The Standard - 2015 November 07 - Monday

VOL. XXIX NO. 298 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 MONday : dECEMBER 7, 2015 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

No reason to inhibit Carpio in Poe case

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‘zero for mar iN Calamity areas’

By Christine F. Herrera and Rio N. Araja

ADMINISTRATION candidate Manuel Roxas II could suffer a backlash from the failure of Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman to provide timely disaster relief, after a militant partylist group on Sunday called on survivors of natural calamities to give him “zero votes” in next year’s presidential polls.

The call came as public anger simmered over the government’s dumping of some 284 sacks of rotten rice—meant for typhoon survivors—in Leyte, as a result of the inability of Department of Social Welfare and Development under Soliman to efficiently manage and distribute relief.

“Calamity victims and survivors will not achieve real justice and adequate help from this government. That is why they should campaign for zero votes for its top candidate this coming election because if [President Benigno] Aquino’s clone will win in the coming election, calamity victims will further suffer,” said Anakpawis Rep. Fernando Hicap.

“The likes of Dinky Soliman together with other rotten-to-the-core government

officials responsible for the lackluster work in rehabilitation and reconstruction of calamity affected areas will continue to do their dirty deeds as long as they remain in their position,” Hicap said.

Hicap rejected the suggestion that human error was the cause of the dumping of rice in Leyte.

“This is not human error. It is in fact the product of systematic incompetence and negligence by the DSWD and the Aquino government,” Hicap said.

Other lawmakers continued to put pressure on the government to make Soliman account for “missing billions” in local and foreign donations.

Senatorial candidate and Leyte Rep. Ferdi-

nand Martin Romualdez on Sunday slammed the government’s lack of compassion and concern for the survivors of typhoon “Yolanda” that flattened Eastern Visayas and killed over 6,000 people in November 2013, after the discovery of the buried rice.

“It is quite telling that after two years, the Department of Social Welfare and Development has not been transparent. Despite the Commission on Audit’s discovery of cash donations of over P300 million not being disbursed, the government has yet to account for it and for the billions that had been donated by local and foreign donors,” said Romualdez, whose district included Tacloban City, among the heavily damaged by Yolanda.

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Winner. Angelia Ong wins the Miss Earth crown in Vienna on Sunday, succeeding another Filipina who won in 2014. AFP

Comelec deputizes military, police

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Grace: Include Abaya in MRT rap sheet

By Macon R. Araneta SENATOR Grace Poe on Sunday said Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya should also be included in the filing of criminal charges against those involved in the anomalous maintenance contract for the Metro Rail Transit.

As chairwoman of the Senate subcommittee on transportation, Poe had recommended the filing of charges against former MRT-3 general manager Al Vitangcol III and five others, but expressed disappointment that top Transportation officials were spared.

Poe, who led the inquiry into the sorry state of the MRT, said she be-

lieved the highest officials of the Department of Transportation and Communications should also be held liable.

The Ombudsman’s Fact Investigating Office initially included Abaya and other transportation officials in the graft probe, but the Ombudsman said it did not find probable cause to charge Next page

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‘Zero...

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“For the past two years, we have been asking the government to account for the billions in local and foreign donations, to no avail,” he added.

The lawmaker said survivors were complaining about the replacement of donations of imported corned beef and Spam with the relief goods of local brand of corned beef and sardines.

He maintained that Soliman must be held liable in the reported dumping of NFA rice for the Yolanda survivors.

“The lack of compassion on this shocking discovery is unthinkable and beyond human comprehension. I can’t understand why this has to happen given the continued hunger among Yolanda survivors who continue to hope for government assistance. The lives of survivors remain uncertain. Such negligence and wastage of relief goods in the disaster-hit areas are unforgivable,” he said.

House Deputy Minority Leader and 1-BAP party-list Rep. Silvestre Bello III said the mishandling of relief goods and donations has undermined the faith of foreign and local donors to course their contributions through the national government.

“Where are the billions of donations?

Why can’t the government account for them?” he asked.

In January this year, Hicap said, some 900 sacks of rice were also discovered undistributed and left to rot inside the regional office VIII of the Bureau of Customs in Tacloban City. The 900 sacks of rotting rice were eventually buried, he said.

“The sins of DSWD chief Dinky Soliman to calamity victims are unfathomable. She should be held accountable for all the sufferings she inflicted on all calamity victims in her stint namely typhoons Ruby, Seniang, Pablo and super typhoon Yolanda,” Hicap said.

At the same time, Hicap urged all opposition and non-administration candidates for president to an “only Mar” scenario that would knock out Senator Grace Poe and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte from the presidential race by way of disqualification cases.

“We believe that Senator Poe’s disqualification case is just step one,” said Hicap, who ascribed the complaints to the Aquino administration and the “Liberal Party clique.”

The Comelec 2nd Division last week cancelled Poe’s Certificate of Candidacy, citing her failure to meet the 10-year residency requirement for president, and questions about her status as a natural-born citizen.

Anakpawis said the next step in the Liberal Party plot could be the issuance of an arrest warrant for Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is facing four plunder cases before the Office of the Ombudsman.

Hicap said this would be followed by a demolition job or disqualification case against Duterte, who filed his CoC as substitute to anti-crime advocate Martin Diño.

If these actions take place, that would leave only Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago to oppose Roxas, Hicap said.

“As last resort, the Aquino administration could utilize the automated elections to favor Roxas’ candidacy,” Hicap said.

The Palace on Sunday said the DSWD has ordered an investigation over the dumping of almost 300 sacks of rice meant for typhoon victims.

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma added that Soliman had reported that the DSWD has been doing everything it can to strengthen its capacity to handle the distribution of the relief goods to the victims of the typhoons and other calamities. With Sandy Araneta

March. Filipino supporters of the LGBT community take part in an annual gay pride march in Manila on Dec. 5. AFP

Laude lawyer hits order to keep Marine in camp VIRGINIA Suarez, lawyer for the family of slain Filipino transgender Jennifer Laude, on Sunday questioned the validity of a diplomatic note that the government will give to the Olongapo judge to justify the detention of convicted killer US Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton in Camp Aguinaldo.

At the Balitaan sa Rembrandt, Suarez expressed her disappointment over the failure of the Olongapo City court to assert the imprisonment of Pemberton at the National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City after his guilty conviction for homicide.

She said the supposed detention of Pemberton at the NBP was a sovereign issue.

In a television interview, Suarez said that while Pemberton never brought up

Grace: ...

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Abaya during the preliminary investigation.

“Since Secretary Abaya signed and approved the contract, I am a little bit surprised that he doesn’t have liabilities whatsoever,” said Poe. “In any case, I hope this serves as a warning to gov-

Visiting Forces Agreement between the United States and the Philippines, Judge Roline Jabalede kept invoking the treaty.

“We find it ironic,” she said.

Suarez also asked why the court amended its commitment order to hold Pemberton at the NBP. “The judge amended her order pending clarification on where to detain him under the VFA,” she said.

Earlier, President Benigno Aquino III assured the public that Pemberton would not be given any special treatment while in detention.

Speaking before the local media in Italy, Aquino also said Pemberton is already detained in a facility controlled by the Philippines, particularly at the headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“He is actually in a facility controlled by the Philippines already,” Aquino said.

“The facility in the AFP is going to be manned by Bureau of Corrections personnel or is already being manned by Bureau of Corrections personnel. In effect, this is an extension of the Bilibid

ernment officials that corrupt practices and illegal motives will not be condoned.”

The Office of the Ombudsman filed graft charges against Vitangcol before the Sandiganbayan after finding probable cause that he conspired with PH Trams incorporators for the awarding of the $11.5-million maintenance contract without public bidding. Five PH Trams

and consistent with the agreements under the VFA.” Aquino said that detaining a convicted military personnel like Pemberton in a separate facility rather than the regular prison cell does not mean he is being given special treatment.

“The bottom line is, as a sovereign state, we have an agreement with another sovereign state,” he said of the VFA and its impact on the Pemberton case.

An Olongapo court last week ruled that Pemberton was guilty of homicide and not murder for the killing of transgender woman Jennifer Laude.

Pemberton will face imprisonment from six to 12 years and was also ordered by the court to pay P50,000 as civil indemnity and P4.32 million to Laude’s family as damages for loss of earning capacity.

The accused was also ordered to pay P155,255 as reimbursement for the wake and burial of the victim, P50,000 for moral damages and P30,000 for exemplary damages.

Aquino said Pemberton can appeal the court’s verdict. Rio N. Araja

executives were also charged.

The 39-page resolution stated that Vitangcol acted in “evident bad faith, manifest partiality, or gross inexcusable negligence” to give the unwarranted advantage to PH Trams and joint venture partner Comm Builders and Technology Philippines Corp.

Vitangcol’s uncle-in-law was an executive at PH Trams, a fact that would have

automatically disqualified the company from participating in the bidding.

“Moving forward, this should be a compelling reason to have an open transaction policy to curb corrupt practices in bidding and procurement. Accountability measures that can be consistently monitored by stakeholders must be put in place,” Poe said.

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‘No need to inhibit Carpio, others’ THERE is no compelling reason why Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and two other magistrates should inhibit themselves from the case arising from the Senate Electoral Tribunal’s decision saying Senator Grace Poe is a naturalborn Filipino because the case is filed with the Supreme Court, a veteran election lawyer said Sunday.

Macalintal cited a 1997 case of Libanan vs the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal where the Supreme Court rejected such offer of inhibition made by three justices from participating in the resolution of the petition filed with it involving a case they decided at the HRET. In Libanan vs HRET, the high court cited a 1949 case where it had been its position that the designation of its members in the electoral tribunals did not deduct “a whit from their functions as members of the Supreme Court, and did not disqualify them in this litigation.”

The Court said their participation in the high court “will not operate to preRomulo Macalintal said the inhibition vent them from voting in the electoral of Carpio, chairman of the nine-mem- [tribunals] on identical questions beber SET, and members Associate Justices cause the Constitution, establishing no Teresita Leonardo de Castro and Arturo incompatibility between the two roles, Brion, who voted to disqualify Poe as naturally did not contemplate, nor want, senator, would violate the high court’s justices opining one way here, and therestanding policy on this issue. after holding otherwise, pari materia, Macalintal made his statement even [upon the same subject], in the electoral as former Justice Secretary and Lib- tribunal, or vice-versa.” eral Party senatorial bet Leila De Lima “Thus, the SC emphasized in the Libasaid Sunday she believed the failure to nan case that since it has been its position quickly resolve the disqualification cases to reject offer of inhibition of SC justices against presidential candidate Grace Poe in the electoral tribunals when the cases might cause confusion among the voters they decided thereat are brought to the on election day.

SC for review, “so it should be in all casDe Lima, a former election lawyer, ex- es that may yet come before this Court,” plained possible consequences of Poe’s Macalintal said. disqualification given that there were He said it had been a standing policy less than 15 days before the Commission of the high court to reject such offer of on Elections releases the final list of can- inhibition. didates.

“In other words, there is no compel“If the issues won’t be resolved and ling reason for Carpio and the other two her name is printed on the ballot, but SC justices to disqualify themselves from after that she is disqualified with final- the SET case of Poe and from other cases ity, many voters might still vote for her involving the latter that may yet to come thinking she is still a candidate,” De before the SC,” Macalintal said. rey e.

Lima told reporters in Cebu City. requejo and John Paolo Bencito

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Christmas message. Senatorial candidate Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez of Leyte delivers a Christmas message during the traditional Christmas Party of the Philippine Constitution Association, of which he is president. Ver NoVeNo

Binay to defend self anew today THE camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay said Sunday he will deny today the AntiMoney Laundering Council’s allegations over his alleged bank assets during the first hearing of the case in a court in Manila.

Binay’s spokesman Rico Quicho said the vice president’s opponents would not stop harassing him and his family.

After claiming earlier that Binay had billions deposited in 242 accounts, Quicho said, the AMLC was now asking the Manila court to freeze only one account with a deposit of P1.7 million, an admission that it had no solid evidence against Binay.

“This is a clear abuse of the power of the AMLC with the sole intention of destroying an opponent of the Aquino administration,” Quicho said.

He said the AMLC’s latest petition was a blatant violation of Republic Act 1379, which prohibits the filing of civil forfeiture cases against public officials “within one year before any general election or within three months before any special election.”

He said the prohibition was explicitly provided for by law to deter political harassment.

“Aside from the absence of basis and evidence, Binay has long been saying

that government agencies are being used against him through demolition by perception,” Quicho said.

“Included here is the suspension of his son, Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, who was cleared by the Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court also sided with him.”

The AMLC had filed a petition for civil forfeiture on Nov. 12 against the vice president, Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, and 62 other individuals and corporations.

The petition came a day after the lapse of the original six-month freeze order on the Binays’ assets that was filed on May 11.

Quicho said AMLC had allowed itself to be part of the demolition team formed to discredit Binay and prevent him from continuing his fight for the poor Filipinos being ignored by the Aquino administration.

“It is about time to revisit the mandate of AMLC and audit its performance since it has obviously allowed itself to be tainted with grossly erroneous and highly partisan activities,” Quicho said.

“The vice president will remain steadfast in protecting his name and that of his family from the malicious overtures by the AMLC and other government institutions.” Macon ramos-Araneta

Comelec deputizes soldiers, cops

Procession. Devotees prepare the images for the grand Marian procession in Intramuros, Manila on Sunday. DANNy PAtA

THE Commission on Elections has deputized the military and police to ensure peace and order in next year’s elections, Malacañang said Sunday.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police have been deputized by the Commission on Elections as the main authority in ensuring peace and order during the national elections in May 2016,” Communications

Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. told state-run dzRB radio.

“One aspect here is the implementation of a gun ban,” he said.

The Comelec tasked the police to secure its officials, who it said were the targets of election-related violence.

The PNP will also secure the voting, canvassing and consolidation centers manned by the Comelec and safeguard all ballot

boxes and other election materials.

The National Bureau of Investigation will provide support to the police.

Coloma said the control of firearms and the confiscation of illegal weapons were key in achieving peaceful and orderly elections.

“That is why this is a priority program of the AFP and PNP as deputized agents of the Comelec,” Coloma said. Sandy Araneta

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Absentee lawmakers charged

By Christine F. Herrera

A PALACE-BACKED coalition of lobbyists and civil society groups has sued the 292 members of the House of Representatives before the Ombudsman for absenteeism and neglect of duty for failing to pass the controversial Bangsamoro Basic Law. The Bangsamo para sa Bayan at para sa Lahat, led by lawyer Mary Ann Arnado, said less than 10 lawmakers comprised the quorum every time the BBL was being taken up on the floor.

“The lack of quorum is unacceptable because it paralyzes the legislative branch of government,” Arnado said in a radio interview.

“Their public display of neglect of duty is very clear. Even kindergarten students, when they are absent, they

are required to present excuse letters to justify their absences. But our congressmen have been absent for more than four months yet there is no accountability,” she added.

The House leadership attributed the lack of quorum to the growing general sentiment of majority of lawmakers in rejecting the passage of the Palace-drafted BBL, which will operationalize the peace agreement signed by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales said passing the BBL became even more difficult after the Mamasapano massacre where 44 Special Action Force commandos were killed by members of private armed groups and the MILF in Maguindanao on Jan. 25.

Independent Minority Bloc leader and senatorial candidate Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza, who both recorded perfect attendance during the sessions, took up the cudgels for the entire House and warned the Palace against pressuring Congress into rushing the passage of the controversial measure.

“The Palace and the lobbyists should already realize by now that the public does not want the BBL unless every controversial provision is scrutinized. The House plenary has no

problem passing equally important legislations such as the national budget, the Salary Standardization Law of 2015. The House has the numbers.

But when it is the BBL that is on the floor, everybody disappears,” Atienza told The Standard.

The BBL is now the subject of plenary debates and is up for second reading.

Atienza said the lobbyists’ tactic of filing the case before the Ombudsman was uncalled for since the House leadership held a dialog with them.

Atienza said prior to the filing of the case, he was summoned by House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. to discuss the BBL with the lobbyists, which included Arnado, lawyer Christian Monsod and former Senators Santanina Rasul and Aquilino Pimentel III.

Special training. New members of the Caloocan City police’s Special Reaction Unit conduct a training exercise involving going under a motorcycle at the local police headquarters on Sunday. ANDREW RABULAN

Soldiers accused of raping 10 women

By John Paolo Bencito HUMAN rights group Karapatan on Sunday slammed government troops for allegedly raping 10 women, including seven minors since President Benigno Aquino III took office in June 2010.

“Soldiers do not only kill; they rape children too. Amid the rising political killings under the Aquino regime, 10 women have been raped by state forces; and seven of them are minors,” Karapatan secretary-general Cristina Palabay said.

“Soldiers and members of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit undressed girls, as young as 12 years old, and raped them.

None of the perpetrators of the documented rape cases have been arrested or brought to jail,” she added.

One case, in particular, involved a 14-year-old lumad girl “Tess” who was raped twice by soldiers belonging to the 68th Infantry BattalionBravo Company stationed at Talaingod in Davao del Norte, Palabay said.

Palabay said the alleged rapists—Private First Class Stanly Revil, Private First Class Joffrey Galot, and Private John Banilla—all pleaded not guilty before a military court-martial.

The Philippine National Police has also filed criminal charges against the three soldiers.

The youngest victim, according to Palabay, was 12-year-old Nini who was allegedly raped by an aide of an officer from the 2nd Infantry Division.

NBI to end ‘tanim-bala’ probe this week

By Rey E. Requejo THE National Bureau of Investigation will conclude this week its investigation on the alleged bullet planting extortion racket at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, a Department of Justice official said on Sunday.

DoJ spokesman Undersecretary Emmanuel Caparas said the NBI special task force on tanim/laglag bala (Talaba) is expected to submit its report on Wednesday.

“The report by the NBI Task Force Talaba will be released on Dec. 9, if not earlier,” Caparas said in a text message.

The DoJ initially gave the team until Nov. 18 to complete its fact-finding probe.

However, the team led by NBI Anti-Organized Transnational Crime Division Head Agent Manuel Antonio Eduarte failed to meet the deadline, citing conflicting data from concerned agencies and unavailability of their officials for interview due to the security preparations for the Asia-Pacific Economic Coopera-

tion summit last month.

The justice department granted a request for extension and gave the team another 15 days to submit its report.

Justice Secretary Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa directed the team “to probe all incidents of the alleged laglagbala scam at the Naia and to similarly undertake a case build-up on the possible criminal and/or administrative liabilities of all individuals and agencies involved, whether public or private.”

The team was also tasked to trace reported victims of the alleged scheme and document their cases.

Caparas said the NBI is looking into the possibility that the incidents are part of a plot to sabotage or discredit the administration, supposedly in relation to next year’s general elections.

President Benigno Aquino III, for his part, downplayed the bullet planting incidents, saying the issue was being sensationalized and that extortion claims at the airport have not yet been proven.

Refreshing dip. Two boys take a dip in the water at a portion of a river that runs under a road in Maragondon, Cavite on Sunday. DANNY PATA

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Romualdez lauds team’s handling of PH case vs China

By Rio N. Araja AN OPPOSITION senatorial candidate Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez of Leyte is upbeat about the outcome of the Philippines’ case against China over a maritime dispute lodged before the United Nations Arbitral Tribunal .

“Our team of lawyers made convincing arguments at The Hague [the Netherlands]. I am confident that they succeeded in convincing the tribunal that our claims were based on all existing international laws and treaties,” he noted.

Romualdez, the House independent bloc leader and Philippine Constitution Association president, said the provisions on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea would clearly favor the Philippines, especially those concerning the country’s rights to defend its territory within the exclusive economic zone.

The country’s legal panel has just concluded the second round of oral arguments on the merits of its claims.

“The Filipinos, not the foreigners, must be the ones to benefit from the West Philippine Sea,” Romualdez stressed.

China has continued to refuse to participate in the arbitration, and has been conducting maritime patrols in the disputed areas to assert its territorial claims anchored “historical rights.”

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

Corruption, red tape taint govt procurement system

By Rio Araja

DESPITE the reforms, the government procurement system remains plagued by several issues such as weak budget allocation and corruption.

These issues prompted Rep. Evelina Escudero of Sorsogon to demand changes to the procurement law to enhance transparency.

The law Republic 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act, earned citations from multilateral institutions, such as the World Bank as a world-class legislation.

The World Bank identified the combination of weak budget allocation process, intricate and nontransparent budget execution and the predominance of patron-client relationships in politics and the bu-

reaucracy as factors that facilitate corruption in government procurement, Escudero said.

“Other problems of the present system that need to be addressed are lack of organic procurement body in government agencies, low vendor turnout because bid contracts are not posted ahead of time, and absence of contract administration mechanism within the solicitation system,” said Escudero, a vice chairperson of the committees on cooperatives development and on higher and technical education.

The filed House Bill 6246 designed to amend RA 9184 to expedite the

government procurement process.

The bill is now pending at the committee on appropriations chaired by Rep. Isidro Ungab of the Third District, Davao City.

“First, the bill seeks to amend Section 7 of RA 9184, pertaining to Procurement Planning And Budgeting Linkage, so that the annual procurement plan of the national government agencies shall conform with the National Development Plan, and in case of the local government unit, with the local development,” she noted.

“Second, the bill seeks to amend Section 13 of RA 9184, pertaining to Observers in the Bids and Awards Committee, so that the BAC observers are members in good standing of the sector, discipline or non-government organization they represent as duly certified by the head of the sector, discipline or organization to

which they belong.”

“Third, the bill seeks to amend Section 21 of RA 9184, pertaining to advertising and contents of the invitation to bid, so that in line with the principle of transparency and competitiveness, all invitations to bid for contracts under competitive bidding shall be posted on the entity’s website and be advertised by the procuring entity in such manner and for such length of time as may be necessary under the circumstances, in order to ensure the widest possible dissemination thereof.

The measure proposes the holding of pre-bid conference or conferences within 30 days after the last day of posting of the invitation to bid and within a reasonable period before the deadline for receipt of bids to allow prospective bidders to adequately prepare their bids, which shall be specified in the implementing rules and regulations.

Home for the holidays. Thousands of balikbayans and Filipino workers around the world arrive at the NInoy Aquino International Airport terminals to spend Christmas with their loved ones. ERIC APOLONIO

Improve Net speed, enhance e-commerce, says senator

By Macon Araneta SENATOR Juan Edgardo Angara has urged the government to prioritize the improvement of the country’s Internet service to develop the local e-commerce industry and help micro, small and medium enterprises expand their gains in the global market.

“I think e-commerce is one sector beaming with potential which we have yet to tap. We are known to be big users of social media and given the amount of time we spend on the web, Filipinos will no doubt embrace online

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shopping,” said Angara.

According to the Department of Trade and Industry, local buy and sell transactions coursed through the Internet were valued at $1 billion last year, and expected to double this year.

E-commerce was identified by Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders as one of the key strategies that will empower and help MSMEs participate in global commerce.

During the Apec summit, Alibaba billionaire founder Jack Ma shared how China’s e-commerce grew fast.

“When I talked to venture capitalists

before, they said ‘no, e-commerce won’t work for China because infrastructure is too bad.’ But when Internet came, we made the infrastructure really work and sophisticated.

For many, e-commerce is just a dessert. In China, it is the main course,” Ma said.

The senator lamented the country’s poor Internet connection based on a 2015 study by Internet performance data provider Ookla, which showed that the Philippines has the second-slowest download speed among 22 countries in Asia, next to Afghanistan.

The Philippines, with an average

of 3.64 megabit per second (mbps), which is way below the average broadband speed of 23.3 mbps, was ranked 176th out of 202 countries in the world. Aside from being one of the slowest, Internet in the Philippines also emerged as one of the most expensive (61st), with an average value of $18.19 per mbps, exceeding the average global cost of $5.21.

To improve the country’s Internet service, the National Telecommunications Commission has signed this year a memorandum setting the minimum broadband speed at 256 kbps and mandated service provid-

ers to disclose to the public their average data rates per location.

“According to several tech groups, this minimum requirement is still low if we want to catch up with the rest of the world in this fast-paced digital age. It is high time for us to create a separate body that would focus, provide adequate support and ensure that innovations in information and communications technology would contribute to global competitiveness,” said Angara, who is also urging the government to fast track the implementation of the national broadband plan.

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‘Charges vs Iglesia baseless’ ‘

“All hearsay, zero evidence.”

Calamity state in Welfareville compound MANDALUYONG City Mayor Benhur Abalos on Sunday declared a state of calamity in Barangay Addition hills, an area of which was razed by fire.

The fire on Welfareville Compound last Nov. 25 reached general alarm, the highest alarm level.

Abalos said that declaring a state of calamity will allow the city government to put to use its calamity funds to aid victims of the worst fire in the city’s history.

The blaze, which destroyed around 800 houses, spanning four blocks in the area Blocks—22, 23, 24, and 32, left some 1,700 families homeless and were brought to evacuation centers in the Mandaluyong Gym, Addition hills Integrated School, and hardin ng Pag-asa Park.

The city government has started granting a financial aid of P8,000 to owners of the razed houses, P5,000 to coowners and P3,000 to tenants.

The fire caused an estimated damage of P6 million, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection.

A residential care facility of the Department of Social Welfare and Development for orphaned or abused children behind the Welfareville Compound, meanwhile, was spared the fire owing to a protective firewall.

In San Juan City, meanwhile, some 500 families were left homeless after another fire struck a residential area in Barangay West Crame early Sunday.

Authorities were still investigating the cause of the blaze that started at a house on 3rd Street at past 2 a.m.

Several residents in the area said two men threw a bottle containing gas at the house, causing an explosion.

The fire quickly spread to adjoining houses made of light materials. The homeless victims sought shelter at a church nearby. No one was hurt in the fire.

John Paolo Bencito

Early carolers. Choir members sing a Christmas song during the ceremonial lighting of a 40-ft. Christmas tree at the Greenfield District in Mandaluyong City. EY ACASIO

Opec move good for PH—solon The decision of the Organization of the Petroleum exporting Countries to keep producing oil at current high levels is definitely good news for the Philippines, the LPG Marketers’ Association said Sunday.

“It basically means that the Philippines, an oil importer, will continue to benefit from low-priced oil in the months ahead,” said house Deputy Minority Leader and LPGMA Rep. Arnel Ty. Ty said Filipino households, businesses and even the government, which is a huge consumer, would gain in a big way from a prolonged low-cost oil environment.

Oil prices plunged below $40 per barrel immediately after Opec decided on Friday to maintain cur-

rent production levels at around 31.5 million barrels of oil per day, despite a growing surplus in world markets.

The decision implies that a global oversupply of between 700,000 to 1.8 million BOPD would keep a steady downward pressure on oil prices, Ty pointed out.

“Filipino consumers can keep on using their savings from reduced fuel, electricity, and transport costs to buy other goods and services,” Ty, a senior member of the house economic affairs committee, said.

The lawmaker also said the deflationary impact of cheap oil prices is expected to help keep lending rates low, thus helping families that want to buy new homes and cars as well as

businesses that wish to expand.

After examining 45 countries, the global forecasting firm Oxford economics Ltd. previously projected that the Philippines would be the biggest winner and its economy would grow the fastest in a depressed oil price setting.

Meanwhile, Ty urged the national government to step up spending for infrastructure projects.

“Government should now take advantage of inexpensive oil to quickly perform at a lower cost major construction projects that tend to require a lot of spending for fuel and power,” he said. he also said government should stay ahead of the 45-day ban on public works spending before the May 9, 2016 presidential election.

This was how Iglesia ni Cristo spokesman edwil Zabala summed up the allegations of wrongdoing on the part of the homegrown church’s leaders, who Zabala said on Sunday were the victims of “sustained and deliberately-planned efforts to besmirch their reputation, sow division within the church, and consequently discredit it in the eyes of the public.”

According to Zabala, after the much-publicized but failed attempts to file criminal charges against the INC leadership, the INC’s detractors “are less concerned now with proving their charges in court, as their focus is simply to use the media to sow public distrust and internal discord by making fantastic, baseless allegations anchored on hearsay.”

Zabala pointed out that the latest accusations of former INC minister, American Vincent Florida, were “perfect examples of how statements that would be thrown out in court have become the bases for damaging news reports.”

Florida alleged last week that there were irregularities in the handling of financial contributions in the US, with INC leaders involved in supposedly smuggling funds via private planes owned by the INC to banks in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands to avoid the US’ Internal Revenue Service.

Florida claimed that as a result of these irregularities, he had reported involved INC officials to the IRS. The IRS clarified last week, however, through IRS Special Agent Arlette Lee, that no tax fraud or tax offense case had been filed against any INC official in any US federal court.

Florida has also failed to present proof to substantiate his claims about the existence of INC’s private jets. In response to requests for evidence, Florida has simply responded by saying “I cannot attest to that, but that’s what I heard.”

Zabala pointed out that “it is easy to make up stories of wrongdoing and just let them spread all over the media,” but as the twin DOJ dismissals show,“being able to prove these stories with facts is difficult, and this is something our critics have repeatedly failed to do.”

The fresh allegations surfaced after separate criminal complaints for serious illegal detention and harassment against INC leaders filed by ex-minister Isaias Samson and former member Jose Norlito Fruto were dismissed by the Department of Justice several weeks ago due to “lack of probable cause” and failure to present evidence to support their claims.

“We continue to pray for enlightenment for those who attack us. At the same time, we assure the Filipino people and our own membership that we shall be steadfast and determined in defending the church.

The truth is on our side,” Zabala said.

M O N D AY : D e c e M b e r 7, 2 0 1 5

A7

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Abra tribal leaders, pols ink peace covenant

By Dexter A. See

Rubber grower. A caretaker carries rubber tree seedlings at the nursery of Barangay Rempes in North Upi, Maguindanao. OMAR MANGORSI

Vizcaya wants P2.3-b taxes from power, irrigation firms

By Brenda Jocson BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—The provincial government has issued a final demand notice to pressure an American power and irrigation firm and a Filipino-owned power transmission concessionaire to pay their real property tax delinquencies amounting to more than P2.3 billion.

The final demand notice shows that the California Energy-Casecnan Water and Energy Co., which operates the Casecnan Multi-Purpose Irrigation and Power Project in Alfonso Castañeda town, owes the province some P2.2 billion in RPT. On the other hand, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, which operates, maintains and develops the country’s power

feature

grid and holds the 25-year concession contract to operate the country’s power transmission network, owes the province some P157 million in RPT. “Their tax obligations in the province have long been overdue.

This has necessitated the issuance of the final demand notice by the provincial treasurer’s office to collect their RPT delinquencies,” Gov. Ruth Padilla said.

The provincial chief executive said real property taxes are some of the major sources of local taxes in the province. “Our sound local taxes enable us to make more development projects for our fellow Novo Vizcayano,” Padilla added.

The CECWEC, however, has invoked Malacañang Executive Order 173 that temporarily stops power-producing companies from paying taxes to their host local government unit. EO 173 either reduces the value or condones the non-payment of real property tax by independent power firms.

The giant $580-million CMIPP is a hydroelectric facility composed of two impounding dams and a power plant, connected by a pair of 26-kilometer tunnels built under the Ramos administration to address the power crisis during the 1990s.

The CMIPP also diverts irrigation waters from Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino provinces to at least 200 hectares of farmlands in Central Luzon and western parts of Pangasinan and provides some 100 megawatts of electricity to augment the increasing power requirements of the Luzon grid.

On the other hand, NGCP, which said it has not received the final demand notice has cited Republic Act 9511, also known as the Franchise Law as their basis for non-payment of RPT to the province.

In a statement, NGCP has invoked Section 9 of RA 9511 which it said the law “expressly exempts” the grantee [such as NGCP], its successors or assigns because it is paying a franchise tax equivalent to 3 percent of all gross receipts derived by the grantee from its operations under this franchise.

BANGUED, Abra—Hundreds of local officials, aspirants for different elective positions, tribal leaders, civil society group representatives and religious and youth leaders signed a peace covenant here Saturday that would bind and oblige them to enhance and actively perform their sworn obligations under the agreement to sustain peace efforts province.

The signed peace covenant known as the ‘Pagta ti Kapya’ is different from previously signed peace covenants because it embraces indigenous people practices of Cordillerans that would curse those who violate the contents of the agreement plus the imposition of culturally accepted penalties to violators among others.

“Pagta or katulagan’ or covenant is an indigenous system binding or obliging parties to agreed conditions under a solemn oath called “bagwas.’’ It manifests wisdom, sacredness and common sense. It is synonymous to a blood compact where the parties are bound to honor it at all cost.

The signing of the ‘Pagta ti Kapya’ was spearheaded by the Abra Peace Conveners and the Abra Youth Organization in order to bring together all local and tribal leaders to commit themselves to the compact that would fulfill the dream of Abrenians for lasting peace using as guiding principles the protection of life, honor and property.

Under the agreement, the identified punishable acts of local and tribal leaders would be the proliferation of illegal drugs, political and personal killings, proliferation of loose firearms, maintenance and sustained existence of private armed groups, and the reign of bad governance in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

The signing took place a day after the secretary of La Paz Mayor Joseph Bernos was shot to death by still-unidentified assailants while he was on his way home.

Portraits of resilience

THE road to recovery was not easy for farmers and fisherfolk who lost almost everything they had when Typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda) struck on Nov. 8, 2013. Many of them were already hard-pressed to make ends meet even before the disaster and the will to rebuild their lives had almost faded.

“When the typhoon hit, our rice was almost ready and we were expecting a good harvest,” narrated Susan Gaspay of Burauen, Leyte. “We lost everything—our ready-to-harvest rice, our stored seeds, and our rented tractor, not to mention our house.”

Two years later, Susan, along with hundreds of thousands of other farmers and fishers are now role models of recovery in their communities. Through the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in collaboration with the government of the Philippines, the concept “building back better” has become a reality for the agriculture and fisheries sector of the four severely affected regions of Western Visayas (Region VI), Central Visayas

(Region VII), Eastern Visayas (Region VIII) and Mimaropa (Region IV-B), including far-flung remote islands and upland indigenous communities. This was made possible by the financial contributions of 14 international donor agencies, which reached nearly $40 million.

“This has been a unique emergency and rehabilitation response for FAO. It was the first Level 3 crisis declared within the Organization, the highest category of emergency response. This involved fast-tracked operational procedures and the deployment of massive support from the FAO headquarters in Rome and the regional office in Bangkok. It was also one of the largest programs directly implemented by FAO in collaboration with the government,” said José Luis Fernández, FAO representative in the Philippines.

Through its two-year Typhoon Haiyan emergency, recovery and rehabilitation program, FAO’s 22 projects covered interventions in rice and corn farming, coconut-based farming systems, fisheries and coastal communities and coastal/mangrove forest rehabilitation.

Arriba Letran! Sangre Arriba GS ‘76/ HS ’80 held its 35th anniversary reunion on Nov. 28 at Bonifacio Global City. The batch is led by batch president and The Standard reporter Sandy Araneta.

M O N D AY : D E c E M b E R 7, 2 0 1 5

A8

opinion

ADELLE chuA eDitor

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

opinion

Women Who shaped the neWs

[ EDI TORI A L ]

A return to civility

BAcK chAnnel AleJAnDro Del rosArio

PRESIDENTS who leave office often become elder statesmen, imparting valuable knowledge and wisdom to subsequent administrations.

There is little danger of this happening to President Benigno Aquino III when he leaves office next year, however, and this has nothing to do with his relative youth.

Rather, Mr. Aquino in his almost six years in office has shown none of the civility, refinement or grace that we have come to expect from an elder statesman.

After all, this is a President who went before an audience of international business leaders last month to crow about keeping his predecessor, an ailing 68-year-old woman, under hospital arrest, a detention that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has denounced as illegal, politically motivated, and violative of her human rights.

This was also the President who impatiently snapped at a businessman in Tacloban City who had the temerity to complain about the breakdown of law and order there in the aftermath of the devastating Typhoon “Yolanda” in 2013. “You are still alive, aren’t you?” he famously told the presumptuous businessman.

Mr. Aquino has taken the same arrogant and uncaring attitude toward millions of hardworking men and women by dismissing out of hand their calls for relief from the highest tax rates in Southeast Asia, while offering them no commensurate service in exchange for their hard-earned money.

Staying true to form, the President campaigned for his chosen successor in a speech to the Filipino community in Rome last week, not by playing up his candidate’s achievements—perhaps because they have been so paltry—but by launching ad hominem attacks on all his opponents.

One candidate, he said, was accused of stealing from government coffers, while another had a reputation as a killer. Yet another candidate offered no concrete plans on how to solve the country’s problems, expecting to wake up one day after being elected president and miraculously finding all the solutions we need.

Like many of his addresses before, Mr. Aquino’s speech to the Filipino community in Rome was small and mean, and unworthy of a president. It exposed the Mr. Aquino once again as a divisive force rather than a unifying leader who can command respect from political allies and opponents alike and move all of them toward a common purpose.

Having suffered almost six years of arrogance and incompetence under Mr. Aquino, we are counting the days to his retirement and look forward to the return of civility and compassion to the presidency. Some wisdom wouldn’t hurt, either.

Christmas is Christian! pensées fr. rAnhilio cAllAngAn Aquino The United States has contributed a remarkable lot to the pool of human genius. Of many American academic institutions, the Spanish expression can be rightly used: “sobre salen” (from which sobresaliente is derived)—they do stand out. But there is also a lot of silliness and downright stupidity there, among them, the suggestion that Christ-

mas be celebrated without too much reference to religion “so as not to be offensive to others.” When I read this on an online publication two days ago, I was sorely tempted to do a Digong Duterte and to use the very same PI expletive—this time with more reason. But being unprepared financially to pay the selfimposed fine that the good mayor of Davao had imposed upon himself in expiation, I desisted and fired off this piece instead.

There is hardly any suggestion that exceeds this in stu-

pidity! hannukah is Jewish, eid al-Fatr is muslim, Christmas is Christian. now, how offensive can that be? It is offensive, say the apologists of stupidity, because there are agnostics and atheists in our midst. Well then, shall we silence the religious exuberance of those who rejoice in their faith so that those who prefer to be morose in their unbelief may not be offended? Just as a Catholic has absolutely no right whining when other faith-communities celebrate openly and publicly, unbelievers and secularists have no

A9

Why should we be silenced and suppressed and smothered in the exuberance of our belief?

right demanding that public space be rid of religious symbols— such as the nativity Scene and “Christ” in “Christmas”—so that they might not take offense. If anything at all, I urge Christians to make of Christmas truly Christian.

In this season, we celebrate

the birth of Christ, whom we acknowledge as Redeemer. If you do not share our belief, we will still love and honor you, but do not ask us to be silent, nor to celebrate silently (a silent celebration is a contradiction in terms!) nor to be bashful about the signs and sym-

bols of our faith. The public space is exactly that—public, the agora where all may trade ideas and beliefs, no matter how outlandish or bizarre.

Too much concession has been made to atheists and secularists.

Believers must reclaim their rights.

When a weakling sits to dine with a wily opponent, it will not take him long to find out that the sneering companion at the other end of the table has a long spoon that empties both his dish and the weakling’s.

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-

men and women of faith should not be weaklings, after all the choice to believe is a legitimate and a rational choice.

The disjunction between belief and unbelief is a choice of interpretations.

All the evidence is in. Believer and unbeliever alike see the very same things. While the believer chooses the path of faith, seeing all that he surveys as the handiwork of a wise, provident and benevolent God, the unbeliever chooses to leave things as

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

they are, finding no need to explain anything at all.

It is, as Baruch Spinoza noted centuries ago, a matter of how far you want the principle of sufficient reason to go! hans Kung is one Catholic theologian who would be most prepared to concede most to unbelievers. In “Does God exist?” his tour de force on the history of religions and the philosophies of God, he says as much: basically it will be a choice between Continued on A10

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

WOmen lawyers Virgie Suarez and estrella elamparo have figured prominently in the news recently for winning highprofile cases. Attorney Suarez successfully prosecuted the Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude transgender murder case against US marine Joseph Scott Pemberton. ms. elamparo, on the other hand, handled the disqualification case against Senator Grace Poe at the Commission on elections which ruled the senator did not have the residency requirement to run for president in 2016. elamparo, a litigation lawyer and former legal counsel of the Government Service Insurance System, filed the case against Poe at the Comelec. A separate citizenship/residency case was filed by former Senator Francisco “Kit” Tatad apart from the case lodged by Rizalito David with the Senate electoral Tribunal which gave Poe a short-lived reason to rejoice when it ruled 5-4 she is a Filipino citizen. The five SeT senators who decided in favor of Poe as a natural born Filipino reaffirmed their vote to reject David’s motion for reconsideration. explaining with clarity the suit she filed against Poe, lawyer elamparo explained the legal defects of the senator’s claim she established residence starting when she arrived in the country in December 2004 for the burial of her foster father, movie icon Fernando Poe Jr. But elamparo said Poe did not take the necessary legal steps to establish domicile and because she used her US passport in her trips to manila, she was still considered an American citizen.

Let’s not forget presiding Judge Roline Ginez Jabalde who sentenced Pemberton six to 12 years for killing Laude. So too, with Rowena Garcia Flores, the lead counsel for the defense. She may have lost the case but gave it her all in defending Pemberton.

The prosecution with ms. Suarez building the case was able to establish that Lance Corporal Pemberton killed Laude when he learned the “woman” he took into an Olongapo hotel room was actually a man. Using excessive force and his military training as a US marine, the prosecution proved the accused American choked Laude with an arm lock around the neck causing her to suffocate.

It was an R and R night for wenching with Gapo’s bargirls which Subic naval base is notoriously known for. It turned out to be a nightmare for the American serviceman and more so for “Jennifer.” The young man could have 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

M O N D AY : D E c E M b E R 7, 2 0 1 5

A8

opinion

ADELLE chuA eDitor

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

opinion

Women Who shaped the neWs

[ EDI TORI A L ]

A return to civility

BAcK chAnnel AleJAnDro Del rosArio

PRESIDENTS who leave office often become elder statesmen, imparting valuable knowledge and wisdom to subsequent administrations.

There is little danger of this happening to President Benigno Aquino III when he leaves office next year, however, and this has nothing to do with his relative youth.

Rather, Mr. Aquino in his almost six years in office has shown none of the civility, refinement or grace that we have come to expect from an elder statesman.

After all, this is a President who went before an audience of international business leaders last month to crow about keeping his predecessor, an ailing 68-year-old woman, under hospital arrest, a detention that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has denounced as illegal, politically motivated, and violative of her human rights.

This was also the President who impatiently snapped at a businessman in Tacloban City who had the temerity to complain about the breakdown of law and order there in the aftermath of the devastating Typhoon “Yolanda” in 2013. “You are still alive, aren’t you?” he famously told the presumptuous businessman.

Mr. Aquino has taken the same arrogant and uncaring attitude toward millions of hardworking men and women by dismissing out of hand their calls for relief from the highest tax rates in Southeast Asia, while offering them no commensurate service in exchange for their hard-earned money.

Staying true to form, the President campaigned for his chosen successor in a speech to the Filipino community in Rome last week, not by playing up his candidate’s achievements—perhaps because they have been so paltry—but by launching ad hominem attacks on all his opponents.

One candidate, he said, was accused of stealing from government coffers, while another had a reputation as a killer. Yet another candidate offered no concrete plans on how to solve the country’s problems, expecting to wake up one day after being elected president and miraculously finding all the solutions we need.

Like many of his addresses before, Mr. Aquino’s speech to the Filipino community in Rome was small and mean, and unworthy of a president. It exposed the Mr. Aquino once again as a divisive force rather than a unifying leader who can command respect from political allies and opponents alike and move all of them toward a common purpose.

Having suffered almost six years of arrogance and incompetence under Mr. Aquino, we are counting the days to his retirement and look forward to the return of civility and compassion to the presidency. Some wisdom wouldn’t hurt, either.

Christmas is Christian! pensées fr. rAnhilio cAllAngAn Aquino The United States has contributed a remarkable lot to the pool of human genius. Of many American academic institutions, the Spanish expression can be rightly used: “sobre salen” (from which sobresaliente is derived)—they do stand out. But there is also a lot of silliness and downright stupidity there, among them, the suggestion that Christ-

mas be celebrated without too much reference to religion “so as not to be offensive to others.” When I read this on an online publication two days ago, I was sorely tempted to do a Digong Duterte and to use the very same PI expletive—this time with more reason. But being unprepared financially to pay the selfimposed fine that the good mayor of Davao had imposed upon himself in expiation, I desisted and fired off this piece instead.

There is hardly any suggestion that exceeds this in stu-

pidity! hannukah is Jewish, eid al-Fatr is muslim, Christmas is Christian. now, how offensive can that be? It is offensive, say the apologists of stupidity, because there are agnostics and atheists in our midst. Well then, shall we silence the religious exuberance of those who rejoice in their faith so that those who prefer to be morose in their unbelief may not be offended? Just as a Catholic has absolutely no right whining when other faith-communities celebrate openly and publicly, unbelievers and secularists have no

A9

Why should we be silenced and suppressed and smothered in the exuberance of our belief?

right demanding that public space be rid of religious symbols— such as the nativity Scene and “Christ” in “Christmas”—so that they might not take offense. If anything at all, I urge Christians to make of Christmas truly Christian.

In this season, we celebrate

the birth of Christ, whom we acknowledge as Redeemer. If you do not share our belief, we will still love and honor you, but do not ask us to be silent, nor to celebrate silently (a silent celebration is a contradiction in terms!) nor to be bashful about the signs and sym-

bols of our faith. The public space is exactly that—public, the agora where all may trade ideas and beliefs, no matter how outlandish or bizarre.

Too much concession has been made to atheists and secularists.

Believers must reclaim their rights.

When a weakling sits to dine with a wily opponent, it will not take him long to find out that the sneering companion at the other end of the table has a long spoon that empties both his dish and the weakling’s.

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-

men and women of faith should not be weaklings, after all the choice to believe is a legitimate and a rational choice.

The disjunction between belief and unbelief is a choice of interpretations.

All the evidence is in. Believer and unbeliever alike see the very same things. While the believer chooses the path of faith, seeing all that he surveys as the handiwork of a wise, provident and benevolent God, the unbeliever chooses to leave things as

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

they are, finding no need to explain anything at all.

It is, as Baruch Spinoza noted centuries ago, a matter of how far you want the principle of sufficient reason to go! hans Kung is one Catholic theologian who would be most prepared to concede most to unbelievers. In “Does God exist?” his tour de force on the history of religions and the philosophies of God, he says as much: basically it will be a choice between Continued on A10

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

WOmen lawyers Virgie Suarez and estrella elamparo have figured prominently in the news recently for winning highprofile cases. Attorney Suarez successfully prosecuted the Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude transgender murder case against US marine Joseph Scott Pemberton. ms. elamparo, on the other hand, handled the disqualification case against Senator Grace Poe at the Commission on elections which ruled the senator did not have the residency requirement to run for president in 2016. elamparo, a litigation lawyer and former legal counsel of the Government Service Insurance System, filed the case against Poe at the Comelec. A separate citizenship/residency case was filed by former Senator Francisco “Kit” Tatad apart from the case lodged by Rizalito David with the Senate electoral Tribunal which gave Poe a short-lived reason to rejoice when it ruled 5-4 she is a Filipino citizen. The five SeT senators who decided in favor of Poe as a natural born Filipino reaffirmed their vote to reject David’s motion for reconsideration. explaining with clarity the suit she filed against Poe, lawyer elamparo explained the legal defects of the senator’s claim she established residence starting when she arrived in the country in December 2004 for the burial of her foster father, movie icon Fernando Poe Jr. But elamparo said Poe did not take the necessary legal steps to establish domicile and because she used her US passport in her trips to manila, she was still considered an American citizen.

Let’s not forget presiding Judge Roline Ginez Jabalde who sentenced Pemberton six to 12 years for killing Laude. So too, with Rowena Garcia Flores, the lead counsel for the defense. She may have lost the case but gave it her all in defending Pemberton.

The prosecution with ms. Suarez building the case was able to establish that Lance Corporal Pemberton killed Laude when he learned the “woman” he took into an Olongapo hotel room was actually a man. Using excessive force and his military training as a US marine, the prosecution proved the accused American choked Laude with an arm lock around the neck causing her to suffocate.

It was an R and R night for wenching with Gapo’s bargirls which Subic naval base is notoriously known for. It turned out to be a nightmare for the American serviceman and more so for “Jennifer.” The young man could have Continued on A11 Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

A10 A broken-record defense I Feel vindicated that after having written a series of articles in this column RITA lINdA in 2012 warning the v. jIMeNo public against the sudden unintended acceleration of Montero sports SUVs, now the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Department of Trade and Industry are finally conducting investigations on the matter. Broadcast networks, the print and social media, are also now avidly reporting on the frightening accidents involving the sudden un-commanded acceleration of the Mitsubishi Montero Sport.

Although the Montero owners who figured in such wild acceleration accidents have been made to sign confidentiality agreements upon the buyback of their defective units by Mitsubishi, they are now speaking up. One of them told me that she feels it is her moral duty to come forward to help save lives.

In the past years, despite the many complaints filed at the Department of Trade and Industry, its action has been slow and lame. This discouraged the victims in pursuing claims for the injuries they suffered and caused to third persons. Thus, they would grudgingly accept the standard offer of Mitsubishi to buy back their vehicles and nothing more. They were also pressured into signing an agreement that prohibited them from divulging the contents of the agreement. Hence, the blogs that used to be maintained by victims shut down. But the occurrence of sudden unintended acceleration of the Montero Sport went on. This year alone, No one, not even at least 97 comTrade officials, is plaints were filed at the Trade Depart- completely safe on the ment and the acciroad. dents showed similar patterns, that is, from a parked position, when the key is turned on to start the vehicle, it suddenly and uncontrollably accelerates without the driver stepping on the gas, or despite full application of the brakes.

In the ongoing investigation at the Trade Department, Mitsubishi officers are still at their old defense sounding like a broken record. There is nothing wrong with the Montero, they say. They even conducted a test drive of a brand new Montero, with media men in tow, last week. expectedly nothing went wrong. So they insist that there is nothing wrong with the Montero SUV and the accidents must have been caused by driver error. But, quoting from William Cowper, absence of proof is not proof of absence. An expert on the subject, who has conducted many tests in various countries on the occurrence of sudden unintended acceleration, Dr. Antony Anderson, explains that it usually happens when the vehicle’s battery is weak. When the vehicle is started, the electronic throttle which is computerized gets confused because it lacks the power needed to start the engine. Thus, to make the car run, it compensates by revving up the engine with such power that it becomes uncontrollable.

The Montero that was test driven for the media last week must have had new batteries, or its electronic sensor may have been different, no one knows for sure.

The fact is, research reveals that Mitsubishi cannot feign clean hands. In numerous articles published, one of which was written by Richard Hanson in 2004 (Asiatimes Online), Mitsubishi was reported to have been ordered by the Japanese government to recall more than two million cars and other vehicles and made to pay fines for defects in its vehicles discovered in 2000 onward. On top of that, its executive officers were arrested for having concealed a design defect

ouT of THe box

M O N D AY : D e c e M b e r 7, 2 0 1 5

OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

TrAsh TAlk leT’S discuss trash, the real one, spend a fortune hiring fleets of pluMblINe and not the trash-talking habit them. of one presidential candidate, or In 2012, for example, Quezon pASToR how the candidacy of another was City spent a billion pesos; Manila, Apollo thrown into the waste bin by the P502 million; Makati, P440 milquIboloy nation’s electoral referees. lion; Caloocan, P421 million, just It is also not about the rubbish garbage footprint at 270 kilos per to keep these trucks rolling. drivel which like non-biodegrada- year.

This money all went to private

bles get recycled into the statements The volume would have been contractors because long before bigger if Pinoys don’t practice re- privatization became a buzzword, of those who are chasing our vote.

By trash, I refer to the garbage cycling in their homes. We may garbage hauling was already subthat 20-million households churn not have color-coded trash bags but contracted to private groups. out—not the junk that spin facto- newspapers, empty bottles are sold In some local governments, garries, run by trolls and funded by to the magbobote in time-honored bage collection incurred the biggest fashion. political parties, produce daily. cost. In one NCR city, and this was left do not evaporate or in 2001, it accounted for almost 25 In the days ahead, candidates What’s

will scavenge for votes and pollute get sucked by some cosmic suction percent of total expenditures, its the air with promises, and litter the hole in the sky. Neither are they slice of the budget pie bigger than land with posters. Not one of them shipped to Canada. schools and clinics.

In fact, not all are collected by the however, will be talking about the But these things barely register a basureros. Only seven in every 10 beep in the public radar. A gaffe by a nation’s garbage crisis.

Why? Because in an election, kilos of trash are collected. candidate can trigger a social storm feel-good messages must dominate What happens to the uncollected but three days worth of trash marthe conversation. That’s what the three? They end up in natural gar- inating in the street corner does not bage receptacles like canals, esteros, merit an Instagram post. playbook says.

Ask any election expert, and the seas and, yes, street gutters.

The fact is we’re sitting on a simMeanwhile, those collected are mering garbage volcano. Garbage is reply will be the same: Trash does not excite the electorate, and dumps brought to dumps, where mole- swept under the rug, the same treathills, like a rising volcano complete ment it gets in social media, despite don’t make good optics in ads.

Thus, those after our vote will with methane gas steam, become the fact that we pass uncollected only sell the good and the beautiful, mountains in years. piles a day to work or the river on Under the law, trash should be our way home is choking with it. in cleanly-done ads. Yes, they will harrumph about dirty deals, and brought to sanitary landfills, meanThey say that the country’s mawill loudly vow to “clean the Au- ing soil-covered burial grounds. jor problems manifest themselves But in 2012, there were only 44 on the streets, and encountered by gean stables.”

They will even dish out the dirt sanitary landfills in the country as pedestrians and commuters alike, on their opponents because that is against 339 controlled dumpsites like street crimes, street traffic, what gutter politics is to them, and and 606 open dumps. street flooding, the sight of unclean each of the 42,000 barangays streets. not the uncollected refuse which should also have a Materials Reclog many street gutters.

I have no problem about leadeveryone will shout hoarse about covery Facility, which is a fancy ers who tell us to fix our sights on a clean government, but not for a name for an ukay-ukay place where the stars and to march to our place clean nation. If someone wields a trash collected from homes are rid in the sun for as long as long as broom, then it is used as a prop to of recyclables. these are balanced with pressing In 2012, however, there were only things which must be done on the clean the government and not the 7,713 of them, including those run ground. streets.

If the garbage issue is ignored by by cities and towns.

While waiting for subways to Collecting garbage is big busi- be built or for our satellite to orbit candidates, then it is time to talk dirty to them. It is time for serious ness—and a big hole in the govern- in space, perhaps the next leader ment’s pocket. According to one should focus on washing the grime trash talk. our urban centers and lead the Daily, this country generates study, local governments spend off 40,000 tons of trash. Yearly, and between 5 and 25 percent of their renewal of livable habitats. in kilos, that would be 14.4-billion annual budget to collect trash.

If the next president thinks this Thus, the garbage truck which is beneath the dignity of his office, tons. Which means every Filipino generates about 146 kilos of trash collects your trash once a day, and then he should examine the urban twice daily during December, does decay within a one kilometer radius annually.

Metro Manilans have a bigger not come free. local governments from the presidential residence.

CHRISTMAS... From A9 comprehensive interpretations. But, with very good reason, he points out, they are not equal choices, for while the atheist or the unbeliever does not grant the legitimacy of

what philosophers have characterized as the “ultimate questions,” or otherwise prefers to leave them unanswered, the theist courageously proffers an answer, one that inspires hope and that provides a firm motive for love and communion.

that had been responsible for accidents for more than two decades. Wikipedia reports that Mitsubishi Japan was forced to admit to systematically covering up defect problems including failing brakes, fuel leaks, and malfunctioning clutches. Further, in 2013, the Japanese government warned Mitsubishi for delaying vehicle recalls. Mitsubishi then declared that it would recall 3,839 Outlander SUVs due to a problem in the software that controls the front and rear drive motors, as well as potential problems in the vehicle’s generator and front drive motor (http://www.reuters.com/article/ us-mitsubishi-motors-recall-idUSBRE93M09E2013042 3#XHwBu6Sq5BacDy3Q.99). In all, Mitsubishi Japan has been forced to recall millions of vehicles no less than four times.

In the Philippines where regulators seem to lean more in favor of protecting business rather than the

So, why should we be silenced and suppressed and smothered in the exuberance of our belief? rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@yahoo.com

public, more lives will continue to be sacrificed until the Philippine government begins to match the strict standards followed by Japan and other countries.

Ninety-seven reported accidents involving the Montero Sport for 2015 alone cannot be glossed over. The good news is, Filipinos are becoming more vigilant about protecting their rights. Victims of the Montero sudden unintended acceleration, one of whom is Raffy Nieto, have founded a Mitsubishi Montero SUA Facebook club whose membership now has reached 500.

The group vows to keep stepping up pressure until Mitsubishi recalls the Montero Sport from the market. Until then, no one, not even Trade officials, is completely safe on the road.

Email: ritalindaj@gmail.com Visit: www.jimenolaw.com.ph

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OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

What a difference a day makes “WHAT a difference a day makes, 24 little hours.” Thus goes the song in my mind, so while writing this article, I played Renee Olstead, one of my favorite chanteuse, lyrically waxing about a “yesterday being blue, and skies above being stormy, since that moment of bliss.”

In just 24 hours, Philippine presidential politics has been turned upside down, “disrupted,” to use a favorite marketing description these days.

First, in a long and rambling speech, candidate Rodrigo Duterte of Davao, who in a short period of time has risen to national attention—some call it “adulation” for being precisely, “different” than the pack of wannabe’s lusting to become supremo of the benighted land— muttered something “disagreeable,” even “shocking” about the travails of traffic in the metropolis, but this time, using the papal visit as time-frame.

The unintended gaffe and the use of the everyday Filipino expletive, “p*tang ina” eclipsed the story of his being proclaimed official candidate by PDP-Laban, along with his Nacionalista vice president, Alan Peter Cayetano.

Twenty hours after, while expressing sadness and regret over the manner in which an

unfortunate lapsus in verbo was interpreted by some, Duterte challenged a high priest of the Roman Catholic Church who publicly excoriated, not just the language, but the persona of the Davao mayor for “killing,” “adultery,” and “vulgarity” which the priest labeled as “corruption.”

Precisely because corruption is such a negative term to an unyielding Duterte, he instead threw a challenge at the high priest of Lingayen-Dagupan, Socrates Villegas, once the favored altar boy of another controversial cleric (God grant him eternal peace), Jaime Cardinal Sin. “If the Church hierarchy wants me to withdraw because my unintentional remarks cannot be forgiven, I will. I do not crave for the presidency. But the day after, I will engage the priests in debate about the history of the Church,” he said.

And thus, the tempest blew off the lid of the teapot. But not for long. *** For on Tuesday afternoon, while Duterte was having a merienda cena in a Parañaque building where captains of the logistics industry assembled to listen to this “everyday man,” news came around that

women... From A9

A new detention facility is being built inside Camp Aguinaldo for Pemberton for the 12 years, or less, that he will serve his sentence. As usual, the militants are decrying the special treatment being accorded the American.

But what’s the fuss all about?

VIP prisoners at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa, are allowed all the amenities including air conditioning, flat-screen TV, hot water and a bath tub.

At the center of the political stage was Grace Poe who said her presidential run is not over as she intends to appeal the Comelec decision to the Supreme Court. Poe also

just walked away but he did not. He didn’t have to tell his buddies who would have kidded him no end that a bad joke was pulled on him. In a fit of rage, Pemberton, according to the prosecution, turned on Laude. Pemberton said he left the hotel room with Laude still breathing. But with the time lapse, the victim succumbed.

Under US law, the case against the accused would have been for causing the “wrongful death” of an individual. It couldn’t have been premeditated murder as the two didn’t know each other until that fateful night of Oct. 11, 2014.

#failocracy

the national frontrunner, Senator Grace Poe Llamanzares, was disqualified by a division of the seven-man Commission on Elections, on account of citizenship and residency questions that have hounded her since she declared her ambitions.

The quest of the lady whose political capital is derived from the “legendary” fame of the deceased “king” of Philippine movies, suddenly froze in mid-air. Her political fortunes scraped through when the challenge was before the SET, where five of her peers saved her, though one senator and three justices of the Supreme Court deemed her unqualified even for the Senate seat she won handily in 2013. That was Nov. 17. Two weeks later, the Comelec’s first division deemed her unqualified to run for president of the land, an ambition so exceedingly nursed.

One of four cases filed against her constitutionally-mandated qualifications can be elevated

to the Comelec en banc, but chances are the whole body will sustain the division. She can go to the Supreme Court, just as the petitioner in the SET will likewise go to the highest tribunal. Three more petitions await Comelec action. Meanwhile, the number of days is dwindling.

What difference a day’s events can make in the political life of the nation. *** Two days later though, Duterte visited Archbishop Romulo Valles of the Archdiocese of Davao to explain the circumstances of the remarks misinterpreted by many as directed against the holy person of the Pope. The good archbishop noted the sincerity of the mayor, who made his own “penance” of donating a thousand pesos to Caritas Davao for every utterance henceforth of the p…i expletive.

That’s going to cost the mayor a lot, unless he truly zips his mouth from such unholy utterances. Or maybe he can say “blip…blip” instead. *** Now for the latest developments in the presidential and vice presidential derby. This comes from the Social Weather Stations, which did its field research nationwide on 1,200

respondents, from 26 to 28 November, a few days after Duterte declared he was definitely in the running: For President: Duterte-38; Binay and Poe, tied at 21 each; Roxas-15; Miriam-4; with 1 percent undecided/no answer.

For Vice President: Escudero-30; Marcos-24; Cayetano-21; Robredo-12; Honasan-6; Trillanes-5; with 1 percent undecided/no answer.

Wow! Duterte surges; Poe slides.

The survey period does not capture the effects of the Comelec’s disqualification of Grace yet (Dec. 1), nor Digong’s Nov. 30 expletive. *** After the holiday tinsel is taken down in January, elections will be a scant 120 days away.

But before that, the question in everybody’s mind prior to Simbang Gabi will be the final Comelec decision on Poe’s qualifications, as well as Duterte’s substitution. The former is an issue of substance; the latter one of minor technicality. And after Christmas, all eyes will be on the Supreme Court. How, and how soon, will the highest tribunal rule?

In the topsy-turvy world of Philippine politics, these elections will be truly “magulo.”

pointed to presidential rivals Mar Roxas and Jejomar Binay as behind the disqualification cases filed against her.

Welcome to the rough-andtumble world of Philippine politics, Grace. Nobody said it was going to be a cake walk in the park.

A deal gone sour A litigation case involving Omico, a publicly listed firm, Guevent Investment Development Corp. and Honeycomb Builders Inc. is being closely watched by the business community because of a certain Department of Justice official.

The official is allegedly taking undue interest in the suit filed by GIDC and HBI claim-

ing damages, resulting from non-compliance with a signed contract obligations. The aggrieved companies, owned by the Guevara family, complained that a certain Makati City official sat on the case for months and then simply forwarded the complete records of the case to the DoJ without comment or action.

By doing so without acting on the case already submitted for resolution on Feb. 13 this year by Assistant City Prosecutor Leila Llanes, the Chief City Prosecutor inhibited himself without reason. Before she resigned to run for the Senate, former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima ordered the Chief City

Prosecutor to explain his unusual non-action on the syndicated estafa case filed against Omico and its top officials on July 14 last year.

The case stemmed from a land development plan that didn’t push through, causing financial loss to complainants who had raised P250 million for a mixed-use condominium development of a 4,959-hectare property at the corner of Edsa and Pasong Tamo Extension in Makati. The amount raised from public investors, according to the complaint, was funneled to Omico subsidiary Omico Kapital as a loan without interest and without the consent of GIDC and HBI.

So I See LIto banayo

chong ardivilla

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sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

Watson is up to Hero Challenge TWO-time Masters champion Bubba Watson fired a nine-under par 63 to grab a twostroke lead over England’s Paul Casey after the third round of the Hero World Challenge.

Australia’s Adam Scott is six shots off the pace after rounds of 67, 70 and 66.

Watson, 37, leads on 19-under-par 197 after 54 holes in the 18-man invitational event hosted by Tiger Woods at the Albany resort near Nassau, Bahamas.

Casey fired a 63 of his own to stand second on 199, one stroke ahead of Americans Patrick Reed and Chris Kirk - who each fired 66s - with US world number one Jordan Spieth and

countryman Bill Haas on 201 after each firing 68s.

American southpaw Watson made seven birdies and an eagle to storm into the lead after starting the day one back.

He followed a birdie-birdie start with an eagle at the par-4 fourth and birdied the par-5 sixth.

On the back nine, Watson had back-to-back birdies at the par-5 11th and par-3 12th and again at the par-5 15th and par-4 16th.

Casey birdied six holes on the front nine, settling for pars on the par-3 second, fifth and eighth holes.

He then birdied the 10th, 12th and 13th before parring to the clubhouse from there.

American Jimmy Walker, a coleader with Spieth and Haas after 36 holes, fired a 71 to stand seven adrift entering the final round.

Watson started the third round one shot behind. He climbed up in a hurry with birdies on the first two holes. He faced a stiff breeze on No. 4 and took off a little on his 7-iron and he holed it for eagle.

He never saw it go in, though wasn’t much of a gallery. ‘’I heard a yell,’’ he said. ‘’At least it wasn’t my mom yelling. I heard somebody.’’

Reed was going nowhere until he finally got in gear in the front nine.

Reed ran off three straight birdies and then had an eagle on the par-5 15th to get back in the game. ‘’I finally made a putt and it just kind of propelled me from there,’’ he said.

Spieth said he would fire at every flag. ‘’It will be a sprint,’’ he said. ‘’And then relief.’’

Justin Rose was in the chase but got a triple bogey on the 18th which dropped him to a 70. He was 16 shots behind. In a freak accident Anirban Lahiri’s tee shot hit a spectator on the final hole.

Lahiri tried but could not find the man he accidentally hit. AFP

easy pickings. Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson catches the golf ball easily.

Watson fired a nine-under par 63 to grab a twostroke lead over England’s Paul Casey after the third round of the Hero World Challenge. AFP

NU Bullpups trounce FEU Tamaraws, 70-65 THE National University Bullpups, led by John Lloyd Clemente and Justin Baltazar, swamped the Far Eastern University Baby Tamaraws, 70-56, Saturday in the 78th University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) junior basketball tournament at the Blue Eagle gym.

Their efforts helped carry the Bullpups to their sixth straight win, and a victory closer to a seven-game sweep of the first round.

The Bullpups, who turned the tables on the Baby Tams in the second period, are ahead of the defending champion Ateneo Blue Eaglets and the La Salle Zobel Junior Archers.

Both now have a 5-1 win-loss record in second spot.

Jolo Mendoza showed the way with 19 points for the Blue Eaglets, who clobbered the University of the East Junior Warriors, 91-51. Peter Atencio

Cyna moves closer to attaining dream CYNA Rodriguez moved closer to a dream LPGA Tour stint, shooting a bogey-free five-under 67 and grabbing a share of fourth heading to the final round of the Final LPGA Qualifying School at the LPGA International Hills Course in Florida Saturday (Sunday Manila time).

Rodriguez still stood six strokes behind a solid Simin Feng of China after four rounds but the three-time ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit winner is on her way to becoming only the second Filipina in 15 years to play in the world’s premier ladies pro golf circuit.

“I kept it simple. Hit the

fairways and greens and made the most of my birdie chances. Prayers, please coach,” said Rodriguez in a text message to coach Bong Lopez of Team The Country Club.

Counting her two 71s and a 70, Rodriguez pooled a nine-under 279 to join Thai Budsabakorn Sukapan (71), Canadian MaudeAimee LeBlanc (69) and Victoria Elizabeth of the US (68) at fourth heading to the final 18 holes of the grueling five-day elims.

The top 20 players after five rounds will get full membership for next year’s LPGA Tour while those finishing at 21st-45th and ties will earn conditional status.

CynA RodRiguez

SMC snares Fil Champ tournament BAGUIO—Eddie Bagtas provided the experience while Rupert Zaragosa the exuberance of the youth as they shot identical 39 points to power San Miguel Corp.-Northern Cement to a 148 fourpoint victory over Manila Southwoods in the Fil Championship of the FilAm Golf Invitational at the Camp John Hay course here Saturday.

Tied with the last year’s champions from Carmona, Cavite after three rounds, the SMC-NC aces even fell behind by four points to a hot-starting Southwoods side after nine holes. But Bagtas, a former pro, and Zaragosa, a many-time national junior champion, anchored the team’s stirring come-from-behind victory after coming in with those pair of three-under par cards in stroke play as they foiled their rivals to snare the hotly disputed crown in the 66th staging of the annual event presented by Toyota.

Jelbert Gamolo added a 36 while Lanz Uy completed the team’s final output in the five-toplay, four-to-count format event with a 34. They wound up with a 543, counting their 122 and 130 at the nearby Baguio Country Club course and a 143 at John Hay Friday that overhauled a threepoint deficit.

Miami Heat fans heckle Lebron DWAYNE Wade scored 19 points and took the fourth quarter off, Tyler Johnson added 19 more and the Heat had little trouble on the way to beating the Cavaliers 99-84 on Saturday night, sending Cleveland to its third straight loss.

The Heat beat the Cavaliers who played without star player Lebron James. The Heat fans rubbed salt on the wound as they mocked James who opted not to play after logging 45 minutes in Friday’s overtime loss at the New Orleans Pelicans.

The nearly 31-year-old James, who has played more high-stress minutes than almost any basketball player in history at that age, has also not shied away from taking twoweek breaks in the middle of the season if necessary. As he reminded the Heat fans, he’s tired in part because he was the best player on a title-winning team. That’s why he has that gaudy ring on his finger. AFP

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sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

A13

Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (right) dribbles past Toronto Raptors’ Kyle Lowry during their game at Air Canada Centre. The undefeated Warriors stretched their win streak to 25 consecutive games with a 112-109 victory against the Toronto Raptors. AFP

Warriors extend win streak to 25 LOS ANGELES—The undefeated Golden State Warriors survived a late scare before stretching their win streak to 25 consecutive games with a 112-109 victory against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.

Reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry scored 15 of his game-high 44 points in the fourth quarter for the Warriors, who are off to a 21-0 start to the season, including 11-0 on the road.

“We expect teams to fight and come back when we are on the road and that is what they did,” said Curry. “We made some shots, got a few stops along the way and pulled it out.”

The Warriors have won 25 straight regular season games dating back to last season. Their streak started with a 116-105 win over Portland in April.

The Raptors trailed by as many as 13 points in the first quarter and by 10 points at halftime. Toronto took the lead at 85-84 in the final quarter.

Toronto led 98-95 when their forward Luis Scola made two

free throws with just over four minutes to play in the fourth, but Curry tied it with a three-pointer.

Curry made two free throws with 18 seconds remaining for a 108-105 Warriors lead. Kyle Lowry cut the margin to one point with a basket before Warriors guard Klay Thompson made a pair of free throws with seven seconds to play.

The lead was down to one when Scola made two free throws with 6.2 seconds left. Curry made both his free throws and Toronto’s Cory Joseph turned over the ball with three seconds to play as it rolled out of bounds into the hands of rapper and Raptor fan Drake, who was sitting courtside.

The undefeated Golden State Warriors survived a late scare before stretching their win streak to 25 consecutive games with a 112-

109 victory against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday (Sunday Manila time).

Thompson added 26 points for the Warriors, while Draymond Green had 16 points and nine rebounds. Center Festus Ezeli scored eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Golden State.

Guard Lowry led the Raptors with 41 points and seven assists in front of a crowd of 20,100 at the Air Canada Centre.

“He made some tough shots.

He was the catalyst for them in the second half. We were going back and forth. Thankfully I made one more play,” Curry said of Lowry.

DeMar DeRozan added 16 points for the Raptors, who have lost two straight. Center Lucas Nogueira tallied 14 points while guard Joseph and forward DeMarre Carroll had nine each.

Curry scored 16 points to lead Golden State to a 32-21 first-quarter lead.

Golden State will play the fourth game of a seven-game road trip Sunday at Brooklyn against the Nets.

“We will rely on our depth as we go into Brooklyn,” Curry said. AFP

NU Lady Bulldogs complete another perfect UAAP season NATIONAL University won its 32nd straight game to claim back-to-back UAAP women’s basketball titles, hammering out a 75-55 victory over Ateneo yesterday at the Blue Eagle Gym. The Lady Eagles finally got their first lead of the Finals series, 3-0, but the Lady Bulldogs buckled down the work with their stingy pressing defense, taking a 19-6 run early in the second period and never looked back.

It was NU’s second straight perfect season, as the Lady Bulldogs’ hold the third current longest winning streak in any sport in the league.

Adamson is 62-0 in softball which spans five seasons, while NU men’s lawn tennis is unbeaten in 33 contests.

Adding to her two season MVP trophies, Afril Bernardino had 18 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Lady Bulldogs en route in winning the Season 78 Finals MVP. Andrea Tongco came through with 17 points while Rinna Itesi and Shelley Gupilan added 13 and 11 points, respectively, for NU. Despite the loss, it is still a season to remember for Ateneo, which needed to hurdle five do-or-die matches, including two against La Salle in the step-ladder semis to advance in the Finals for the first time since 2007.

Jolina Go shot 19 markers while Danica Jose chipped in 12 points and 10 rebounds in her final game for the Lady Eagles.

US sports leagues woo Mexican audience MEXICO CITY—Football is king in Mexico but the NBA’s latest regular-season game here highlighted the growing interest of US professional sports leagues to woo fans in the potentially huge market.

Not even smoke engulfing the arena two years ago could keep the National Basketball Association away from Mexico City.

Despite a 2013 generator malfunction that forced a game to be cancelled right before tipoff, the NBA held a regular-season contest in the megacity for the second year in a row.

The contest between the Boston

Celtics and Sacramento Kings underscored the growing desire of US basketball, American football and baseball leagues to tap a growing fan base that watches more than just “futbol.”

“We consider Mexico a priority market where our business has grown and we see great potential,” Philippe Moggio, NBA senior vice president for Latin America, told AFP as fans bedecked in Celtics green and Kings purple flocked into the arena.

While the game fell on the same night as the Mexican football league’s semi-finals, nearly 19,000

fans packed into the 22,000-capacity Mexico City Arena, doing the wave as Boston crushed Sacramento, 114-97.

The National Football League and Major League Baseball are also looking to increase their foothold in Mexico.

The NFL said in August that it was examining the possibility of staging regular-season games again.

The last time, in 2005, a record crowd of 103,467 crammed into Mexico City’s Azteca stadium to watch the Arizona Cardinals defeat the San Francisco 49ers.

Winners receive rewards. Participants in the kickoff leg of the third ICTSI Philippine Kiteboarding Tour join ICTSI chairman and president Ricky Razon (second from right) and Philippine Kiteboarding Association president Jay Ortiz (right) during awards rites in Gen. Luna, Siargao recently. The second leg of the four-stage $40,000 tour, featuring topnotch riders from Sweden, Slovenia, Australia, Germany, Norway, Ireland, Canada, Spain and the Philippines, will be held in Boracay on Jan. 8-10.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Ultra Fast Hitters crowned champs PLDT Home Ultera outdueled Army in a scrambling back-and-forth match all throughout and came away with a 25-21, 25-22, 22-25, 25, 25-21 decision yesterday to capture the Shakey’s V-League Season 12 Reinforced Conference crown via sweep before a big roaring Sunday crowd at The Arena in San Juan City.

Members of Team PLDT Home Ultera, led by Finals MVP Alyssa Valdez, celebrate their victory over Army to capture the Shakey’s VLeague Reinforced Conference crown, their second in the season.

Tabal, Poliquit dominate Milo race, again

By Peter Atencio CLARK Field, Angeles City-- Mary Joy Tabal came close to setting a new course record, again.

A light pre-dawn rain may have foiled her bid. But this did not keep her away from her dreams.

She still fulfilled her goals when she reached the finish line of 39th National Milo Marathon and retained the local women’s honors, alongside men’s champ Rafael Poliquit Jr. Tabal became the first female runner to earn the crown for a historic third consecutive time and her clocking of two hours, 48 minutes and 24 seconds was still good enough to qualify her in the 2016 Boston Marathon with Poliquit.

Poliquit clinched his second consecutive title in 2:36.12, beating Rafael Languido for local honors. He and Tabal earned P150,000 in cash each.

The 25-year-old Tabal, who will receive a total of P400,000 for getting P250,000 after placing second in the international category, also stayed within range of the Olympic qualifying time in the Rio de Janeiro Olympiad.

She was ahead of the pack when she left the SM City starting line and head-

ed into the flat road of Roxas Highway.

Elizabeth Rumokol eventually caught up with her in an uphill, 800-meter road on Creekside Road, and just as the drizzle was at its peak, the Kenyan dominated the women’s open in 2:43.45.

Tabal said the Boston Marathon on April 18 will give her a chance to qualify for the Olympics as that is her next target. An aspirant needs to be within the clocking of 2:42 to make it.

“Blessing. Sobrang saya ko. Naiyak nga ako sa finish line. Hindi ko akalain na maganda ang performance ko.

Parang nagbunga talaga kung ano iyung mga pinaghandaan ko. Nawala lahat ng pagod ko pag-cross ko ng finish. Bonus na ang Boston Marathon,” said Tabal.

Her time was faster than the 2:51.55 she clocked when she won her second national title last year, and it was 24 seconds close to the course record of 2:48.00, she herself set in taking her first plum in 2013.

Poliquit’s rival Juneil Languido was second place with a time of 02:36:21, followed by Maclin Sadia (02:37:43) in third.

In the local women’s side Mary Grace Delos Santos (03:02:21) and Christabel Martes (03:02:29) placed second and

They did it again. Mary Joy Tabal and Rafael Poliquit stole the show as the winners of the full marathon centerpiece event of the 39th National MILO Marathon National Finals in Pampanga.

third, respectively.

The Kenyans ruled the open category, with James Tallam taking his third men’s title in 2:20:10, followed by Josphat Kiptanui (02:20:49) and Julius Keprotich Seurei (02:21:54).

Foiled in a roller-coaster third set, the Ultra Fast Hitters outlasted the Lady Troopers in the fourth that was close throughout until Alyssa Valdez bucked a sore knee and presided the team’s late charge with a series of vicious spikes before Army’s Aby Maraño handed the crown to Home Ultera with a net violation.

“I kept asking her if she’s okay at every point.

And she told me, she is,” said Home Ultera coach Roger Gorayeb of Valdez, who limped to the bench with the score tied at 13 in the fourth after hurting her right knee when she fell and hit the head of teammate Sue Roces while trying for a dig.

“Helping the team win the championship is my goal above anything else,” said Valdez, who tallied 22 points, including four aces, after a 25-hit effort in powering Home Ultera to a come-from-behind 16-25, 20-25, 26-24, 29-27, 18-16 victory in Game One. She took home the Finals MVP honors.

The one-hour, 50-minute victory, marked by a number of long rallies, superb blocking, stinging spikes, tips and dinks, also capped Home Ultera’s domination of Army and the league sponsored by Shakey’s as the Ultra Fast Hitters also edged the Lady Troopers, 2-1, to snare the Open Conference diadem early this year.

Gorayeb also completed a record personal “slam,” winning all three titles disputed in the 12th season of the league where it all started, including the Collegiate championship for National U over former team Ateneo.

Import Sareea Freeman backed Valdez with 17 hits, including six blocks and a number of tips.

Like in the series’ opener, Gorayed drew balanced scoring from his stellar roster with Sue Roces and Gretchel Soltones firing 10 hits apiece and Rysabelle Devanadera and import Victoria Hurtt combining for 11 points.

Setter Rubie de Leon also put in another solid performance, finishing with 28 excellent sets while chipping in four points, including two tips, while libero Lizlee Ann Pantone provided another solid floor defense for the Ultra Fast Hitters.

Maraño topscored for Army with 14 hits while Jovelyn Gonzaga, who helped key the Lady Troopers’ victory in the third set, added 13 markers and Joanne Bunag and Remy Palma came off the bench to fire nine and eight points, respectively.

FEU Purepower is Blitz chess champ FAR Eastern University Purepower, backstopped by National Master John Merill Jacutina in Board 1, topped the 2015 InterCommercial Chess Blitz Team Championship late Friday at the Alphaland Southgate Mall in Magallanes, Makati City.

FEU-Purepower, which downed MJ Yabut Realty B, 3.5-1.5 in the final round, actually emerged tied with Orbe Chess Team on identical 11 match points after seven rounds, but took the title due to its superior tiebreak (18.017.0).

Orbe Chess Team settled for runner-up honors.

Jacutina, who boasts of an Elo rating of 2149, scored five points on four wins and two draws, while Board 3 Player

Dale Bernardo, who has a higher Elo rating of 2153, scored six out of seven.

But it was Israelito Rillaroza, who scored the most points for the team, beating all his opponents for a perfect 7-of-7.

He was later named as the best player based on points and the Top Board 4 player overall.

Ricardo Batcho and Kevin Arquero led Orbe Chess Team with 6.5 and 6.0 points, respectively.

One Combined, a team backstopped by NM David Elorta in Board 1, placed third with 10 points, while Eduel’s Top Secret was fourth with eight match points, winning via the tiebreak over sister team Eduel’s Sikretong Malapit and the Artillery Foundation of the Philippines Inc.,

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

which also finished with similar eight points, but settled for fifth and sixth places, respectively.

Rounding out the Top 10 finishers in the tournament jointly organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines, led by its Chairman Prospero Pichay, Vice President for Visayas and Chairman, Committee on Grassroots and Development Neri Colmenares and VP for Mindanao Cliburn Orber and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Olympic Committee, were MJ Yabut Realty A, FEU Juniors, FEU Tam’s Pride and MJ Yabut Realty, all with identical 7.0 matchpoints and placed seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively.

Lt Gen. Arthurian Tabaquero (Ret.), AGO I Chairman, and GM Eugene perform the ceremonial move during the opening ceremony of the National Inter-Commercial Chess Championships at the Alphaland Southgate Mall in Magallanes, Makati City.

With them are NCFP Executive Director GM Jayson Gonzales, GM Darwin Laylo, Col. James P. Ramon (Ret.) Member, Board of Trustees at Angelina Morris and other participating players.

M O N DAY : DE CE M B E R 7 , 2 0 1 5

A15

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Star 5 arrests 4-game slide

By Jeric Lopez

IT took a burly finishing kick for Star to finally end its dry spell.

The Hotshots took care of business in the clutch to dodge Mahindra’s upset bullet, pulling off a 104-96 victory to boost their chances of making it to the quarterfinals of the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Mark Barroca poured in a game-high 26 points, including four triples in only five attempts, to help Star as his presence on both ends of the floor in the entire game lifted his squad to the important win.

Star was finally able to arrest a four-game slide and grab solo ninth place, improving to 3-6, while Mahindra dropped to LOCKER ROOM RANDY CALUAG

Games Wednesday (Cuneta Astrodome, Pasay City): 4:15 p.m. - Meralco vs.

GlobalPort 7 p.m. - San Miguel vs. NLEX

10th with a 2-7 slate.

Star unleashed a 13-5 finishing surge in the final three minutes to take the game away emphatically and avoid a meltdown in crunch time.

“Hopefully, we’re back with this win,” said Star head coach Jason Webb. “This win wouldn’t be possible if not for the commitment of the players.

They know we needed this.”

Alex Mallari likewise had a strong game for Star, scoring 20 points.

After trailing, 94-91, following a 14-4 blitz from Mahindra, Star countered with that decisive blast, jumpstarted by five straight points from Mallari off of two straight Enforcer turnovers. That made the count, 96-94, and the Hotshots never looked back.

The Hotshots held on from there as they poured in more points in the closing minute, with James Yap finishing the game with a buzzer-beating trey to add insult to injury.

These two teams are currently holding on to the last two berths in the playoffs and they would need to win most of their remaining assignments to remain in ninth and 10th places.

Blackwater (1-7) and Meralco (1-8) still have a chance and are on the outside looking in.

They’re hoping that either Star or Mahindra can falter towards the end so they can have a shot of stealing a slot in the next phase.

Star owned a reasonable 8780 lead in the middle of the fourth, but back-to-back triples from Karl Dehesa and Aldrech Ramos instantly brought Mahindra back to just a single point, 87-86, heading into the last five minutes.

Boxing still more lucrative than MMA

THE biggest name among mixed martial arts referees right now is Big John McCarthy. If you think his more than 20 years’ of being the third man on the cage has made him rich, well, think again.

McCarthy, a former Los Angeles police officer, is doing it for the love of the game and doesn’t mind not getting the well-deserved moolah out of it.

“We don’t do this because we become rich off of it,” said McCarthy recently on his new weekly podcast ‘Let’s get it on.’”

“And everyone thinks we get rich off of it. We don’t get rich off of it. It is the ability to have that opportunity and honor to be able to step into that cage and that ring with high-profile championship fighters that bust their ass to get to that point and you’re busting your ass to get to that point, too. And when you make it, it’s an opportunity, you know? That’s the kind of thing that you sit there and later on in life you go, I was able to get to that.”

McCarthy made the remarks after reports came out that the Nevada Athletic Commission is paying him a paltry sum of $1,900 to officiate the main event of the UFC 194 this weekend between Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo in Las Vegas.

It may sound crazy, but it’s actually the highest pay, at least on record, of an MMA referee in the U.S. A Filipino international referee I know was paid no lower than US$1,000 when he officiated an international WBC title fight in Chi-

na. International title is considered just a regional championship for the WBC. *** As far as I know, no MMA fighter has been paid more than the sevenfigure mark. Former MMA champions have complained about how they deserve to get more.

That’s what makes boxing still the more lucrative sport in terms of payouts for fighters and officials.

The purse in the Fight of the Century between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather reached beyond the $100-million mark.

Veteran boxing referee Kenny Bayless was paid $25,000 for officiating that fight.

It just shows that MMA has a long way to go in making itself a really profitable fight sport industry. The finest combat athletes will still be lured to the more lucrative pay boxing has to offer. *** I have never been a big tennis fan.

But given the opportunity to see up close some of the top tennis players in the world, I won’t mind getting my eyes and mind off the MMA cage or the boxing ring, at least for the next three days.

Tennis gods and goddesses yesterday descended upon the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City to display their wares in the Manila leg of the mosttalked about the Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League 2015.

Carrying the banner for the Philip-

pine Mavericks are world no. 1 Serena Williams, Milos Raonic, Mark Philippoussis, Edouard Roger-Vasselin, Jarmila Gajdosova, Richard Gasquet, Ajla Tomljanovic alongside local hero, and player-coach Treat Huey.

Some avid tennis fans paid as much as P50,000 to also see tennis stars Rafael Nadal, Ana Ivanovic, Belinda Bencic, Nick Kyrgios, Kristina Mladenovic, Sania Mirza, Leander Paes, Daniel Nestor, Dustin Brown, among others, alongside legends Marat Safin, Fabrice Santoro, Goran Ivanisevic and Carlos Moya, live in action.

It’s actually a double whammy for me as an avid collector of Coca-Cola, which incidentally, is the main backer of this one-a-kind event.

Happiness filled the air as I joined fellow collectors during the Christmas Party of the Coca-Cola Collectors Club Philippines and with no less than Coca-Cola executive, Atty. Adel Tamano gracing the event.

Coca-Cola has been a long-time supporter of world-class sporting events like the Olympics and World Cup Football and it’s now banking on another event that is poised to change the face of world-class tennis.

Combo Punch: Listen to our radio program Fightnews Hour on DZSR Sports Radio 918 on Wednesdays, 7:30 to 9 p.m., as we have as guest, FilipinaAmerican boxing and MMA lady fighter Ana Julaton. She will talk about her upcoming fight in the ONE Championship’s Manila leg on Dec. 11 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Due to Lindsay Stalzer’s all-around brilliance right from the start, she has been chosen as Most Valuable Player of the conference. ROMAN PROSPERO

Foton coach De Leon shows she belongs

By Peter Atencio BEING among a few female volleyball coaches who have steered a team to title is an honor indeed.

Coach Vilet Ponce de Leon said this after the Foton Tornadoes played with poise until the end and upended the defending champion Petron Blaze Spikers, 25-18, 25-18, 25-17, in Game 3 of the Philippine Super Liga Women’s Grand Prix 2015 finals at the Cuneta Astrodome.

“Historically, this is a maledominated sport, even if there are a lot of women coaches. But I’m glad I was given this opportunity.

Ang sarap. Lahat ng sacrifices, lahat ng pinaghirapan mo para sa panalong ito. I just told them to prepare and perform well. Now, the championship is just a bonus,” said Ponce de Leon.

The Tornadoes’ first crown came on the third staging of the spikefest.

Ponce de Leon said it was teamwork, which was the key in the Tornadoes’ title conquest.

“This is a very young team.

Nabuo ito two weeks before the tournament. We had an effective program,” added Ponce de Leon.

The Tornadoes never thought that they will sweep Game 3.

But they sensed victory was at hand when the Tornadoes finally took a 21-16 advantage after Frances Molina committed a net error.

“Naramdaman ko na. Kasi bago pa nito, puwede pa silang

Caida Tiles rout Supremo Lex, reach PCBL semis Game Tuesday (JCSGO Gym) 5 p.m. – Sta. Lucia vs Cagayan Valley (knockout game for last semis berth)

TOP seed Caida Tiles routed Supremo Lex, 96-62, to enter the semifinals round of the PCBL Founders Cup at the JCSGO Gym Saturday night.

But Euro-Med needed a late-game heroics by Mar Villahermosa to repulse Kama Motors in overtime, 85-78, and join Caida Tiles and early qualifier Jumbo Plastic in the next round.

Villahermosa’s triple in regulation sent the game to an extra five-minute stretch, allowing Euro-Med to get its second wind and outsteady its equally gutsy rival. Euro-Med averted a near endgame collapse when it squandered a 12-point, fourth-quarter lead.

Jamil Ortuoste and Mike Calisaan triggered a 9-0 run by Kama Motors, which came to within, 52-49, with still 7:25 left, setting up an exciting finish.

With 46 seconds remaining in regulation, expro Roider Cabrera shattered a 61-all standoff

with a triple as Kama Motors sensed making it to the Final Four. In the next play, Euro-Med missed two chances –a triple by Samboy de Leon and a putback by Paul Zamar as Mark Montuano grabbed the rebound.

Euro-Med was forced to give up a foul and it sent Ortuoste to the charity stripe for a chance to seal the win for Kama Motors. But he turned from hero to goat as he missed two free throws.

Villahermosa rushed to the other end and buried a game-tying three-pointer that hit the glass before going in to send the game to overtime.

makabawi,” added the Foton coach.

The Tornadoes drew big plays from imports Lindsay Stalzer and Katie Messing, with Stalzer delivering 20 points which merited here the MVP honors, while Messing had 14.

PSL chairman Philip Ella Juico commended the way the games went.

“I’m happy for both teams.

They played well the whole time.

The conference was a success.

There are emerging and teams in development which are making things interesting,” said Juico.

In the first set, the Tornadoes found themselves moving away, 169, following a net error from Rachel Anne Daquis and Ivy Perez’s ace.

In the second set, Foton moved away from a 10-all deadlock after Stalzer scored two points off her attacks during 5-0 blast which gave the Tornadoes 15-10 edge.

In the third set, the Tornadoes forced Petron to errors, with Daquis and Molina giving up points with their shaky plays at the net, 9-4.

Other individual awardess were Cignal’s Ariel Usher (1st Best Outside Spiker); Philips Golds’ Bojana Todorovic (2nd Best Outside Spiker); Philips Golds’ Alexis Olgard (1st Middle Blocker); Foton’s Ivy Perez (1st Best Setter); Petron’s Erica Adachi (2nd Best Setter); Philips Golds’ Michelle Gumabao (1st Best Opposite Spiker); Petron’s Frances Molina (2nd Best Opposite Spiker) and Petron’s Jen Reyes (Best Libero).

LOTTO RESULTS

6/49 00-00-00-00-00-0

P16M

3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

A16

m o n day : de ce m b e r 7 , 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

Belinda Bencic of the Singapore Slammers returns the ball to Kurumi Nara of Team Legendari Japan Warriors during the Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League at MOA Arena. lino sAntos

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Slammers stamp class By randy caluag

RISING star Belinda Bencic made short work of Mirjana Lucic Baroni, 6-3, in the women’s singles, then partnered with Nick Kyrgios in the mixed doubles as the Singapore Slammers opened their campaign with a resounding 2920 victory over the Japan Warriors Sunday night in the Manila leg of the Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League at the Mall of Asia Arena.

With a splendid accomplishment in the world juniors’ tucked under her belt, Bencic played smart tennis and Baroni could do nothing to thwart her.

After getting ahead at 4-2, Bencic easily took the last two games to push the Slammers comfortably ahead at 17-12.

The 19-year-old Swiss netter won the juniors’ titles at the French Open and Wimbledon.

She was the youngest netter to have ever reached the US Open quarterfinals in 2014, matching the feat achieved by compatriot Martina Hingis in 1997.

Tipped to become the next

female tennis superstar, Bencic caused upsets in last year’s Rogers Cup, beating the likes of Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Wozniacki.

Kyrgios boosted the stock of Singapore (2317) going into the final set following a close 6-5 set win over Philipp Kohlschreiber in the men’s singles.

He returned to the court in tandem with Bencic to complete the day’s job for Singapore with a 6-3 demolition of Japan Warriors’ Mirjan Lucic and Leander Paes in the mixed doubles.

Earlier in the day, Carlos Moya gave the Slammers the lead following a 6-4 victory over Marat Safan in the men’s Legends singles.

The Japan Warriors made a slight reversal as rising French star Pierre-Hugues Herbert played big with partner Paes in scoring a close 6-5 (76) victory over the tandem of Dustin Brown and Marcelo Melo of the Slammers.

Herbert, the 2015 US Open doubles’ champion

wArriors extend winning run to 25 turn to A13

with Nicolas Mahut, used his favorite backhand volleys all night, giving problems to the Slammers’ pair. His forehand completed the job in the set, even though the Warriors stole the lead at 11-10 after two.

The Obi UAE Royals lead the five-leg tournament after winning two games in the first leg in Kobe, Japan with 61.54 points.

At second are the Indian Aces with 53.06 after winning two games, but giving away 46 sets and gaining 52.

The Royals were to meet Philippine Mavericks as of press time late Sunday night. Going into the game, the Mavericks are in third place with 50.98.

The IPTL is a unique, world-class tennis tournament that puts together the current world champions, legends and the rising stars of the sport. Players are selected to represent different cities and countries. Four teams played in the inaugural season, with the Indian Aces installing itself as the first team champion.

ultrA fAst hitters win crown turn to A14

MONDAY: DECEMBER 7, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

WESM supporters.

First Gen Corp. and unit Energy Development Corp. receive their respective plaques of appreciation from Philippine Electricity Market Corp. for their pioneering support to the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market.

PEMC president Melinda Ocampo (center) awards the plaques as part of a series of activities leading to the 10th anniversary of WESM in June 2016. Receiving the awards are First Gen president and chief operating officer Francis Giles Puno (left) and EDC president and COO Richard Tantoco. First Gen is one of the biggest independent power producers in the Philippines with an installed capacity of 2,957 megawatts, while EDC is the world’s largest vertically integrated geothermal company.

PSe comPoSite index Closing December 4, 2015

8000 7700 7400 7100 6800 6500

6,921.93 72.17

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing DECEMBER 4, 2015 43.50 44.60 45.40

P47.105

46.20

CLOSE

47.00

HIGH P47.020 LOW P47.120 AVERAGE P47.081 VOLUME 534.500M

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

oPriceS il P today

P25.03-P28.48 Diesel

BUSINESS

B1

Govt to pursue MRT takeover in 6 months

By Darwin G Amojelar

THE Transportation Department is still confident of taking over Metro Rail Transit Line 3 within the next six months, or before the end of the term of the Aquino administration.

“It’s still a priority. There’s an executive order to execute. We hope [to implement it] soon,” Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said in a recent interview.

President Benigno Aquino III issued Executive Order No. 126 in 2013, directing the Transportation and Finance Departments to buy Metro Rail Transit Corp. out of MRT 3, pursuant to the build-lease-transfer agreement.

Abaya said the remaining challenge was the financial issue raised by Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines, regarding possible losses once the government executed the buyout. “[But] we are finding out what methodology to adopt to address their concerns. We have to sit with them,” Abaya said.

LandBank and DBP own a

combined 80-percent economic interest in MRT 3, while the remaining stake is held by creditors of MRTC. Abaya earlier said the government would need over P40 billion to take over MRT 3 today, down from as high as P53.9 billion two years ago.

“It [EVBO] has been lowered because we pay almost half a billion a month for equity rental payments,” he said.

Metro Pacific Investments Corp. earlier proposed a $524-million expansion of MRT 3, which was lower than the government’s $1.13-billion buyout plan. MPIC’s proposal is still pending with the Transportation Department.

Metro Pacific signed a cooperation agreement in 2011 with various groups holding rights and interests in MRT 3, including MRTC, Metro Rail Transit Holdings Inc., Metro Rail Transit 2 Inc. and Monumento Rail Transit Corp., giving the company led by businessman Manuel Pangilinan an option to acquire 48 percent. Metro Pacific has yet to exercise the option.

MRT 3, which runs along Edsa from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City, serves 500,000 passengers a day, beyond its rated capacity of 350,000 passengers.

The line has a fleet of 73 Czech-made air-conditioned rail cars.

Makati court stops motor insurance plan of LTO

P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Friday, December 4, 2015

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

47.1550

Japan

Yen

0.008163

0.3849

UK

Pound

1.515900

71.4823

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129039

6.0848

Switzerland

Franc

1.007963

47.5305

Canada

Dollar

0.749738

35.3539

Singapore

Dollar

0.717618

33.8393

Australia

Dollar

0.730514

34.4474

Bahrain

Dinar

2.657737

125.3256

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266539

12.5686

Brunei

Dollar

0.715052

33.7183

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000072

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.027855

1.3135

UAE

Dirham

0.272301

12.8404

Euro

Euro

1.094900

51.6300

Korea

Won

0.000859

0.0405

China

Yuan

0.156318

7.3712

India

Rupee

0.014966

0.7057

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.236686

11.1609

New Zealand

Dollar

0.662383

31.2347

Taiwan

Dollar

0.030507

1.4386 Source: PDS Bridge

A MAKATI Regional Trial Court issued a 20-day temporary restraining order stopping the Reformed Compulsory Third Party Liability insurance plan of the Land Transportation Office.

Makati Regional Trial Court Judge Edgrado Caldona of Branch 65 granted the petition of Standard Insurance Co. Inc., directing LTO Assistant Secretary Alfonso Tan Jr. and the Insurance Commission to stop the implementation of LTO’s Memorandum Circular AVT-20151975, or the CTPL Insurance Project.

Issued and published last month, the CTPL circular is a mandatory insurance plan required by the LTO for vehicle registration. The “reformed”

version is a modification of the CTPL that will be implemented starting January next year.

The new measure requires two nationwide administrators, which insurers said would eventually turn out as the insurer, and that the non-life insurance industry would become mere reinsurers.

The directive would convert all the non-life insurance companies into reinsurers, thus limiting their premium earnings.

It would disregard the right of the insurers to do business and the right of the public to choose their insurer.

Standard Insurance said in its petition that the CTPL fell under casualty insurance, which it was “authorized to transact

under its certificate of authority and, unmistakably, its right has been violated under the circular which granted to the administrators.”

Standard Insurance lawyer Reynaldo Geronimo said the designation of administrators was in excess of LTO’s jurisdiction and the circular infringed upon the constitutional provision against monopolies and restraint of trade.

Geronimo of the Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc and Delos Angeles Law Offices said the circular might cause massive disenfranchisement of insurance providers and stakeholders engaged in CTPL insurance for several decades.

“The supposed initiative will

only result to a monopoly in the auto insurance industry,” said Geronimo, adding the circular intruded into the right of the public to choose their insurer, in violation of the Amended Insurance Code.

Geronimo added the LTO had no authority to vest non-life insurance companies with blanket licenses to operate as reinsurers in violation of the insurance code and their certificates of authority issued by the Insurance Commission.

Earlier, the Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers Association (PIRA) opposed the insurance plan, claiming the proposal would form a monopoly after the LTO appoints the single administrator after a public bidding.

MONDAY: DECEMBER 7, 2015

B2

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

The STandard BuSineSS Weekly STockS revieW DECEMBER 1-4, 2015 Close Volume AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank BDO Leasing & Fin. Inc. Bright Kindle Resources Citystate Savings 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 Vantage Equities

2.74 46 101.50 82.85 39.35 2.49 1.49 10 15.1 18.56 7.60 1.87 750.00 0.520 82.5 0.96 17.50 23.00 50.95 102 293 32.75 138.7 1535.00 57.00 3.1

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 LMG Chemicals Mabuhay Vinyl Corp.

Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A’ Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp.

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.

Vivant Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

40.6 5.15 0.79 1.5 10.62 17.18 45 21.9 41.05 2.43 1.58 10.36 9.300 9.20 6.18 5.15 1.67 24 67.55 14.50 5.85 2.150 205.00 12.48 31.00 1.87 3.6 24.6 21.8 5.7 312.20 4.40 3.65 7.36 3.03 11.76 3.78 1.74 2.32 4.06 2.85 5.26 130 3.66 2.5 0.148 1.12 2.20 185.3 4.55 0.66 22.50 1.17

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

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

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

Mabuhay Holdings `A’ Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

Minerales Industrias Corp.

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

0.390 57.3500 17.10 1.02 6.45 0.249 0.237 736 7.54 13.64 5.06 5.4 4.15 0.265 1265 5.50 71.35 3.7 5.5 7.5 0.74 14.88 0.5 5.26 9.94 3.4 0.0310 1.370 1.780 2.56 47.20 2.70 849.00 1.17 0.72 160.00 73.000 0.3000 0.2070 0.265

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

Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. `A’ Cebu Holdings Centennial City City & Land Dev. Cityland Dev. `A’ Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp.

Double Dragon Empire East Land Ever Gotesco Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Interport `A’

7.100 7.25 0.90 1.190 0.209 34.100 3.16 5.05 0.56 0.92 1.03 0.126 0.480 23.5 0.830 0.163 1.04 1.86 1.19

Value

FINANCIAL 90,960.00 52,512,370.00 915,470,720 791,527,798.50 7,458,755.00 49,770.00 359,610.00 1,000.00 640,248.00 6,267,974.00 64,200 108,750.00 3,087,250.00 1,904,850.00 368,011,533.50 2,844,180.00 9,950,066.00 1,035,000.00 24,674,228.00 189,034.00 7,544,280.00 239,987,165 334,671,539.00 1,277,895.00 7,985,646.50 187,000.00 INDUSTRIAL 15,246,300 628,650,495.00 9,236,600 44,148,714.00 389,000 309,910.00 300,000 450,010.00 14,100 152,878.00 1,000,300 17,271,048 100 4,500.00 13,467,200 290,342,595.00 142,300 5,946,830 1,319,000 3,215,930.00 21,832,000 35,824,940.00 67,600 696,782.00 24,113,900 224,606,621.00 49,925,800 465,599,257.00 57,473,700 358,748,034.00 4,319,100 21,232,195.00 12,000 20,190.00 9,468,500 227,716,855.00 946,040 63,754,929.00 27,000 393,310.00 539,400 3,168,278.00 11,635,000 25,616,020.00 3,349,700 692,119,212.00 204,600 2,553,450.00 10,600 403,085.00 140,000 262,010.00 29,000 100,390.00 11,171,400 272,962,790.00 2,002,100 43,093,045.00 2,032,100 12,205,786.00 1,305,580 404,933,790.00 41,000 180,270.00 3,900,000 14,313,690.00 3,995,100 29,612,756.00 107,000 330,320.00 23,000 265,518.00 156,000 574,750.00 1,838,000 3,121,150.00 864,000 1,980,980.00 34,190,000 143,585,210.00 122,000 301,720.00 23,400 132,102.00 74,360 9,650,383.00 9,000 33,000.00 6,086,000 15,037,650.00 21,140,000 3,177,090.00 1,599,000 1,907,830.00 3,062,000 6,810,680.00 26,228,470 4,984,389,722.00 40,000 182,000.00 473,000 305,210.00 123 2,350.00 1,233,000 1,423,180.00 HOLDING FIRMS 110,000 43,300.00 5,758,140 333,954,392.00 20,581,300 366,232,136.00 30,000 30,700.00 206,000 1,317,670.00 135,000 134,460.00 690,000 163,490.00 1,087,490 817,524,485.00 8,221,700 61,984,773.00 14,923,000 206,224,650.00 708,900 3,873,109.00 42,500 236,329.00 720,000 3,039,140.00 680,000 173,200.00 572,000 733,007,905.00 163,100 897,430.00 7,991,100 578,482,973.50 1,000 3,700.00 4,000 21,000.00 7,712,500 58,231,413.00 1,274,000 941,810.00 21,353,700 320,434,852.00 760,000 383,700.00 72,208,400 380,440,974.00 4,639,800 46,107,768.00 2,000 6,600.00 192,700,000 6,043,300.00 108,000 144,870.00 3,047,000 5,385,430.00 26,000 70,060.00 1,173,500 54,668,765.00 1,000 2,700.00 916,340 780,679,275.00 130,000 153,150.00 66,000 47,540.00 4,820 8,000.00 12,080 895,865.00 6,400,000 1,928,800.00 3,790,000 802,950.00 2,180,000 577,950.00 PROPERTY 5,483,430 4,363,852.00 700 5,477.00 48,447,000 45,050,230.00 4,000 4,760.00 90,000 18,810.00 59,223,300 2,042,499,330.00 3,894,000 12,438,830.00 3,700 18,685.00 5,060,000 2,854,060.00 19,000 17,480.00 63,000 65,780.00 7,480,000 941,190.00 31,480,000 15,285,050.00 3,767,600 87,461,675.00 70,000 59,400.00 146,000,000 23,798,000.00 9,470,000 9,990,010.00 80,439,000 148,766,180.00 301,000 359,140.00

35,000 1,166,200 8,845,520 9,481,070 191,800 20,000 255,000 100 42,500 335,400 8,500 60,000 3,990 3,700,000 4,524,430 2,963,000 575,700 45,000 483,110 1,940 25,730 7,308,500 1,875,100 835 140,090 61,000

NOVEMBER 23-27, 2015STOCKS Close Volume Value 2.75 44.65 101.00 83.50 39 2.45 1.40 10 15.38 19 7.60 1.80 750.00 0.460 80.5 0.93 17.70 23.00 51.00 103 293.8 30.65 137.6 1505.00 57.10 3

16,000 1,591,500 13,249,590 16,524,830 146,600 9,000 1,440,000 900 215,200 253,600 42,100 100,000 1,470 2,050,000 14,869,370 321,000 273,000 9,900 175,380 100 23,100 696,100 3,292,600 530 743,150 548,000

43,100.00 71,850,960.00 1,346,756,411 1,410,648,237.50 5,741,155.00 22,050.00 2,010,920.00 7,992.00 3,271,010.00 4,811,814.00 323,905 173,750.00 1,095,600.00 958,150.00 1,201,586,654.00 300,270.00 4,832,104.00 228,185.00 9,068,132.00 10,300.00 6,793,156.00 21,987,535 440,476,051.00 797,025.00 42,356,418.50 1,644,000.00

42 4.24 0.84 1.5 10.86 17.2

22,832,200 16,100,000 318,000 2,505,000 7,900 572,300

965,492,345.00 65,264,130.00 256,220.00 3,790,600.00 82,362.00 10,000,798

20.35 41.8 2.5 1.4 11 9.400 9.15 6.20 4.54 1.67 22.5 66.1 14.52 5.84 2.120 201.00 12.5 42.00 1.9 3.5 24.5 22.5 6.35 305.80 3.92 3.6 7.46 3.17 11.32 3.70 1.72 2.3 4.21

5,009,900 828,900 14,301,000 1,269,000 150,600 55,919,700 45,145,100 85,567,200 14,079,700 11,000 9,148,800 1,443,650 223,300 738,800 10,359,000 5,072,820 106,800 4,900 72,000 89,000 30,578,500 5,088,200 2,278,800 1,669,750 13,000 6,015,000 4,760,500 52,000 11,700 361,000 2,459,000 4,991,000 2,466,000

103,176,455.00 34,813,030 36,040,880.00 1,803,560.00 1,604,700.00 526,215,274.00 411,582,847.00 529,079,348.00 50,956,361.00 18,370.00 208,647,120.00 97,742,678.50 3,295,676.00 4,306,218.00 22,339,710.00 1,039,299,611.00 1,333,936.00 206,700.00 139,500.00 334,670.00 749,931,720.00 115,124,350.00 14,332,254.00 507,149,896.00 51,080.00 23,140,770.00 36,429,250.00 164,860.00 136,268.00 1,346,080.00 4,379,330.00 11,255,770.00 10,351,150.00

5.97 133 3.69 2.25 0.148 1.10 2.12 202 4.72 0.65 23.00 1.11

10,100 58,250 73,000 1,037,000 48,790,000 283,000 1,705,000 13,441,370 6,721,000 1,056,000 500 1,764,000

57,699.00 7,750,696.00 247,420.00 2,336,270.00 7,057,950.00 300,810.00 3,597,890.00 2,719,995,469.00 30,381,470.00 686,040.00 11,500.00 1,975,410.00

0.390 56.6000 17.70

9,830,000 18,295,640 29,141,000

3,791,200.00 1,045,192,647.50 522,063,234.00

6.40 0.240 0.237 743 7.48 13.48 6.44 6.6 4.10 0.230 1265 5.50 70.75

80,400 2,420,000 830,000 2,059,380 20,258,400 55,922,300 3,835,600 288,700 560,000 310,000 711,400 35,000 13,186,920

510,596.00 580,980.00 198,940.00 1,546,813,765.00 152,149,291.00 765,316,932.00 25,756,792.00 1,974,083.00 2,382,690.00 71,740.00 914,448,690.00 195,000.00 949,075,814.50

7.5 0.73 14.9 0.51 5.24 9.95

26,392,000 684,000 20,603,900 2,000 165,957,100 11,533,000

204,023,097.00 481,310.00 301,497,360.00 1,020.00 876,884,935.00 113,578,581.00

0.0300 1.470 1.770 2.7 46.80 2.70 845.00 1.18 0.72

180,000,000 142,000 3,051,000 24,000 1,658,600 5,000 1,380,390 452,000 71,000

5,474,300.00 192,490.00 5,426,620.00 64,010.00 77,885,575.00 12,300.00 1,189,760,140.00 533,830.00 50,870.00

75.000 0.2950 0.2100 0.270

3,112,120 10,580,000 3,390,000 1,220,000

235,096,874.00 3,218,650.00 729,830.00 323,900.00

7.050

1,594,600

11,469,983.00

0.82 1.090 0.210 33.850 3.18 5.1 0.56 0.91 1.07 0.127 0.465 23.9 0.880 0.164 1.06 1.78 1.18

6,252,000 264,000 120,000 48,028,500 5,096,000 23,900 11,264,000 6,725,000 118,000 37,550,000 8,130,000 16,895,600 2,941,000 380,000 9,900,000 122,065,000 451,000

5,235,420.00 292,880.00 25,200.00 1,649,271,420.00 16,259,510.00 121,466.00 6,441,770.00 6,113,330.00 124,000.00 4,865,340.00 3,776,850.00 402,743,690.00 2,501,930.00 62,330.00 10,560,290.00 222,434,360.00 540,010.00

STOCKS

DECEMBER 1-4, 2015 Close Volume

Keppel Properties Megaworld Prop.

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

4.01 4.54 0.083 0.2550 0.4350 8.78 28.65 1.46 3.2 21.30 0.75 7.4 0.910 5.300

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

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

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

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

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

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

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

SSI Group STI Holdings Travellers Waterfront Phils.

Yehey

7.33 64.3 1.2 0.500 11.08 5.18 0.0430 3.43 83.65 10 1.7 5.00 3.78 955 1988 6.91 1.29 71.9 4.20 11.2 0.011 0.173 1.4400 2.1 8.99 4.24 1.23 2.20 28.90 0.570 2 3.36 3.86 0.255 0.800 18.98 4.52 2.53 9.44 102.00 20.65 2140.00 0.460 0.940 33.30 68.85 6.32 4.43 0.465 3.86 0.350 4.530

Abra Mining Apex `A’ 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 United Paragon

0.0051 2.00 4.31 0.210 5.7000 5.7000 0.66 0.63 7.60 0.77 0.295 0.189 0.200 0.0110 0.012 2.18 6.57 2.87 0.5900 1.3700 0.0100 3.68 5.00 1.42 0.0120 136.10 2.33 0.0075

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B1’ Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ BC Pref. A First Gen F First Gen G GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. Leisure & Resort Pref.

MWIDE PREF PCOR-Preferred A PF Pref 2 SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred D SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F Swift Pref

65 515.5 500 18.5 119.8 120 519 6.91 1.11 108 1050 1022 80 83.05 79.4 80 80.7 2.69

Leisure & Resort Warr.

2.710

Alterra Capital Makati Fin. Corp.

Xurpas

3.52 2.7 14.46

First Metro ETF

113.4

NOVEMBER 23-27, 2015STOCKS Close Volume Value

Value

4,000 16,040.00 104,388,000 479,753,350.00 1,370,000 110,950.00 680,000 179,690.00 520,000 229,650.00 220,000 1,916,671.00 44,429,100 1,320,703,575.00 498,000 719,030.00 1,098,000 3,556,430.00 42,597,100 939,793,350.00 661,000 486,290.00 1,700 12,250.00 10,639,000 10,192,650.00 4,280,400 22,897,760.00 SERVICES 130,200 953,017.00 36,310 2,331,116.00 428,000 538,250.00 2,924,000 1,477,360.00 10,070,400 111,869,752.00 9,797,300 52,175,503.00 68,600,000 2,989,700.00 337,000 1,178,530.00 976,890 81,980,697.00 15,700 156,266.00 82,000 131,950 2,320,600 11,446,089.00 6,000 22,320.00 20 19,100.00 346,835 700,431,985 654,600 4,599,389.00 1,069,000 1,385,140.00 6,898,730 508,182,444.00 1,000 4,200 1,900 21,280.00 42,000,000 451,700.00 2,570,000 441,030.00 1,602,000 2,232,610.00 330,000 662,620.00 796,400 7,171,214.00 2,552,000 10,884,790.00 10,000 11,700.00 245,000 523,140.00 1,400 41,580.00 29,000 16,790.00 50,000 100,120.00 10,544,000 35,719,970.00 29,742,000 115,207,310.00 1,770,000 450,200.00 101,710,000 81,430,650.00 500 9,356.00 29,000 131,380 13,000 34,970.00 251,000 2,360,944.00 2,060 213,238.00 208,300 4,307,195.00 639,735 1,371,035,240.00 1,510,000 699,500.00 13,174,000 12,656,010.00 15,918,300 545,506,365.00 3,611,650 252,742,362.00 15,394,300 96,493,897.00 31,079,000 135,866,150.00 196,570,000 84,540,300.00 766,000 3,003,030.00 7,670,000 2,479,350.00 5,351,000 25,647,820.00 MINING & OIL 2,239,000,000 11,213,400.00 87,000 175,100.00 1,114,000 4,689,300.00 1,000,000 210,010.00 9,600 54,752.00 2,800 15,981.00 299,000 197,160.00 453,000 278,660.00 33,900 262,105.00 23,920,000 18,074,040.00 810,000 240,650.00 12,890,000 2,454,820.00 3,170,000 635,020.00 197,700,000 2,053,500.00 1,500,000 16,600.00 253,000 545,330.00 12,213,400 80,351,560.00 1,795,000 5,162,040.00 355,000 199,050.00 141,000 194,440.00 72,000,000 735,000.00 36,000 130,530.00 588,500 2,945,766.00 506,000 713,890.00 1,070,700,000 11,793,200.00 487,380 66,578,525.00 300,000 691,960.00 3,500,000,000 26,250,000.00 PREFERRED 244,820 15,913,158.00 28,270 14,672,070.00 49,500 25,678,500 200 3,700.00 90,100 9,983,980.00 2,610 309,300.00 7,780 4,038,470.00 14,100 97,620.00 143,000 160,130 30,930 3,351,590.00 2,670 2,810,200.00 4,050 4,143,355.00 3,520 281,600.00 197,280 16,398,339.50 540 42,772.00 81,210 6,503,692.00 216,640 17,498,921.00 32,000 72,690.00 WARRANTS & BONDS 160,000 424,570.00 SME 729,000 2,747,860.00 9,000 24,020.00 13,418,600 201,823,358.00 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 60,490 6,893,649.00

4.00 4.44 0.079 0.2490 0.4000 8.69 30.15 1.42 3.23 21.50 0.75 6.3 0.900 5.320

16,000 134,786,000 8,470,000 1,480,000 190,000 1,517,300 163,765,900 682,090 44,000 86,239,900 1,967,000 37,200 7,073,000 18,238,700

63,480.00 611,712,170.00 676,910.00 377,100.00 79,550.00 13,134,972.00 4,966,272,800.00 840,770.00 139,390.00 1,861,437,775.00 1,453,200.00 285,254.00 6,803,750.00 98,391,206.00

7.34 63.45 1.16 0.510 11.98 5.22 0.0430 3.49 83.5 9.92 1.65 5.79 3.28 950 2000 7.19 1.26 73.5 4.22 11.2 0.010 0.170 1.4000 2.12 8.99 4.30 1.15

555,400 114,160 235,000 9,282,000 400 12,464,900 101,100,000 726,000 2,081,670 2,200 7,000 479,800 32,000 2,390 491,370 275,000 1,072,000 8,570,660 2,000 19,700 17,900,000 1,100,000 835,000 62,000 223,809 5,211,000 4,000

4,018,721.00 7,317,973.00 282,260.00 4,782,240.00 4,792.00 66,582,648.00 4,571,200.00 2,545,780.00 175,123,646.00 21,788.00 11,600 2,678,082.00 115,600.00 2,274,600.00 981,781,185 1,926,198.00 1,392,160.00 627,777,890.50 8,430 222,334.00 181,300.00 189,820.00 1,162,870.00 126,720.00 2,067,333.00 21,838,600.00 4,600.00

29.90 0.570 2.01 3.34 3.82 0.250 0.640 18 4.60

5,800 441,000 53,000 7,777,000 308,320,000 1,030,000 19,836,000 15,000 17,000

136,870.00 248,440.00 106,130.00 27,383,100.00 1,275,117,400.00 261,800.00 13,137,530.00 267,494.00 79,640

9.44 107.80 20.90 2050.00 0.470 0.960 34.40 72.15 5.54 4.05 0.410 3.9 0.345 4.260

560,200 224,370 355,000 1,169,755 3,238,000 39,523,000 11,954,800 2,133,470 7,363,000 70,283,000 21,910,000 3,145,000 500,000 1,408,000

5,291,712.00 22,772,384.00 7,261,983.00 2,382,929,540.00 1,587,740.00 38,748,610.00 410,302,550.00 150,681,934.00 40,605,341.00 283,541,450.00 9,016,750.00 12,476,970.00 165,100.00 6,145,540.00

0.0049 2.05 4.14 0.210 5.7100

365,000,000 98,000 10,067,000 980,000 100

1,757,000.00 204,890.00 42,937,710.00 205,820.00 571.00

0.69 0.61 8.03 0.76 0.300 0.186 0.200 0.0100 0.012 2.16 6.54 2.93 0.5600 1.4300 0.0100 3.55 5.00 1.41 0.0120 136.00 2.27 0.0075

516,000 496,000 30,500 93,333,000 3,880,000 5,380,000 980,000 290,900,000 900,000 3,597,000 27,346,200 336,000 10,000 380,000 94,400,000 59,000 550,200 4,852,000 195,200,000 2,983,000 721,000 24,000,000

342,600.00 306,250.00 241,362.00 71,016,600.00 1,090,800.00 1,005,330.00 196,350.00 3,186,900.00 10,200.00 7,818,240.00 180,347,683.00 969,750.00 5,600.00 509,980.00 961,800.00 207,840.00 2,744,106.00 6,739,230.00 2,276,600.00 406,299,618.00 1,614,650.00 179,600.00

63 525 524

536,040 18,195 68,380

34,319,822.00 9,291,300.00 35,899,500

116.1 519.5 6.95 1.12 109 1055 1020 79.05 83 79.4 80 80.7 2.7

14,960 2,030 22,000 62,000 4,040 3,000 8,680 2,500 88,720 2,112,710 117,510 2,180,280 9,000

1,737,694.00 1,054,450.00 154,599.00 221,050 439,918.00 3,165,000.00 8,866,580.00 197,100.00 7,339,265.00 167,728,512.00 9,395,761.00 176,258,193.00 22,300.00

2.650

211,000

558,170.00

3.5 2.63 16.06

353,000 63,000 4,949,500

1,164,610.00 164,600.00 80,562,312.00

113

146,230

16,751,442.00

WEEKLY MOST TRADED STOCKS United Paragon Abra Mining Philodrill Corp. `A’ Manila Mining `A’ STI Holdings Pacifica `A’ Ever Gotesco Megaworld Prop.

NOW Corp.

Filinvest Land,Inc.

VOLUME 3,500,000,000 2,239,000,000 1,070,700,000 197,700,000 196,570,000 192,700,000 146,000,000 104,388,000 101,710,000 80,439,000

STOCKS Universal Robina Ayala Land `B’ PLDT Common Robinson’s Land `B’ SM Prime Holdings Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Ayala Corp `A’ Bank of PI SM Investments Inc. GT Capital

VALUE 4,984,389,722.00 2,042,499,330.00 1,371,035,240.00 1,320,703,575.00 939,793,350.00 915,470,720.00 817,524,485.00 791,527,798.50 780,679,275.00 733,007,905.00

MONDAY: DECEMBER 7, 2015

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

B3

Smart beats Telstra as world’s best mobile operator SMART Communications Inc. was named best mobile operator for the second time in the World Communication Awards, beating Australia’s Telstra Corp. and Middle Eastern operator Ooredoo.

In naming Smart Best Mobile Operator, the WCA recognized the company’s ability to “develop its business by moving into new areas or through service innovation.”

Powered by its strengthened digital strategy which focuses on new mobile data offers and digital partnerships, Smart posted an all-time high growth for its mobile data and broadband businesses in the first nine months of 2015.

Combined revenues reached P15.6 billion, aided by a 139-percent upsurge in mobile data usage within the network. Last year, Smart won in the invitation-only category over six other finalists, including Globe Telecom and Turkcell.

The WCA is organized annually by London-based industry publication Total Telecom.

Smart has 67 million cellular subscribers under the brands Smart, Sun and TNT. It has 3.8 million broadband subscribers under the brands Smart Bro and Sun Broadband Wireless. Darwin G. Amojelar

8990-Waltermart partnership in trouble?

Is the joint venture between mass housing developer 8990 Holdings Inc. and retailer Waltermart on the rocks, barely seven months after they signed a partnership?

In April this year, 8990 Holdings announced that it selected the Waltermart Group of Companies to be the mall operator for its two mixed-use developments in Metro Manila.

Under the plan, Waltermart, a 50:50 joint venture between the Lim family’s Waltermart Group and SM Retail Inc., will develop the shopping malls at 8990 Holdings’s mixed-use projects in Vitas, Tondo and Ortigas Avenue Extension in Pasig.

While 8990 Holdings launched last week the 8.5-hectare Deca Homes Manila in Tondo, Manila, where it tapped Megawide Construction Corp. as the contractor, no officials of Waltermart were around to witness the event.

In fact, nobody mentioned about Waltermart building a mall in the project. When asked about the update on the partnership with Waltermart, officials of 8990 Holdings were mum on the topic.

“Ask the other party [Waltermart],” was what an official of 8990 Holdings could only mutter.

Marine theme park in Cebu. SM Supermalls, the country’s biggest mall network, announces a strategic

partnership with Cebu Sealife Park Inc., the same group that built Manila Ocean Park, the first state-of-the-art marine theme park in the country. The one-hectare Cebu Ocean Park will rise within the SM Seaside City Cebu complex. Shown during the contract signing are SM Supermalls president Annie Garcia (sixth from left), Manila Ocean Park president and chief executive Chee Yong (fifth from left) and other executives of the two companies.

Meralco set to hit P18.5-b profit goal

By Alena Mae S. Flores

POWER retailer Manila Electric Co. is expected to achieve its core net income target of P18.5 billion in 2015, on the back of a 5-percent growth in electricity sales, a ranking official said.

“Certainly, in terms of meeting its guidance number for the full year, there’s a good chance that number can be met,” Meralco chairman Manuel Pangilinan told reporters.

He said company’s core net income would “most likely” reach its target given the stronger sales starting in May. Meralco posted a core net income of P18.1 billion in 2014, up 6 percent from 2013.

“Surprisingly, the volume of power sold has risen starting May this year, such that the year to date is five-percent growth, slightly ahead of our expectations and ahead of what historic growth rate of power sold by Meralco has been which is typically around 3

percent,” Pangilinan said.

Meralco reported a core net income of P15.8 billion in the first nine months, up 11 percent from P14.286 billion registered in the same period last year.

Reported net income also grew 13 percent to P16.1 billion from a year earlier. Reported income is adjusted to exclude the effects of foreign exchange gains or losses, mark-to-market adjustments and other one-time, exceptional transactions.

Meralco, however, recorded a lower core net income in the third quarter at P4.15 billion, compared to P4.4 billion in the same quarter last year.

Reported net income also declined to P4.4 billion from P4.671 billion on

lower distribution rate.

The lower interim average rate implemented at the start of the fourth regulatory period on July 1, 2015 resulted in a lower average distribution rate of P1.52 per kWh in the ninemonth period, compared to P1.63 per kWh in 2014.

Meralco president Oscar Reyes earlier said total volume of electricity distributed grew by almost 5 percent in the first nine months, largely attributable to the strong demand from all customer classes on account of new customer connections, particularly residential and commercial, increased economic activities and benign inflation.

Sales volumes increased across all customer classes, with the residential and commercial segments growing at 6 percent each.

Industrial segment was up 3 percent. The commercial segment accounts for 40-percent of total demand while residential and industrial segments account for 30 percent, each.

Jenniffer B. Austria

Kuya J plans backdoor listing

Kuya J Restaurant, one of the fastest growing food chains in the country, is considering a plan to list with the Philippine Stock Exchange through backdoor listing.

Sources said owners of Kuya J, a homegrown eatery that started in Cebu, began sitting as directors of a listed company in preparation for possible backdoor listing of Kuya J. The listed firm, which is being targeted for acquisition, recently obtained shareholders’ approval to significantly increase its authorized capital stock, move that could be connected to the possible backdoor listing of Kuya J. Kuya J, which has actor Jericho Rosales as endorser and ‘crispy pata’ as its top selling product, has aggressive store expansions plans over the next two years.

The question is which listed firm is being targeted

by Kuya J for backdoor listing? Clue: It is a mining company that has yet to start operations.

Jenniffer B. Austria

Stock index likely to stay below 7,000

By Jenniffer B. Austria STOCKS are likely to move sideways this week, as equity investors rely on developments overseas for market direction.

F. Yap Securities investment analyst Jason Escartin said investors might wait for clearer affirmation on whether global recovery was finally taking hold, given the divergent policies in the US and Europe.

“Portfolio reallocation could remain high among foreign fund managers, as they check on markets’ mature acceptance of the Fed’s gradual rate hike, which will be balanced out in terms of 4Q earnings kick, multiplier effect of remittances, plus expectations of improved consumer spending towards the run-up to May 2016 political race,” Escartin said.

BDO Unibank Inc. chief invest-

ment strategist Jonathan Ravelas said the market’s inability to stay above the 7,000-point mark continued to highlight the market’s bearish mode.

Given the current market sentiments, the 30-company benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index is expected to trade between 6,800 and 6,900, unless strong catalysts emerged.

The index settled at 6,921.93 on Friday, only 0.07 percent lower than the previous week’s close, while the broader all-shares index declined 0.09 percent to 3,993.23.

The market erased the almost 2-percent gain at the start of the week amid the lack of domestic catalysts, the drop in the price of crude oil and caution ahead of the possible US Fed chair Janet Yellen’s hint on the need to gradually raise the US interest rate.

RCBC Securities said the Philippine

market joined the global selloff in the latter part of the trading week, as the European Central Bank’s latest round of stimulus measures fell short of market expectations.

Foreign investors were again net sellers last week by P2 billion, as total overseas selling reached P18.3 billion while foreign buying amounted to only P16.3 billion.

Among the top gainers last week were Starmalls Inc., which jumped 17.4 percent to P7.40; EEI Corp., which advanced 13.4 percent to P5.15; and SSI Group Inc., which climbed 9.4 percent to P4.43.

Heavy losers last week were Roxas Holdings Inc., which dropped 12 percent to P5.26; Anchor Land Holdings Inc., which declined 10.3 percent to P7.25; and Megawide Construction Corp., which fell 10.2 percent to P5.70.

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Premium bus service. A passenger tries to experience the point-to-point Christmas Bus Express Service at Trinoma bus station on December 5, 2015, as the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board launches the Christmas nonstop premium bus services in three routes in Metro Manila to address the surge of passengers during the holiday season. PNA photo by OLIVER MARQUEZ

Govt seeks lower e-trike prices

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Energy Department is pursuing talks with a lone bidder to further reduce the manufacturing cost of electric tricycles, after initial negotiations resulted in lowering the price by 27 percent.

“We had a meeting with the winning bidder. Again, its a renegotiation, the second time around to really come up with a low price. We want to bring down the cost further and with the presence of an independent EV expert recommended by ADB [Asian Development Bank],” Energy Undersecretary Donato Marcos told reporters.

Marcos said ADB recommended e-vehicle expert Andrew Campbell of New Zealand to join

the negotiations with Uzushio Electric Co. Ltd. of Japan and local partner BEMAC Electric Transportation Philippines Inc. “to really come up with a lower price.”

Marcos said the department during the previous negotiation managed to cut the cost by 27 percent. “But now that we’re negotiating again with the presence of e-vehicle expert, we’re hoping we can still bring it down,” he said.

Marcos declined to say the cost offered by the lone bidder, but a source said the original price tag was over P600,000 per e-trike.

“The ultimate end user would be drivers and the [local government unit] would play a major role because they are responsible for the issuance of franchise and traffic management ordinance of their localities,” the government official said.

Marcos said once the cost was finalized, the department would again seek a no-objection letter from the ADB before the final award.

Uzushio and BEMAC were the only one among five interested bidders that complied with the requirements of the department to supply and deliver 3,000 e-trikes.

October money supply climbed 9.5% to P7.9t

By Julito G. Rada DOMESTIC liquidity, or money supply in the financial system, grew 9.5 percent year-on-year in October to P7.9 trillion, due largely to sustained demand for credit, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said over the weekend.

The rise was faster than the 8.7-percent revised expansion recorded in September. M3 increased 1.1 percent on a month-on-month seasonallyadjusted basis.

“The continued expansion of domestic liquidity during the month indicates that money supply remains sufficient to support economic growth. Going forward, the BSP will continue to monitor liquidity in the financial system to ensure that monetary conditions remain consistent with the BSP’s objectives to maintain price and financial stability,” the Bangko Sentral said in a statement.

Domestic claims rose 12.4 percent in October from 12.7 percent in September. Credits to the private sector increased at a faster pace relative to the previous month. The bulk of bank loans during the month was channeled to key production sectors such as real estate activities, electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply; wholesale and retail trade, and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; financial and insurance activities; and construction.

Meanwhile, the net public sector credit rose 12.1 percent in October, slower than the 16.5-percent growth a month earlier.

The department bid out an initial supply and delivery of 3,000 e-trikes in May as part of the government’s Energy Efficient Electric Vehicles Project.

The first batch of the e-trikes are scheduled to be rolled out in the capital region and Region 4 A and 4B. Land Bank of the Philippines, as conduit of the ADB, will collect and repay the multilateral lending institution for the deployment of the e-trikes.

The project, largely financed by the ADB and the Clean Technology Fund totaling $500 million, will be implemented for five years.

The project is expected to insulate stakeholders from the price volatility of imported petroleum

products.

The project aims to deploy 100,000 e-trikes nationwide to replace the same number of traditional gasoline-fed tricycles, reduce the transport sector’s annual petroleum consumption by 2.8 percent (equivalent to 89.2 million liters) a year and achieve 79-percent carbon dioxide foot print avoidance.

Each e-trike unit features a 3-kWh lithium-ion rechargeable battery, can negotiate flat and uphill terrain and comfortably seat up to five passengers.

Energy is also studying the diversion of the planned second batch of bidding for electric tricycles to other types of e-vehicles to address the cost and bidding delays.

LBC Express may postpone share sale

By Jenniffer B. Austria LBC Express Holdings Inc., formerly Federal Resources Investments Group Inc., may postpone a planned share offering worth P829 million to the first quarter of 2016.

Former LBC Express chairman and current chief executive Santiago Araneta said in a chance interview over the weekend that the company was still awaiting the approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission before proceeding with the follow on-offering.

“Because of the Apec [meeting], the scheduling was postponed. We are still waiting for SEC to finalize the schedule but at this point, if they don’t schedule the presentation [this week], we will probably miss the next board meeting agenda. So I guess we

will probably get the approval after the year ends already,” Araneta said.

This means the offering period may take place in the first quarter of 2016.

“It should be no problem in the first quarter,” Araneta said.

LBC Express, according to the registration statement posted on its Web site, plans sell 69.1 million common shares, consisting of 10 million unissued common shares and 59.10 million in secondary shares owned by LBC Development, at a maximum price of P12 apiece.

The company plans to use proceeds from the follow-on to finance strategic acquisitions, organic expansion and general corporate purposes LBC Express has tapped Philippine Commercial Capital Inc. as the sole underwriter of the offering.

The LBC Group in July acquired a majority interest in Federal Resources, paving the way for the backdoor listing of the courier and freight forwarding services company LBC Express is the Philippines’ market leader in payments, remittance, courier products, mail, parcels and cargo logistics. It provides logistics services through a network of 1,000 branches nationwide.

The LBC Group has also set up branches in several locations in North America, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, Europe and Oceania.

LBC Express plans to add 100 branches over the next three years, as it remain positive about the growth of the industry.

Share price of LBC Express on Friday closed at P12.48 per share.

M O N D AY : D E C E M B E R 7, 2 0 1 5

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

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Q1 labor outlook less upbeat DMCI prepares another bond sale

By Jenniffer B. Austria DMCI Project Developers, Inc., the property unit of the Consunji Group, plans to issue another P500 million worth of fixed-rate retail bonds as an alternative saving instrument for future home buyers.

DMCI PDI chief finance officer Ramil Lombos said the company might sell the second tranche of the Home Saver bond in February next year, following the successful offering of the initial tranche worth P500 million.

Lombos said demand for the initial P500-million bond offering conducted last month fetched P650 million, signifying strong interest from the market.

The Home Saver Bonds is an interest-earning financial instrument that mainly targets retail investors who wish to set aside funds that may be used as full or partial downpayment to purchase units in any DMCI Homes development.

Lombos said SB Capital would remain the underwriter for the second tranche of bond sale, with the rates to be determined upon the issuance.

DMCI project issued the first tranche in November in three tranches. Tranche A bonds have minimum investment of P180,000, payable in equal monthly subscription payments of P5,000 over a period of three years The Tranche B bonds, meanwhile, have a minimum investment of P300,000 payable in equal monthly subscription payments over a period of five years.

The Tranche C bonds were issued one-time with a minimum investment of P180,000.

Tranche A and tranche C bonds both carry a fixed interest rate of 4.5 percent a year, while Tranche B Bonds have a fixed interest rate of 5 percent yearly.

By Julito G. Rada

THE employment outlook for the first quarter of 2016 declined, as more companies have no plans to expand their business operations, results of a survey conducted by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas show.

The Business Expectations Survey for the fourth quarter 2015 showed the employment outlook index for the next quarter decreased to 19.5 percent from 22.3 percent in the last quarter’s survey.

“This indicates that more firms will continue to hire new employees than those that said otherwise, although the number of new hires could decrease compared to the previous quarter’s survey,” the Bangko Sentral said.

The survey was conducted from Oct. 1 to Nov. 16, 2015 in-

volving 1,514 firms nationwide.

Companies in the construction and retail trade were less optimistic while those in the industry and services sectors were steady in their hiring intentions.

The percentage of businesses with expansion plans in the industry sector for the first quarter was broadly unchanged at 31.9 percent.

“This was largely driven by the steady outlook of the manufacturing sub-sector. All other industry sub-sectors recorded weaker expansion plans,” it said.

The survey showed domestic competition and insufficient demand remained the major risks to business operations as cited by respondents in the fourth quarter.

Around 52.6 percent of those surveyed cited domestic competition as the leading business constraint, while 26.6 percent of respondents mentioned insufficient demand leading to low sales volume.

“However, the percentage of businesses that identified the above-mentioned constraints continued to show a broadly declining trend. The easing of these business constraints could indicate that business conditions are improving,” the Bangko Sentral said.

The survey also showed that businesses were anticipating favorable macroeconomic fundamentals to prevail in the current and next quarters as respondents

continued to expect within-target inflation and stable exchange rates and interest rates.

More respondents expected inflation to increase for the current quarter compared with those who said otherwise. For the next quarter, respondents who expected inflation to go up outnumbered those that held the opposite view but the number that said so declined relative to the previous quarter.

Businesses expected the rate of increase in commodity prices to remain low at 2.1 percent for the fourth quarter of 2015 and 2.3 percent for the first quarter next year.

Inflation in the first 11 months stood at 1.4 percent, well within the government’s official target of 2 to 4 percent for the year.

Inflation in November rose to 1.1 percent from 0.4 percent in October.

DHL in Las Piñas.

Senator Cynthia Villar (left) opens a DHL Express South Service Center along the AlabangZapote Road in Las Piñas City.

The new facility is expected to cater to the growing logistics demand of customers and businesses in Pasay, Parañaque, and Las Piñas, considered a gateway for many industries such as electronics, semiconductors, and manufacturing.

The service center will also cater to the logistics needs of customers in Cavite, including businesses inside the Gateway Business Park in General Trias, Philippine Export Zone Authority in Rosario, and First Cavite Industrial Estate in Dasmariñas.

Consortium building mini-hydro plant in Camarines Sur

By Alena Mae S. Flores A CONSORTIUM composed of six companies will build a 1.5-megawatt mini-hydro power plant in Camarines Sur due for completion by 2018.

Mega Renewable Power Development, Viscal Development Corp., Brightvale Ventures, Greentech Asia, Ormin Power and Repower Energy Development Corp. broke ground on Friday for the Rangas mini hydro power project in the municipality of Goa, a group statement said.

The CamSur-based project of the consortium is set to produce

10 gigawatt-hours of energy annually, allowing the franchise area of Camarines Sur IV Electric Cooperative IV to gain direct access to clean and sustainable energy.

The mini-hydropower plant will generate savings for Casureco IV as it will purchase electricity directly from the consortium at a reduced rate of P5.75 per kilowatt-hour compared with the government regulated feedin tariff rate of P5.90 per kWh for hydro projects.

“As it is Repower’s mission to address the power outages around the country by supplying renewable energy, we have com-

mitted to reinvest part of our profit from the 1.5-MW Rangas mini hydropower plant back to said electric cooperative. With this, Casureco IV can improve their services to their consumers.” said Repower Energy chief executive Dexter Tiu. Casureco IV is officially registered and categorized as a large electric cooperative by the National Electrification Administration. The cooperative provides service power to nine municipalities with 258 barangays in the Camarines Sur’s fourth district.

“We have worked on this project since 2009, the permitting

process takes forever. It’s about time we commence construction and start generating power in the next 30 months,” Mega Renewable chairman Benson Lao said.

“This power generation project will benefit the consumers of Casureco IV. While its output may not be enough for the whole franchise area, it will provide for some reliability in cases when the national grid fails,” Lao said.

Lao, Jack Gaisano of Viscal Development Corp., Jolly Ting of Ormin Power, Keith Ng of Brightvale Ventures, James Chua of Greentech Asia and Dexter Tiu and Chris Tiu of

Repower Energy attended the groundbreaking ceremonies.

Repower Energy, meanwhile, recently acquired Philippine Power and Development Co., owner of the country’s three oldest operating mini-hydropower plants, in a bid to expand the output of the stations.

The company is allocating around P300 million for the rehabilitation, which includes renewal of the structural and civil works of the Balugbog, Calibato and Palapakin hydro plants. It plans to upgrade the Lagunabased low-impact hydro plants, with the latest run-of-river systems technology.

MONDAY: DECEMBER 7, 2015

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BUSINESS business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com

Globe to build $80-m cable hub Ethical business actions and poverty reduction P OV E RT Y alleviation is the main concern of MARIE ANNETTE many countries.

GALVEZ-DACUL Poverty is said to be an economic, social, cultural, political and moral phenomenon. Like the issue, its solutions are multi-faceted. It requires a collective action from governments, corporations, citizens, consumers, workers, investors and educators.

In the Philippines, poverty prevails in 25.8 percent of the population, and 80 percent of whom reside in the countryside.

Experts refer to poverty as an agriculture phenomenon which is caused by low farm productivity, poor diversification of the sector and limited value-adding in the agri-food chains.

A shameful condition The country’s poverty is more of a shameful condition than a pitiful one. It has not substantially improved since the 1990s.

There are lessons to be learned from the past experiences and current examples of its Asean peers who have been successful in reducing poverty through an inclusive strategy, responsive research and development, clear and consistent policies, quality rural infrastructure and sound resource allocation based on a recent book of University of Asia and the Pacific.

What can business do? The business sector is the main source of economic activity that aids reduction in poverty. According to UN Global Compact, business activity must be sustainable – “delivering value not just financially, but also in social, environmental and ethical terms.”

The part of ethics that has to do with business actions or practice “involves concern about the acceptability, or lack thereof, of business practices subject to what society considers as right or wrong at a particular time” as cited by Benjamin Maturu of UN Development Programme.

Pros and cons of ethical practices.

Ethical practices are commonly thought to be costly but in the long run, boost business profitability and growth. On the other hand, unethical business practices are instantly rewarding but have dire repercussions on the cost, reputation and competitiveness of the business. It also weakens the economy and in turn, impedes poverty reduction.

By and large, business actions are guided by sound vision, mission and goals but how they are carried out is the bone of contention. This is because moral constructs tend to the personal well-being rather than the common good.

Serving the general welfare Relatedly, there is need for ethical business actions in the aspects of labor hiring, employee treatment and compensation, working conditions as well as business procedures. It is one of the key holes to resolve the mother of all crimes that afflict our society. The book Ethics, the Heart of Leadership, cited R. Edward Freeman’s, an American philosopher and professor of business administration at the Darden School of the University of Virginia, assertion that “the purpose of all business, labor and work is to make life more secure, more stable, more equitable.

Business exists to serve more than itself. It cannot view itself as an isolated entity, unaffected by the demand of individuals and society.” As Henry Ford said, business is not making profit but serving the general welfare.

In the end, it always takes two to tango. The private sector can perform at its best when the public sector is in the same beat. The full potential of business is achieved with supportive policies, quality infrastructure and strong institutions. It is only fitting that government serve as a strong, capable and pro-active ally to achieve sustainable development.

GREEN LIGHT

Ms. Dacul is a Doctor of Business Administration student at De La Salle University. She is an Agribusiness Specialist at the University of Asia and the Pacific. She conducts research on food and agribusiness and teaches Business Statistics to undergraduate students. She obtained her BS and MS Agricultural Economics and BS Statistics at University of the Philippines Los Baños.

The views expressed above are the author’s and does not necessarily reflect the official position of De La Salle University, its administration, and faculty.

By Darwin G. Amojelar

GLOBE Telecom Inc. is building a new international cable landing station in Mindanao worth $80 million or P3.7 billion, as a part of a network redundancy plan to meet the growing demand of mobile and broadband services in the country.

The Ayala-led telecom company, in a filing with the National Telecommunications Commission, is seeking a provisional authority to install, operate and maintain an international cable landing station in Davao City.

“There is an urgent public need for immediate implementation of the proposed project that would warrant the immediate issuance of a provisional authority,” Globe said.

Globe said the Philippines urgently needed additional capacity for international services to address the growing demand brought about by the rapid growth of the cellular mobile telephone services leased line, Internet and other telecommunications services.

“Needless to say, this proposed cable landing system, which will bring to the fore the most modern and seamless telecommunications technology, will be a vital instrument in nation-building and economic recovery,” Globe said.

The international cable landing station in Davao is a part of the $250-million Southeast Asia-US undersea cable system, which will provide super latency, delivering an additional 20 terabits per second capacity and utilizing latest 100 gigabits per second transmission equipment.

Of the total investment, Globe will chip in $80 million for the project. Other members of the SEA-US consortium are PT Teleckomunikasi Indonesia In-

ternational (Telin), Telkom USA, GTI Corp. (a member of the Globe Group of companies), Ram Telecom International, Teleguam Holdings and Hawaiian Telecom.

The SEA-US cable project will be undertaken by NEC. The new undersea cable system is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2016.

“By routing south of the Philippines, the SEA-US system will avoid the disaster-prone Luzon Strait and thereby enhance the continuity of communications between the United States and Asia,” Globe said.

Linking five areas and territories that include Manado (Indonesia), Davao (Philippines), Piti (Guam), Oahu (Hawaii, United States) and Los Angeles (California, United States), the SEA-US project will be about 15,000 kilometers in length, providing route diversity from the North Pacific and avoiding earthquake prone areas in East Asia.

The SEA-US system will help satisfy the burgeoning demand for international connectivity not just in Indonesia and the Philippines, but also in other Southeast Asian countries.

National convergence. Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala (third from right), Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio delos Reyes (right) and German Embassy commercial counselor Adree Buhl (second from left) lead the opening of the National Convergence Initiative-Environment and Rural Development Program exhibit at the lobby of the Agriculture Department’s building. The products on exhibit include knowledge products in the fields of land use and planning, sustainable coastal resources, rural economy advancement through cash-for-work for households, LGU waste management, local flood early warning systems and comprehensive land use.

Angara asks govt to boost e-commerce

By Othel V. Campos SENATOR Juan Edgardo Angara urged the government to improve Internet service in the country to develop the local ecommerce industry and help micro, small and medium enterprises penetrate the global market.

“I think e-commerce is one sector beaming with potential which we have yet to tap. We are known to be big users of social media and given the amount of time we spend on the Web, Filipinos will no doubt embrace online shopping,” Angara said.

Angara, citing numbers from the Trade Department, said local buy and sell transactions coursed through the Internet were valued

at $1 billion in 2014, and were expected to double this year.

The Apec economic leaders who met in Manila identified e-commerce as one of the key strategies that could empower and help MSMEs participate in global commerce.

Alibaba billionaire founder Jack Ma, who participated in the Apec CEO Summit, shared how China’s e-commerce grew fast.

“When I talked to venture capitalists before, they said ‘no, e-commerce won’t work for China because infrastructure is too bad.’ But when Internet came, we made the infrastructure really work and sophisticated.

For many, e-commerce is just a dessert. In China, it is the main course,” Ma said.

Angara lamented the country’s poor Internet connection based on a 2015 study by Internet performance data provider Ookla, which showed that the Philippines had the secondslowest download speed among 22 countries in Asia, next to Afghanistan.

The Philippines, with an average of 3.64 megabit per second below the global average broadband speed of 23.3 mbps, was ranked 176th out of 202 countries in the world. Aside from being one of the slowest, Internet in the Philippines also emerged as one of the most expensive (61st), with an average value of $18.19 per mbps, exceeding the average global cost of $5.21.

M O N D AY : D E C E M B E R 7, 2 0 1 5

WORLD

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

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Mystery solved as treasure ship found CARTAGENA—Colombia says it has found the shipwreck of a storied Spanish galleon laden with gold, silver and precious stones, three centuries after it was sunk by the British in the Caribbean.

“This is the most valuable treasure that has been found in the history of humanity,” President Juan Manuel Santos declared on Saturday.

He was speaking from the northern port city of Cartagena, close to where experts made the hugely valuable find.

Treasure hunters had searched for the ship for decades, described by some as the holy grail of shipwrecks.

The loot is estimated to be worth around $2 billion, its value having dropped significantly due to the falling price of silver, according to US-based company Sea Search Armada.

SSA, whose subsidiary claimed in the early 1980s that it had found the galleon’s final resting place, was engaged in a long-running battle with the government of Colombia.

The find was not confirmed and a US court ultimately ruled it was Colombian property.

The San Jose has long been the source of fascination and popular legends, and even figures in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “Love in the Time of Cholera.”

Although they found plenty of other wrecks, the San Jose’s location had remained a mystery until now.

The San Jose was sunk in June 1708 near the Islas del Rosario, off Colombia’s Caribbean coast, during combat with British ships attempting to take its cargo, as part of the War of Spanish Succession.

The galleon was the main ship in a treasure fleet carrying gold, silver and other valuable items from Spain’s American colonies to King Philip V. Only a handful of the ship’s crew of 600 survived when the San Jose sank.

A team of Colombian and foreign researchers, including a veteran of the group that discovered the wreck of the Titanic in 1985, studied winds and currents of the Caribbean 307 years ago and delved into colonial archives in Spain and Colombia searching for clues.

Experts confirmed that they found the San Jose on November 27 “in a place never before referenced by previous research,” Santos said.

At least five other major shipwrecks were discovered when searching the ocean floor.

The experts confirmed that they located the San Jose, which was lying on its side, identifying it by its unique bronze cannons with engraved dolphins.

“The amount and type of the material leave no doubt of the identity” of the shipwreck, said Ernesto Montenegro, head of the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History.

There could be up to 1,000 shipwrecks off the Caribbean coast of Colombia, but of those only between six and 10 had a large cargo of treasures, anthropologist Fabian Sanabria told AFP. AFP

Race. Participants paddle past during a paddle-boat race on the River Seine in Paris, on December 6, 2015. AFP

Cash-poor Venezuela votes in tense election CARACAS—Venezuelans vote Sunday in tense elections that could see the opposition seize legislative power from the socialist government and which leaders fear may spark violence in the oil-rich, cashpoor nation.

With the country suffering from soaring inflation and poverty, a broad opposition coalition is vying to gain control of the National Assembly and force a change of course by anti-US leader Nicolas Maduro.

That could mark a potential political shift in the Latin American country of 30 million, which has the world’s biggest oil reserves but also widespread poverty.

However, it could lead to political deadlock and even a repeat of riots that killed 43 people last year, analysts and political leaders warn.

After 16 years under late president Hugo Chavez and his handpicked successor Maduro, the vote is widely seen as a referendum on their economic policies.

“We will win!” Maduro bellowed at a rally

this week, dismissing his opponents as “lazy and inept”.

He and Chavez invested the country’s vast oil wealth in projects to build homes, roads and schools.

But since the mustachioed former bus driver was elected after Chavez’s death in 2013, the revolution has faltered as oil prices have plunged.

Families are suffering shortages of basic supplies such as flour and diapers. Soaring inflation has slashed their spending power.

Surveys by Venezuelan pollsters Datanalisis and Venebarometro have indicated the broad opposition coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable, is likely to win a majority of the vote.

But it was unclear exactly how ballots would translate into seats under the system of electoral constituencies, which is considered to favor the government side.

Maduro’s critics have accused him of rigging the system of voting districts in his favor. He has dismissed them as stooges of “Yankee imperialism”.

International authorities have criticized Maduro for not letting foreign observers monitor the poll.

“What we all want is a clean and transparent election,” said former Colombian president

Andres Pastrana.

“We hope the opposition will publicly agree to accept the results peacefully,” he added, after meeting with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez.

Rodriguez vowed voting would go ahead normally.

“We are a few hours away from elections, with electoral authorities guaranteeing that the Venezuelan people will exercise their popular will,” she said.

Polls were due to open at 1030 GMT and close at 2230 GMT. First results are not expected before 0230 GMT Monday.

Authorities said 19 million people are eligible to vote and thousands of soldiers will be deployed to keep order.

An opposition win could herald a broader shift in Latin America, where Argentina’s leftist government lost a presidential election last month.

But analysts said Venezuela’s vote will be less decisive, and potentially volatile, since opposition parties have little in common beyond their disdain for Maduro.

His term as president runs until 2019, unless the opposition wins a big enough majority to force him out by constitutional means. AFP

29 still missing after oil-rig fire in Azerbaijan BAKU—Azerbaijan was on Sunday searching for 29 missing oil workers after a storm caused their offshore oil rig to catch fire, as the president ordered a day of mourning.

Two people have been confirmed dead since the accident on Friday evening, one of whom was found early Sunday, said a joint statement by state energy firm SOCAR and the emergency ministry.

Rescue workers managed to evacuate 33 people from the rig, where they had been hanging in lifeboats (35 feet above the stormy waters.

A source in the administration of President Ilham Aliyev told AFP that Sunday had been designated as a day of national mourning.

“Flags will be at half-mast in Azerbaijan as well as its diplomatic missions in other countries,” he said.

“Entertainment events and television concert programs have been canceled,” he added.

The storm had on Friday damaged a gas line on platform number 10 in the deepwater Guneshli section of the Azeri-ChiragGuneshli offshore oil field, causing a fire, SOCAR said in a statement.

Prosecutors on Saturday

opened an inquiry into possible “breaches of fire safety regulations”.

The Guneshli deposits were discovered in 1981 in the south Caspian Sea, some 90 kilometres (55 miles) east of the Azeri capital Baku.

The deepwater Guneshli section of the project began oil production in 2008. Platform number 10 is operated solely by SOCAR. A mainly Muslim country of nine million wedged between Russia and Iran, Azerbaijan is a key partner in projects to deliver Caspian Sea energy reserves to the West through pipelines to

Turkey, bypassing Russia.

There have been a number of fatal incidents on offshore oil rigs in recent years.

In 2011, a drilling platform sank in a storm off Russia’s far eastern coast, killing 53 people.

In 2010, an explosion on the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig killed 11 workers and sent millions of barrels of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico.

The deadliest incident in recent decades occurred in the North Sea in 1988, when the Piper Alpha oil platform operated by the USbased Occidental Petroleum exploded, killing 167 people. AFP

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B8 France’s far-right tipped to win polls PARIS—France’s far-right National Front is widely predicted to take a step towards gaining control of at least one region for the first time, as polls opened Sunday three weeks after jihadist attacks in Paris left 130 people dead.

Around 44 million people are eligible to vote, with France under tight security and in a state of emergency following the country’s worst-ever terror attacks, which have thrust the FN’s anti-immigration and often Islamophobic message to the fore.

First projections are expected at 1900 GMT with FN leader Marine Le Pen on course to top the poll in the economically-depressed NordPas-de-Calais-Picardie region in the north, once a bastion of the left.

Her 25-year-old niece Marion Marechal-Le Pen seems to be heading for an equally strong score in the vast southeastern ProvenceAlpes-Cote d’Azur region that includes beaches thronged by sunseekers in the summer.

Opinion polls give the FN between 27 percent and 30 percent of the vote in the first round, a similar score to the center-right Republicans led by former president Nicolas Sarkozy.

President Francois Hollande, who will cast his vote Sunday morning in Evry, to the south of Paris, has seen his personal ratings surge as a result of his hardline approach since the Paris attacks.

However, his Socialist party has not enjoyed a similar boost, and is languishing at around 22 percent of the vote.

The FN is also expected to compete for power in the eastern Alsace-Champagne-ArdennesLorraine region that borders Belgium and Germany, according to polls by Ipsos and Odoxa.

Analysts predicted the FN could take all three regions in the second round on December 13—if traditional parties refuse to join forces against them.

Victory would not only put the party at the head of a regional government for the first time, but would also give Marine Le Pen a springboard for her presidential bid in 2017. AFP

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD Obama to make rare prime-time address WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama will make a rare prime-time address to the nation Sunday laying out how he will keep Americans safe and defeat the Islamic State group, days after 14 people were shot dead in California.

Ceremony. Charlotte Casiraghi, the daughter of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, takes part in the podium ceremony for the equestrian Jumping Grand Slam event Longines Masters on December 5, 2015, in Villepinte outside Paris. AFP

Obama declared Saturday that the United States “will not be terrorized,” as IS praised the couple behind a mass shooting in San Bernardino as “soldiers” of its self-proclaimed caliphate.

“We are Americans. We will uphold our values—a free and open society,” Obama said in his weekly radio address.

Investigators are combing over evidence and looking into the background of Syed Farook, 28, and his 29-year-old Pakistani wife Tashfeen Malik, the pair who opened fire at a social services center during a holiday party on Wednesday.

The FBI said federal agents raided a property in Riverside, California, but declined to provide the address.

NBC News reported that the FBI had searched the home of Enrique Marquez, a friend of Farook’s who originally bought the assault rifles used in the shooting but who is not considered a suspect.

“I heard the windows crashing, the garage door being torn, doors being broken down, you know, they were forcing their way in,” neighbor Freddy Escamilla told AFP. In his address from the Oval Office on Sunday at 8:00 pm (0100 GMT Monday), Obama will try to reassure Americans in the wake of the shooting, which the FBI is investigating as a possible act of terrorism.

The massacre, if proven to be terror-related, would be the deadliest such assault on American soil since the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The last time Obama gave an Oval Office address was in August 2010 to mark the end of US combat operations in Iraq.

He will give an update on the investigation and “will also discuss the broader threat of terrorism, including the nature of the threat, how it has evolved, and how we will defeat it,” a White House statement said.

“He will reiterate his firm conviction that ISIL [IS] will be destroyed and that the United States must draw upon our values—our unwavering commitment to justice, equality and freedom—to prevail over terrorist groups that use violence to advance a destructive ideology.” AFP

Bus and train crash kills 16 in Indonesia JAKARTA—A collision between a commuter train and a minibus on a level crossing in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Sunday killed at least 16 people and injured several others, an official said.

“There were 24 people inside the minibus, 16 people died including the driver, the rest are still being treated at hospitals,” Jakarta police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal told AFP. The transport ministry spokesman J.A. Barata told AFP that a team from the ministry and the National Transportation Safety

Committee would be deployed to investigate the cause of the crash, the spokesman added.

Eva Chairunisa, a spokeswoman for train operator Kereta Commuter Line, said the accident happened shortly before 9am when a train slammed into a packed minibus as it crossed a railway line in the north of the city.

The bus drove past a closed gate at the level crossing before it was hit, she said.

“No one on the train was hurt in the accident but several bus passengers died,” she told AFP.

Chairunisa said the train driver followed standard procedures and sounded the horn to warn the bus before the accident happened.

The line was partially closed following the collision.

Transport accidents are common in Jakarta, where roads are heavily congested and buses and trains are often old and badly maintained.

In 2013 seven people were killed and scores more injured when a commuter train collided with a fuel tanker at a level crossing in Jakarta and burst into flames. AFP

Terrorist incident. A television crew broadcasts from outside Leytonstone station in north London on December 6, 2015. Police were called to reports of people being attacked at Leytonstone on December 5, 2015. The police have said that they are considering a knife attack the previous evening as a “ terrorist incident”. 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

E AT, DRINK , T R AV EL

LIFE Understanding the urban Filipinos’ distinct dining preferences, Max’s Group, Inc. is now venturing into the lifestyle hotspot that is Burgos Circle in Bonifacio Global City to introduce Burgos Eats, its pioneering shared space, multi-format dining concept

BURGOS EATS AT BGC: Redefining the dining experience

BY BING PAREL

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ifferent strokes for different folks. Or so it’s said, and this also holds true when it comes to dining preferences or options.

I should know – dining out is sometimes a dilemma as my tween would rather stick to pizza and pasta; I am biased for Japanese food while hubby’s preferences can be quite unpredictable.

An easy solution would be to go to a mall and settle for the food court – but you sacrifice the private restaurant ambience you crave for with the relaxed atmosphere that allows you to engage in a conversation. After some deliberation (sometimes not without its tense moments), you decide to go to a resto – but if you so much as bring in a smoothie from another establishment, chances are you either get disapproving looks or are “gently” reminded that they do not allow outside food to be brought in – which could ruin the dining experience even before it begins.

All that is about to change with Burgos Eats – a lifestyle hotspot in Burgos Circle at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig with its pioneering concept of multi-format dining in a shared space.

Origami artist Boyet Cruz teaching the art of folding paper into different shapes

The spacious communal area can accommodate big groups of friends Continued on C4

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Burgos Eats allows MGI – the largest casual dining operator in the country – to go beyond its individual stores and create a venue where a community of diners can interact with each other and some of the company’s loved food brands, such as Yellow Cab, Pancake House, Teriyaki Boy, Krispy Kreme, and Jamba Juice

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

The Glenlivet is a favorite brand for Scotch lovers

@LIFEatStandard

The Distillery

The Glenlivet Becomes The World's Number One Single Malt Scotch Whisky

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he Glenlivet Scotch brand is perhaps one of the favorite go-to brands for whisky. A popular bottle for any occasion, the public’s clamor for the brand just made The Glenlivet the world’s largest single malt Scotch whisky brand by volume, according to IWSR 2014 figures.

Its heritage and commitment to product quality and innovation has always been the reason why Scotch connoisseurs are drawn to the brand.

The Glenlivet has been the largest contributor to the growth of the sector in the past five years (IWSR 2014) and in September 2014, the brand passed the one million cases per annum milestone.

“In response to consumer demand, we are delivering ever more innovative styles of whisky and more engagement. The Glenlivet has proudly led the category on these fronts and I am honored to add leadership in volume sales to this list of achievements,” says Laurent Lacassagne, chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers.

The company leaving a legacy recently held a of whisky from whisky tasting in the past to future Manila to celebrate drinkers.” its recognition During the event, of becoming the Hoise let the media world’s number guests taste a flight one single malt of The Glenlivet Scotch whisky.

12 Year Old, The International Glenlivet 15 Year Brand Ambassador Old French Oak of Chivas Brothers Reserve, and The Ltd., Darren Hoise, The Glenlivet portfolio: 12 YO, 15 YO, 18 YO, Nadurra Cask Glenlivet 18 Year hosted the gathering Strength, 21 YO, and 25 YO Old. The Glenlivet and explained to the media and guests the 12 Year Old is an affordable bottle with a very intricacies and notes of The Glenlivet line. good quality Scotch. Its notes smell of sweet Rich in heritage – The Glenlivet is the first creamy vanilla, honey, pineapple, vanilla, licensed distillery in the Livet valley at the pressed apples and a little cinnamon; the taste heart of Scotland’s Speyside region. Since it in the palate has hints of apples and other was founded in 1824, the brand has been fruity notes and finally finishes with almonds dubbed as “The single malt that started it all.” as you swallow. The 15 Year Old bottle is a “It is a very modern brand with a very little peppery compared to the entry level 12; strong history,” says Hoise. “The Glenlivet the nose is very rich and oaky with a spicy brand has a strong legacy and it’s all about finish. The Glenlivet 18 Year Old offers wisps

of smoke but exudes a taste of sultanas, toasty cereals, herbs, and finishes with a woody spicy note. Hoise also opened The Glenlivet 16 Year Old Nadurra, and it was one of the crowd favorites. It starts off strong given it’s a cask strength, but as long as you get past the strong alcohol introduction, the next swig is actually very sweet and lingering.

The Glenlivet continues to broaden its portfolio to deliver more innovative styles for whisky lovers old and new. “As we look to the future, we will continue to broaden The Glenlivet range and to further drive consumer engagement, while keeping the legacy of George Smith’s commitment to quality and craftsmanship alive. We will also continue to invest in The Glenlivet Distillery, increasing capacity to meet future demand and to maintain the same high level of standards for which our whiskies are renowned,” says Lacassagne.

For more information, visit www.theglenlivet. com or follow them on Twitter at @TheGlenlivet.

SEAL IT WITH A KISS

BY WEIZEL GULFAN

H

oliday cheers are coming and with it come the holiday madness. Well, if you can’t beat it, relax, take some time to breathe, and grab a piece of chocolate. It’s a lot like “love” – if it doesn’t work immediately, you just have to simply increase the dosage.

A box of premium classic confection, particularly chocolate, is still, and perhaps, will always be the go-to treat for Christmas. This year, Hersheys puckered up its iconic favorite Kisses by making it bigger and filling it with crunchy hazelnuts. To make it extra special for the person you’re gifting it to, attach an old fashioned hand-written note on your gift box and seal it with a Kiss. Now with 87 percent more chocolate, the new Kisses can leave a mark on everyone’s heart.

To celebrate the launch of the new Kisses, Hersheys collaborated with renowned photographer Jake Verzosa in an exhibit to showcase the famous kiss mark on a few of the most sought-after influencers like top model Georgina Wilson, designer Cecile Van Straten, stylist Rex Atienza, blogger Laureen Uy and Azkals’ Anton Del Rosario.

Hersheys also used the romance of calligraphy to turn simple messages to real tokens of sentiments for every box sold during the launch, making the new Kisses Gold a premium gift option for the holiday season.

Kisses Gold De Luxe is available in all leading supermarkets and Hypermarkets.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY’S BEST MERCURY RISING

BY BOB ZOZOBRADO

The stiff competition among the industry’s workforce, brought about by the continued increase in tourist arrivals, has revealed outstanding personalities in the field of hospitality who need to be recognized for their exemplary job performance. Over a recent one-week period, two of the leading industry organizations in the country gave out awards to carefully selected individuals who, in every measure, represent the best of our hospitality industry.

The Association of Human Resources Managers in the Hospitality Industry (AHRM) hosted the 20th edition of the Mabuhay Awards, the Oscars of the industry, honoring the best of the workforce. It is also meant to promote a culture of excellence in the workplace, further boosting the Filipino brand of hospitality.

A total of 51 finalists went through the rigorous judging process several months earlier: nine for the Heart of the House, 14 for the Front of the House, 15 for the Supervisor, and 13 for the Manager.

My esteemed colleagues from various sectors of the Tourism industry were asked to judge and choose the winner for each category. I was one of those who selected the best in the Front of the House category.

The winners were: Ivan Camasura, Purchasing Assistant of Radisson Blu Cebu, in the Heart of the House Category; Kim Aldrin Sarimo, Guest Service Agent of Century Park Hotel, in the Front of the House Category; Rodel Angeles, Room Service Supervisor of Sofitel Philippine Plaza, in the Supervisor Category; and Mark Panerio, Director of Security of Sofitel Philippine Plaza, in the Manager Category.

Of course, the most coveted award for the evening was the Mabuhay Gold Award, given to an individual who has made a significant impact in the Hospitality industry. This year, the distinct honor went to Atty. Roberto P. Laurel, owner of The Bayleaf Intramuros which has enhanced the tourism value of The Walled City, and the soon-to-open The Bayleaf Cavite. Atty. Laurel is also president of the Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU)Manila, Cavite and Makati campuses.

The College of International Tourism and Hospitality Management of the LPU-Manila campus is the biggest Tourism and Hospitality Education school in Asia.

AHRM was founded in 1974 by four Human Resource officers from the then Manila Hilton, Hyatt Regency Manila, Hotel

Reynoso Intertas Jr, Public Relations Assistant for Digital Media and Graphics of Diamond Hotel won in the Marketing Associate Category

Kim Aldrin Sarino (center), Guest Service Agent of Century Park Hotel, won in the Front of the House Category

That’s me and Rose Libongco (Chairperson, Virtus Awards), Margie Munsayac (Pres., HSMA) Mark Heywood (GM, New World Manila Bay), Jane Paulino (Dir. of Sales & Mktg., New World Manila Bay), The colorful intermission number at the Christine Ibarreta (Sec. Gen., HSMA & Virtus Awards) Mabuhay Awards

Atty. Roberto P. Laurel, with wife Jojo, is this year’s Mabuhay Gold Awardee

Intercontinental Manila and the Philippine Village Hotel. Today, it has 64 corporate members, four individual members and six lifetime members.

Two days after the AHRM event, the prestigious Virtus Awards of the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA) reeled off for the first time. It is a multicategory initiative that recognizes and rewards sales and marketing professionals in the hotel industry for their transformative power of creativity, innovation and excellence.

Thirty-two finalists competed for three individual and one team awards. The individual awards covered positions within the Sales and Marketing Department of the hotel while the team award cited the Marketing Campaign of the Year which is built around a single, unified theme, and uses at least two different types of media.

Senior leaders of the Travel and Tourism industry served as judges and I was one of those who chose Reynoso Intertas Jr., Public Relations Assistant for Digital Media

and Graphics, as the winner for the Marketing Associate Category.

Melissa Villamayor, Senior Sales Manager of Sofitel Philippine Plaza, won for the Supervisor category, while Cielo Reboredo, Director of Sales and Marketing of Midas Hotel and Casino, won for the Manager category. EDSA Shangri-La’s “Total Wellness at EDSA ShangriLa, Manila” was chosen as the Marketing Campaign of the Year.

For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrdo@gmail.com

YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE:

This trio of tenors, called Primo, provided musical intermission at the Virtus Awards

Maria, a devout Catholic, got married and had 10 children. After her first husband died, she remarried and had 10 more children. A few weeks after her second husband died, Maria also passed away. At Maria’s funeral, the priest looked skyward and said, “At last, they’re finally together.” Maria’s sister sitting in the front row said, “Excuse me, Father, who do you mean? She and her first husband, or she and her second husband?”

The priest replied, “I mean her legs.”

WESTERN WITH A TWIST AT RELIK RESTAURANT AND BAR

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omfort food that is effortlessly good. This is a constant that has always impressed diners at Relik Restaurant and Bar from its inception as the swanky ‘it’ lounge that featured DJs and drew the metro’s grooving party-goers, to its growth as a go-to hangout where one can relax and chill with family and friends.

The dining joint at BGC has also become a mainstay for lunch goers with hearty specials and classics

Chef Benjo Tuason with Bruno Menard, a judge of MasterChef Asia

like the chorizig (Relik’s take on the sisig dish topped with chorizo bits), the gambas made from fresh shrimp and especially made chili blend, and the house nachos made with homemade tortilla chips.

A welcome addition for regulars and newcomers alike would be the newly created Western fare with a touch of Filipino provisions including appetizers like grilled chicken nachos and bacon in a bucket; soups of shrimp bisque and pumpkin soup; Caesar and chicken fajita salad for greens; a roster of burgers; meaty mains like chicken, beef belly, callos and even cochinillo available upon pre-order; pasta choices; and delectable desserts like churros, baked mango crepe, and Milo dinosaur cheesecake.

Chef Benjo Tuason, the culinary whiz behind Relik’s classics, describes the restaurant offers as familiar dishes that are not intimidating. “We like to keep our dishes effortlessly good. No matter how many trends there are

in food at the moment, nothing beats simple food, with the right ingredients, done properly and executed well,” he said.

Friends can unwind with cocktails and their mocktails counterpart in several varieties such as margarita (lime, peach, and mango) and mojito (lychee, mango, lime) and a choice of red or white sangria while relishing good food and live entertainment from acoustic performances and live bands.

Relik’s interiors also reflect its penchant for the familiar and comfortable. Inside are a visual combination of brick walls, wooden floors and furniture, and leather upholstery that create a warm ambiance. A collection of old and new memorabilia accents and décor add to the nostalgic and rustic feel of the dining place.

An unlikely and delicious find at the generally corporate and commercial space of CommerCenter Building in BGC, Relik’s location offers convenience for its driving customers.

Appetizers

“We wanted to convey something that said ‘good food’ and ‘hangout.’ We wanted the focus to be on the food and to give people a place to get together and kick back,” Chef Benjo shared.

“The crowd who was at Relik when we first started are still our customers now. One can say they have grown with us. They’re the people who are out and about all the time and we want to give them someplace they can enjoy and take it easy,” he added.

It’s certainly no surprise why Relik continues to be a favorite events

White Sangria

place and a preferred choice for intimate corporate events, exclusive launches and personal occasions of customers who have grown and evolved with the resto-bar.

Relik Restaurant and Bar is located at the 2nd Floor, CommerCenter Building, 31st Street corner 4th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. For inquiries, reservations, promos and band schedules, contact mobile number 0917 529 8333/ Check out on Twitter and IG: @relik_manila and Facebook: relikmanila.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

A BAR OF ONE’S OWN TIPPLE TALES

BY ICY MARIÑAS The incessant Christmas carols playing in malls, public transportation, and your neighbors’ speakers in a loop that will end well after New Year’s Day should be big enough clues that the Christmas Season is upon us (though the carols started playing in September, way earlier than necessary). I figured that this would be the perfect time to give some tips on how to set up your own bar at home, since there will be a lot of celebrating going on.

There are several advantages to having your very own home bar. You don’t have to worry about driving or getting home, because you’re already there. You are in your own turf and you call the shots; you can play whatever music you want and not have to wait in line or rub shoulders with people you don’t like. (Aaah.

Power is intoxicating, isn’t it?)

For the ladies, you no longer have to wear sexy yet painful shoes (unless it’s a theme of some sort: sadistic footwear night) and for parents, this allows you to still enjoy adult fun in the confines of your home while the children are asleep (your friends can no longer call you killjoys for not partying anymore). Also, if you have

someone you’ve been eyeing, you can invite them to your party and it might be much easier to convince them to go home with you since you guys are already there (yay, efficiency).

Kidding aside, drinking at home is definitely cheaper.

So whether you invite your friends over to pregame before heading to the clubs or have a full on holiday shindig, here are the basics you need to set up your home bar.

STORAGE

You need a place to hold your precious goods. If you have the space, a bar cart or trolley would look quite inviting. If you don’t want to spring for a new cart, you can find your own vintage piece at secondhand shops (the ones in Evangelista St. is a good start), or estate/garage sales.

But if you have limited space and/ or budget, you can just set it up on a tray on your kitchen counter, or a sturdy bookshelf, or on top of a console table.

UTENSILS

You don’t need all the bells and whistles to craft a good cocktail at home. If you’re setting the foundation of your set, get the essentials: a jigger (the long ones are more precise than the wider ones), corkscrew, handheld citrus press, citrus peeler (for garnishes), bar spoon, muddler, Hawthorne strainer (the one that has the springs), a paring knife, and a cocktail shaker (there are several types, professionals prefer the 2-piece type, but three pcs. cobbler shakers

are just as fine). Start with the basics and add on to it as you progress.

GLASSWARE

For your first set of glasses, maybe you can go for something more versatile and durable, like a set of rock glasses and highball glasses. People will still enjoy your concoctions regardless of whether or not it is served in the proper glass. You can use wacky glasses as well; this will make your cocktails more fun. Old jam jars, tin cans, old teacups, beakers, the list goes on and on. If you can afford it, by all means get some crystal stemware as well. Secondhand and vintage shops might also be a treasure-trove for oneof-a-kind glassware.

GARNISHES

Garnishes are an important part of any drink. The basic garnishes are citrus (lemon, lime, calamansi, orange), mint and one of my favorites… the sexy cucumber. You can prep them ahead of time and store them in your fridge so that when it’s time to party, you’re good to go. You can go even a step further by showing off or presenting your fruit garnishes on a nice dish that can hold crushed ice and display them on top.

Since it’s the holiday season, you can also get garnishes for the holiday drinks you might want to make: like little candy canes you can find in the supermarket, or crush some peppermint candies and rim your glasses with them.

MIXERS

Mixers make all spirits more palatable, it enhances a cocktail and is always non-alcoholic. As for mixers, you can’t go wrong with club soda, tonic, water, cola, ginger ale and fresh juices.

BITTERS

If you’re feeling like you want to step this up, get some bitters. They are great at adding sex appeal to cocktails, even if it is just a drop.

Bitters can transform a good drink into a great one. Angostura bitters is the most versatile. There are so many great brands and flavors, but hard to find in Manila. Bitter Truth is sometimes available. Check Booze Online.

SWEETENER / SYRUPS

You must add a sweetener or syrup in your drink. It helps with the texture and balances the taste of your cocktail (balance of sweet and sour), also enhances flavor. You can make your own simple syrup by dissolving equal parts of water and sugar over heat (it will keep for several weeks in the fridge). You can also do two parts sugar and one part water as well. Not to make the drinks sugar heavy, but to balance the sour ratios to their proper place and lessen added water. If you wan to get fancy, you can flavor your syrups with vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, etc. (This calls for another article just dedicated to this topic I know.)

BOOZE / SPIRITS / LIQUEUR / VERMOUTH

The most important part of any bar.

This area will evolve with time so it’s best to start with the standards: vodka, rum, gin, whisky, bourbon.

Tequila. Buy what you like to drink.

It is your bar and you are its most frequent customer. Also, this is the opportunity for you to share what you enjoy and your personal tastes with your guests. You can master a particular cocktail and wow your guests. While a versatile bar with variety of spirits is impressive, you

can build on that later on. Plus, if you throw more parties, you’ll receive more host/hostess gifts of liquor. Tell them… “Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker.” And the partying cycle continues!

You don’t have to go top shelf either. There are solid brands out there that won’t cost an arm and a leg that will suit your home entertaining needs. Just remember premium spirits give you less hangovers.

I would also recommend getting a book to help you out. Harry Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Book is a classic book that features 750 of the most popular recipes from The American Bar in London’s Savoy Hotel and still influences today’s cocktail menus. My other favorite cocktail books, vintage and modern: PDT, Imbibe, How to Mix Drinks, The Joy of Mixology. There are so many, pick what engages you most.

My main advice is to start small and build up gradually.

Setting up a home bar is more of a marathon than a sprint. Get quality ingredients for the drinks you enjoy and can make well. When you’re more experienced, you can expand to make new cocktails. The most important thing is to have fun. You’ll find that having happy hour at home can be as satisfying and enjoyable as your favorite bar.

For more information and questions, I am always happy to help. Drop me a line or drop by my bars and share a cocktail or two. Add me on IG: @sanvicentegirl or email me at tippletales@gmail.com. Cheers!

BURGOS EATS AT BGC From C1

All of 2,000 square meters, Burgos Eats houses five different brands under the country’s foremost casual dining operator Max’s Group Inc. – namely Yellow Cab, Pancake House, Teriyaki Boy, Krispy Kreme and Jamba Juice – giving diners diverse flavors and options to choose from, plus the kind of vibe they prefer at the moment.

For instance, if you want something akin to a vibrant New York mood, then you head to Yellow Cab. Or go for the friendly Japanese ambience at Teriyaki Boy, the sweet feelings evoked

by Krispy Kreme, the healthy feel of Jamba Juice or the homey air evoked

by Pancake House.

“We want to break the barriers down on how people experience dining and enjoy food, because we were trained that a lot of it is bawal (not allowed),” says Jim Fuentebella, MGI’s executive director for Marketing, during our conversation at Pancake House. “At Burgos Eats, we want people to enjoy the experience; it doesn’t matter if you just buy a cup of coffee or thousands worth for a celebration,” he adds.

One interesting feature of Burgos Eats is the freedom and flexibility

that the shared space concept allows.

“If you want a smoothie from Jamba Juice, you can just walk over to Jamba which is just a few steps away and bring your drink here to Pancake House; they will not tell you that ‘it’s not allowed.’ And if the waiters are not so busy, you can ask them to get something for you from Teriyaki Boy or Yellow Cab,” Jim shares.

A centerpiece of the place is the spacious communal area with several tables that can accommodate big groups of friends, who can even turn the space into an event or party place.

In fact, the launch of Burgos Eats felt like one huge party with people milling around, enjoying the sounds provided by a band with a female sax player while a Krispy Kreme booth delighted diners because it challenged them to design their own doughnuts. A crowd favorite – especially among the kids – was the origami table where Boyet Cruz taught the art of folding paper into different animal shapes.

Describing himself as a “frustrated architect,” Jim reveals that turning the concept into actual reality took about one-year-and-a-

Yellow Cab perfectly captures the vibrant mood of New York, where some of the best pizzas can be found. The interiors contain elements that remind customers of New York – the yellow taxicabs, the pizza, and the overall scenery

An interesting feature of Burgos Eats is the freedom and the flexibility that diners can enjoy within the shared space

half – but the results all make up for the birth pains as the company’s foray into a culinary-lifestyle hub gives it an edge against the rest of the competition.

“Everything from the interiors to the design for each brand was well thought out. We wanted to retain the character for each brand, so Pancake House has lower ceilings because it gives the feeling of protection a house gives, while

Krispy Kreme is designed to be simple, convenient, and straightforward. Part of this convenience is the drive-through facility that allows customers on-thego to get a serving of Krispy Kreme treats without having to park and line-up in the store

Yellow Cab on the other side has an industrial feel,” he explains.

Asked about plans to bring this same kind of novel dining experience to other communities and hubs, Jim says they are looking at the Quezon City and Manila areas. That’s certainly something to look forward to.

Max’s Group, Inc. currently has a network of over 500 stores in the

country and more than 30 international stores in the US, Canada, Middle East and Southeast Asia. Its family of restaurants include Max’s Restaurant, Max’s Corner Bakery, Pancake House, Yellow Cab, Teriyaki Boy, Dencio’s, Singkit, Kabisera, Sizzlin’ Steak, Le Coeur de France and Maple. The company also operates international food brands, Krispy Kreme and Jamba Juice. To know more, visit www.maxsgroupinc.com

M ONDAY : DECEMBER 7 : 2015

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

C5

Experts in the fields of science, history, academics, and theology piece together the life of the man known as the Son of God in The Jesus Code

Watch as Kurenai, an all-girl group displaying the synchronized rhythms of Taiko drumming, subject themselves to rigorous training from the masters of this traditional Japanese art in Heart of Taiko

This December, History treats you to special episodes of popular reality shows Storage Wars and Pawn Stars

On Lifetime this December, count down the days to Christmas via feel-good made-for-TV movies like Gift Wrapped, The Fiancé Claus, and The Flight Before Christmas, leading up to that most wonderful time of the year

‘Son of God’ in the SpotliGht

B

orn on Christmas Day over 2,000 years ago as Catholics around the world believe, Jesus of Nazareth is now the center of a fascinating study that attempts to uncover what became of him after his crucifixion and death.

Using state-of-the-art technology and physical evidence of his existence—the Shroud of Turin, relics venerated as part of the True Cross, the Gospel of Judas, relics said to be of John the Baptist,

and the Gospel of Mary—experts in the fields of science, history, academics, and theology piece together the life of the man known as the Son of God in The Jesus Code. Part documentary, part real-life drama, History’s newest and most intriguing series debuts 9 p.m. on Dec. 21.

Drama unfolds as well for three Chinese-Malaysian teenage girls coming of age in History Asia’s Heart of Taiko (Dec. 13 at 10 p.m.). As ambassadors of the syn-

chronized drum playing of Taiko, the girls collectively known as Kurenai willingly subject themselves to rigorous training from the masters of this traditional Japanese art. Guided by their passionate teacher as well as a member of a 400-year-old family of drum makers, the girls of Kurenai learn the commitment necessary to hold their own and perform alongside elite drum players and before a live audience of discriminating drum enthusiasts.

Also this December, History has special episodes of popular reality shows Storage Wars and Pawn Stars. On Dec. 24 at 8 p.m., Storage Wars Christmas Special sees the buyers participate in a white elephant exchange gift for charity that gets pretty competitive.

Meanwhile, a Best of Pawn Stars Special on Dec. 28 at 9 p.m. takes the audience behind the counters of the bustling Las Vegas pawnshop and the three generations of men who run it.

Grandfather Richard, dad Rick, and son Corey Harrison haggle for a mint condition 1967 Ford Shelby GT 350, an $85,000 Gibson guitar once owned by Stephen Stills, and a 1940s Texan Fighter Plane, then decide whether a painting by Claude Monet and memorabilia from the Beatles are fake or for real.

History™ is available on SKYCable Ch 67; Cable Link Ch. 44; Dream Satellite Ch 30; Destiny Cable Ch 57; and Cignal Ch 118.

‘MasterChef asia’ finale on lifetiMe

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ho will be crowned the first-ever winner of MasterChef Asia?

And has intrepid American zoologist Jackson Oz finally found the antidote to end animal attacks on a global scale?

Find out the answers to these and more this December on Lifetime.

After team challenges, mystery box challenges, pressure tests, and the constant scrutiny of judges Susur Lee, Bruno Menard, and Audra Morrice, reality cooking show MasterChef Asia reaches its season finale 9 p.m. on Dec. 10.

Likewise coming to a close on Dec. 24 at 10 pm is Zoo, the thriller based on James Patterson’s book about animals gone wild—and the people who can stop this pandemic. Led by rene-

gade zoologist Jackson Oz (James Wolk of Mad Men and The Crazy Ones), the mission to end deadly animal behavior takes Oz through a series of twists and turns—including emergency surgery and heart-raising obstacles.

Also on Lifetime, count down the days to Christmas via feelgood made-for-TV movies leading up to that most wonderful time of the year.

In A Royal Christmas (Dec. 19, 8 p.m.), a young working girl goes from blue-collared to blue-blooded when her fiancé reveals he’s prince of a sovereign country in Europe. Can she convince her future (and skeptical) mother-inlaw that she’s in it for love and not money? Lacey Chabert (Mean Girls) and Jane Seymour star.

Employees of an ornament factory in Carbon Hill are shocked when corporate actuary Amelia returns to her hometown to announce layoffs. Could her rekindled romance with factory owner (and ex-high school boyfriend) Jesse Donner result in a change of heart? Find out in Santa’s Gift (Dec. 20, 8 p.m.).

Personal shopper Gwen has a new mission: to make sure her client, workaholic single dad Charlie, enjoys the Christmas holidays and spends more time with his seven-year-old son Owen. See if she succeeds in Gift Wrapped (Dec. 21, 8 p.m.).

There’s a new reindeer in town when an injured Prancer forces Santa’s stable master to find a suitable substitute in On Dasher,

MasterChef Asia’s judges Susur Lee, Bruno Menard, and Audra Morrice

On Prancer, On Frankie? (Dec. 22, 8 p.m.).

When your girlfriend’s parents live “up North,” could they be who you think they might be?

That’s what Jack’s about to find out when he visits Jesse’s folks for the very first time in The Fiancé Claus (Dec. 23, 8 p.m.).

In The Flight Before Christmas (Thursday, Dec. 24, 8 p.m.), a redeye flight a day before Christmas Eve sets the stage for a potential

Catch the season finale of Zoo

romance between Stephanie and Michael.

Finally, in the season of giving, it only seems appropriate for Megan to track down and thank the person who sent her an unforgettable present 10 years earlier. Will she find him? Watch The Christmas Gift (Dec. 25, 8 p.m.).

Lifetime™ is available on SKYCable Ch 65; Cable Link Ch. 223; Dream Satellite Ch 28; Destiny Ch 44.

M ONDAY : DECEMBER 7 : 2015

C6

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

CaRLa finDS ’BECaUSE Of YOU’ ROLE ChaLLEnging Polo Ravales

JOSEPh PEtER gOnZaLES After the highly successful My Destiny, Carla Abellana is in a new prime time show on GMA-7. It is called Because of You. “That’s right!” she says.

“I’m excited with this project since it’s not a dramatic vehicle which the viewers are used to seeing me appear in. It’s a light stuff actually and many comedy scenes.”

More associated with drama vehicles, the be-dimpled lass admits she is challenged with her latest soap.

“At first, it was kind of difficult because since I entered the ‘biz, all projects given to me were serious materials, starting with Rosalinda then, My Husband’s Lover but my

stint with the sitcom Ismol Family helped a lot to hone my comic potential. I’m really grateful to that show and incidentally, we’re on air for a year and a half already and I’m glad because TV buffs continue to support it.”

Carla is certain that as the story progresses, she will still be given arias to show her dramatic chops.

“I think the plot will evolve and eventually, it will become a bit of a drama. The drama element is always there even in light soaps. So viewers can expect heavy scenes in the middle of the story onwards.

But for now, they will witness lots of funny moments.”

Many ask how she feels working with someone of Gabby’s caliber.

“Wow! Everyone knows how accomplished an actor he is. I’ve worked with him a few years ago in the movie Yesterday, Today, To-

morrow so at least, we have something good to start on, so to speak. In the said movie, we’ve done highly dramatic scenes, so here in our new soap, it’s far lighter.

I’m proud to work with him again,” says Carla.

Incidentally, Gabby is of the same age as her dad PJ. Will their age difference be a factor on their screen chemistry?

“Not at all! It’s a general observation that seemingly, he hasn’t aged that much at all and I strongly agree!

With his looks, he can still give new breed of actors a run for their money.”

Even when it comes to work habits, the lovely Kapuso star is hats-off to her 51 year-old leading man.

“We had a pleasant time working together in 2011 for Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow and it still holds true now that we’re starring

M

onica Cuenco, lead star of the musical play Bituing Walang Ningning, is now on TV. She appears as Iska in Kuya Soju’s widely read online novel Iska Ispiritista, now a weeklong series on TV5’s Wattpad Presents.

For her debut appearance on television, Monica has for a leading man, TV’s heartthrob, Martin Escudero. The actor recently bagged the Gawad Tanglaw Award for Best Performance by an actor for his work in TV5’s drama series, Positive.

Monica Cuenco

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in a soap. He’s a cheerful co-star, has no complains and wants a happy set. He’s tops!” ends Carla.

HHHHH According to Polo Ravales, he’s got no regrets being a freelancer now as compared before when he was a GMA contract star.

“It’s been a year since my contract with them (sic) expired. My last work as a Kapuso was Ilustrado where I played as the nemesis of Alden Richards. I’ve done guest stints in some ABS (-CBN) shows but my sup-

posedly regular soap with them got affected due to my slip disc operation. Of course, it was saddening but I had to prioritize my health situation,” he states.

He missed acting while he was recuperating.

“Yes, for sure! I’ve been acting for more than a decade now and it’s already part of my system. That’s why even now when I’m still undergoing therapy, I still accept offers specially is it’s a meaty part, like the reboot of the classic Hilda Koronel movie Angela

Markado. I’m grateful to Direk Carlo Caparas and Tita Donna Villa for giving me a role as one of Andi Eigenmann’s rapists in the remake. It’s a challenging part and I’m happy with the film’s turn-out.”

The good-looking actor has only good words for Andi in the title role.

“Viewers should see this because as the central character, she is very good. I’m impressed with her performance and honestly, she deserves to win an acting trophy,” says Polo.

‘Bituing Walang ningning’ star in tV5’s ‘Wattpad presents’

Martin Escudero

ACROSS 1 Engineering toy 5 Usher in 10 Sir’s companion 14 Academic inst.

15 Beach alternatives 16 Latch — 17 Roam about 18 Driver’s footware?

(2 wds.)

20 Big pitchers 22 — been a while 23 Lionesses’ lack

Carla Abellana

Records a speech Not very many Church suppers More cumbersome — del Fuego Gold deposit Hunter’s org.

Vogue rival Puffs along Coalition Conger Precinct Mardi Gras event

Gains Too sweet, maybe Gorilla Alaskan town Dividend earner Stir-fry pan Curly-tailed dog She’ll hold your hand Nose stimulus Belgian river Creepy Longest arm bone Walked heavily Oater extras Course finale

DOWN 1 Decoy 2 Sufficient, in verse 3 Hand over 4 Exhaust 5 LAPD alert 6 Fishing boats 7 Castle surrounders 8 Sorts 9 Mao — -tung 10 Punk hairdo 11 Ever’s partner 12 To — — (precisely) 13 Fallen log coverer 19 Make steel 21 German industrial region

MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2015

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Mollify Stickler for details Brew tea Fuel tanker Yo-Yo Ma plays it Software error Tooth filling Form a butte Worked as a jockey Debacle PM units Get a rash (2 wds.)

Windshield device Tuneful Paul — Raised cane?

Serious walkers Seltzers Pickle or jam Rapunzel’s pride What is more Baylor University site Not in use Scads What Hamlet smelled (2 wds.)

Sixth sense Deli loaf

In Iska Ispiritista, directed by Soxy Topacio, Monica is Iska, an orphan girl who possesses a third eye and can see “dead people”. Although Iska hates her gift, what with the constant ambush of ghosts who are asking for her help, Iska’s special gift proves to be handy one day.

The story begins when the snooty Donya Dora knocks on Iska’s door, and claims that the property left to Iska and her siblings by their deceased parents is now hers. Donya Dora tells Iska that her father pawned their

house and lot to her and had defaulted on payment a long time ago. As a last gesture of kindness, she is willing to forego her claim if within six months, Iska can return the P1 million her father owed her.

TV5’s primetime kilig mini-serye Wattpad Presents is now on its fifth season as it continues to give the young and young at heart with top rated rom-com stories from the biggest online writing Wattpad.

Wattpad Presents: Iska Ispiritista airs from Dec. 7 until Dec. 11 at 9 p.m. on TV5.

M ONDAY : DECEMBER 7 : 2015

C7 ‘Buy Now, Die Later’ a fuNNy horror movie SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

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augh hard and scream your hearts out with the ensemble cast of the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival entry Buy Now, Die Later –Vhong Navarro, John “Sweet” Lapus, Rayver Cruz, Alex Gonzaga, Janine Gutierrez, and Lotlot de Leon.

The psychological thriller BNDL, as the producers refer to the movie, is a different take on the supernatural as each of the character’s story is weaved around the five senses – sense of sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste.

Each of the lead stars represent a sense: Vhong for sense of sight; Sweet, sense of smell; Rayver, sense of taste; Alex, sense of hearing; and the mother and daughter team of Janine and Lotlot, sense of touch.

In the story, the characters strike a deal with curio shop owner Santi (TJ Trinidad), who sells eclectic items that grant every customer’s wish at a hefty cost.

Vhong is online blogger Odie who dreams of becoming a well-known photojournalist like his dad.

He buys a high-end cell phone from Santi’s shop, which gives him a scoop each time he uses its app. But instead of reveling at the scoops he makes on his website, he ends up solving mysteries behind each of the exclusive stories he stumbles upon.

Rayver, meanwhile, is Ato, Odie’s friend.

He represents the sense of taste being the owners of a restaurant called Taste Buds.

He is the first character to strike a deal with Santi. His business flourishes due to a secret ingredient they use in their dishes but in the end, he and his family are made to pay for their greed.

Alex is Chloe, whose ambition is to become a popular singer sans talent. With the help of her mother, Maita (Lotlot), she enters into an agreement with Santi.

She buys a cellphone from his shop and makes use of an app that makes her singing voice flawless.

As a result, her debut single, “Alive na Alive ang Puso Ko, Dahil Deads na Deads Ako Sa ‘Yo,” turns out to be a giant hit.

But then, fame comes with a price. In the end, Chloe is forced to deal with mysterious voices from the app.

Sweet, on the other hand, represents the sense of smell. He plays the role of the gay Pippa, a fan of Chloe’s music.

Pippa has a big crush on Narciso, portrayed by Manuel Chua. However, the latter is dead set on winning the heart of his sister, Larra (Cai Cortez).

So, Pippa heads to Santi’s shop where he discovers a perfume, a scent that makes every guy he fancies falls for him.

Veteran suman maker Aida Barcelos grabs the second prize for BellaVitta’s “Pinaka-Panalong Suman sa Lipa” competition

Lastly, Lotlot and Janine represent the sense of touch. As a mom, Maita (Lotlot) asks Santi to bring her daughter’s life back to normal.

Santi makes a counter offer – for her to relive her childhood and pursue an aborted career. He hands over a cream to Maita which, when applied, brings back to life the teenaged Janine.

Eventually, though, Maita realizes her mistake and turns her back on that deal with Santi.

The film ends with Odie, Chloe, Pippa and Maita joining forces against the evil Santi and his followers.

For the first time, Quantum Films, MJM Productions, Inc., Tuko Film Productions and Buchi Boy Films gathered these stars to headline their MMFF entry.

These companies are the same producers of Walang Forever, starring Jennylyn Mercado and Jericho Rosales, as well as the 2014 surprise blockbuster English Only, Please.

BNDL is the lone festival entry with excellent ensemble acting. Five times the fun, five times the entertainment fare.

Buy Now, Die Later is under the direction of Randolf Longjas, the same director behind the much talked-about comic indie film, Ang Turkey ay Pabo Rin.

Veteran suman maker Nida Apenado grabs top prize of “pinaka-panalong suman” during BellaVita’s food fest last Oct. 25 at the BellaVita Compound in Lipa City

Vhong Navarro

Alex Gonzaga

Rayver Cruz

Lotlot de Leon

Benok’s Lomi House wins the third prize for “Pinaka-Panalong Lomi sa Lipa”

Lipa City’s ‘pinaka-panaLong’ deLiCaCies

S One of “pinaka-panalong crispya pata” entries

Sizzling Lomi House’s lomi served in a sizzling plate intrigues spectators and judges.

ocialized housing development, BellaVita Land Corp., featured the best restaurants and stores of Lipa City in Batangas province in a fun and friendly cook-off called Pinaka-panalong Lipa Delicacies on Oct. 25. Held at the BellaVita Compound in the city, the festive event was conceptualized to boost Lipa City’s tourism by highlighting its well-loved delicacies, such as lomi, crispy pata, and suman.

Even as Batangas continues to lure fun seekers and trekkers to its beaches and mountains, respectively, BellaVita Land seeks to showcase Lipa City as a mustsee destination for foodies and gourmands, as well.

“BellaVita believes in Lipa City’s huge potential as a tourist draw and we intend to support it in every way possible. We decided on holding this food-centric event because Filipinos are hearty eaters and Lipa’s delicacies are truly delicious—and are deemed as the best in the country,” said Barry Trinidad, BellaVita’s marketing manager.

The food festival likewise saw the blessing of BellaVita’s model homes, which gave interested buyers a chance to check out the units of the property development and make inquiries on how to purchase one.

The event affirmed the brand’s commitment to enrich the lives of hardworking Filipinos who dream to have a home they can call their own.

“BellaVita exists to help Filipino people achieve their aspirations in life. We believe that owning a home is every Filipino’s dream so we will earnestly support this goal by offering affordable and quality houses to them,” Trinidad said.

At the Pinaka-panalong Lipa Delicacies cook-off, which started at eight in the morning and ended at 12 noon, all food preparations and the final presentation were done on site.

Guests had the chance to try all the entries for best lomi, suman, and crispy pata since each contestant provided food for free tasting.

Hailed as the pinaka-panalong lomi by the judges was the lomi of Hanzel Special Lomi House, which happens to be one of the oldest lomi houses in the city.

Coming in close were Filian Goto and Lomi House and Benok’s Lomi House, which also served lomi that are to die for.

Meanwhile, it was Filian Goto House who bagged the grand prize for pinaka-panalong crispy pata, while Hanzel Special Lomi House and 3G’s Fat Crackles took home second and third

place, respectively.

For pinaka-panalong suman, long-time suman-maker Nida Apenado proved that she already mastered her recipe after taking home the first prize in the category. Making it tough for Apenado were veteran Filipino delicacy vendors Aida Barcelos and the Filian Goto and Lomi House who bagged the second and third prize, respectively.

“The delicacies served today were the best. It was so hard judging because each of the entry has something different to offer. We chose some winners but everyone should be proud because Lipa’s delicacies, in general, are the best out there,” said Bulet Liwag, Sales Operations Officer (South).

The first-ever food competition organized by Amaia was judged

by Amaia executives, officials, and some friends from the media, including Liwag, Burt Aurelio, Project Development Team Leader (South); Alain Sazon, Project Development Manager (South); Ruthlea Bijis and Lorna Silava of Lipa BellaVita In-House Sales; and bloggers Jeman Villanueva and Josephine Bonsol.

For more inquiries, visit http:// www.bellavita.ph or like https:// www.facebook.com/BellaVitaLandCorp.

M ONDAY : DECEMBER 7 : 2015

C8

ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

kaPuso strengthens nationwide ratings lead ISAH V. RED For the third month in a row, GMA Network dominated nationwide ratings and further strengthened its position as the leading TV network in the country, according to the data from the industry’s most trusted ratings service provider Nielsen TV Audience Measurement.

For November (with dates Nov. 22 to 30 based on overnight data), GMA continued to pull away from its closest competitor in National Urban Philippines, increasing its lead over ABS-CBN to 5.7 points.

Driven by its strong performance across all day parts, GMA posted a 39.3 percent total day household audience share in NUTAM, beating ABS-CBN’s 33.6 percent as well as TV5’s 8.2 percent.

Moreover, GMA maintained its robust performance in the daytime blocks in NUTAM with its audience share in the morning block reaching 36.3 percent, 6.1 points ahead of ABS-CBN’s 30.2 percent and 25.6 points ahead of TV5’s 10.7 percent. GMA was also largely ahead in the afternoon block with 46.4 percent, up

18.2 points from ABS-CBN’s 28.2 percent and up 39.3 points from TV5’s 7.1 percent.

Leading across all day parts, GMA also kept its stronghold in viewer-rich Urban Luzon and Mega Manila, which represent 77 percent and 59 percent, respectively, of all urban TV households in the country.

In Urban Luzon, GMA recorded 44.1 percent, leading ABS-CBN’s 29 percent by 15.1 points and TV5’s 7.3 percent by 36.8 points; while in Mega Manila, GMA ruled with 46.3 percent, ahead of ABS-CBN’s 25.5 percent by 20.8 points and TV5’s 7.6 percent by 38.7 points.

The Kapuso network also asserted its dominance in the list of top-rating programs in NUTAM with 18 out of the 30 top programs belonging to GMA based on Nielsen data. More GMA programs also entered the lists for Urban Luzon and Mega Manila.

Magpakailanman became the most watched program in Mega Manila and Urban Luzon, and led the roster of Kapuso shows in NUTAM. Pepito Manaloto, Eat Bulaga, Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, Ismol Family, Marimar, 24 Oras, 24 Oras Weekend, and Sunday Pinasaya also occupied top slots in the lists.

Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza otherwise known as AlDub

Tom Rodriguez and Megan Young in Marimar

Newly launched dramas Little Nanay and Because of You,, along with Vampire Ang Daddy Ko, Imbestigador, Karelasyon, Beautiful Strangers, Kapuso Movie Festival, Celebrity Bluff and Wowowin also made it to the top programs list.

Not to be outdone are The Half Sisters, My Faithful Husband, Destiny Rose, The Ryzza Mae Show Presents: Princess in the Palace, Buena Familia and Bubble Gang.

HHHHH 11,000 fans show love for Pangako sa ‘Yo Over 11,000 fans and avid Pangako Sa ‘Yo viewers filled the Ayala Fairview Terraces on Nov. 29 to show their love and support for stars Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo, as well as Jodi Sta. Maria and Ian Veneracion on its Thanksgiving Day. Fans screamed for and cheered their favorite love teams as the stars performed song numbers and gave out early Christmas treats.

Also joining the celebration were Diego Loyzaga, Andrea Brillantes, Young JV, Thou Reyes, and Gray Fernandez.

More exciting scenes unfold in Pangako Sa ‘Yo every week as the characters of Daniel and Kathryn finally met each other again.

AiAi de las Alas is CelebriTV's main attraction Mel Tiangco hosts Magpakailanman

Michael V. in Pepito Manaloto

Jessica Soho anchors State of the Nation and Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho

The love team KathNiel (Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla) fuels Pangako Sa 'Yo's top-rating Ian Veneracion and Jodi Sta.Maria in Pangako Sa 'Yo performance nationwide