The Standard - 2015 December 03 - Thursday

VOL. XXIX NO. 294 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 THURSday : dECEMBER 3, 2015 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Bongbong gives Poe ‘brotherly advice’

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‘liBeral ruling will mar Polls’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

INDEPENDENT presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe on Wednesday accused her opponents, particularly resigned secretary Manuel Roxas II, of being behind a conspiracy to remove her from the presidential race by filing disqualification cases against her.

Indulging in a play on words, Poe said: “You know what they say, the decision was very liberal and it could mar the elections of 2016.”

Roxas, nicknamed “Mar,” is the candidate of the administration Liberal Party and the chosen successor of President Benigno Aquino III. Responding to queries on who could be behind her disqualification cases, Poe in a news conference said Roxas and Vice President Jejomar Binay, the presidential candidate for the opposition United Nationalist Alliance, saying they would benefit the most from her disqualification.

She also said they had their own people file cases against her.

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Duterte not abandoning presidential bid just yet

By John Paolo Bencito and Ronald o. Reyes

Press conference. Presidential candidate Grace Poe fields questions in Parañaque City on Wednesday during a press conference over her disqualification to run in next year’s elections. Ey AcAsio

A CONFIDANTE of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said he will not withdraw from the presidential race in 2016, even though his reason for running—to stop Senator Grace Poe—might be rendered moot by her disqualification.

“He’s running. It doesn’t matter anymore,” said Salvador Panelo, Duterte’s lawyer, in an interview with The Standard Wednesday.

“He told me that it’s about time that someone will stand for the Constitution. It seems that all candidates don’t stand for the rule of law. There’s political accommodation on the part of the other candidates,” Panelo added.

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“You already know it. You already know the connections.

You can see their operations.

Who have connections with powerful law firms? Who do we know are longtime allies of those who ran before?” Poe said.

She traced Roxas’ connection to the powerful Villaraza Cruz Marcelo & Angangco law firm—with former Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz acting as his adviser when he ran for vice president in 2010, and acting as his lawyer in his election protest against Binay.

Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, the chairman of the Senate Electoral Tribunal, was also a member of the law office, also known as “The Firm,” and voted to disqualify Poe. On the other hand, Poe said, it was UNA president and Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco and lawyer JV Bautista who first raised the residency and citizenship issues against her.

“Now, I’m being harassed.

I’m just doing what I need to do to be able to go through the process, to be able to overcome this hurdle,” she said.

The senator seemed reluctant at first to name Roxas and Binay, and even ended the press conference abruptly, only to return a few minutes later.

Pressed if she was referring to Binay and Roxas, Poe said yes—then said she was talking only about those running against her.

“Its now up to you, but that’s what I’m saying,” she said.

Poe said she was not intimidated by the efforts to remove her, but said she was made stronger by the challenges in her way.

On Wednesday, the lawyer for former Senator Francisco Tatad, who filed a disqualification case against Poe, said foundlings are only naturalized citizens of the Philippines and therefore cannot be elected president.

Election lawyer Manny Luna said Poe, who was disqualified by the Commission on Elections 2ndDivision Tuesday night, could face a jail term of one to six years for the election offense of making a “material misrepresentation” in her Certificate of Candidacy.

“Foundlings cannot in any way be a president or senator, unless you amend the Constitution. That’s the only way you can change the situation,” he added.

A day after the Commission on Elections Second Division ruled in favor of her, petitioner Estrella Elamparo filed another motion to exclude Poe from the 2016 official ballot.

In a five-page resolution, Elamparo said that since Poe’s Certificate of Candidacy was denied due course, the Comelec can exclude her name from the official list of candidates in the 2016 ballots to avoid confusion among voters.

“While respondent may still opt to file a motion for reconsideration within five days from receipt of the aforesaid resolution, petitioner respectfully submits that unless the 01 December resolution is reversed or restrained through a temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court,

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the same should be respected and implemented by excluding respondent from the list of official candidates for the presidency and from the ballots,” Elamparo, whose messenger filed the motion before the law department Wednesday, said.

Based on the timeline of the Comelec, the commission has to come up with the official list of presidential candidates on Dec. 10 and will start printing of ballots by early January 2016 Elamparo said she feared Poe’s camp would delay the proceedings until the senator’s name is included in the ballot.

“If she succeeds in delaying the case until after the elections, for instance, and her name is allowed in the meantime in the official list of candidates and ballots, the voters may be misled into voting for her thinking she is eligible or qualified,” Elamparo said.

“In her case, she is not just a nuisance candidate, she does not possess the required qualifications to begin with.

Her exclusion from the list of candidates is thus even more imperative,” she added.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez, however, said that it may be impossible for the poll body to exclude her from the ballot since the case has not been resolved with finality.

He said that it would be easier to just ignore the votes cast for that person than to take them out of the ballot.

“The more logical approach to that is, if a person has a pending motion with any body that might have an effect on the candidacy, and they’re put on the ballot, it’s easier to ignore the votes cast for that person, than to take them out of the ballot and then later on find out that they should’ve been on the ballot in the first place,” Jimenez said.

He said that it is too soon for the Comelec to decide since there are several cases pending against Poe that have yet to be resolved with finality.

“It’s too soon to write the end of this story,” Jimenez said.

In its ruling, the Comelec 2nd Division said Poe made a deliberate attempt to mislead or hide facts of her residency, which she declared as “10 years and 11 months” in her CoC. Its basis for saying this was Poe’s CoC in the 2013 senatorial elections.

The Palace on Wednesday denied any involvement in the disqualification ruling, saying the Comelec is an independent body.

“You have to accord each and every individual the respect of their office, the independence that they carry because it is important to them as constitutional commissioners to maintain their independence,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

“As responsible government officials, we need to maintain the integrity of the institution.

These are part of the constitutional framework of our democracy. They are independent minded commissioners.

They made the decision on those points in the same way that SET, an independent tribunal, also voted,” he said.

Lacierda said SET, an independent tribunal, voted in favor of Poe. With Sara Susanne Fabunan, John Paolo Bencito and Sandy Araneta

Marcos to Poe: Don’t lose hope of winning Poe’s running mate, Senator Francis Escudero, said the ruling was only a temporary setback, and that he was confident she would get relief from the Comelec en banc or the Supreme Court.

The 2nd Division of the poll body on Tuesday barred Poe, the frontrunner in all the recent opinion polls, from running for president due to “material misrepresentations” about her residency and citizenship in her Certificate of Candidacy.

But Marcos told Poe to keep going because she would succeed in the end as long as she knew she was doing the right thing.

Marcos again dismissed as “an urban legend” suggestions that he and Poe, a foundling, were actually siblings and said he saw no need to prove this through a DNA test.

Marcos said he was not surprised at all by the verdict, but said Poe’s camp could still do a lot to challenge it.

“The process is still long. Let us wait. We leave it to the best of our legal minds to decide exactly what to do,” he said.

Marcos also said the move against Poe was most likely part of a black propaganda campaign.

“This is not new, and we know there are many there that instead of helping their candidates are destroying them,” he said.

Escudero said he was confident that Poe would prevail.

“We still have faith in our justice system. We believe that in the end, Senator Grace will be allowed to run not only based on international and domestic laws, but also based on the factual situation

of the case,” Escudero said.

He added: “If we’re not able to achieve or attain justice in the Comelec 2nd Division, we are still hopeful that we will be able to attain it either in the Comelec en banc or in the Supreme Court.

“At the end of the day, laws are invented and created to achieve justice. I am of the firm belief that in the end justice will still prevail.”

Poe is also facing three other petitions for her disqualification from the presidential race due to citizenship and residency issues.

The cases have been consolidated and are pending before the Comelec 1st Division.

Escudero said the Senate Electoral Tribunal has already ruled that Poe is a natural-born Filipino citizen as defined in the 1987 Constitution, and therefore she is qualified to run and be elected as senator and even president.

“Senator Grace is a citizen of the Philippines from birth, without having to perform any act to acquire or perfect her Philippine citizenship,” he said.

Escudero could not hide his disappointment after the commissioners of the 2nd Division ignored a longstanding decision of the Supreme Court that he said is applicable to Poe’s case.

The Comelec’s 2nd Division said in its ruling that Poe misrepresented her period of residency in her 2016 COC because it did not jibe with the certificate for senator she filed in 2013.

“I am amazed with the resolution. The Comelec 2nd Division has no basis in say-

ing that the 2013 CoC was correct and the 2016 CoC was not correct. Up to now, I have been reading the Comelec resolution many times over and I failed to see any justification for that kind of conclusion,” Escudero said.

He added that the 2nd Division deliberately disregarded the doctrine of animus revertendi or the “intention to return” as cited by the Supreme Court when it allowed former First Lady Imelda Marcos to run as a representative of Leyte in 1995.

Despite her long absence from the province, Mrs. Marcos was allowed to run because of her previous manifestations of her intention to return.

Escudero said just like that of Mrs. Marcos, Poe’s honest mistake in indicating her residence in her CoC for the Senate to be only “six years and six months” was not binding proof of the length of her domicile in the Philippines.

He said the Supreme Court was also clear in saying that statements made in the CoC should not be taken against a candidate.

“I am wondering why the Comelec 2nd Division completely ignored the Supreme Court decision on the matter,” Escudero said.

In the House, Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares denounced the 2nd Division ruling, saying it violated the right of the sovereign people to choose their president.

“Senator Poe has decided to return and already resided and worked in the Philippines since May 2005, she even enrolled her children in our country’s schools during that time. This was after Fernando Poe Jr. died in December 2004. Senator Poe has already proven that she has indeed an intention to return, to stay and actually resided in the Philippines since May 2005 thus surpassing the residency requirement for running for the presidency,” Colmenares, a senatorial aspirant under Poe’s banner, said.

Duterte...

come out in public after victims and their families kept quiet for fear of public humiliation.

However, he also noted that the cases of abuse done by priests are not that many and are rarely recorded because the victims chose not to have them recorded.

Alfonso added that the allegations of abuse against minors will be investigated and Pope Francis himself, also a Jesuit priest, has ordered the pursuit of such cases.

Duterte, in an earlier interview during his Sunday show Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa broadcast live in Davao, challenged the survey frontrunner to show him her Filipino mother and he would withdraw from the presidential race.

When he finally decided to

run last month, Duterte said he would not stand for “an American president,” referring to Poe, whom he believes is not a natural-born Filipino citizen.

“Grace Poe is just the trigger, but it’s the Constitution that the senator-judges blatantly disregarded that [caused Duterte to run],” Panelo said.

“The senator judges did not follow the letter and spirit of the Constitution because of political accommodation,” he said.

Duterte continued to draw flak for a rambling, obscenitylaced speech that he delivered Monday at his proclamation by the PDP-Laban, where he cursed the Pope, admitted to killing criminals and said he would not give up his womanizing just because he was running for president.

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

SENATOR Ferdinand Marcos Jr. offered Senator Grace Poe some “brotherly advice” to not lose hope in the face of the decision of the Commission on Elections 2nd Division to disqualify her from running for president in 2016.

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Also on Tuesday, the Philippine Jesuits encouraged Duterte to talk to them about the sexual abuses the mayor claimed to have experienced as a student of the Ateneo de Davao.

The congregation’s spokesperson Rev. Emmanuel Alfonso assured the mayor that the information Duterte will given them will be handled properly and in utmost confidentiality.

“We extend our invitation to Mayor Duterte to tell his story and also to other Ateneo students who may have been abused in the past,” Alfonso said.

Alfonso said it is a fact that there were some abuses that happened in the past, some did not

“This is really sad because the LP and its cohorts are using every issue they can hit Senator Poe with, even the foundling issue. They are essentially discriminating against abandoned children and depriving them of their rights,” Colmenares added.

He added that the decision confirmed the belief of many that Aquino-appointed members of the poll body would yield to the Liberal party’s schemes to eliminate a popular rival so that its standard bearer, Manuel Roxas II, would have a chance of winning.

“This type of political maneuver has also been done before against Senator Poe’s father Fernando Poe Jr., though the Supreme Court then allowed him to be a presidential candidate a few weeks before the election. But the damage had been done to Poe,” Colmenares said.

He urged the commissioners not to be used by the ruling Liberal Party.

Reps. Roman Romulo of Pasig City and 1BAP partylist Rep. Silvestre Bello III also spoke up for Poe. Romulo, also a senatorial aspirant in Poe’s team, said the 1987 Constitution and other jurisprudence clearly provide that Poe is qualified to run for president.

The Palace on Wednesday appealed for sobriety and respect for the law following the 2nd Division ruling.

“Yesterday, a decision was rendered by a division of the Comelec on the candidacy of Senator Grace Poe. This decision was arrived at in the course of the constitutionally mandated functions of the Comelec,” said Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda.

“We understand that Senator Poe’s legal counsel will pursue and exhaust all remedies available to them, as is their right in this process. We believe that sobriety and respect for the law and its processes are the best way forward for all parties concerned,” Lacierda added. With Sandy Araneta Gabriela party-list Reps.

Luz Ilagan and Emmi de Jesus slammed Duterte for flaunting his womanizing ways and said his actions belittled women.

They also said his statements on women were “distasteful and unacceptable.”

More priests joined Catholic bishops in denouncing Duterte.

“I was also appalled by what he said, although now he is saying he was cursing the traffic situation and not the Pope. But he did curse the Pope and said that the Pope should go home, and if he comes back for another visit, he would not allow it,” said Fr. Amado Picardal, executive secretary on basic ecclesial communities at the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. With Sandy Araneta

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Jihadist leader escapes dragnet SUSPECTED jihadist leader Mohammad Jaafar Sabiwang Maguid, alias Commander Tokboy, has slipped past the military cordon in Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat and is believed to have fled to the hinterlands of the province’s coastal towns, the military said on Tuesday.

Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Salamat, commander of the First Marine Brigade based in Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat, said elements of the 6th Marine Battalion Landing Team and the Philippine National Police have overrun the 50-hectare camp of the Ansar alKhalifa Philippines after weeklong operations.

But Maguid remained at large although eight of his men were earlier killed in a four-hour battle on Nov. 26. Among the slain was Indonesian bomber Sucipto Ibrahim Ali, who is believed to be the group’s link to another jihadist group in Indonesia.

“In due time we will get him and his men,” Salamat said. “We continue our relentless campaign.”

On Nov. 26, the Marines and agents of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group went to Sitio Sinapangan, Barangay Butril to serve the arrest warrants against Maguid who is accused of various crimes, including a bombing in Gen. Santos City.

But when security forces approached the village, about 40 heavily armed lawless elements opened fire on government forces at 5:30 a.m., triggering the four-hour battle.

Salamat said Ali, who carries several other names, was a senior member of the Mujahideen Indonesian Timur and was believed to be training local militants on bomb making. PNA

Special case.

US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton is escorted by policemen and a jail guard after arriving at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City where he is to be detained pending his appeal of his conviction for the killing of Jennifer Laude in a motel in October 2014.

AFP PHOTO

Pemberton can appeal for bail, lawyer argues

By Rey E. Requejo UNITED States Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton can still be granted bail although he was convicted of homicide for killing transgender woman Jennifer Laude because he was found guilty of a crime that is bailable.

According to former justice undersecretary Jose Justiniano, who was part of the defense team of Lance Corporal Daniel Smith in the 2005 Subic rape case, Pemberton may ask the court to grant him bail while he is appealing his conviction.

“Since he [Pemberton] was convicted of homicide he can ap-

ply for bail. But of course whether or not that should be granted is the discretion of the court,” Justiniano said, in a telephone interview.

But Justiniano conceded that the court would have to be very careful in granting bail to Pemberton because he is a foreigner who can leave the country anytime.

“Should the bail be granted, what will happen is that he will be asked to surrender his passport so that if he attempts to leave he will not be allowed,” the former DOJ official said, stressing that that matter is “very subjective” and “depends on the perception of the court.”

“If the court thinks that there’s a high possibility that the accused would flee the country in case bail is granted then the application for bail will be denied,” he added.

He noted that securing Pemberton’s availability for proceedings in the appellate court may be difficult because he will no longer be under the custody of the US government if he is granted bail.

A controversy arose on the detention of Pemberton because the

Olongapo Regional Trial Court that convicted him had ordered his transfer to the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, but the DOJ agreed to have Pemberton detained at a special facility at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Officials of the Visiting Forces Agreement Commission informed the RTC that there was an agreement between the Philippines and the US to have detain Pemberton at the Armed Forces Custodial Center in Camp Aguinaldo pending the completion of the judicial process, including an appeal of his conviction.

This prompted Judge Roline Jinez-Jabalde to issue another order Tuesday evening committing the American serviceman to the Camp Aguinaldo facility.

Aquino starts Italy visit

Standing up for gay rights. A Filipino transgender holds a red ribbon in solidarity with those

living with HIV/AIDS during a parade to observe World Aids Day in Manila. The number of new cases of HIV-AIDS in the Philippines hit 748 cases as of May, the highest recorded since 1984. AFP PHOTO

AFTER attending a global climate change conference in Paris, President Benigno Aquino III arrived in Rome Tuesday morning for his first official working visit to Italy.

The Palace said the visit will provide an opportunity for both the Philippines and Italy to deepen cooperation in various areas and sustain the exchanges of high-level visits, the last of which was held in 2006.

The bilateral discussion is also expected to focus on strengthening of bilateral relations, especially in the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Philippines-Italy diplomatic partnership.

The other issues and topics that could be discussed would be the Italian government participation in the Mindanao peace process through the Italian assistance to the agrar-

ian reform community development support program as well as the Philippines-Italy debt for development swap program.

Aquino is also scheduled to witness the signing of the air services agreement between the Philippines and Italy and this agreement will pave the way for direct commercial flights between Manila and Rome, and will greatly benefit the Filipinos and investors coming from Italy.

Aquino is also scheduled to meet with the Filipino community in Rome, a home to some 171,000 Filipino workers in Italy.

Less than a year after Pope Francis visited the Philippines last January, Aquino will also meet with the Holy Pontiff in the Vatican during a reciprocal visit on Dec. 4 where he will have a private audience with Pope Francis.

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Tax reduction won’t cause revenue losses

Arrival. President Benigno Aquino III greets Italian and Philippine officials upon his arrival in Rome for his official visit to Italy and the Holy See. MAlAcAñAng Photo BuREAu

Bongbong hails order stopping ‘no bio’ plan SENATOR Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Wednesday the Supreme Court’s temporary restraining order stopping the Commission on Election’s implementation of its “no-bio, no boto” policy had given hope to the millions of registered voters without biometric data.

He said those who failed to register under the biometric system with the Comelec could still exercise their right to vote in the coming May 2016 elections.

“It’s no trivial matter to take away this right from so many people,” Marcos said.

The TRO stops the Comelec from immediately deactivating the registration of the estimated

three-million voters without biometric information.

“This is a welcome development. For most of our people the only time they can actually voice what they want their government to be is when they cast their votes,” Marcos said But it will still depend on the high court’s ruling on the merits of the case whether or not the regis-

tered voters who failed to submit biometric data to the Comelec could actually vote in the May 2016 elections.

The high court issued the TRO in connection with a petition questioning the constitutionality of the Comelec’s policy.

“I believe the right of suffrage is fundamental to democracy and that any doubt should be resolved in favor of allowing a qualified and registered voter to cast his vote,” Marcos said.

The Supreme Court stopped the Comelec from implementing its policy compelling voters to register using biometrics before they are allowed to vote in next

year’s general elections on Tuesday.

In issuing the TRO, the Court acted on the petition filed by youth groups led

by Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon last week, and the order is “effective immediately and continuing until further orders from the Court,” high court spokesman Theodore Te told reporters.

Te said the Court also required the Comelec to answer the petition and submit its comment within 10 days from notice.

The Court also ordered the Office of the Solicitor General to submit its separate comment on the petition within the same period. Macon RamosAraneta

VICE President Jejomar Binay on Wednesday allayed fears that reducing the income taxes would result in revenue loss for the government, saying there were many options to raise funds including selling of government assets, privatizing government-owned and –controlled corporations and improving tax administration and collection.

Binay also said there would be no increase in the value-added tax when the income tax reform bill was passed into law during his administration in case he won the presidency.

“We will ensure that the VAT will remain as it is so our people could buy more from their income,” Binay said.

“The point of reducing the income tax would be meaningless if the prices of our commodities would sky-rocket due to increased VAT. “Raising the VAT is not the only way to compensate the revenue loss. We already have a menu of options to compensate for the potential revenue losses from reducing the tax rates.”

Should he be elected president, Binay said, he would convene the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council within the 100 days of his administration for the swift passage of the tax reform bill.

“If given the opportunity to serve our fellow Filipinos, I will certify the tax reform bill as urgent after a thorough consultation with the Ledac,” he said.

“We are pushing for a comprehensive tax system reform that will gradually reduce the personal

and corporate income tax rates in the Philippines to a level that is more consistent with our Asean peers.”

Binay stressed the advantages of passing a tax reform bill, saying it would result in improved tax collection and compliance.

“With the current taxation system, up to 85 percent of the total collection of individual income taxes is paid by the working class while only 15 percent comes from selfemployed individuals and professionals,” he said.

“Tax reform would result in the improved competitiveness of Philippine corporations and their workforce. It will also encourage more foreign investments, resulting in more jobs for our people and more revenues for the government.”

Binay said tax reform would also lead to increased consumer spending, allowing the government to recover some of the short-term revenue loss.

He said he was disappointed that some government officials and candidates were dismissing the tax reform bill as a “pogi bill,” designed only to attract votes from the middle class.

“It is unfortunate that this issue is being politicized. The tax reform measure will benefit individual households, society and the economy at large,” he said.

“Our tax system must be seen as fair. Those with bigger paychecks ought to pay higher taxes than those who earn less, and inflation-adjusted tax bracket is only just.” Vito Barcelo

‘Explain inmate voting scheme’ THE Supreme Court has required the Commission on Elections to comment on a petition questioning the legality of its policy of allowing inmates and detainees to vote in next year’s general elections.

In a resolution released Wednesday, the high court ordered the Comelec to answer the petition filed last week by lawyer Victor Aguinaldo questioning the constitutionality of Comelec Resolution 9371, which provides for the registration and voting of prisoners.

The tribunal gave the Comelec 10 days to com-

ply with the order.

Aguinaldo claims that the Comelec’s policy violates the constitutional provision requiring a voter to be a resident of the city or municipality where he or she will vote.

He suggests that the policy be amended to allow the inmates of the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City and the detainees in provincial, city and municipal jails nationwide to vote only during national elections.

He cites the cases of detained former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal

Arroyo and Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr., who are all detained while standing trial for plunder at the Sandiganbayan.

He says their incarceration is “considered forced against them and not voluntary, hence the question as to whether or not such detainees can vote locally or only in the national elections arises for the simple reason that when [they] were transferred to [those] facilities, their residence requirement [was] forced upon them Pleading. Former Senator Francisco Tatad’s lawyer Manuel Luna holds up a copy of a and not voluntary.” Rey supplemental pleading to the Comelec claiming Senator Grace Poe, a foundling, may not run E. Requejo for president in next year’s elections.

SARA FABunAn

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PH wraps up case vs China

By Vito Barcelo The Philippines appealed to the Arbitral Tribunal to uphold all the Philippines’s claims, especially in the maritime entitlements of the parties involved to protect the sovereignty of the Philippines and to ensure international peace and security, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

Foreign affairs Secretary albert del rosario made the call as the Philippines wrapped up its arguments on the last day of the hearings on the merits and remaining issues of jurisdiction and admissibility in the arbitration initiated by the Philippines against China under the United Nations Convention on law of the Sea. assistant Secretary Charles Jose, spokesperson of the Department of Foreign affairs, said that government was “cautiously optimistic” of winning the case.

The United Nations arbitral Tribunal will issue a ruling by 2016.

Del rosario also disagreed with China’s pronouncement that the Philippines initiation of the arbitration was “an unfriendly act.”

“We disagree to that. In 1982, the UN General assembly adopted the Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes between States which declared that recourse to the judicial settlement of disputes “should not be considered an unfriendly act between States,” Del rosario said.

He said that this year is also the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the People’s republic of China.

Since 1975, economic and political ties between the two countries have grown.

“We view China as a valued friend. and it is precisely to preserve that friendship that we initiated this arbitration,” Del rosario said during the conclusion of the hearing.

The hearing, which started last Nov. 24, was held at the Peace Palace, the headquarters of the Permanent Court of arbitration in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Peace classroom. Peace Tech Inc. and the Department of Education launch a program seeking to instill peace education in the school curriculum during ceremonies held at the Ramon Magsaysay High School in Cubao, Quezon City. LINO SANTOS

Justice upholds Mison’s deputy

By Vito Barcelo IMMIGraTION Commissioner Siegfred Mison on Wednesday clarified the functions of associate commissioners Gilberto repizo and abdullah Mangotara who were now given significant authority to cut red tape to serve the growing clients at the bureau.

The clarification was made following the issuance of an order from the Department of Justice reinstating the authority of repizo who was designated as “commissioner-incharge” of the border control

operations of all ports in the country. “repizo is cluster head, commissioner-in-charge of the Border control operations of all ports in the country, while Mangotara is cluster head and designated as commissionerin-charge of the security and intelligence division,” Mison said.

Under DoJ department order 911, repizo can re-assign or rotate personnel of the border control cluster take any disciplinary action or suspend with prior written approval of the Secretary of Justice.

“He has authority to rotate

personnel directly or indirectly connected with border control operations,” the DoJ stated.

Mison is mandated to perform as head of the bureau such as to issue memoranda, issue order and lift the bureau’s Black list order, watchlist, hold departure and other immigration matters.

Meanwhile, the immigration authorities held nine Chinese tourists who tried to enter the country with fake visas and other travel documents at the laoag International airport in Ilocos Norte. repizo also ordered the relief of Immigration officer Perry

Michael Pancho who cleared the nine Chinese but were intercepted during secondary inspection.

Pancho was recalled to the Port Operations Division in Manila, repizo said.

The Chinese, onboard a chartered airline from Guangzhuo, China, arrived at the laoag airport last Nov. 28, 2015, to spend their holiday but their documents prepared by a Chinabased travel agency turned out to be fictitious.

The Chinese were now detained at the BI Warden facility in Camp Bagong Diwa and awaiting deportation.

Brokers: Customs’ policy defective

By Rio N. Araja

Bird festival. Bataan Mayor Enrique Garcia III (right) with Gina Mapua (middle),

president of the Wild Birds Club of the Philippines, and former Senator Nikki Coseteng discuss bird lore to drum up awareness on the upcoming Bird Festival during a forum held in Quezon City. The event will be held on Dec. 9 to 11, 2015 in the historic province of Bataan. LINO SANTOS

Several groups of Customs brokers have asked the Office of the Ombudsman to rule on the merits of criminal and administrative complaints filed against Department of Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Internal revenue Commissioner Kim Henares and former Customs Commissioner John Sevilla for imposing requirements for accreditation beyond what was required by law.

In a motion for reconsideration, the complainants—the Professional Customs Brokers association of the Philippines, association of aduana Brokers of the Philippines, aduana Business Club, visMin Customs Brokers association Inc. and the Customs Brokers Council, Philippines said the Ombudsman issued a “fatally defective” resolution in the dismissal of their original complaint for lack of jurisdiction.

The Ombudsman ruling signed by graft investigation and prosecution officer III Mary rawnsle lopez cited a pending case at the Manila City regional Trial Court questioning the

same administrative orders issued by the DoF, BIr and BoC in 2014, the subject of the complaint against Purisima, Henares and Sevilla. lopez held that unless the court declares the assailed orders to be invalid, they were presumed to be enforceable and effective hence the Ombudsman could not pass upon the question of validity raised in the complaint.

The questioned executive issuances were Memorandum Order No. 10-2014 dated Feb. 10, 2014 issued by Henares; Department Order No. 18-2014 and Department Order No. 33-2014 issued by Purisima; and Customs Memorandum Order No. 11-2014.

The group said the government orders prevented them from exercising their profession as customs brokers and from transacting with BoC due to imposition of additional certifications and accreditation other than those specifically provided under ra 9280 or the Customs Brokers act of 2004.

The complainants sought the criminal indictment of government officials for violation of ra 3019 or the anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices act, ras 9280 and 9485 or the anti-red Tape act of 2007.

t h u r s d ay : d e c e m b e r 3 , 2 0 1 5

A6

news

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Transport body sets query on bike-for-hire service app

By Rio N. Araja

Malasakit in action. Senatorial candidate and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez (right), assisted by Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur

Abalos, distributes relief goods to more than 500 families displaced by fire at Jose Fabella Memorial School evacuation center in Barangay Addition Hills, Mandaluyong City. VeR NoVeNo

Rogues’ list demanded instead of NBI clearance

By Maricel V. Cruz

Lawmakers on wednesday urged the National Bureau of Investigation to provide the Land Transportation Office with a “negative list” of individuals facing criminal charges instead of requiring applicants for professional driver’s licenses when applying for both NBI and police clearances.

At a hearing conducted by the House committee on transportation, lawmakers led by Abakada party-list Rep. Jonathan dela Cruz urged the LTO to implement a new policy where applicants will be given the option to submit either an NBI clearance or a police clearance.

“Instead of requiring everybody to get NBI clearance, what we can do is request the NBI to provide the LTO with the ‘negative list.’ People can then get either the police or NBI clearance if the LTO already has the ‘negative list’ from the NBI,” Dela Cruz told the panel as he moved

for the adoption of his motion by the panel.

Prior to Dela Cruz’s motion, Leyte Rep. Andres salvacion Jr., demanded scrapping of the LTO policy.

“While there may be a need for driver’s license applicants to submit a police clearance, furnishing the LTO with their NBI clearance would no longer be compulsory if the agency could have access to the NBI’s ‘negative list’,” salvacion said.

But LTO Assistant secretary Alfonso Tan Jr. defended the policy of the LTO in question, saying the submission of the NBI clearance by driver’s license applicants was already an old requirement.

Tan said it was only when the LTO required both the NBI and police clearances that drivers and transportation groups raised a howl of protest.

“I have discussed this with transportation leaders. They are admittedly opposed to it, not because they’re questioning the wisdom of the requirement, but because they have members in their ranks that have hits with the NBI, They have no problem with the police clearance; it’s only the NBI clearance they take an issue with,” Tan said.

The Transportation department earlier suspended a new policy of the LTO re-

quiring applicants for driver’s license to secure first a clearance from the police and NBI. Transportation secretary Joseph emilio Abaya Jr. said “the LTO policy of having both [clearances] as a requirement will be suspended for the meantime until such study and coordination would be done with the police and the NBI for a more efficient coordination regarding this and they will come up with guidelines on what pending crimes will be included.”

Abaya’s decision came after the new LTO order issued last October drew heavy flak from several drivers and transportation groups.

THe Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board is asking the Department of Transportation and Communications to clarify if motorbike-for-hire through a mobile app is under its accreditation coverage or not.

Ariel enrile Inton, board member, said mounting queries have flooded the LTFRB, asking if the new service grabBike under the transport companies Uber and grabTaxi could be allowed to operate on the road, particularly in Metro Manila, without LTFRB approval.

“Under an old supreme Court decision, the franchise application and approval of tricycle units was transferred from the LTFRB to the tricycle regulatory unit of a local government unit so that the local government could closely monitor the operations and even violations of such vehicles. Contrary to its purpose, unregistered tricycles have proliferated for political considerations,” he told The Standard. “In that order, too, a tricycle unit was also categorized as a motorcycle-for-hire.”

Inton, Chairman Winston ginez and another board member, Ronaldo Corpus, had discussed the issue in a recent meeting and agreed to ask Transportation and Communications secretary Joseph emilio Abaya for a written opinion on the matter. grabTaxi has been offering grabBike service allowing passengers to book a motorcycle ride using the mobile app in Makati City and Taguig City. grabBike’s base fare for off-peak hours is P40 for the first two kilometers, with an additional P10 per kilometers for the first two to seven kilometers, and an additional of P5 per kilometer after eight kilometers.

Commuters welcome the new mode of transportation, citing that getting a ride by motorcycle is faster and much cheaper than a taxi ride.

Ex-ministers’ charges belied IgLesIA ni Cristo spokesman edwil Zabala categorically rejected allegations by expelled ministers Isaias samson Jr. and Vincent Florida that some officers of the church maintained personal and unauthorized offshore bank accounts in the Cayman Islands or in switzerland, as well as charges that its leaders were skimming cash off member collections in the United states.

“We follow protocols for the deposit of cash collections.

We also have very stringent audit procedures, otherwise the church would not be granted tax-exempt status by the Us government,” Zabala said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

Zabala challenged samson and Florida to prove that the church had offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands and in the switzerland, going as far as saying that if samson and Florida could prove that the alleged accounts exist, they could keep its contents.

“We are willing to sign a waiver; if they can prove that any of INC’s leaders have offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands or in switzerland, they can have the cash in all of them.” samson, whose earlier complaint for serious illegal detention against the INC leaders was dismissed by the Department of Justice, alleged that there were irregularities in the handling

of the Church’s funds in the Us. Florida, an American former minister in the INC Northern Virginia congregation, said that he had reported the INC and the church leaders to the United states Internal Revenue service for tax fraud.

However, IRs special Agent Arlette Lee clarified that no cases had been filed against either INC executive Minister eduardo Manalo and Auditor glicerio santos Jr. in Us Federal Court.

Zabala said that the INC could not remain silent in the face of the repeated defamatory statements from samson and Florida, who were expelled from the church last July.

Firemen train their hose on a burning warehouse at Home Sentrum Subdivision in Mapulang Lupa, Valenzuela City on Wednesday. ANDReW RABULAN

T H U R S D AY : D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 1 5

A7

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Politics derails town’s bottom-up budgeting

By Mel Caspe

Lanterns, lanterns everywhere. In Baguio, a lantern parade ushers in the holiday season. DAVID CHAN

‘Tacloban at forefront of Paris climate talks’

By Ronald O. Reyes

TACLOBAN CITY—The ambassador of France to the Philippines and Micronesia on Tuesday said that typhoon Yolanda-hit Tacloban City is in the center of the climate change conference happening in Paris.

“Two years ago, the world was in grief because of what happened here in Tacloban...this city is something of a symbol,” said Ambassador Thierry Mathou.

“At this moment, all the heads of states and govern-

ments representing more than 150 countries are gathered in Paris to find resolution, to fight against this climate change. So all the world is in Paris now and as a representative of the host country I wanted myself to be here in Taclo-

ban,” Mathou said in his speech.

“Tonight, I would like to say that if we succeed at the Paris conference, what it means is that the road to Paris will go to Tacloban.

We have to find a solution altogether, to fight against climate change...to fight with you, for you.”

According to Mathou, who was accompanied by his wife Cecile, Tacloban has the support of France in its fight for climate change.

“France is with you, the world is with you. You have

many friends,” he said during his special travel to the city as he joined local leaders and residents in the official lighting of the giant Christmas tree at the city hall grounds.

“We are thankful with the leadership of the president of France for taking the cudgel and reminding the world of climate change and shared responsibilities among nations. As you can see here, something happened to us, they call as a ‘new normal,’” said Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez.

THE implementation of projects under the BottomUp-Budgeting proposed by civil society organizations in the town of Sta. Margarita, Samar has been delayed.

Myla Nicolasora, BUB focal person for Samar province, said that the local government unit declined to enter into tripartite memorandum of agreement with the Samar provincial government due to political differences between the governor and the mayor.

Sta. Margarita Mayor Gemma Zosa’s husband, Emil, is running for governor against incumbent Sharee Ann Tan. Zosa was then an ally of the ruling Tan clan in the province but they parted ways after the 2013 elections.

According to Nicolasora, funds for project implementation cannot be downloaded to the said town since they did not pass the Seal of Good Housekeeping.

Since the provincial government got the seal, the LGU may enter into a tripartite MOA with the provincial government as the implementing partner.

Zosa, in an interview, admitted that they declined to enter into a deal with the province because they did not have a good political relationship with the governor. She thinks that the projects will not be properly implemented with the governor as their partner.

“We were given an option by the DILG on how we will

implement these projects, and I opted not to go with a tripartite,” Zosa said.

Zosa assured the people of Sta. Margarita that her administration is doing what is need to be done to ensure that CSO-initiated projects will be implemented.

“We are just waiting for the MOA directly with the agency and hopefully projects will be implemented before the end of this year,” she added.

Eastern Visayas Network of NGOs and POs Regional project coordinator Gina Dean Ragudo, who is part of the BUB projects monitoring group, said in a text message that DILG funded projects are only covered of the tripartite agreement as mode of implementation.

According to her, funds are downloaded to the provincial government if it is qualified or able to meet the governance conditions.

“Since Samar province has a Seal of Good Housekeeping, it can implement projects on behalf of the city or municipal government units. With the case of Sta. Margarita, the funds for their BUB projects funded by DA will be downloaded to the province if the mayor will sign a MOA, if not the funds will not be downloaded,” Ragudo said.

Still pending for implementation for Sta. Margarita is the P25 million worth of CSO-initiated projects for 2014 and P12.5 million for 2015. Most of these projects are under the Department of Agriculture, Department of Social Welfare and Development and DILG.

Police launch manhunt for trader’s killer

By Dexter A. See BAGUIO CITY—Police have launched a massive manhunt operation against the suspect in the brutal murder of a 68-year-old businessman found dead Tuesday morning with multiple stab wounds on his body.

Senior Superintendent Rolando F. Miranda, officer-in-charge of the Baguio City Police Office, said probers have taken into custody three possible witnesses who have direct knowledge of the identity of the lone suspect.

“We were already able to establish a definite lead and the possible identity of the perpetrator, thus, the launching of a manhunt operation

against him. We want to handle the crime as safely as possible to avoid it from being bungled,” Miranda stressed.

Henry Tan Lao, 68, owner of some of the Tiong San stores I Baguio and La Trinidad, Benguet, was found lifeless inside his house at barangay Ferdinand, Baguio City.

Miranda said the victim sustained 34 stab wounds in the different parts of his body. Four of the wounds were fatal.

According to him, several neighbors of the victim said they heard loud noises inside the house as if there were individuals quarreling Monday night. They did not report the matter to the police because such incidents are usual occurrenc-

es in the house over the past several weeks.

The victim’s cellphone and a huge amount of money inside his wallet were missing during the investigation, leading investigators to believe that robbery was one of the motives of the victim’s murder.

The police official explained the suspect might be known to the victim because there was no forcible entry to the house. The suspect was also able to flee from the crime scene unnoticed late Monday night.

The suspect and the victim might have been involved in a struggle because the house was in disarray upon the arrival of investigators, the official added.

Towering tree. The Philippine flag-inspired Christmas

tree near the city hall of Tacloban City stands tall at 70 feet.

MEL CASPE

T H U R S D AY : D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 1 5

A8

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

DUTY CALLS FLORENCIO FIANZA

THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

[ EDI TORI A L ]

ELIMINATION PROCESS

A DIVISION of the Commission on Elections has canceled the Certificate of Candidacy of Senator Grace Poe on grounds of her deficiency in the residency requirements of the Constitution.

It is a big blow to the political ambitions of Ms. Poe, and of the others who have cast their lot with her. While she said she would appeal the ruling before the Supreme Court, and while the commission en banc has yet to render its own judgment on the matter, what complicates matters for the senator is the looming deadline—December 10—when the printing of the ballots are supposed to start.

She has to get her name on that ballot, first and foremost.

Poe has been the frontrunner in poll surveys until recently. Even the administration party was wooing the adopted daughter of the late movie icon Fernando Poe Jr. No less than President Benigno Aquino III said she was one of the few who could continue the Daang Matuwid. Provided, of course, that she tread it as the running mate of the real administration bet, former Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II. When she said no, and repeatedly, they trained their sights on her for other reasons altogether.

In fact, many believe that Poe’s disqualification is the handiwork of the Roxas camp itself. Despite major developments in the presidential race, Roxas’ numbers have refused to improve, likely prompting his handlers to cook up something drastic and desperate on his foes instead.

Remember the relentless attacks on Vice President Jejomar Binay, who declared his presidential ambition way too soon? A protracted Senate investigation into his and his family’s dealings while they were in power in Makati City likely caused the drop in Binay’s ratings. That the issues were probed at all was not the problem, especially if the complaints were valid and supported by evidence. It was the timing that was sheer genius.

Now the next legal question to be addressed is the candidacy of the tough-talking, oversharing Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who has been substituted by his party, PDP-Laban, for another candidate who had dropped out of the race. Talk is rife that since the mayor has become popular in the past few months, he would be the next target for elimination such that only Binay and Roxas would be left for the actual battle. Who knows?

Filipinos themselves are no strangers to this process of elimination.

In a perfect world, people vote for the candidate who embodies their ideals and champions their issues. The options are taken seriously, weighed against one another by a stringent set of criteria that includes one’s performance in a previous position, education and professional readiness for the job, personal values and prospective conduct as head of state.

Unfortunately, that is not what happens here. What takes place, instead, is yet another form of elimination process whereby people vote for the least objectionable candidate after considering why others would be worse choices.

Who emerges therefore is not the best candidate but the least evil one. As a result, right after an all-too-brief honeymoon period, people are quick to become disillusioned with the one they had thought was the safest choice.

The story is always that of the last one standing—“matira ang matibay,” in Tagalog. Alas, the last is not necessarily the worthiest one.

ABAS’ PURPOSE LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES REMEMBER Sheriff Abas, the relative of Moro Islamic Liberation Front leader Mohaqer Iqbal (a.k.a. Datucan Abas) who was appointed under curious circumstances as election commissioner earlier this year? Well, when I saw Abas’ name as one of the three election officials who signed off on the resolution disqualifying Grace Poe from the presidential race, I suddenly remembered

that Abas must have been put in the Commission on Elections for a reason.

The pro-administration crowd—what remains of it, anyway—has joined the chorus of lackeys of President Noynoy Aquino in downplaying any links of the party in power and the administration to the disqualification of Poe. But perhaps they should listen to what Poe herself has to say about the matter.

The Comelec decision disqualifying her, according to the candidate yesterday, was “too liberal” and “may mar the results” of the 2016 elections.

Now, unless you are a complete moron (or one of those “Martards,” as they say on social media), you’d know exactly what Poe is talking about.

Poe’s statement was of a piece with the challenge hurled by her spokesman, Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian, at Liberal Party bigwig Caloocan Rep. Edgardo Erice, who predicted as early as Monday that the Comelec would disqualify the senator.

“How did you know ahead of everyone else?” Gatchalian demanded from Erice, one of the biggest boosters of Mar Roxas.

If Roxas’ opponents are all tied up in court while he is himself ‘unsuited,’ he may be behind all that election-related litigation.

A9

So far, only the leftist partylist lawmakers allied with Poe have come out in the open to accuse Roxas and his party of engineering the disqualification bid. But the involvement of Roxas—and possibly Malacañang Palace—in an orchestrated campaign to get Poe is probably the worst-kept political secret in the current election season.

And the strategy of going after Roxas’ two main opponents—Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay— with every possible legal machination has probably resulted in an uptick in the overall revenues of the lawyering profession this year.

The same legal carpet-bombing

is supposedly being planned for late entrant Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte—although Duterte seems to be doing a fine job of self-destructing even without the formidable legal team of Roxas going after him just yet.

Of course, Roxas himself remains uncharged in any court. The LP candidate wasn’t even mentioned in the suit involving former Metro Rail Transit general manager Al Vitangcol, a case in which the final signatory for the awarding of the MRT’s grossly disadvantageous maintenance contract

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

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

—Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya—was able to elude prosecution with the unique defense that he was just new on the job when he gave his approval.

Abaya’s implication, of course, was that his predecessor, Roxas, was the one who helped craft the contract that he only signed. And yes, Abaya had just taken over from Roxas when the onerous (and disastrous, for commuters) PhilTrams maintenance deal was signed.

It stands to reason that if Roxas’

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

MST ONLINE

can be accessed at: www.manilastandardtoday.com

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

opponents are practically all tied up in court while he is himself “unsuited” that the LP candidate is behind all that election-related litigation. And when you consider that Roxas has never really overtaken either Poe or Binay in any reputable survey, well, that’s your motivation right there.

As for the mysterious Sheriff Abas, I admit to declaring upon his appointment that this heretoforeunknown lawyer was going to be used to further some palace agenda Continued on A11

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

Chairman President & Chief Executive Officer Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Director of Operations Finance Officer Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager

THE two big news this week was the Commission on Elections’ disqualification of Senator Grace Poe last Tuesday and the decision of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to finally enter the 2016 presidential race.

The second division of the Comelec dealt a big blow to the candidacy of the senator. Although this decision is appealable to the Comelec en banc and eventually to the Supreme Court, I doubt whether this decision will be reversed. Nonetheless, the camp of Senator Poe already said that it would appeal the decision. Since time is of the essence, her lawyers will have to decide whether to appeal to the Comelec en banc or go straight to the Supreme Court.

Whatever the decision will be, it is going to be an uphill battle—that is saying it mildly. Yes, the Comelec and the Supreme Court are constitutional bodies and are supposed to be independent.

But as a lot of people already know, both bodies could be susceptible to pressure especially the Comelec because of its reputation as being corrupt. In addition, all the commissioners are appointees of President Aquino.

Did the Palace have anything to do with the disqualification? It is the most likely suspect because its candidate, Mar Roxas, stands to gain the most from Senator Poe’s disqualification. It is also the only one with the clout to pressure the Comelec. The poll body has also continued to enter into questionable contracts in spite of intense public clamor for it to cut its business ties with Smartmatic.

The Comelec should also know better than to award the more-thanP500-million transmission contract to Smartmatic. It simply does not have the capability of its own to transmit the results of the national elections.

The Comelec will have to use Globe, Smart and Sun Cellular to transmit the election results. If the commissioners do not know this, the IT people should.

The Comelec therefore, just handed Smartmatic a huge Christmas present at the expense of the taxpayer.

The perplexing thing is that the telecommunications companies are not complaining. Could it be that Smartmatic has already “fixed” the problem?

The Supreme Court, on the other hand, has shown that it is capable of independent decision. One reason for this is perhaps because all the justices are not appointees of the current President. Let us hope that in this instance, the court decides on the merits of the case with the interest of the Filipino people and country in mind. If the decision is seen by the people as a political maneuver simply Continued on A11 Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

T H U R S D AY : D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 1 5

A8

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

DUTY CALLS FLORENCIO FIANZA

THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

[ EDI TORI A L ]

ELIMINATION PROCESS

A DIVISION of the Commission on Elections has canceled the Certificate of Candidacy of Senator Grace Poe on grounds of her deficiency in the residency requirements of the Constitution.

It is a big blow to the political ambitions of Ms. Poe, and of the others who have cast their lot with her. While she said she would appeal the ruling before the Supreme Court, and while the commission en banc has yet to render its own judgment on the matter, what complicates matters for the senator is the looming deadline—December 10—when the printing of the ballots are supposed to start.

She has to get her name on that ballot, first and foremost.

Poe has been the frontrunner in poll surveys until recently. Even the administration party was wooing the adopted daughter of the late movie icon Fernando Poe Jr. No less than President Benigno Aquino III said she was one of the few who could continue the Daang Matuwid. Provided, of course, that she tread it as the running mate of the real administration bet, former Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II. When she said no, and repeatedly, they trained their sights on her for other reasons altogether.

In fact, many believe that Poe’s disqualification is the handiwork of the Roxas camp itself. Despite major developments in the presidential race, Roxas’ numbers have refused to improve, likely prompting his handlers to cook up something drastic and desperate on his foes instead.

Remember the relentless attacks on Vice President Jejomar Binay, who declared his presidential ambition way too soon? A protracted Senate investigation into his and his family’s dealings while they were in power in Makati City likely caused the drop in Binay’s ratings. That the issues were probed at all was not the problem, especially if the complaints were valid and supported by evidence. It was the timing that was sheer genius.

Now the next legal question to be addressed is the candidacy of the tough-talking, oversharing Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who has been substituted by his party, PDP-Laban, for another candidate who had dropped out of the race. Talk is rife that since the mayor has become popular in the past few months, he would be the next target for elimination such that only Binay and Roxas would be left for the actual battle. Who knows?

Filipinos themselves are no strangers to this process of elimination.

In a perfect world, people vote for the candidate who embodies their ideals and champions their issues. The options are taken seriously, weighed against one another by a stringent set of criteria that includes one’s performance in a previous position, education and professional readiness for the job, personal values and prospective conduct as head of state.

Unfortunately, that is not what happens here. What takes place, instead, is yet another form of elimination process whereby people vote for the least objectionable candidate after considering why others would be worse choices.

Who emerges therefore is not the best candidate but the least evil one. As a result, right after an all-too-brief honeymoon period, people are quick to become disillusioned with the one they had thought was the safest choice.

The story is always that of the last one standing—“matira ang matibay,” in Tagalog. Alas, the last is not necessarily the worthiest one.

ABAS’ PURPOSE LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES REMEMBER Sheriff Abas, the relative of Moro Islamic Liberation Front leader Mohaqer Iqbal (a.k.a. Datucan Abas) who was appointed under curious circumstances as election commissioner earlier this year? Well, when I saw Abas’ name as one of the three election officials who signed off on the resolution disqualifying Grace Poe from the presidential race, I suddenly remembered

that Abas must have been put in the Commission on Elections for a reason.

The pro-administration crowd—what remains of it, anyway—has joined the chorus of lackeys of President Noynoy Aquino in downplaying any links of the party in power and the administration to the disqualification of Poe. But perhaps they should listen to what Poe herself has to say about the matter.

The Comelec decision disqualifying her, according to the candidate yesterday, was “too liberal” and “may mar the results” of the 2016 elections.

Now, unless you are a complete moron (or one of those “Martards,” as they say on social media), you’d know exactly what Poe is talking about.

Poe’s statement was of a piece with the challenge hurled by her spokesman, Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian, at Liberal Party bigwig Caloocan Rep. Edgardo Erice, who predicted as early as Monday that the Comelec would disqualify the senator.

“How did you know ahead of everyone else?” Gatchalian demanded from Erice, one of the biggest boosters of Mar Roxas.

If Roxas’ opponents are all tied up in court while he is himself ‘unsuited,’ he may be behind all that election-related litigation.

A9

So far, only the leftist partylist lawmakers allied with Poe have come out in the open to accuse Roxas and his party of engineering the disqualification bid. But the involvement of Roxas—and possibly Malacañang Palace—in an orchestrated campaign to get Poe is probably the worst-kept political secret in the current election season.

And the strategy of going after Roxas’ two main opponents—Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay— with every possible legal machination has probably resulted in an uptick in the overall revenues of the lawyering profession this year.

The same legal carpet-bombing

is supposedly being planned for late entrant Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte—although Duterte seems to be doing a fine job of self-destructing even without the formidable legal team of Roxas going after him just yet.

Of course, Roxas himself remains uncharged in any court. The LP candidate wasn’t even mentioned in the suit involving former Metro Rail Transit general manager Al Vitangcol, a case in which the final signatory for the awarding of the MRT’s grossly disadvantageous maintenance contract

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

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

—Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya—was able to elude prosecution with the unique defense that he was just new on the job when he gave his approval.

Abaya’s implication, of course, was that his predecessor, Roxas, was the one who helped craft the contract that he only signed. And yes, Abaya had just taken over from Roxas when the onerous (and disastrous, for commuters) PhilTrams maintenance deal was signed.

It stands to reason that if Roxas’

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

MST ONLINE

can be accessed at: www.manilastandardtoday.com

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

opponents are practically all tied up in court while he is himself “unsuited” that the LP candidate is behind all that election-related litigation. And when you consider that Roxas has never really overtaken either Poe or Binay in any reputable survey, well, that’s your motivation right there.

As for the mysterious Sheriff Abas, I admit to declaring upon his appointment that this heretoforeunknown lawyer was going to be used to further some palace agenda Continued on A11

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

Chairman President & Chief Executive Officer Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Director of Operations Finance Officer Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager

THE two big news this week was the Commission on Elections’ disqualification of Senator Grace Poe last Tuesday and the decision of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to finally enter the 2016 presidential race.

The second division of the Comelec dealt a big blow to the candidacy of the senator. Although this decision is appealable to the Comelec en banc and eventually to the Supreme Court, I doubt whether this decision will be reversed. Nonetheless, the camp of Senator Poe already said that it would appeal the decision. Since time is of the essence, her lawyers will have to decide whether to appeal to the Comelec en banc or go straight to the Supreme Court.

Whatever the decision will be, it is going to be an uphill battle—that is saying it mildly. Yes, the Comelec and the Supreme Court are constitutional bodies and are supposed to be independent.

But as a lot of people already know, both bodies could be susceptible to pressure especially the Comelec because of its reputation as being corrupt. In addition, all the commissioners are appointees of President Aquino.

Did the Palace have anything to do with the disqualification? It is the most likely suspect because its candidate, Mar Roxas, stands to gain the most from Senator Poe’s disqualification. It is also the only one with the clout to pressure the Comelec. The poll body has also continued to enter into questionable contracts in spite of intense public clamor for it to cut its business ties with Smartmatic.

The Comelec should also know better than to award the more-thanP500-million transmission contract to Smartmatic. It simply does not have the capability of its own to transmit the results of the national elections.

The Comelec will have to use Globe, Smart and Sun Cellular to transmit the election results. If the commissioners do not know this, the IT people should.

The Comelec therefore, just handed Smartmatic a huge Christmas present at the expense of the taxpayer.

The perplexing thing is that the telecommunications companies are not complaining. Could it be that Smartmatic has already “fixed” the problem?

The Supreme Court, on the other hand, has shown that it is capable of independent decision. One reason for this is perhaps because all the justices are not appointees of the current President. Let us hope that in this instance, the court decides on the merits of the case with the interest of the Filipino people and country in mind. If the decision is seen by the people as a political maneuver simply Continued on A11 Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

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OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

DETERIORATING VALUES TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

I DON’T know what kind of affliction PDP-Laban presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is suffering from. Now he claims that when he was a young boy studying at Ateneo de Davao, a priest sexually abused him. I think he needs to see a psychiatrist.

Is this the kind of leadership we want? Is the Philippines so bereft of politicians we can respect and admire?

His supporters and friends continue to cheer him on. They admire his vulgarity, profanity and obscenity.

He is self-destructing!

What saddens me is the gall of some people to foist a candidate like Duterte on the rest of the country. Do we expect him to solve all the seemingly insurmountable problems of our country?

What is our country coming to? People are cheering Duterte for admitting he is a womanizer and a killer. Is this the kind of leadership we want?

I am particularly sad to see a vice presidential candidate like Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who is clinging to Duterte, and PDPLaban president Senator Koko Pimentel, defending the Davao City mayor as an example of a local politician.

In a way, Cayetano and Pimentel are like Duterte, exhibiting the wrong sense of values and morality.

What shocks me

more is the defense of Monsignor Paul Cuison, vice general of the Archdiocese of Davao, of Duterte who had cursed Pope Francis for causing traffic here.

Duterte’s apologists say that since the Davao mayor is a local politician, he was just showing his brand of politics to the crowd.

Even as a comedian, Duterte fails miserably.

He is only capable of toilet humor.

Duterte may have captivated the imagination of some people.

Pulse Asia conducted a survey that revealed he is now number 1 in the National Capital Region. I believe, however, that the survey is a reflection of the people’s frustration with the Aquino administration.

At the end of the day, we, Filipinos, should ask ourselves: Is the Philippines so bereft of politicians we can respect and admire? *** The decision of the Second Division of the Comelec to disqualify Mrs. Mary Grace Natividad Poe Llamanzares from the presidential race was not unexpected. The three commissioners of the division are all lawyers who know their law.

There are three other petitions for the disqualification of Mrs. Llamanzares at the Comelec’s First Division, essentially on the same grounds.

These cases have to be decided by Dec. 10, when the ballots for the May 2016 elections will be printed. I think it is easy to predict the outcome of these other cases. The other commissioners are also lawyers.

Shorn of its legal verbiage, the Second Division of the Comelect found that “Mrs. Mary Grace Sonora Poe Llamanzares was guilty of misrepresentation, in effect, lying about her residency when she declared in her Certificate of Candidacy that she was a Philippine resident of 10 years and 11 months as a ‘deliberate attempt

NO PRICE TAG ON OUR SOVEREIGNTY THE Philippine Air Force has been pushing hard to accomplish its goal to modernize and upgrade its capabilities in as much as it seeks to make a transition in its focus from internal security operations to territorial defense, and achieve a level of credible air deterrence against foreign aggressors. It comes as no surprise therefore that there has been much hype and optimism after the recent arrival of the first two FA-50 Golden Eagle fighter jets, which are part of the 12 FA-50s that South Korea’s “Korea Aerospace Industries” (KAI) will deliver under a P18.9-billion ($400-million) gove r n me nt - to - gove r n me nt contract signed in 2013.

Since the supersonic capability of the PAF disappeared when it was forced to retire its last operational Northrop F-5s in 2005, the arrival of the FA50s is a much welcome development. It will indeed do much to enhance the capabilities of the PAF in patrolling and maintaining presence within the country’s airspace, especially along the disputed waters of the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

A light combat derivative of the T-50 supersonic advanced jet trainer, the FA-50 is equipped with night vision imaging system and provides improved self-protection with the radar warning receiver and the counter measure dispenser system. It can carry a weapons load of up to 4.5 tons and can be to mislead or hide a fact her residency,’ when she ran for senator where she declared herself a resident for only nine years and six months up to May 9, 2016.”

On the issue of citizenship, the Comelec commissioners noted, Mrs. Llamanzares still failed to prove that she is a natural-born Filipino citizen.

“Even the wording of international conventions are deemed to have declared a foundling found in the Philippines is a natural-born Filipino citizen, these international conventions cannot supplant or override the Constitution, which requires a bloodline to a Filipino parent to confer the state of being a naturalborn Filipino citizen,” the commissioners said. They added that consequently, it stands to reason that respon-

MINORITY REPORT DANILO SUAREZ armed with AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles, AGM-65 Maverick air-toground tactical missiles (AGM), GBU-38/B Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM), CBU-105 Sensor Fused Weapon (SFW), Mk-82 Low Drag General Purpose (LDGP) bombs and Cluster Bomb Units (CBUs). The FA-50 is also mounted with an internal, three-barrel 20mm Gatling gun and LAU-3/A 19-tube 2.75” rocket launcher for firing Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets (FFAR).

Collectively, the wide range of weapon systems aboard the FA50 allows it to counter multiple threats in today’s complex battlefield scenario.

Impressive as all these may sound, we should note that the FA-50 is primarily a trainer jet which the military converted to serve as multi-role combat aircraft. Definitely, acquisition of the FA-50s is a significant step in the modernization process, but the full complement of FA50s won’t be enough to confront or even deter aggressors like China from bullying us because the aircraft has not been designed to engage the dedicated fighter and bomber jets of our neighbors. Of course, the FA-50 in the meantime can act as the country’s interim fighter jets

dent’s claim in her subject COC that she is a natural-born citizen is false.

The decision of the Comelec Second Division is precise and clear enough to all who understand English.

It was also how the three Supreme Court justices sounded in their dissenting opinion on the Senate Electoral Tribunal case on Mrs. Llamanzares’ citizenship issue.

I am disappointed when Senator Pia Cayetano, a lawyer, voted with the majority in the SET ruling when she based her vote on personal and sentimental reasons.

In other words, she failed to fulfill her mandate to protect and defend the Constitution.

And she won’t be able to live that down when she retires from the Senate next year.

and we should use these jets to train our pilots to optimize their flying and combat skills. But as a serious follow through on its acquisition, government should ask our ally the US to later supply us with a squadron or two of their second hand F-16s to beef up the platforms and weapons systems of the PAF, as well as those of the Navy and the Army.

Another point that we should not miss is that acquiring these modern jets is one thing, maintaining them is another. For this reason we come across the opinion that a multi-platformed air force is currently not suitable for us due to the fact that our maintenance experience for jet fighters is virtually non-existent at this point in time. This just similarly underscores our need to maintain technological cooperation with our allies like the US. Earlier, the US announced that it increased its military aid to the Philippines this year to $79 million to support the country in its claims over the disputed waters of the WPS. It is lamentable, however, that up until now the objectives of the modernization law which we passed in the 1990s has not yet been achieved. It is time that government should buckle up and load up available resources for an honest to goodness upgrade of our military and defense capabilities to achieve credible deterrence. Definitely, there is no price tag on our sovereignty.

The Comelec decision may not be the end of the road for Mrs. Llamanzares. Ultimately, all these cases will be resolved by the Supreme Court.

If I were Mrs. Llamanzares, I will withdraw just to save face since I have been caught lying in my Certificate of Candidacy. *** The decision of the Department of Justice to confine convicted American Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton of homicide for the killing of a Filipino transgender Jennifer Laude at Camp Aguinaldo instead of the New Bilibid Prisons, the national penitentiary, as ruled by the Regional Trial Court, stands to reason.

The DOJ has stated that despite the RTC conviction of Pemberton, the US marine will remain under US cus-

tody as provided for under the Visiting Forces Agreement.

Both Philippine and US governments still have to agree on the confinement of Pemberton. The life of the US marine would be at risk at the New Bilibid Prisons considering that he’s an American and that there are some inmates who can abuse and harm him.

While the confinement of Pemberton may look to Filipinos as discriminatory considering his conviction for homicide for the killing of a Filipino transgender, the VFA is clear and precise that both the Philippine and US governments still have to agree on the issue of confinement.

It may be a hard thing for some Filipinos to swallow, but that’s in the treaty and we have to respect it.

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OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

POP GOES THE WORLD JENNY ORTUOSTE

CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION: SURVIVAL OF THE SPECIES

NEGOTIATING the future of our planet and survival as a species—that, no less, is the purpose for the United Nations Climate Change conference being held in Paris from Dec. 1 to 11.

The conference seeks to hammer out an agreement binding all countries to implement climate change solutions. Nations will be required to commit to targets reducing their total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit the global temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Climate change adversely affects the environment and will severely compromise the quality of life for humans.

Increasing global temperatures and the other aspects of the phenomenon cause the melting of the icecaps, in turn raising ocean levels and causing concerns with food security, the welfare of coastal communities, and on a general scale, health issues and quality of life.

The impact on health will be severe. The World Health Organization says that between 2030 and 2050, cli-

mate change could result in 250,000 deaths yearly because of high temperatures, diarrhea, malaria, and malnutrition. Direct damage costs to health could hit between $2 billion to $4 billion a year.

Warmer temperatures caused by global warming carry serious health risks; the list is a litany of fear. Among the risks are disease outbreaks, increased risk of cardiovascular and respiratory ailments, ultraviolet-related diseases such as skin cancer, the spread of infectious vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, and increased deaths from weather-related disasters such as supertyphoons and heatwaves, and other diseases including asthma, lung cancer, schistosomiasis, and allergies.

There is also a graphic on the Internet that shows how much land will be left above sea level if the polar icecaps melt. According to this, the Philippines will be mostly inundated.

The Philippines recognized the threat early on, and the legislature passed the Climate Change Act in 2009 creating the Climate

Change Commission for climate change-related actions and policies. In 2010, the CCC drew up the National Framework Strategy on Climate Change, and in 2011, the National Climate Change Action Plan.

These and other efforts led United Nations envoy Margareta Wahlstrom in 2012 to call Philippine climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction laws “the best in the world.”

However good the Philippines’ response to this threat, climate change is a planetary phenomenon and one country alone cannot bring about substantial changes. Efforts to bring about a concrete and measurable effect to halt, and perhaps even reverse the trend, must be done on a global scale. And yes, reversing the trend is possible, at least if we look at the efforts to heal the ozone layer as an example.

For people of my generation, “the ozone hole” was the imminent risk that brought environmental issues to the forefront of public consciousness became a catalyst for change. The ozone layer is

a thin layer around the earth that screens out harmful UV radiation. Chlorofluorocarbons—chemicals found in aerosols such as hairspray and paint cans—were found to be depleting the ozone layer, so they were banned by the United States, Canada, and Norway in 1978.

Efforts to bring about public awareness and attitude change at the time employed pop culture, so those of us who were teenagers in the ‘80s will recall throwing away our moms’ hairspray cans and turning to mousse or gel to slick back our sietecut hair.

By now, all 197 countries of the world have signed the Montreal Protocol treaty on the ozone shield. As a consequence, the depletion of the ozone layer has slowed and it is estimated to recover to 1980 levels by the middle of this century.

The Philippines might have good laws on climate change, and is not among the top 40 CO2-emitting countries, according to Edgar (Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research), but has not managed to reduce emission

levels since 1990.

On the contrary, they are increasing every year: (in kilotons of CO2 emitted yearly) in 1990, 40,325.69; 1995, 64.878.06; 2000, 75,315.47; 2005, 78,291.60; 2010, 88,558.37; 2011, 89,297.82; 2012, 94,760.64; and 2013, 101,934.09.

According to Edgar, this time series reports “country-specific CO2 emission totals of fossil fuels use and industrial processes (cement production, carbonate use of limestone and dolomite, non-energy use of fuels and other combustion). Excluded are short-cycle biomass burning (such as agricultural waste burning) and large scale biomass burning (such as forest fires).” The numbers would be greater if biomass burning were included.

Clearly, great laws are not enough. What we need is to bring implementation to a community and individual level. We all need to be part of this change if we want to leave a healthy planet to our children. *** Facebook: Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, Instagram: @jensdecember

The beauty... From A9

tial candidates, there are very little issues that divide them.

Mayor Duterte, however, is bringing into the ballgame two issues that differentiate him from the others.

One is his plan for a federal form of government.

This may not sound and look attractive to the other candidates who prefer to maintain the current unitary and centralized government that we have but it is perhaps the only vehicle that can grant the aspirations of the Muslim Filipinos in Mindanao.

People in Mindanao, know that the current form of government cannot grant what the Muslims are asking unless the constitution is amended. And passing the

Bangsamoro Basic Law may not be the best solution either.

A federal form of government, however, can grant them what they want. Muslim Filipinos deserve to be granted autonomy so that they can chart their own development based on their customs, traditions and culture and not because they have been oppressed as Dr. Sheila Coronel would like us to believe.

The other strong suit of Mayor Duterte is his unorthodox approach to law enforcement, which has earned him the moniker of “the punisher.” Ordinarily, his unusual methods would have generated a lot of con-

demnation but instead, it has made him more popular that even in Metro Manila, a lot do not seem to mind his methods.

Instead of emphasizing his strong credentials, however, a lot of time was spent on trivialities punctuated by frequent bouts of profanities. He also spent quite an amount on time on Senator Grace Poe’s presidential candidacy saying that it is a serious violation of the constitution. It seems to be his primary reason for running.

Since Senator has now been disqualified, does that mean that the reason for his candidacy is gone?

He also spent a lot of time frolicking about his two

wives and two girlfriends.

I do not know whether he should have done this. People might have considered this in bad taste. The whole nation was after all watching him but as he says, what you see is what you get. Because he is starting to do well in the surveys, will he also be subjected to the same attacks as VP Binay and Senator Poe? Maybe. But those who are planning to do this must be prepared to face the consequences. After all, Mayor Duterte can play dirty and perhaps even dirtier against those people who might be entertaining the thought of mounting a demolition job against him. He is not called “punisher” for nothing.

stacked very heavily against Poe in Comelec. Now that Abas’ second division has ruled 3-0 against Poe, those who want her disqualified theoretically will need only one more vote against in the other cases pending before the senator in the first division to secure a majority in the seven-person election body.

According to Prof.

Antonio Contreras, one of the complainants in the three other cases against Poe pending before the first division, the senator must get all three commissioners to vote not to disqualify her in that division in order to have a chance to erase the second panel’s unanimous ruling when the case against

her goes before the Comelec en banc. And it’s not going to be easy to make four commissioners (assuming Poe wins in the other division by at least a 2-1 majority) go back on their decisions when the full Comelec hears her case and decides her fate with finality in the election agency.

The odds are a whole

lot better for Poe in the Supreme Court, which has 15 magistrates. But even there, Poe is already spotting her opponents the three votes of the justices who voted against her in the Senate Electoral Tribunal.

It’s not going to be easy for the survey frontrunner in the coming days. Not by a long, long shot.

to eliminate a popular candidate so that the administration can ram into the throats of the voters, the candidate that it wants to win, then there is a danger of unleashing a force that the administration might not be able to control.

It is a big risk but since the stakes are so high it probably is worth taking. There are people who simply do not like to lose. *** After much equivocation, Mayor Duterte has finally decided to run for president.

The announcement was vintage Duterte. If there is one thing about all our presiden-

Abas’... From A9 in the commission, given this administration’s very close ties to its “peace partner,” the MILF. And Abas’ very first prominent case in Comelec does nothing to allay that fear. *** Having said that, it does appear that the odds are

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

76ers win, avoid horrible record LOS ANGELES —The Philadelphia 76ers’ historic and agonizing losing streak finally ended Tuesday as Kobe Bryant suffered more defeat with the Los Angeles Lakers in his first road match since announcing his plans to retire.

Gloomy Tiger has no timetable for return LOS ANGELES—Former world number one Tiger Woods said Tuesday he had no timetable for his return as he struggles to regain fitness after back surgery, admitting that any other tournament victories in the twilight of his career would be “gravy.”

A gloomy Woods, who turns 40 later this month, told reporters at the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas, which benefits his foundation, that he was frustrated by the inability to set a date for his return.

Asked if it was possible he may not play at all in 2016 as he recovers from two operations on his back in September and October, Woods replied: “You know, I’ve been asked this quite a bit lately and the answer is I don’t know, only because I really don’t, I really don’t.”

Woods, whose remarks were reported widely across US media, said it had not been possible to set a timetable for his return because of the nature of the problem in his back.

“There is no timetable for this (recovery), and that’s been the hardest mindset adjustment. Where is the light at the end of the tunnel? I don’t know, so that’s been hard,” Woods said.

“I listen to my surgeon, I listen to my physios, and we just take it day by day.

Hopefully the day by day adds up to something positive here soon.

“It’s different from any of the other the surgeries and procedures that I’ve had in the past, where, OK, you blow out your ACL, which I did, and I had ACL reconstruction, and, OK, you’re back in nine months,” said Woods.

Fans take a selfie of Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers prior to the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Lakers, 103-91. AFP

James sad that Bryant is retiring LOS ANGELES—LeBron James expressed sadness at Kobe Bryant’s retirement decision on Tuesday, voicing regret that he never got to face off against his boyhood idol in an NBA Finals series.

Speaking two days after Bryant announced he would quit basketball at the end of this season, James told reporters he was sorry to see the 37-year-old Lakers star leaving.

“It was kind of sad actually,” Cleveland Cavaliers superstar James said. “The guy’s had a hell of a career.”

James revealed Bryant had influenced him at every stage of his basketball career, from being someone he had revered as a schoolboy as well as an opponent and USA Olympic team-mate who had set the standards to aspire to.

But James said it still nagged at him that he had never managed to face Bryant and the Lakers in the

Fury shuns jet-set lifestyle BERLIN—New world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury stayed true to his Irish traveller roots with a 20hour journey home by car and ferry after his shock win over Wladimir Klitschko.

The 27-year-old Briton shook up the boxing world with a unanimous points win over Klitschko in Dusseldorf last Saturday to take the Ukrainian’s IBF, WBA and WBO belts.

But Fury opted to travel home by car from Germany via the Dutch port of Rotterdam, taking a ferry to Hull in a mammoth voyage after discovering his wife Paris was pregnant with the couple’s third child.

According to reports, because she has gone through

several miscarriages in the past, the new champion wanted to take no risks after only discovering his wife was pregnant the day before the fight.

Meanwhile, according to reports, Fury is considering hosting a bumper rematch against Klitschko at Wembley Stadium to try to cash in on the champion’s new status.

Klitschko took to Twitter on Monday to admit: “I still don’t believe I actually lost.

Man, I’m suffering,” and his manager Bernd Boente said it was still too soon to talk about a rematch.

“It’s all still a bit early. The fight is still only a few days old,” Boente told SID, an AFP subsidiary on Tuesday.

AFP

NBA Finals. Either Bryant or James has appeared in every finals since 2007, but the two men never met.

“I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain in 2009 for the fans, for us, to meet in the Finals,” James said, referring to the 2009 campaign when the Cavs had a 66-16 record but were upset by the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Lakers went on to eventually win the title.

“I know the world wanted to see it. I wanted it, we wanted it. He held up his end and I didn’t hold up my end, and I hate that. I hate that that didn’t happen.

“I’ve seen the stat that since ‘07 either he has or I’ve been in the Finals but we’ve never matched up.

And that definitely sucks. Not only for us two being competitors, wanting to go against each other in the Finals, but also for the fans.”

James meanwhile said he had rev-

eled in being a team-mate of Bryant on the gold medal-winning US Olympic teams in 2008 and 2012, saying he had gained an insight into Bryant’s competitive make-up when he saw how he played against Spain’s Pau Gasol, then a teammate on the Lakers.

“The first play of the game he ran through the chest of Pau Gasol and got a flagrant. And Pau Gasol was his teammate with the Lakers.

I was like, ‘Yeah, this guy is on another level.’ It was one of the first plays of the game. I was like, ‘This guy’s all about winning and whoever he’s playing for or who he’s playing with at that point in time.’ ...It was crazy.”

James added that Bryant’s ferocious professionalism had also served to motivate him during his NBA career.

“I knew I had to be better because of Kobe Bryant,” James said. AFP

One more defeat for the Sixers on Tuesday—0-18 heading into the game— would have given them sole possession of the record for the worst start to a season in NBA history.

They had already set a record for the longest losing streak in the history of the NBA, with 28 defeats stretching over last season and the current campaign.

But a 23-point haul from forward Robert Covington laid the foundation for a deserved 103-91 Sixers victory as Bryant and the Lakers tumbled to 2-15, the worst record in the West. Bryant meanwhile was the top scorer for the Lakers, producing 20 points, two assists and five rebounds.

Elsewhere Tuesday, the Washington Wizards stunned LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 97-85 upset in Ohio.

John Wall led the way with 35 points, 10 assists and four rebounds as the Wizards improved to 7-8, easing pressure on beleaguered coach Randy Wittman. It was the Cavs’ first home defeat following a 9-0 start to the campaign at the Quicken Loans Arena.

James scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Cleveland but committed nine turnovers, part of an overall tally of 19, just short of their season-high 21 set in a double-overtime loss. AFP

TPB boosts sports tourism with Tough X Rough partnership. The

Tourism Promotions Board joins forces with Tough X Rough to promote the Philippines as a destination for international sports.

TxR is the first international obstacle course racing series in the country and the only OCR qualifier in Asia for the world championships. It will also be aired as a reality show on TV5, where players’ endurance will be tested, demonstrating teamwork and sportsmanship in achieving one’s goals, featuring Derek Ramsay as the host. In line with TPB’s Visit the Philippines Again 2016 campaign, TxR is expected to attract extreme sports enthusiasts and athletes from around the globe to visit the country for OCR competitions. Aside from TxR, the Philippines will also host major international sporting events in 2016 such as Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, Asia-Pacific Taekwondo Invitational Championships, Asian Rugby Championships, Le Tour de Filipinas, and Asian Masters Fencing Championship. Photo shows Tough X Rough Asia founder and CEO David Roth (left) and TPB Marketing Specialist Milo Oropeza (right).

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Chinese investors buy 13% stake in Man City for $400m

Hull City’s English defender Harry Maguire (third from right) shakes hands with Manchester City’s French defender Eliaquim Mangala (second from right) at the end of the English League Cup quarter-final football match between Manchester City and Hull City at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, northwest England. Manchester City won 4-1. AFP

Metro Pacific, Power fives turn back foes POWER Innovation Philippines overcame Macway Travels, 80-78, and Metro Pacific Toll Corporation conquered Mindanao Agilas, 98-94, Tuesday night, in the quarterfinal round of the 5th DELeague Basketball Tournament at the Marikina Sports Center.

Mapua Cardinals NCAA Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player, Allwell Oraeme, led Power Innovations with 26 points and 14 rebounds, while teammate Ronald Roy had 14 points and 4 boards.

Meanwhile, Paul Santiago and Niño Marquez finished with 19 points apiece for Macway Travel.

Byron Villarias, on the other hand, led Metro Pacific Toll Corporation with 28 points, followed

by Raul Suyud who came up with 17 points and 6 rebounds.

Jamal Warren scored 30 points for the Mindanao Agilas.

On Saturday, Hobe BihonCars Unlimited will face Metro Pacific Toll Corporation in the first game, followed by Sta. Lucia Land Inc. and Power Innovation Philippines.

Outsiders doubt FIFA’s capability of fixing itself ZURICH—FIFA’s executive committee was set to open a crucial meeting on Wednesday with major reforms up for review, as outsiders voice doubt that world football’s tainted governing body is capable of fixing itself.

The reform package is the work of a panel led by Francois Carrard, who won praise for overhauling a graft-ridden International Olympic Committee more than a decade ago and is now tasked with a similar job at FIFA, mired in an unprecedented scandal.

At the two-day meeting at FIFA’s Zurich headquarters, Carrard’s proposals will be presented to the body’s top brass— minus its suspended president and vice president, Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, the highestprofile casualties of the chaos within the organisation.

Berkeley, Holy Angel win BERKELEY School of Baguio and Holy Angel University of Pampanga have completed the cast of the Small Basketeers Philippines and Passerelle twin national championships after topping their respective divisions recently in the Luzon Regional Finals in Baguio City.

Berkeley School will join Visayas champion Ateneo de Iloilo, Mindanao titlist Ateneo de Davao and National Capital Region representative La SalleGreenhills in vying for the national SBP crown in this tournament organized by the BEST Center (Basketball Efficiency and Scientific Training Center) and long supported by Milo.

LONDON—China planted its flag in the English Premier League on Tuesday as a consortium of Chinese investors bought a 13 percent stake in Manchester City’s parent company for $400 million (377 million euros).

China Media Capital (CMC) and CITIC Capital have purchased the stake in City Football Group (CFG), which had previously been wholly owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), just weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Manchester City.

The deal, which values CFG at around $3 billion, is part of CFG’s strategy of expanding into Chinese football and reflects Xi’s aim to turn his country into a “football powerhouse”.

“The deal will create an unprecedented platform for the growth of CFG clubs and companies in China and internationally, borne out of CFG’s ability to provide a wealth of industry expertise and resources to the rapidly developing Chinese football industry,” CFG, CMC and CITIC said in a joint statement.

“The capital from the share acquisition will be used by City Football Group to fund its China growth, further CFG international business expansion opportunities and further develop CFG infrastructure assets.” AFP

Holy Angel, meanwhile, will represent Luzon in the national Passerelle Finals against Visayas qualifier Sun Yat Sen School of Iloilo, Mindanao champion Ateneo de Davao and NCR representative Adamson University.

Runners-up to Berkeley School were International School for Better Beginnings (Lucena), Don Bosco Academy (Pampanga) and Wonderland School (Dagupan).

Urdaneta City National High School, St. Louis University (Baguio) and International School for Better Beginnings (Lucena) placed next in that order to Holy Angel University in Paserelle.

FIFA’s executive committee can demand changes to the reform plan, but if approved the package will be sent for adoption at a meeting of FIFA’s 209-member associations on February 26, when Blatter’s replacement will also be chosen.

A FIFA official, who requested anonymity, said that if the reforms are approved quickly this week, “it means their content is inadequate and won’t change much.

“However, if there is a debate, it’s a good sign.”

- Reform from within? The source’s comments point

to the main obstacle facing the reform effort: it must be approved by individuals who may be accustomed to FIFA’s well-documented rotten ways.

In a preliminary report in October, Carrard’s panel floated the prospect of capping presidential terms at 12 years and barring those over 74 from serving on the executive committee.

It further suggested that compensation for senior officials be published annually and audited by an independent body. The executive committee would also be stripped of some powers.

Whether or not those reforms will ever come into force is not yet clear.

But some say that despite Carrard’s strong credentials, his mission is destined to fail, as his panel is dominated by FIFA-insiders, a clear departure from the lauded IOC clean-up team he led in the past.

“What is actually needed is an

independent set of executives that have no ties in world football, walking in and cleaning this place up,” said Declan Hill, author of ‘The Fix: soccer and organised crime’.

Hill, an expert on corruption in FIFA, described the Carrard panel as “an appearance of change, an appearance of reform.”

That sentiment echoes calls from some of the major corporations which sponsor the World Cup. Visa, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser’s parent company Anheuser-Busch have all issued demands for outside figures to lead the rescue effort at FIFA. On the eve of the much-anticipated meeting, Transparency International’s chief Cobus de Swardt predicted Carrard’s committee “will likely avoid taking some hard decision about changing the way FIFA does business”, because doing so could affect the committee members themselves. AFP

Wilson teams up with Peugeot. In line with its thrust of promoting and supporting active sports and wellness in the Philippines, Wilson, an industry-leading international sports gear brand, has recently teamed up with top car manufacturer Peugeot for the Peugeot Philippine Tennis Open.

Wilson will be the tennis racket brand partner and the official tennis ball of the tournament. Shown in photo during the launch are (from left to right) Dong Magsajo (Peugeot Philippines Marketing and Communications Director), Errol Cajefe Elicanal (Wilson Brand Manager), Liza Labrador (SRI Brand Management and Product Development Manager), Coach Francisco Santos (Tournament Director), Maria Isabel Latinazo (Peugeot Philippines Digital Marketing and CRM Specialist), Rodolfo S. Claudio (SRI President/CEO) and Glen Dasig (Peugeot Philippine President). Wilson has been actively involved in the promotion of various local and international sporting tournaments for many years now. Its products are available in leading malls and major sporting goods stores and are exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Sports Resources Inc. For more details, call SRI at 651-7777 local 839, visit www. sriphils.com or the PPTO official website(www. peugeottennis.ph) and FB page (Peugeot Philippines Tennis Open).

T H U R S DAY : D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 1 5

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Donaire mentally, physically stronger this time

By Ronnie Nathanielsz FORMER five-division world champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire, who leaves for Puerto Rico after one more 10-round sparring session on Thursday, said he is “physically and mentally stronger than ever before,” as he prepares to face World Boxing Organization super bantamweight No. 1-ranked Cesar Juarez in Puerto Rico on Dec.12.

“Everything has been great. I’ve worked hard and I am confident,” Donaire told The Standard/boxingmirror.com going into what is considered his most crucial fight after a crushing sixth-round loss to Nicholas Walters, to whom he lost his World Boxing Association featherweight title.

“I am excited after sparring 10 to 11 rounds three times a week with Fidel Navarette and Bowen.

They are tough guys, who go right in front of your face,” said Donaire. “I am mentally stronger than I’ve ever been in my career.

I am right there at the top of my physical ability.”

Donaire said: his game-plan is to put on an impressive performance.

“That’s what I am going to do,” added Donaire, indicating he plans to bring some Christmas cheer to his countrymen in the Philippines whom he plans to visit after the fight.

Earlier, his father/trainer Dodong Donaire said his son “is not the old Nonito. He is much better now. He is a better boxer, thinker and the power and speed are there.”

Alyssa Valdez fires away a kill against Army’s Jovelyn Gonzaga in Game One.

Volley phenom Valdez happy to be back home BACK in the spotlight and in the league where it all started, Ateneo star Alyssa Valdez was far from her fierce form, but her 25-point effort proved enough to help rally the PLDT Home Ultera Ultra Fast Hitters to a stirring 16-25, 20-25, 26-24, 29-27, 18-16 reversal over Army in Game One of their best-of-three duel for the Shakey’s VLeague Season 12 Reinforced Conference crown last Saturday.

Unsure whether Ateneo would give her the go-signal to rejoin Home Ultera after missing the entire elims and the semis, Valdez bucked lack of warmup with an abundance of excitement and zeal to play again in the league that she has gratefully described as the one which had started her on the path to stardom.

“I’m home again,” said

Valdez after spiking her return with a 22-kill feat despite being benched in the first set. “It feels right to always come back to the league that had greatly helped shape the path my volleyball career. My first exposure in the V-League and the succeeding ones greatly sharpened my skills and more than prepared me for what turned out to be my productive

Southwoods cools down, but still leads BAGUIO CITY—San MiguelNorthern Cement inched closer to Manila Southwoods and now stares at a three-point deficit going into the Camp John Hay golf course for the second half of the premier Fil Championship flight of the 66th Fil-Am Golf Invitational presented by San Miguel Corporation here.

The Southwoods Am Championship team cooled own a bit and gave just a point for a four-shot lead on Batangas Barako as the top flight takes a day break Thursday.

Yuto Katsuragawa led the Carmona, Cavite-based players with a 34, Justin Quiban

recovered in the front nine for a 33, while Ryan Monsalve and Kristoffer Arevalo chipped in 31 and 30, respectively, as Southwoods made 128 for a 255 tally and still led the flight by three.

Rupert Zaragoza improved to 34 and led San Miguel to a flight-best 130 and a 252 total to inch closer to the leader as they go to the longer and score-friendly John Hay. John Philip Claro had a 33, while Lanz Uy and Jelbert Gamolo made 32 and 31, respectively, to count in the five-to-play, four-tocount tournament also pre-

sented by Toyota.

Jobim Carlos fired the first even par score for 36 points and led Royal Northwood to 129 for a 241 to improve to third spot. Liam Cully and Carlo Gatmaytan scored identical 32s, while Carlo Villaroman chipped in a 29 to also count for the team which is one up on Lusita’s (127 and 240 tally).

Brian Kim submitted an even par for a 36, while Weiwei Gao and Joo Hyung Kim scored 32 points each and Dan Emilio Cruz posted 28 for Luisita, whose players average 15.2 years old, the youngest in the field.

ongoing stints with Ateneo in the UAAP.” Her pivotal roles in Ateneo’s back-to-back UAAP title romps over rival La Salle now stand as among the best-remembered chapters of Philippine volleyball history.

It was also in the Shakey’s V-League, in her first ever appearance, that her fan base started, initiated by a middle-aged businesswoman from Taytay who was more impressed by her warmth and humility than by her clear potentials at the time.

Not that Valdez had been away from the V-League that long. She was chosen MVP and Best Outside Spiker twice when PLDT won the Open Conference over Army last May and when Ateneo lost in the Collegiate Conference fi-

nals to National University last September. She was on Home Ultera’s lineup for this season-closing conference but was kept from playing by her UAAP beach volleyball campaign for Ateneo where she sustained a minor back injury.

She first appeared in the ongoing conference at the same time that Home Ultera introduced its two American imports—not to play against newcomer Kia Forte but to host an interview segment for GMA News TV Channel 11’s live coverage of the games.

But in the title series’ opener, the amiable spiker arrived with Ateneo coaches Tai Bundit and Parley Tupaz when her Home Ultera teammates were already doing stretching exercises off the court. At

the time, she was not yet cleared by her school management to play, but she had brought her uniforms just to be ready.

A thunderous cheer erupted in the Arena when in the middle of the first set of the first game of the finals, she burst into view in full battle gear. Amid lungbusting cheers and hysterical screams, Valdez put in another of her by now patented Player-of-the-Game performances.

She was shut out understandably so when the Third Conference individual awards were handed out, but she can still go for the finals’ MVP this Sunday when she tries to carry the team again to another victory and a sweep of the championship with her throngs of fans expected to cheer for her again.

Pumaren is new Adamson coach

By Peter Atencio FORMER La Salle Green Archers’ coach Franz Pumaren is back.

Sources said Pumaren will officially handle the Adamson University Falcons in the coming Season 79 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament.

He came aboard and accepted the job following a meeting

with school officials and one of the team’s sponsors.

Pumaren takes over the post which Mike Fermin handled in Season 78.

He used to coach La Salle from 1998 to 2009, steering them to five men’s basketball championships.

The Green Archers’ list of title conquests under Pumaren included their four-peat from 1998 to 2001. He had his last

championship with the team in 2007.

Pumaren is considered as one of the most accomplished college coaches around, and his entry was made possible with the help of the team’s sponsor, Akari Lighting.

Sources said that former San Beda coaches Frankie Lim and Ronnie Magsanoc and junior’s head coach Goldwin Monteverde were also considered.

T H U R S DAY : D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 1 5

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Romeo, Pringle carry GlobalPort past NLEX

By Jeric Lopez

TERRENCE Romeo just could not be denied.

The fiery scorer was once again in his element, scoring a game-high 29 points to power GlobalPort to its second straight victory--a hard-earned 96-90 dumping of inconsistent NLEX in the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.

Stanley Pringle was just as impressive, scoring 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting, while grabbing 10 rebounds as he and Romeo once again joined forces to steer Batang Pier to victory.

With the win, GlobalPort is now in solo fifth place with a 5-3 mark. More importantly, the Batang Pier moved a step closer to a spot in the quarterfinals, while NLEX is tied at sixth with idle Barangay Ginebra (4-4 cards).

“Talagang focused kami to win this game para maka-separate sa NLEX,’’ said GlobalPort coach Pido Jarencio. “Medyo steady na ‘yung team. Our players worked really hard.’’

Still feeling the momentum of his previous performances, Romeo was all business right from the get-go as the Batang Pier superstar and

resident scorer’s high-octane offense allowed 94-90 with under a minute left.

GlobalPort to seize control early.

The Road Warriors, who have now lost two Romeo scored 22 of his points in the first straight, ran out of gas in the dying seconds 24 minutes, helping the Batang Pier build a and the Batang Pier was able to formalize the whopping 19-point cushion, 54wire-to-wire victory.

Games Today 35, at intermission.

Jensen finished with 14 points of Asia Arena, Pasay City) His backcourt partner Pringle (Mall for GlobalPort.

4:15 p.m. - Talk ‘N Text vs. and forward Keith Jensen also Asi Taulava was a monster Barako Bull 7 p.m. - Meralco vs. Alaska turned in impressive first-half for NLEX as he likewise scored showings as they were already in a game-high 29 markers along double-figures as well, with 13 and 12 mark- with 12 rebounds. ers, respectively, at the turn.

In a rare Thursday playdate, the PBA has The trio of Romeo, Pringle and Jensen a double-header offering today with Talk combined for a whopping 47 points of their ‘N Text (4-2) and Barako Bull (3-4) going at team’s 54 in the decisive first half. it at 4:15 p.m., followed by co-league leader That huge jumpstart in the first half was Alaska (6-1) facing cellar-dweller Meralco the difference for GlobalPort.

(1-7) at 7 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena in The gritty Road Warriors, however, fought Pasay City. back and outscored the Batang Pier, 35-24, in The scores: the third to get themselves in the game and GLOBALPORT 96—Romeo 29, Pringle trail by a manageable seven points, 70-77, 27, Jensen 14, Mamaril 9, Kramer 7, Washheading into the payoff period. ington 6, Pena 2, Sumang 2, Maierhofer 0, NLEX kept grinding it out until it was able to Semerad 0, Taha 0, Yeo 0. inch to within just two, 90-92, after a three-point NLEX 90—Taulava 29, Anthony 17, Vilplay from Kevin Alas with 1:12 remaining. lanueva J. 10, Alas 9, Cardona 8, Villanueva E. But GlobalPort kept its cool as Billy 8, Khobuntin 5, Enciso 2, Lanete 2, Arboleda Mamaril answered with two free throws on 0, Borboran 0, Reyes 0. the other end for more insurance to make it Quarters: 24-16, 53-35, 77-70, 96-90

GlobalPort’s Stanley Pringle drives to the basket, slicing through the defense of NLEX’s Jonas Villanueva and Simon Enciso in a PBA Philippine Cup game won by the Batang Pier, 96-90.

LOTTO RESULTS

6/55 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M+ 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M 4 DIGITS 0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

Indonesia, Brazil make semifinals

By Arman D. Armero POWERHOUSE Brazil and Southeast Asian surprise package Indonesia took the first two semifinal spots up for grabs in the quarterfinal round Wednesday in the 2015 Spike For Peace International Beach Volleyball Tournament at the Multi-Purpose Arena, Philsports Complex in Pasig City.

Brazil, which advanced into the quarterfinal round after ousting the United States in straight sets, 21-15, 21-15, needed three sets this time to turn back The Netherlands, 21-14, 19-21, 15-12, behind the heady plays of Gabrielle Ilke Meertens, who finished with 18 points on the net and 21 overall.

Her partner, Hoeven Van Der, chipped in nine points, seven from her serves.

Mimi Perrazo Ameral led the Dutch ladies with 19 attack points and 27 overall.

Later, the Indonesian pair of Dati Jasami Utami Putu and Juliana Dhita, who topped Group B with a 2-0 card, played smart volleyball in outwitting the taller pair of Amaranta Fernandez and Ester Ribera of Spain, 22-20, 23-21.

The Indonesians, however, had a difficult time putting away the Spaniards, posting the win after two deuces in the first set and three deuces in the second.

Phutu, who time and again outsmarted the taller Fernandez in their net battles, finished with 19 spikes and 23 overall, while her partner Dhita added 13 kills and two service aces.

Fernandez led the Spaniards with 21 points, 17 off net attacks, while Ribera added 19.

The losses dropped The Netherlands and the Spaniards to the losers’ bracket, and will need to beat the losers of the Thailand-Sweden and Japan-New Zealand matches, respectively, to advance into the semifinals of the tournament organized by the Philippine Sports Commission.

The Japanese and the Kiwis were still playing as of press time, before the Thais and the Swedes clash against each other.

2015 Hong Kong revisited AS A Philippine Airlines SYLVIA LOPEZ ALEJANDRO executive I had frequent visits to Hongkong. Very familiar with stops to the Pen, Captain’s Bar at the Mandarin and the general area with shopping along Nathan Road.

During the turn-over my niece, Butch Lopez and I decided to stay at Conrad Hotel in the Hongkong side.

It was a terrific farewell to the British held isle. We toured everything recommended in the book, Rough Guide, which included viewing of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank.

Designed by Norman Foster and opened in 1986, it is one of Hongkong most extraordinary building and believed then the most expensive building in the world.

Now in 2015 when my son, Peter and I agreed on a trip to Hongkong we decided to book at Langham Hotel in the Mongkuk area. With the difficulties encountered with

the booking, I booked at Royal Plaza Hotel. Aside from a lower rate for rooms, the Dimsum served was delicious (especially the lobster dumpling with gold) and a whopping buffet at the La Scala.

Right next door a food court with reasonable prices. The bonus-it is walking distance to the Bird/Ladies Market.

Heeding the advise that my good friend, Chu-Chu Madrigal said that the best Chinese cuisine was in Hongkong. I did not schedule to eat at Yon Kee, the perennial favorite of Filipino visitors. I consulted my good friend, Mrs. Chris Tweddell, the wife of the Ambassador Bill Tweddell who was also the Ambassador for Australian Embassy in Hongkong. I was kindly referred to Ms. Amy Liang, who was his social secretary.

With Ms. Liang’s invaluable assistance Peter and I had an excellent meal at Ming Court. They recently earned another star making them two-

star under the Michelin Guide. The Ming Court Degustation-Sun per person Hk 598 Ming Court Deluxe AppetizersPork loin, five,spice, barbecued Chinese Black Fungus, Black Vinegar, Special Sesame Sauce, Chilled Vietnamese Pig’s Trotter, Loh-Sui Sauce Bird’s Nest Soup, Chicken Consomme, Brassica, Double-Boiled Giant Garoupa Enrobed in Miched Shrimp, Spice Shrimp, Fried Seasoned Green Silver, Hongkong Tourism Board Best of the Best Culinary Awards 2009 And three more times Peter and I were the only foreigners Fully booked.

Excellent food-impeccable service I highly recommend to dine at Ming Court. It is advisable to make advance reservations. Add 6/F Langham Place, Mongkuk, 555 Shanghai Street, Mong Kuk Tel no. 258554113 Another newly opened restaurant worth visiting is the Nakamura Tock-

ichi Hongkong Branch. It is noted for its masha cuisine. Thousands lined up since its opening last October.

Queues was also met by us when Peter and I dined there. It has a magnificent view of the harbor.

The One, 100 Nathan Road The primary purpose of the Hongkong trip was achieved. “We have joy in our household. We are going to Hongkong to rendezvous with my eldest son, Peter. The “we” are Bernadeth and Anita who are serving us as house staffers for over 25 years.

This trip is our loyalty award in recognition of their meritorious service.”

I Love PAL Last year I spearheaded the drive to restore our benefits which the retirees enjoyed. I quoted Mr. Lucio Tan’s words in his message to Pal workers-how the airlines “was special” to him.

“We, retired PAL Senior Managers were heartened at reading Mr. Lucio Tan’s message to PAL workers—how the airlines was “special”

to him. “PAL is more than an airline company for me. It goes beyond investing, it is like a family. Whatever life problems, this is a place I can always return to and feel safe, secured and loved. Indeed, this is the reason why I decided to regain full ownership of PAL, becasuee I love PAL, “he said.”

After the restoration last December, 2014 and our letter of thanks, I was able to thank Mr. Lucio Tan and Mr. Bautista personally during the PAL AGM this year.

In that meeting it was mentioned of the probability that PAL would be serving Rome. That possibility will be come a reality with the visit of President Aquino anytime soon to Italy. One of the agreements to be signed: the air services agreement between the Philippines and Italy.

Ah Roma! Thank you for flying Philippine Airlines!

Comments to: sylvia.alejandro@ yahoo

A16

T H U R S DAY : D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 1 5 RIERA U. MALL ARI EDITOR

REUEL VIDAL A S S I S TA N T E D I T O R

sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS

Members of the FEU Tamaraws celebrate their 20th title conquest after beating the UST Tigers, 2-1, in the UAAP Best-of-Three Finals at the MOA Arena. LINO SANTOS

Lady Bulldogs near title NEWLY MINTED backto-back MVP Afril Bernardino had a double-double effort of 17 points and 18 rebounds as National University moved on the cusp of completing a second straight perfect season with a 91-59 drubbing of Ateneo in the UAAP Season 78 women’s Finals opener at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Lady Bulldogs led by as much as 38 points to extend their winning streak to 38 games. Game 2 will be announced later.

Katrina Guytingco shot 14 points while Danica Jose, a member of the Mythical Team, added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Lady Eagles.

The loss ended Ateneo’s five-game winning streak which dated back in the elimination round. The Lady Eagles are the No. 4 seed in the playoffs.

The scores: First Game (Women) NU (91)—Bernardino 17, Paig 16, Gupilan 14, Miranda 9, Tongco 6, Itesi 6, Antiquera 5, Nabalan 4, Harada 4, Sison 3, Riel 3, Animam 2, Del Carmen 2, Abriam 0, Reyes 0, Layug 0.

Ateneo (59)—Guytingco 14, Jose 13, Aseron 9, Go 7, Yam 6, Deacon 4, Tomita 3, Buendia 2, Javier 1, Nitorreda 0.

Quarterscores: 21-10, 43-20, 65-36, 91-59

Gritty win ends Tams’ 10-year title drought

By Peter Atencio

THIS time around, the Far Eastern University Tamaraws proved to be the tougher team in the endgame.

Mac Belo opened the door to two scoring opportunities in the dying seconds as the Tamaraws pulled off a 67-62 triumph over the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers in the deciding Game 3 of the 78th University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ Best-of-Three Finals Wednesday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Belo’s heroics handed the Tams a record-setting 20th men’s basketball championship, whicso ended a decade-long title drought as they won their last UAAP crown in 2005.

Belo split his charities with 18.2 seconds left, allowing FEU to gain a 65-62 cushion.

But the former national player

James sad that Bryant is retiring TURN TO A12

wasn’t finished.

He rushed back on defense on the other end to block a layup by red-hot UST guard Ed Daquioag, setting up Russell Escoto for the two titleclinching freebies that sparked the wild celebration of FEU’s supporters as confetti and multi-colored balloons fell from the catwalk.

The 6’4” Belo, who was later adjudged as the Finals’ Most Valuable Player, went on to end his final year with the Tams with 23 points and eight rebounds. He battled leg cramps at the bench in the remaining 11.2 seconds.

But the dagger, go-ahead triple from the Tamaraws came from Roger Pogoy, whose last trey gave the lead

back to the Morayta-based school at 61-60 with 1:27 to go, after trailing by as much as 53-59. Pogoy struck with 14 points, including seven in the final canto.

Mike Tolomia, who canned in 13 points, then put FEU ahead, 63-60, with his layup off Abdul in the final 1:01, as the Tamaraws moved ahead after UST’s Marvin Lee bungled a trey and turned the ball over.

“The boys promised me this gift.

This was a good gift that they guaranteed,” said FEU coach Nash Racela, who celebrated his 44th birthday on Monday.

Daquioag tallied a game-high 21 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter for the Growling Tigers, who came back from as much as 41-51.

Daquioag’s three successive baskets in the last 4:20, highlighted by his driving shot off his steal from Escoto put UST ahead, 59-53, only

Valdez happy to be back home TURN TO A14

to lose the lead behind the Tamaraws’ gritty endgame flurry.

Daquioag’s two charities off Belo’s foul in the last 54.5 seconds had the Tigers threatening at 62-63.

The Tigers won Game 2 on Kevin Ferrer’s 29-point explosion. This time around, Ferrer was limited to just 6 points.

UST coach Bong dela Cruz commended the way FEU defended against them.

“The boys relaxed. ‘Di kami nakapag-execute sa defense ng FEU,” said Dela Cruz.

The scores: FEU 67—Belo 23, Pogoy 14, Tolomia 13, Tamsi 6, Escoto 5, Inigo 3.

Jose 2, Orizu 1, Arong 0, Dennison 0, Escoto 0, Trinidad 0.

UST 62—Daquioag 21, Abdul 12, Lee 9, Ferrer 6, Lao 6, Vigil 6, Bonleon 2, Faundo 0, Huang 0, Sheriff 0.

Quarterscores: 18-19, 30-all, 5146, 67-62.

B1

THURSDAY: DECEMBER 3, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

Harbor-Globe partnership. Marine services provider Harbor Star Shipping Services Inc. taps Globe Business, the information and communication technology arm of Globe Telecom Inc., to provide trackers in monitoring the fleet operations of HSPI. Shown signing the agreement are (seated, from left) Globe Business cluster head of sales enterprise group Robie Reyes, Globe Business vice president for enterprise sales Dion Asencio, Habor Star president and chief executive Geronimo Bella Jr. and Harbor Star vice president for operations Rodrigo Bella.

Telecom battle building up

By Darwin G. Amojelar

THE battle over the powerful wireless bandwidth held by San Miguel Corp. heats up, as Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. threatened to file a case against an official of the National Telecommunications Commission for his alleged statements on the difficulty of reallocating the frequencies to other companies.

Both PLDT and Globe Telecom Inc. want to have a share in the 700-megahertz frequency band assigned to San Miguel, which plans to use the powerful resource in rolling out its mobile broadband service in partnership with Australia’s Telstra Corp.

PLDT said it might sue NTC director Edgardo Cabarios for alleged misleading statements

about the controversial 700-megahertz frequency band.

“It is unfortunate that NTC Director Cabarios made misleading unofficial and personal statements regarding the true state of the 700 MHz radio frequency band in the country and the procedure involved in the repurposing of the use of radio frequencies under NTC rules and

regulations particularly as a result of technological advancements and the consequent emerging global regulatory and commercial practices,” PLDT head of regulatory affairs and policy Ray Espinosa said.

Globe also asked NTC to correct the statement that it could no longer apply for the 700-MHz frequency band, which is seen as the next important resource in mobile broadband service.

Cabarios earlier told reporters that reallocation of 700 MHz frequency was “not easy” because “reallocation [of frequency] is a quasi-judicial process” and “there must be a reason for the recall.”

Cabarios said the government would only recall the frequency if it was unused and the user did not pay the proper spectrum users fee.

Espinosa said Cabarrios created

the misperception that existing mobile telecommunication operators could no longer apply for, and be given equitable allocation of, additional and new radio frequencies even when needed by the demands of the public service.

“For these reasons, we have referred the statements of director Cabarios to our legal counsel for appropriate judicial and administrative actions,” Espinosa said.

Globe general counsel Froilan Castelo said the NTC should also correct its statement. “We continue to campaign and lobby for the NTC to harmonize 700 Mhz. The spectrum cannot be held by only one entity,” he said.

Castelo said it was imperative for NTC to ensure that the 700 MHz band was made open to other telco players.

Govt debt jumped P244b to reach P6t in October

By Gabrielle H. Binaday THE national government’s outstanding debt increased by P244 billion over the past 12 months to reach nearly P6 trillion as of end-October this year, data from the Treasury show.

The Treasury said in a statement government debt reached P5.958 trillion in October, up by 4.3 percent from P5.714 trillion a year ago.

Month-on-month, the national government debt increased by P22.02 billion or 0.4 percent from P5.936 trillion in September.

“Similarly, the amount is 3.9 percent or P222.47 billion higher

relative to end-December 2014,” the Treasury said.

Domestic debt increased P142 billion or 3.8 percent to P3.9 trillion in October this year from P3.82 trillion in October 2014. This was also 0.4 percent or P14.96 billion higher than the previous month’s level.

“For the month of October, the majority of increase in domestic obligations was due to net issuance of government securities amounting to P14.98 billion,” the Treasury said.

“This was slightly trimmed by the appreciation of the local currency against the US dollar that reduced the peso value

of debt by P0.02 billion,” the Treasury said.

Data showed that of the total local debt, P3.89 trillion were government securities while P598 million were loans.

Meanwhile, foreign government debt increased P102 billion or 5.2 percent over a 12-month period to reach P2.060 trillion in October from P1.96 trillion a year ago.

The October foreign debt also exceeded the previous month’s level by 0.3 percent or P7.06 billion.

“The increase in external obligations is attributed to net availments worth P13.80 billion,” the Treasury said.

This was tempered by the impact of the stronger peso against the dollar and third currencies.

Meanwhile, national guaranteed debt as of end-October slightly declined 1.2 percent year-on-year to P441 billion.

“The decline was due to the combined effect of peso appreciation against the US dollar, net depreciation of third currencies and net repayments,” the agency said.

The national government plans to borrow less next year and slash the debt stock to a record-low of 41.8 percent of the gross domestic product from the projected 44.7 percent this year.

PSe comPoSite

index

Closing December 2, 2015

8000 7700 7400 7100 6800 6500

7,047.08 13.52

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing DECEMBER 2, 2015 43.50 44.60 45.40

P47.100

46.20

CLOSE

47.00

HIGH P47.100 LOW P47.210 AVERAGE P47.152 VOLUME 535.600M

P487.00-P682.00 LPG/11-kg tank P35.15-P42.40 Unleaded Gasoline

o

il P PriceS today

P25.03-P28.48 Diesel P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday, December 2, 2015

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

47.1530

Japan

Yen

0.008137

0.3837

UK

Pound

1.507700

71.0926

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128999

6.0827

Switzerland

Franc

0.973899

45.9223

Canada

Dollar

0.748335

Singapore

Dollar

0.711541

33.5513

Australia

Dollar

0.731582

34.4963

Bahrain

Dinar

2.665956

125.7078

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266525

12.5675

Brunei

Dollar

0.709019

33.4324

35.2862

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000073

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.027933

1.3171

UAE

Dirham

0.272309

12.8402

Euro

Euro

1.062300

50.0906

Korea

Won

0.000864

0.0407

China

Yuan

0.156284

7.3693

India

Rupee

0.015046

0.7095

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.236407

11.1473

New Zealand

Dollar

0.667601

Taiwan

Dollar

0.030608

31.4794 1.4433 Source: PDS Bridge

THURSDAY: DECEMBER 3, 2015

B2

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Wednesday, december 2, 2015

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 4.2 17 30.45 10.4 2.6 890 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 75 91.5 137 361.2 57 180 1700 124

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.97 1.68 12.02 19.6 6.12 1.02 625 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 58 62 88.35 276 41 118.2 1200 59

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

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

PB Bank Phil Bank of Comm Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank

2.52 46 105.50 84.00 38.9 2.48 1.43 15.38 18.9 7.50 1.80 750.00 0.455 82 0.93 17.50 23.00 50.90 102 293.8 31.5 139 1516.00 57.05

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 20.6 85 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 2.89 31.8 109 15.3 9.4 0.98 241

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 15.32 20.2 10.08 29.15 1.5 1.5 10.72 9.55 9.04 6.02 8.86 1.06 20.2 71.5 13.24 5.34 0.395 173

79 33.9 90 13.26 293 5.25 12.98 6.75 15 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.86 7.34 238 5.5 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 5.28 1.3 2.17

34.1 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 3.87 8.45 3 10.04 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 1.65 5.9 161 4.1 1.55 0.138 1.02 2.09 152 4.28 0.640 1.2

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

Asiabest Group Century Food Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Concepcion Crown Asia Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) EEI Euro-Med Lab First Gen Corp.

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

LBC Express Liberty Flour Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A’ Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Petron Corporation Phil H2O Phinma Corporation Phoenix Petroleum Phils.

Phoenix Semiconductor Pryce Corp. `A’ RFM Corporation Roxas and Co. Roxas Holdings San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ SPC Power Corp.

Splash Corporation Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp.

Trans-Asia Oil Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

41.7 4.5 0.82 1.53 10.78 17.4 50 21.5 41.05 2.41 1.45 10.58 9.290 9.40 6.28 4.76 1.67 23.7 67.1 14.80 5.9 2.100 207.00 12.5 42.00 24.5 21.7 6.29 306.20 3.61 7.47 3.17 11.40 3.78 1.77 2.28 4.20 2.47 5.75 131 3.69 2.38 0.147 1.03 2.12 193.7 4.55 0.63 1.12

0.59 59.2 30.05 7.39 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 3.35 4.92 0.66 1455 7.5 76 5.29 9.25 0.85 17.3 0.71 5.53 6.55 0.0670 2.31 1.61 2.99 84.9 974 1.39 390 156 0.710 0.435

0.44 48.1 20.85 6.62 0.23 0.23 634.5 7.390 12.8 2.6 2.26 0.152 837 5.3 49.55 3 4.84 0.59 12 0.580 4.2 4.5 0.030 1.23 0.550 2.26 59.3 751 0.93 170 80 0.211 0.179

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

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

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

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

Minerales Industrias Corp.

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

0.395 57.8500 17.80 6.35 0.249 0.237 770 7.54 13.66 6.01 4.10 0.230 1290 5.50 73.00 4.53 7.6 0.76 15.1 0.51 5.29 9.95 0.0310 1.470 1.770 2.7 46.80 855.00 0.72 160.00 75.000 0.2950 0.2100

10.5 1.99 1.75 41.4 5.6 1.44 1.97

6.74 0.65 1.2 30.05 3.36 0.79 1.1

8990 HLDG A. Brown Co., Inc. Araneta Prop `A’ Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. `A’ Century Property City & Land Dev.

7.030 0.84 1.190 34.700 3.22 0.57 0.91

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

SHARES 6,940,118 85,716,704 136,422,721 149,397,415 114,968,311 84,481,797 582,904,886

Close

High

Low

FINANCIAL 2.74 2.54 46.7 44.15 105.70 103.10 84.50 83.55 39 38.3 2.49 2.48 1.48 1.36 15.48 15.1 18.88 18.66 7.80 7.50 1.79 1.79 775.00 760.00 0.460 0.445 82.65 81.05 0.96 0.96 17.50 17.24 23.00 23.00 51.50 51.00 102 95 293.8 293.2 32.3 32.3 141 138.8 1540.00 1530.00 57.10 57.00 INDUSTRIAL 41.9 41 4.95 4.55 0.82 0.79 1.52 1.49 10.78 10.7 17.5 17.2 45 45 21.9 21.1 41.95 41.05 2.5 2.4 1.58 1.4 10.5 10 9.38 9.290 9.46 9.29 6.35 6.24 4.94 4.80 1.7 1.67 24.7 23.75 68 67.1 14.80 14.80 5.9 5.82 2.340 2.090 207.40 206.00 12.5 12.5 48.00 43.00 24.7 24.2 21.8 21.1 6.29 6.2 315.00 303.00 3.8 3.65 7.60 7.43 3.17 3.07 11.42 11.42 3.78 3.53 1.77 1.66 2.38 2.26 4.21 4.20 2.85 2.85 5.75 5.75 133.5 128 3.69 3.69 2.48 2.38 0.155 0.147 1.12 1.02 2.13 2.12 196.7 192.6 4.55 4.55 0.66 0.63 1.25 1.10 HOLDING FIRMS 0.395 0.395 58.0000 56.5000 17.90 17.80 6.40 6.33 0.249 0.249 0.245 0.236 765 752.7 7.6 7.51 14.10 13.66 6.15 5.78 4.10 4.10 0.270 0.250 1295 1290 5.51 5.51 72.85 71.50 5.5 5 7.62 7.45 0.78 0.73 15.22 15 0.51 0.51 5.32 5.26 9.95 9.84 0.0330 0.0300 1.410 1.260 1.780 1.760 2.7 2.7 47.25 45.80 964.50 851.00 0.72 0.72 160.00 160.00 75.000 74.000 0.3150 0.2950 0.2190 0.2070 PROPERTY 7.050 7.000 0.96 0.83 1.190 1.190 35.050 34.340 3.22 3.17 0.58 0.56 0.92 0.92

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

2.74 46.25 103.10 84.50 38.3 2.48 1.47 15.2 18.66 7.60 1.79 775.00 0.460 81.1 0.96 17.50 23.00 51.20 102 293.8 32.3 140 1535.00 57.00

8.73 0.54 -2.27 0.60 -1.54 0.00 2.80 -1.17 -1.27 1.33 -0.56 3.33 1.10 -1.10 3.23 0.00 0.00 0.59 0.00 0.00 2.54 0.72 1.25 -0.09

20,000 520,900 1,588,290 2,206,590 66,900 8,000 63,000 5,400 203,400 8,000 1,000 3,970 70,000 610,800 190,000 165,000 5,000 192,680 1,580 25,120 1,500 666,820 755 13,150

41.3 4.76 0.79 1.52 10.7 17.28 45 21.2 41.95 2.42 1.47 10.5 9.350 9.33 6.26 4.93 1.67 24.7 67.3 14.80 5.9 2.250 206.80 12.5 46.00 24.5 21.75 6.2 312.20 3.76 7.48 3.07 11.42 3.78 1.73 2.3 4.20 2.85 5.75 128 3.69 2.44 0.148 1.12 2.12 193.1 4.55 0.66 1.15

-0.96 5.78 -3.66 -0.65 -0.74 -0.69 -10.00 -1.40 2.19 0.41 1.38 -0.76 0.65 -0.74 -0.32 3.57 0.00 4.22 0.30 0.00 0.00 7.14 -0.10 0.00 9.52 0.00 0.23 -1.43 1.96 4.16 0.13 -3.15 0.18 0.00 -2.26 0.88 0.00 15.38 0.00 -2.29 0.00 2.52 0.68 8.74 0.00 -0.31 0.00 4.76 2.68

5,782,500 2,898,000 23,000 53,000 200 766,800 100 1,676,300 1,100 374,000 2,246,000 13,200 4,634,900 8,582,000 11,617,200 648,000 11,000 2,960,000 62,910 3,300 3,800 4,834,000 926,400 15,100 4,500 5,807,700 781,300 1,700 495,560 161,000 992,800 80,000 1,800 72,000 669,000 253,000 14,991,000 1,000 300 26,160 1,000 1,035,000 4,270,000 176,000 219,000 3,958,900 13,000 77,000 467,000

0.395 57.5500 17.90 6.40 0.249 0.236 757 7.6 13.72 6.15 4.10 0.250 1290 5.51 71.50 5.5 7.62 0.77 15 0.51 5.3 9.95 0.0320 1.400 1.770 2.7 47.25 862.00 0.72 160.00 74.000 0.3000 0.2190

0.00 -0.52 0.56 0.79 0.00 -0.42 -1.69 0.80 0.44 2.33 0.00 8.70 0.00 0.18 -2.05 21.41 0.26 1.32 -0.66 0.00 0.19 0.00 3.23 -4.76 0.00 0.00 0.96 0.82 0.00 0.00 -1.33 1.69 4.29

20,000 560,080 773,700 8,700 45,000 640,000 108,060 281,600 4,473,700 96,900 5,000 490,000 51,940 500 1,924,720 4,000 2,400,100 215,000 3,377,400 20,000 18,903,300 1,406,500 94,600,000 68,000 924,000 25,000 514,900 198,770 12,000 4,800 5,190 3,490,000 230,000

7.000 0.95 1.190 34.800 3.2 0.57 0.92

-0.43 13.10 0.00 0.29 -0.62 0.00 1.10

4,919,030 27,328,000 43,850.00 1,000 32,910,400 -10,979,880.00 1,203,000 118,490.00 2,151,000 19,000

660,895.00 38,977,792 7,598,635.50 155,400.00

-3,550,166.00

4,600.00 -22,138,689.00 1,540,000.00 115,000.00 -6,195.50 29,070 -10,297,161.00 345,375.00 148,200.00 -109,325,315.00 -185,440.00

256,880.00 124,140.00 28,735 14,800.00 -1,379,843.00 -10,225,416.00 -10,182,475.00 -557,920.00 23,769,745.00 -2,296,980.00 44,400.00 -82,170.00 28,428,502.00 -135,730,240.00 -683,010.00 -70,129,782.00 -249,190.00 3,439,372.00

16,600.00 -1,965,600.00 -2,057,953.00 63,720.00 10,500.00 63,328,472.00

3,252,652.50 -6,679,188.00 14,690.00 -48,970,130.00 498,487.00 4,610,894.00 20,500.00 -43,598,070.00 -66,410,384.50 -446,263.00 7,135,436.00 5,994,137.00

123,900.00 -20,170,315.00 -34,995,790.00 -29,096.50 14,750.00

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

1.48 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 2.22 2.1 1.8 5.94 0.180 0.470 0.72 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 7.56 1.62 8.59

0.97 0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 1.15 1.42 1.27 4.13 0.090 0.290 0.39 2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 3.38 0.83 5.73

Cityland Dev. `A’ Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp.

Double Dragon Empire East Land Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Interport `A’ Megaworld MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Estates Corp.

Phil. Realty `A’ Primex Corp.

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

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 12.3 7.67 4 2720 8.41 1.97 119.5 7 0.8200 2.2800 5.93 12.28 3.32 2.53 3.2 95.5 1 2.46 15.2

1.97 35.2 1 0.63 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 10.14 4.8 2.58 1600 5.95 1.23 102.6 3.01 0.041 1.200 2.34 6.5 1.91 1.01 1.95 3.1 0.650 1.8 6

0.62 1.040 4 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

0.335 0.37 2.28 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

11.6 0.85 10 0.490 1.9

7.59 0.63 5 0.315 1.14

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

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

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

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

Paxys Inc. Phil. Seven Corp.

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

SSI Group STI Holdings Travellers Waterfront Phils.

Yehey

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

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

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

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

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

TA Petroleum

70 553 525 118 120 515 8.21 12.28 111 1060 1047 84.8

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

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

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

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

15 12.88

3.5 5.95

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

Alterra Capital Makati Fin. Corp.

Xurpas

High

VALUE 592,018,699.55 1,976,764,673.12 799,532,834.16 1,961,705,291.89 960,578,817.57 36,656,910.593 6,401,121,142.88

FINANCIAL 1,549.14 (down) 10.50 INDUSTRIAL 11,129.47 (up) 20.39 HOLDING FIRMS 6,607.51 (down) 24.01 PROPERTY 3,002.81 (up) 1.52 SERVICES 1,628.17 (up) 2.15 MINING & OIL 10,834.64 (up) 35.74 PSEI 7,047.08 (down) 13.52 All Shares Index 4,053.70 (down) 0.65 Gainers: 99; Losers: 67; Unchanged: 58; Total: 224

Close

1.05 0.127 0.465 23.3 0.850 1.05 1.82 1.20 4.65 0.084 0.2490 0.4000 8.79 30.00 1.44 3.2 22.30 0.75 6.3 0.880 5.400

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

1.050 1.050 1.05 0.130 0.125 0.125 0.480 0.465 0.470 23.9 23.3 23.8 0.850 0.850 0.850 1.09 1.04 1.06 1.88 1.80 1.88 1.20 1.19 1.19 4.65 4.5 4.62 0.082 0.082 0.082 0.2500 0.2500 0.2500 0.4300 0.4300 0.4300 8.79 8.66 8.79 30.15 29.05 29.50 1.45 1.43 1.43 3.24 3.24 3.24 22.50 22.05 22.35 0.74 0.72 0.74 7.5 7 7.4 0.960 0.880 0.930 5.390 5.320 5.350 SERVICES 7.37 7.35 7.3 7.32 64.2 64.6 64.15 64.25 1.19 1.34 1.16 1.21 0.510 0.530 0.510 0.530 5.34 5.43 5.32 5.38 0.0440 0.0440 0.0430 0.0440 3.47 3.56 3.48 3.55 84 84.7 83.9 84 9.93 9.99 9 9.99 4.97 5.30 4.75 4.90 3.28 3.78 3.60 3.78 2034 2048 2028 2042 7.00 7.23 7.00 7.05 1.27 1.32 1.26 1.30 74.6 75.2 74 75 4.22 4.20 4.20 4.20 0.173 0.173 0.170 0.173 1.3900 1.4300 1.4000 1.4000 2 2.12 1.98 2 8.99 9.01 8.99 8.99 4.31 4.41 4.24 4.24 1.15 1.20 1.16 1.20 2.15 2.25 2.15 2.25 29.90 29.00 29.00 29.00 0.590 0.560 0.560 0.560 2 2 2 2 3.37 3.47 3.4 3.47 3.84 3.96 3.87 3.95 0.255 0.275 0.255 0.275 0.690 0.860 0.710 0.830 2.99 2.71 2.71 2.71 103.00 112.00 102.00 102.00 21.10 21.10 20.25 20.75 2144.00 2190.00 2130.00 2154.00 0.470 0.470 0.460 0.460 0.990 0.980 0.950 0.950 34.70 34.70 34.20 34.20 71.50 71.50 69.10 70.00 6.01 6.47 6.01 6.46 4.14 4.42 4.15 4.38 0.460 0.470 0.445 0.460 3.95 3.95 3.88 3.94 0.345 0.340 0.320 0.340 4.800 5.050 4.690 4.800 MINING & OIL 0.0048 0.0049 0.0048 0.0048 4.15 4.30 4.16 4.16 0.210 0.211 0.210 0.210 5.8000 5.71 5.7 5.7000 5.7300 5.73 5.7 5.7000 0.67 0.67 0.65 0.67 0.61 0.63 0.62 0.63 8.00 8.45 7.76 7.95 0.76 0.78 0.76 0.76 0.290 0.305 0.290 0.295 0.190 0.191 0.190 0.190 0.200 0.200 0.200 0.200 0.0100 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 0.012 0.012 0.011 0.012 2.15 2.15 2.11 2.13 6.7 6.83 6.56 6.7 2.9 2.94 2.85 2.9 0.5900 0.5900 0.5900 0.5900 1.3500 1.4200 1.4200 1.4200 0.0100 0.0100 0.0100 0.0100 3.63 3.67 3.56 3.67 5.00 5.050 5.01 5.03 1.40 1.430 1.41 1.41 0.0120 0.0120 0.0110 0.0120 137.00 137.00 135.00 137.00 2.29 2.37 2.25 2.34 PREFERRED 64 65.5 64.5 65.3 521 521 521 521 523 523 523 523 110.8 119.8 119.8 119.8 116.1 120 116.1 120 519 520 520 520 6.93 7 6.93 6.93 1.12 1.12 1.11 1.11 109 109 108 108 1055 1060 1050 1050 1024 1023 1023 1023 83 83 83 83 79.2 79.2 79.2 79.2 80 80.1 79.8 80 80.85 80.85 80.65 80.65 WARRANTS & BONDS 2.630 2.700 2.600 2.700 SME 3.68 3.87 3.7 3.87 2.63 2.63 2.63 2.63 15.5 15.4 14.8 14.94 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 115.4 115.5 115.1 115.1

T op g ainerS STOCKS

Low

0.00 -1.57 1.08 2.15 0.00 0.95 3.30 -0.83 -0.65 -2.38 0.40 7.50 0.00 -1.67 -0.69 1.25 0.22 -1.33 17.46 5.68 -0.93

10,000 3,740,000 7,050,000 510,200 11,000 2,506,000 27,640,000 53,000 14,153,000 100,000 30,000 10,000 47,800 15,526,100 376,000 1,074,000 7,856,600 383,000 1,600 3,017,000 971,500

-0.68 0.08 1.68 3.92 0.75 0.00 2.31 0.00 0.60 -1.41 15.24 0.39 0.71 2.36 0.54 -0.47 0.00 0.72 0.00 0.00 -1.62 4.35 4.65 -3.01 -5.08 0.00 2.97 2.86 7.84 20.29 -9.36 -0.97 -1.66 0.47 -2.13 -4.04 -1.44 -2.10 7.49 5.80 0.00 -0.25 -1.45 0.00

15,100 12,860 338,000 155,000 5,541,800 13,800,000 32,000 125,400 3,300 623,000 6,000 68,010 228,100 192,000 999,830 1,000 470,000 68,000 104,000 757,400 788,000 5,000 93,000 200 2,000 8,000 825,000 6,332,000 450,000 43,126,000 1,000 450 79,500 171,950 510,000 4,534,000 110,600 1,413,020 5,830,000 7,938,000 11,480,000 61,000 6,860,000 452,000

0.00 0.24 0.00 -1.72 -0.52 0.00 3.28 -0.62 0.00 1.72 0.00 0.00 10.00 0.00 -0.93 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.19 0.00 1.10 0.60 0.71 0.00 0.00 2.18

34,000,000 272,000 1,000,000 2,300 2,800 212,000 30,000 8,700 2,684,000 110,000 3,110,000 2,090,000 31,200,000 1,500,000 99,000 2,977,000 179,000 19,000 1,000 700,000 9,000 21,400 20,000 4,000,000 75,280 145,000

2.03 0.00 0.00 8.12 3.36 0.19 0.00 -0.89 -0.92 -0.47 -0.10 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.25

56,520 11,910 290 100 1,010 600 6,100 141,000 21,780 1,470 340 22,000 20 65,210 37,550

2.66

72,000

5.16 0.00 -3.61

77,000 4,000 4,896,000

-17,084,484.00

-0.26

820

5,770.00

-523,000.00 5,719,655.00 -545,310.00 17,588,350.00 -14,063,920.00

38,522,035.00 0.00 22,023,060.00

696,396.00 735.00 -36,010.00 2,550.00 10,503,093.00 -120,057.50

-79,357,200.00 102,700.00 42,866,798.50

-5,477,179.00

1,259,440.00 3,803,220.00 13,150.00 -392,980.00 14,525.00 -147,296,540.00 -270,870.00 130,335.00 -49,561,416.00 -307,260.00 3,886,550.00 704,000.00 -39,400.00

-28,800.00 -184,220.00

401,990.00 -200,000.00 55,120.00 -3,342,231.00

-25,571.00 -14,100.00 -4,360,819.00 2,559,185.00

20,790.00

-3,200,000.00

11,100.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Keppel Holdings `A'

5.5

21.41

Conc. Aggr. 'A'

45

-10.00

NOW Corp.

0.830

20.29

Paxys Inc.

2.71

-9.36

Starmalls

7.4

17.46

Manila Bulletin

0.560

-5.08

Roxas and Co.

2.85

15.38

Prime Media Hldg

1.400

-4.76

Easy Call "Common"

3.78

15.24

Premium Leisure

0.950

-4.04

A. Brown Co., Inc.

0.95

13.10

Alliance Tuna Intl Inc.

0.79

-3.66

Manila Mining `A'

0.0110

10.00

Xurpas

14.94

-3.61

Liberty Flour

46.00

9.52

Phil H2O

3.07

-3.15

TKC Steel Corp.

1.12

8.74

Manila Broadcasting

29.00

-3.01

AG Finance

2.74

8.73

MRC Allied Ind.

0.082

-2.38

THURSDAY: DECEMBER 3, 2015

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

Metro Pacific gets P16.5-b loan

By Jenniffer B. Austria

CONGLOMERATE Metro Pacific Investments Corp. said it secured P16.5 billion worth of term loan facilities from two banks to finance investments in several projects.

Metro Pacific said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it signed separate agreements with BDO Unibank Inc for 10-year fixed rate notes worth P10 billion and China Banking Corp. for another 10-year fixed rate term loan worth P6.5 billion.

Metro Pacific earlier announced a $10-billion (P480 billion) five-year spending program to further expand its power, water, infrastructure and hospital businesses.

Metro Pacific has earmarked P401 billion for the committed projects on core businesses that include additional tollroads and power plants.

The figure could go up by another P78 billion as the conglomerate explores new projects for its water and tollroad units.

The company said it was keen on other infrastructure projects that the government would bid out under the public-privatepartnership scheme.

Out of the P401-billion spending from 2015 to 2020, Metro Pacific has earmarked some P170 billion to the power business, P106 billion to the water utility, which is looking for bulk and wastewater projects in various parts of the country, P65 billion to expand toll road business both here and overseas, and P16 billion to acquire its hospital unit.

Metro Pacific plans fund the bulk of the spending, or at least P219 billion, through cash-flow of existing operations, P129 billion through debt and P53 billion in new equity.

The company said its ability to deliver the five-year programmed spending depended on whether the government would honor its

commitment to grant the muchdelayed tariff adjustments on its water, tollroad and railway businesses.

Metro Pacific is also considering the possibility of selling a portion of its stake in the hospital, water and toll roads businesses to strategic investments investors or conduct initial public offerings.

Metro Pacific said it plans to keep majority ownership in these companies.

Metro Pacific expects to post P10 billion in core net income this year, up 18 percent from P8.5 billion in 2014, despite the delayed tariff adjustments in water and tollroad businesses.

Metro Pacific chief finance officer David Nicol earlier said the 2015 core net income could have

been higher by P2 billion to P12 billion if the tariff rate adjustments were implemented.

Metro Pacific said first-half net income jumped 31 percent to P5.6 billion, while core net income increased 27 percent to P5.9 billion from P4.6 billion year-on-year.

Metro Pacific president Jose Ma. Lim attributed the increase in core net income to strong traffic growth on all tollroads owned Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., increased shareholdings in MPTC and growth in billed volume of Maynilad Water Services Inc. Lim said a higher stake in Manila Electric Co. and growth in the hospital group also contributed to the company’s core net income.

Stocks retreat; Ayala down THE stock market retreated Wednesday on profit-taking after a strong rally on the previous day, in step with the rest of Asian stocks.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index dropped 13.52 points, or 0.2 percent, to 7,047.08 on a value turnover of P6.4 billion. Gainers, however, beat losers, 99 to 67, with 58 issues unchanged.

Robinsons Land Corp. of retail tycoon and industrialist John Gokongwei fell 1.7 percent to P29.50, while parent JG Summit Holdings Inc. declined 2 percent to P71.50.

Aboitiz Power Corp., a major producer of electricity, lost 1 percent to P41.30, while conglomerate Ayala Corp. dropped 1.7 percent to P757.

The rest of Asian markets saw fresh volatility Wednesday, with Shanghai experiencing sharp swings, as weak manufacturing data highlighted weakness in the global economy but raised hopes central banks would stick to a loose monetary policy.

The dollar recovered from a sell-off against the euro in New York prompted by surprisingly positive eurozone data, which briefly raised the prospect the European Central Bank would delay an expected stimulus boost.

Hong Kong ended 0.4 percent higher but Tokyo, Sydney and Seoul all closed lower.

On currency markets talk of a slow rise in US rates weighed on the dollar in New York, where it fell to 122.86 yen while the euro climbed to $1.0634.

However, the greenback bounced back in Asia ahead of Fed chair Janet Yellen’s testimony to Congress on the US economy.

The euro was also supported by data showing manufacturing growth in the eurozone picked up the pace last month while unemployment tumbled, fueling hopes the bloc is slowly recovering. AFP

Holcim awards. Holcim Philippines president and country chief executive Eduardo Sahagun (second from left) and senior vice president for manufacturing Andre Caluori receive the Best Mining Forest Award for the company’s plant in Lugait, Misamis Oriental during the 62nd Annual National Mine Safety and Environment Conference on November 21, 2015 in Baguio City. Mines and Geosciences Bureau Director Leo Jasareno (leftmost) and Philippine Mining Safety and Environment Association President Louie Sarmiento (rightmost) hand over the award. Holcim Philippines’s other plants also received citations for excellence in environmental and safety performance. Holcim Philippines in all bagged eight awards.

Smart eMoney sees P130b worth of remittances in ‘16

By Darwin G. Amojelar SMART eMoney Inc. said Tuesday it expects to handle P130 billion worth of domestic remittances in 2016, up 30 percent this year.

“The total [domestic remittances] volume that we expect to generate for Smart Padala is close to P100 billion this year. We expect it to improve by about 30 percent next year,” SMI vice president Lawrence Ferrer said.

Ferrer attributed the growth in domestic remittance next year to the company’s new service called “Pick-Up Anywhere.”

Under the new service of Smart Padala, the consumer can send or

claim their remittance from any Smart Padala center in the Philippines. Recipients previously picked up their remittances from pre-selected Smart Padala centers. They can now send remittances via Smart Padala to any mobile phone number and mobile telecom provider.

“When you’re sending money to someone who needs it, you want to ensure that they can receive it immediately and conveniently. By enhancing our Smart Padala service with PickUp Anywhere, we are enabling millions of more Filipinos to experience the benefits of financial technology when they need it the most, wher-

ever they may be,” Ferrer said.

SMI has about 30,000 Smart Padala outlets nationwide compared with Cebuana Pawnshop’s 1,500 outlets.

“Our outlets are almost 30 times bigger than Cebuana and we are adding more. we are located in areas where the customers are,” Ferrer said.

Data from the first National Baseline Survey on Financial Inclusion released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas this year showed it took Filipinos an average of 22 minutes to reach the nearest financial services provider. In terms of cost, the average roundtrip fare to reach a financial

access point is P43.

“While most people will look at Smart Padala PickUp Anywhere as an added convenience, we look it as a tangible way to help improve the standard of living for millions of Filipinos. They no longer have to brave a commute, or even a long walk, to get the money that they need, when they need it. That’s the power of financial technology,” said Ferrer.

The central bank survey showed 44 percent of Filipino adults had remittance transactions in the past six months and 91 percent were sent to their families while 6 percent were delivered to their friends.

B4

Napocor wants to charge P2b on users

By Alena Mae S. Flores STATE-OWNED National Power Corp. filed a petition to recover from consumers nearly P2 billion worth of deferred fuel and purchased power and foreign exchange costs incurred in the delivery of power to missionary or far-flung areas.

Napocor, in a petition filed with the Energy Regulatory Commission, sought to collect from consumers P1.892 billion for a period of two years to recover fuel and purchased power costs incurred from January to June 2014.

Napocor asked the regulator to approve the imposition of P2.0627 per kilowatt-hour for small power utilities group in Luzon, P2.3236 per kWh in the Visayas and P1.4584 per kWh in Mindanao.

Napocor is responsible for delivering power to areas not connected to transmission system, which is also known as SPUG or missionary areas.

Napocor also incurs additional operating costs as a result of the fluctuation of fuel prices and currency adjustments used in power generation.

Napocor is allowed to recover these costs under the generation rate adjustment mechanism and the incremental currency exchange rate adjustment, subject to evaluation and approval by the ERC. The state-run firm, meanwhile, sought approval to recover P8.774 million for the deferred accounting adjustments for foreign exchange fluctuations amounting to P0.0178 per kWh for NapocorSPUG areas.

Napocor is eyeing renewable energy hybrid systems in its missionary electrification program to lower the subsidy rates of the 290 SPUG power plants across the country.

OFW summit. More than 5,000 overseas Filipino workers and their families join the 5th OFW and Family Summit 2015 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. The summit, with the theme ‘Ipon Mo, I-Negosyo Mo,’ was organized by the Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance in partnership with Go Negosyo and sponsors such as DHL Express Philippines. Shown during the opening of the summit are (from left) DHL Express Philippines country manager Yati Abdullah, Senator Cynthia Villar, Villar Sipag founding chairman Manny Villar, Go Negosyo founding trustee Joey Concepcion, Las Piñas Rep. Mark Villar and Go Negosyo executive director Ramon Lopez.

DMCI set to launch P50-b housing units

By Jenniffer B. Austria

DMCI Project Developers Inc., the real estate arm of the Consunji family’s DMCI Holdings Inc., on Wednesday disclosed a plan to launch P50 billion worth of residential projects in 2016, its biggest in 16 years.

DMCI PDI president Alfred Austria said the company would introduce 14,000 residential units in the market next year, including mass housing and highend residential projects.

The company targeted to launch 10,000 residential units worth P30 billion in 2015.

The launching of more hous-

ing units next year is expected to boost the company’s reservation sales to P23 billion in 2016 from P20 billion this year, he said.

Austria said for the mass housing development, the company was looking at Bataan for its first horizontal development.

Austria said DMCI Holdings’ major shareholder Dacon Corp.

currently owns a huge property in Bataan that could be transformed into a house and lot development.

He said the company’s venture into mass housing would enable it to serve more people.

The property firm also aims to launch a high-end development within a 1.1-hectare property near Pagcor Entertainment City in Parañaque.

Austria said the project would offer 300 units with average size of 80 square meters to 100 square meters to be sold at around P10 million per unit.

DMCI PDI will also start to expand outside Metro Manila with the acquisition of a 2.9-hectare

property in Davao City, he said.

The company also plans to start construction of its first office development in Makati as soon as it gets all the necessary permits, he said.

Meanwhile, DMCI PDI chief finance officer Ramil Lombos said the company successfully raised P10 billion from the sale of five-year corporate notes.

Lombos said total demand for the corporate notes reached as much as P30 billion, but the company obtained only P10 billion which would be used to finance the P5-billion corporate notes maturing in 2016 and support its aggressive expansion plan.

IFC invested $140m in local projects over 4 months

By Gabrielle H. Binaday INTERNATIONAL Finance Corp., the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, invested about $140 million in the Philippines over the past four months, the agency’s new country manager said Wednesday.

IFC’s new country manager Jane Xu told reporters in a news briefing the group agreed to invest $140 million in various projects in the Philippines from August to November this year. She did not identify the projects.

Xu said the investments in the Philippines were not yet close to reaching the exposure limit of

the IFC. “We do have a country exposure limit, but the Philippines is far away from the limit. We have project exposure limit but it’s more like a percentage of total project financing. We don’t really have an absolute number,” Xu said.

“So far, we have committed around $140 million in terms of investment. But normally, in the second half of the year, we see more [investments] because it’s just the cycle of business,” she said.

IFC also expressed support for small businesses by helping establish a comprehensive credit

information system and modern, secured transaction system in the country.

“The systems will together improve MSME [micro, small, medium enterprises] access to affordable finance and create a more competitive and sustainable economy,” Xu said.

“IFC is committed to work with its partners to deepen financial inclusion in the country,” she said.

IFC said the improved credit information ecosystem would provide sufficient credit information that would encourage banks to lend to small borrowers with good credit history.

IFC is also promoting policy reforms on secured transactions, which allows banks to accept movable assets like accounts receivables, inventory, equipment and intellectual property, as collateral.

An estimated 99 percent of all registered businesses in the Philippines are considered MSMEs. Together, they employ 70 percent of the country’s workers and produce a third of its gross domestic product.

IFC is assisting the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.’s SME lending program to design a package of non-financial services for its SME clients.

T H U R S D AY : D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 1 5

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

DMCI Homes buys Delta building in QC QUEZON City’s landscape is slowly evolving.

Familiar landmarks on the capital city have been demolished or are about to be torn down to give way to modern structures of aggressive real estate companies.

The latest object of redevelopment is the old Delta Theater, also known as Dela Merced Building, at the corner of Quezon Avenue and West Avenue. Dacon Corp., a private company owned by the Consunji family, has acquired the lot where the Delta building stands.

DMCI Homes president Alfredo Austria confirmed to this writer Wednesday that Dacon had bought the piece of property for possible redevelopment by the Consunji-owned property company. The Dela Merced Group informed tenants of the Delta building that they had until the end of 2015 to vacate the premises after the sale of the property to the DMCI Group.

The Delta lot, covering over 6,000 square meters, will likely host condominium towers for mixed-use development. Austria said DMCI Homes would likely develop the property into a residential and commercial building, with offices for rent, a deviation from its traditional condo residential projects.

Dacon, a major shareholder of parent DMCI Holdings Inc., will contribute the Delta lot as equity, with DMCI Homes through DMCI Project Developers Inc. acting as the developer of the property.

Austria said the Consunji Group would start offering mixeduse property projects, presumably to cash in on the burgeoning business process outsourcing industry in the Philippines.

The acquisition of the Delta building followed the move of the SM Group a few years ago when SM Development Corp., the property arm of retail tycoon Henry Sy, bought the former 86-room Danarra Hotel and Resort from the family of hotel president and general manager Mario Sarmiento for about P350 million.

SM Development tore down and built a high-rise office condominium on the area to take advantage of its strategic location.

Danarra Hotel, once a favorite hangout in the 70’s and 80’s, had sat on a one-hectare property in Quezon City’s South Triangle, also called Timog Triangle.

The Danarra Hotel purchase also followed the acquisition of three other properties worth close to P2 billion several years ago. SMDC bought a one-hectare property near Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City, where it built two residential condominiums under the Sun Residences brand. The Welcome Rotonda property was the site of a popular girlie bar in the 70’s.

Bullish on property The DMCI Group is upbeat on the property sector, lining up P50 billion worth of projects in 2016. Austria said the company, through DMCI Project Developers Inc., would offer 14,000 residential units in the market, including the mass housing sector.

The mass housing thrust is another first for DMCI. Dacon has served as the group’s land bank holder for future project development. Dacon, for one, owns a huge property in Bataan province that could be transformed into a house and lot development. Another landholding is a 2.9-hectare lot in Davao City.

DMCI Homes earlier projected net income reaching P3.6 billion in 2015, up 11 percent from P3.2 billion in 2014, with the launching of five new residential projects offering more than 3,000 units..

The company expects the launching of more housing units next year to boost the reservation sales to P23 billion in 2016 from the P20-billion target this year.

E-mail: rayenano@yahoo.com or extrastory2000@gmail.com or business@thestandard.com.ph

B5

Insurance body set to take over HMOs

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

THE Insurance Commission said Wednesday it is ready to take over the regulation of health maintenance organizations from the Health Department, as stipulated by a presidential order.

“The Insurance Commission is ready to take on this transfer of responsibility. We have championed good corporate governance among insurance companies for the benefit of everyday Filipinos availing of insurance products,” Insurance Commissioner Emmanuel Dooc said.

President Benigno Aquino III recently transferred the regulation and supervision of HMOs to IC through Executive Order No. 192.

An HMO is a prepaid healthcare service provider offering comprehensive coverage to its members through partnerships with hospitals and other health professionals.

Under the order, regulatory

and supervisory capacities of the DoH is transferred to IC, covering establishment, operations and financial activities of HMOs. The IC shall be responsible for the rules and guidelines on establishment of HMOs as well as licensing and registration.

The IC will also oversee the solvency of HMOs and the prevention of fraud and other deceptive practices of the industry.

The transfer is meant to improve accessibility and accountability, as well as to provide more efficient use of specialized expertise—saving on administrative costs and promote sharing of best practices.

“There is a need to streamline and consolidate functions relat-

ed to the regulation of HMOs to eliminate redundancy, simplify the organizational structure of the executive department, improve accessibility and accountability, provide efficient use of specialized expertise, realize savings in administrative costs, and promote effective sharing of best practices,” the order stated.

“We have promoted the solvency and stability of the insurance and pre-need industries to protect the interests of the consumers. We intend to apply the same principles in regulating HMOs,” Dooc said.

The IC will take charge of issuing licenses to operate but will also honor clearances to operate issued by DoH before the EO is implemented. All issues related to medical matters shall be referred to DoH. The EO spelled out administrative arrangements the IC and the DoH must take to manage the transition.

Convergys courtesy call. Convergys Corp.’s board directors pay a courtesy call on President Aquino III at the Malacañang Palace in Manila. Convergys president and chief executive Andrea Ayers shakes hands with President Aquino. Convergys is a global leader in customer management and the Philippines’ largest private employer, now with more than 60,000 employees in the country.

2015 rice harvest projected to be lower at 18.3m tons—Agriculture

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales THE Agriculture Department said Wednesday rice harvest this year will likely decline from last year’s production, because of the effects of several typhoons and the El Niño dry spell.

“Our forecast for this year is 18.3 million metric tons. That is lower than last year as typhoon Lando and the El Niño affected the crops,” said Agriculture assistant secretary and national rice and corn program coordinator Edilberto de Luna.

Palay or unmilled rice pro-

duction reached 18.97 million metric tons in 2014.

“We could have reached 19.5 million metric tons, if there was no El Niño and typhoon Lando did not hit the rice producing areas,” de Luna said.

The department said that based on field validation, ty-

phoon Lando affected 317,063 hectares of rice, including 15,822 hectares that had no chance of recovery.

Production losses for the rice sector reached 510,439 metric tons with a total value of P7.09 billion.

The prolonged dry spell also

affected 30,665 hectares of rice nationwide valued at P1.09 billion, he said.

“Based on our estimates, this year’s production was lower by almost 600,000 metric tons.

However, we expect higher production in the first quarter of 2016,” de Luna said.

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THURSDAY: DECEMBER 3, 2015

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

3 wind projects get FIT rates

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE Energy Regulatory Commission approved the application of three operational wind power projects to obtain a new feed-intariff rate of P7.40 per kilowatt-hour.

Philippine GDP’s new normal AFTER reading the statements made by the director-general of the National Economic and Development Authority during his press conference on the Philippine economy’s 2015 performance, it occurred to me that how the economy performed during the July-to-September period had become the new normal for this country’s gross domestic product.

GDP grew by 6 percent in this year’s third quarter – a figure higher than the preceding quarter’s 5.8 percent but far lower than the Aquino administration’s full-year target of 7 percent to 8 percent. The nine-month growth figure was 5.6 percent.

I speak of new normal because in the last several years, the content of the NEDA chief ’s quarterly GDP reports have been virtual carbon copies of one another. They have reported practically the same outcomes and trends every time. Indeed, if one read an undated quarterly GDP report of Secretary Arsenio Balisacan from three years ago, one would think that one was reading a fast-forward-to-2015 document.

Consider what Neda’s top honcho said about the sectoral breakdown of the third-quarter GDP and the respective contributions of the Philippine economy’s component sectors.

As reported by a major Philippine newspaper, the following are the things that Secretary Balisacan said by way of explanation of how this country’s GDP came to grow by 6 percent during the July-to-September quarter. “The services sector was the main growth driver in the third quarter, growing by 7.3 percent —the highest in two years—from 5.6 percent last year.”

“Year-on-year, industry growth slowed to 5.4 percent [from 7.8 percent], while agriculture growth declined to 0.4 percent after a 2.6 percent contraction.”

“Strong domestic demand fueled output growth, led by significant improvements in government spending and household consumption.”

“Private consumption was a major growth driver. With more jobs available, increasing employment and more income, low inflation and overseas Filipino worker remittances, household consumption grew by 6.3 percent.”

“Government final consumption expenditure increased by 17.4 percent [from 3.9 percent].”

“The services sector will remain strong, and investments are likely to go up due to the expected increase in disbursements.”

As in virtually all of the quarterly GDP reports that he has had to present during his tenure as Neda head, Secretary Balisacan pointed to domestic demand – particularly private consumption – government infrastructure expenditure and OFW remittances as the main GDP growth drivers during the third quarter of 2015.

He had little or nothing to say about the growth drivers of the Philippine economy in the not so distant past, namely, exports, agriculture, manufacturing and private investment. And when he did talk about agriculture—the sector that is the poorest segment of the economy and that accounts for most of this country’s population – Secretary Balisacan spoke only passingly and in negative terms, i.e., about El Nino and the “inadequate irrigation of farmlands”.

Reviewing Neda’s quarterly GDP analyses of recent years, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the Philippine economy’s performance in this year’s third quarter is the new normal.

Truly pathetic.

E-mail: rudyromero777@yahoo.com

ERC said it limited the grant of the second wave of feed-in tariff to the three projects with a total capacity of 144 megawatts to mitigate the impact of higher power rates on consumers.

ERC, in its decision, identified the projects as Trans-Asia Renewable Energy Corp.’s 54 megawatt San Lorenzo wind power project in Guimaras, PetroWind Energy Inc.’s 36-MW Nabas wind project in Aklan and Alternergy Wind One Corp.’s 54-MW Pililla wind power project in Rizal.

The three projects are now eligible for the new feed-in tariff rate of P7.40 per kWh, which was lower than the P7.93 per kWh sought by the National Renewable Energy Board for the second batch of wind installation targets.

ERC earlier approved an FIT rate of P8.53 per kWh for three wind projects under the first wave of installation targets.

These projects included Energy Development Corp.’s 150-MW Burgos wind project in Ilocos Norte, Northwind Power Development Corp.’s 18.9-MW phase

3 wind project in Ilocos Norte and North Luzon Renewable Energy Corp’s 81-MW Caparispisan wind project also in Ilocos Norte.

ERC said it granted a lower FIT rate under the second wave amid the recent developments in wind technology such as efficiency levels of wind turbine and its evaluation on what would be the reasonable updated level of the FIT for the second batch of eligible wind projects.

“Mindful of the impact that the changes in the installation targets of RE generation would have on the feed-in tariff allowance that is collected from all on-grid connected consumers, the commission hereby limits the entitlement of wind FIT 2 to the three wind power projects which have commenced commercial operations as certified by the DoE [Department of Energy],” it said.

Trans-Asia started commercial operations of its wind project in December last year while Alternergy and PetroWind started commercial operations on June 9 and

June 10, 2015, respectively.

The 144-MW wind projects eligible for the feed-in tariff brought the total capacity of eligible wind projects to 393.9 MW, or 6.1 MW short of the total approved 400MW installation target.

The Energy Department earlier increased the installation target for wind under the FIT system to 400 MW from 200 MW. The department said the treatment of capacity in excess of installation target considered the technical and commercial indivisibility of RE projects. The last RE project shall be considered eligible for FIT endorsement for its total installed capacity if a portion of its capacity fills in the balance of the corresponding installation target, it said.

ERC said that based on the indivisibility rule of the department, it decided to limit the entitlement to three wind projects. “As for the FIT that will apply to whoever will take up the remaining 6.1 MW of the total wind installation target, the commission shall fix the same at a later time,” it said.

Uniqlo partnership.

Uniqlo solidifies its commitment to enriching the lives of Filipinos through a partnership with the ABS-CBN Foundation. Using excess pieces from Uniqlo’s in-store denim alterations,‘Bayan ni Juan’ community members will be trained to create quality denim bags which Uniqlo will re-purchase from the community. Shown are (from left) ABS-CBN Foundation ‘Bayan ni Juan’ director Leah Bautista, ABS-CBN Foundation central fund raising director Susan Bautista-Afan, Uniqlo Philippines chief operating officer Katsumi Kubota, Uniqlo Philippines co-chief operating officer Masayoshi Nakamura and Uniqlo general manager Geraldine Sia.

EDC seeks new sites for wind facilities ENERGY Development Corp. said Wednesday it is exploring new sites for wind power projects in the Visayas and Ilocos Norte, home to its existing 150-megawatt wind facility.

“We continue to look at more possible sites in Ilocos Norte and also in the Visayas, but these are still in pre-development phases,” EDC chief finance officer Nestor Vasay said.

Vasay said EDC was looking at 2017-2018 timeframe, for a more aggressive program that would depend largely on new feed-in tariff rates.

EDC earlier received a clearance from the Energy Department to conduct a grid impact study on its planned wind proj-

ects with potential capacity of 656.7 megawatts.

EDC currently owns the country’s largest wind farm, the 150-MW Burgos wind power project.

The Energy Department allowed EDC to conduct the grid impact study on three wind power projects in Sorsogon, including Matnog 1 (29.7 MW), Matnog 2 (85.8 MW) and Matnog 3 (59.4 MW).

It also approved EDC’s conduct of the grid impact study for the 66-MW Iloilo wind project in Batad and San Dionisio and 69.3-MW Iloilo 2 wind project in Concepcion.

EDC also received the go signal to conduct the study on the impact of its planned 138.6-

MW wind project in Negros Occidental.

The department approved the grid impact study for the 36.3MW Burgos 1 and 72.6-MW Burgos 2 wind projects in Ilocos Norte.

The agency also approved EDC Pagudpud Wind Corp.’s 99-MW wind project also in Ilocos Norte.

EDC officials earlier said the company planned to build a wind portfolio of up to 700 MW over the long term.

EDC, an affiliate of the Lopez Group’s First Gen Corp. is the country’s largest geothermal producer. It has expanded its renewable energy footprint to include solar and wind projects.

Alena Mae S. Flores

T H U R S D AY : D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 1 5

WORLD

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

B7

Climate change affects whales PUERTO LOPEZ, Ecuador—The sight of thousands of whales surfacing, jumping and playing off the coast of South America as they migrate toward their breeding grounds is one of nature’s most majestic displays.

But global warming is killing off their food and changing their age-old migratory routes.

To the tourists watching a humpback whale frolic with her newborn calf in the tropical waters off Ecuador’s coast near Puerto Lopez, the sight of enormous fins surfacing, tails flipping and blowholes spouting is breathtaking.

The same scenes can be found up and down the South American coast, from Puerto Piramides in Argentina to Cabo Blanco in Peru and Bahia Malaga in Colombia.

But to marine biologists, these huge mammals are not as carefree and healthy as they appear.

They are skinny, covered in parasites and exhausted from the increasingly long journeys they are making to reproduce.

“You can see their bones. They’re sick.

They have parasites. We never used to see that,” said Ecuadorian marine biologist Cristina Castro as she scanned the horizon for more humpback whales, the species she has studied for the past 18 years.

These whales swim thousands of kilometers each year from Antarctica to the waters around the equator to have their young, which measure 10 to 15 feet at birth and can weigh up to one ton.

But as ocean temperatures rise, whales are migrating earlier and traveling farther.

Warmer waters are killing off the supply of krill, the small crustaceans that are the whales’ main food source in their Arctic feeding grounds.

The whales eat several tons a day to fatten up for their journeys.

Rising temperatures also trick the whales’ biological clocks into thinking it is time to migrate.

“They are changing their migration cycles.

They used to arrive here in July. Now we see them in May,” said Castro. AFP

Stuck. Cars are stuck in a flock of sheep being driven across a street to another meadow near Bad Koetzting, southern Germany, on December 1, 2015. AFP

Poland’s coal addiction called risky and deadly KRAKOW—The thick, gray layer of smog blanketing Poland’s southern city of Krakow is one of the most visible symptoms of the EU member’s addiction to coal, a habit experts warn is both economically risky and deadly.

“Just over 47,000 Poles are estimated to die prematurely each year from smog caused mostly by low quality coal burned in old-fashioned household furnaces,” Andrzej Gula, head of Poland’s Smog Alarm group, told AFP quoting a European Environment Agency study published Monday.

Seventy percent of Polish households use coal for heat and antiquated coal-fired power plants generate nearly all the country’s electricity, giving it some of the dirtiest air in the 28-member European Union.

The EEA blames this so-called “low-stack” or household emissions for the countless cases of respiratory illness in the country of 38 million people.

While the new right-wing President

Andrzej Duda recently approved antismog legislation allowing municipalities to ban coal-fired home furnaces, he also refused to endorse an amendment to the UN’s Kyoto carbon-cutting pact requiring Poland to curb greenhouse gas emissions that equal around one percent of the global total.

Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, who is the daughter of a coal miner and a Duda ally, has vowed to keep domestic coal as Poland’s “main energy source to guarantee energy security” and economic growth.

Speaking in Paris at landmark UN climate talks, Szydlo said Monday that Poland would endorse any deal “that protects Polish economic interests”, signaling that her new rightwing government intends to drive a

Republic of the Philippines Office of the President Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council

HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD SOUTHERN TAGALOG REGION-(STR)

NOTICE Notice is hereby given that GOLDSTAR REALTY AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (Owner/Developer) by has filed with this Office a sworn registration statement for the sale of house and lot at KARLAVILLE PARKHOMES PHASE 2 located at Brgy. Hugo Perez, Trece Martires City, Cavite and more particularly described as Lot No. 3690, 3616 & 3615, containing an area of 76,184 sq.m. and covered by TCT No. T-81835, 077-2014009013 & 077-2014009014. The project is under BP 220 (Economic Housing).

The foregoing project is utilizing KARLAVILLE PARKHOMES PHASE 2 located at Brgy.

Hugo Perez, Trece Martires City, Cavite as its compliance pursuant to Section 18 of Republic Act No. 7279.

All papers relative thereto shall, upon request and payment of processing fee is available for inspection during business hours by any person having legal interest thereon.

Absent any legal impediment, the above-cited project is deemed registered and a certificate in evidence thereof shall forthwith be issued after five (5) days from last day of publication.

Calamba City, Laguna 16 November 2015.

hard bargain on coal use within the EU. But far from speeding growth, experts argue that coal dependence rooted in the communist era risks derailing a quarter of a century of spec-

Republic of the Philippines Office of the President NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION (PAMBANSANG PANGASIWAAN NG PATUBIG) Region 8, Tacloban City Office Address: Website:

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

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

INVITATION TO BID No. 16-2015 The National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Region 8, Marasbaras, Tacloban City through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), hereby invites Domestic Contractors, registered with and classified by the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), to bid for the hereunder contracts.

Bids received in excess of ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

Item/Description Hagbay IP Contract #01-2015– Construction of Canal Lining, Hagbay Irrigation Project, Las Navas, Northern Samar 2. Bulao IP Contract #02-2015 – Construction of Canal Lining, Bulao Irrigation Project, Las Navas, Northern Samar 1.

(SGD) ARCH. JOSE O. PEÑA, JR. Regional Officer

(TS-NOV. 26 & DEC. 3, 2015)

Approved Budget for Contract (Php)

Duration

36,883,140.25

300 cd

33,536,937.24

300 cd

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

Prospective Bidders are not allowed to participate if they have negative slippage in their on-going contracts. Individuals with Special Power of Attorney (SPA) are not allowed to transact and participate in the procurement utilizing another construction firm. The pre-bid conference shall be open only for those who have purchased the Bid documents.

The schedule of BAC activities are as follows: BAC Activities 1.Issuance of Bid Documents 2.Pre-bid Conference

Schedule Starting November 26, 2015 December 4, 2015

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

2:00p.m.

3.Receipt and Opening of Bids

December 16, 2015

2:00 p.m.

The BAC will issue a complete set of Bidding Documents to eligible bidders from the address above and upon payment of non-refundable amount of P25,000.00 to the Cashier.

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

(Sgd.) GLORIA A. SEVILLA BAC Chairman

Recommending Approval (SGD) ENGR. EMMANUEL G. GLIPO Head,Permits and Licensing Unit

tacular free-market expansion.

Rock-bottom global coal prices are driving inefficient Polish mines to bankruptcy, threatening 100,000 heavily subsidized—and politicized— mining jobs. AFP

Noted: (Sgd.) ROMEO G. QUIZA Regional Manager

(TS-DEC. 3, 2015)

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B8 Suu Kyi, military meet in shift talks NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar— Myanmar’s democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi held talks Wednesday with the military establishment on the handover of power, the first such discussions since her opposition party cleaned up at the polls.

Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party won nearly 80 percent of the contested seats in a November 8 election that appears set to end the military’s decadeslong chokehold on the country.

Immediately after her party’s win, Suu Kyi appealed for “national reconciliation” talks with President Thein Sein and the powerful army chief.

Both men have congratulated her on the NLD’s victory and vowed to ensure a smooth transition of power to an elected opposition -- an unprecedented act in the country’s history.

But opposition supporters remain wary of a military that has duped them before and retains significant political clout, including a quarter of all parliamentary seats.

Suu Kyi, 70, is also barred from the presidency by the constitution, while new NLD lawmakers are not due to take their seats until at least February, making for a nervous few months of transition.

The NLD won a similar scale landslide in 1990 polls, only to see the military annul the result and dig in for another two decades.

On Wednesday morning, Suu Kyi spent 45 minutes in the capital Naypyidaw with Thein Sein, a former top junta general who has shed his uniform to steer reforms over recent years.

The pair smiled as they shook hands for the cameras before the closed-door session began.

“They discussed the peaceful transfer to the next government.

The discussion was warm and open,” Information Minister Ye Htut, who was at the meeting, told reporters.

“We have no tradition of the peaceful [power] transfer to a new elected government since we gained independence in 1948. We will establish this tradition without fail,” he added. AFP

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD Poor pilot training seen as cause of Airbus crash PARIS—A new probe into what sent an AirAsia flight plunging into the Java Sea last year, killing all 162 people on board, has pointed the finger at poor pilot training on how to cope with emergencies.

Collection. A model presents a creation during the 12th Chanel Metiers díArt show

“Paris-Rome”, an annual event to honor craftsmanship that artisan partners bring to the house’s collections, on December 1, 2015, at the Cinecitta studios in Rome. AFP

The final report from Indonesia’s national transport safety agency said an existing fault in the system that controlled the Airbus A320-200’s rudder had set off a chain of events that caused the crash.

But it was the pilot’s decision to reset the system, which turned off the plane’s autopilot, and inexperience in flying in such difficult conditions that then sent the aircraft into a sharp roll from which it never recovered.

“The flight crew had not been trained for the upset recovery training on the Airbus A320,” said the report, adding that the plane had gone into a “prolonged stall condition that was beyond the capability of the crew to recover”.

The report provides the latest clue into what brought down Flight QZ8501 on December 28 last year, during what was supposed to be a routine flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore.

The bodies of 56 people have never been recovered, despite a huge and lengthy international search involving ships and aircraft from several nations in often stormy seas.

Investigators had previously blamed bad weather for bringing down the plane, but the new findings show both poor equipment and inadequate training for emergency situations were to blame.

The fault with cracked soldering in part of the plane’s rudder system—which had already caused glitches 23 times in the previous year—sent repeated warnings to the pilots.

The co-pilot was then left to fly as the pilot responded to the fault, but could not cope with the situation, and miscommunication between the pilots as they plunged towards the sea compounded the problem.

“It’s a scenario that has played out in air accidents in the past,” Terence Fan, aviation expert at the Singapore Management University, told AFP. “Pilots are either distracted by a faulty equipment or cannot properly solve the issue and something else is brewing in the background.”

The loss of Flight QZ8501 was the first major crash for Malaysia-based AirAsia, but analysts said the findings could prove a setback after a successful 13-year run.

“This will have a detrimental impact on AirAsia as a whole and it comes at the worst time for the airline given the very poor third quarter numbers that came out last week,” said Shukor Yusof, analyst with Malaysia-based Endau Analytics. AFP

Thai junta chief vows safety overhaul BANGKOK—Thailand’s junta chief vowed Wednesday to fix the kingdom’s airline industry after the United States downgraded the country’s air safety rating in an embarrassing blow to the touristreliant nation.

The Federal Aviation Administration in a statement late Tuesday said Thailand’s civil aviation authority no longer met “minimum international standards”, a decision that could hamper the operation of Thai airlines worldwide.

The ruling is a setback to the junta government of former army chief turned Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who seized power in

a coup last year.

He has blamed successive civilian administrations for failing to tackle safety concerns over the last decade, a period of political turbulence marked by short-lived governments, debilitating street protests and two military coups.

“People in the whole country just kept fighting—no one helped one another,” he told reporters Wednesday.

“We have to see what we have to fix and improve.”

Thailand is a major regional air transport hub while tourism—one of the few bright spots in an otherwise flagging economy—accounts

for roughly 10 percent of GDP. In March the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization reported “significant safety concerns” within Thailand’s aviation sector.

At the same time China, Japan and South Korea temporarily stopped Thai-based airlines from flying charters or new routes due to safety concerns, although those restrictions have since been lifted.

The FAA conducted an audit earlier this year and gave Thailand 65 days to make improvements in the areas of concern but the deadline was not met. AFP

Conference. A woman distributes apples to people arriving on December 2, 2015, at the World Climate Change Conference 2015 in Le Bourget on the outskirts of the French capital Paris. More than 150 world leaders are meeting under heightened security. AFP

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TATUM ANCHETA EDITOR

BING PAREL

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

BERNADETTE LUNAS WRITER

life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

W EL L BEING

LIFE BEFORE

AFTER

FREEGO’s #SuperShapeMe male grand winner, CY Ortega, lost a total of 38.9 lbs, 6.6 percent body fat and seven inches off his waistline

Selected from over 800 candidates from a nationwide search last August, FREEGO’s #SuperShapeMe 2015 grand winners Xis Pingol and Cy Ortega proudly show off their new shapes with nutrition coach Erwan Heussaff, FREEGO’s Marty Tio and fitness coach Chris Tiu

CY ORTEGA, XIS PINGOL WIN FREEGO #SuperShapeMe Fitness Challenge 2015

F

or 60 days, the 20 finalists of FREEGO’s #SuperShapeMe Fitness Challenge took to grueling circuit training routine to shed off unwanted weight, with many unable to execute a proper sit up or squat while their diets veered towards an overindulgence of starchy food and sweets prior to the health and fitness competition.

Fast forward to day 54: the 10 male and 10 female contestants of the 60-day health and fitness competition organized for the second year by the sexy denim brand were doing the exercise routines with such form, strength and confidence that anyone watching would think they have been working out for years.

Guided by CrossFit MNL coach Matt Makalintal, professional basketball player Chris Tiu (who designed the #SuperShapeMe Fitness Challenge workouts this year making sure these can be performed anywhere without any need for fancy equipment) along with restaurateur and The Fat Kid Inside’s Erwan Heussaff reprising his role as nutrition expert, the competitors’ progress were monitored through daily food diaries, selfies after each workout, and interactive group Viber “confessions.”

For the Big Workout, the contestants performed three rounds of nine exercises that combined what they learned weeks before from the gym, CrossFit sessions, and the track oval. Squat jumps, kettle bells, shoulder presses, low rows, planking, shuttle runs, box jumps, burpees, and situps were executed for 45 seconds each, with a 15-second break in between stations.

“They’ve become so close. They work out together and see each other socially – all because of fitness,” Tiu observed, adding that the contestants have also become very responsible and disciplined with their diets and training routines.

The finalists of this year’s FREEGO #SuperShapeMe Fitness Challenge celebrate the end of their 60-day lifestyle challenge at URBN Bar and Kitchen held last November 21

Coaches, participants, guests and partners can still smile after the grueling workout prepared by Chris Tiu and Coach Matt Makalintal of CrossFit MNL

Chris Tiu opens the big workout with words of encouragement

Finalists go through the low row workout

Chosen from over 800 hopefuls who sent in their applications during a nationwide search last August, FREEGO’s #SuperShapeMe Fitness Challenge contestants for 2015, Cy Ortega and Xis Pingol emerged as grand winners during the November 21 grand event.

Besting nine other male competitors, Ortega dropped 38 lbs. from his starting weight of 240 lbs. to win the coveted allexpenses-paid trip for two to Coron, Palawan. He also won Freego’s complete Body Circuit collection, and a feature in

Men’s Health Philippines magazine. Pingol, on the other hand, started at 222 lbs. and lost 27 lbs. to win over nine other female competitors. The feat also earned for her an all-expense-paid trip for two to Coron, Palawan, as well as Freego’s entire Super Shaper collection and a feature in Cosmopolitan Philippines magazine. Aside from the impressive weight loss, Ortega and Pingol were also judged according to their overall performance (or compliance with contest requirements) and online voting scores.

BEFORE

AFTER

FREEGO’s #SuperShapeMe female grand winner, Xis Pingol, lost a total of 27.2 lbs, 8.8 percent body fat and five inches off her waistline

“I didn’t pursue winning, I just wanted to be healthy,” confesses the 26-year-old graphic designer Xis Pingol, who got the shock of her life when her name was announced as female grand winner. The youngest of three kids who is tasked to care for her aging parents, Xis had to battle being overweight for most of her life.

Asked how she survived the grueling cardio and strength-training workouts designed by Tiu, and Heussaff’s demanding “no carbs, no wheat, no processed foods” diet, Pingol says she was motivated by her parents. “I was also fighting for a healthy lifestyle. This wasn’t about competing against others; it was about competing with myself,” she says.

As a nurse and part-time event host, long and late hours are par for the course for Cy Ortega, who also found himself indulging in dessert and alcohol. Before the Batangas City native knew it, his weight had ballooned beyond his wildest dreams.

“My colleagues would call me names depending on the color of the scrubs we wore that day,” shares Ortega, saying he would be called Piglet when he wore pink, Jollibee when he was in red, Pooh when he wore yellow, or Barney when he was garbed in violet.

Still, such jokes were no match to the wake-up call of watching his father’s health deteriorate. “He had hypertension, heart and kidney failure, and he was only 65,” recalls Ortega. “I told myself I didn’t want that to happen to me.”

Driven by that promise as well as the enthusiasm of fellow competitors and dieters from all over the world who saw his progress on FREEGO’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, Ortega slowly shed his excess pounds, with the contest making him realize that he could push himself more. With a healthier lifestyle and a slimmer waistline, Ortega is no longer the butt of jokes, and is now called “sexy” and nicknamed Mr. Freego.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

ABBOT’S EVOLUTIONARY TROPONIN-I TEST COULD HELP DETERMINE HEART ATTACKS MORE ACCURATELY IN WOMEN

N

ot many people are aware that compared to all kinds of cancers combined, more women all over the world actually die from heart attack and stroke. Cardiovascular or heart disease is a broad term used for a range of diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels. Since 1992, CVD has overtaken infectious diseases as a top cause of death among women, with one in every three females dying of heart disease, stroke and other CVDs as compared to one in every 30 females who die of cancer.

This fact was shared by St. Luke’s Medical Center-QC Assistant Medical Director Dr. Maria Adelaida IboleonDy during a recent media roundtable discussion that also had Philippine Heart Association immediate past president Dr. Joel Abanilla and Abbott Abbott Diagnostics senior medical director Dr. Agim Beshir Diagnostics Senior Medical Director or “moderate” compared to men who Dr. Agim Beshiri as resource persons.

The female population account for 50 describe it as “severe” when they experience percent of the 16.5 million cardiovascular the same level of pain. Chest pain is the deaths that occur globally every year, Dr. most common symptom of a heart attack Iboleon-Dy said. Studies also indicate that although shortness of breath, nausea or while males are more prone to attacks – vomiting as well as pain in the back or the with those from age 61 to 70 at most risk jaw are also additional indicators.

“Every year since 1984, more women of acute coronary syndrome – a bigger percentage of women than men die within than men have died of heart disease because women are more difficult to diagnose one year of a heart attack.

In the Philippines an aggravating partly because women are not as likely to factor is the reluctance of women to have get appropriate treatment following a first themselves diagnosed. Add to that the fact heart attack,” Dr. Iboleon-Dy revealed.

One other factor that makes it difficult that they seem to have a higher tolerance of pain – describing the pain as “mild” to accurately diagnose if women are

undergoing an attack is that the traditional troponin tests failed to take gender into consideration. Cardiac troponin is a protein that can indicate injury to the heart muscle.

Troponin levels increase when heart cells are damaged, and doctors use blood tests to detect changes in these troponin kevels to help diagnose a heart attack “Medical institutions have been using troponin tests without looking at gender,” avers Dr. Beshiri, adding that there are different values between men and women, and the values for the latter are lower. Old coefficient variations of existing troponin tests have 20 times more

probability of having wrong diagnosis, since contemporary tests do not discriminate between men and women.

As a result, about half or 50 percent of women showing up with chest pain to the emergency department have a possibility of being misdiagnosed as not suffering from or not about to have a heart attack.

But the good news is that the new assay developed by Abbott – the Architect Stat High Sensitive Troponin-I (hsTnI) test – can precisely measure very low levels of cardiac troponin. A study published in the Lancet on the use of Abbott’s hsTnI test in hospital emergency departments also suggests that doctors may rule out (or determine) heart attacks faster by using a newly identified troponin testing level – which could result in the discharge of two-thirds of patients with chest pains.

A study published in the British Medical Journal also suggests that Abbott’s hsTnI test may help pick up twice as many women’s heart attacks compared to standard blood tests. The “evolutionary” new test can also help physicians evaluate within 2-4 hours if a patient is having a heart attack – instead of the usual six to 12 hours that it takes before an accurate diagnosis can be made – and decreases the need for unnecessary procedures, not to mention unnecessary hospital admissions.

For more information about heart health, visit www.abbott.com and www.worldheart.org.

20 Wonder Years of Healthy Options

I

t’s a little hard to imagine that the country’s leading all-natural products store started out with just one 106-square meter-store in Shangri-La Plaza Mall. Two decades since then, Healthy Options has evolved, expanding its operations and putting up 25 stores all over the country.

Since day one, Healthy Options has always urged people to adopt a healthy lifestyle, offering all-natural products and supplements and featuring articles that provide healthy tips and updates on food, product finds, natural remedies, supplement reviews and consumer alerts, among many others.

Celebrating this 20 th anniversary milestone is a special issue of the Healthy Options Lifestyle News Digest that gives particular focus to the trailblazing company’s “20 Wonder Years.” The pages are packed with feature articles and special health reports that represent well-meaning efforts

to help people enjoy longer, richer and more fulfilling lives by taking control over their own health.

In his editorial, publisher Romy Sia expressed gratitude to loyal customers as well as business friends and partners.

“We have 20 wonder years to celebrate because our people and our customers believe.

Healthy Options is a success story because our people and our customers believe,” Sia said.

Readers and Healthy Options supporters agree that the tips and articles back then are as useful today – for instance, the special reports on the dangers of excessive sugar consumption, the importance of ingesting friendly bacteria, the benefits of reading food product labels, natural relief for joint pain, the restorative effects of napping, and many more.

Colorful product spreads draw attention to nutrientpacked items and natural personal care products that can be found at Healthy Options stores. Some examples of these

product breakthroughs are natural supplements like the Ultimate Slim Support for healthy weight management, Glucosamine Sulfate for joint health, Chromium Picolinate for glucose metabolism support, plus other product finds like Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Bob’s Red Mill Chia Seeds.

Opt for better choices for a healthier life. Check out the product finds at Healthy Options, which has many healthy years to look forward to with its customers and partners in growth. Visit stores located at Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City; Rustan’s Supermarket, Makati City; Festival Supermall, Filinvest, Alabang; Ayala Center, Cebu City; SM City, North EDSA; SM City Manila; SM Megamall B, EDSA, Mandaluyong City and stores around Metro Manila and other urban centers in the country. For more information, visit the Healthy Options website at www.healthyoptions.com.ph.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

HEALTH BULLETIN BREAST CANCER DEATHS HIGHEST IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Breast cancer remains the most common type of cancer afflicting women, regardless of social class.

But records from the World Health Organization revealed that the incidence of this lifethreatening disease is more prevalent in low- and middleincome countries. And the mortality rate is rising up steadily.

Of the 458,000 breast cancer fatalities recorded annually, majority or 269,000 of deaths occur in developing nations. The staggering figures are attributed to lack of awareness, as breast cancer among women living in these countries is detected late, hence diagnosed in late stages.

This urgently calls for the need to further spread awareness on early detection and provide accessible health services. Healthway Medical, which offers mall-based clinics in the Philippines, advocates the early detection of breast cancer through regular consultation with healthcare providers even if symptoms are not yet apparent.

“Whether some women are already diagnosed with breast cancer or just suspecting they have on,

it is important to opt for regular mammography screenings to easily address the disease or prevent it from surfacing,” suggests Healthway Medical vice president for sales and marketing Carmie de Leon.

She adds, “Women should prioritize their regular check-up with their doctor. Despite the disease usually surfacing among older women, those under 40 should also consider making regular check-ups a priority.”

Breast cancer forms in the cells of the breast tissue. While there is not sufficient knowledge on the causes of breast cancer, several factors are currently known to be associated with an increased risk of the disease including gender, increasing age, family and personal history, radiation exposure, obesity, and alcohol intake.

“In the meantime, Filipino women can consider making changes in their daily routine to reduce the risk of acquiring this type of cancer,” advises De Leon.

To find out the nearest Healthway Medical Clinic in your area, visit https://healthway.com.ph/

CONVENIENT, HIGH-QUALITY HEALTHCARE

HOW TO TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR HEART We only have one heart, and sadly this often romanticized organ suffers the most in our body. Cardiovascular diseases are still the number one cause of death worldwide and here in the Philippines, 101,000 die annually due to diseases of the heart and 65,000 perish due to vascular diseases.

CVDs are disorders of the heart and blood vessels like coronary heart disease (heart attacks), cerebrovascular disease (stroke), hypertension, peripheral artery disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease and heart failure.

Often, there are no symptoms of underlying CVDs. Heart attack or stroke may be the first warning you can have. The key to preventing CVDs is managing risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high total cholesterol or high blood glucose.

But often, finding a person’s risk factors is one difficult step to take, and the best way

to find out is through screening tests during regular doctor visits.

Heeding the call for more health clinics providing comprehensive diagnostic services and more is Primary Care Plus, Inc. PCPI claims to be the only one-stop-shop clinic in the country offering affordable and quality primary healthcare, specialty and ancillary care that includes comprehensive diagnostic, laboratory, pharmacy and consultation services. It offers preventive diagnostic tests for blood pressure, cholesterol and body weight (BMI), blood glucose test and electrocardiogram (ECG).

Taking these diagnostic tests should begin at age 20. The frequency of follow up tests will depend on the individual’s level of risk.

For more information about PCPI and its services, contact (02) 709-4142 or check out its website www.primarycareplus.com.ph/

Many healthcare providers are around us, but only a few can truly offer spacious facilities with complete and modern equipment. One of them is HealthFirst, a clinic that offers a wide range of outpatient medical services, which recently opened its third branch at SoHo Central in Greenfield District, Mandaluyong City, Walk-in patients can avail themselves of services such as Executive Checkup, Ambulatory Surgical Service, Elective Surgery, Diagnostic Endoscopy, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation. Next year, HealthFirst will also offer other services such as IV Infusion Chemotherapy.

Unlike busy and congested hospitals, patients can get things done in HealthFirst without the agony of waiting in line in gloomy halls. “The SoHo branch is comparable to the ambulatory clinics in other more advanced countries where space is given emphasis to contribute to the well-being of the patients,” describes HealthFirst medical director Dr. Jesse Baylon.

HealthFirst SoHo, which features bright interiors, occupies the second and third levels of SoHo Central. The second floor is divided into six centers, and each has its own reception area and a patient care officer: Medical Consulting Center, Medical Exam Center, Laboratory, Imaging Center, Oral Health Center and Pharmacy.

The third floor is dedicated to the Ambulatory Surgery Center, Physical Therapy and Rehab Center, and the topof-the-line HealthFirst Executive.

HealthFirst Executive offers a relaxing setting for executive check-ups. In addition to Executive Check-Up, the clinic also conducts pre-employment medical examinations and annual physical examinations.

Visit www.healthfirst.com.ph for inquiries and more details.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

CALM YOUR MIND AND HEART THROUGH MEDITATION FINE FETTLE

BY BUBBLES PARAISO

“If every eight year old in the world is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence in the world within one generation.”

– Dalai Lama I used to think that I only began constant meditation this year, not knowing that I’ve actually been doing it already for many moons. Back when I was very active on television, I would attend acting workshops to help me “go within” myself, and dig deep into my emotions. One of the exercises was called “sensitizing” – something that we did to open awareness of our surroundings and get immensely affected by every bit of the environment and thus get our acting more realistic.

It was only when I studied more

about meditation in Bali that I realized what it truly was. It was a mindfulness exercise, something that a lot of adults constantly want to do nowadays.

Mindfulness has four foundations; one of these is through the body – through our six senses. Yes, six. This is where the “sensitizing” exercise from my workshops kick in. Our six senses according to the foundations of mindfulness are through our skin for the hot, cold, rough, smooth or touch sensations; eyes for our seeing; ears for hearing; nose for smelling; mouth for tasting; and mind for thinking. The rest of the foundations are “Feeling” “Mind” and “Mind Object.”

There are numerous methods of meditation that you can try and then practice what you feel suit you best.

So far I’ve tried four types.

The one I learned and constantly practiced when I went to Bali was the Vipasana meditation. Vipasana means “to see things clearly as it is.” How to do this certain type of meditation is to first observe, acknowledge three times, then let go (non-attachment) so you can be in the NOW. Meditation and mindfulness is all about being in the moment and letting go of

everything that isn’t. If you want to try this meditation at home, school, the office or anywhere else, begin by sitting down (best if on the floor, cross legged) place your hands on top of one another, close your eyes and sit up straight. Try to quiet your mind by sitting still. Observe the rising and the dropping of your belly as you breathe in and out. Listen to the noise, be aware of your surroundings, be aware of anything you may feel in your body. Make your mind sharp as to catch the present moment. Do this constantly as when you always bring your mind to the present moment it becomes the natural state of your mind.

This type of meditation may seem hard at first; I admit that it took me about a week (practicing three times a day) before I was actually able to shut my mind up and be in the moment. It is a challenge but it is doable.

Another type of meditation is a guided one. I first came across this when I felt lost and confused and needed to take a break. My mind was on overdrive and I needed to calm down. I drove down south and found a place of solitude and booked a healing retreat for myself, one of

which had a guided meditation practice. There I learned how to quiet my mind and was guided on how to let go of things that hurt us. I had my eyes closed, and was asked to imagine a big garbage can.

There I “threw away” everything that hurt me, angered me and anything else that did not contribute to my happiness. It may sound like nothing as you read it but let me tell you, I felt 1000x lighter after that.

Another type of meditation that I tried was the mantra method.

The technique relies on the oral repetition of a sentence, a mantra, one with positive personal significance. You repeat it over and over and over until you feel a sense of calm take over you.

The last type of meditation that I tried was one wherein you light a candle and stare at the flame for a long time, without blinking. And once you hear the sound of the bell, you close your eyes and get lost. I still can’t verbalize what I saw or felt when I did this meditation but it affected me so much that I didn’t realize I was crying so hard until I opened my eyes and everyone was staring at me.

These four types of meditation helped me heal. Whatever angered

me or hurt me are no longer there.

They are all gone. Imagine if everyone learned how to meditate, perhaps there will really be more peace in the world. And it’s not just all about getting rid of your angst or pain. A regular meditation practice also has increased brain density, a boost in connections between neurons, decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety, improved clarity of thought and an increase in endorphins that affect mood as its benefits. Other published studies have also shown that meditation can improve physical functioning and vitality, decrease chronic disease risks, and enhance the overall quality of life.

I am still not in the level of my Yoga Philosophy teacher Arvind Pare (from Mysore, India) or Oliver, another meditation coach I met in Bali, wherein even the way that they spoke had a certain peacefulness in it. But bringing a certain sense of calmness and peace in me is an achievement in itself. I think everyone should give it a try. Give it at least a week. Quieting the mind will be the best thing you can give yourself, especially this holiday break.

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @bubblesparaiso

T HUR S DAY : DECEMBER 3, 2015

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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Nicole Kidman plays an attractive lawyer in the Billy Ray movie

Julia Roberts returns to big screen via the American thriller Secret in Their Eyes

JuliA RobeRTs’ oscAR-woRThy peRfoRmAnce

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n ideal ensemble of winning actors converge in Secret In Their Eyes - Academy Award winners Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman with Academy Award nominee Chiwetel Ejoifor in a complex tale of love, friendship, betrayal and obsession, making critics root for its lead, Julia Roberts, an award for her stirring performance as a devoted mom and an outstanding investigator whose only daughter was murdered by a young male asset (against terrorism) that the government tries so hard to protect.

Directed by Billy Ray, Secret In Their Eyes is inspired by El Secreto de Sus Ojos, the Argentinian film that brought home the Oscar Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2010.

Producer Matt Jackson, president of Production at IM Global, says it’s rare that “you get a script where the story jumps out at you from every page, but also has a very intricate plot involving two different time periods.

Billy’s idea to turn the film into a story that had an element of counter terrorism was genius. All of the hysteria and paranoia that was rampant after 9/11 provided a perfect device for setting the killer loose to create such a per-

sonal story of obsession and loss.”

“When I was writing it I didn’t want to keep 2002 and 2015 apart,” says Billy. “I felt that 2015 had to be an echo of what happened in 2002.”

Julia Roberts gives the audience a whole new perspective on her thespian capabilities as she takes on the role of Jesse Cobb, a grieving mother trapped in her responsibility as a cop to carry out her own kind of justice towards the killer of her daughter.

Director Ray notes, “There are two Jesses in this movie. When we first meet her she is full of life and wildly in love. Something happens to Jess and she becomes another person. These are the two extremes that Julia Roberts plays extremely well. And like the best characters, Jess has secrets. Jess is barely functioning. She froze thirteen years ago and her life just stopped. Her heart kept beating so she kept going to work every day but she was dead. In particular Ray (Ejiofor) is trying to liberate Jess because she’s had this horrible blow and never recovered. To ask an actress to come play that is sort of the ultimate trap because you can just play sadness and never get out of it and then you have a one-note performance.”

For Julia Roberts the essence of the story is about the evolution of people who were taken off track by destiny. “I was very taken with Billy’s script. I don’t read a lot of scripts that I like and I don’t work very often. But I read this and thought it was truly interesting. “Billy has been remarkable for me as an actor.

He’s so available and he’s like Encyclopedia Brown. He knows everything, he’s calm and he’s super-loving. He’s always taking care of all of us in these very fragile scenarios that he’s created. I think he probably feels bad for putting us through all this,” she laughs.

“For me it’s a great opportunity to play almost two different characters over thirteen years. Jess is not the person she was meant to be, the person she was born to be and lived her life to be. She’s not that person anymore.

She’s become kind of a shell. I don’t think it’s a void. It’s very sad, but it’s fascinating. It’s a complicated Rubik’s cube to be solved. It’s pretty obvious from the title that everybody is hiding something, but it’s doled out so carefully that everyone is going to be surprised at the end,” says Julia.

Secret In Their Eyes is in theaters now from Axinite Digicinema.

Dean Norris and Julia Roberts in Secret In Their Eyes

Chiwetel Ejiofor and Dean Norris are also part of the cast

Dangerous game in ‘Blunt ForCe trauma’

T Australian actor Ryan Kwanten in action film Blunt Force Trauma

Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto joins Ryan Kwanten in the new action film

elevision’s True Blood star Ryan Kwanten stars in Blunt Force Trauma with Freida Pinto and Mickey Rourke in a story following John (Kwanten), an underground gunslinger looking for his ultimate duel with legendary Zorringer (Rourke) along with Colt (Pinto) who is seeking revenge for the death of her brother.

Directed by Ken Sanzel, also a known scriptwriter for his work in the action-packed The Replacement Killers starring Chow Yun Fat, Blunt Force Trauma brings the characters underground in a deadly game of gunfight where the participants are continuously shot wearing bulletproof vests and that the only one and last one standing is declared winner.

From recent interviews about the film, Kwanten explains the nature of the film. “For me, it’s a modern day representation of one those existentialist road trip movies and it was such a nice departure to play a very iconic 70s style man. It really appealed because I feel like the modern day man has been sugar coated a little too much. He’s lost a little of his robustness, I guess we could say. Getting back to the story of it all, my character John is a gunslinger on a journey to track down the greatest gun slinger of all time - Zorringer - and on the way to this meeting, he runs into Colt, and they forge this bond.

It was the relationship between John and Colt that really sold me on the project. They’re characters

that you just don’t see anymore whether it’s in mainstream or indie films. I was really impressed by the writing - and the directing.”

Sanzel, whose previous occupation is a cop before turning into a filmmaker, takes his knowledge and experience as centric in the movie’s theme, where it treads on a fictional sport in which bullets can kill without even penetrating the skin. The game is played by two gunfighters who enter an arena with their bulletproof vests and shoot at each other at the torso and continues to be a game of survival, whoever is unable to stand in their place, loses.

Opening on Dec. 9 exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas, Blunt Force Trauma is from OctoArts Films International.

T HUR S DAY : DECEMBER 3, 2015

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SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

Lynda Jumilla receives the award for ANC

The people behind Nathaniel

ABS-CBN WiNS 23 CMMA AWARDS

A

BS-CBN Corporation bagged a total of 23 recognitions at the recently held 37th Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA) for its socially relevant and values-laden programs and special projects.

ABS-CBN went home with 11 recognitions from the television categories that include Best News The World Tonight, Best Children and Youth Program for Nathaniel, Best Public Service Program for Mission Possible, Best TV Ad–Public Service category for ABS-CBN Creative Communications Man-

agement’s “Thank You sa Malasakit, Pope Francis” campaign tied with ABS-CBN Cebu’s “Panguma” campaign about farming.

Special Citations were also given to TV Patrol Visayas of ABS-CBN Cebu for the News Program category, while Docucentral’s Ang Mabuting Pastol: Pope Francis sa Pilipinas,” Thank You sa Malasakit: Pope Francis sa Pilipinas, and Mukha: Pagsisikap were cited for the Special Coverage and News Magazine categories. Ryan Ryan Musikahan: Home for Christmas of Jeepney TV and Docucentral: Ako at ang Papa,

meanwhile, were cited for the TV Special category.

ABS-CBN’s flagship AM station DZMM also brought home honors headlined by “Failon Ngayon sa DZMM” for Best News Commentary, DZMM Lenten Drama Special for Best Drama Program, Salitang Buhay for Best Counseling Program, and Dr. Love Always and Forever for Best Entertainment Program while DZMM Red Alert received a Special Citation for the Educational Program category.

The Kapamilya Network was also recognized in the music

Ted Failon receives the award for Best News Commentary for Failon Ngayon on DZMM

category through Jamie Rivera’s “We Are All God’s Children” that won the Best Music Video and Best Inspirational Song awards as well as two Special Citations for the Inspirational Album and Secular Song categories. Produced

by Star Music, the song paid tribute to the visit of Pope Francis in January this year.

Gary Valenciano’s (featuring son Gab Valenciano) “Ipagpatuloy Mo Galing ng Pilipino,” also produced by Star Music, won the Best Secular Song.

Meanwhile, Star Cinema, in

partnership with Paul Soriano’s TEN17 Productions, bagged the Students’ Choice for Best Film award for their epic story of Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao’s childhood, Kid Kulafu.

Organized by the Archdiocese of Manila, the CMMA is awarded to media products, whether in television, radio, film, music, advertising, and press, which enhance the total human development of the Filipino audience through the competent and professional use of mass media techniques and to promote the Christian values.

Beauty Queen undergoes instant ‘tangos’

A Former beauty queen Katrina is one of those who attest to the dramatic result of instant “tangos” procedure

former beauty queen tries to make her nose more pointed. Instant “tangos” is the promise of the Instalift procedure of YSA Skin and Body Experts.

“There’s nothing wrong with it. I am contented with my nose, but if it will be more beautiful, why will I not try?” said the former queen.

A 45-year-old office manager first tried the procedure that only uses a thread and requires no stitches or surgery on the nose.

“I feel good because of the dramatic change and my confidence level shot up. My husband asked me out on a date,” the employee reported happily.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 45 47 50 51 52 53 56 57 59 61 62 63 64 65 66 ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Lofty thing 5 — Almond of Soft Cell 9 Mouth part 13 Golfer Lorena — 15 Part of B&O 16 World’s fair 17 Corners 18 Swain 19 In — (as found) 20 Periscope site 21 Strait-laced

23 25 26 27 30 31 32 37 38 40 41 43 44

Viking, perhaps Scaloppine base Going steady Life of the party?

“— It Be” Accumulate Moon phenom?

Tizzy Some Iraqis Indigo dye Mirth Old-fashioned pen Luge surface

Lowest point on earth (2 wds.)

Tee types (hyph.)

Hydrox rival Mall booths Gaius’ garb Torrid Treaties end them Exiled Roman poet Easily duped Mme. Gluck of opera Jam-pack Shopping frenzy

By Jove!

(2 wds.)

On the house Technical word

DOWN 1 Flower containers 2 Neutral color 3 Obsessed whaler 4 Keystone Konstable 5 Alabama port 6 Polite cough 7 Narrow inlet 8 Messengers 9 Amber, for one 10 Rust or patina 11 Cast a vote 12 Bridge quorum 14 Trembly trees 22 — Dawn Chong

YSA pioneered the procedure from Korea in 21 branches, starting with Metro East, Festival Alabang, SM Fairview and Starmall Prima.

Doctors of YSA who were trained by specialists from Korea perform the simple procedure by hand. No machine is needed in the treatment, just the insertion of the thread to the nose that only takes about 30 minutes.

“The suture anchors themselves to the periosteum or fibrous membrane to gather the underlying tissues and secure them in the desired position. After the thread dissolves, not only the holding effect remains, but the natural collagen production is also stimulated,”

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2015

24 25 26 27 28 29 32 33 34 35 36 38 39 42 43 45 46 47 48 49 51 52 53 54 55 58 60

Gambling stake Expansive view Argued a case Humorous Ogden Bygone science magazine Junk or snail — Sardonic “Where’s —?”

Burden Key — pie Type of market Starts the football game (2 wds.)

Sporty trucks Cord of firewood Joyous outbursts Draw squiggles Joule fraction Perfume bottles Marilyn’s real first name Piece of prose “The Bridge on the River —” Domino Bring on board Not sunnyside up Be rife with Caesar’s man NYC dwelling

explained Sheila Nazal, Operations director of YSA Skin Care Corporation.

Compared to other nose lifting procedures, Instalift does not require stitches and general anesthesia, leaves no scars, and has immediate effect with instant results and shorter healing time. Only one session can last up to two years.

YSA offers Instalift on an introductory price of P25,000, with flexible payment terms.

Add Instalift to your beauty list of YSA treatments/procedures such as acne treatment, rejuvenating, whitening and slimming. Visit YSA branches nationwide.

T HUR S DAY : DECEMBER 3, 2015

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

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Pinay grouP eLiminated from the X-faCtor uK The all-Filipino girl group 4TH Impact ended their journey on The X Factor UK this week despite outstanding performances of and a great mash-up of Gwen Stefani and Eve’s “Rich Girl” and Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX’s “Fancy.”

Almira hit the whistle note during the group’s first performance that absolutely wowed the judges.

Simon Cowell singled her out saying that it was the best she’s sounded so far. Nick Grimshaw agreed saying, “Girls, you entertain us week after week. But it was great to see a different side of you and get you to do an emotional song. That high note, I mean, there will be dolphins arriving at Wembley. It was great to hear you all individually.”

Rita Ora commented “What I loved the most about that performance is the relationship you have with the record, it is like Jackson 5. Only people who have a connection with each other can sing a record like that and do it justice.”

After the girls’ performance of the “Rich Girl” and “Fancy” mashup both Simon and Cheryl were on their feet. Simon said that he was glad to finally see personalities of the girls on stage. He said the performance was fun, cute and current.

Rita said that although she was not a fan of the styling, she couldn’t deny the girls’ vocal prowess.

Nick said that it was super entertaining and that he couldn’t wait to see the girls on tour.

At the results show, it was revealed that 4TH Impact and Lauren Murray received the lowest number of votes. After the singoff, the judges were deadlocked.

Rita and Cheryl stuck to their teams, Lauren and 4TH Impact, respectively. Nick chose to keep Lauren and Simon chose to send her home. With the deadlock, results reverted to the public vote then it was revealed that 4TH Im-

from C8

James and Nadine share a moment with their forever favorite Jollibee Burger Steak.

Proud believers in “forever,” JaDine considers each other as constants in life

The Filipino group 4th Impact performing for the last time in The X-Factor UK

pact was going home.

4TH Impact will be part of The X Factor 2016 Live Tour. Kicking off on Feb. 12, 2016 in Aberdeen, The X Factor 2016 Live Tour is a UK-wide arena tour which will travel to Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin, Brighton, Bournemouth, Leeds, Birmingham, Cardiff, London, Nottingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield and Manchester with contestants performing classic songs and viewers’ favourites from the TV series. Attended by over three million people, The X Factor Live Tour has been one of the most successful annual arena tours in the UK for the past eleven years.

With the elimination this week, left in the competition are Reggie ‘n’ Bollie, Ché Chesterman, Louisa Johnson, and Lauren Murray.

The X Factor UK airs first and exclusive on RTL CBS Entertainment HD as live via satellite on Sundays and Mondays at 10:30

a.m. with a 9 p.m. primetime encore. The weekly episodes repeat on Thursdays at 9 p.m. and at 10 a.m. and 4:40 p.m. on Saturdays.

RTL CBS Entertainment HD is available on SKYcable channels 53(SD) and 196(HD), Destiny Cable channel 53, Dream Satellite channel 17 and Cablelink channels 37(SD), 313 and 800(HD).

HHHHH What ‘forever’ means to James reid and nadine Lustre Some may claim that “forever” is not real, but not for James Reid and Nadine Lustre. JaDine proudly claims that they are both believers in “forever”.

For them, forever is all about love and devotion, “I believe in forever because it’s a positive concept for me,” said Nadine. “It makes you feel more in love, it makes you feel good.”

For James, apart from mea-

suring forever as a long period of time, it is also something that anchors on loyalty. “Forever is something you remain faithful to not because you have to, but because nothing can ever compare to it,” the young actor added.

Both agree that forever means something they will always come back to; that even if something new comes along, their forever favorite will always be—in a heartbeat—their number one.

For JaDine, change can be good but having a constant in life is more important—family, a habit, or a material thing—because they all remind them of who they are and keep them grounded. And for James and Nadine, there is no other burger steak that can, time and again, sweep them off of their feet than Jollibee Burger Steak.

“It reminds me of the Philippines because of its unique flavor.

You don’t go anywhere else to eat

burger steak. I’ve never even heard anyone say, ‘I wanna have a burger steak at this place.’ No, it’s always only in Jollibee,” shared James.

To him, there’s no need for a special occasion to have a Jollibee Burger Steak meal. It’s truly something to crave for because it has always been in the hearts of every Filipino, including JaDine’s.

“We’re very happy with the success of JaDine’s endorsement of one of our best-selling and beloved products. Our sales of 1pc Burger Steak grew by 67 percent compared to the numbers around the same time last year,” said Jollibee Marketing Director Kent Mariano.

Made with 100 percent pure beef patty with its unique flavorful mushroom sauce, Jollibee’s Burger Steak truly has a lasting appeal that captures the hearts of many, including James’ and Nadine’s. Go ahead and taste forever love with the Jollibee Burger Steak for only P50.

P-Noy wishes Pia wurtzbaCh goodluCk

B

Pia Wutzbach (left) is US bound for the annual Miss Universe pageant while Christi Lynn McGarry (right) flies to Germany for the Miss Intercontinental 2015.

b. Pilipinas Pia Wurtzbach could not help but shed tears at the send-off ceremony before she sets out for the 2015 Miss Universe pageant. The Cagayan de Oro, half-German beauty recalls the several occasions that she stood as a well-wisher to departing beauty queens in a similar proceeding.

Wurtzbach was filled with excitement and glowing in a black outfit as she acknowledged the warm support of her Bb. Pilipinas Charities family led by chairman Stella Marquez-Araneta at the Pool Bar & Lounge of the new Novotel Manila in Araneta Center, Cubao on Thursday.

“I just could not believe this moment and I am so thankful to all of you for your wonderful support. I promise to give my all to best represent our country and to bring home to you the Miss Universe

crown this Christmas,” said the 26-year-old culinary arts graduate, model and aspiring actress.

Wurtzback, formerly Pia Romero during her ABS-CBN Star Magic days, went through a lot of challenges and sacrifices, losing twice before winning on her third try at a national beauty title. Pia has gone under rigorous training and preparation to be at her most competitive form for the tough and hotly contested Miss Universe competition.

Pia’s trip to Las Vegas got boost when she received a bouquet and card with hand-written note from President Noynoy Aquino, a friend and admirer who have fallen for her Caucasian charm and intelligence.

Wurtzbach has kind of overshadowed Christi Lynn McGarry’s send-off for the Miss Intercontinental 2015 to be held at Maritim Hotel in Magdeburg, Germany on Dec.18, two days before the Miss

Universe 2015 finals at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on Dec. 20.

McGarry, a statuesque, 24-yearold, Fil-Am beauty from New Jersey, USA, will try to win at the Miss Intercontinental pageant on her second chance for the title.

McGarry, who traced her roots to Nabua, Camarines Sur, has made a rare pageant record having already competed in the Miss Intercontinental pageant 2010 when it was held in Dominican Republic, finishing among the Top 15 and bagging the Miss Intercontinental Asia-Oceaña title.

With 67 delegates this time and a different set of judges, MacGarry will compete against herself to win the crown five years after.

Miss Globe 2015 Ann Colis, Hannah Ruth Sison, Kimverlyn Suiza, Bianca Guidotti and Janicel Lubina graced the twin send-offs.

T HUR S DAY : DECEMBER 3, 2015

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

The cast of My Bebe Love; Kilig Pa More! – AiAi Delas Alas, Alden Richards, Maine Mendoza, and Vic Sotto (extrme right) with director Jose Javier Reyes (second from right)

SHOWBITZ

‘My BeBe Love: kiLig Pa More!’

guaranteed to break reCords ISAH V. RED What happens when the country’s comedy giants - the undisputed Philippine box-office king of comedy Vic Sotto and box-office queen Ai-Ai delas Alas – join forces with the newest record-breaking, phenomenal love team Aldub in one groundbreaking movie for the holiday season?

No doubt, My Bebe Love: Kilig Pa More! starring Sotto, Delas Alas and the phenomenal love team Aldub of Alden Richards and Maine “Yayadub” Mendoza is going to make a killing at the box-office and set the bar higher for the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) history.

Expect waves of high-spirited excitement, heartwarming romance, wholesome fun, and excellent Filipino values, to take the holiday season’s finest film festival by storm.

Vic and Ai-Ai spearhead the fun topsy-turvy of characters as they are featured with Alden and Maine in the movie written and directed

by Jose Javier Reyes and co-written with Bibeth Orteza.

This early, festival observers are already predicting a surefire box-office reign for My Bebe Love: Kilig Pa More!, which is jointly-offered by OctoArts Films, M-Zet Television Productions, Inc., APT Entertainment, GMA Films and Meda Production. While the country is being swept away by the record-breaking love team of Alden Richards and Maine “Yayadub” Mendoza, MMFF is poised to be another territory for conquest by the Aldub phenomenon. This is the duo’s most exciting film debut.

My Bebe Love: Kilig Pa More! also features Joey de Leon, the Eat Bulaga lolas Paolo Ballesteros, Jose Manalo, and Wally Bayola, and Ryzza Mae Dizon, in special appearances.

Vic Sotto plays the role of Vito who finds himself at odds and in a bitter professional rivalry with Cora, played by Ai-Ai. The two are both in the business of mounting special events and productions and have both made a successful name in the same profession. The conflict happens when their respective wards – Anna (played by Maine) daughter of Vito, gets romantically entangled with Cora’s beloved nephew Dondi (played by Alden). As expected, the “parents”

actively reject the budding romantic involvement between the starcrossed lovers and willingly struck an unexpected truce to prevent this romance from happening.

The plot thickens when the unexpected alliance of the Vito and Cora starts blooming into something else. Now, it’s the turn of the youngsters to feel disconcerted with the idea of having their folks enter into a different relationship zone. Now it was the turn of Dondi and Anna to react to the situation. They did not like the idea of his auntie and her father falling in love with each other. Now it was the younger generation vehemently reacting to this new romance.

So where will all this end? What are the possible solutions and resolutions to bring closure and new beginnings to these young, exciting lovers?

Catch the excitement, the love, the fun and romance when My Bebe Love: Kilig Pa More!” starts showing on Christmas Day at the MMFF. HHHHH New face iN PaNgako Sa’yo Star Magic artist Sue Ramirez started as ‘the best friend, the sister or daughter of prime actors and actresses in TV and movies. Variety of

Sue Ramirez

characters molded her as an actress even if she started as one of the singers in the teen-oriented show Shoutout. Her significant exposures in ABS-CBN TV shows include Mula sa Puso, Angelito, Oka Tokat, Annaliza, Dream Dad, All of Me, Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita, Maalaala Mo Kaya and movies Aswang, Just the Way you Are and the recent A Second Chance, to name a few.

After six years, Sue finally gets her biggest break to date as the boyish enemy turned admirer of Daniel Padilla as Angelo in top rating primetime show Pangako Sa’yo.

Her character as Ligaya is one of the new characters in PSY Book 2 that spices up the team up of Angelo

and Yna (Kathryn Bernardo).

“I feel privilege to be part of PSY as the show recognizes my talents and capability as an actress,” shares by teen star.

She considers her role as one of challenging yet overwhelming roles as she became the third wheel of the famous Kathniel love team on television.

Half-American and half-Filipino Sue knows part of doing the role are good and bad criticisms from the fans and viewers. “I take their comments constructively to continuously improve my acting.

It also serves as a proof that I’m doing my job well,” Sue explains. ➜ continued on c7