal.

However, Rivera told AFP Saturday “no boat was seen there [Davao Oriental] contrary to what was earlier reported.”

Jolo-based Abu Sayyaf and several other renegade Muslim rebel groups have in recent years collaborated in kidnapping foreigners elsewhere in the south, with the victims eventually taken to

need for government to ensure that all Filipinos, even those in far-flung areas, get vaccinations, have access to vitamins, medicine and potable drinking water, and are educated on proper nutrition and sanitation.

“This must be done immediately. Let us go to them and bring to them preventive measures, instead of waiting for an epidemic to hit an area. Let us not be reactive but pro-active. Let us not wait for our Filipino brothers and sisters to end up as statistics as victims of malaria, pneumonia, tuberculosis, hepatitis, among others,” Binay said.

“This is why we need a comprehensive health program for the people which includes nationwide vaccination, sanitation and proper nutrition programs.

In line with this, health care services should reach our brothers and sisters in farflung areas as fast as it reaches Filipinos in urban centers.

I believe it can be done. And it must be done,” Binay said.

back to Jolo, security analyst Rodolfo Mendoza told AFP. “They have done it not only on western Mindanao [including Jolo] but they are now also doing it on the eastern Mindanao side,” said Mendoza, president of the Manila think tank Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism.

Supporting the theory that the kidnappers and their victims are now in Western Mindanao, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said he received information that the hostages were taken from Holiday Ocean Resort on a pumpboat and were transferred to a larger and

[street series] that is brought to different barangays six days a week since July 16.

In the past two months, both Richards and Mendoza have signed endorsement contracts with some of the country’s top commercial properties, increasing their onscreen appearances through television commercials.

On Saturday, Eat Bulaga started a hashtag for its September 26 episode wherein Richards, following traditional Filipino rites of courtship, was allowed to formally court Yaya Dub and the episode reached 23 million at press time, beating rival network ABS-CBN that also put up their own gimmick via noontime show, “Showtime.’

But sociologists point out that Filipinos are drawn to watch the “Aldub” kalye-serye not because of commercialism, but because they can relate to the many metaphors and key themes of the hit love team.

“Filipino can surely relate to the ‘power-play’ of a heartless old woman who tries to rule over this poor and helpless damsel in distress, who in turn, hopes that her handsome prince will finally take her and keep his promise of love and happily ever after,” said professor Clifford Sorita, operations manager of Radio Veritas and professor of sociology at the Philippine Women’s University.

“In Aristotle’s Poetics, he mentions that mimesis plays a vital role in a person’s appreciation of art. Aristotle believes that the replication or mimicry of nature, or ‘real-life events,’ is very important so that its audience can relate to the message of art,” Sorita said.

“The more accurate art reflects the true experience of an individual, the more he or she can be drawn to it,” he added.

Professor Rolando Maningas, who also teaches sociology at the Far Eastern University, added that audiences can relate to AlDub because the characters of drama are relatable and bring hope to Filipinos.

“The plausibility of the Aldub phenomenon is connected to the condition that these is a form of escapism to the many realities in our society, being a form of entertainment. Many are drawn to the simple love story and the efforts brought by the main characters,” Maningas said.

“Many can draw parallels between the story of Yaya Dub

faster motorized boat.

The mayor said the group passed by Glan, Sarangani and from there, took only six hours to reach Sulu.

The pumpboats were found Tuesday, hundreds of kilometers southeast of the Davao Oriental province. Duterte declined to identify the group responsible for taking the four tourists at gunpoint.

He instead said that the armed men may be linked to the Abu Sayyaf Group as one of them appears to resemble a known member of the terror group, based on the resort’s closed-circuit televi-

(or Maine) who is simple, naïve, and a product of an online platform which is the internet.

She is a product of Reality TV at its finest,” added Maningas.

Sorita added that many sense hope from the love team because it appears to be a “diamond in the rough.”

“It means that even though a person has talent, characteristic or quality that are not evident to others due to one’s rough and undeveloped exterior, he or she still has the possibility of being discovered by someone with the social gravitas, like Alden Richards,” Sorita said.

Prof. Ericka Bien, who works as a digital producer in an advertising company and teaches communication and journalism at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, said social networking platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, complements traditional media, like the television program—in the case of Eat Bulaga.

“Digital media cannot fly as high as traditional media.

It only makes things from the traditional media more powerful,” said Bien.

“In digital media, it’s a way of extending further the ‘kilig’ experienced while watching the hit segment. By tweeting these relatable experiences, audiences are enjoined to share with the highs and lows of the characters,” she added.

Prof. Mart Elias Marañon, who also teaches broadcast communication and research at PUP, added that the love story alone cannot survive without the core Filipino values that one can see in the courtship between Richards and Yaya Dub. “At first, the kalye-serye was just an accident but then, it’s good that the show injected values because if they just sustained the love story, they will not have support from influential groups,” Marañon said.

“It was a good strategy that we have entertainment and values at the same time—because without values, it will just be a rubbish segment. It won’t be worth pursuing,” said Marañon.

Bien added that the success of the segment relies on the relatable experiences of the people who watch the highlyacclaimed program.

“Everyone is spontaneous in the program, everyone can relate. The split screen also signifies the long-distance relationship experienced by many Filipinos, like our OFWs. That’s why its very successful in social media,” Bien said.

sion footage.

“They [victims] were delivered to a known Abu Sayyaf Group.

Whether they are also actually Abu Sayyaf members, that we do not know. Ganyan ‘yan eh, ipasapasa na ‘yan, so as they are passed on to a new group, lalaki nang lalaki yung patong nila sa ransom,” Duterte said.

Duterte believes it is probable that the abduction had been deliberate and that the suspects knew their target.

“We have this hanging suspicion that the hostages are pre-determined victims,” he said. With AFP

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PNOY CLOSED TO TAX CUTS

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

DESPITE mounting calls for a reduction in personal and corporate income tax rates, President Benigno Aquino III is firmly not keen on enacting such a measure because of its long-term effects on the economy, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said Saturday.

HEARTY WELCOME. Japanese actress Maria Ozawa wows guests at the ongoing Philippine Tattoo Expo, called ‘Dutdutan 2015,’ at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. DANNY PATA

TIPSTER HAS NOT CLAIMED BOUNTY FOR REYES ARRESTS

Republic of the Philippines Department of Health FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION 22 SEP 2015

By Francisco Tuyay and Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE unidentified informant who tipped off the Philippine National Police on the location of murder suspects Joel and Mario Reyes has not made any move to claim the P2-million bounty from the government, the Philippine National Police said Saturday.

But Chief Supt. Victor Deona, head of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, said the police will disburse the bounty to the informant who ended the police’s three-year hunt for the fugitive brothers who are accused of being behind the 2011 killing of journalist Gerry Ortega.

“If he decides to claim the reward money, the PNP is willing to give it,” Deona said, adding that the police had been looking for the Reyes brothers since March 2012 when they fled the country.

Deona did not reveal the identity of the informant or his place of residence, but he was sent an e-mail to the police on Sept. 8 revealing the whereabouts of the Reyeses. Mario used to be governor of Palawan while Mario was mayor of Coron, also in Palawan.

“We had a breakthrough on Sept. 8 when an anonymous informant sent an e-mail to the CIDG Complaint and Referral Monitoring Center informing us that he knew the whereabouts of the Reyeses,” Deona said.

Deona made the assurance as Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said on Saturday the government would likely reject the brothers’ plea that they be granted hospital arrest because they lived “like tourists” while hiding out in Phuket, Thailand. “[Justice] Secretary [Leila] de Lima will have a strong position on that,” Valte said in a radio interview over a state-owned Radyo ng Bayan, stressing, however, that the matter is still up to the Palawan regional trial court to decide on their request.

“Certainly, the prosecutors will have something to say about their proposed motion to file for hospital arrest, because we all know that before they returned home very recently, they have lived like tourists in Thailand,” Valte said.

This week, the Reyes brothers said that their lawyers will ask the courts to grant them hospital detention while undergoing trial.

The brothers, the mastermind for killing Ortega, an anti-mining and broadcast journalist, were apprehended in Thailand last Sunday and was flown to Puerto Princesa City on Friday and arrived to Manila the same day.

“There are many groups supporting some form of lowering the income tax. However, that has to be studied carefully,” Valte said in a radio interview over state-owned Radyo ng Bayan.

“I think the main consideration of the President is the possible long-term impact of that kind of proposal on the finances of the government,” she said.

She said Aquino met Senator Juan Edgardo Angara and Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo, the principal proponents of income tax cuts in both houses of Congress, to discuss the matter, but the President had not yet disclosed what transpired in the meeting.

Valte made the explanation after six of the biggest labor groups and alliances in the Philippines

said they are united in demanding a reduction in the taxes withheld from workers.

Alan Tanjusay, spokesperson of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines and Nagkaisa, said the two labor alliances together with the newly-formed Labor Party of the Philippines supports the congressional initiatives to lower income taxes.

Tanjusay, who is also the chairman of LPP, said that TUCP, Nagkaisa, and LPP are thinking of different forms of struggle to convince Aquino on the correctness and positive effect on the economy should the workers’ tax cuts be approved.

Wilson Fortaleza, spokesman of Partido Manggagawa, also reiterated that workers with a living wage less than P1,500 per day must be exempted from paying a withholding tax.

He said tax exemptions on the biggest number of workers, both in the private and government sectors, have been a long-time agenda of PM. Fortaleza added that the utmost concern of PM is to increase the living wage of the Filipino working class, saying it is an important issue that his group will bring up in the House of Representatives not only today but also in the future.

Sonny Matula, president of the Federation of Free Workers, pointed out that reduced withholding taxes for the salaried workers not only brings a good effect on the workers but more so in the country’s economy.

FDA ADVISORY No. 2015-065 SUBJECT : Health Warning on the Use of Unregistered Intraocular Lens (IOL) The public is warned against using intraocular lenses (IOL) that are not registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). An intraocular lens is a synthetic, artificial lens placed inside the eye that replaces the focusing power of a natural lens that is surgically removed, usually as part of cataract surgery.

Only a licensed ophthalmologist performs IOL surgeries. The following are the common risks associated with IOL implantation: 1. Minor Infection 2. Corneal Edema (Swelling) 3. Intraocular Pressure Spikes 4. Wound Leaks 5. IOL Decentration 6. IOL Power Miscalculation 7. Retinal Detachment IOL risks increase for patients with certain medical conditions and healthrelated issues, and other issues such as use of unregistered products.

All ophthalmologists are required to use only registered products. The list of registered intraocular lens, brands and models can be downloaded from www. fda.gov.ph.

To report unregistered IOL in the market, please email us via report.fda.gov. ph. For inquiries and more information, kindly email us at info.fda.gov.ph.

JANETTE P. LORETO-GARIN, MD, MBA-H Secretary of Health Acting Director General1 1 Pursuant to DPO 2015-1845

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OPINION

[ EDI TORI A L ]

THE POPE AMONG NATIONS

THE leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, came to Cuba and the United States this week, and during the last leg spoke to world leaders and representatives at the United Nations.

The Pope began by recalling the visits of his predecessors to the UN, which he commended as helping “dispel the darkness of the disorder caused by unrestrained ambitions and collective forms of selfishness.”

Despite efforts and interventions of organizations like the UN, however, there remain many global issues that need a global solution. The Pope repeats what he said in a recent encyclical about the right of the environment, of which we humans are merely part. “Any harm done to the environment... is harm done to humanity.” An ensuing culture of waste gives rise to a situation of exclusion and inequality. The Pope expressed hope that the approaching climate change talks to be held in Paris would yield effective agreements.

After all, nowhere is global inequality more apparent than in the climate change debate: those most responsible for the accumulation of greenhouse gases over centuries of resource exploitation are decidedly not the ones suffering from extreme weather events and inability to mitigate and prevent such disasters, much less respond to and rehabilitate them-

selves when it strikes.

The Pope also reminded the world’s leaders that the lives of human beings take precedence over partisan interests. In the context of war, for instance, people are not mere statistics that should be easily discarded.

Finally, Pope Francis talked about the war against drugs, which is taken for granted, poorly fought, and accompanied by other menaces.

In the end, the Pope said that only “a higher degree of wisdom, one which accepts transcendence, rejects the creation of an all-powerful elite and recognizes that the full meaning of individual and collective life is found in selfless service to others and in the sage and the respectful use of creating for the common good.”

The Pope has been criticized as too liberal by conservatives and still too conservative by those expecting him to take any other stand aside from the Church’s. Whatever he is to many, he raises global issues that both leaders and ordinary citizens must ponder. Francis is the leader of only one church, yes, but this church counts billions in members, and these billions swear they live by the teachings of peace and compassion to all.

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OPINION

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INTERNET HOAXES

FILIPINO Facebook users are the world’s most unintelligent people. This was the bold assertion made by an alleged study conducted by a Filipino graduate student from Harvard University last year. Highlights of the “study” found their way to various social networking sites recently. Among the supposed findings were the following: 80 percent of Filipino Facebook users click the like button on external links without even reading or opening the links first or being aware of what they are “liking;” most Filipino users share horrific images like accidents, killings, child abuse and other horrendous images that are not normally shared by people who understand the effects of these images; and Filipino Facebook users do not seem to understand the concept of human rights or etiquette. The “study” was backed by seemingly convincing data, citing statistics that appeared credible because they seemed empiricallybased, such as total population of

Filipinos and total number of Internet users, among others.

The results of the “study” created quite a stir. There were those who immediately questioned the methodology and the results, while there were those who seemed to agree with the findings, citing various anecdotal evidences that seem to support the findings.

I came across an article about the study on the Facebook page of a friend of mine who happens to be among the country’s most respected clinical psychologists. It was discovered later on that the supposed study was actually a hoax; it was a complete work of fiction.

On hindsight, a closer reading of the so-called findings and the way these were presented showed telltale signs of shoddy analysis. Unfortunately, most of us have profound respect for data presented in a complex form as we tend to associate intelligence, scientific rigor, and even credibility with complexity; thus, it is quite easy to perpetuate hoaxes, particularly if these are packaged well. This brings me to an impor-

tant question that has been bothering me for quite sometime now: What drives people to spend that much time and effort on making up hoaxes such as the aforementioned study?

The fact that the so-called study became viral and merited heated discussions seemed to validate the findings of the study. There are quite a number of Filipinos who tend to believe

There are quite a number of Filipinos who tend to believe urban legends and hoaxes, and worse, are quick to share these without validating their provenance or veracity.

urban legends and hoaxes, and worse, are quick to share these without validating their provenance or veracity. I have personally called the attention of some friends in instances when they shared a meme or an article making certain claims that had already been debunked by experts. For example, there are quite a number of medical advice being shared and reshared in social networking sites that are not supported by science; some of these are quite dangerous because they are not generalizable or applicable in all situations or conditions.

However, it must be pointed out very strongly that this predilection is not unique to Filipinos —in fact, this seems to be a universal malady.

I would like to think that most are driven by noble intentions when they feel the compulsion to share with the rest of the world whatever information they deem important.

For example, I was aghast that many people immediately posted screen grabs of the street view

of their residences when Google Maps made the facility available, in the process throwing security and privacy concerns to the wind.

This also includes sharing of photos, information, or even data that should really remain private.

Of course it would be desirable if people exercised a little vigilance—it is very often easy to check the veracity of certain urban legends as there are reliable Internet sites such as snopes.com that make a compilation of these —but I guess it is difficult to argue with good intentions.

A large part of the motivation has to do with social coordination as well. Social networking sites are convenient venues for social interaction. Gossip, rumors, jokes, urban myths and legends are the stuff that everyone can easily relate with or contribute to.

In this context, analytical thinking or vigilance seem irrelevant.

All these, however, cannot be blanket justification for rash behavior in social networking sites that need to be reconsidered because, at the very least, they smack of immaturity.

LEARNING HELPLESSNESS I MET an accident earlier this month. I slipped on some dish towels that I myself had put on the stairs, for future washing, and cascaded three or four times down the steps. I hit my tailbone hard, such that I was not able to stand up for the next two days without another person propping me up and without popping some pain reliever into my mouth. I also learned how to sleep facedown the whole night.

The X-rays said it was nothing serious, but the doctor said the coccyx did take a lot of time to heal. Serious, for me, was the pain and how debilitating it was. I was stuck in the house for a full week, only doing my job online.

The episode sobered me up.

I think the Universe taught me a few lessons. Here are some of them.

We can’t do it all.

On the day I fell, it was a Saturday. It was officially my day off but I was still expected to send two articles for this paper before the afternoon deadline. Before that, I needed to bring my son to his music class

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in Makati, treat the kids to a nice lunch and perhaps catch Heneral Luna that was just on its first week at that time. That day, we also needed to do our laundry at the laundromat and go to the supermarket.

All the planning amounted to nothing. I was practically immobile the whole day.

Kids get by when they have to.

Because of that, my 13-yearold son had no choice but to go to Makati from Quezon City on his own. Thank God for the hefty discounts at GrabCar. I just needed to arrange for the pickups and dropoffs and get details of the driver. The boy’s older sister was out of town for work, his brother had a class, and I needed his younger sister to stay with me because I could not move.

The younger girl was sent to the drugstore, eventually, for more pain relievers and some fastfood lunch. The following day, they washed their clothes and did the groceries and the younger boy brought himself again to CCP to catch his bus for boarding school.

The older boy took care of Sunday lunch.

We have to ask others’ help at

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I was stuck in the house for a full week, only doing my job online. The episode sobered me up. I think the Universe taught me a few lessons. some point.

My kids are not used to seeing me weak and helpless.

This was why they were rattled when I confessed I could not stand and was crying in pain.

They were solicitous and assisted me every time I stood up. They took my arm when I walked and did everything I asked them to do. I was apologetic about having to ask them to do things I often did with one hand, but they were just too eager to help. And they did.

You gain empathy.

When you’re lying in the

dark and even the slightest movement caused you pain, you tend to get out of your own situation by thinking how difficult it must be for others to simply exist and be dependent on others for the simplest of functions. You end up being thankful, knowing your state is temporary, and wishing there would be less who would experience this quiet desperation.

People care.

Online, offline, through any other means, people let you know they are concerned.

These people range from the people you’ve known since elementary school to those you’ve just met this year. It’s not asking for attention or seeking sympathy. It’s just so nice to hear that people wish you well.

We take for granted more things than we care to admit.

My home has a lot of windows. One particularly wide window gives a view of the west side of the metro. At sunset, the sky takes on a yelloworange glow. A few minutes after, the sky grows dark and the city lights up, one by one.

You gape at the view and ask yourself: How can there not be a Supreme Being that engineered all this beauty? Because

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of my office hours at the paper, I am not able to catch the sunset six times a week. When I was stuck at home, I beheld it every day.

Even if it hurts, you have to try.

Eventually though you get frustrated at not being able to do much, so you push yourself a bit harder each day for a milestone. I was not cooped up at home all week. Later on, I went to the bank, bought my medicine and finally caught Heneral Luna (the cozy theater chairs were punishing, though.

I fought the urge to watch the rest of the movie standing up).

This is not to say I was not slow. And then I got less slow.

And less.

Trust that it will all seem like a bad dream one day.

It seems that way now, because I have resumed my routine and am trying to do everything again. I do so with a constant thought, though.

Learn to pace. Learn to breathe.

Revel in doing nothing, and thinking of nothing, even if it is only for specific times.

I’ve never been happier, and wiser, being up and about. adellechua@gmail.com

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PROBE EXTORTION AT AIRPORT—RECTO

By Joel E. Zurbano

SENATOR Ralph Recto on Saturday asked his colleagues to investigate airport personnel allegedly engaged in extortion by planting bullets in luggage of passengers.

The 2013 Firearms Law, according to Recto, stated that “if you are a public official and you plant a bullet in the person or property of an individual for the purpose of framing him up, you go to jail for life.”

“Planting ammunitions carries life in jail penalty, it is time for the Senate to probe airport scams. The investigation should proceed as fast as possible so that the parties will have their day in court,” he said in a statement.

Recto vowed to file a resolution on Monday to formally seek an official Senate probe

into the allegations and other irregularities happening in the airport, which he said defraud, swindle, or deceive airline passengers.

“The social media is awash with horror tales of passengers who have been duped by criminals and con artists in NAIA, and apparently the “tanim bala” modus operandi is but one of them,” he said.

Among the irregularities, the senator said, are the pilferage of baggage, the forced shepherding of passengers into unaccredited taxis and the illegal search on travelers

for suspicion of carrying extra cash.

“Although such incidents are far from being the norm, and are committed or countenanced by a few government employees, the same should still be investigated as they give the whole government a black eye,” he said.

Recto explained that a Congressional probe is also needed on the matter, saying the agencies supervising the NAIA apparently failed to curb the abuses on their own and there is no working system that is “guarding the guards.”

“A functioning internal affairs system would have served as a tripwire that would have caught these problems early on and reprimands would have been meted out. Compounding

the situation is the alphabet soup of government agencies operating inside NAIA, functioning as independent republics, with no superagency conducting an oversight,” he said.

Recto said authorities could have invited other agencies like the National Bureau of Investigation to place under surveillance erring airport personnel.

“But apparently this was not done.”

The Senate noted that more than 31 million passengers used the country’s premier international airport last year. With this volume, Recto said, it is a revenue earner for the government.

The Manila International Airport Authority posted gross revenues of P8.7 billion in 2013, and net profit

before tax of P3.9 billion.

The Office of Transportation Security had an end of 2014 balance of P1.4 billion from the Aviation Security Fee collected from each passenger. This year, it is expected to earn P627 million from this.

Philippine Tourism Authority will earn P5.1 billion from Travel Tax this year, mostly from NAIA outbound passengers.

Even the bulk of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines’ projected P5.4-billion gross income this year would come from NAIA operations.

“With all these combined amounts, government cannot plead poverty in ridding NAIA and other major airports of tricksters—whether in uniform or not,” said Recto.

EDIFICE WRECK. A construction worker died and four others were injured when a portion of a ‘50s building, formerly Burnham Hotel in Baguio City, collapsed on Saturday. DAVE LEPROZO

CHINESE NABBED, P13-M SHABU SEIZED LAWMEN arrested a Chinese national and seized 15 kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) worth P13 million during a buy-bust operation Friday night in Pasay City.

Southern Police District director Henry Ranola identified the suspect as Jian Gou Zhao, 34, who according to the documents found in his possession was from Fujian, China and temporarily residing in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

The suspect was detained at the Pasay City Police Station awaiting the filing of criminal charges at presstime.

Ranola said his men from the SPD Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group coordinated with Pasay City policemen to conduct a buy-bust operation along Roxas Boulevard following a week-long surveillance on the suspect’s illegal activity.

“Our policemen disguised as customers to buy shabu worth P1 million from the suspect. We initially recovered one plastic and when we searched his vehicle, there were 14 more plastics containing shabu,” he said.

The police also found two passports inside Zhao’s vehicle.

On Thursday, agents of the National Bureau of Investigation and police operatives arrested at least six foreigners who were caught having pot session at a KTV bar also in Pasay City.

The foreigners, said to be Hong Kong and Singaporean nationals, were arrested during a raid inside Plaza 66 KTV bar situated at AVIA International Club along Manlunas Street, New Port, Pasay City. They were caught using prohibited drugs inside a VIP room of the establishment.

The authorities also invited some guest relation officers and other employees of the KTV bar for questioning. Joel Zurbano

CHARITY GROUP, NAVOTAS LGU FIRM UP PARTNERSHIP NAVOTAS City Mayor John Rey Tiangco praised the partnership between the local government and the Latter-day Saint Charities in providing wheelchairs to the elderly residents, amputees and those who have suffered stroke.

Tiangco said he signed an agreement with the LDSC, the humanitarian arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has been engaged in wheelchair distribution for the past 10 years.

“This is great opportuni-

ty for our constituents especially those who cannot afford to purchase wheelchair. That is why the city government was gratified by the initiatives of LDSC to extend its help to Navotas residents in need of wheelchair,” Tiangco said.

Those who want to obtain wheelchairs can go to the City Social Welfare and Development Office from Mondays to Fridays, between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a wheelchair assessor will evaluate if the applicant is qualified.

Tiangco said the LDSC’s

Wheelchair Initiative is aimed to increase self-reliance and confidence of the recipient.

Meanwhile, the mayor also urged local bikers to join in another biking event on Sept. 27 which will start at the City Hall ground around 5 a.m. to Bustos, Bulacan.

A known sports enthusiast, Tiangco has been active in all sports activities especially those that are being hosted by the local government and even non-government organizations and civic groups. Jun David

FIRE AND WATER. Maritime students demonstrate their firefighting skills at the Qurino Grandstand during celebrations marking the Maritime Week. MANNY PALMERO

A8

SUNDAY: SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

AIR TRAVEL TRADE BOOMING

By Vito Barcelo

TOURISM industry in the country continues to thrive despite the recent kidnapping of three foreign tourists in Mindanao, as indicated by the air travel boom due to cheap jet fuel, a lawmaker said.

“The Department of Tourism will spend P4.6 billion next year to sell Philippines as tourist destination, thus kidnapping is seen as big challenge to new PNP chief,” House Deputy Minority Leader LPG-MA Representative Arnel Ty said.

Ty also expressed confidence that foreign visitors to the Philippines will continue to increase in the months ahead, mainly because of the heavily discounted tours brought about by falling aviation jet fuel prices.

“Spurred by the plunge in jet

fuel prices, airlines and travel agents around the world are now selling bargain basement-priced tours, so we still expect arrivals to grow,” he said.

“At $60.10 per barrel, the price of jet fuel has nosedived 46.9 percent compared to a year ago, and air fares everywhere are going down, according to Ty, who speaks for the minority in House energy committee.

“Cheaper air fares and tours are bound to bring in a greater number of foreign vacationers.

This should more than offset any negative publicity from a single untoward incident,” he said.

Citing figures from Platts, the world’s leading energy information provider, Ty said airlines around the world are projected to amass a combined $85.2 billion in cost savings this year as a result of lower jet fuel prices, thus enabling them to offer cut-rate fares.

Tour operators allied with Philippine resorts and casinos at The Entertainment City are also expected to step up promotions to draw in gaming enthusiasts from abroad, Ty, a member of the House games and amusements committee, pointed out.

The DoT is sticking to its target of up to 5.5 million foreign visitors this year, up from 4.8 million in 2014. The department is aiming for up to 10 million foreign sightseers in 2016.

INC MISSION. Members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo start arriving early Saturday, Sept. 26, for the staging of the Grand Evangelical Mission Sunday with their Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo leading the event at the Philippine Arena in Ciudad de Victoria in Bocaue, Bulacan. EY ACASIO

Meanwhile, Ty said the national government is also spending another P24 billion next year to build new infrastructures meant to make tourist destinations more accessible to visitors.

The Sept. 21 kidnapping of Norwegian resort manager Kjartan Sekkingstad, 56; Canadian guests John Ridsdel, 68, and Robert Hall, 50; and Hall’s 40-yearold Filipina companion, Maritess Flor, has prompted the Canadian government to warn its citizens against traveling to Mindanao.

The four victims were seized by unidentified gunmen from the Holiday Ocean View Resort in Samal Island, Davao del Norte.

“This is a big challenge to Director-General Ricardo Marquez, who is barely three months in his post as police chief. We are counting on the police to neutralize the kidnappers and rescue the hostages,” Ty said.

GORDON BATS FOR ‘DAMAGE CONTROL’ FORMER Senator and Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon, in response to the recent kidnapping of four individuals in Samal Island in Davao last Sept. 21, called for the creation of a continuity plan to safely recover the victims and avoid a repeat of the incident that has tarnished the Philippines’ image in the world’s tourism stage.

Gordon said that the government should safeguard the other tourism havens and destinations that may be vulnerable with regular patrols and a heightened presence by the authorities.

“When you invite in the tourists, we should also make sure that they’re protected during their stay in the country,” he emphasized.

Gordon said the DoT should create a continuity plan to mend the tarnished image the country had suffered due to the incident. This will restore loyalty and continued patronage both for foreign and local visitors, he said.

All tourism destinations must have a security plan that must be strictly implemented to avert similar incidents in the future, he pointed out.

In 2009, Gordon authored the Senate R.A. 9593, which aims to strengthen the country’s attraction as a premier tourism destination that would pave the way for other benefits resulting in a positive global view of the country.

PITC TAPPED TO IMPORT LOW-COST DRUGS

By Maricel V. Cruz A STALWART of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance has sought the passage of a measure that seeks to allow the Philippine International Trading Corporation to import low-priced medicines to provide the Filipino people a greater access to affordable medication.

Parañaque City Rep. Gus Tambunting, author of House Bill 6114 and vice chairperson of the House Committee on Trade and Industry, said people especially those in the rural areas could not afford medicines due to poverty.

“Patients die not because of absence of medicines but because they cannot afford

to buy medicines sitting idly in the cabinets of drugstores,” Tambunting said.

The bill seeks to amend Executive Order 442 Designating Philippine International Trading Corporation as the lead agency to make quality medicines available, affordable and accessible to the greater masses of Filipinos.

In seeking the passage of his bill, Tambunting urged Congress to increase the annual budget of PITC so it can import low-priced medicines in huge volume.

Tambunting said the budget of the PITC to procure medicines is minuscule compared that of the multibillion pharmaceuticals

in the Philippines, majority of which are controlled by multinational companies.

“There is a great need to strengthen the mandate of PITC as well as resuscitate its dwindling fund by infusing substantial amount from the national budget so that the PITC will be able to import cheap medicines that can be distributed to local destinations,” Tambunting said.

Tambunting said the bill allows the PITC to import low-priced medicines of the same quality or prescriptions from reputable and reliable suppliers and local sourcing of medicines using as basic component indigenous or endemic materials prevalent in the Philippines.

FLUVIAL PARADE. Devotees wipe their handkerchief on the Miraculous Our Lady of Peñafrancia during the fluvial parade held along the Bacnotan River in Barangay Baroro, Bacnotan, La Union.

CHRISTINE JUNIO

SUNDAY: SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

Roderick T. dela Cruz EDITOR business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

BUSINESS

PRODUCT is the key in direct selling. Without a strong product, it might be called pyramiding, says Lina Jacob, a veteran in the direct selling business.

Jacob, a 53-year-old grandmother, has recently returned to the industry, after retiring last year as a top executive who handled some of the biggest brands in the direct selling business.

“There are a number of pyramiding businesses without a product,” Jacob says in an interview. “But this one, we are very proud that it is a very legitimate business.”

She is referring to The Real Deal & Great Stuff Company Inc., the Pasig City-based group which has recently clinched a deal to become the exclusive distributor in the Philippines of The Cream Factory products.

“They got me to set up the direct selling business. I was in the direct selling business for 25 years.

I was with Avon for six years, with Tupperware for 17 years and with Herbalife for two years,” says Jacob, the general manager of The Real Deal.

Prior to establishing The Real Deal, Jacob was the country manager of Herbalife Philippines, the local unit of the US multi-level marketing corporation that develops, markets and sells nutrition supplements, weight management and personal-care products.

When her colleagues in the industry learned that Jacob established a new company, they asked what encouraged her to return to the industry, after retirement.

“They said, why were you planning to go back to your career, you’re already retired,” she says.

“Before I got this job, I had to tell them that I would not waste my 25 years in direct selling if this is not a good brand,” Jacob says, referring to The Cream Factory, the US brand of bath cream and scrub made of goat’s milk from the Netherlands.

“Real Deal is the name of the direct selling company that we set up. It is the exclusive distributor of The Cream Factory in the Philippines. These products are manufactured in California. It is a US brand. Another brand is Saforelle from France, an intimate feminine wash,” she says.

Jacob says The Cream Factory products excel in the market, because they are made of goat’s milk, the ancient secret to beauty linked to Egypt’s Queen Cleopatra.

“It is an ancient secret of Cleopatra. It is also known that foreign and local celebrities use goat’s milk in their bath. They say goat’s milk is only for the rich. It is not true. That’s why we have The Cream Factory bath cream and scrub,” says Jacob.

She says goat’s milk keeps skin

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DIRECT SELLER ENCOURAGES BATHING WITH GOAT’S MILK

Xavier Jose Aboitiz

The Real Deal & Great Stuff Company Inc. general manager Lina Jacob shows The Cream Factory bath cream and scrub variants. soft, supple and moisturized. It also nourishes, heals and repairs skin, while helping to protect it from damage and early signs of aging, she says. Jacob says real Netherlands goat’s milk is prized for purity and quality.

“It is 100-percent goat’s milk from the Netherlands. It is pure in terms of vitamins, minerals and nutrients that are needed by the body. It is dessert for the skin,” she says.

Jacob says The Cream Factory is a premium line of bath and body products made with real Netherlands goat’s milk and 100-percent active botanical ingredients sourced from around the world.

It has a number of variants that suit the skin type of each individual, she says.

“When I tried it, I was really amazed. Even my husband likes it. I am already a grandmother. I had to try it for myself. When I endorse something, I will not be staying long with these companies if the product is not effective... Everything in direct selling is from the heart. People will trust you because you have been sincere in endorsing to them a very good product,” says Jacob.

She says The Cream Factory prod-

ucts used to be available in retail outlets, but the US company chose to team up with a direct selling partner in the Philippines to effectively promote the products’ benefits.

“Direct selling is about personalized service. The member talks about the product in details.

She does the demo. She makes a follow up. She greets you and reminds you about promos. She will even deliver the product to your doorsteps,” says Jacob.

Jacob says direct selling also generates jobs for both men and women. “Once you use it, it will open the doors for business opportunities. That’s the real deal now,” she says. “Once you are a user, your friends will take notice and will most likely order from you. It becomes an earning opportunity then.”

The quality of the product is what sustains the business, she says. “In this business, you have to build trust. It is based on trust.

We choose good quality recruits who love the products. I have never talked to members who joined just because they felt pressured,” she says.

Jacob says The Real Deal was officially launched as a company in August 2015, but “we started

creating noise as early as May.” “The owners of the company feel that it is about time that even if we are a Third World country, we should open our eyes and change the way we feel about bath. We are the only country in the world who still use bar soap.

Why not try the liquid soap, and not only the liquid soap, but goat’s milk as well for a change.”

Jacob says The Real Deal currently has 138 active members in Metro Manila, three in Bicol region and one in the Visayas. “Our members are not the traditional direct sellers.

These are new blood, who just love the brand. It is a new level of direct selling experience.”

“The reason why we push it for direct selling is aside from personal touch, we also want to help the entrepreneurs,” she says.

Jacob says members have the chance to avail of a 30-percent discount for products and earn an additional 5-percent commission for the sales of recruits down to the second level. “With this, we grow the market wider. It is not like the old mlm [multi-level marketing],” she says.

“Your story spreads to your friends. That’s how direct selling works. Once you try it, you don’t

want to use another brand anymore,” she says.

Jacob says The Real Deal plans to introduce other world-class brands in the fourth quarter. “It’s all beauty and wellness products—all different,” she says.

She says the company has also embraced the technology and accepts members through online application.

“Everything is now online. In the traditional setup, members will go to the office and line up for their orders.

With us, if you want to order or sign up as a member, just go to our website [http://www.realdealgreatstuff.com] and place your order,” she says.

Jacob says unlike other direct selling companies, The Real Deal focuses on the “wow and fun experience,” without causing stress on the members in terms of sales quota. The company’s top seller so far, she says, is a typical housewife who sold P300,000 worth of products mostly to her friends in August.

“In direct selling, you enrich the lives of people. That’s the reason why I stayed this long in the industry. It is heart-warming when you see you have helped people become successful in life.

It is gratifying,” says Jacob.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

SUNDAY: SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

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

BANGALORE TECH EXECUTIVE LINKS FILIPINO DOCTORS AND PATIENTS

Practo founder and chief executive Shashank ND

Finding a doctor, making an appointment and lining up for a checkup can be exhausting to healthcare patients, especially for those who require immediate medical attention. Shashank ND, a 27-year-old Bangalore-based executive, is on a mission to change things through information technology.

Practo, the company he established in 2008 and now heads as chief executive, empowers healthcare patients to make online appointments with doctors. In the Philippines alone, Practo currently has a list of 11,000 doctors, which are categorized according to their specialization and location.

“I have always been passionate about solving meaningful problems. We chose to start Practo, because we found that no one was really looking at solving the healthcare problem in any meaningful way,” Shashank, who was born in Bangalore, the center of India’s high-tech industry and started Practo while he was studying at National Institute of Technology, says in an e-mail interview.

“I started Practo [in 2008] when I was in college and continue to be deeply passionate about transforming the healthcare experience for billions of people globally,” Shashank says.

He says healthcare is among the last industries to be completely transformed by technology. “In an era where I can book movie tickets without getting out of bed, I have to jump through hoops to find myself a doctor. In the age of Internet, I have billions of spam emails but getting my health records digitally is a surprisingly difficult task. All this is going to change as technology permeates every aspect of healthcare and makes it digital,” he says.

Seeing this need, Shashank de-

veloped Practo as a ‘health app’ for any healthcare related activity.

The Practo platform offers two products, including Practo Search which allows healthcare patients to find the right doctors and book instant appointments.

With Practo Search (practo. com), patients can search and find doctors by location and specialization. They can browse through more details about each doctor such as qualification, years of experience, fees, as well as clinic pictures and even GPS location.

“Our mission is to help people live healthier, longer lives and of course we want to do this for Filipino patients as well...As a first step, we are helping consumers find the right doctors by using Practo Search,” he says.

“We list all doctors post verification only. Our on ground team goes street by street, city by city to find and list the doctors on our platform. Guided by our ‘Patient First’ philosophy, we’ve taken the unique route of listing all doctors for free. We also don’t charge patients to book appointments or for doctors to receive these appointments,” Shashank says.

Another product of the company is Practo Ray, the cloud-based practice management software of choice for doctors. It helps doctors and clinics digitize healthcare records.

“We are helping them create and maintain much better healthcare history with digital record creation through Practo

Ray. Together, with better history combined with ability to find the right doctors, we believe we can dramatically simplify and improve the quality of healthcare experience especially when you combine this with the fact that we have great apps on Android and iOS app stores,” he says.

Shashank says every month, millions of patients now find the right doctor and book appointment on Practo. “This makes us

portunity to help consumers get access to better healthcare information so they can make better healthcare decisions – starting with finding the right healthcare practitioner, booking an appointment with him and eventually to consult with him without even having to leave their home,” he says.

“With our entry into the market, we will enable consumers and healthcare professionals to dis-

Practor founder and chief executive Shashank ND (right) and Insta Health founder and chief executive Ramesh Emani

the largest healthcare platform in Asia and we’re still growing 50 to 100 percent a quarter. We currently list over 200,000 doctors across 35 cities in India and four countries including Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and India.”

“We currently list over 11,000 doctors in the greater Manila area, which is over 70-percent coverage in the region, and will of course be rapidly expanding in the coming weeks and months to cover more parts of the Philippines,” he says.

On why he chose to bring the service to the Philippines, Shashank says the country is undergoing a digital transformation.

“This presents a unique op-

cover each other – which will lead to better healthcare as consumers can discover the right doctors, spend far less time waiting, receive and store their healthcare records digitally,” he says.

Practo is on an expansion mode and has recently acquired Insta Health Solutions, a leading provider of end-to-end cloud based hospital information management solution that powers hospitals across 15 countries in India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

The acquisition will provide an option to hospitals using Insta’s product to integrate with Practo’s platform and provide a superior healthcare experience to patients by enabling them to search and

easily find information about doctor’s availability across hospital and departments, instant bookings as well as no wait times or queues once they reach the hospital for their appointment.

Shashank, who obtained a bachelor’s degree in Technology from India’s NIT and is a founder of iSPIRT, a think tank for the Indian software industry, has been featured in the ‘30 under 30’ list of young influential people to watch

by Forbes in 2015.

In his spare time, he enjoys playing Squash that keeps him fit and agile. He is an avid reader, who used to read a book a month.

“Now I try to read a book a week.

Also, if there is a subject that interests me, I pick up three to four books and dig into it. When I get time, I enjoy catching up on good movies as well,” he says.

Practo employs over 50 people in the Philippines and is looking to increase the number to over 150

by March 2016. He says in the next three to six months, Practo will continue to grow its presence in the country to cover more areas.

On young professionals who aspire to establish their own business, Shashank says it starts with a vision.

“Articulate the vision continuously and ensure each step you take is towards this. Vision helps align the entire team behind a common purpose,” he says.

Shashank says for one, his vision is a world where all health records are digital. “You can consult with a doctor, any doctor, anywhere in the world by sharing your records with one click.

A world where you live healthier, longer because technology helps you make better healthcare decisions. That is the world we’re trying to build at Practo—a world where mankind can live healthier and longer lives by making better healthcare decisions,” he says.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

SUNDAY: SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

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

CLOUD SALES CAREER THE BEST NEXT STEP CLOUD computing is changing the business and social landscape across Asia-Pacific, according to Mina Lim, the managing director of Oracle Philippines. She explains below the cloud and the career opportunities available in the industry.

Commercial enterprises and government agencies have become big consumers of cloud services, and they are offering a multitude of services in the cloud to eager consumers who are hungry for the latest innovations.

The cloud is changing lives daily, and, as this happens, it’s become a great opportunity for the next step in technology and business careers, she says.

The most fulfilling careers are lifestyle jobs, meaning you live and breathe your work. People who live in the APAC region are

Oracle Philippines managing director Mina Lim constantly connected and use the Internet and mobile phones as an integral part of their daily lives, which means the gap between work life and personal life is already being narrowed by technology.

So why not become immersed in the cloud? It’s where the latest technology is being developed and integrated with modern life-

styles, from the most innovative online commercial companies, to the most connected and vibrant social media platforms, and the opening up of state and city governance. When you work selling cloud solutions, you will help shape the future. And the opportunities are booming.

Leading cloud provider Oracle alone recently announced plans to hire 1,000 cloud sales professionals in APAC. Cloud services and infrastructure are expanding in every direction, and, as they do, so are career opportunities. In APAC, new cities are springing up across the region, built with the most modern communication networks and wired up as smart cities.

The cloud is at the center of these advances. Intelligent infrastructure will continue to expand, and state and local governments are using the wired city model to make life easier with smoother transportation and more efficient and cost effective utilities.

National and local governments are opening up their services to connected citizens, getting them to contribute to the development of smart cities and collaborate in their planning. Cloud careers put you at the center of these exciting

developments.

Working for a cloud company gives you the potential to be exposed to every aspect of technology and choose the right path to follow.

The cloud consists of three layers: infrastructure as a service (IaaS), software as a service (SaaS), and platform as a service (PaaS).

The IaaS layer includes computers, servers, storage, network connectivity, and other hardware. The more visible software applications at the upper layer, the SaaS layer, are delivered as customer-facing services.

In addition, the most advanced cloud companies, such as Oracle, complete the cloud stack with PaaS, a platform developers can use to customize applications and tailor them for mobility, innovation, and differentiation.

Analysts have predicted that globally, all provider-based (public and private) cloud services combined are forecast to reach $115 billion by 2017, and the “components supply” end of the cloud opportunity - selling gear and services for public cloud, enterprise private cloud, and hosted private cloud - will reach $65 billion in the same period. Cloud careers are bound to follow the same upward trajectory.

WEST PH SEA DISPUTE POSES AN ECONOMIC THREAT THE West Philippine Sea dispute poses not only security issues, but also a serious economic threat that the next administration needs to handle carefully, according to experts.

Experts said the 6.7-percent plunge of the Philippine Stock Exchange index on Aug. 24, following the collapse of the Shanghai composite index has revealed the bigger economic issues at play in the ongoing West Philippine Sea dispute.

“We have to manage the dispute with respect to continuing business relations,” said Francisco del Rosario, president of the Management Association of the Philippines.

“We cannot completely shut out China from the economic landscape. Instead, we need to improve our relations with them by initiating trade and investment missions, dialogues, and conferences. Currently, there’s almost nothing that’s happening,” del Rosario said.

Speaking at the Stratbase Albert Del Rosario Institute National Security Forum, del Rosario said China has emerged as one of the biggest markets for the Philippines, accounting for 11.4 percent of the country’s exports, valued at $6.4 billion.

“Globally, they’re the current top source of tourists, but only fourth in the Philippines because of this ongoing dispute,” he said.

Dindo Manhit, managing director of the Stratbase Group and president of the ADR Institute, said the ongoing territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea has drawn attention to the government’s slow

implementation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ modernization and would be a strategic issue that should be carefully addressed by the next government and the Association of Southeast Asia Nations as a group.

“The NSP [National Security Policy] falls short of defining the role and rationale of the armed forces as well as the national police and other civilian uniformed agencies in national security,” said Ananda Almase of the National Defense College of the Philippines.

“The country’s National Security Policy should provide a clear definition of goals that should guide the formulation of strategy and that the policy guidelines issued by the president does not have the military element that fills out our capability for deterrence and defense,” said Almase.

Renato de Castro, ADR Institute convener and professor of international studies at the De La Salle University said the involvement of the United States and Japan in the ongoing territorial row would further complicate and prolong the issue.

“This is making China more belligerent and more uncompromising, so it will be a concern for the successor to President Aquino. The challenge for the next administration is to continue the challenge against China’s expansion,” de Castro said.

“If China succeeds in pushing their defense line to the second-island chain, the Philippines will fall under it. It will push out the seventh fleet, and Japan is going to be very worried about the situation,” said former Parañaque representative

Roilo Golez, who was chairman of the House committee on national defense.

It’s clear that the eventual target of China’s expansion is Scarborough Shoal, toward establishing a “strategic triangle” in the disputed waters, Golez said.

“Scarborough Shoal is like a dagger aimed at the heartland of the Philippines—it’s very close to our defense and military hardware in Subic, Calabarzon, and

We have to manage the dispute with respect to continuing business relations. We cannot completely shut out China.

Metro Manila,” he said.

The territorial issue is further complicated with the increasingly unified and cohesive stand of Asean and its ongoing integration efforts, even though in the past it had very little success in dispute settlements and conflict resolution mechanisms, said former senator and defense secretary Orlando Mercado.

“A shared-sovereignty approach might be the way to go.

We know it’s not going to be an easy process. Asean must break existing trade-offs in governance with new decision-making models and mechanisms. I think what Asean needs is some disruptive innovation; some people should disrupt Asean a little more and make them come at realities of the day,” he said.

Marshalling the necessary resources becomes all the more crucial if the AFP is to scale up and modernize to meet the growing demands of safeguarding the country’s waters, said retired rear admiral Vicente Agdamag of the National Security Council.

“We should strengthen our military budget, which right now is 1 to 1.2 percent of the GDP, when the common or normal defense budget at peacetime is at around 2 percent,” he said.

“To secure the West Philippine Sea, we’re proposing a minimum defense expenditure for five years, or P70 billion for five years, for the capability to move, shoot, and communicate, all of which are basic. For credible defense, we’re proposing P91 billion for the next ten years,” Agdamag said.

Launched in 2014, Stratbase ADRI is an independent strategic and international research organization that aims to influence domestic and East Asia policy in development and security by building and sharing key research and information. The roundtable discussion is part of an ongoing project to draft a National Strategic Agenda for the leaders of the next government.

Steve McWhirter, vice president for Asia, Middle East and Africa of Check Point Software Technologies

MOBILE DEVICES UNDER THREAT

By Darwin G Amojelar CHECK Point Software Technologies Ltd., an international provider of software and network security, has launched a new mobile security in the Philippines that allows allows enterprises to battle today’s mobile threat.

According to Check Point’s 2015 Security Report, in an organization with more than 2,000 devices on its network, there is a 50-percent chance that there will be at least six infected or targeted mobile devices on their network.

Most organizations are unprepared to deal with the threats that these devices present to their networks because of a lack of tools that provide the right visibility and actionable intelligence.

“We are experiencing very high adoption rates for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets from individuals to enterprises, especially in the BYOD [bring your own device] paradigm that is increasingly popular throughout Asia Pacific,” Steve McWhirter, vice president for Asia, Middle East and Africa of Check Point Software Technologies said.

“We believe the Check Point Mobile Threat Prevention will become an important part of the total security arsenal for our clients throughout this region, as mobile devices become the preferred platform of choice for a highly mobile workforce,” he said.

McWhirter said his company was in talks with carriers across the region, including the Philippines to offer the solution. “One of the reasons we’re going to the carriers is that they have the ability to sell it,” he said.

Dorit Dor, vice president for products of Check Point Software, said mobile devices are entering the enterprise at a faster rate than ever before, yet most organizations have failed to protect them or their users.

“Providing protection and preventing data leakage in a way that BYOD users easily accept is critical for success. With Check Point Mobile Threat Prevention, we’re not only providing enterprises with the most complete mobile security solution for stopping mobile threats on iOS and Android, but also delivering real-time threat intelligence to better understand their overall security posture,” Dor said.

Check Point Mobile Threat Prevention provides the best mobile security solution for enterprises that need to manage and mitigate the risks of BYOD and protect their employees and corporate assets from mobile cyber threats, Dor said.

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WORLD SINGAPORE MOVES VS INDONESIA FIRMS ON POLLUTION

A file picture shows members of the Assyrian Gozarto Protection Forces (GPF), consisting of Sutoro militia, a pro-government Syriac Christian movement, and other Assyrian fighters resting and drinking tea before heading to reinforce progovernment forces on the front line in the battle against the Islamic State group, in the northeastern Syrian province of Hasakeh. AFP

‘ISLAMIC STATE GAINING GROUND IN AFGHANISTAN’ THE Islamic State group is making inroads in Afghanistan, winning over a growing number of sympathizers and recruiting followers in 25 of the country’s 34 provinces, a UN report said Friday.

The jihadist group, which controls large areas of Syria and Iraq, has been trying to establish itself in Afghanistan, challenging the Taliban on their own turf.

Afghan security forces told UN sanctions monitors that about 10 percent of the Taliban insurgency are IS sympathizers, according to the report by the UN’s Al-Qaeda monitoring team.

“The number of groups and individuals who are openly declaring either loyalty to or sympathy with ISIL continues to grow in a number of provinces in Afghanistan,” said the report.

Afghan government sources said “sightings of the groups with some form of ISIL branding” or sympathy were reported in 25 provinces in the war-torn

country, it added.

The IS-backed groups “regularly engage” Afghan military forces, but fighting with other parts of the insurgency are rare, except in Nangarhar province where they are battling the Taliban for control of the drug trade.

Among the prominent IS fighters, the report singled out Abdul Rauf Khadem, a former Taliban adviser to Mullah Omar, who visited Iraq in October 2014 and has since formed his own group in Helmand and Farah provinces.

Khadem allegedly has been recruiting followers by paying out large sums

of money.

Foreign fighters from Pakistan and Uzbekistan, some of whom have close ties to Al-Qaeda, have come under the IS banner after fleeing their country and have “rebranded themselves” in recent months, the report said.

Up to 70 IS fighters have come from Iraq and Syria and now form the core of the jihadists’ branch in Afghanistan, according to the report.

Afghan security authorities do not consider the growing emergence of Islamic State as an “immediate increased threat” but they are keeping an eye on

the situation as a “potential new threat”, it added.

The UN monitoring team said IS had improved its propaganda in English in a sign of increased competition with the Taliban.

The Taliban, who have themselves often been accused of savagery during their 14-year insurgency, are seeking to appear as a bulwark against IS’s brutality and as a legitimate group waging an Islamic war.

Earlier this month the Taliban condemned a “horrific” video that apparently showed IS fighters blowing up bound and blindfolded Afghan prisoners with explosives. AFP

SINGAPORE has launched legal action that could lead to massive fines against Indonesian companies blamed for farm and plantation fires spewing unhealthy levels of air pollution over the city-state.

Five Indonesian companies including multinational Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) have been served with legal notices, according to a Singapore government statement issued late Friday.

The move followed a bitter diplomatic spat over Indonesia’s failure to stop a severe outbreak of smoky haze which has also affected Malaysia and persisted for years.

APP, part of Indonesia’s Sinar Mas conglomerate, is one of the world’s largest pulp and paper groups and publicly upholds “sustainability” and forest conservation as core principles.

Its products include stationery and toilet paper.

APP was asked by Singapore’s National Environment Agency to supply information on its subsidiaries operating in Singapore and Indonesia, as well as measures taken by its suppliers in Indonesia to put out fires in their concessions.

The group, which has paper mills in Indonesia and China, did not immediately reply when asked by AFP for comment.

Under a 2014 law called the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, Singapore can impose a fine of Sg$100,000 ($70,000) for each day that a local or foreign company contributes to unhealthy levels of haze pollution in Singapore, subject to a maximum total of Sg$2.0 million.

Singapore is located near Indonesia’s vast Sumatra island, where fires have traditionally been set off by farmers and plantations to clear land for cultivation. AFP

POPE HEADS TO PHILADELPHIA ON FINAL LEG OF US TOUR

NEW YORK—Crowds gather outside of Madison Square Garden before Pope Francis conducts a Mass in New York City. The Pope is in the midst of a five-day tour of the States, across New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC. AFP

Pope Francis travels to Philadelphia on Saturday for the final leg of his wildly popular tour of the United States, to be greeted by hundreds of thousands of Catholics at a family festival.

Up to 1.5 million people are expected for the pope’s weekend visit, which caps the World Meeting of Families, an international gathering of Catholics.

Impressive security measures were in place in the so-called “city of brotherly love”, with cars barred from the downtown area

which was turned into a pedestrian-only zone.

In the early morning hours, the still empty streets were divided by metal barricades along the pope’s route. On some roads, large concrete traffic barriers barred the way.

Members of the US National Guard assisted police at intersections.

The pontiff will make the short flight from New York in the morning, touching down in Philadelphia at 9:30 am (1330 GMT) before heading straight

to mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

In the afternoon, he is due to address immigrants at the city’s historic Independence Hall before greeting huge crowds at the Festival of Families, an event that takes place every three years.

On Sunday, he will meet with American bishops, visit a prison and lead a farewell mass on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway before flying out of the country in the evening. AFP

S U N D AY : S E P T E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 1 5

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WORLD editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Saudi hajj stampede beyond prince Sex human control—cleric faceS aSSault Saudi arabia’s top religious leader says a stampede which killed 717 pilgrims was beyond human control, official media reported on Saturday, the final day of this year’s hajj.

The stampede was the worst disaster in a quarter-century to strike the annual event and drew fierce criticism of the Saudi authorities’ handling of safety, particularly from regional rival Iran.

“You are not responsible for what happened”, Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh told Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef in a meeting in Mina on Friday, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

“As for the things that humans cannot control, you are not blamed for them. Fate and destiny are inevitable,” Sheikh told the prince, who

is also minister of interior.

Mohammed chairs the Saudi hajj committee and has ordered an investigation into Thursday’s stampede during a symbolic stoning of the devil ritual by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims at Jamarat Bridge in Mina, just outside the holy city of Mecca.

King Salman, whose official title is “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques” in Mecca and Medina, also ordered “a revision” of how the hajj is organised.

On Saturday, groups of pilgrims were moving from early

morning towards Jamarat Bridge for the last of three stoning days.

The interior ministry has said it assigned 100,000 police to secure the hajj and manage crowds.

But pilgrims blamed the stampede on police road closures and poor management of the flow of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims in searing temperatures.

Abdullah al-Sheikh, chairman of the Shura Council, an appointed body which advises the government, stressed that pilgrims must stick to “the rules and regulations taken by the security personnel...

In doing so they protect their lives, their security and facilitate their performing of the rituals.”

Health Minister Khaled al-Falih earlier made similar remarks that faulted the worshippers.

In comments carried late Friday by SPA, the Shura chairman called on citizens and Muslims to ignore “the biased campaigns carried out by the enemies of this pure country, to question the great efforts exerted by the kingdom to serve the holy sites, their construction and expansion, and to serve the visitors and pilgrims.”

Riyadh’s regional rival Iran said 131 of its nationals were among the victims, and on Friday stepped up its criticism of the kingdom, demanding that affected countries have a role in the Saudi investigation into the disaster.

“Saudi Arabia is incapable of organising the pilgrimage,” said Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani, leading the main weekly prayers in Tehran. AFP

Saudi emergency personnel stand near bodies of hajj pilgrims at the site where at least 717 were killed and hundreds wounded in a stampede in mina, near the holy city of mecca, at the annual hajj in Saudi arabia on September 24, 2015. the stampede, the second deadly accident to strike the pilgrims this year, broke out during the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual, the Saudi civil defence service said. AFP

charge

A SAudI prince has been arrested in Los Angeles for allegedly trying to force a woman to perform oral sex on him at a Beverly Hills mansion.

Prince Majed Abdulaziz AlSaud was arrested in the early afternoon Wednesday after police were called to the gated compound, Officer drake Madison, of the Los Angeles police department, told AFP. He said the 28-year-old prince was arrested on suspicion of forced oral copulation of an adult and spent the night in jail before posting a $300,000 (268,000 euros) bail on Thursday.

Witnesses reported seeing a bleeding woman scream for help as she tried to scale the wall of the property, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The prince, who was also detained for false imprisonment, battery and criminal threats, is due to appear in court on Oct. 19.

If convicted, he faces up to eight years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The State department said there was no information indicating that the prince enjoys diplomatic immunity.

Many members of the Gulf monarchies have multi-million dollar mansions in Los Angeles, and it is not the first time one has had a run-in with authorities.

Last week, a member of Qatar’s ruling family—Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al Thani—was questioned by Beverly Hills police after a video surfaced showing a yellow Ferrari speeding through stop signs and past pedestrians.

Residents called police, who determined that Al Thani, a wellknown figure in international racing circles, owned the car. He denied that he was driving the vehicle and claimed diplomatic immunity before leaving the country.

In 2013, a Saudi princess was also accused in Los Angeles of enslaving a Kenyan woman as a housemaid, but the charges against Meshael Alayban were eventually dropped. AFP

croatia, Serbia calm migrant border tenSionS aS eu wadeS in CROATIA and Serbia moved to ease tensions along their shared border on Friday after the Eu’s powerful executive intervened in a bitter row sparked by Europe’s biggest postwar influx of refugee.

Over the past week, the two neighbours have been locked in their worst spat since the 1990s Yugoslavian conflict, imposing tit-for-tat border restrictions over the human exodus seeking passage through the Balkans to northern Europe.

But on Friday, both sides moved to ease the dispute, lifting restrictions along their shared border which had triggered an escalating war of words.

Over the past 10 days since Hungary sealed its southern border with Serbia, nearly 60,000 refugees and migrants have crossed into Croatia, seeking an alternative route towards

western Europe.

Overwhelmed by the sheer numbers, Zagreb closed all but one of its border crossings with Serbia, blaming Belgrade for diverting the flow towards their shared frontier.

This week, Belgrade responded by closing the main Bajakovo-Batrovci crossing—the last one still open—to all trucks with Croatian plates, while Croatia closed the crossing to trucks and cars with Serbian plates.

Belgrade compared the restrictions to those taken during “the (Nazi) fascist regime in Croatia” during World War II. In Brussels, the European Commission said it was “urgently seeking clarifications” from Croatia, while Eu foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini phoned both Serbia and Croatia’s leaders.

The intervention appeared to work,

with Croatia’s interior minister lifting the restrictions at 1500 GMT and Serbia following suit several hours later.

“Reason has won out,” said Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic in a statement announcing that all restrictions had been lifted.

Wet and cold As the weather turned wet and cold, people were still trying to travel westwards, with around 600 migrants arriving at the Beremend crossing between Croatia and Hungary, an AFP correspondent said.

“Last night was tough. It was raining so much. I was cold,” said 20-year-old Bashir Ahmad from Afghanistan.

“I hope I can make it to a good place to start a new life far from war, the Taliban,” he told AFP. “Everything is bad on this jour-

a migrant covered in a blanket waits to board a train heading to Serbia near the macedonian-greek border. eu leaders hold an emergency migration summit amid a growing east-west split after ministers forced through a controversial deal to relocate 120,000 refugees. AFP

ney, nothing is good. Everyone is exhausted,” said a 30-year-old Syrian who is hoping to join his family in Amsterdam.

“Yesterday was a very bad day,

particularly because of the weather.”

Zagreb is bussing most of the new arrivals straight to the border with Hungary which Budapest has promised to seal. AFP

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S u N d aY : S e p t e m b e r 2 7, 2 0 1 5

SPORTS

reuel vidal EDITOR

sports@thestandard.com.ph

PerPetual to host laCuaa games

By Arman Armero

In its third season, the Laguna Colleges and Universities Athletic Association promises a more exciting and action-packed tournament when it unfolds on november 14 at the University of Perpetual Help Sytem Dalta-Calamba campus grounds.

Andres

AustriA

Laguna Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (LACUAA) officials led by its founding chairman Leonardo “Ding” Andres pose for posterity during a break in their organizational meeting held last week. Also in photo are (from left) Gerlad Palicte of Rex Dei, UPHSD-Calama SPER coordinator Ms. Meyenberg Austria, honorary chairman Edna Andres, UPLB Dept. of Human Kinetics chairperson Ms. Naomi Enriquez, UPLB Sports Coordinator Selwyn Robles and Trace Compueter College sports coordinator Roque Hizola. HENRY VARGAS

Organized three years ago, the LACUAA has become a muchawaited sports event in the entire Laguna province, and founding chairman Leonardo "Ding" Andres said this year's edition of the tournament will feature more sports events and a more balanced competition among participating schools.

In the collegiate level, the participating schools are host UPHSDCalamba, San Pedro College of Business Administration, Asia Tech, Malayan College, UP Los Banos, Trace Computer College, Lyceum of the Philippines and STI-Sta. Rosa.

Six teams, meanwhile, will see action in the high school competitions, namely Rex Dei Academy, Don Bosco College, Blessed Christian School, Holy Rosary College, UPHSD-Calamba, St, Vincent College of Cabuyao and Trace College, while in the elementary side,

the competing schools include Rex Dei, Don Bosco College, BCS, and Canossa College.

Andres, who is also the Commissioner of the Basketball Association of the Philippines-Region IV, said the tournament will feature regular events such as basketball, men and women's volleyball, chess, table tennis badminton and taekwondo, but added that they are thinking of adding a 3-on-3 basketball event and swimming, depending on the number of participating schools.

"If we have enough participants, sa tingin ko mas madadagdagan pa 'yung mga events natin para mas marami pa tayong participants, said Andres, who presided over a meeting with the sports coordinators of the participating schools a week ago in UPHSDCalamba.

UPHSD-Calamba SPER

(Sports, Physical Education and Recreation) Coordinator Ms. Meyenberg Austria, for her part, said that Perpetual, as host school, has accepted the challenge of coming up with a brief but meaningful opening ceremony.

"We are ready to host the tournament. I have already coordinated with some of our student organizations and they willingly helped us to come up with a good opening ceremony," said Austria, who hosted a delicious lunch during the LACUAA organizational meeting.

Austria added that UPHSD is also ready to compete for the top honors in all the events that the school will compete in.

Andres said the sports coordinators of participating schools will hold another meeting sometime in October to iron out all the kinks in time for the openign on November 12.

SKy’S THE LiMiT FoR BARNES

By Ed Andaya IF Fil- AM forward Josh Barnes would have his way, he would readily suit up with his green jersey and go to war with the De La Salle University in the UAAP Season 78 basketball championship.

"If asked to play, I am ready to play, said Barnes, one of the more prominent players waiting -- and raring -- to see action for the Archers in the country's premier collegiate league.

"I know what I have to do and I am willing to do what it takes to help my team win. I am always a team player who is willing to sacrifice for the good of the team," added Barnes while watching a game of La Salle in the UAAP at the Araneta Coliseum.

Of course, it's all wishful thinking for Barnes for now.

The 6-3 standout can’t join La Salle while still serving the oneyear residency rule.

The 19-year-old son of a La Salle-educated Filipino couple now based in Los Angeles, CA will only be eligible to don the fabled La Salle green jersey next year.

But if the basketball community, including the UAAP family, is not looking closely enough, Barnes is now making his presence felt as a member of La Salle-B

Josh Barnes poses for a photo wih his family in Los Angeles, California.

in the recent Southern Luzon Colleges Universites Athletic Association (SLCUAA).

In fact, the prized find from Rancho High School who grew up idolizing LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony in the NBA and Jayjay Helterbrand and Terrence Tomeo in the PBA, did more than his share to be considered as the next King Archer.

His numbers surely validate his claim. If he would not get the most points in the Archers' third-place finish behind STI and San Pedro College of Business Administration, he would get the most rebounds or most assists.

Consider: • Mythical First Team.

• 16 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.6

assists, 2.5 steals.

"It was only my first tournament for La Salle since joining them late last year. I had so much fun playing for them," said Barnes, who joined the Taft-based school as a management student in September 2014.

Before coming to Manila in May 2014, Barnes did make a name as one of the brightest young stars in Southern California.

Barnes was easily one of the most dependable scorers for Rancho High School for four years. In his senior year, he scored 30 points more than five times, the most in eight years in the league.

Last year, he was recruited to play in the Philippines by multititled coach Nomar Isla.

"When coach Nomar asked me, I did not hesitate to take the opportunity to return home and play in my parent's native land,"explained Barnes, who has two siblings, a sister, 17, and a brother, 7.

Barnes was initially recruited to play for the University of the East Warriors in the UAAP, but had to pack his bags elsewhere when Isla decided to take a job as coach of the Brunei national team.

It was a blessing in disguise for Barnes.

He immediately found his place in La Salle, the same university where his father, now a police officer

of 15 years in Los Angeles, and his mother, an IT manager at the San Bernardino County, both studied.

"It's truly a big honor to be able to play for La Salle. Both my father and mother are very happy to see me wear green while playing. They are really proud La Salle products," said Barnes, who now lives alone in a place near La Salle.

He said that his daily schedule now includes regular scrimmages with the Archers and his management studies.

He also finds time to visit his lolo and lola in Paranaque and Quezon City.

"Spending time with them and getting to know more about our Filipino culture are also part of my plans,"added Barnes, who also regularly works out at the Elorde gym along Taft Ave. What is his long-term plans?

"Whatever is God's plan I will willingly embrace. For now, I'm really determined to make it here, play for La Salle and make the most of my God-given talents," he said.

The future looks bright enough for this talented young man.

With the right motivation and proper exposure, the sky's the limit for Barnes.

The UAAP and the PBA can't wait for new heroes.

Fil-American Josh Barnes in action.

S U N D AY : S E P T E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 1 5

SPORTS

RIERA MALL ARI EDITOR

sports@thestandard.com.ph

A ROAD LESS TAKEN; A LIFE WORTH LIVING

FOR Mark Joseph ‘Aga’ Casidsid, 31, being visually impaired was not a hindrance to living and doing what he enjoys most, which is to run races.This disability, while it may have ended the will of many people to live and enjoy life, has allowed him to see just how beautiful and worth living life can truly be.

His calvary began in 2003 when he lost his eyesight to Retinopathy of Prematurity or Retrolental Fibroplasia, a condition caused by premature birth, which results to gradual blindness.

In fact, his running partner Edgardo Pelingo Jr., fondly called as Coach Gado, a former Architect/Design and Construction Head from Primer Group of Companies, said that Aga even contemplated taking his own life.

“Gusto na nga niyang mag-suicide eh,” said the 33-year-old Gado, who has been running since 2007.

“But his father was concerned about him.

Sabi niya, baka raw pwede kong tulungan si Aga na tumakbo.”

Though the request seemed challenging, Gado took up the task of training him. He started running with Aga, who, despite his vulnerability, braved the steep terrains and, more importantly, the darkness that surrounded him.

“It took me about two weeks bago ko naturuan si Aga,” Gado said. “Hindi ko in-expect na madali siyang turuan.

Nag-worry lang ako nu’ng una kasi baka hindi kami magkarinigan ‘pag nandu’n na sa race, namawala ‘yung communication namin. Sinasabi ko pa kung kakanan o kakaliwa para ma-guide ko siya.”

Both Gado and Aga

Team Posible traverses the unpredictable terrains of Intramuros, life.

use 1-2-3 and a-b-c-d as their running codes to guide them through the marathons they participate in. The codes one, two and three refer to the speed, while a, b, c and d refer to their position (left, right, front, back). Aside from these codes, Gado ensures that they are mentally and physically ready before the gunstart.

Gado said: “Before, sabay pa kaming tumatakbo gamit ‘yung codes. Para mas maalalayan ko siya, nakatali siya sakin. Pero nu’ng nagtagal, pakiramdaman na lang kami. Siya ‘yung tumatakbo sa harap ko.”

With this, the Center for Outdoor Recreation and Expedition (CORE)— the advocacy arm of Primer Group—acknowledged the collaborative effort exerted by coach Gado in training Aga to run.

Now, they are officially recognized as Team Posible, bearing truth that even the most unfortunate circumstances like blindness may give birth to moments of triumph.

In fact, Gado and Aga recently joined the Salomon City Trail Manila 2015, a

loop run that provides unconventional challenges like running up the stairs, bridges and ramps, in the historic Intramuros in Manila. This run aims to elevate the running experience by bringing

the trail to an urban landscape.

The Salomon race is just one of the running events that Team Posible joined in. To support their running adventures in and outside the coun-

try, CORE has been partnering with The North Face and the Recreational Outdoor Exchange—the largest outdoor sports and recreation superstore in Southeast Asia—for their needed apparel,

footwear and other supporting equipment as well as their race registrations.

According to Tin Villaflor, program manager of C.O.R.E., Team Posible opens possibilities for indi-

B7

viduals who want to beat the odds, for people who want to go beyond the limits as they participate invarious kinds of sporting activities in and outside the Philippines.

“Team Posible originally refers to the relationship that coach Gado and Aga have.

With this campaign, we hope to also enjoin the most vulnerable Filipinos to find their own adventure for themselves and have a renewed zest for life and personal adventure,” Villaflor said.

For his part, Aga asserts that running has become his outlet to feel alive again, proving that regardless of his condition he will be able to make his every run an adventure in life.

“Para sa mga katulad ko, sana lumabas sila sa box, ‘yung malaman nila ang purpose nila kung bakit nagpatuloy parin ‘yung buhay nila.

Sana ma-enjoy din nila ‘yung buhay nila dahil nakakapag-inspire sila ng ibang tao,” Aga said.

Aga concluded: “Ang race naman talaga is challenging, pero ang adventure manggagaling sa start hanggang sa finish line. Sana mahanap rin ng iba ‘yung adventure nahinahanap nila kasi ako, nakita ko na.”

B8 RED-HOT JUNIOR SPORTS PIRATES CHASE LAST SPOT IN FINAL FOUR S U N D AY : S E P T E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 1 5

REUEL VIDAL EDITOR

sports@thestandard.com.ph

x 10 cm T Text and photos

by Peter Atencio

Lyceum University Junior Pirates big man Mclaude Guadana (16) stretches to grab the basketball against the Emilio Aguinaldo College Brigadiers.

HE Lyceum Junior Pirates are on a roll, as they cut a swathe across the landscape riding a sixgame winning streak in the 91st National Collegiate Athletic Association Junior Basketball Tournament.

How do you nt your news erved today?

College of Saint Benilde (La Salle Greenhills Greenies) player Andrei Magpantay (7) starts to elevate for a layup against San Sebastian Staglets defender Damie Cuntapay (10).

The Junior Pirates ww.thestandard.com.ph stayed in contention for a Final Four semifinal slot after their 95-90 overtime victory over the Emilio Aguinaldo College-Immaculate Conception Academy Brigadiers last Thursday at The Arena in San Juan.

They are tied in fifth place with the La Salle Greenhills Greenies (College of St. Benilde).

Both are seeking the last semis berth in the 91st National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Junior Basketball Tournament.

Makki Santos drove off Kerby Dularte in the last 1:56 to help the Junior Pirates move ahead.

In the end, he led all scorers with 24 points.

Even after the Junior Pirates lost to the Mapua Red Robins, 61-64, they never lost hope.

They continued be-

lieving that they will make it, with coach LA Mumar guiding them on.

“May pag-asa pa.

Malayo pa kasi,” said Mumar.

Their run of victories started with their 76-73 triumph over the Letran Squires, followed by 88-82 romp in the first round over the Staglets.

It continued with

5 col x 14 cm

a 79-76 beating of the Brigadiers, before they smashed the Staglets again, 88-74, in the second round.

To grab in the Final Four, they will have to

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hurdle the Jose Rizal University Light Bombers, and the tougher LSGH Greenies.

“La Salle Greenhills yan, eh,” said Mumar, noting that the Greenies will be toughest opponents that are waiting for them.

Against the Brigadiers, the game went into overtime, 83-all, after the 18year old Santos missed three of four charities in the last 12 seconds.

In the extra period, Santos scored on a drive off Kerby Dularte in the last 1:56.

This gave the Junior Pirates a 5-point lead, a 90-85 advantage, and lots of space to pull off the win.

“Maganda ito, we have a chance. Nasa amin pa ang aming kapalaran,” said Mumar.

Santos, a 10th grader, is just one of four key players who can make things happen for the Junior Pirates. He averages of 10.8 points and 10.73 rebounds.

His output is considered his highest in 14 games. Providing plenty of support are teammates Generoso Cecilio, Chester Jungco and Mclaude Guadana who need to be more productive.

“We are not the most talented. But this team fights to the end,” said Mumar.

Meanwhile, Alain Madrigal banged in 20 to carry the La Salle Greenhills Greenies (College of St. Benilde) to an 87-57 smashing of the San Sebastian Staglets.

Both have 10-6 winloss records, while the Brigadiers dropped out of contention at 8-8.

They are still at risk of losing their grip and let slip a semis slot, considering that they have tough opponents in

their last three games.

On the other hand, the San Beda Red Cubs are on a 15-game winning streak. They repulsed the Staglets last Tuesday.

The Mapua Red Cubs, with their 14-game winning romp, are close in second, after coming away with an 86-73 swamping of the Braves on Friday last week.

Getting past the Staglets have boosted the bid of the Greenies.

With the win, the Greenies have posted four consecutive triumph following their loss to the Brigadiers last Sept. 4.

Their efforts to survive the cut for the Final Four gathered steam with their 69-48 whipping of the Letran Squires, followed by an 87-54 thumping over the JRU, and an 83-58 romp over Perpetual Help.

In repulsing the Staglets, coach John Flores gave the 6’2” Madrigal free rein in the post since they are man short under the basket. One of their big men, John Malillin, was not allowed to play because of studies.

“He played out of position. He played post.

And he played well,” said Flores.

Flores said the team was not focused on what will happen in their game with the Staglets, but how they will deal with the Pirates and the Red Robins, their remaining foes.

“Right now, we are not talking about the standings. But how we will finish the last two games,” said Flores.

Statswise, Madrigal, who is from Boac, Marinduque, is among the top players of the Greenies, averaging 10 points and 7.31 rebounds.

S U N D AY : S E P T E M B E R 2 7 : 2 0 1 5

C1

TATUM ANCHETA EDITOR

BING PAREL A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R

BERNADETTE LUNAS

life @ thestandard.com .ph

WRITER

@LIFEatStandard

S U NDAY L IF E

LIFE Vatel Restaurant Manila executive chef and DLS-CSB faculty member Pierre Cornelis

The Vatel Restaurant Manila located at the roofdeck of Hotel Benilde Maison De La Salle.

CHEF PIERRE CORNELIS:

Preparing Benilde students for world-class challenges

“S

ometimes, people think that for something to be good, we have to pay for imported ingredients. It is not true,” remarks Pierre Cornelis, executive chef of Vatel Restaurant Manila who also happens to be a faculty member of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management (SHRIM). Use your imagination, he once told his students, then whipped up a “100 percent Filipino ice cream” made of Cerveza Negra (a local beer) and inexpensive Philippinemade chocolate.

A graduate of the Ecole d’hôtellerie et de Tourisme de la Ville de Liège in Belgium where he developed his culinary expertise with a solid foundation of classical French cuisine, Chef Pierre Cornelis soon found himself discovering the gastronomic world of southern France. It was there that he further polished his skills with the region’s rich Mediterranean influences inspired by the sea and island of Corsica.

He eventually migrated to Canada, creating dishes at the prestigious Le Westin Montreal and Hilton Garden Inn Montreal Centre-Ville. For five years, he served as executive chef of world-class wellness resort La Spa Eastman, and his stint inspired him to author Le Spa Eastman a Votre Table, a cookbook that featured over a hundred original recipes focusing on health and nutrition – for which he received the 2006 Cuisine Canada Gold Award.

BY BING PAREL

Cornelis soon found his way to the Philippines where he established the La Regalade in Makati in 2009 which landed in Philippine Tatler’s list of the Best Restaurants on that same year.

It is this experience and expertise that the French chef imparts to his students at the Benilde School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management – an institution where future hoteliers, restaurateurs and tourism managers are honed and prepared with the necessary knowledge, skills, attitude and training to face the demanding challenges of the hospitality, travel, tourism and culinary sectors.

Established in 1996, SHRIM is committed in its mission to produce industry-ready students and graduates who possess not only the requisite solid academic foundation but Benildean core values to become successful entrepreneurs and worldclass managers. This commitment led to the creation of the “Student Hatchery Program,” a revolutionary innovation in the Philippine hospitality education by Benilde that seeks to provide students with work venues where they can hone and practice their skills in culinary preparation, food service, front office and housekeeping operations, and travel management.

It also serves as training ground where students can apply all management theories they learned in the classroom ranging from business planning, marketing, sales, to budgeting and cost control as well

Students of the Benilde School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management look forward to a bright future.

Chef Pierre Cornelis with his students

as human resource management.

In short – to develop students into well-rounded individuals who are professionally competent and ready to enter the real work environment of the hospitality industry. SHRIM “hatcheries” include Hotel Benilde Maison De La Salle, Vatel Restaurant, Solomon Guest House, Green Cuisine, Chef Station and Andrew Cafe.

What also makes SHRIM distinct is the fact that it offers two degree programs with strong management orientation: Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management (BS-HRIM) and Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management (BS-IHM).

Theory and practice are integrated in BS-HRIM to equip students with a strong service orientation and a global perspective of hotel and restaurant operations, with three tracks of specialization: Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Tourism Management. On the other hand, BS-IHM (first offered in school year 2008-2009) is the first international double-degree program in the Philippines under the new transnational guidelines of the Commission of Higher Education.

The program leverages on its partnership with the Vatel International Business School, a world-renowned hotel-school based in France. In 2007, it ranked first among the Top Ten Hotel Schools across Europe according to the Institute of Public Surveys. In 2010, it received the Best Professional Success as well as the Best Teaching Innovation awards, with professionals

DLS-CSB students are prepared to face the demanding challenges of the hospitality, tourism and culinary sectors.

in the hospitality industry recognizing the school as the leading European School in its category. The partnership enables graduates of IHM to receive both a Philippine Bachelor’s degree (BS-IHM) and a French Bachelor’s degree (Manager en Hôtellerie Internationale) – recognized by the European Union.

“I chose IHM because serving other people has really been my passion since I was small. I also like the fact that I get to finish two degrees after four years here in CSB, unlike in other schools offering International Hospitality Management,” says Nina Reyes, a student.

“As a mother, I want what’s best for my daughter Nina. I support her decision to be in Benilde. I have done a lot of research and found out that IHM in DLS-CSB has the number one rating among other colleges and universities,” says Riezlyn, Nina’s mom.

Sissy Fayyad, an IHM freshman, disclosed that she chose the course “because I get to graduate with two degrees (French and Philippine). I also love traveling, and the great thing about the course is that you will get to know a lot about other

countries,” she says, looking forward to a Summer Exchange Program in Vatel Nimes (South of France).

Students have also been benefitting from the wine education and tours organized by Vatel Bordeaux and the tourism exposure in Paris. Benilde on the other hand has also played host to international exchange students from Vatel Paris, Vatel Bordeaux and Vatel Switzerland.

“I think that’s the best course for my daughter since she loves traveling and helping people, and I want her to be successful doing the things she loves,” Sissy’s mom Maylene Gonzales avers.

For his part, Chef Pierre says he is “happy to be part of the DLSCSB institution because I am able to share my knowledge with students after being in the industry for many years. The last step in their college education and training is when they pass at Vatel – after which they move on to an internship and very soon get to experience professional work,” he beams.

It would seem that students like Nina and Sissy can cook up a bright future ahead – with a lot of help from Chef Pierre Cornelis, naturellement!

SUNDAY : SEPTEM B ER 27 : 2015

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

PERFECTLY IMPERFECT CAROTID ARTERY

BY TATUM ANCHETA I have always wondered what the fuss is about people who love destressing with a coloring book, and finally the other day I got to try it for myself. I walked in on an event where one activity is to color paper with a landscape outline. The medium is watercolor, so I excitedly jumped on it thinking, “Oh, I’m a painter, I’m sure mine will look great,” and sat there with a smug smile on my face. I got a photo with a view of women harvesting roses in a field; there was a guide and all you have to do is copy it. So I started to mix the colors. Painting with watercolor starts from light to dark, and I am used to using acrylic where you can always go back and put something light on top of dark paint. With watercolor, you have little control over the paint and it dries so fast. As I worked on the piece, I started to feel anxious, stressed, and I looked over at the other people and they all looked happy working on theirs.

What the hell is wrong with me?

“Coloring” as they say should be therapeutic right? And I sat there sweating, my piece didn’t look like how I imagined it and, the darn watercolor was messing up the outline. Ugh! I don’t know why people say “coloring” is anti-stress!

My instant reaction was to consult my long time doctor, Dr.

Google. So I typed away on the search button: “Why do some people get stressed with coloring books?” I couldn’t get an answer, all I got were – “it’s a stress reliever,” “more coloring books for adults,” “it’s the new craze!”, “Color the stress away…”

I ended up on the fifth page and still no results! What an uncommon phenomenon! So I diagnosed myself instead (lol). I think that being confined to outlines stresses me, having no control of the image I am coloring makes me really agit.

Typical, such a “control freak.”

Control freaks, I always see these people everyday and fail to recognize that I, too, am one. Guilty.

Sooo guilty. “Why are you so irate?”

I usually get this question from

friends, officemates, my exes and people at home. I usually get angry if things don’t happen as I expect them to be. I always think that things need to be a certain way, done a certain way, and then the world would be perfect. Control freaks are often perfectionists, critical and obsessive.

In certain situations, it can be good, but often bad.

“Ate, pwede na po akong sumubo?” asked my sister-in-law as we were eating dinner, then she started to laugh. I was talking to her and asking her so many things, and I commanded attention as I was speaking. I was a little shocked being asked if it was okay for her to start eating. It made me feel bad to be perceived as “controlling” because seriously, sometimes the

most “controlling” person in the room usually is the most clueless of his or her behavior. And you know, we don’t necessarily mean bad, we actually mean well; we just fail to recognize that we are different and people around us are different, too.

We just want things to get done, and to create possible solutions.

Over the years of managing people under the creative department I had to accept that people don’t all work the same, and everyone has a way of doing things. Oh yes, especially creative minds. I learned how to let go of my own personal mantra – “If you want something done, you have to do it yourself.” But it took me years to adjust to it.

“Chill, loosen up, just let it be,” so they always say. It does feel

liberating, like dancing in the middle of the club and shaking everything off, losing control. To let go means you have to shed all expectations and let everything take its own course. This also means you are vulnerable. Oh God, that word makes me want to hold on tighter on a piece of rope.

“We live in a vulnerable world.

And one of the ways we deal with it is we numb vulnerability,” explains Brené Brown in The power of vulnerability, TEDxHouston, 2010.

“The other thing we do is we make everything that’s uncertain certain.

Religion has gone from a belief in faith and mystery to certainty. ‘I’m right, you’re wrong. Shut up.’ That’s it. Just certain. The more afraid we are, the more vulnerable we are, the more afraid we are.”

Control breeds certainty, it does feel better to know. “What time will I get there?”, ‘If I jump I will be okay,” “If I eat this it will not make me fat,” “I can get sick today, then I will be okay at this exact date when I have a schedule.” “Yes, this writer will submit tomorrow,” “No, I will not grow old alone,” “This date will turn out fine,” “If I vote for this President he/she will turn the country around.”

To know is liberating, but to keep expecting it to turn out the way you think it should is not.

So, I shall buy a coloring book and finish every page and try not to be stressed. Oh God, stress…

For comments, suggestions and violent reactions, you may email me at tatum@thestandard.com.ph.

For my crazy life’s adventures follow me at @tatumancheta on Instagram and Twitter.

SUNDAY : SEPTEM B ER 27 : 2015

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

GIFTS OF HOPE FROM THE YELLOW BOAT

M

ore than 300 kids of families in Barangay Matiang in Bocaue, Bulacan became the beneficiary of bags and school supplies from the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation and Melissa Villa-Wilcox, an OFW in San Jose, California. Dubbed Project P.E.A.R.L.S. (Peace Education Aspiration Respect Love Smiles), the project’s beneficiaries were families who had been relocated from a slum community in Tondo, Manila.

Veterinarian Anton Lim, who heads the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, has been active in various charitable initiatives since 2010, helping to address the prevalent needs of the less fortunate in society, believing that providing even the most basic needs to disadvantaged people are enough to bring them hope for a better future.

Both the families of Lim and Villa-Wilcox were among the past recipients of the Jollibee Family Values Awards, Jollibee’s annual recognition for exemplary Filipino families.

During the event that was co-sponsored by Bag 943 (a social entrepreneurship venture which gives schoolbags to students to champion education), the kids received backpacks with school supplies and were treated to Jollibee snacks in the special Jolly Joy Box capped by a special appearance of the well-loved Jollibee mascot.

“Giving the kids school bags is just the first step in helping boost the morale of the youngsters and keeping their dreams of a

better education within reach. It’s more than just a bag. It’s a symbol of where you put your pencil and notebook, and that represents hope,” said Dr. Lim. “We just don’t come here and give bags, we also encourage them to study hard because that’s the only way our country will move forward,” he added.

The Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation started in Layag-Layag, a mangrove village in Zamboanga City where children brave the river just to reach school. The foundation provided boats to ferry the students to school and to enable the families to earn a living through fishing.

Project P.E.A.R.L.S., on the other hand, was established in 2008 by Villa-Wilcox, who also serves as executive director, to engage in outreach programs and gather volunteers to help the poorest of the poor.

Her husband, Clif and their daughter Francesca also help in the fundraising events and in developing educational programs while Villa-Wilcox’s brother Juan oversees all local operations as team leader in the Philippines.The group has worked hard to relocate the community away from Barangay Ulingan in Tondo where factories threaten the health of the children. Scholarship grants are also provided by the organization for the affected students.

Despite having different advocacy programs, the two organizations work hand-in-hand to help make the Philippines a better place.

Jollibee entertains the children during the outreach program in Barangay Matiang, Bocaue, Bulacan.

Melissa Villa-Wilcox of Project P.E.A.R.L.S. and Dr. Anton Lim of the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation as they distribute langhap-sarap meals in Jolly Joy Boxes for the kids.

Agricultural sustainability with Monsanto

S

Officials of Monsanto reached out to students and officials of Nazareth High School to enhance knowledge on sustainable agriculture aimed at empowering farmers.

ustainable agriculture company Monsanto is actively conducting seminars to empower farmers, the most recent of which was at the University of the Philippines Mindanao and Nazareth High School with over 980 students participating.

Entitled “Monsanto & the Work That We Do,” the series of seminars covered the following topics that include Sustainable Agriculture; careers in Monsanto; choosing a career in Agriculture and the company’s corporate social responsibility programs.

“We make it a point to reach out to students because they have a lot of potential to make a difference in the agriculture sector,” corporate affairs lead Charina Garrido-Ocampo explained.

“The aim of our continuous student outreach is not only to highlight the need for relevant partnerships with academic organizations, but also to raise awareness on the state of the agricultural industry today. We also hope to spark their interests by showing how pertinent the issue of food sustainability is and sharing

the available personal development opportunities that come along with the careers in agricultural companies, such as Monsanto,” Ocampo added.

Other company executives such as regulatory affairs lead Dr. Gabriel Romero and HR officials as well as plant pathology lead for Asia Pacific Jorgen Abellera also spoke about their respective fields of expertise, answering questions from the audience.

“Monsanto & the Work that We Do” has been ongoing since last year and has already reached around 1,650 students.

Aside from Nazareth High School and UP Mindanao, Monsanto has also engaged students at the Mariano Marcos State University and the Mindanao State University-General Santos.

Through various pertinent programs and partnerships, Monsanto is committed in collaborating with farmers, researchers, nonprofit organizations, universities and others to help tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges in terms of nourishing our growing world.

S U N D AY : S E P T E M B E R 2 7 : 2 0 1 5

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

Enclosed in something blue are Tiffany & Co.’s sparkling diamonds.

Maritess Tantoco-Enriquez Fashion design icon Inno Sotto with Hola’s Jose Mari Ugarte.

“I was just here to shop!” – Rustan’s frequent shopper Diana Jean Lopez

Rustan’s April Marquez and Karen Cheng.

Catherine Arambulo-Antonio Michelle Barrera with Rustan’s Frannie Jacinto in her shade of blue is chic in blue contrast.

Mariana Mayorga and white.

INTO SOMETHING BLUE #INTHEMOMENT

BY FRANCIS DE LEON

Mother-daughter bonding (through shopping) moment with Audrey Tan-Zubiri and Dette Aquino-Tan.

Ruby Chua and Linda Yu, VIP shoppers at Rustan’s “Something Blue” event.

Say “I do” to Rustan’s Dina Tantoco, Susan Joven and Hera Geriene.

Personally, blue suits me. It is a primary color that more or less defines (or accentuates) my choice attire for work or play. Naturally, when one of my close friends invited this columnist to personally accompany her at an exclusive event accorded to VIP clients (in this case, a fine lady who frequently shops with the expert assistance of a personal shopper) of Rustan’s, I instinctively wore something blue.

Perhaps, it’s the (hopeless) romantic in me? Simply put, I like every shade of it even if my Alma Mater is for all shades of green. In spirit, I am all for the latter. (Cue, Alma Mater song… Okay, gather.

That’s another story!) Albeit briefly, please accept my apologies for not being in the moment (pun intended).

Kindly let this columnist stay on track as I proceed to the real story of this Sunday’s column.

Just recently, Tiffany and Co., the world’s diamond authority, introduced its engagement rings in the Philippines through an exclusive event entitled “Something Blue” at The Gallerie of Rustan’s Makati.

Rustan’s transformed the venue into a well-curated showcase of Tiffany & Co.’s celebrated

Wearing “Something Blue” are (from left) Atty. Rene Puno, Metro Society’s Raul Manzano, Ann Puno and Bulgari’s Mario Katigbak.

Mikkel Puyat, Paulo Tantoco, and Alexandra Eduque

Elegance and grace Tanja Sadow, Eva Abesamis, and personified in Tina Jacinto with husband Rupert Jacinto. Sitoy Lopez.

engagement rings. Among the rings viewed by the many avid VIP shoppers and A-list crowd were the six-prong Tiffany Setting, introduced by founder Charles Lewis Tiffany in 1886. The Tiffany Setting is still recognized as one of the world’s most popular engagement rings.

The Tiffany Harmony, on the other hand, features a tapered platinum band and round brilliant diamond with a wedding band that shares the engagement ring’s elegant contours.

The showcased collection also included Fancy Shapes: emerald cut, heart and pear on the Tiffany band,

as well as the Tiffany Soleste styles.

The enclosed (and well-guarded) labyrinth of customized worktops all sparkled with diamonds and divided by walls coated with the thematic shade of blue.

Since Tiffany’s founding in 1837, it has established a solid reputation of having the finest collection of diamonds. Its diamond standards are far more stringent than those recognized by the industry. Then and now, an infinitely trifling number of the world’s diamonds is able to meet their specifications. Those that pass the grade are hand cut to ensure

maximum brilliance and beauty, thereby making the diamond’s qualities the object of romantic fascination for centuries and which has set Tiffany & Co. a cut above the rest. This guarantees that each Tiffany & Co. engagement ring holds a diamond as rare and precious as the symbol it represents.

According to Rustan’s, a Tiffany Diamond Certificate accompanies each ring that certifies the stone’s authenticity and that quality assurance of the most stringent requirements has been achieved.

Moreover, it is supported by a full lifetime warranty including lifetime services of cleaning, inspection and ring sizing. These extended services and certificate are proof of Tiffany and Co.’s commitment to heritage and excellence. Now that (smile, if you concur) is a promise not meant to be easily broken.

So for those (my dear romantics) who are into all shades that represent love everlasting? Definitely, a Tiffany & Co. engagement ring is the most authentic symbol that embodies that emotion of trust and commitment.

More often than not, love is linked with romantic traditions and sealed with a diamond engagement ring. It is made more special when presented in a Tiffany Blue Box, recognized the world over as the icon for beauty and glamour.

Tiffany Diamond Engagement Rings are exclusively available at Tiffany & Co. Rustan’s Ayala Center, Makati City.

Follow me on Twitter or Instagram @francis_deleon8.

SUNDAY : S EPT EMBER 27 : 2015

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

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Korean Film Festival at sm Cinemas

K

orean film enthusiasts have more on-screen excitement to look forward to as the annual Korean Film Festival showcases seven blockbuster and critically acclaimed films at selected SM Cinemas until Oct. 11.

A joint partnership between the Korean Embassy’s Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines and SM Cinema, the film festival opened at SM Lanang Premier in Davao on Sept 17 and ran until the 20th. This time, the festival is at SM City Iloilo where it opened on Sept. 24 and closes today. On Oct. 1 until the 4th, it will be at SM City Cebu. The film festival’s culminating event will be on Oct. 8 to 11 at SM Megamall.

Other partners include the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Film Cultural Exchange Program, the Korea Tourism Organization – Manila (KTO), the Korea Copyright Commission, and the Park Inn by Radisson in Davao.

The featured films give us a glimpse of Korean history and culture. The Front, starring Shin Ha-Yyun and Go Soo, is about the connection of two friends despite the emergence of the Korean War in 1950. Duresori: The Voice of East is the story of a group of traditional Korean music students in their last year of high school and the challenge they are faced.

It gives us an the enriching perspective of Korean music.

Other films highlight different aspects of Korean everyday life. Hope, starring Sol KyungGu, Uhm Ji-Won and Lee Re is about a family whose bond was made stronger by the ordeal that their child had to go.

On the lighter side, there is Miss Granny, a story about a woman in her 70s who magically finds herself in the body of her 20-year-old self after having her picture taken at a mysterious photo studio; and Marriage Blue, a blockbuster movie about the life of four couples who are about to get married but are faced with doubts about whether this will work.

There are also crime and action films such as Cold Eyes, which is about a high-technology police surveillance team’s attempt to take down a gang of ruthless bank robbers; and The Thieves – the fourth highest grossing movie in Korean film history - which is about the connection among different kinds of people who are brought together by their love for money.

For more information and queries, please contact the Korean Cultural Center at 555-1711 or email events@koreanculture.ph.

The 2015 Korean Film Festival is one of the many interesting cultural events of SM Cinema.

The Front Line is a war - action movie that centers on the historical Korean War in 1950s that brought about the division between North and South Korea.

The Thieves is about a group of people band together to steal from a gangster’s mistress. This is the fourth highest grossing movie in Korean film history.

The Korean Embassy’s annual Korean Film Fest will unreel in SM Cinemas at SM Lanang Premier, SM City Iloilo, SM City Cebu, and SM Megamall this September and will feature seven critically acclaimed films.

Hope is based on a true story about a family whose bond became stronger because of the ordeal that their child had to go through.

Cold Eyes focuses on a high-tech police surveillance team Duresori: The Voice of East features a group of traditional who attempts to take down a gang of ruthless bank robbers. Korean music students in their last year of high school who formed a choir to fill a requirement in school.

Marriage Blue is a blockbuster romantic - comedy about four couples who are about to get married but are faced with the question: ‘Is marriage really for them?’

Miss Granny follows the adventures of a woman in her 70s who magically finds herself in the body of her 20-year-old self after having her picture taken at a mysterious photo studio.

SUNDAY : S EPT EMBER 27 : 2015

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SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

ALDUb fUELS GMA’S OnLinE SitES

G

MA Network, according to Alexa, continues to prove its leadership online with latest metrics results showing that its news and entertainment portal, GMANetwork.com, is the no.1 local website in the Philippines.

According to the latest Alexa rankings, as of Sept. 16, GMANetwork.com is the sixth most visited website in the country, just behind global online giants Facebook, Google, YouTube and Yahoo, and is the only Philippine website in the Top 10.

This is consistent with results from another metrics provider, Effective Measure (EM). According

to partial September (Sep. 1 to 13) data from EM, GMA’s online portal (www.gmanetwork.com) remained the top website in the Philippines with page views reaching over 108 million. The portal was also the no.1 website in August with over 228 million page views, ahead of ABS-CBN.com, among others.

GMA News Online (www.gmanetwork.com/news) and the GMA Entertainment website (www. gmanetwork.com/entertainment) are the top choice for news and entertainment content online as both websites showed significant increase in page views during the covered period. Both sustained their leads over competition, in-

cluding ABS-CBNNews.com and ABS-CBN.com, and remained no.1 in their respective categories.

GMA News Online (www.gmanetwork.com/news) drove the increase in traffic for the portal and almost doubled its page views since the site launched its new, sleeker, more mobile-friendly interface in August.

GMANetwork.com - Entertainment also beat its counterpart ABSCBN Portal, as netizens consumed a continuous stream of engaging content about local celebrities and up-to-date showbiz news.

Eat Bulaga’s “KalyeSerye” featuring the AlDub love team of Alden Richards and Maine Men-

Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza otherwise known as AlDub

doza further propelled the surge in pageviews, becoming one of the most sought-after content in the portal. There was also a high interest in issues related to traffic and the Bureau of Customs’ rules on balikbayan boxes.

GMA Network’s social media sites also registered positive growth with the Network’s Facebook fan base totaling 6.5 million, while amassing over 502 thousand followers on Twitter and 161

thousand followers on Instagram.

Meanwhile, 3.3 million users on Twitter have been following GMA News by the end of August, making it the most followed news organization in the country. Its Facebook page has reached 5.4 million likes and its Instagram page has gained over 51,000 followers. It is also the most followed news organization on Viber’s Public Chat with more than 140 thousand followers.

Sarah G’S tribute to model Pinoy familieS Popstar princess and Jollibee endorser Sarah Geronimo has been tapped by the country’s leading fast food chain to interpret the theme song for its annual Jollibee Family Values Awards (JFVA).

Entitled ‘Pamilyang Pilipino’

by Trina Belamide, the song highlights the role of families in nation building as they passionately live out positive Filipino values. Belamide is the same writer of the 1995 World Youth Day anthem “Tell the World of His Love” and Jollibee’s classic “Maaga ang Pasko” jingle.

“The song conveys how love,

Trina Belamide and Sarah Geronimo

compassion and values start within a family and transcend to grow communities and help the

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 80 82 83 84

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Flea-market deal 7 Salmon do it 12 Dogie catcher 17 Enthusiasm, plus 21 Snare 22 “Tiny Alice” penner 23 Shuttle course 24 Part of a.k.a.

25 Wishes and hopes 26 Embroidery 28 — de foie gras 29 Blimp title 30 Wild felines 32 Prime-time hour 33 Rock tumbler stones 35 Ms. Nazimova 37 Catchers’ gloves 38 Hogan and Vereen 39 Calorie counters 40 Fallback strategy (2 wds.)

42 NASA’s — Grissom 43 Freighter hazard 44 Classified info?

(2 wds.)

45 47 48 49 52 53 54 55 59 61 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 72 73 74 75 76 77

Brush the dog Just average (hyph.)

Becomes a dad Dallas sch.

Mi. above sea level Wrinkle Sun-bleached Comic-strip possum Shoe part Trifles Road flare Torch’s misdeed Hamlet “Slither” actor Edged doilies Merry sound (hyph.)

Big — — elephant Calla lily, in botany — Carlo Strong alkali Foul callers Pint-sized Barbecue extras Electrical unit

Puffy hairstyles Conjecture Jungle knife Vulcan high priestess 85 Cluttered 87 CEO degrees 88 Lobster eaters’ need 89 — the ticket!

90 ’60s jacket 91 Travel kit item 94 Foams up 95 Tabloid tidbit 96 Rations out 97 Mendicant’s shout 98 London lav 99 Feed for horses 100 Cow barns 101 Hitchhiker’s need 102 Ford predecessor 104 Disunions 107 TV handyman 108 Beaver project 109 Beeps 113 Rodeo gear 114 Open meadows 115 Be accepted (2 wds.)

117 Chalet feature 118 Andre of tennis 119 Not hidden 120 Added oxygen 122 Superman foe — Luthor 123 Kennedy and Turner 124 Campus squares 127 Ease up 129 Fashion magazine 130 Common practice 131 Tennyson’s “— Arden” 132 Move out 133 Blended whiskeys 134 Fix firmly 135 Utah range 136 Of greatest age

country rise above challenges.

It encourages Filipinos to follow the examples of these mod-

el families honored by Jollibee as they spread hope and inspire others with their kindness and generosity,” Belamide said.

Sarah said the song is close to her heart. “I grew up in a tightly knit family. At malaking bahagi ang pamilya ko at ang pag-aalaga sa akin ng aking mga magulang sa kung ano man ang narating ko ngayon. I understand and appreciate the importance of sharing and practicing our Filipino values within our families first,” she added.

Now on its 5th year, JFVA is the fast food chain’s way of up-

holding positive Filipino values by honoring families that pursue special advocacies benefitting fellowmen and the larger community.

This year’s JFVA winners weree announced during the Gabi ng Parangal para sa Pamilyang Pilipino on Sept. 24 at the PICC Plenary Hall. Five Filipino families and one Global Pinoy Family of the Year were conferred with the prestigious recognition along with special citations for advocacies on education, children, environment, persons with disabilities and minority groups.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

DOWN 1 Amtrak attendant 2 Matriculate 3 — Artois 4 A Knute successor 5 Wordsworth contemporary 6 — Downs 7 Private place 8 Trouser features 9 Helps a crook 10 Ties the knot 11 “— Blu Dipinto di Blu” 12 Cowboy skill 13 Hair curlers 14 Irish Rose’s guy 15 Non-rusting metal 16 Reached 17 “Viva —!”

18 Walking on air 19 Late bloomers 20 Wind-borne silt 27 January, in Jalisco 31 Chauvinist 34 Comes down with 36 Filmmaker — Lee 38 Assail 39 Is adventurous 41 Wernher von — 43 — fide 44 Expand 46 “Grand — Opry” 47 Pisces or Libra 48 Buffet choice 49 Colleague of Kroft 50 Ferocious eel 51 Draw a sword 53 Croquet site 54 Swing wildly 55 Golfer’s tap 56 Bone specialist 57 Turn right 58 U.K. lexicon 60 Tibetan gazelle 61 Snakes or stoles 62 Pierre’s school

63 65 67 69 70 71 72 74 75 76 78 79

Stadium fillers Bakers’ meas.

For pick-up (2 wds.)

Formosa Strait city “Witness” folk Wasn’t colorfast Alice’s diner Karachi language Petty quarrels Port near Kyoto — yoga Rumpled

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 91 92 93 94

Resolute Orchestra members Drill attachments Even if, informally Numerical prefix After taxes Dust particles Cellar, briefly Crowd in Technical words Water holders — Romeo (car) Hunk’s date

96 98 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 110

Aura Ceiling Slant Rainforest vine Bullwinkle foe Lassie’s refusal Wisely Hold gently Whispers loudly Swerved Not roundabout Helmet-shaped flower parts 111 Doings

112 113 114 115 116 119 120 121 125 126 128

Two trios Down the road Windowsill Lawbreaker Brain messenger Auto import Hindu fire god Good buy Mil. branch Modern, in Munich HDTV feature, often

SUNDAY : S EPT EMBER 27 : 2015

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SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

Maricar reyes sidelines Medical career from c8

Adrian Pascual

Bryan Olano

Cholo dela Cruz

Edric Ulang Mico C.

Joshua Jacobe

Louie Pedroso

Miko M

Maricar Reyes-Poon

W

hat does a model with a major in biology at Ateneo, and graduated at the UST Medical School do these days?

She bakes choco-liquor cakes.

Maricar Reyes-Poon can make lots of money practicing medicine but she chooses to be in show business and focus on her new passion –baking. And she has a unique item. I’s called choco-liquor cakes. Among the fans of her cakes counting is Kris Aquino.

“I think most people expected Maricar to end up as a full-time doctor. But she ended up as a versatile character-actress. Similarly, most people also expected me to end up as a chef in our family restaurant. But I ended up in music,” Richard Poon, Maricar’s husband says amusingly.

Maricar admits, “Ever since our choco-liquor cakes were featured on TV, the orders came pouring in. They say our cakes taste very different from the rest because of the liquor component.”

As Maricar defies expectations

Celebrities’ favorite whitening soap

If you’re wondering why suddenly a favorite female or male star who used to be dusky becomes fairer on screen, he or she must be using a whitening soap regularly.

Most women will probably do

of her being a doctor, Richard also continues to go against popular music trends by launching his seventh studio album The Crooner Sings Burt Bacharach.

The new album has 12 of Bacharach’s most popular hits among Filipinos, like. “What The World Needs Now (Is Love Sweet Love),” “I Say A Little Prayer,” “Close To You,” “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head,” “Always Something There to Remind Me”, and “Walk on By”.

Richard shares, “My favorite Bacharach original is ‘Arthur’s Theme’ (If you get caught between the moon and New York City…)”

It seems Team Poon is going against the flow of popular expectations. Richard setting aside his chef history to go “Sinatra”-crooning, and wife Maricar also setting aside her doctor duties to go baking her choco-liquor cakes.

So far, success has been giving them both good company, even in the road less traveled.

You can order Maricar’s Choco-Liquor cakes at 09178648282.

HHHHH ‘To The Top’ finale TonighT Tonight we will have a new boyband. GMA’s newest boy band will be announced in To The Top airing its finale.

The final showdown features special guest judges Gerphil Flores and Jim Paredes who are to join main judge Ryan Cayabyab and the GMA Artist Center in selecting from the top 10 remaining contestants the five artists who will

anything to achieve that lighter and fairer skin. As they say, women with light complexion are prettier.

But there are those who have accepted and very proud of the color of their complexion, among whom is the only superstar Nora Aunor who even starred in a movie titled My Little Brown Girl.

However, people should know that not everything they apply on their bodies is good and beneficial. Skin whitening is a multi-billion dollar business globally and

pharmaceuticals have taken advantage of this undying obsession of men and women to defy aging and stay attractive.

The biggest concern on product like these is the excessive amount of bleach, acid, mercury and even the worst bleaching agent that can cause harm than good.

However, one reliable brand can proudly say that it is safe, affordable and most effective without the damaging whitening elements — Kojie-san.

Martin De Vera

Lance Busa

HHHHH la Union’s besT in ‘ang pinaka’ Ang Pinaka continues its series of mouth-watering food trips as host Rovilson Fernandez and field correspondents Boobay make up GMA’s newest boy band. Balbuena and Maey Bautista At stake is P1 million and a take viewers to a grand tour of three-year management contract the different home-grown restauwith GMA for the winning group. rants around the surfing capital of In this quest for victory, who Northern Luzon, La Union. among Lance Busa, Bryan OlaJoin all three as they discover no, Adrian Pascual, Mico Cruz, the richness and beauty of the Edric Ulang, Miko Manguba, Philippines by exploring the difLouie Pedroso, Joshua Jacobe, ferent food destinations that the Martin De Vera, and Cholo De country has to offer.

La Cruz will succeed?

Find out the top 10 “Ang PinaFind in To The Top after Kapu- ka: Yummy in La Union” today in so Mo, Jessica Soho tonight only Ang Pinaka at 6:30 PM on GMA on GMA 7.

News TV.

Kojie-san, the pioneer in kojic soap, is probably the hottest whitening soap available in almost every supermarket today. From a single soap inspired by the sinuous Japanese skin, Beauty Element Ventures Inc., (BEVI) it has created revolutionary products that changed many loyal users perspective in life and found confidence in their awakened beauty.

BEVI’s Kojie-san has proven its efficacy in lightening the skin.

Since it’s introduction to the

market in 2006, KOjie-san has always been to true and honest to its promise — effective, safe and quality lightening products that contain high-grade kojic acid.

It’s phenomenal growth in the market not only in the Philippines but in other parts of Asia, Middle East and Europe is a strong indication that Kojie-san is the brand to trust when it comes to lightening products that contain kojic acid because Kojie-san only uses highgrade quality kojic acid.

SUNDAY : S EPT EMBER 27 : 2015

C8

ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

Ka Erdy (Gabby Concepcion)

Young Felix Manalo (Dennis Trlllo) and wife Honorata (Bela Padilla)

A young Felix used to be a Catholic

Gabby Concepcion pallbearer at left plays Ka Eraño (Erdy) Manalo

‘Felix Manalo’ can break local box oFFice records ISAH V. RED Actor Dennis Trillo seems unaffected by the thought that Felix Manalo may be the biggest film ever in local box-office history.

Already, the Iglesia Ni Cristo leadership along with Viva Films, which produced the biopic of the INC founder, Ka Felix Manalo, has given notice to the Guinness Book of World Records, to observe the premiere screening of the film at the humungous Philippine Arena, which can seat 55,000 people. On Oct. 4, it will be transformed into a huge cinema with a screen in line with the film premiere, the Philippine Arena will be transformed into a theatre with 22 meters by 40 meters screen mounted for a full movie house experience. That screen is equivalent to a four-story building.

Ka Edwil Zabala, spokesman

for INC said, the congregation has been planning on making a film about Ka Felix but it only materialized two years ago.

The making of the film is rife with stories from multiple changes of directors and cast that finally landed on the lap of Joel Lamangan and actor Trillo.

Trillo was, during the press conference at Fiesta Pavilion of The Manila Hotel, at time groping for words to say how honored he was to be trusted with the role of Ka Felix whom millions of “kapatid” look up to with reverence.

“And I thought I was just going to play Ka Felix in his younger years, and then I was told the producers would simply age me with make up and prosthesis,” he said.

“I was flabbergasted, speechless and then I started reading on Ka Felix and studying his manner of speech through tapes that I was able to get. I also consulted with the ministers who were always around to make sure the life of Ka

Felix and his teachings were to be portrayed correctly.”

The movie will catapult Trillo as the country’s biggest star with over three million Filipinos (all Kapatid) filling up cinemas across the country during the films run beginning Oct. 10.

Vincent Del Rosario, producer at Viva, said, Felix Manalo will also

And I thought I was just going to play Ka Felix in his younger years, and then I was told the producers would simply age me with make up and prosthesis” Dennis Trillo, actor as Ka Felix Manalo

screen around the world where there are members of the congregation, The country’s biggest stars and other prominent celebrities, led Trillo, are expected to grace the momentous event at Philippine Arena.

In the movie, Dennis plays the lead role of Ka Felix Manalo, Iglesia ni Cristo’s first Executive Minister, while Bela Padilla plays the role of his wife, Ka Honorata.

The film also features other bigname stars like Gabby Concepcion who plays Ka Eraño (Erdy) Manalo, Gladys Reyes, Jacklyn Jose, Snooky Serna, Lorna Tolentino, Richard Yap, Dale Baldillo among others.

It was shot for 58 days over a period of eight months with only the best and well-respected names in the local film production scene doing tedious work to ensure world-class quality.

Joel’s team includes director of photography Rody Lacap, production designer Edgar Littaua, set design and construction Dan-

ny Red, costume designer Joel Marcelo Bilbao, hair and makeup Juvan Bermil, musical director Von de Guzman, sound engineer Albert Michael Idioma, film editor John Wong, visual effects supervisor Adrian Arcega, assistant director Arman Reyes and associate director Julius Alfonso.

Felix Manalo is monumental as it traces the origins and growth of the INC since 1914. It painstakingly covers and replicates events and locations as early as 1886 when Ka Felix was born until his demise in 1963.

Audiences will surely marvel at the elaborate production sets and costumes that cut across Philippine history as it relays Ka Felix’s trials and tribulations as an ordinary human being, a dutiful husband, a doting father, and a dynamic leader.

For a sneak peek at Felix Manalo’s trailer, visit or log on www.felixmanalothemovie.com or at VIVA Entertainment’s YouTube page. ➜ continued on c7