The Standard - 2015 December 25 - Friday

MERRY CHRISTMAS VOL. XXIX NO. 316 3 Sections 24 Pages P18 FRIday : dECEMBER 25, 2015 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

VP Binay: Set aside bitterness

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PRESSED FOR TIME Grace under pressure, cries harassment by poll body

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and John Paolo Bencito

INDEPENDENT presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe decried Thursday what she described as harassment by the Commission on Elections, which disqualified her from running for president at a time when government offices are closed for the Christmas holidays.

“It is very difficult to attend to all legal processes if government offices are closed,” Poe said in an interview over Channel 2’s TV Patrol.

“We are telling the truth, and doing what is proper. But indeed, they are harassing us,” added Poe, who garnered the most votes as senator when she ran in 2013.

In a text message to The Stand-

ard, Poe’s lawyer George Garcia said they will appeal the decision of the Comelec en banc to the Supreme Court on Monday, Dec. 28.

Despite the Comelec’s decision, Poe said she remained hopeful her name would remain in the official list of presidential candidates since the ruling can still be appealed to the Supreme Court.

“We are preparing well because I know that there are groups who are doing their respective actions to remove me in the list. nevertheless, I am telling our people that the disqualification is not final. We are confident we will hurdle this because what we are giving is only the truth and what Next page is proper,” Poe said.

Fiesta fare. A man checks one of the roasted pigs, locally called lechon, being offered at a lechon store in La Loma district in Quezon City. Lechon is one of the traditional Filipino dishes for Christmas. EY ACASIO

Korean group bags MRT deal

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Metro Manilans dissatisfied with traffic

By Adelle Chua EIGHTY-nInE percent of Metro Manila residents are either somewhat or very dissatisfied with the traffic situation and 54 percent believe it could still get worse, according to The Standard Poll conducted by this newspaper’s resident pollster, Junie Laylo.

Laylo polled 1,500 biometrically registered voters between Dec. 4 and 12, 2015, with 300 respondents each in the national Capital Region, northern and Central Luzon, Southern Luzon and Bicol, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Metro Manila, composed of 16 cities and one municipality, has been hounded by traffic problems in the past few

months, with traffic jams even in non-peak hours or after only a small amount of rain.

In September, Metro Manila was named as having the “worst traffic on earth” and the Philippines was ranked the ninth worst place to drive in according to Waze, a Global Positioning Systembased navigation application. Next page

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Santa on the rush. A Christian Palestinian man dressed up as Santa Claus walks carrying a Christmas tree along Jerusalem’s Old City walls as Christians around the world prepare to celebrate Christmas. AFP/GALI TIBBON

BIFF attack military outposts Metro...

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Other places listed as having bad traffic situation were Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Brazil, and Jakarta in Indonesia.

Criteria used by Waze users were: traffic level by frequency and severity of traffic jams, road quality and infrastructure, driver safety (based on accidents, road hazards and weather), driver services (like access to gas stations and easy parking), socio-economic factors (including access to cares and impact of gas prices), and the level of helpfulness and happiness with the Waze community.

President Benigno Aquino III had initially attributed the worsening traffic in Metro Manila to an improving economy. His Transportation Secretary, Joseph Emilio Abaya, drew flak for saying that heavy traffic was

Pressed...

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Her spokesman, Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian earlier slammed the “low-handed tactic” of announcing the disqualification during the holidays, and leaking the information to the press even before the decision was promulgated.

Both moves were aimed at putting Poe at a disadvantage, he said.

Poe’s running mate, Senator Francis Escudero, hit the Comelec for misleading the electorate and bullying Poe. He accused the Comelec of pretending to be an independent commission when they have actually been acting as Poe’s inquisitor and persecutor.

He said the Comelec is both wrong and unfair and a bully.

“Senator Grace Poe has been nothing but honest, candid, forthright and open with respect to her citizenship, nationality and residency to the Filipino people. She has answered every question with candor and

not fatal even as it inconvenienced many.

In The Standard Poll, the numbers in the National Capital Region were markedly different from those in the other areas of the country.

Nationwide, 60 percent of respondents were either very or somewhat dissatisfied with the traffic situation in their city/ nearest city, with the balance being somewhat or very dissatisfied. In the Visayas, 81 percent of respondents were satisfied with their traffic situation.

Only 37 percent of urban residents across all survey areas were satisfied with their traffic situation while 63 percent were either somewhat or very dissatisfied.

More than half of Metro Manila residents also believe that the traffic problem will either somewhat worsen or will worsen a lot, with only 2 percent believing the same will improve a lot.

For the entire country, 74 percent of re-

honesty both before the Comelec and before the Filipino people. How dare they say that she deliberately attempted to mislead the electorate,” he said.

Escudero said the Comelec acted with dispatch on Poe’s disqualification even before it declared the candidate named “Lucifer” as a nuisance candidate.

He also said the Comelec refused to consolidate the four cases, which are all the same except for the names of the petitioners, if only to require Poe to answer in the two divisions of the Comelec and be disqualified, not only once but twice, and a third time by the en banc following what appears to be a well-written script.

The commission, he said, worked overtime to disqualify her a day before the holidays, thus giving her very little time to seek redress in the Supreme Court.

“Christmas is always a time for loving, sharing and giving.

And it seems that the Comelec has imbibed the Christmas spirit by loving and sharing and being giving to the opponents of Senator Poe but not to

spondents said they believed traffic will improve, with only 26 percent saying it will somewhat worsen or worsen a lot.

Respondents from the Visayas and Southern Luzon/ Bicol were most optimistic about the improvement of traffic with 84 and 77 percent, respectively.

Sixty-one percent of urban dwellers anticipate an improvement while the balance expect a worsening of the traffic situation.

Among those living in rural areas, 80 percent believe traffic in the city nearest them will improve a lot or will somewhat improve.

The Standard Poll was conducted using face-to-face interviews with the registered voters who say they will surely vote in the 2016 elections.

The poll has a margin of error of plus/minus 2.6 percent for the entire-country data and plus or minus 6 percent for each of the poll areas.

her, not to us, and certainly not to the Philippine electorate,” Escudero said.

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista on Thursday said he disagreed with his colleagues who said Poe deliberately misled the poll body through her Certificate of Candidacy, and believed her when she said she made an honest mistake in her 2013 CoC. He also said it was natural for Poe to believe herself to be a natural-born citizen.

“As a foundling who grew up in the Philippines immersed in its culture, language and traditions, it was but natural for respondent [Poe] to think of herself as a Filipino,” Bautista said.

Critics of Poe questioned both her natural-born status and her period of residency in the country, which became the bases for four petitions to disqualify her.

Ruling on motions for reconsideration filed by Poe, the commissioners voted Tuesday night to uphold the decisions of the First Division, 5-2, and the Second Division, 5-1 to dis-

qualify the senator.

In the 5-1 vote, Bautista was outvoted by his fellow commissioners—Rowena Guanzon, Arthur Lim, Luie Guia, Sherriff Abas and Al Parreño.

Another commissioner, Christian Robert Lim, inhibited himself from the case as he previously belonged to the same law firm with the petitioner.

But Bautista said Poe applied to reacquire her citizenship only on July 10, 2006, or more than a year before she claimed she had started establishing her residency in the Philippines.

“I think she [Poe] was still contemplating whether to actually settle here or go back to USA. It may show a lack of intention to actually permanently reside here in the Philippines but it does not manifest a deliberate act to mislead,” Bautista said.

Both the First and Second Division decisions said Poe had deliberately committed “material misrepresentation” in claiming that she met the 10year residency requirement to run for president.

THE Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters attacked security forces in Maguindanao and North Cotabato and warned of more offensive attacks in coming days.

BIFF spokesperson Abu Misry Mama admitted they were the ones who attacked government forces and paramilitary units in the towns of Pikit, North Cotabato and in Datu Abdulla Sangki and Datu Anggal towns in Maguindanao.

Capt. Joann Petinglay, spokesperson of the 6th Infantry Division, said government troops did not sustain any casualties, but all Army units under the 6ID’s jurisdiction have already been placed on alert status.

In Pikit, North Coabato, Senior Insp. Sindatu Karim, town police chief, said about 20 armed men simultaneously opened fire on the Army’s 38th Infantry Battalion detachment in Barangay Nalapaan Tuesday night, sparking a 30-minute battle.

Karim said the armed skirmishes could have been triggered by a long standing land dispute involving Moro residents and lawless BIFF. Following the incident, soldiers and policemen deployed in the towns of Carmen, Aleosan, Kabacan and Midsayap which the BIFF identified as possible areas.

On Wednesday night, armed men fired rocket propelled grenades on an Army detachment in Datu Anggal, Maguindanao.

Petinglay said armed men fired rifle grenades but the soldiers returned fire which triggered an hour-long firefight until the attackers fled.

The Army spokesperson also reminded every soldiers of the directive issued by Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, 6th ID chief, to refrain from firing their guns in welcoming the New Year.

“Our troops are barred from firing their guns indiscriminately to welcome Christmas and New Year, even firecrackers are not allowed,” she said.

“The instruction is even firecrackers should not be set off because the soldiers may not notice they are subjected to attacks by lawless elements during the revelry,” she said, adding intelligence information gathered by the 6th ID showed lawless elements have plotted to launch series of attacks against military detachments and checkpoints.

The 6th ID covers the provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat.

PNA

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NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

VP Binay: Set aside bitterness

By Vito Barcelo

VICE President Jejomar Binay called on all government and political leaders to set aside bitterness and strive instead to uplift the nation and bring genuine change and comfort to the entire Filipino people.

Binay, who topped the recent Social Weather Stations poll survey said that the country’s growth is being hindered by divisiveness, anger and distrust.

“Christmas is hope, and it is all around us. Christmas is alive in the eyes of every hungry child roaming the streets of the city and yet carries hope of a better tomorrow. It is in the eyes of every widow or orphan who lost loved ones due to unrest in areas of conflict but is learning to forgive.

It is in the eyes of every family ravaged by calamities who soldiers on to rebuild their lives,” he said.

He also said that Christmas remind us not only of hope, forgiveness, and resilience, but more importantly of love, kindness and compassion.

“The birth of Christ is where God showed His great love, kindness, and compassion by sending His Son to Man of the survey. Vice President Jejomar Binay prepares to speak before students in a forum at the Ateneo de Manila save mankind. The real meaning of Christmas is giv- University in Quezon City. JANSEN ROMERO ing—but more than material things, what is asked of us is to give of ourselves willingly and selflessly, especially to those who are in need,” Binay said in his message.

With this in mind, let us pray for the sick, the elderly, the young ones, those in prison, and all overseas Filipinos in at least five dioceses in the provinces say yes to all the funding requirements longing for their loved ones back home. Let us pray for By Rio N. Araja of Oriental Mindoro, Northern Samar, but if these are not validated he might our family, our leaders, and our country. face the Commission on Audit next year.

AN official of the Catholic Bishops Con- Sorsogon, Masbate and Romblon.

“For those of us in government, we must strive even ference of the Philippines expressed hope He said there are processes that need But the priest, who is currently headfurther to uplift the nation by bringing genuine change that President Benigno Aquino III’s visit ing the church-led needs assessment of to be met and these include bidding, preand lasting comfort for the people, not only during this to typhoon-hit provinces on Wednesday typhoon-affected families in Oriental qualification, and post-qualification. season but every single day of our tenure in public office,” would bring “substantial support” and Mindoro, said these funds may not be He noted that funds releases for cahe said. enough considering the magnitude of lamity-related aid may have exemptions not just “ceremonial aid.”

“Together, let us offer the nation a government that trubut he does not want to ask for opinions National Secretariat for Social Action- the devastation. ly works for the people, and where every rich or poor Fili- Caritas Philippines Executive Secretary Among those who were first to re- anymore whether this will have reperpino partakes the fruits of development attained through Fr. Edwin Gariguez said that while he is spond ahead of the solidarity appeal cussions vis-a-vis the election ban.

The President declared a national state our hard work and sacrifices,” he added. thankful for Aquino’s visit, he also ex- are Caritas Manila, Archdiocese of Despite the slew of cases against him, Binay’s survey pected “decisive leadership” in respond- Capiz, Archdiocese of Palo Relief and of calamity on Dec. 18, 2015 through ratings improved with the latest round of three voter pref- ing to the needs of those affected by the Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo), Di- Proclamation 1186 to fast-track rescue, ocese of Calbayog, and the Diocese of recovery, relief and rehabilitation efforts typhoon. erence surveys. in areas affected by Nona, which greatly “We hope that his visit will not only Tagbilaran.

The Standard Poll, conducted Dec. 4 to 12, said Binay affected several provinces like Albay, At least two Caritas Internationalis be ceremonial, but must bring substanwill be the frontrunner if fellow candidate Senator Grace Poe is ultimately disqualified. Binay got 33 percent of the tial support from the government to Member Organizations also provided Northern Samar, Oriental Mindoro, votes, followed by former Interior secretary Mar Roxas respond to the extreme emergency with support to “Nona”-hit areas, namely the Romblon and Sorsogon.

In his report during the same briefwith 29 percent, and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte fullest possible efficiency,” Gariguez Catholic Relief Services (Caritas USA), ing, Gov. Alfonso Umali Jr. said the tywhich provided shelter and tool kits said, citing the need to mobilize help with 26 percent, the survey said. to Northern Samar, and Caritas Lux- phoon resulted to infrastructure damPoll results also said it will be a very tight race between from the government and international embourg, which pledged Euros 7,000 ages amounting to about P4 billion for humanitarian community.

3 presidential candidates—Binay, Poe, and former Interithe province alone.

“Through the solidarity appeal we (P350,000). or Secretary Manuel Roxas II—if elections were held this recently launched to the 61 dioceses naSome 422,495 individuals from 350 Aquino had earlier said on WednesDecember. The survey was conducted from Dec. 4 to 12. tionwide, we are hoping to raise addi- day that funds for the rehabilitation of villages were affected, with about 14,394 Given a ±2.6 percent margin of error, Poe—who still tional funds for typhoon victims in the Nona-affected areas in the province are individuals still in 60 evacuation centers. faces disqualification threats—leads by the narrowest coming days,” he added.

Umali said the provincial government, available but it will only be released once of margins in the latest The Standard Poll. Nationthrough the help of the Department of NASSA-Caritas Philippines initially reports have been validated. wide, she obtained a 28 percent rating, compared to released P1.89-million cash assistance In a briefing held at the Municipal Social Welfare and Development, was Binay’s 23 percent and Roxas’ 22 percent. from its local emergency funds called Gymnasium in Pinamalayan, Oriental able to deliver 20,648 relief packs.

Duterte got 19 percent while Senator Miriam Santiago “Alay Kapwa” to support the relief op- Mindoro after the inspection of the tyHe added that they target to complete got 3 percent. erations and rapid needs assessments phoon-hit areas, Aquino said it is easy to relief operations by Jan. 7, 2016.

‘Substantial’ not ‘ceremonial’ aid pushed

Report erring cabbies—LTFRB

Home from Syria. Eighteen Filipinos, some of whom are already Syrian residents, arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport after fleeing the fighting in Syria via a land route to Lebanon. ERIC APOLONIO

THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board urged passengers to report taxi drivers who refuse to convey them to their destinations, especially during the holiday season.

“Only a few passengers have reported taxi drivers’ refusal to convey them although there have been many cases mentioned in the news,” LTFRB board member Atty.

Ariel Inton told the Philippines News Agency.

Inton said passengers can report such drivers through its 24-hour hotline number ‘‘1342.’’

In addition, passengers can also file complaints through the LTFRB mobile and Viber numbers: 0917-550-1342 for Globe subscribers or 0998-

550-1342 for Smart/Talk ‘n Text subscribers.

“We again encourage passengers to call and complain,” he said.

Inton assured that the Board will continue to deploy teams to taxi bays of shopping malls in Quezon City, Makati and Mandaluyong to randomly check taxi drivers who snub passengers.

Inton stressed that the practice is a violation of the franchise granted to public utility vehicles, like taxis, and the operator of the taxi unit can be penalized by a suspension of their franchise while drivers can be fined P5,000 or their drivers’ licenses suspended.

LTFRB Chairman Winston Ginez had earlier an-

nounced that the agency will set up help desks at major shopping malls for passengers who want to report erring cabbies.

The complainant will be scheduled for a mediation process, and this could lead to a hearing that would take only one to two days.

LTFRB warned that taxi drivers found refusing to convey passengers will also be penalized accordingly, the LTFRB said.

As of Wednesday, only two taxi drivers were apprehended after refusing to convey passengers.

Inton joined inspection of the taxi bay in Ali Mall, Cubao and assisted in helping passengers secure rides.

Azer N. Parrocha/PNA

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OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

CHRISTMAS GIFTS OF PENSION INCREASE, INCOME TAX CUT AND RAILWAY SYSTEM FILIPINO PENSIONER HORACIO TEMPLO

[ EDI TORI A L ]

FUND AGAINST DISASTERS

UNLESS PNoy was possessed by Santa Claus last night, the Christmas gifts that we have been wishing hard to receive—P2,000 pension increase for two million pensioners of the Social Security System and income tax cut for 15 million wage-earners—aren’t being delivered today.

Despite his bright boys’ boasting in international forums of our inclusive growth agenda, PNoy continues to stubbornly deny us these financial reprieves and ignores the nationwide clamor for them up to his last Christmas in Malacañang Palace.

Why? PNoy—the Scrooge of a president that we have—wants to hoard more cash in the pension institution and in our national treasury that he would brag about when he trumpets his achievements to us his bosses as he leaves the presidency on June 30, 2016.

In fact, these quid pro quo pension increase and income tax cut would perfectly fit in his administration’s inclusive growth agenda. All he has to do is support the legislative proposals that Congressman Neri Colmenares and Senator Sonny Angara have separately filed.

An income tax cut would immediately result in a higher net pay that a wage-earner could take home.

This would allow him to level up now his SSS contribution to that of his employer from 3.63 to 7.37 percent of pay and contribute based on his entire salary and beyond the present maximum cap of P16,000.

These additional contributions would shore up the Social Security Fund and enable SSS to increase its monthly pensions by P2,000.

Of course, the additional contributions should be matched with assurances that pensions would be much higher when the time comes to receive them and that future workers would also be made to contribute more if additional contributions would be necessary.

Assured that funds would be there waiting for pensioners in the future, everybody would have peace of mind now.

This inter-generational social contract is what our leaders should promote and implement in all our social security institutions as their unifying guiding principle.

Both our pensioners and income taxpayers have been longing for these gifts long before Christmas.

Pension amounts and income tax rates used to be set reasonably. But in the absence of adjustments that the upward movements of consumer price and wage indices necessitated, they have deteriorated in relative value.

Presently, SSS pensioners receive very low pensions while wage-earners pay income tax rates as high as 32 percent—second only to the 35 percent paid in Thailand and in Vietnam.

Our tax system is now outdated, and no longer equitable nor progressive. According to Senator Angara, our middle-income earners used to pay 25 percent in 1997 but now they pay the same 32-percent

NATURAL disasters, like typhoons, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, can push back economic gains and worsen the poverty incidence, if not addressed properly.

The World Bank, sensing the severe impact of natural disasters on the lives and the overall economy, approved another $500-million loan to help Philippines deal with them. The loan primarily aims to reduce disaster risks and manage the financial impacts when they strike.

The bank notes that over 1,000 lives on the average are lost every year in the Philippines, with typhoons accounting for the majority of the deaths and damage. Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima sees the impact of natural disasters as more telling.

Says the Cabinet official: “This is the environmental equivalent of the middle-income trap. Governments need to be agile in mobilizing resources if we are to break free from disaster-traps that knock back the poorest and most vulnerable.”

The World Bank backed Purisima’s observation. Super Typhoon “Yolanda” left more than 7,350 dead or missing when it struck in November 2013 in eastern Visayas. The total damage and losses from the typhoon amounted to P571.1 billion, reducing economic growth by about 0.9 percent in 2013 and another 0.3 percent in 2014 and pushing about 2.3-million people below the poverty line.

The World Bank funding, among other things, will try to set up a system of emergency income support using the Pantawid Pamilya concept, the country’s conditional cash transfer program.

The funding, however, could be more effective if applied beyond the post-disaster phase. The government and the World Bank should focus more on relocating the families that are most exposed to natural disasters and providing sturdy houses to them.

Rivers and other water channels, for one, should be cleared of informal settlers to avoid the loss of lives during heavy rains and floods.

Many of the victims of natural disasters are poor and do not have the wherewithal to fight calamities. The World Bank fund and other forms of government assistance should empower them to escape these disaster traps.

Continued on A6

THE NAME OF MERCY PENSÉES FR. RANHILIO CALLANGAN AQUINO THE beautifully painted apse of the Abbey Church of Our Lady of Montserrat (San Beda-Mendiola) has for its theme “The Apotheosis of the Holy Name.”

It pictures angels in adoration, men and women of all races being the knee, and the writhing, tortured denizens of the underworld cringing in fear at the name of Jesus—represented by the glowing letters IHS. Iesus—Yeshua—Yehoshua—all

represented by those three letters. It offers no competition to the sacred name revealed on Mount Horeb—YHWH— that Jews found too sacred to utter, and that the Vatican has asked us to read as “the Lord” in reverend for the Sacred Tetragramaton (the Four Characters)! “Jesus” is “God saves,” and so, as Benedict XVI wrote in his wonderful volume on the Infancy Narratives, the name of Jesus contains God’s name and expands it. It is the name of the Mercy of God! At the heart of the “Francis phenomenon”—the worldwide, heartfelt admiration for

We face national elections and we pray for a regime that is truly merciful.

Pope Francis—is the mercy of which he has asked, in fact commanded, the whole church to be a sacrament.

Without any dramatic an-

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nouncement of changes in doctrine, much less departure from dogma, Francis has given the world a glimpse of that face of the Church that makes it what it was intended to be—an icon of Christ. He has asked that we show mercy to the victims of “progress”: those who must remain at the periphery because they cannot keep pace with the steady march of prosperity. He has tasked bishops to be pastorally hospitable and welcoming of those who are objectively “in sin” (what the Pope benevolently calls “difficult circumstances”) —estranged spous-

es, divorced and remarried Catholics, partners living-in with each other, same-sex couples—but sons and daughters of the Church, nonetheless. He has ceaselessly sought ways of brokering peace in the troubled Middle East so that the soothing balm of mercy may come upon those whose lives have been brutalized by violence and war. That is why the world listens to the Pope: because it longs for mercy.

Rahamim...that is the Hebrew word for “mercy,” as one of God’s attributes in the Old Testament. The Tagalog awa is not powerful enough, be-

cause one can say “kawawa naman” without lifting a finger, or stopping by. But a mother will rise from the warmth and comfort of bed and sleep to nurse a crying child. She will scrounge and beg, if she must, to feed a hungry baby. She will fight tooth and nail when her infant is threatened by anyone or anything. That is rahamim and such has God’s mercy been for his people that the defining event in the Old Testament

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.

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was the Exodus when, with a mighty arm, God cast off the yoke of their oppressors and set his people free.

Iehoshua—Ieshua—Iesus is the New Testament name of the Incarnation of the Mercy of God. More fundamental than any doctrine was the mercy that, by his life, Jesus taught the world, beginning with the merciful act of identifying himself with those who cannot lie in palaces, but must be content

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with stables. It is curious that the reason that many cannot bring themselves to be merciful is that they fear the projection of an image of weakness.

But if Christmas night tells us anything at all on this point, it is that it takes immense power to be merciful. “The power of the Most High shall overshadow you...” promised the Angel, and Mary sang of the mercy of that power in her canticle: “His mercy is from generation

to generation to those who fear him.”

We face national elections and we pray for a regime that is truly merciful. But we must also work for relations in the workplace and in the home that are suffused with this mercy from on High. This is the healing balm we so badly need. It comes from “the silent night, Holy night” of Christmas.

May God’s mercy fill us all!

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

Chairman President & Chief Executive Officer Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Director of Operations Finance Officer

Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager

rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@yahoo.com

Mr. Robles’ column will resume next week.

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

F R I D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 5 , 2 0 1 5

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OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

CHRISTMAS GIFTS OF PENSION INCREASE, INCOME TAX CUT AND RAILWAY SYSTEM FILIPINO PENSIONER HORACIO TEMPLO

[ EDI TORI A L ]

FUND AGAINST DISASTERS

UNLESS PNoy was possessed by Santa Claus last night, the Christmas gifts that we have been wishing hard to receive—P2,000 pension increase for two million pensioners of the Social Security System and income tax cut for 15 million wage-earners—aren’t being delivered today.

Despite his bright boys’ boasting in international forums of our inclusive growth agenda, PNoy continues to stubbornly deny us these financial reprieves and ignores the nationwide clamor for them up to his last Christmas in Malacañang Palace.

Why? PNoy—the Scrooge of a president that we have—wants to hoard more cash in the pension institution and in our national treasury that he would brag about when he trumpets his achievements to us his bosses as he leaves the presidency on June 30, 2016.

In fact, these quid pro quo pension increase and income tax cut would perfectly fit in his administration’s inclusive growth agenda. All he has to do is support the legislative proposals that Congressman Neri Colmenares and Senator Sonny Angara have separately filed.

An income tax cut would immediately result in a higher net pay that a wage-earner could take home.

This would allow him to level up now his SSS contribution to that of his employer from 3.63 to 7.37 percent of pay and contribute based on his entire salary and beyond the present maximum cap of P16,000.

These additional contributions would shore up the Social Security Fund and enable SSS to increase its monthly pensions by P2,000.

Of course, the additional contributions should be matched with assurances that pensions would be much higher when the time comes to receive them and that future workers would also be made to contribute more if additional contributions would be necessary.

Assured that funds would be there waiting for pensioners in the future, everybody would have peace of mind now.

This inter-generational social contract is what our leaders should promote and implement in all our social security institutions as their unifying guiding principle.

Both our pensioners and income taxpayers have been longing for these gifts long before Christmas.

Pension amounts and income tax rates used to be set reasonably. But in the absence of adjustments that the upward movements of consumer price and wage indices necessitated, they have deteriorated in relative value.

Presently, SSS pensioners receive very low pensions while wage-earners pay income tax rates as high as 32 percent—second only to the 35 percent paid in Thailand and in Vietnam.

Our tax system is now outdated, and no longer equitable nor progressive. According to Senator Angara, our middle-income earners used to pay 25 percent in 1997 but now they pay the same 32-percent

NATURAL disasters, like typhoons, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, can push back economic gains and worsen the poverty incidence, if not addressed properly.

The World Bank, sensing the severe impact of natural disasters on the lives and the overall economy, approved another $500-million loan to help Philippines deal with them. The loan primarily aims to reduce disaster risks and manage the financial impacts when they strike.

The bank notes that over 1,000 lives on the average are lost every year in the Philippines, with typhoons accounting for the majority of the deaths and damage. Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima sees the impact of natural disasters as more telling.

Says the Cabinet official: “This is the environmental equivalent of the middle-income trap. Governments need to be agile in mobilizing resources if we are to break free from disaster-traps that knock back the poorest and most vulnerable.”

The World Bank backed Purisima’s observation. Super Typhoon “Yolanda” left more than 7,350 dead or missing when it struck in November 2013 in eastern Visayas. The total damage and losses from the typhoon amounted to P571.1 billion, reducing economic growth by about 0.9 percent in 2013 and another 0.3 percent in 2014 and pushing about 2.3-million people below the poverty line.

The World Bank funding, among other things, will try to set up a system of emergency income support using the Pantawid Pamilya concept, the country’s conditional cash transfer program.

The funding, however, could be more effective if applied beyond the post-disaster phase. The government and the World Bank should focus more on relocating the families that are most exposed to natural disasters and providing sturdy houses to them.

Rivers and other water channels, for one, should be cleared of informal settlers to avoid the loss of lives during heavy rains and floods.

Many of the victims of natural disasters are poor and do not have the wherewithal to fight calamities. The World Bank fund and other forms of government assistance should empower them to escape these disaster traps.

Continued on A6

THE NAME OF MERCY PENSÉES FR. RANHILIO CALLANGAN AQUINO THE beautifully painted apse of the Abbey Church of Our Lady of Montserrat (San Beda-Mendiola) has for its theme “The Apotheosis of the Holy Name.”

It pictures angels in adoration, men and women of all races being the knee, and the writhing, tortured denizens of the underworld cringing in fear at the name of Jesus—represented by the glowing letters IHS. Iesus—Yeshua—Yehoshua—all

represented by those three letters. It offers no competition to the sacred name revealed on Mount Horeb—YHWH— that Jews found too sacred to utter, and that the Vatican has asked us to read as “the Lord” in reverend for the Sacred Tetragramaton (the Four Characters)! “Jesus” is “God saves,” and so, as Benedict XVI wrote in his wonderful volume on the Infancy Narratives, the name of Jesus contains God’s name and expands it. It is the name of the Mercy of God! At the heart of the “Francis phenomenon”—the worldwide, heartfelt admiration for

We face national elections and we pray for a regime that is truly merciful.

Pope Francis—is the mercy of which he has asked, in fact commanded, the whole church to be a sacrament.

Without any dramatic an-

A5

nouncement of changes in doctrine, much less departure from dogma, Francis has given the world a glimpse of that face of the Church that makes it what it was intended to be—an icon of Christ. He has asked that we show mercy to the victims of “progress”: those who must remain at the periphery because they cannot keep pace with the steady march of prosperity. He has tasked bishops to be pastorally hospitable and welcoming of those who are objectively “in sin” (what the Pope benevolently calls “difficult circumstances”) —estranged spous-

es, divorced and remarried Catholics, partners living-in with each other, same-sex couples—but sons and daughters of the Church, nonetheless. He has ceaselessly sought ways of brokering peace in the troubled Middle East so that the soothing balm of mercy may come upon those whose lives have been brutalized by violence and war. That is why the world listens to the Pope: because it longs for mercy.

Rahamim...that is the Hebrew word for “mercy,” as one of God’s attributes in the Old Testament. The Tagalog awa is not powerful enough, be-

cause one can say “kawawa naman” without lifting a finger, or stopping by. But a mother will rise from the warmth and comfort of bed and sleep to nurse a crying child. She will scrounge and beg, if she must, to feed a hungry baby. She will fight tooth and nail when her infant is threatened by anyone or anything. That is rahamim and such has God’s mercy been for his people that the defining event in the Old Testament

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was the Exodus when, with a mighty arm, God cast off the yoke of their oppressors and set his people free.

Iehoshua—Ieshua—Iesus is the New Testament name of the Incarnation of the Mercy of God. More fundamental than any doctrine was the mercy that, by his life, Jesus taught the world, beginning with the merciful act of identifying himself with those who cannot lie in palaces, but must be content

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with stables. It is curious that the reason that many cannot bring themselves to be merciful is that they fear the projection of an image of weakness.

But if Christmas night tells us anything at all on this point, it is that it takes immense power to be merciful. “The power of the Most High shall overshadow you...” promised the Angel, and Mary sang of the mercy of that power in her canticle: “His mercy is from generation

to generation to those who fear him.”

We face national elections and we pray for a regime that is truly merciful. But we must also work for relations in the workplace and in the home that are suffused with this mercy from on High. This is the healing balm we so badly need. It comes from “the silent night, Holy night” of Christmas.

May God’s mercy fill us all!

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Mr. Robles’ column will resume next week.

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F R I D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 5 , 2 0 1 5

A6

OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

CHRISTMAS... From A5 income tax rate of our billionaires.

As the term of PNoy’s “straight path” administration nears its end, we cannot avoid but take note of our railway transportation system that has similarly deteriorated.

After all, doesn’t a railway remind us of a straight path? No other road could be straighter than it in the sense that trains have no choice but to follow its tracks.

Otherwise, they would be derailed.

Of course, an elevator moves along an almost-perfect straight path, but it only goes up and down.

Our roads throughout Metro Manila and in our major towns and cities have become bad roads—congested, chaotic and prone to traffic jams and flooding.

They have become calvaries that we have to endure daily.

Yet the railway system that our forefathers handed to us was the kind that was safe, dependable, and affordable. It was a pioneering mode of transportation in Asia at the time it began operations on November 24, 1892.

It provided transportation throughout Luzon - from Tutuban in Manila to Albay in Bicol, Batangas in Southern Luzon, and La Union in Northern Luzon near the foot of Baguio City.

It was for us a source of national pride and joy. Now, it is but a limited commuter train system offering fewer trips, uncomfortable coaches, and dangerous railway tracks.

Forgotten now by the young generation is the fact that President Ferdinand Marcos constructed our light railway system over Rizal Avenue in 1981. He thus paved the way for the construction of similar elevated transportation systems in the country, which President Fidel Ramos did by adding the next line over Edsa in 1996.

Both lines still operate today but they are now only a shadow of their onceefficient state. They have become undependable and break down often. Neglected and lacking proper maintenance, they have been denied major renovation and modernization work.

They couldn’t cope up anymore with the increased demands for mass rapid transportation.

The Christmas gifts of a pension increase and an income tax cut could still be granted before June 30 next year by PNoy if he so decides to be a Santa Claus in Malacañang Palace.

But an efficient railway system could be delivered by the next president only after the first three years of his fresh mandate. To do this, he must be a caring and visionary leader, and—if necessary—foulmouthed.

BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

PRESIDENT JEJOMAR BINAY VICE President Jejomar Binay appears to have piled up a commanding lead over his three closest rivals for the 2016 presidential elections— Senator Grace Poe, an independent; Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte of PDP-Laban party; and former Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Araneta “Mar” Roxas of the yellow Liberal Party.

Per the Pulse Asia survey of Dec. 4-11, 2015 of 1,800 respondents with just 2 percent margin of error, Binay would get 33 percent of the votes if the 2016 election were held today.

That’s 10 percentage points higher than the 23 percent of Duterte, 12 higher than the 21 percent of Poe, and 16 higher than the 17 percent of Roxas. Each percentage point is equivalent to 440,000 votes.

A separate Social Weather Stations survey also this December shows Binay and Poe tied for first, with identical 26 percent.

SWS did not break down the results by region so I consider Pulse Asia’s more reliable.

Both Pulse Asia and SWS committed grievous errors in their 2010 surveys. They consistently placed Joseph Estrada a poor third to Benigno Aquino and Manny Villar when it was Estrada all along, not Villar, who was a strong No. 2 to the presidential winner Aquino as early as late February 2010.

Last November 2015, SWS gave Duterte a 38-percent voter preference, without disclosing how it arrived at such an incredible figure.

Back to Pulse Asia, I extrapolated its December numbers and assigned weights to voting population by region.

I assumed a voter population of 55 million and 80 percent turnout or 44 million votes on election day.

Comelec’s “No Bio, No Boto” project will turn off up to 3 million voters—enough to win the presidency and easier for a cheater to hide his cheating.

Of the 44 million, Metro Manila would have 5.28 million, Balance of Luzon (BL) 19.36 million, Visayas 9.68 million, and Mindanao 9.68 million.

With their combined 25 million votes or 57 percent of 44 million, NCR and BL are the battleground regions. Whoever wins in Luzon wins the presidency. Interestingly, NCR and BL have 77 percent of total tv households, so the race becomes a tv propaganda game and hugely expensive. There is where the tycoons, taipans, political warlords, and criminal syndicates come into play.

Based on Pulse Asia’s data, Binay would get 14.36 million or 32.6 percent of the 44 million, Duterte 9.64 milAlion or 21.9 percent, Poe 9.12 million or 20.7 percent, and Roxas 7.93 million or 18 percent.

Binay leads Duterte by 4.7 million votes, Poe by 5.24 million and Roxas by 6.4 million.

If Binay’s numbers hold true by late April or early May 2016, the veep would be the next president of the Philippines. An advantage of 4.7 million (over Duterte) or 6.4 million votes (over Roxas) is formidable, if not insurmountable.

The only development that could hamstring Binay’s march to victory is a Supreme Court ruling in January declaring Grace Poe qualified to run in 2016. If that happens, she will reap the dividends of a backlash and

outrage by the people for the shabby treatment given her by the Comelec and her detractors.

One advantage of Binay is that he consistently gets 30 percent or more in each of the four major regions—30 percent in NCR, 34 in BL, 34 in Visayas, and 30 percent in Mindanao.

His support is broad-based and balanced. The Ilocano-Batangueño is seen as a unifying leader, the most experienced and most competent of the four. He is a president one, especially the poor, can relate to. Besides, his achievements in Makati, now the premier business district, are nothing to sneeze at.

Binay got his huge voter preference percentage without him having to reply to charges of corruption during his family’s 29-year reign in Makati. To many voters, the charges are credible and yet the voters still would vote for Binay. That’s an incredible strength for someone who is not even considered a charismatic politician.

With only 1 to 2 percent of voters undecided, the four protagonists will have to invade each other’s territory to gain advantage. Binay has to strengthen Ahimself in Metro Manila which provides only 11 percent of his total votes, consolidate his hold on Balance of Luzon which has 45.8 percent of his votes, and secure his support in Visayas and Mindanao, which contribute 23 percent and 20.2 percent, respectively, to his total votes.

Poe and Duterte are in a neckand-neck battle nationwide. To defeat Duterte, the senator has to break up the mayor’s stranglehold on Mindanao where he is supported by over 4 million voters against her barely

a million.

Contrary to popular belief, Duterte is not that popular nationwide. The bulk, or 43 percent of his votes, come from just one place, Mindanao. Manila provides 15 percent, BL 24 percent, and Visayas a surprisingly small 18 percent.

On the other hand, Poe is very strong in BL (her father, FPJ, was from Pangasinan), where she derives 61 percent of her total votes, and where anti-Duterte Catholicism runs 90 percent. She has to defeat Duterte in Metro Manila where the later has a slight edge. And maybe, if she could double her votes in Mindanao to 2 million, she could still overtake Duterte and give Binay a good fight in the homestretch.

Of the four candidates, Poe is the weakest in the Visayas (16 percent of her total votes) and Mindanao (10 percent of her total).

My advice to voters. Vote with your heart. If you use your mind, you wouldn’t have an easy choice.

Anyway, any of the four will make for a good president. I am not saying this because it is Christmas.

The Philippines is so big (12th largest in population) and so strong fundamentally and economically (if you believe all presidents are corrupt and that each one stole more money than the previous one, how come we are still standing, with one of the highest growth rates in the world?)—even a dog, or for that matter, a rat, can run this country.

Merry Christmas! biznewsasia@gmail.com

CHINA’S YEAR OF MAYBE-REAL 7% GROWTH

By Justin Fox CHINA is going to meet its economic growth target of about seven percent for 2015, Sheng Laiyun of the National Bureau of Statistics reassured the world a few days ago. “China’s economy,” Sheng said, “still has strong intrinsic tenacity, huge potential and ample leeway.”

He’s probably right about the tenacity and the potential. I’m not exactly sure what he means by “ample leeway.” Could he be saying the statistical agency has the leeway to tweak the numbers to make sure they work?

The suspicion that China’s economic statistics are as reflective of aspiration as of reality has come up a lot this eventful year. Here are three fun statistical tales from the past couple of months: • When an interviewer from the China Times asked economist Liu Wei, president of Renmin University in Beijing and an

#FAILOCRACY

adviser to Chinese President Xi Jinping, about claims from outside analysts that Chinese growth was closer to 4.5 percent, he responded,according to a translation by Chinascope: “That may be the real number. To be honest, even if it is 4.5 percent or 5 percent, do not be afraid. The key is whether the economy can actually endure it.”

• Several local officials from Northeast China told Xinhua news agency that reports of sharp recent drops in economic growth in their provinces came about because they’d been faking the numbers before. “If the past data had not been inflated, the current growth figures would not show such a precipitous fall,” one official said, according to China Daily.

• Two independent measures of Chinese industrial production, the flash purchasing managers index compiled by Markit Economics and the China Minxin PMI compiled by China Minsheng Banking Corp. and the China Academy of New Supplyside Economics, were discontinued

suddenly after showing much sharper declines than official PMI readings.

The concern isn’t so much that China’s economic strength is largely fictional, as was the case with the Soviet Union before its fall. A new “Data Quality Index” from World Economics puts China in a halfway-respectable 40th place for the reliability of its gross domestic product data, just behind Mexico and ahead of Croatia.

But in its desire to maintain the perception that it has everything under control, the Communist Party of China does seem to have been at least smoothing the numbers.

At corporations, such situations are often precursors to accounting frauds, dumb mergers, breakup attempts by activist investors and other forms of upheaval. For a country under one-party rule, it’s harder to say what might happen.

So what are we to make of this weird, weird year for China? Sheng Laiyun of the National Bureau of Statistics says it’s all going to work out, and I’m not sure that I have a better

answer.

From my faraway spectator’s perch, the main thing that I think I understand that maybe people in China don’t is that countries going through rapid economic development inevitably run into trouble. It might be a financial panic, a political crisis, a period of stagnation or all three. This trouble doesn’t have to mean an end to progress, but it does bring an interruption, and often a change of course.

China’s economic policy makers have been astute students of what has worked and what hasn’t in other countries, and they’ve definitely found a way around the financial-crisis-everydecade-or-so cycle that characterized economic development in the UK and the US during the 19th century. Annual GDP growth has topped 7 percent every year since 1991 and it looks like, officially at least, it will hit that target again in 2015. But continuing at or near that pace, uninterrupted, for years and years to come? I don’t buy it.

Bloomberg

CHONG ARDIVILLA

F r i d aY : d e c e m b e r 2 5 , 2 0 1 5

A7

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Red Cross turns over 2,698 homes in Leyte towns

By Mel Caspe THe Philippine Red Cross has turned over a total of 2,698 houses to the beneficiaries in the towns of Isabel and Merida in Leyte.

The shelter is part of the continuing recovery and renewal program of the PRC and its partners in the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, more than two years after Super Typhoon “Yolanda” hit the central Philippines.

PRC Chairman Richard Gordon led the turnover held at the gymnasium across the town hall of Isabel town.

The core shelters are semi-concrete and has individual toilets. The beneficiaries shared sweat equity in constructing their homes.

“I am pleased with the progress of our shelter operation. After two years, we have built 66,800 homes across the Yolanda corridors. We are near our target of 88,800 homes in 2016,” Gordon said.

“We have health centers, livelihood programs, agricultural center, covered court, among others,” he added.

In Leyte, the PRC, in support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, has constructed almost 10,000 houses and 1,000 houses in Tacloban City.

There will be 10,000 more houses to be built in 2016 for Leyte towns and Tacloban City.

In 2013, Typhoon “Haiyan” affected 16 million people and damaged more than 1.21 million houses. To date, more than four million people remain displaced from their homes.

The PRC, supported by the Netherlands Red Cross, has been implementing a Movement-Wide Operational Framework which supports an integrated approach in covering several sectors—shelter, livelihood, health and water supply, disaster risk reduction, and PRC development.

This integrated sectoral program has been implemented in the 16 villages of Isabel and Merida towns.

Isabel Mayor Marcos Greg Cerillo thanked the PRC, its national society partners, private sponsors for the “Haiyan” recovery program they have for the municipality.

Merida Mayor Jesus Antonio Martinez also recognized the huge support from the Red Cross, the biggest humanitarian group in the country.

Health Dept: LGUs key to banning firecrackers

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY—Police and health authorities challenged all local governments in the region to lead efforts to achieve zero casualty in firecracker-related incidents during the New Year revelry.

Amelita Pangilinan, regional director of the Cordillera office of the Department of Health (DoH-CAR), said that although the number of firecracker-related injuries regionwide has continued to decline, one of the challenges is the absence of appropriate regulations from the local governments banning the sale and use of firecrackers and pyrotechnic materials during

the holiday season.

“We will remain aggressive until we are able to achieve the zero casualty of firecracker-related incidents. It has been our age-old tradition to celebrate the Yuletide season with the use of firecrackers and pyrotechnic materials to drive away the evil spirits in order to bring success for everyone with the coming of the New Year,” Pangilinan stressed.

The DoH-CAR official pointed out that its six provinces, two cities and 75 municipalities must already pass the appropriate local legislation banning the sale and use of firecrackers and pyrotechnic materials to give teeth to the campaign to achieve zero casualty. With legislation, law enforcers will have sufficient power to apprehend those still using these items in their celebrations.

Aside from the support of the local governments, Pangilinan said the public must cooperate with policies put in place for the safety of the public.

Chief Superintendent Robert Quenery, deputy regional director for administration of the

Police Regional Office in the Cordillera, said the campaign for zero casualty in firecracker-related incidents is a concerted effort of health and law enforcement agencies, the local governments, the private and public sectors and most especially the people.

Quenery said law enforcers had not been remiss in their job to apprehend those openly selling banned firecrackers. The local government, however, must also share in the effort.

Both police and health officials support the clamor for Congress of the Philippines to pass laws to prohibit the manufacture of firecrackers and pyrotechnic materials.

Christmas plea. An Aeta from Zambales flashes this board asking for help along a road in Bauang, La Union. CHRISTINE JUNIO

Agri Dept, DepEd sign deal to boost agri-fishery education in 136 schools

By A. Perez Rimando

All bundled up. Tourists in Baguio are all smiles despite the drop in temperatures. The weather bureau says this will continue until the end of the month. DAVID CHAN

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur—The Department of education and Department of Agriculture have teamed up to improve agriculture and fishery education in the country’s 136 agri-fishery schools, a Memorandum of Understanding between the two agencies received by the Deped region 9 office here recently said.

The MoU, signed by Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala and education Secretary Armin Luistro, stipulated that the two agencies “would share resources to better serve students who choose to work in the agri-fishery sector.”

Luistro said “We should change the image of agri-fishery schools and focus their curriculum on local development” even as Alcala pledged “to extend tech-

nical help by providing resource persons to train tech-voc mentors in agriculture and fishery education.”

Alcala said DA would also provide seedlings, fingerlings, fertilizers and other production inputs for the development of demonstration farms, nurseries and breeding stations as well as offer scholarships to deserving graduating high school students.

The MoU would be effective for two school years, renewable every year based on the positive outcome of the joint undertaking, Luistro said.

He added that Deped’s recently implemented Strengthened Technical-Vocational education Program also seeks to equip secondary school graduates with Tesda-certificates.

This will allow them to venture into entrepreneurship, he added.

A8

friDAY: DECEMBEr 25, 2015

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Bomb threat targets Natl Grid towers

By Alena Mae S. Flores

Cathedral lights. The Manila Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception or Manila Cathedral radiates as it is being prepared for the last mass of the Misa de Aguinaldo. DANNY PATA

DepEd, 4 other agencies start hiring workers online

By John Paolo Bencito

RecRuitment for crucial positions in the country’s largest bureaucracy—the Department of education— will now be made online to democratize the recruitment process and widen the contracting net and the market reach of the government online.

The Deped and four other government agencies partnered with online recruitment platform Kalibrr and youth group Bagumbayani to speed up the recruitment process on crucial items such as additional teachers and staff.

Kalibrr is a job-matching online platform for job seekers and companies. its cloud-based platform enhances the way applicants find jobs and companies hire talents through its series of enhanced assessments.

Bagumbayani meanwhile, is a youth organization consisting of

young civil servants promoting positive change and integrity in the government by sustainably recruiting young people into the civil service.

“To us in Deped, better government service depends on having the right people for the right job to serve our Filipino learners in the best way we can,” education Undersecretary for Regional operations Rizalino Rivera said during the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement with Kalibrr and Bagumbayani.

“We look forward to maximiz-

ing our partnership with Kalibrr and Bagumbayani so we can cast our nets wider and allow for meritbased recruitment and talent sourcing that allows Filipinos anywhere in the world to be given a chance to take part in the deep and unique privilege of serving the Filipino people through government service,” Rivera added.

Meanwhile, Paul Rivera, chief executive officer and co-founder of Kalibrr, said that the new technology will not only help people get jobs, we are making an impact to the trajectory of the Philippines by helping connect inspiring and progressive public servants to government.

“Through combination of technology and the desire to bring change, we are transforming what it means to find a job in government. i will give you an example: A job seeker in Davao can now by just being on the internet learn about and

engage with the thousands of government jobs. Before Kalibrr, these jobs may have been online or may not have online and would require visit to that Department in its Metro Manila office,” Paul said.

According to the Kalibrr ceo, this partnership will “break the notion that in order for someone to land a job in government, one should be connected with someone else inside.” This partnership intends to make government jobs accessible to all online.

Four other government agencies —the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Finance-Bureau of local Government Finance, Department of Transportation and communications, and Public Private Partnership center, also made up their recruitment processes online to speed up and rationalize the resource pool of qualified workers in government.

‘Spread love, not garbage’

By Joel E. Zurbano The ecowaste coalition on Thursday encouraged the people to celebrate the holiday by reusing and recycling the usual christmas discards instead of simply tossing them to the bins, sidewalks or street corners. “let us honor the child Jesus by spreading love not garbage on this special day. We can do simple steps to stop useful materials from reaching the dumps and getting wasted,” said ecowaste president Sonia Mendoza.

The group also encouraged families and businesses not to put their garbage outside their houses or establishments or in street corners and vacant lots, and wait instead for the waste collection service to come.

“Making christmas less wasteful is not rocket science. everyone regardless

of age, gender and socio-economic status can prevent and reduce the holiday trash with some creativity and common sense,” Mendoza said.

“We hope that everyone will do their part to keep our communities glistening with safe christmas lights and ecofriendly decorations, and not stinking due to abandoned mixed rubbish,” she added.

To reduce the volume of residual christmas garbage, the group came up with the following waste prevention and reduction tips.

Get creative with edible food leftovers, which can be recycled into amazing meals. To spread the christmas cheer and avoid food wastage, consider sharing spare food with the poor, jobless and homeless, as well as with people servicing your neighborhood such as the village guards, garbage collectors, waste recyclers, etc.

Underwater Santa. Children who visit the Manila Ocean Park on Thursday Dec. 24 enjoy watching a diver wearing a Santa Claus suit while feeding the fishes. DANNY PATA

MoRe transmission towers in Mindanao are expected to be bombed over the Yuletide season, the National Grid corporation of the Philippines warned on Thursday, citing intelligence reports.

National Grid, in its advisory, said Tower #153 of Kabacan-Tacurong 138 kV line in Taverdo, Buluan, Maguindanao was bombed on Dec. 23.

National Grid said repair work will start as soon as the area is secured.

“Per intel reports, eight more towers are to be bombed by lawless elements over the holidays,” it said.

The company warned that further bombing incidents may prevent customers from enjoying uninterrupted electricity during the holidays.

National Grid renewed its appeal for the public, national and local government, and the Philippine Army in resolving the security issue. last Dec. 18, tower 168 kV of Kabacan-Sultan Kudarat 138 kV line in ladia, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao was bombed. one of the tower legs was cut off but the incident fortunately did not result in a power interruption. The same tower was previously bombed by lawless elements.

More than 10 transmission towers in Mindanao have been bombed to date. “if anyone sees anything suspicious at or around our towers and facilities, please inform us immediately. You may text us your tips and other information at (0917)879-1077,” it said.

Chinoy trader rescued from kidnap gang

By Francisco Tuyay Police on christmas eve rescued a chinese-Filipino businessman and arrested five suspects during a raid at the kidnappers’ hideout in Sorsogon. chief Supt. Roberto Fajardo, acting director of the PNP AntiKidnapping Group, said highpowered firearms were also seized from the suspects.

The victim was Giovani Rossano Tan, who was about to be transferred by his abductors to the Matnog Ferry Terminal in Matnog, Sorsogon.

Fajardo identified the suspects as Marlon Altizo, Jemmel cinco, Rolly Falcon, Drackilou Falcon and Abigail lapinid.

Fajardo said the suspects were nabbed onboard a Mitsubishi Adventure (ABD 6572).

The kidnap victim was forcibly snatched on Dec. 10, 2015 from the Tarlac Sentra Piggery Farm in Tarlac city.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

B1

FRIDAY: DECEMBER 25, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

PSe comPoSite index Closing December 23, 2015

8000 7700 7400 7100 6800 6500

7,002.42 36.24

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing DECEMBER 23, 2015 43.50 44.60 45.40

P47.225

46.20

CLOSE

47.00

HIGH P47.315 LOW P47.200 AVERAGE P47.275

Christmas at Naia. Ground personnel and staff of Singapore Airlines hold a surprise performance at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport as the airline’s way of sharing the spirit of Christmas with passengers. SIA also adorns the airport (inset) with a belen and colorful lanterns creatively designed by ground staff using local and recycled materials.

Korean-led group bags MRT contract

By Darwin G. Amojelar

A KOREAN-FILIPINO group bagged a P3.81-billion longterm maintenance contract of Metro Rail Transit Line 3, the Transportation Department said Thursday.

The agency said beginning Jan. 5, 2016, the joint venture of Busan Transportation Corp., Edison Development & Construction, Tramat Mercantile Inc., TMICorp Inc. and Castan Corp. would fulfill the general maintenance requirements of MRT 3 for three years.

The three-year contract will allow the new service provider to procure the necessary spare parts needed to increase the number of operating trains, especially during peak hours.

It also covers the general overhaul of the trains and the total replacement of the signaling system.

Previous attempts to bid out the long-term maintenance contract, first in September 2014 and again in January 2015, resulted in failure due to the non-participation of bidders.

Those included Busan Transport Corp, Mosan-Inekon Philippines Ltd. Co., SMRT International Pte Ltd., Miescorrail Inc. and D.M. Consunji Inc. The Government Procurement Policy Board, recognizing the urgent need to address the railway’s maintenance requirements and the core problems of obsolescence and complete wear-and-tear, unanimously approved the transport agency’s decision to proceed with an alternative mode of procurement pursuant to Republic Act No. 9184.

The Justice Department and the National Economic Development Authority also ap-

proved the said mode of procurement.

The Transportation Department, while procuring the long-term service provider, engaged subcontractors directly under a multi-disciplinary approach to enhance the efficiency of maintenance works per component.

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

The rail system has a fleet of 73 Czech-made air-conditioned rail cars, of which only 24 three-car trains operate daily because other trains need repair.

Three brand new train cars are expected to arrive this month from China, but their compatibility to the MRT system will still need to be tested .

The government placed orders for 48 new trains cars from China.

VOLUME 427.000M

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

oPriceS il P today

P25.03-P28.48 Diesel P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday, December 23, 2015

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar Peso

United States Dollar

1.000000

47.2980

Japan

Yen

0.008260

0.3907

UK

Pound

1.482500

70.1193

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128997

6.1013

Switzerland

Franc

1.012658

47.8967

Canada

Dollar

0.718081

33.9638

Singapore

Dollar

0.712099

33.6809

Australia

Dollar

0.723694

34.2293

Bahrain

Dinar

2.656395

125.6422

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266581

12.6087

Brunei

Dollar

0.709572

33.5613

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000073

0.0035

Thailand

Baht

0.027722

1.3112

UAE

Dirham

0.272301

12.8793

Euro

Euro

1.095300

51.8055

Korea

Won

0.000855

0.0404

China

Yuan

0.154350

7.3004

India

Rupee

0.015110

0.7147

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.233100

11.0252

New Zealand

Dollar

0.681106

32.2150

Taiwan

Dollar

0.030492

1.4422 Source: PDS Bridge

MetroPac unit starts work on Cavitex C5 Link project in February METRO Pacific Tollways Corp., a unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., said it expects to start the construction of the P9billion Cavitex C5 Link Expressway in February 2016.

MPTC said the Toll Regulatory Board approved the first portion of the C5 Link Expressway, which runs from C5 Road in Taguig towards Moonwalk and Merville villages in Sucat Parañaque.

The company plans to break ground for the project in January, with construction starting the following month.

It said the right-of-way for

the first portion of the expressway project was substantially acquired, and would be completed when the Manila International Airport Authority transferred additional land for the project to the Public Works Department.

The C5 Link will ultimately connect with the Cavitex Coastal Expressway and will provide fast, safe and convenient travel for motorists going to and from Paranaque, Las Piñas and Cavite and for Parañaque residents in Multinational, Moonwalk and Merville villages.

The new expressway, once

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

completed in 2019, will not only decongest the Parañaque villages, but will also provide easier travel from Taguig, Makati, Pasay, Pasig and Quezon City to Manila, Las Piñas and Cavite province.

It will also help ease congestion along Edsa and C5 Road.

The expressway will provide a seamless connection to the Cavitex road network, and to the Cavite-Laguna Expressway which is slated for completion in 2020.

The new C5 Link is envisioned to spur further economic development in Parañaque and

in Cavite and Laguna provinces by providing a safe and convenient link from the central and northern parts of Metro Manila to the high-growth industrial and residential centers in Southern Tagalog.

The C-5 Link Expressway is another project of the Metro Pacific Tollways Group of companies, which is currently the largest operator of toll roads in the country.

Aside from Cavitex, MPTC Group operates the NLEx and the SCTEx and has successfully established an investment foothold in Southeast Asian toll

roads in Don Muang, Bangkok, Thailand and CII Bridge and Roads in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. It operates 60 percent of the Philippines’ 320 kilometers of toll roads.

Metro Pacific Tollways earlier won the bid for the flagship 45-kilometer CaviteLaguna Expressway, the government’s largest PPP project to date.

Construction period for CALAx would cover July 2016 to July 2010, while operations and maintenance would be from July 2020 to July 2050.

Darwin G. Amojelar

FRIDAY: DECEMBER 25, 2015

B2

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

Mean Girls WE WONDER if any of the leading optical companies will get host/ comedian Steve Harvey as their next endorser following that major Miss Universe 2015 flubber when he “misread” his cue card and mistakenly announced Miss Colombia as Miss Universe. And while people are speculating that it might be the first and last time Harvey will be hosting the pageant, that’s not likely though since sources say he signed a multi-pageant contract with the new organizers. Besides, it looks like fierce blogger and pageant judge Perez Hilton took a shine on him, so there! People who continue to diss Harvey should give the guy a break, he apologized and owned up to the huge boo-boo instead of high tailing it and leaving the organizers to sort out the mess later on.

If there’s one good thing that came out of the blunder, it’s the fact that even major global networks are devoting more time to the pageant, unlike the previous years when the ho-hum results only got minimal coverage. And while Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutiérrez may go down in history as the “Missed Universe 2015” winner – she will be getting a lot more exposure that will last longer than her 3-minute or so reign.

We’re wondering though if producers are interested in filming Mean Girls (nothing like Saturday Night Live’s Tina Fey’s comedy of the same title) loosely based on some of the pageant winners who can really live up to the title, like Miss Germany Sarah-Lorraine Riek who seemed like she wanted to riek havoc (sorry, we’re feeling a bit corny today) on the pageant since she didn’t even make it to the final three.

Are your grapes tasting sour, Fraulein?

As for all those who say that the crown was stolen from Colombia – how can something that was not even theirs in the first place be stolen from them? But we also feel for Ariadna, who must have felt like a ton of bricks fell down on her head when Harvey announced that a mistake has been made. Give her credit for stoically bearing it when she was stripped of the crown, then sash and scepter in full view of the world.

As for Pia, the girl has got class written all over her, her face an interesting study of emotions when the mistake was being acknowledged and when it dawned on her that she won – needing the prompting of Miss USA, Miss Australia and Miss Bulgaria before she finally walked hesitantly first then more briskly when the floor director told her to get back on stage. Way to go, girl!

•••

ICTSI hikes capex on foreign projects

By Darwin G. Amojelar

PORT operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. said it allocated a portion of its earnings amounting to $40 million to finance projects overseas next year.

ICTSI, controlled by businessman Enrique Razon Jr., said its board approved the “appropriation of a portion of ICTSI’s unappropriated retained earnings in the amount of $40 million for additional working capital requirements of its continuing foreign expansion projects in 2016.”

ICTSI spent only $254.6 million in the first nine months or about 48 percent of the total $530-million capital expenditure budget for the full year 2015.

“The established budget is mainly allocated for the completion of development at the company’s new container terminals in Mexico, Honduras and Iraq, capacity expansion in its terminal operation in Manila, and to start the development of the new terminals in Democratic Republic of Congo and Australia,” ICTSI earlier said.

ICTSI invested $79.1 million in the development of Sociedad Puerto Industrial Aguadulce S.A., its joint venture container

terminal development project with PSA International Pte Ltd. in Buenaventura, Colombia.

The company’s share in 2015 to complete phase one of the project was about $140 million.

ICTSI said given the underspending trend recorded in the first three quarters of 2015, the company reduced its capex and investment budget in SPIA for the full year 2015 to $350 million and $97 million, respectively.

“The underspending on capital expenditures was mainly from longer payment schedules on civil works and equipment contracts in most of the company’s greenfield projects, foreign exchange related savings brought about by the stronger US dollar, and a number of postponed capital expenditures on volume-related expansions given the weak global trade outlook,” ICTSI said.

Credit data. Metrobank Credit Card becomes the first among credit card issuers to submit live data to the credit information system of Credit Information Corp. Shown are (from left) CIC president Jaime Garchitorena, Securities and Exchange Commission chairperson Teresita Herbosa, MCC operations head Harry Gue, risk management head Rowel Andaya, risk management analytics head Winnie Vic Ventura, risk analytics officer Angelo Martin Castillo and International Finance Corp. program lead Gay Santos.

BSP incurred P3-b net loss in 9 months

By Julito G. Rada It seems that the country is ending the year with several victories, because our friends from Philex Mining sent us word that president and CEO Eulalio Austin Jr. received the Asset CEO of the Year Award for Mining in the Philippines and Gold Award from Daniel Yu, Editor-in-Chief of The Asset, which recognized the quality of Philex Mining’s financial performance, management, corporate governance, investor relations, environmental and social responsibility, during awarding ceremonies held at the Four Seasons in Hong Kong last December 15.

“Awards like these inspire us to further make ourselves better by working harder toward being a more responsible mining company,” said Austin. The Asset Awards is considered as recognition and appreciation for an institution’s excellence in the mining industry.

And on that note, we wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Cheers!

••• For comments, reactions, photos, stories and related concerns, readers may email to happyhourtoday2012@yahoo.com. You may also visit and like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ happyhourmanilastandard. We’d be very happy to hear from you.

Cheers!

BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas incurred a net loss of P3 billion in the first nine months, lower than the P5.3-billion net loss a year ago.

Data showed the Bangko Sentral posted a net loss of P856 million in the third quarter alone, a reversal of a P1.041-billion net profit in the second quarter, due mainly to lower miscellaneous income.

The third-quarter figure, however, was significantly lower compared with the P5.891-billion net loss in the third quarter last year.

“Total revenues for the third quarter of 2015 amounted to P11.8 billion, lower than the P16.1 billion posted in the previous quarter, as miscellaneous income decreased by 78.8 percent from the previous quarter’s aggregate level, due mostly from reduced trading gains from domestic and foreign currency se-

curities,” Bangko Sentral said in a report on economic and financial developments for the third quarter of 2015.

Total expenditures in the third quarter amounted to P18 billion, or P0.5 billion lower than the level posted in the second quarter.

“The quarter-on-quarter decrease in expenditures was due mainly to lower interest expense on loans payable and other foreign currency deposits, cost of minting/ printing of currencies and other expenses,” it said.

Total assets reached P4.296 trillion as of end September, up by 5.8 percent or P234.3 billion from a year ago. “The increase in the BSP’s assets was mainly due to the higher level of international reserves and other assets accounts. The international reserves account rose to P3.753 trillion in the third quarter,

an increase of 3.6 percent or P131.5 billion from the previous quarter’s P3.622 trillion,” it said.

Bangko Sentral’s liabilities increased 6 percent or P240.6 billion as of end-September from a year earlier, due to the rise in currency issues and downward revaluation of international reserves.

Issued currencies increased

by P18.8 billion to P817.3 billion from P798.6 billion a quarter ago.

Total deposits at Bangko Sentral increased by P6.7 billion to P2.952 trillion, notwithstanding the decrease in special deposit accounts of about 5.4 percent or P54.4 billion in the third quarter.

Bangko Sentral’s net worth went down by 13.1 percent to P6.4 billion to P42.5 billion.

Bangko Sentral is pushing for the passage into law of a bill seeking additional P150-billion capitalization.

FRIDAY: DECEMBER 25, 2015

B3

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

Regional cooperation.

Saudi moves to diversify economy RIYADH—Saudi King Salman on Wednesday said he has ordered economic reforms to diversify sources of income and reduce high dependence on oil following a sharp drop in crude prices.

“Our vision for economic reform is to increase the efficiency of public spending, utilize economic resources and boost returns from state investment,” he said in an address to the Shura Council.

“I have directed the Council of Economic and Development Affairs to devise the necessary plans, policies and programs to achieve that,” he told the consultative body, without elaborating.

Oil income accounts for more than 90 percent of public revenues in Saudi Arabia.

The world’s largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia is facing an unprecedented budget crunch as the price of oil has dropped by more than 60 percent since mid-2014.

At midday Wednesday, benchmark Brent North Sea crude for delivery in February stood at $36.50 a barrel, hovering just above an 11-year low.

The king said Saudi Arabia carried out a large number of mega infrastructure projects and boosted its fiscal reserves in the past several years when oil prices were high.

The size of the fiscal buffers has enabled the kingdom to overcome the consequences from the sharp decline in oil revenues, said the king, adding that development projects have not been affected by the drop. AFP

Philippine senior official for BIMP-EAGA Prudencio Reyes Jr. (left) and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, as BIMPEAGA +1 development partner, discuss previous involvement and areas of cooperation on November 17 to 20, 2015 at Darwin, Australia. The meeting hopes to pave the way for a reinvigorated cooperation between Brunei DarussalamIndonesia-MalaysiaPhilippines East ASEAN Growth Area and Northern Territory of Australia, resulting concretely into more social, cultural and educational exchanges.

Asian stocks extend rally for fourth day EMERGING-MARKET stocks advanced for a fourth day, heading for the longest winning streak in more than seven weeks, as energy companies extended a rebound.

A gauge of developing-nation energy stocks rose to a threeweek high as crude oil prices climbed for a fourth day, while materials companies increased as industrial metals rallied from the worst commodity rout since the financial crisis. Cnooc Ltd., PetroChina Co. and China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. added at least 2.3 percent in Hong Kong.

Zeitgeist 2015 THE year is ending. Before the new year begins, it is time to tell each other stories of the year just past.

Sorrow It was a year of sorrow. Just a week into 2015 on January 7, brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi broke into the offices of satiric French newspaper Charlie Hebdo, killing eleven people and injuring another eleven in the building. Social media reacted with the slogan: “Je suis Charlie.” A far deadlier event occurred on November 13, killing over 130 people in a series of coordinated attacks across Paris. “Je suis Paris.” erupted across social media.

The two Paris attacks bracketed a year that was marked by conflict in the Middle East. As the conflict continued, over a million migrants and refugees flooded into Europe, overwhelming border facilities and guard.

A massive earthquake in Nepal and floods in many places prompted worldwide concern about disaster readiness.

Militants of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria dominated global news, with ISIS being linked to terrorist attacks in Yemen, Tunisia, Beirut, and Paris. ISIS also claimed responsibility for downing a Russian passenger Jet in Egypt. In California, a couple killed 14 people after the woman posted an oath of allegiance to ISIS on a Facebook page.

Change It was a year of change. The US re-established diplomatic relations with Cuba and Castro and Obama

South Korea’s won strengthened 0.2 percent, extending its fourday advance to 1.1 percent, after Moody’s Investors Service raised the nation’s credit rating to the third-highest investment grade.

Data this week showing strong US consumption and scant inflation are boosting confidence that the biggest part of the world’s largest economy will continue to un-

both called for an end to the US embargo against Cuba.

David Letterman retired after 33 years with Late Night and Jon Stewart ended 16 years with the Daily Show.

Bruce Jenner came out to the world and became Caitlyn Jenner.

Fifteen years after Vermont began allowing marriage for same-sex couples, the USA Supreme Court issued a ruling supporting marriage equality.

Ballerina Misty Copeland was named principal dancer by the 75-year old American Ballet Theatre.

She is ABT’s first black female principal dancer.

Leonard Nimoy posted his last tweet: “A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.

Two countries lost beloved leaders: Singapore lost Lee Kuan Yew and Saudi Arabia lost King Abdullah. In 2015, we lost American baseball legend Yogi Berra and former New York mayor Mario Cuomo.

Science lost mathematician John Nash and neurologist Oliver Sacks. Disney fans mourned the death of Dean Jones (The Love Bug) and readers mourned the deaths of Jackie Collins, Terry Pratchett and Colleen McCullough.

Money and Business It was a year of turbulence.

Greeks voted down bail out conditions in July, plunging the country into virtual shutdown until finally acceding after drawn out negotiations.

The Dow Jones folks finally included Apple, the most valuable US company in its 30-stock average. Ironically, this was immediately followed by Apple stock losing value. The US stock market was buoyed by tech stocks Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google.

The Shanghai composite dropped 34% between June and September this year and the Dow Jones industrial average plunged 11% in reaction. China, for its part, explains that the slowdown is part of an official plan to shift away from growth based on exports and wasteful investments towards steadier growth

derpin growth. That’s easing concerns that decelerating Chinese growth and the commodity slump will harm the global economy just as the Federal Reserve raises borrowing costs. Oil is heading for its largest weekly gain in more than two months, while the Bloomberg Commodity Index extended a rally after jumping by the most since Oct. 6. on Wednesday.

“The rally in oil and commodity prices has significantly bolstered sentiment on emerging-market equities,” Isara Ordeedolchest, an investment strategist at SCB Securities Co. in Bangkok, said by phone. “This is a positive de-

based on local consumer spending. China has allowed the renminbi to devalue slightly in 2015 and some analysts are expecting further devaluation in 2016.

The slowdown in China and a global glut in oil crushed commodities and energy prices. The S&P GSCI commodities index contracted 34% this year, its lowest level since 1999 and down 80% from its peak.

Oil prices tumbled from USD 98 a barrel two years ago to under USD 35.

In a gesture of confidence, the US Fed increased short term rates from a range of zero to 0.25 percent to a range of 0.25 to 0.50 percent. However, the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan and the People’s Bank of China continued their easy money policies —reflecting continued economic struggles in those economies.

A wave of mergers and acquisitions came over Corporate America, bringing together Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller, Dow Chemical and DuPont, and Pfizer and Allergan.

Volkswagen passed Toyota as the world’s topselling automaker, only to have to recall 11 million cars globally after the US Environmental Protection Agency exposed VW’s cheating on emissions tests.

Elsewhere in the automotive world, Takata Corp. admitted concealing evidence on a defect in its air bags that cause them to explode.

Envelope It was a year for pushing the envelope.

Nissan allowed reporters to test drive a self-driving car and Tesla has rolled out technology for automated braking and lane-changes. Mercedes and Infiniti already offer cars with self-steering functions.

Cadillac expects to offer hands-free driving in 2016 and Audi plans to offer the same option in 2017.

Toyota, Honda, and Nissan have targeted 2020 as the target date for bringing advanced self-driving cars to the market.

NASA discovered water on Mars. Designs for prosthetic limbs have become widely available online, allowing for functional and inexpensive prosthetics to be produced using 3D printers.

velopment ahead of the coming holidays after those markets were hard hit by fund outflows and weak commodity prices.”

The MSCI Emerging Markets Index increased 0.3 percent to 805.76 at 11:51 a.m. in Hong Kong, poised for the highest close since Dec. 7. Eight of 10 industry groups in the gauge rose, led by energy and utility stocks. The measure’s 50-day volatility index, which peaked at a four-year high in October as a $5 trillion Chinese equity rout and concerns over the impact of a US interest-rate rise roiled developing markets, fell to a five-month low. Bloomberg

Stephen Haggerty, a researcher at Florida International University, published a paper announcing that a plant Pandanus candelabrum, is a positive indicator for diamond-bearing kimberlite, the first diamond botanical indicator to be found.

Scientists at Duke University announced that their lab-grown human skeletal muscle contracts and responds to stimuli like real muscle.

An electronic chip which allows microbes to grow while still in the soil has enabled the successful isolation of the first new antibiotic in 28 years. Called Teixobactin, the new antibiotic seems highly effective against Mycobacterium tuberculous and Staphylococcus aureus.

Community In October, the end of the five-year long negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement was announced. The agreement covers 40% of the global economy.

The Philippines successfully hosted APEC 2015.

In the movies this year, we liked Kingsman and waited for A Second Chance. Finally, in the week before Christmas, geeks everywhere celebrated the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The movie broke all previously standing records for the release of a new film and brings an entire new generation into the Star Wars universe.

But the most important story of 2015 is probably the one that revolved around ISIS. The conflict in the Middle East is clearly a problem for the world. Thirty years ago, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie wrote a song meant to raise funds for Africa. Its title is reminiscent of the social media response to the Paris attacks, but might better capture current reality. Not “Je suis Paris.” Not even “Je suis dans le monde.” “Nous sommes le monde.” We are the world.

That seems a good thought to end the year with.

Merry Christmas dear readers.

Readers can email Maya at integrations_manila@ yahoo.com. Or visit her site at http://integrations. tumblr.com.

FRIDAY: DECEMBER 25, 2015

B4

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

4 more years of cheap oil—Opec VIENNA—The Opec oil cartel sees only a gradual improvement in the global crude market, with prices recovering to above $70 per barrel after four years, according to a report released Wednesday.

With the global benchmark oil price touching an 11-year low of $36.04 on Monday, the cartel which produces a third of the world’s crude said that it foresees a “gradual improvement in market conditions as growing demand and slower than previously expected non-Opec supply growth eliminate the existing oversupply and lead to a more balanced market”.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, in its annual World Oil

By Alexander Martinez CARACAS—“Christmas is dead,” says Elise Belisario, who, like many Venezuelans, can’t afford to hang decorations or make a traditional holiday meal this year.

And 2016 augurs bleak times too in this staggering oil giant, where the new year looks set to bring political power struggles and little respite from a crippling economic crisis.

Belisario lives in the sprawling slum of Petare, on the outskirts of Caracas, which is suffering this holiday season from the shortages and triple-digit inflation gripping Venezuela― the twin tribulations of the once high-flying economy’s demise.

Where Christmases past brought exuberant decorations and balconies drenched in lights, this year Petare’s streets are drab and dark.

“There’s just not enough money. We’ve switched off Christmas,” said Belisario, a 28-yearold with two kids who recently lost her job.

When the oil money was flowing, Christmas was a consumer bonanza in Venezuela, a predominantly Catholic country with a flair for celebrations.

But that has changed as oil prices have plunged, and the opulent days under late leftist firebrand Hugo Chavez (1999-2013) have given way to the malaise plaguing his less charmed successor, Nicolas Maduro.

“We were rich and we didn’t even know it,” said Belisario.

At a nearby shop, cashier Olga Gonzalez, 50, dejectedly picks up the nearly empty piggy bank she has dressed up in a little Santa Claus suit in hopes of getting some traditional Christmas tips.

But there are no customers to leave them.

“People are more worried about buying food than giving gifts this year,” she said.

Political war Exasperated with empty supermarket shelves, runaway prices and violent crime, Venezuelans gave the opposition a landslide victory in legislative

Outlook report, bases its reference scenario on $70.70 for a barrel of crude in 2020 and $95 in 2040.

Those projections represent a sharp drop in market value compared to last year’s report, which predicted a nominal price of $110 for the rest of this decade.

The oil market has been rife with drama over the past year and a half as Opec abandoned its policy of cutting production to support prices, with the price of a barrel of crude plunging more than 60 percent.

Led by Saudi Arabia, the cartel instead aimed to preserve its market shares and push out growing competition from higher-cost shale rock producers in the United States.

Opec nations, which are highly dependent on oil for government revenues, may be in for a longer haul than they had bargained for initially.

The report sees shale oil production only starting to “plateau” at 5.6 million barrels per day by 2025 and then decline.

And low oil prices are only leading to short-term boost in demand.

“The impact of the recent oil price decline on demand is most visible in the short term. It then drops away over the medium term,” noted the cartel, which is headquartered in Vienna.

It projected the world’s total crude demand to hit 97.4 million barrels per day by the end of the decade, an increase of 500,000 barrels per day compared to its forecast from last year.

And while demand for Opec oil is also set to increase more than previously forecast over the next five years, it will still remain below current production levels.

The cartel sees demand for its output reaching 30.7 million barrels per day by 2020, an increase of 1.7 million barrels

compared to last year’s projections. It is currently pumping 32 million barrels per day.

The cartel said it expected its current market share to increase by four points to 37 percent by 2040.

For trends in the global energy market, Opec sees the developing world accounting for 63 percent of the total fuel consumption, overtaking industrialized countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Natural gas is expected to replace oil and coal as the fuel with the largest share of global energy use by 2040, making up close to 28 percent of world demand.

Meanwhile, although wind and solar power are set to grow at the fastest rates, their overall market reach will only be around 4 percent in 15 years from now, according to Opec. AFP

Christmas is dead in poor Venezuela

Handout photo released by the Venezuelan Presidency of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaking at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas on December 21, 2015. Two weeks after the overwhelming victory of the opposition in the parliamentary elections, the Venezuelan government deploys actions to minimize its impact, while the main opposition leaders differ on where to line up batteries. AFP

elections this month, ending the Chavez movement’s 16-year monopoly on power.

But Maduro’s term runs until 2019, and the power struggles of divided government mean things are likely to get worse before they get better, some political analysts warn.

Maduro, who called the poll result an “electoral coup,” has already made clear he is ready to do battle with the “bourgeois assembly” from the moment it is inaugurated on January 5.

And his United Socialist Party of Venezuela appears determined to do all it can to reduce the new legislature’s power before then.

It appointed 34 new judges to the country’s highest court Wednesday after a series of marathon extraordinary sessions,

drawing outrage from the opposition coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable.

The court could play a decisive role in disputes between the executive and legislative branches going forward.

The PSUV has also used the final days of its majority to convene a “national communal parliament,” a sort of parallel legislature provided for under Venezuelan law—though not the constitution—and whose authority could become the subject of a bitter court battle.

‘Make Maduro quit’ The opposition appears ready to fight fire with fire.

Jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez said the new legislature’s priority should be “to make

Maduro quit before 2019,” in an interview from his prison cell.

“There are constitutional mechanisms to do that,” said Lopez, who was sentenced to 14 years in September on charges of inciting violence at anti-government protests—a ruling that drew international condemnation.

MUD’s new two-thirds majority in the legislature gives it the power to put legislation to a referendum, remove officials from office and call an assembly to draft a new constitution.

It could also use its momentum at the polls to petition for a referendum to remove Maduro next year, under an article of the constitution allowing elected officials to be recalled halfway through their terms.

MUD has vowed its first act will be to pass an amnesty law for Lopez and other “political prisoners.” Maduro has vowed to veto it, even though the legislature could easily override it.

Political analyst Luis Vicente Leon warned the country faces a messy power struggle.

“Can ‘Chavismo’ mock the decision the Venezuelan people made at the ballot box? In the short term, it can, by controlloing the nation’s institutions. But in the medium and long term, it’s unsustainable,” he said.

He predicted Venezuela faces a “serious crisis” that will eventually get so bad the warring political forces will have to find a compromise to take the country forward. AFP

F R I D AY : D E C E M B E R 2 5 , 2 0 1 5

B5

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Afghans struggle to repel Taliban KABUL—Afghan forces scrambled Thursday to beat back the Taliban from Sangin as the insurgents claimed to have captured nearly the entire opium-rich district, following the first British deployment to the volatile region in 14 months.

The Islamists broke through the front lines of Sangin on Sunday after days of pitched clashes with besieged Afghan forces, tightening their grip on the southern province of Helmand.

Fleeing residents reported Taliban executions of captured soldiers as the insurgents advanced on the district center, compounding fears that the entire province was on the brink of a security collapse.

Government officials Thursday denied reports that Sangin was on the brink of falling to the Taliban, saying that reinforcements were trying to relieve dozens of security forces holed up in the district centre.

“Afghan army commandos and police forces have launched an operation in Sangin,” said interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi, claiming heavy Taliban losses.

But Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed the insurgents had overrun the entire district, pinning down Afghan forces in a military base where trapped soldiers reported dire conditions.

“Our men are hungry and thirsty,” Abdul Wahab, a local police commander in Sangin, told AFP. “Stepping out to get bread means inviting death,” he said, adding that dozens of his comrades had been killed and grievously wounded.

The war in Helmand, seen as the epicenter of the expanding insurgency, follows a string of military victories for the Taliban after NATO formally ended its combat operations last year.

All but two of Helmand’s 14 districts are effectively controlled or heavily contested by the Taliban, who also recently came close to overrunning the provincial capital Lashkar Gah. The turmoil in Helmand, the deadliest province for British and US forces in Afghanistan over the past decade, underscores a rapidly unraveling security situation in Afghanistan. AFP

WORLD Celebrities speak out on migrant problem LOS ANGELES—As Europe grapples with its biggest migrant crisis in recent history, Hollywood celebrities are rallying to raise awareness about the issue and lashing out at the calls to turn away refugees.

Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon this month became the latest star to arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos, a frontline for the crisis, where she is spending the Christmas holiday helping new arrivals and writing about her experience for the Huffington Post and RYOT.org, a virtual reality news company.

The 69-year-old actress, who is known for her support of humanitarian causes and is a goodwill ambassador for the UN Children’s Fund Unicef, said she was trying to raise awareness on the crisis to honor her grandparents, who were Italian immigrants.

“I hope that I can make it possible for them [the refugees] to have a voice so we can understand,” she wrote in one posting. “Understand that ‘these people’ are just like us, wanting to keep their children safe.

Wanting them to have a future.”

The support by Sarandon and other celebrities comes against a backdrop of inflammatory remarks in the United States, where leading Republican presidential candidates and politicians have backed calls to prevent Muslims or Syrian refugees from entering the country.

Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump has also called for registering all Muslims in the US while his rival Ben Carson has said allowing Syrian refugees into the country was tantamount to exposing a neighborhood to a “rabid dog.”

Actor Mandy Patinkin, who plays CIA operative Saul Berenson on the hit television series “Homeland” and who visited Lesbos earlier this month, said such rhetoric only served to fan the flames of intolerance.

“This fear-mongering and hatred that’s going on by people running for the president of United States is so misguided,” he said during an appearance on the popular “Late Show” with Stephen Colbert.

“It is important that we open up our arms and our hearts to refugees that are fleeing a horrifying situation.”

Speaking out. In this file photo taken on January 25, 2015, actors Nimrat Kaur, left, and Mandy Actor Edward Norton has also spoken out on the Patinkin arrive for the 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los migrant crisis and has raised nearly $460,000 on beAngeles, California. As Europe grapples with its biggest migrant crisis in recent history, Hollywood half of a Syrian refugee whose story prompted him celebrities are rallying to raise awareness about the issue and lashing out at the calls to turn away to act. refugees. Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has also called for registering all The Syrian, a scientist who lost seven members of Muslims in the US while his rival Ben Carson has said allowing Syrian refugees into the country is his family in a bombing two years ago—including tantamount to exposing a neighborhood to a “rabid dog.” Actor Mandy Patinkin, who plays CIA operative Saul Berenson on the hit series “Homeland” and who visited Lesbos, Greece, earlier this his wife and a daughter—was featured on the website “Humans of New York” earlier this month. AFP month, said such rhetoric only served to fan the flames of intolerance. AFP

Embassies warn of threat against foreigners in Beijing BEIJING—Foreign embassies in China issued a warning Thursday about possible threats against “Westerners” in a popular Beijing neighborhood ahead of the Christmas holiday.

The notice, from the US and British governments, covered the popular shopping and nightlife area of Sanlitun.

The area has been the site of occasional violence against foreigners, including a grisly murder in August when a Chinese attacker stabbed a French man and his Chinese wife with a sword. The woman later died from her injuries.

Mass attacks in Beijing are very rare, although in October 2013 five people were killed and dozens injured when a vehicle plowed into crowds in Tiananmen Square, with the suspects appearing to be mostly from the restive Xinjiang region.

Beijing described the incident as a terrorist attack.

The US Embassy’s statement on its website Thursday urged citizens to be vigilant, while the British Embassy made a similar warning, saying it had received information about possible threats against Westerners

on or around Christmas.

The French Embassy passed on the US warning to its citizens.

Photos on social media showed a heightened police presence in front of a Sanlitun shopping center, which is home to major international brands.

They also showed a camouflage van surrounded by men armed with rifles wearing fatigues in a plaza near one of Beijing’s two embassy districts.

The city’s police department issued a yellow alert Thursday, the second level in a

four-tier system, according to a post on its social media account.

A yellow alert is issued when authorities have information about a significant and approaching threat to public security, state media said. They can relate to natural disasters as well as issues linked to social order.

The alert, expected to last through New Year, would “ensure good social order during the upcoming holidays”, police said, adding that it was due to “the gradual increase of shopping promotions, celebrations and entertainment activities”. AFP

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Cone wary of former Star team

By Jeric Lopez

FANS will have a basketball celebration as they enjoy a Christmas treat when the 2015-16 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup quarterfinals kick off this Christmas day featuring an explosive double-header.

Crowd-darling Barangay Ginebra, the No. 4 seed, and Star, ranked No. 9, face off in a much-anticipated war at 7 p.m. in front of an expected jam-packed crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City tonight.

Prior to that, opening

the quarterfinals is an equally explosive match-up between No. 5 GlobalPort and No. 8 Barako Bull at 4:15 p.m. in the first game.

The Gin Kings and the Batang Pier each hold twice-to-beat incentives against their respective opponents. They move

forward to the next phase of the quarterfinals with a win today.

Otherwise, if either the Hotshots or the Energy, register a win, a knockout game will be forced against their opponents.

Even with the twiceto-beat advantage his team holds, Ginebra coach Tim Cone is wary of Star. He personally knows that his former team is capable to playing big in the playoffs. ‘’Playing Star will really be hard,’’ said Cone. ‘’Those guys know how to win big games. They are veterans. We have the ad-

vantage but we need to be better against them. We expect a very hard game.’’

The Gin Kings are entering the quarterfinals with a lot of momentum.

They closed the elimination round by winning six of their last seven games to move all the way up to No. 4. Cone’s Christmas wish is simply another win against the dangerous Hotshots. ‘’We need to go out there and win. There will be no love lost,’’ said Cone.

Star coach Jason Webb shared the same sentiment as Cone regarding this colossal battle ahead.

Games today, Dec. 25 Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay City 4:15 p.m. - GlobalPort vs. Barako Bull 7 p.m. - Barangay Ginebra vs. Star

‘’Magiging mahirap ito against Ginebra. We’ve placed ourselves in this situation and we need to rise,’’ said the rookie coach of the Hotshots.

The Hotshots, despite their talented line-up, haven’t found any groove yet this conference and they haven’t even had a winning streak yet.

On the other side, GlobalPort coach Pido Jarencio cited toughness as one attribute his Batang

Pier needs to close out the unpredictable Barako Bull. ‘’Going into the playoffs, kailangan maging matibay itong team lalo. Malalakas lahat and kailangan at our best kami,’’ said GlobalPort coach Pido Jarencio.

The Batang Pier has been playing tremendous basketball this conference.

They are living up to the predicted pre-season improvement that was expected of the team. ‘’Nagtutulungan and nagbibigayan ‘yung team kaya ang ganda ng takbo naming. Sana magtuloy pa,’’ said Jarencio.

San Beda netters end 15-year drought SAN Beda College finally ended a 15-year drought in men’s tennis after the Red Netters swept the Final 4 round to capture the 91st National Collegiate Athletic Association Tennis Tournament recently at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

Vince Carlo Ramiscal— who led the coup in turning back Colegio San Juan De Letran, 2-1; College of St. Benilde, 2-1, and University of Perpetual Help Systems Dalta, 3-0,—was adjudged the Most Valuable Player.

Ramiscal, a second year Marketing student, who hails from Pangasinan, celebrated San Beda’s magnificent run together with teammates Eric Fernandez, also from Pangasinan, Andre Tuason, who transferred from Saudi Arabia and Cebuano doubles specialist Wishmark “Macoy” Basanal.

In the juniors’ division, current Palarong Pambansa singles’ gold medalist and now 3-time MVP Noel Mariano Damian Jr.

from Zamboanga City, led San Beda to an immaculate 12-0 record en route to their third straight NCAA tennis trophy.

The high school record stands at five straight NCAA titles under legendary Bedan coach Henry Diy. Damian scored the threepeat victory with teammates Eduardo Bagaforo, Aidyll Ignacio, Dawson Ormoc, Red Directo and Karl Miguel.

Head coach Jovy Mamawal, who also mentored San Beda’s last seniors’ tennis title back in 1999-2000 with now national coach Cris Cuarto, lawyer Julius Arca, banker JR Arias, IT specialists Jan Blando and Dodong Filipinas, tennis mentors Mike Paz and Ric Filipinas, with marketing executives Ali Serquina and Joel Maligat, thus earned his 19th overall NCAA tennis crown.

The coaching staff included Gerber Mamawal, Jopy Mamawal, Kevin Mamawal and Davis Alano.

MVP Vince Carlo Ramiscal celebrates with teammates Andre Tuason, Eric Fernandez and Macoy Basanal after their San Beda College team captured the much-coveted NCAA Tennis Men’s Championships, thus ending a 15-year drought. Others in photo are San Beda assistant athletic moderator Steve de Guzman, head coach Jovy Mamawal and NCAA Juniors 3-peat titlists Noel Damian, Aidyll Ignacio, Dawson Ormoc, Eduardo Bagaforo, Caloy Miguel and Red Directo.

Baltimore Orioles ink Korean Romasanta wants to form U-19 team outfielder to $7-million deal By Peter Atencio WASHINGTON—South Korean outfielder Kim Hyun-soo finalized a twoyear Major League Baseball contract worth $7 million on Wednesday with the Baltimore Orioles.

The 27-year-old left-handed hitter will make $3.5 million a season after hitting .318 over 10 seasons with the Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization.

Kim established career highs of 28 home runs and 121 runs batted in while walking 101 times over 141 games last season.

“I was very eager to come to MLB,” Kim said through a translator. “I’m so (happy) I could cry.”

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said he expects Kim to play left field and possibly at first base and he likes how Kim’s talents fit into the Orioles’ home ballpark, Camden Yards.

“He has had over a .400 on-base percentage a couple of times in Korea and he’s led his league and he’s also led the league in batting and won the Gold Glove (for best fielder) a couple of times in Korea,” he said.

“All those skills are going to be very helpful in this ballpark, but the best thing that I’ve seen him do is he hits the ball the other way. He waits on the ball and he hits down on the fastball and that should translate to a lot of home runs at this ballpark.

“He runs fine, he throws fine and he has good instincts. Beyond that, he’s a very good teammate. He’s well regarded by the players on his team, and I think he’ll fit in good with our ballclub. He’s got a nice disposition, he’s ready to go to work every day and he’s very serious about his hitting.” AFP

THE next generation of volleyball players will soon be tapped to form the national men’s and women’s under-19 volleyball team which will see action in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.

Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas Inc. president Joey Romasanta said the time has come for the formation of a national pool, which will back up the existing players.

“Right now, excited ako tungkol dito. We need to form an under-19 team for us to be able to form a new generation of players in the national team,” said Romasanta.

The new pool of players will add to the roster of national players representing the country in future international meets.

The current men’s national squad is made up of Alnakran Abdilla, Mark Gil Alfafara, Mark Espejo, Kheeno Franco, Reyson Fuentes and John Vic de Guzman.

Others include Jeffrey Labrador, Jessie Lopez, Jeffrey Malabanan, Vincent Mangulabnan, Sandy Montero, Howard Mojica, Raffy Mosuela and Pitrus de Ocampo.

There’s also Henry Pecana, Jason Ramos, John Paul Torres and Peter Torres.

The current crop of women’s national players include Rachel

Anne Daquis, Alyssa Valdez, Jaja Santiago, Gretchell Soltones and Jaja Santiago.

With them are Denden Lazaro, Jia Morado, Rhea Dimaculangan, Jovelyn Gonzaga, Dindin Santiago-Manabat, Bea de Leon, Abby Marano and Maika Ortiz.

Romasanta said 2016 will be a busy year. As new member of the board of administrators of the FIVB, he said he has been receiving offers to host international meets and invitations to join others.

Among the tournaments that the country will prepare to join is the Asian under-19 men’s and women’s tourneys this July.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

LOTTO RESULTS

6/49 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 6 DIGITS 00-00-00-00-00-00 3 DIGITS 00-00-00 2 EZ2 00-00

Holiday NBA games slated

Dirk Nowitzki (41) of the Dallas Mavericks celebrates after a play against the Brooklyn Nets during the game at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. AFP

Nowitzki passes O’ Neal th for 6 on NBA scoring list NEW YORK—Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki passed Shaquille O’Neal for sixth place on the NBA all-time scoring list Wednesday, scoring 22 points to help defeat host Brooklyn 119-118 in overtime.

The 37-year-old German sank a jumper over Andrea Bargnani 2:09 into the second quarter to push past the 10 points he needed to overtake O’Neal, who finished with 28,596 points.

“He’s probably the most dominant big man to ever play this game so it’s kind of surreal that I’m up there amongst these all-time greats,” said Nowitzki, after reaching 28,609 points for his career.

“For a kid leaving Germany over 18 years ago who didn’t know what to expect, it has been an amazing ride.”

Nowitzki, who passed Moses Malone for seventh on the list last year at Brooklyn, could challenge Wilt Chamberlain’s fifthplace total of 31,419 points if he returns to the NBA next season.

JJ Barea scored 32 points and had a game-high 11 assists to lead Dallas while Thaddeus Young paced the Nets with 29 and a game-high 10 rebounds.

At Cleveland, LeBron James scored 24 points, grabbed nine rebounds and added five assists while Kevin Love had 23 points and 13 rebounds to power the Cavaliers over the visiting New

York Knicks 91-84.

The Cavaliers, 19-7 after their sixth win in a row, squandered an 11-point lead but finished with an 11-2 run for the victory.

James scored nine points in the fourth quarter. He is averaging an NBA-best 8.7 points in the fourth quarter this season with Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis second at 7.7 a game in the last 12 minutes of regulation time.

At Golden State, the defending champion Warriors tuned up for their Friday showdown with Cleveland by routing Utah 103-85.

Klay Thompson scored 20 points and Curry added 16 as the Warriors improved the NBA’s best record to 27-1 and boosted their perfect home mark to 13-0.

Aussie Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 13 rebounds for Golden State while Derrick Favors

scored 17 to lead the Jazz, who fell to 12-15.

Sixers fall to 1-30 Greek forward Giannis Antetokounmpo made his first 11 shots and scored 22 points while Khris Middleton added 21 to lead the Milwaukee Bucks over Philadelphia 113-100.

The 76ers fell to 1-30 with their 12th loss in a row and remained winless on the road after 18 such starts.

At New Orleans, Anthony Davis scored 28 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to spark the host Pelicans past Portland 115-89.

San Antonio stretched its win streak to seven games with a 10883 victory at Minnesota.

Kawhi Leonard netted 19 points to lead six double-figure scorers for the Spurs, who also had 14 points from French guard Tony Parker and 13 from reserve David West. AFP

MIAMI—NBA superstars LeBron James and Steph Curry meet Friday as Cleveland and Golden State lock horns in a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals, one of the league’s five Christmas contests.

The eighth consecutive year with so many holiday games again features several of the league’s top players and clubs, the prime attraction being reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Curry’s Warriors taking on four-time MVP James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Warriors own the NBA’s best record at 26-1 after winning their first 24 games, the best start to any season in NBA history, while Cleveland is off to an 18-7 start, the Eastern Conference’s best record.

It will be their first meeting since the Warriors won their first title in 40 years by defeating Cleveland four games to two in the best-of-seven final.

Friday’s festive lineup opens with New Orleans at Miami and continues with Chicago at Oklahoma City. After the Warriors play host to Cleveland, San Antonio will visit Houston before the finale matching the Los Angeles rivals Clippers and Lakers.

The games will be telecast in more than 40 languages to more than 215 nations.

In all, 33 players from beyond US borders will be on rosters in the five games, Cleveland and San Antonio having the most with six each. Australians have the most representatives with five, including Golden State’s Andrew Bogut and Cleveland’s Matthew Dellavedova.

Kobe Bryant, who is retiring after his 20th and final NBA season, will make a record 16th Christmas appearance. He is the NBA’s all-time scoring leader in December 25 contests with 383 points, including 42-point holiday heroics in a 2004 loss to former teammate Shaquille O’Neal and Miami. AFP

Donaire vows to win bigger fights

ABS-CBN Sports threw a party for newly crowned WBO champ Nonito Donaire.

THE “Filipino Flash” Nonito Donaire, who once more reigns atop the World Boxing Organization’s Superbantamweight class after disposing off Mexican Cesar Juarez in their title fight, promises to go on to bigger fights for his fans and for his countrymen.

The Pinoy boxing star says that this is only a part of the journey and that the comeback is just getting started. He had nothing but praise for Juarez who he said fought really well.

“Juarez just keeps on coming and coming at you. He’s always in your face. And I really liked that,” the champ said during his visit to ABS-CBN thanksgiving breakfast hosted by chairman Gabby Lopez III, new president and CEO Carlo Katigbak and ABS-CBN

Sports head Dino Laurena.

The fight against Juarez was held in Puerto Rico and aired in ABS-CBN and ABSCBN Sports + Action.

Donaire became one of two active Filipino champions (the other being Donnie Nietes) after snatching the belt.

His record now stands at 36-3 with 23 KOs after enduring a twisted ankle when he slipped accidentally inside the ring.

He said Juarez reminded him a bit of Vic Darchinyan, the Armenian slugger whom he knocked out to win his first title.

“Darchinyan really packs power. Juarez, on the other hand, is the tougher one. He never gets tired even if he takes a big hit. But both of them are great fighters,” he said.

Donaire did not rule out a rematch with Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux adding, “now that I have this (WBO Superbantamweight belt), we can definitely work something out. But I’m not ruling out other fights.”

“We’re really happy for Jun and continue to wish him the best in all his endeavors and future fights. ABS-CBN Sports will always support the Filipino Flash and air his fights for the Filipinos to see,” said ABSCBN Sports head Dino Laurena said of Donaire.

At the moment, Donaire is focused on being a father to his two sons Jarel and Jarel Logan, being a husband to former Taekwondo champ wife Rachel and enjoying his latest victory.

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RAMON L. TOMELDAN EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

MOTORING

HIGH HORSE

Your wish list of supercars

By Dino Ray V. Directo III

Although SuVs and off-roaders are fast becoming the vehicle of choice for most consumers, the dream of having a supercar parked in your slot must be playing on and on in your mind like Satie’s music. But those who can afford to buy one must be agonizing over which supercar will fit nicely into their climate-controlled garage.

Being avowed fans of these uber fast and expensive rides, we have rounded up the best bang for your bulging wallet.

Aston Martin Vanquish To commemorate Aston Martin’s 60th Anniversary, the British sports car manufacturer has come up with a limited edition of six bespoke Vanquish Super GT coupes.

Distinct features of the Anniversary Edition are the yellow colored alloy wheels and fender side strakes.

The interior features white/black duotone seat center panels, sill plaques with Works Anniversary logo, heavy weave carbon fiber, and contrasting yellow stitching in the leather.

The six bespoke cars, all versions of the current Vanquish super GT in either Coupe or Volante form, are being created in association with the luxury British brand’s Gaydonbased design team, and its ultimate personalization service: Q by Aston Martin.

Each of the six cars is subtly different, and each is tailored to reflect one of the six decades being celebrated.

The result is a collection of rare and ultra-desirable sports cars that will be instantly recognizable as ‘Works 60th Anniversary’ models. The cars of course retain the standard technical features of the Vanquish super GT such as its 6.0-litre V12 petrol engine mated in a pioneering transaxle layout to the latest generation Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic gearbox. This provides the Vanquish with genuinely spirited performance: the 0-60mph time is a mere 3.6 seconds and the maximum speed tops 200mph.

Nissan GTR 45th Anniversary Edition Japan’s mighty supercar, the Nissan GTR will surely make car collectors drool over this 45th anniversary edition which pays tribute to the first generation Skyline. This limited edition model finished in the same Silica Brass color used on the 2001 Skyline GT-R M-Spec, has oth-

er features as well, like the gold-tone VIN plate and a commemorative plaque on the center console.

The 45th Anniversary Gold Edition, built off of the GT-R Premium model, commemorates the GT-R’s long heritage of world-class

high performance. Fewer than 30 of these special GT-Rs will be made available for the global market.

Mazda MX-5 Recaro Edition Fans of the Mazda MX-5 will surely line-up to have this in their garage which is

perhaps the lightest version of the popular sports car since the first generation which appeared in 1989.

Limited to 600 examples, the Recaro Limited Edition is a feature and cosmetic package for the fourth generation. (More next week)

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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

life @ thestandard.com .ph

WRITER

@LIFEatStandard

ST Y L E & BE AU T Y

LIFE

Butterfly Twists Holidays

FLAT PARTY:

WAYS TO LOOK FABULOUS IN FLATS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

S

o it’s Christmas today and no doubt there will be endless gatherings with friends, dinner dates, family, and inaanaks from morning until dinner, with more gatherings scheduled tomorrow until the next day. Are you geared up for all the walking and entertaining? For sure, wearing heels looks ohso-fabulous, but after two to three hours, you’d want to slip into those comfy flats you tucked away in your car. Problem is, they don’t look so festive and stylish.

Here’s a few tips from British shoe brand Butterfly Twists whose comfortable yet stylish shoes from the Autumn/Winter ‘15 Collection can guide you through your Christmas blues.

Samantha in Gold Reese in Black

STYLISHLY FIERCE Cleo Berry and Tan Leopard Tara in Berry Brushstroke Leopard and Sasha in Berry

Chloe in Bronze

DAY TO NIGHT

If you’re geared up to entertain from breakfast to dinner and need to shift seamlessly from day to night wear, get the perfect balance of style and comfort with the new Tara in berry brushstroke leopard and Sasha in berry flats. Slip on these ballerina flats and pair it with your flowy skirt or cropped pants for your daywear. Its velvet finish and metallic lattice adds details for an evening changeup.

A holiday dinner date or a night out with your friends at a club deserves more glammed up shoes. Though heels might be your go to – come on, do you really want to be standing and dancing all night while you complain endlessly with your painful toes? Paint the town red with Christmas cheer and slip on with fierce animal-printed shoes. Wear the Cleo ballerinas in leopard and zebra prints and wear your sexiest dress or skirt with it.

For a stylish pairing with printed cropped loose pants, look exquisite with the strappy Reese pumps.

YULETIDE CHEER

Now if you’re feeling perky and want to feel Christmas from head to toe, look a lot like Christmas in Samantha ballerinas in gold, in pewter glitter or Vivienne in gold. Pair it with a stylish ballerina skirt or a flowy skirt and party until the night away.

For sure you can be ready with these shoes until the New Year countdown. Just make sure you tiptoe up to your date when you give your midnight New Year kiss.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/ButterflyTwistsPhilippines and @BTwistsPH on Twitter and Instagram.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

KISS UNDER THE MISTLETOE WITH HEALTHY LIPS K issing under the mistletoe is a long-standing Christmas tradition observed in many countries. It is said that when you're caught under a sprig of this twig, you must kiss your significant other or anyone who's also standing there with you. No excuses.

With an obligatory kissing tradition like that one, it would be so embarrassing to have dry and flaky lips, especially now that nights are getting longer and the weather is getting colder.

To get super soft, kissable lips, exfoliate to remove dead skin cells with Colour Collection’s Lip Therapy Scrub. The Lip Therapy Scrub contains biogommáge, a natural exfoliant composed of cellulose and hydroxypropylcellulose, which is effective and efficient in exfoliating dead skin, sans redness, irritation and skin aggression.

Colour Collection Moisture Intense Lipstick

Colour Collection Pure Naturals

Apply the Lip Therapy Scrub on your entire lip area and leave it on for about two to three minutes. Use a wet washcloth to remove the scrub and rub it across your lip area using gentle, circular motions to achieve a naturally rosy and plump pout.

Pat your lips dry and apply your preferred lip balm or go for hydration with a hint of color and shine courtesy of Colour Collection’s Moisture Intense Lipstick.

The Moisture Intense Lipstick, which comes in seven sexy shades, has 10 times more moisturizers than a regular lipstick, guaranteed to make your “kissers” look extra soft and supple.

For those who prefer a multi-benefit lipstick that soothes and moisturizes dry lips, opt for Colour Collection’s Pure Naturals Lipstick which contains jojoba oil that keeps lips smooth, soft and moisturized; avocado oil that helps them become plumper and fuller; shea butter to help heal dry and chapped lips; and cupuacu butter that helps restore lip elasticity to avoid wrinkles and lines. The best thing about Colour Collection’s Pure Naturals Lipstick is that it’s suitable for women with sensitive skin.

Visit www.tupperwarebrands.ph for more details on Colour Collection’s range of products.

Colour Collection Lip Therapy Scrub

ERASE THE HOLIDAY STRESS

Treat yourself to a non-surgical treatment that promises visible results

H

oliday stress takes a toll on our skin. And since Christmas parties and activities stretch throughout the end of this month, sometimes up until the first week of the new year, it would be difficult to squeeze in a visit to the derma, all the more a full day of pampering.

But treating yourself is one of the things that makes this season special, so go ahead and save your skin from all it has been through with a safe non-surgical treatment. Nannic NBE Deep Skin, a brainchild of the Belgian company Nannic Innovative Skin Care Solutions, is a treatment using a powerful, advanced technology device.

It is deemed a fountain of youth for its revolutionary breakthrough in combating all types of skin woes.

Exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Europeanne Aesthetics and Clinique Esthetique, Nannic face and body care offers non-surgical treatments and is known for its “serum-

in-cream technology” – a happy middle ground between serums and machines, minus the scary needles. All products are formulated with high multiactive substances applied via a unique European made machine, both of which work synergistically even to the most sensitive skin.

Nannic DS is a safe dual treatment that actively rejuvenates and improves skin. The effectiveness lies, in part, in the two applications: DS Ablator for exfoliation and DS Infuser that opens the skin’s micro channels and helps penetrate the active serums deep into the epidermis.

The treatment’s benefits include firming, lifting, tightening, refining, eliminating rosacea and under-eye circles, and combating stretch marks, telangiectasia (red tiny facial veins), wrinkles and cellulite. More astonishing results come up when Nannic DS is combined with Nannic NBE Radiofrequency – the only “capacitive

type” RF available here in the country that works through the lymphatic system.

Europeanne Aesthetics offers a holiday promotion of P4,000 net for face and neck or P4,500 net for body treatment per session. For more pressing skin issues that require long-term treatments, the 5+1 package is a money-saving upgrade.

Facing a crowd, entertaining for the weekend, or attending a series of parties mean that you want confidence and noticeable glow. So go ahead and give yourself the gift of rejuvenated skin, after all, your yearlong hard work deserves some pampering.

For more information, visit www.nannic.com. Nannic Skin Care Solutions products are exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Europeanne Aesthetics which is located at Unit G8, BSA Suites Condominium, #103 C. Palanca Street, Legaspi Village, Makati and at 023 Pres. Laurel Highway, Darasa, Tanauan City, Batangas.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

GOLDEN, GLAMOROUS AND GORGEOUS Avon takes luxury to the next level

with new 24K Gold Makeup Collection

24K Gold Medium Palette

E

verybody wants to look good and glamorous especially this holiday season, what with all these invitations for parties and events. Avon, the country’s leading direct selling company, has come out with a luxurious limited-edition makeup collection to amp up the glamour volume that will make heads turn.

Give your lips that vibrant shine with the 24KGold Ultra Color Lipstick that has a creamy and moisturizing formula enriched with gold for instantly luxurious, glistening color. Available in 6 high-sparkle shades at P399.

Next is the 24K Gold Medium Palette with an amazing collection of five lip glosses, two blushes, 17 eye shadows with three applicators, all for P799. And for that shine-free and gorgeously flawless look, there’s the silky smooth 24K Gold Ideal Oil Control Pressed Powder that covers blemishes and imperfections. It also has built-in sun protection with SPF 17.

Available in Medium, Natural, Neutral and Oriental shades at P299 each.

Match your golden makeup with Avon Fashions jewelry, accessories and intimate apparel. Start with the Linear Metals Double Layer Necklace – a double strand gold tone necklace with tube-style metal accent for only P299. Add in the gold tone Linear Metal Earrings in fishhook available also for P299. Match the look with the stylish Liz Leather Watch with genuine leather straps and crystals on the indices for P1,199. You may also want to add the zippered Carmela Long Wallet with detachable wristlet for only P399.

24K Pressed Powder

24K Gold Lipsticks

Linear Metal Jewelry

Of course, beauty should start from within – and you can accomplish this with the Carmela Underwire Brassiere in shiny nylon with lace details, available in 32A to 36B for a regular price of P425.

Complete the glam look with the Carmela Tote, a metal rebel tote bag in beige leatherette with a metallic faux snakeskin front panel and shiny champagne material accents with a gold twist lock at P599.

Don’t have an Avon Lady yet?

Visit www.avon.com.ph to find out how you can get in touch with an Avon Representative.

THE FORCE IS STRONGER WHEN CUSHIONED

I

f there is one thing all generations have in common, that is Star Wars. The biggest franchise in the world recently launched The Force Awakens, its seventh installment to the world’s first and still largest blockbuster franchise.

Star Wars, despite coming from a kingdom far far away, is one of the few movies that excites both parents and their children. A family event in itself, Star Wars encompasses all generations of sci-fi nerds, which admittedly, we all have a bit of in us. Much of the success behind the film is attributed to the brilliant marketing machinery of Disney. The Hollywood behemoth was able to sustain the Star Wars fever by consistently launching new movie sequels and prequels, cartoon versions, comics, video games and larger-than-life merchandizing – all of which made the force that is Star Wars unforgettable for

BY WEIZEL GULFAN

the young and the young-at-heart from the day it was first seen on the silver screen in 1997 to the giant IMAX of 2015.

“For nearly 40 years, this franchise has spanned box office successes, animated TV shows, books, and video games to build a dedicated fan base,” stressed Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers.

Skechers, the second largest shoe company in the United States, mirrored the Star Wars brand of timelessness with its own collection of sneakers and slip-ons for fans. Made especially for children, Skechers unveiled its Star Wars-designed army of kids (and kids-at-heart) footwear.

The Star Wars X Skechers co-branded shoe collection will feature familiar characters like Chewbacca, Yoda, Stormtroopers, and Darth

Vader from the original and prequel trilogies at takeoff, as well as new fan favorites from The Force Awakens.

More than looking like it was made to suit even Darth Vader himself, the Skechers Star Wars Edition is also built with the brand’s in-sole memory foam. Famous for its comfort, Skechers makes running like a Jedi Knight stylish and cushy.

Notable in the Skechers Star Wars collection is the Storm Trooper, Boba Fett, and R2D2-inspired kicks which emit sounds and lights at every step of the way and even have the realistic voice of the said characters at the press of a button. So realistic in fact, that kids will literally feel what its like to be in the shoes of a Storm Trooper, Boba Fett, and R2D2.

This is a move from Skechers that digs the company’s soles in

the children’s footwear category. It is a well known fact that kids will grab just about anything with a Star Wars image on it. You want your boy to eat more oranges? Put the sticker of an Ewok on them. In this case, if you want your little one to calm down, get them the limited Skechers Star Wars kicks.

Other designs in the Skechers Star Wars collection include adult footwear in black Darth Vader and Toddler sneakers in our favorite mentor’s costume, the wise one, Yoda.

Skechers launched its Star Wars collection in its flagship store in Glorietta 2 Makati City with the guest of honor – the Storm Trooper.

The media, who being fans themselves, didn’t miss the opportunity to have a photo taken with the Storm Trooper whilst holding the iconic Light Saber in every pose.

The collaboration with Skechers is a move that brings two of the world’s biggest brands together to relive the saga that is Star Wars.

F R I D AY : D E C E M B E R 2 5 , 2 0 1 5

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

Christina Hendricks

Geoffrey Arend

WHAT’S YOUR BROOKS BROTHERS STORY?

W

hat does it take to dress up some of A m e r i c a’s greatest cultural icons, including 39 of the US Presidents?

Brooks Brothers, of course.

For its fall campaign, America’s oldest apparel retailer has launched “My Brooks Brothers Story” featuring the personal testimonials of seven artists and their unique interactions with Brooks Brothers and its iconic products: Christina Hendricks, Geoffrey Arend, Tony Goldwyn, Matt McGorry, Joshua Sasse, Graham Moore and Yara Shahidi who recount their own life events when Brooks Brothers was by their side.

For almost two centuries, the customers of Brooks Brothers have always associated the clothing brand with important moments in their lives. Geoffrey Arend for instance selected a Brooks Brothers custom-made three-piece glen plaid suit in which to marry Christina Hendricks five years ago, saying he felt like a million bucks when he put the suit on.

Actor, producer and director Tony Goldwyn on the other hand distinctly remembers the thrill of meeting the president of the United States during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, garbed in his made-to-measure Brooks Brothers tuxedo that reflected his personal style with subtle elegance and stature. “I felt appropriately presidential when I got to actually meet the President,” he says.

These milestones are shared directly with Brooks Brothers CEO Claudio Del Vecchio, who explained that “For almost 200 years, we have been building

relationships through our dealings with our customers and their families. I receive many personal notes from customers sharing stories about their interactions with Brooks Brothers, from anecdotes as simple as the purchase of a lucky tie worn for a big interview to more entailed, often multi-generational stories about family events. It confirms that our clients view Brooks Brothers as much more than a store – rather, it’s part of who they are.”

In fact, customers often share similar stories about their pivotal life events with Brooks Brothers through letters, their store associates and socialmedia channels.

Italian photographer Carlo Miari Fulcis captured the spirit of the campaign with styling done by Ashley Weston. In collaboration with Vanity Fair Studio, the brand launched a virtual content hub and social-media platform that enables Brooks Brothers customers to share their own stories digitally.

Matt McGorry

Tony Goldwyn

The full stories are available on www.brooksbrothers.com/stories.

Follow @BrooksBrothers and share your own story with #MyBrooksBrothers.

In the Philippines, Brooks Brothers is exclusively distributed by SSI Group, Inc., located at Bonifacio High Street Central Square, Shangri-La East Wing, Power Plant Mall, Rustan’s Makati, and Rustan’s Ayala Center Cebu (opening soon).

Follow Brooks Brothers on www.facebook.com/brooksbrothersph and visit www.ssilife.com.ph for more information.

Yara Shahidi

Geoffrey Arend and Christina Hendricks

Joshua Sasse

Graham Moore

F RIDAY : DECEMBER 25, 2015

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

Contributors to the book, as well as the authors’ family and friends attend the launch of “Beyond All Barriers: Coincidence or Miracle? V”

Pambansang Bae Alden Richards with Flor Gozon-Tarriela, co-author of “Beyond All Barriers: Coincidence or Miracle? V.”

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(From left to right) Kay Gozon Jimenez, Alden Richards and co-author Flor Gozon-Tarriela

felipe gozon, Alden RichARds shARe fAith stoRies ISAH V. RED GMA Network Chairman and CEO Atty. Felipe L. Gozon and Pambansang Bae Alden Richards are among known personalities who shared their stories of faith in the book Beyond All Barriers: Coincidence or Miracle? V by Flor Gozon-Tarriela and Butch Jimenez.

The fifth installment in a series, the book is a collection of 100 true stories of personal faith journeys and how lives were moved by miracles.

“What we want to convey is that life is a journey. It’s not always sunny. But after each night there’s always morning,” Tarriela said in an interview on GMA News TV’s Balitanghali during the recently held book launch.

“We all have barriers. We all have challenges but we can overcome through Jesus Christ,” Tarriela added.

Among the other prominent personalities included in the book are Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales and Philippine Entrepreneur of the Year Nix Nollado.

HHHHH Alden RichARds Album tuRns double plAtinum Wish I May is now a certified Double Platinum record and Alden Richards has all the reasons to celebrate for the success of his album released by GMA Records.

The matinee idol-turned-recording artist was emotional and shed tears when he learned that the album has been certified double platinum. It was announced in Sunday Pinasaya where he also received the award.

He thanked all his fans, posting on his Twitter account, “Wala na po akong masabi.. Sobrang maraming maraming salamat po!

To God be always the glory! ALDUB YOU ALL TO THE MAX.” HHHHH Regine’s AnniveRsARy messAge foR ogie Regine Velasquez and Ogie Alcasid are celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary this month.

Asia’s Songbird posted on her social media account something for her beloved husband. Quoting lines from the song “Pag-ibig” by the Apo Hiking Society, she said,

“Wala pa ring nabago, Kung meron ba, kung magpa DNA test tayo?” man...... mas mahal pa kita ngayon Grace said after a certain biologikesa noon. Happy anniversary ma- cal relative from Guimaras Island hal ko, ikaw lang ang pag-ibig kong surfaced recently. tunay.”

Whatever the outcome of the HHHHH DNA, Grace is grateful that a tv diRectoR celebRAtes family treated her like their own piA WuRtzbAch’s victoRy daughter. And this is the family of Time stood still on the set of the late king of action movies and Marimar during the live telecast his wife Roces. of Miss Universe 2015, especial“Kung hindi, patuloy pa rin tayly when host Steve Harvey was ong maghanap. Dati pa naman announcing the winner, first by nating ginagawa yun. Mabuti nga mistake calling Colombia as Miss ngayon may siyensya na para tuUniverse 2015 but later apologiz- mulong. Gayunpaman, kung hindi ing for committing a terrible mis- naman yun magiging matagumptake and corrected his error by ay, ako naman po ay kumpiyansa calling Philippines as the winner na rin sa pagmahahal ng aking and Colombia as first runner up. ina,” Grace added.

Actor Tom Rodriguez even Grace clarified that she has been snapped a cameraphone photo searching for her biological parof director Dominic Zapata and ents for quite a time, even before other members of the series’ pro- certain parties lodged disqualificaduction staff jubilantly rejoicing tion cases against her saying she’s when at last Pia Wurtzbach was not a natural-born Filipino and crowned Miss Universe 2015. her lack of months/years of resiHHHHH dency to run for president. heARt’s pAintings At HHHHH AyAlA museum netizens RemembeRs Heart Evangelista is glad that one dA King of her paintings will be on display Eleven years after he passed on, at the Ayala Museum starting Jan. Filipinos’ love for Fernando Poe, 30 until Feb. 9 next year.

Jr. is still very much felt even This is one of the best Christ- among the youth. mas gifts the Kapuso actress reThe entire Monday of his death ceived this year. She has been ad- anniversary week, the hashtag mired for her talent in painting. #LongLive FPJ was trending on HHHHH Twitter with Netizens posting his miguel tAnfelix Refuses photos as well. to divulge his gift foR Twitter’s monitoring mechanism, biAncA umAli around 27,117,846 users posted on The last time we spoke to Miguel the social media platform.

Tanfelix, we asked him what would The hashtag #FPJAPCaroling he give Bianca Umali this Christ- was also used in the posts of viewmas. The lead actor of the upcom- ers of Ang Probinsyano on ABSing series Wish I May refused to an- CBN, which is an adaptation of swer saying he wanted to surprise FPJ’s 1997 movie of the same title. his soap opera co-star. Speaking of Senator Grace Poe couldn’t be Christmas, he plans to spend with more grateful to all those that rehis family and, of course, Bianca. membered her father.

HHHHH “Ako po’y nagpapasalamat sa mga susAn Roces suppoRts patuloy na nagmamahal kay FPJ, sa gRAce’s seARch foR kanyang buhay at ala-ala, at sa mga heR pARents tumutulong sa amin ngayon,” Grace The Philippines’ movie queen, Su- said. “Sa ating pinagdaraanan ngaysan Roces is very supportive of her on, naalala ko ang turo ng aking daughter Sen. Grace Poe’s ongo- ama: huwag kang susuko kapag ang ing search for her biological par- pinaglalaban mo ay tama. Huwag ents. This is what the Senator said. kang susuko kapag ang pinaglalaThe Senator was asked when ban mo ay prinsipyo. Higit sa lahat, she and Roces visited the grave of huwag kang susuko kapag ang pinathe late Fernando Poe, Jr during glalaban mo ay para sa kapakanan his death anniversary on Dec. 14. ng kapwa at hindi para sa iyong sarili “Alam niyo naman yung mom lamang,” Grace said. ko, cool lang iyan. Wala naman MERRY CHRISTMAS TO at hindi naman makakasama, di ONE AND ALL!

Alden Richards Wish I May Album

Heart Evangelista

Regine Velasquez and Ogie Alcasid wedding photos

Miguel Tanfelix and Bianca Umali

F RIDAY : DECEMBER 25, 2015

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SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

...aRE taLKinG abOUt

PEOPLE Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach

Pia WURtZbaCh

Using the words of one of the Miss Universe judges, the Philippine representative to the most prestigious beauty pageant came to Vegas to prove something - she wanted to win.

On the other hand, same thing can’t be said of Miss Colombia whose condescending attitude disappointed the judges - she acted as if she’s already the winner. And just like a true queen, Pia handled all these hullabaloos with grace and class. Without a doubt she deserved the crown more than anyone else.

GERPhiL FLORES

People thought that the classical singer’s career ended as soon as Asia’s Got Talent show ended. But no, Gerphil is very much active entertaining audiences and promoting her brand of music. Recently, she signed a contract with David Foster so she can join the music producer in the 2016 tour of David and Friends concert series. As promised by Foster, the whole world will know her name.

...aRE nOt taLKinG abOUt

abS-Cbn ChRiStMaS SPECiaL The station’s annual Christmas Special is one of the most awaited events on local TV. For one, it’s the gathering of the network’s brightest stars and talents. But this is the very same reason why people were upset. The special showcased nothing but a collection of its talents performing onstage. No spectacle of some sort. Why can’t they just stage a show, not necessarily a two-part special, and just feature those people who can really sing and dance?

Just a total waste of airtime.

Stars at the ABS-CBN Christmas Special Vic as Dodong in Kalyeserye

a SECOnD ChanCE

Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz

50 52 54 56 57 60 64 65 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE 24 27 28 32 35 36 38 40 42 44 45 47 49

Toward sunup Sell cheap Roars, as the wind Do finger painting Ad — (wing it) Kahuna’s hello Altiplano locale Beep Rolls tightly Lean Kind of mail Ball-gown fabric Back when

Of course it is never too late to join everyone get into holiday mood but we wanted to know why it took the Kapatid network too long to release its Christmas station ID. Perhaps it was trying to avoid competition - being compared to the bigger networks that exerted visible efforts to promote holiday cheers. Well, that’s the third for you.

Hi-5 cast members and child star Alonzo Muhlach

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ACROSS 1 Folk follower 5 Woofs’ partners 10 Peat sources 14 Lab medium 15 Not touching 16 Oops! (hyph.)

17 — vu 18 Fake drake 19 Bus route 20 B-vitamin source 22 Year-end crackler (2 wds.)

tV 5 StatiOn iD

And it’s official, the romantic drama is the top-grossing local film of all time earning more than half a billion peso. Padded or not, which most kibitzers claim, we were witness how A Second Chance dominated local cinemas through block screenings. That doesn’t usually happen to a local movie and people are glad that it took the throne from a crappy comedy that previously holds the distinction.

Gerphil Flores

Fiery horse — — Wenceslas Hecklers’ chorus Summer job seeker “— Got Run Over by a Reindeer” Alcove Obi-Wan player Roof part Empathize Paycheck interval Jostle Roll-call yell Cartoon shrieks Metamorphic rock Lean toward

DOWN 1 Countess’s title 2 S-shaped molding 3 Hindu prince 4 Rubs out 5 Gob of bubblegum 6 Mimic 7 Off-color 8 Haughty 9 Wax-tablet pen 10 Ball teams have two 11 Part of B&O 12 NBC’s “The — Show” 13 Hen or mare

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2015

21 23 25 26 28 29 30 31 33 34 37 39 41 43 46 48 51 53 55 57 58 59 61 62 63 64 66 67

Bye, in Bristol (hyph.)

Mrs. Peel Egotist’s love Brook catch Diner sandwiches Wildebeest chasers Kapitan’s command (hyph.)

Shoulder gesture Ike beat him twice Get crowned Mete out Urban woe Curtain cords (hyph.)

— -eyed Boxer — Spinks Blissful spot Avoids Joust competitor Diminutive Unbounded joy Smell awful “SOS” group Hudson Bay tribe Fearsome cape Was very thrifty Blow away Realty offering Pasture grazer

ViC SOttO

We get it, Eat Bulaga wanted to ensure its Kalyeserye evolve thus the introduction of new twists and characters. Vic Sotto’s inclusion though is one of the cringe-worthy addition in the Kalyeserye. It’s really difficult to buy this new development. Also, Vic is becoming the Dolphy of his generation.

He used to be funny until his antics have become passé and irrelevant.

F RIDAY : DECEMBER 25, 2015

C7

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

The RelevanCe of MMff¼ From C8

The MMFF was supposedly created to help improve the quality of local films. However, several factors like our penchant for imitation and formulaic storylines for fear of disturbing the existing setup, extreme commercialism during the Christmas season, and the ugly head of politics continue to interfere with the clamor for better movies from our local producers.

Some groups are calling for fresh ideas and original styles, which are always significant in filmmaking. Although our films are breaking new grounds in some aspects, it is possible to come up with a distinctive Filipino style, like what South Korea and Thailand have done with their national cinemas, and not just come up with poor copycats of Hollywood productions. However, other camps would argue that the Filipino audience continues to patronize whatever the dominant movie studios are feeding them so they continue to make the same kind of stuff over and over again. This is deeply rooted in our educational system and colonial mentality.

Many Filipino filmmakers have the talent to make better and more innovative films than their foreign counterparts but their works often lack the needed machinery to promote them even in our own country. There have been calls for the government to lower amusement taxes or give tax incentives, set up screen quotas throughout the entire year, and even help market our films in other countries. However, the constant bickering, not just within the industry but also in our political system, has prevented necessary reforms from being implemented properly.

In the Philippines, a film needs to earn thrice the cost of its production for its producers to recoup their investment. Thus, there is a tendency to keep the cost low by using what has already worked in the past. Production companies connected with major television networks usually dominate the box office as they bank on the constant promotion of their films on TV. To help improve the existing system, respected film personalities consistently point out that we do not only need revolutionary ideas but radical actions as well. Before we are besieged with another MMFF brouhaha, some sectors are suggesting that we overhaul the present set-up. But are the concerned authorities ready to accept changes? Your guess is as good as mine.

Leren Mae Bautista was awarded Miss KL Sogo Trendsetter in one of the pre-finals event of Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International

Mutya ng PiliPinas CoMPetes at new year’s eve Pageant

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By eton B. ConCePCion

hristmas time in December is also a season of beauty pageants with Miss Supranational, Miss Earth, Miss Intercontinental, Miss World and Miss Universe happening in succession and culminating in the Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International pageant on New Year’s Eve. Organizers D’ Touch International decided to bring back the pioneer pageant Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International (MTQTYI) to take place on New Year’s Eve in Malaysia. Mutya ng Pilipinas Asia-Pacific International 2015 Leren Mae Bautista is now competing in Kuala Lumpur while Mutya ng

Pilipinas Tourism International 2015 Janela Joy Cuaton will have to wait for the Miss Tourism International early next year.

On its 21st year, MTQTYI 2015 is an 18-day event with the theme “Promoting Tourism, Culture & Friendship” supported by Tourism Malaysia with 60 delegates from around the world invited to participate until coronation night at Putrajaya Marriott Hotel Grand Ballroom.

The MTQTYI, held in China since 2004 after being staged in Kuala Lumpur from 1993 to 2003, aims to honor exceptional women of today while elevating the whole premise of beauty pageants to a higher level,

directing international attention to the role of women in today’s society.

A 22-year-old, Marketing Management graduate of Letran College, Bautista hails from Laguna and works as a part time model. The five feet and nine inches tall volleyball player said that she would help promote the beauty of the Philippines, especially, her home province’s tourist attractions in Los Baños and Mt. Makiling. With a regal pose and stunning beauty, Bautista, a devotee of Regina (Virgin Mary) Rosary, may capture this year’s last world beauty title, which was achieved by Filipinas twice in 2012 and 2013.

‘star wars’ oFFiCial Movie sPeCial

S

tar Wars fans can embark on that muchawaited journey to a galaxy far, far away with this must-have collectible.

Out now from Summit Books is Star Wars: The Force Awakens Official Movie Special, which has everything you need to know about the latest episode in the cult space saga created by George Lucas that hit Philippine theaters on Dec. 17.

Filled with cast and crew interviews, character profiles, behindthe-scenes peeks, and never-before-seen features, the magazine is the perfect companion to the most anticipated film of the year.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Official Movie Special will keep fans up to speed on what has transpired in the galaxy in the past

three decades since the events of 1983’s Return of the Jedi. With indepth interviews with the cast and crew, and behind-the-scenes images, find out how key people—mostly big fans themselves—felt while working on the film. What is director J.J. Abrams’s vision for the new trilogy? How did Harrison Ford feel when his character Han Solo stepped back into the Millennium Falcon?

How did newbie Daisy Ridley (Rey) tell her family the biggest news of her acting career?

Also in the magazine are interviews with fan favorites Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), as well as a Q&A with longtime Star Wars writer Lawrence Kasdan, where the veteran scribe shares what

Summit Books Star Wars Official Movie Special 2015

it was like working with celebrated director (and geek god!) Abrams.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Official Movie Special—with bonus character and concept art poster collectibles— is now available at bookstores and newsstands nationwide for only P175. This joint project by Disney and Lucasfilm is currently showing in cinemas.

For updates and more information, like Summit Books on Facebook via www.facebook.com/ SummitBooks and follow on Instagram via @ summit.books.

Almira Muhlacj, Dr. Jean Marquez, and Cristina Gonzales-Romuladez

SeCReT of ageleSS beauTy Beautiful actresses who haven’t aged a bit are Almira Muhlach and Cristina Gonzales-Romualdez .

The two have The Skin Specialist’s Dr. Jean Marquez to thank for. The clinic has been taking care of their skin and body.

Almira and Cristina only trust The Skin Specialist, which has introduced state-of-theart technologies in skin care for the past 13 years. Dr. Marquez, a fellow of the Philippine Dermatological Society, assures that one thing remains all these years: the personalized care for TSS patients.

iPHoto

F RIDAY : DECEMBER 25, 2015

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

Buy Now, Die Later

The Relevance of MMff

By SeyMouR B. Sanchez

T

he Metro Manila Film Festival, which runs from Christmas Day, to the first week of January the following year, was purportedly initiated to encourage Filipino producers to come up with quality films. Focusing on locally produced movies, the festival continues to enjoy the benefit of not having to compete with foreign films in local cinemas (except in IMAX and 3D theaters).

Established in 1975, when it was still known as the Metropolitan Film Festival until it was changed to its present name two years after, the festival has produced Filipino classics and internationally recognized films like Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon?, Insiang and Minsa’y Isang Gamu-gamo (1976), Burlesk Queen (1977), Brutal and Bona (1980), Kisapmata (1981), Himala (1982), and Karnal (1983), just to name a few.

Since 1986, after the festival was moved to its present schedule

from the original September play date, a significant difference has been observed in the films dominating the festival with producers cashing in on movie franchises, Hollywood copycats, and films “in step with the Christmas tradition.”

At the start, there was nothing wrong with the franchises with the earlier installments of Panday and Shake, Rattle and Roll even getting favorable reviews aside from winning awards. As time goes by, new franchises have resorted to trite formulas and cheap imitations and some were tagged as “advertisements hiding under the guise of movies.”

Aside from the obvious change brought about by the festive atmosphere, some critics also attribute the decline to the transfer of the film festival supervision to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), which is expected to handle the worsening traffic situation and garbage problem in the metropolis rather than deal with managing a film-related

event. The Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) and the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation (Mowelfund) are just two of the groups, which tried to wrest control of the festival in the past.

Throughout the years, the festival has been rocked by awards night walkouts, petty rumors and allegations over misuse of funds, behindthe-scenes scandals, and other related controversies. Commercialism over quality even became more pronounced when no entry was deemed worthy of winning the Best Picture award in 1994. Still, there were a few films, which tried to keep up with the festival’s original vision such as Jose Rizal (1998), Muro Ami (1999), and Crying Ladies (2003), among others. However, when new and “independent” filmfests were born, a delineation between mainstream and independent cinema clearly came to fore.

The festival organizers sought to address this problem in 2010 when it did away with the box-office performance of the entries in

the criteria for selecting the Best Picture winner. The blockbuster movie Ang Tanging Ina Mo (Last Na ‘To!) ironically won the award that year. Although they may have changed the criteria, there have also been doubts regarding the overall ability of the jury, with some members not even having any film-related background.

The MMFF also came up with a separate competition for “indie” films, now known as the New Wave category, which is held a week before the main festival schedule.

However, the real problem does not simply lie in categorizing which films are “independent” and which are “mainstream” but in recognizing the quality of these entries, regardless of what they are.

This year, Antoinette Jadaone’s All You Need is Pag-ibig, Wenn V. Deramas’ Beauty and the Bestie, Randolph Longjas’ Buy Now, Die Later, Erik Matti’s Honor Thy Father, Jun Robles Lana’s Haunted Mansion, Jose Javier Reyes’ My Bebe Love #KiligPaMore, Pedring

Lopez’s Nilalang, and Dan Villegas’ #Walang Forever are vying for awards in the main competition.

Meanwhile, Ari: My Life with a King directed by Carlo Enciso Catu, Mandirigma directed by Arlyn Dela Cruz, Tandem directed by King Palisoc, Toto directed

by John Paul Su, and Turo Turo directed by Ray-An Dulay compete in the New Wave full-length feature category.

Five short films – Daisy by Brian Spencer Reyes, Ding Mangasyas (Tough Guys) by Justine Emmanuel Dizon, Lapis by Maricel Cariaga, Momento by Jan-Kyle Nieva, and Mumu by Jean Cheryl Tagyamon – and five animated films – Alamat ng Giraffe by Alyssandra Kyle Mallari, Buttons by Marvel Obemio, Francis Ramirez and Jared Garcia, Geo by John Aurthur Mercader, Little Lights

by Rivelle Mallari, and The Seed

by Joven Maniaol and Larreina Bianca Libuton –slug it out in two other New Wave categories. ➜ continued on c7