The Standard - 2016 January 01 - Friday

HAPPY NEW YEAR VOL. XXIX NO. 323 3 Sections 24 Pages P18 FRIday : JaNUaRy 1, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Korea has most number of expats

A3

‘yolanda’ rehab still unfinished

By Gabrielle Marie Consuelo H. Binaday

TWO years after Super Typhoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan) hit the Philippines, the government said it has completed only 30.3 percent of projects to rebuild affected communities.

On Dec. 31, the National Economic and Development Authority said the government has finished only 30.3 percent of the identified projects and is still working on 33.1 percent.

Some 36.8 percent of the rehabilitation projects have not yet even begun.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan noted that the resettlement of survivors from the danger zones continues to be the most challenging among the recovery efforts.

To date, only a total of 13,335 housing units have been completed, with construction of 79,219 houses ongoing and scheduled for completion by December 2016. Next page

Casualties mount in Army-Abu firefight

By Francisco Tuyay THE death toll from intense fighting between the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group and security forces climbed to 11 Thursday, including a junior Army officer and 10 bandits, while 20 others were wounded in the latest clashes in Patikul, Sulu.

Killed in the fighting was 2nd Lt. Ronald Detalla. Seven other soldiers, including Capt. Edmar Samonte, Pfc Ernie de Guzman, Ssgt. Wilson Fontanil, Pfc Joemar Andrez, Pfc Dennis Desambrana, Pfc Alberto Dinio and Sgt. Arturo Andama were wounded.

Next page

Thanksgiving. Catholic devotees carry an image of the Black Nazarene in a procession on the streets of Quiapo, Manila ahead of the feast day on Jan. 9. AFP PHOTO

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A2 ‘Yolanda’...

From A1

Neda said the obstacles were policies on procurement and land acquisition and the need for permits and clearances to begin the resettlement sites.

Most of the ongoing projects are scheduled for completion by 2016, the agency said.

Even though less than half of the rehabilitation projects have been completed, Socio-economic Planning Secretary Aresenio Balisacan said many Yolanda survivors “now have better prospects with the help of governments various livelihood programs.”

Among the accomplishments, Neda cited: • The distribution of 339,745 learning kits to Yolanda-damaged schools.

• The rehabilitation of 94.6 percent of the 37 airports damaged in the storm.

• The rehabilitation of 295 out of 309 civic centers, municipal halls and public markets damaged by Yolanda.

• The rehabilitation of 89.2 percent of damaged bridges.

Neda also said 72.4 percent of damaged national roads or 77.9 kilometers out of 107.6 kilometers have been reconstructed.

As of Nov. 15, the Emergency Shelter Assistance has benefited 788,747 households or 76.3 percent of the targeted 1,033,827 families whose houses were damaged by the typhoon, Neda said.

The families with partially damaged houses received P10,000 worth of cash or materials; while families with totally damaged houses received P30,000 worth of cash or materials.

The ESA was intended to help affected families rebuild sturdier houses provided they are away from the danger zones. Distribution of ESA is still ongoing.

Neda also reported that a total of 48,995 Yolanda survivors, or 89.4 percent of the targeted 54,825 beneficiaries, have had their fishing boats repaired or replaced.

Meanwhile, thousands more received fishing gear and paraphernalia than originally targeted: 76,598 sets were distributed while the original target was 68,636.

Distribution of an additional 4,779 sets is ongoing.

The distribution of rice and corn seeds is also nearing completion, with 94,020 or 85.7 percent of 101,708 targeted bags distributed to beneficiaries.

The government has also planned to restore livelihoods of farmers and fishermen through the 364 targeted entrepreneurship training sessions. Of the total target, 80.22 percent were completed.

On Thursday, the Labor Department released more than P15 million for an emergency employment assistance program for victims of typhoons “Nona” and “Lando.”

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said that of the P15 million, P5 million was granted for livelihood formation and restoration, and emergency employment programs for informal workers in the provinces of Aurora and Nueva Ecija affected by severe flooding brought about by Typhoon Lando.

Baldoz said that the department has also released P9.6 million as part of its emergency employment assistance for victims of Typhoon Nona in the Provinces of Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque and Romblon. With Vito Barcelo

news

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

NDF tags army official in threats vs journalists

By John Paolo Bencito

LEFTIST rebels on Thursday tagged a high-ranking military official as the one responsible for the death threats allegedly sent by militia groups in Mindanao to scare off journalists assigned to cover the 47th anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines in Agusan del Norte.

The political arm of the CPP, the National Democratic Front accused Col. Isidro Purisima, commander of the AFP’s 402nd “Stingers” Brigade based in Butuan City, Surigao del Norte of using the Magahat Bagani paramilitary group to threaten journalists.

“By allowing criminal paramilitary groups to issue death threats against members of the press, Col. Purisima has made the mass media a veritable target of state terrorism,” said Jorge Madlos, alias Ka Oris, spokesman of the NDF in Mindanao.

“This is not only a grave affront to the integrity of the press, but an act in outright contempt of press freedom. It violates media people’s right to life and free expression as well as subvert their duty

to inform the public, which is a tenet held inviolable even by the 1987 Constitution,” he said.

On Christmas Day, Bobby Tejero—leader of military-backed Magahat Bagani militia forces warned journalists that they could be ambushed on their way to cover the CPP’s celebration on Dec. 26.

Tejero said in a text message to media men that covering the CCP anniversary was an admission that they supported the communists and were thus the enemies of the Magahat Bagani.

Tejero and his brother Loloy and Garilo Laylo—members of the Magahat forces formed by the military to fight the communist insurgency—have been charged with murder in relation to the deaths of lumad school executive director Emerito Samarca and two other tribal leaders, Dionel Campos and Datu Bello Sinzo in Lianga, Surigao del Sur on Sept. 1 last year.

Madlos said that since Purisima took over the 402nd Brigade February of last year, “direct terror attacks against peasant and lumad communities in Surigao del Sur and Surigao del Norte have escalated.”

“Under his command, extra-judicial killings perpetrated by his troops and paramilitary groups have intensified, such as the Tabugol murders on August 28, the Han-ayan massacre on September 1 and the killings of two barangay captains,” he said.

Although warrants have been issued against

the Tejero brothers and Laylo, no one has yet been arrested.

The killings, together with other acts of terror in Surigao del Sur and other neighboring provinces drove thousands of lumad from their homes to seek refuge in different relocation sites in Mindanao.

The military is being blamed for the acts of the militia groups, such as the Magahat Bagani—sowing terror in Surigao del Sur and other parts of Mindanao to ward off communist insurgency.

“With communities brutally terrorized, thousands have been displaced in the short time that he had held his post, such as those from the five towns of Surigao del Sur and from Agusan del Sur. And, reports have it that Purisima’s troops also raped a blind woman in Tago sometime in October,” Madlos said.

Madlos also accused Purisima of conspiring with state-run media Philippine Information Agency and the ANAD, a group allegedly ran by former Army General Jovito Palparan, to engineer an attack against the mass media, guests and the people to discourage them from attending the CPP celebration.

Despite these threats against journalists, however, Madlos said that journalists from parts of Mindanao and even as far as the Visayas were able to cover the CPP’s anniversary celebration.

Madlos said more than 5,000 people attended their anniversary celebration last Saturday.

On the move. File photo shows government troops mustering at Talipao, Sulu in an offensive against Islamist militants who are believed to be harboring at least eight foreign jihadists in Mindanao.

Casualties...

From A1

Thursday’s total brought to 28 the number of ASG killed in recent fighting as the government intensified its operations against the bandits which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in October 2014.

Maj. Filemon Tan, spokesman of the AFP’s Western Mindanao Command, said 10 ASG members were killed in the encounter in the village of Buhanginan in Patikul, Sulu at about 4:15 p.m. Thursday.

The clash broke out when Army Scout Rangers on a clearing operation chanced upon the bandits in their jungle lair, Tan said.

Independent sources said a Ma-

laysian jihadist was in the Abu Sayyaf group that figured in the fighting.

“Patikul is a safe haven for foreign terrorists,” an anti-terrorist expert said.

Seven Filipino terrorist were also killed in Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat where local militants under the supervision of foreign jihadists conduct its military training.

Sucipto Ibrahim Ali, an Indonesian terrorist killed in an encounter with Marines on Nov. 26, was one of the corps group members of the Ansar Khilafa Philippines along with five Malaysians, three Syrians and another Indonesian terrorist who have sought sanctuary with local Islamists in Mindanao.

In 2013, the Malaysian government sought the help of the Philippine government to trace the whereabouts of five Malaysian nationals recruited by ISIS who fled to Mindanao.

The Abu Sayyaf are believed to be holding foreign hostages.

The terrorists last month released a video of the two Canadian tourists, a Norwegian resort operator and a Filipina abducted in another area of Mindanao and demanded P1 billion in ransom.

A Dutch bird watcher abducted in Mindanao in 2012 is also believed by the military to be held by the same group on Jolo.

Founded in the early 1990s with seed money from late Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden, Abu

Sayyaf gained international notoriety for kidnapping dozens of foreign tourists for ransom in the early 2000s.

The group has also been blamed for the country’s worst terrorist attacks, including the bombing of a ferry off Manila Bay in 2004 that killed more than 100 people.

It is believed to have just a few hundred gunmen, but thrives in lawless sections of the southern Philippines where Muslim rebels have for decades fought for independence or autonomy.

The militant group beheaded a Malaysian hostage last month, weeks after a 74-year-old South Korean kidnapped in January was found dead, apparently from illness, on Jolo. With AFP, PNA

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NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Korea has most expats in PH

By Vito Barcelo

AFTER years of being the top source of tourists in the Philippines, South Korea has also become the nation with the most number of expatriates in the country, outnumbering those from the United States.

Goodbye 2015. Dutch tourist Isa Bakx sits beside her bicycle as she waited for the last sunset of 2015 at Manila Bay on New Year’s Eve Thursday.

DANNY PATA

DoH: Firecracker injuries reach 185

By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Department of Health said on Thursday the number of fireworks-related cases since Dec. 21 has reached 185 on New Year’s Eve, but the number is still lower than the previous years.

“The 185 cases is 62 percent lower than the five-year [2010-2014] average of 308 cases and 57 percent lower than the 250 cases during same period last year,” said DOH spokesperson Lyndon Lee Suy. DoH records show that 36 more people were injured from firecracker blasts as of 6 a.m. of Dec. 31, bringing to 181 the total number of firecracker-related injuries since the monitoring started. The four others are gunshot-related.

The illegal Piccolo firecracker remained the leading cause of injuries at 133 cases, followed by Five-Star, 9 cases; Kwitis, 6; Boga, 5 while unknown firecrackers caused injuries to seven people.

The DoH said that 149 of the firecracker-related injuries are children below 14 years old. The ages of the cases ranged from one year to 52 years old.

Hand injuries were sustained in 135 cases while 20 cases had head injuries. Three of them required amputation. A total of 155, or 86 percent, of the victims were males.

The report also said a number of 142 victims were active igniters while the rest of the individuals who sustained injuries were passive or did not ignite fire-

crackers themselves and were merely bystanders and innocent victims. Revelers traditionally set off firecrackers, including potentially deadly types with names like “Goodbye Philippines,” and shoot guns into the air to celebrate the festive season.

The DoH also recorded one more case of stray bullet incident.

The victim was a nine-year-old girl from Marikina City who was hit in the left chest while inside their house.

The stray bullet victim was admitted to the Amang Rodriguez Medical Center on Wednesday but was later transferred to the Marikina Valley Hospital.

Reports from the DoH’s 50 sentinel hospitals nationwide indicat-

ed Metro Manila accounted for 85 cases with 26 cases coming from Quezon City; 22 from Manila; 10 from Mandaluyong; 5 each from Parañaque and Las Piñas and 3 from Marikina.

Majority of the firework-related injuries were recorded in the National Capital Region with a total of 85 cases.

In the Bicol region, 31 cases were recorded while regions 11 (Davao) and IV-A (Calabarzon) recorded 15 cases each.

The DoH monitoring and surveillance of firework-related injuries will end on Jan. 5, 2016.

The DoH has reminded those injured by firecrackers to have anti-tetanus shots to prevent fatal consequences.

China building first local aircraft carrier BEIJING—China is building its second aircraft carrier, the defense ministry said Thursday, as Beijing expands its naval capabilities amid maritime disputes with neighbors in the East and South China Seas.

“This aircraft carrier is being developed according to entirely domestic designs,” defense ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told a regular briefing, adding it was under construction in Dalian, a northeastern port.

The official confirmation comes after months of rumors and hints from military officials.

Beijing has rapidly expanded its military in recent years, rattling its neighbors and attracting the attention of the United States, which is making a foreign policy “pivot” towards Asia.

China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was a second-hand Soviet ship built more than 25 years ago. It was commissioned in 2012 after extensive refits.

The new vessel will use “conventional

power,” Yang said, as opposed to being nuclear-driven, and will carry China’s indigenous J-15 aircraft along with other planes.

It will have a displacement of 50,000 tons, he said.

Beijing’s forces have been involved in sometimes tense confrontations with Japanese and Philippine units over maritime disputes in the East China Sea and South China Sea, respectively, amid fears that the disputes could result in armed clashes.

The announcement is a confirmation of earlier news reports, which have for months suggested China was working on another carrier.

IHS Janes reported in September on a ship “in an advanced state of construction at Dalian shipyard” that it said could be China’s first indigenous aircraft carrier.

The defense publication said satellite images suggest the hull, or main body of the ship under construction, was about 240 meters in length. AFP

Fire, fire go away. Firemen from Caloocan City parade with their

mascot in various areas in the city on Thursday to remind citizens not to use firecrackers and be extra careful about fires. ANDREW RABULAN

Of the 25,000 non-tourist visas it issued in 2015, Commissioner Siegfred Mison said the Bureau of Immigration issued the most to Koreans, followed by Americans, Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese, Australians and Europeans.

Foreign visitors to the country during the 10-month period reached 4,395,812 visitors and posting an 11.13 percent growth compared to the 3,955,399 arrivals for the same period in 2014.

Korea remained the top source of tourists with 901,749 visitors this year, a 15.04 percent increase from its record of 783,852 visitors in 2014.

The United States is second with 531,217 visitors for the first eight months of the year, a growth of 7.68 percent, followed by Japan which brought in 334,881 visitors, up by 7.71 percent.

These countries were followed

by China 322,417, Australia 153,097, Singapore 121,917, Taiwan 120,630, Malaysia 103,995, United Kingdom 103,577, and Canada 102,293.

“The figures only show that the Philippines is fast becoming a preferred venue for foreigners not just for tourism, but also as their second home,” said Mison.

He attributed the high and positive turnout for visa issuances to the reforms introduced by the bureau that led to more efficient and less bureaucratic process.

Application fees for tourist visa applications exceeded the onebillion peso mark for the first time this year.

Mison said that the agency ensured that applications were acted upon expediently.

“We streamlined the processes and introduced less stringent policies to make sure that foreign nationals have a pleasant experience in our country,” explained Mison.

This year, the BI began a new procedure on visa issuance, wherein the application no longer required the approval of the board of commissioners.

“In the latter process, applications are withheld for at least one more week until the board meets as a body. Under the visa task force, visas are approved right away, without need to wait for the schedule of the board meeting.”

Mison said.

This is on top of its other accomplishments including the capture of high-profile fugitives and policy improvements.

“2015 has been exciting for us, being our diamond anniversary this year, and with all the accomplishments that we achieved as a team,” Mison said.

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OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

FILIPINO PENSIONER HORACIO TEMPLO

A DOLE FROM ILO

[ EDI TORI A L ]

THAT our government must assist workers who become victims of calamities shouldn’t be argued about anymore. It is the right thing to do.

In fact, the government now helps all victims of calamities—worker or otherwise—by providing them food, water, medical care, and temporary shelter during and immediately after every calamity and by helping them rebuild their lives thereafter.

Its efforts, however, are still criticized for being superficial and inadequate.

Worse, the grant of government assistance is perceived as being selective and denied to known political followers of the administration’s “contrapartido” or opposition leaders.

Its response to the victims of Typhoon “Yolanda,” for instance, has become a classic example of this selective grant of government assistance.

The government does relatively better in protecting our people from future disasters through disaster risk reduction.

Maybe it is because the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council—the body tasked to do this—involves almost the entire executive branch and even includes important nongovernment and private sector organizations.

Established by law and chaired by the defense secretary, the council maintains a 24-hour operations center that is now equipped with state-ofthe-art facilities that were partly donated by the private sector. It is being supervised by a full-time executive officer with the rank of undersecretary.

What is wrong is how workers who become victims of calamities are being assisted by the Department of Labor and Employment.

Only recently, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz has assured them—specifically farmers and informal sector workers—that they would be provided by DOLE with the help that they need to recover from Typhoon “Nona.”

In particular, she promised emergency employment for the 4,000 workers in the Mimaropa region and Region 8 who have been severely affected by the typhoon.

Shockingly disappointing was her statement that: “We are working with the International Labor Organization which pledged assistance for the emergency employment, since the DOLE, at this time of the year, has exhausted its funds under the Tulong Alalay Panghanapbuhay for Displaced Workers, or TUPAD.” “I have directed our regional directors in Region 4-A, Region 4-B, Region 5, and Region 8— the regions most-affected by Typhoon Nona—to coordinate closely with the ILO for the fast delivery of the emergency employment program.”

Is it now DOLE’s mandate to assist farmers and informal sector workers who become victims of calamities? Obviously, the agriculture and agrarian reform departments—with or without calamities—should be tasked to do this.

Could DOLE provide social protection to informal sector workers better than the financial viability-obsessed Social Security System? Maybe.

ASEAN ECONOMIC BLOC

SOUTHEAST Asian nations formally launched Thursday an economic bloc in the hope of emulating the integration of the European Union. There was no official ceremony or fanfare to mark the establishment of the new grouping, reflecting perhaps the difficult task ahead in creating a single market.

The level of economic progress in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, is uneven, while individual democratic institutions in the region are not that developed as in Europe.

Asean counts Singapore, one of the world’s most developed countries, oil-rich Brunei, and developing nations such as the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, and poorer states like Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. The region is resource-rich and offers a market of over 600 million people.

But the goal of attracting investments in a single market with a free flow of goods will remain problematic. The elimination of non-tariff barriers, for one, may not be immediately implemented despite a common agreement because of sensitive commodities and a vocal farming sector.

Asean members have set their own individual economic goals.

With the exception of wealthy Singapore, many Asean countries are still struggling to make their economic growth inclusive and are still way off from becoming powerhouse exporters.

Asean nations should solidify their individual economic gains first before looking outward for further expansion. The lack of infrastructure remains a problem, especially in the Philippines, Vietnam and the poorer states, where the leadership has failed to grasp the urgency of the matter.

The transportation system and the road network in the rural areas of these countries should be addressed to create the market for the farmers and the fisherfolk. Economic growth in the region has remained largely concentrated in the urban areas and bypassed the countryside.

Economic integration, however, should be the ultimate goal of the region to boost its trading clout and make Asean products competitive with China and the rest of the world.

Continued on A6

IN SEARCH OF HEROES BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO THE youth is the hope of the fatherland.

It is a fitting message from our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, whose martyrdom we marked last Wednesday. Somehow, when the country is in search of heroes, the boldness of 50 young students who set sail and camped out on Pag-asa Island comes to mind. Rizal’s message of hope and the island’s name of Pag-asa

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make the youth action even more meaningful.

The activist youth showed how we can assert the country’s sovereignty over a disputed territory in the Spratly Group of islands better known as Kalayaan.

Sailing in a rickety boat in rough waters and embarking on what they called “Freedom Voyage,” the hardy band of students evaded Chinese patrol boats in the area and pitched camp on Pag-asa. Social media savvy, they filmed their “occupation” of the island. While film footage showed them frolicking and having what seemed more like a picnic, it is nonetheless a symbolic

victory over Chinese gunboat diplomacy. That the students drew the wrath of China’s foreign ministry should be enough satisfaction for Filipinos.

The government can follow the students’ lead by populating Pagasa in a de facto form of occupation.

While the island is already inhabited by a small community, increasing its population would be a further assertion of our sovereign right.

The students’ action is by no means just a publicity stunt. It could have ended in a misadventure. They could have been blasted out of the waters by Chinese patrol boats if they had been detected. Filipino fishermen af-

ter all have been shooed away by Chinese gunboats under threat of more drastic action if they do not leave the disputed area. In one serious incident, a Chinese patrol boat rammed a local fishing boat and its Filipino occupants.

There are many who are not pleased with Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose’s statement on the incident.

He said, almost in fawning support of the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, that the Philippine government does not want to exacerbate the tension because we are a party to the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea dispute. Jose’s biggest contribu-

tion to the situation should have been to keep his silence, or simply stated the Philippines is a democracy and it does suppress student activism. Without being specific, the reference to our unbridled youth would have been a pointed allusion to how Beijing brutally put down the 1989 student protests at Tiananmen Square.

The DFA spokesman pointed out the country being a party to the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea without mentioning the Chinese were the first who blatantly violated this Code by building artificial islands in the disputed area to the consternation of the countries with over-

lapping claims. We don’t see how the students’ action would adversely affect our case in The Hague international arbitration court. It was a peaceful protest so unlike the Chinese aggression when they built man-made island fortifications out of the scattered shoals, reefs and protruding rocks to assert their nine-dash line claim to almost the entire South China Sea. The most the government can do is to give free rein to our youth

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to express their protest against Chinese encroachment in the West Philippine Sea and violation of the country’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. A suggestion to populate Pagasa may not be such an outlandish idea at all. What can the Chinese do—invade the island to bodily remove the inhabitants?

That would work in our favor as it would expose China to be the

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bully that it is. Chinese use of force would create an international incident and draw United Nations intervention. Even other nations like the US and Australia who are not a party to the South China Sea dispute have shown their concern over Chinese aggression and how it affects freedom of navigation.

If the Chinese really wanted to invade the Philippines, it could have already done so during the standoff for Scarborough Shoal

in April 2012.The standoff for the shoal, also known as Panatag or Bajo Masinloc off the coast of Zambales, started when the Philippine Coast Guard intercepted a Chinese fishing boat loaded with fish and coral.Two Chinese gunboats arrived to rescue the Chinese fishermen and prevented the Philippine Coast Guard from boarding.

Because we backed off and allowed the Chinese to intimidate our non-existent navy, we gave

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China three years to consolidate its claim while they built man-made fortifications within Philippine territory.

LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES Mr. Robles’ column will resume next week.

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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, J A N U A R Y 1 , 2 0 1 6

A4

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

FILIPINO PENSIONER HORACIO TEMPLO

A DOLE FROM ILO

[ EDI TORI A L ]

THAT our government must assist workers who become victims of calamities shouldn’t be argued about anymore. It is the right thing to do.

In fact, the government now helps all victims of calamities—worker or otherwise—by providing them food, water, medical care, and temporary shelter during and immediately after every calamity and by helping them rebuild their lives thereafter.

Its efforts, however, are still criticized for being superficial and inadequate.

Worse, the grant of government assistance is perceived as being selective and denied to known political followers of the administration’s “contrapartido” or opposition leaders.

Its response to the victims of Typhoon “Yolanda,” for instance, has become a classic example of this selective grant of government assistance.

The government does relatively better in protecting our people from future disasters through disaster risk reduction.

Maybe it is because the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council—the body tasked to do this—involves almost the entire executive branch and even includes important nongovernment and private sector organizations.

Established by law and chaired by the defense secretary, the council maintains a 24-hour operations center that is now equipped with state-ofthe-art facilities that were partly donated by the private sector. It is being supervised by a full-time executive officer with the rank of undersecretary.

What is wrong is how workers who become victims of calamities are being assisted by the Department of Labor and Employment.

Only recently, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz has assured them—specifically farmers and informal sector workers—that they would be provided by DOLE with the help that they need to recover from Typhoon “Nona.”

In particular, she promised emergency employment for the 4,000 workers in the Mimaropa region and Region 8 who have been severely affected by the typhoon.

Shockingly disappointing was her statement that: “We are working with the International Labor Organization which pledged assistance for the emergency employment, since the DOLE, at this time of the year, has exhausted its funds under the Tulong Alalay Panghanapbuhay for Displaced Workers, or TUPAD.” “I have directed our regional directors in Region 4-A, Region 4-B, Region 5, and Region 8— the regions most-affected by Typhoon Nona—to coordinate closely with the ILO for the fast delivery of the emergency employment program.”

Is it now DOLE’s mandate to assist farmers and informal sector workers who become victims of calamities? Obviously, the agriculture and agrarian reform departments—with or without calamities—should be tasked to do this.

Could DOLE provide social protection to informal sector workers better than the financial viability-obsessed Social Security System? Maybe.

ASEAN ECONOMIC BLOC

SOUTHEAST Asian nations formally launched Thursday an economic bloc in the hope of emulating the integration of the European Union. There was no official ceremony or fanfare to mark the establishment of the new grouping, reflecting perhaps the difficult task ahead in creating a single market.

The level of economic progress in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, is uneven, while individual democratic institutions in the region are not that developed as in Europe.

Asean counts Singapore, one of the world’s most developed countries, oil-rich Brunei, and developing nations such as the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, and poorer states like Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. The region is resource-rich and offers a market of over 600 million people.

But the goal of attracting investments in a single market with a free flow of goods will remain problematic. The elimination of non-tariff barriers, for one, may not be immediately implemented despite a common agreement because of sensitive commodities and a vocal farming sector.

Asean members have set their own individual economic goals.

With the exception of wealthy Singapore, many Asean countries are still struggling to make their economic growth inclusive and are still way off from becoming powerhouse exporters.

Asean nations should solidify their individual economic gains first before looking outward for further expansion. The lack of infrastructure remains a problem, especially in the Philippines, Vietnam and the poorer states, where the leadership has failed to grasp the urgency of the matter.

The transportation system and the road network in the rural areas of these countries should be addressed to create the market for the farmers and the fisherfolk. Economic growth in the region has remained largely concentrated in the urban areas and bypassed the countryside.

Economic integration, however, should be the ultimate goal of the region to boost its trading clout and make Asean products competitive with China and the rest of the world.

Continued on A6

IN SEARCH OF HEROES BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO THE youth is the hope of the fatherland.

It is a fitting message from our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, whose martyrdom we marked last Wednesday. Somehow, when the country is in search of heroes, the boldness of 50 young students who set sail and camped out on Pag-asa Island comes to mind. Rizal’s message of hope and the island’s name of Pag-asa

A5

make the youth action even more meaningful.

The activist youth showed how we can assert the country’s sovereignty over a disputed territory in the Spratly Group of islands better known as Kalayaan.

Sailing in a rickety boat in rough waters and embarking on what they called “Freedom Voyage,” the hardy band of students evaded Chinese patrol boats in the area and pitched camp on Pag-asa. Social media savvy, they filmed their “occupation” of the island. While film footage showed them frolicking and having what seemed more like a picnic, it is nonetheless a symbolic

victory over Chinese gunboat diplomacy. That the students drew the wrath of China’s foreign ministry should be enough satisfaction for Filipinos.

The government can follow the students’ lead by populating Pagasa in a de facto form of occupation.

While the island is already inhabited by a small community, increasing its population would be a further assertion of our sovereign right.

The students’ action is by no means just a publicity stunt. It could have ended in a misadventure. They could have been blasted out of the waters by Chinese patrol boats if they had been detected. Filipino fishermen af-

ter all have been shooed away by Chinese gunboats under threat of more drastic action if they do not leave the disputed area. In one serious incident, a Chinese patrol boat rammed a local fishing boat and its Filipino occupants.

There are many who are not pleased with Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose’s statement on the incident.

He said, almost in fawning support of the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, that the Philippine government does not want to exacerbate the tension because we are a party to the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea dispute. Jose’s biggest contribu-

tion to the situation should have been to keep his silence, or simply stated the Philippines is a democracy and it does suppress student activism. Without being specific, the reference to our unbridled youth would have been a pointed allusion to how Beijing brutally put down the 1989 student protests at Tiananmen Square.

The DFA spokesman pointed out the country being a party to the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea without mentioning the Chinese were the first who blatantly violated this Code by building artificial islands in the disputed area to the consternation of the countries with over-

lapping claims. We don’t see how the students’ action would adversely affect our case in The Hague international arbitration court. It was a peaceful protest so unlike the Chinese aggression when they built man-made island fortifications out of the scattered shoals, reefs and protruding rocks to assert their nine-dash line claim to almost the entire South China Sea. The most the government can do is to give free rein to our youth

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to express their protest against Chinese encroachment in the West Philippine Sea and violation of the country’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. A suggestion to populate Pagasa may not be such an outlandish idea at all. What can the Chinese do—invade the island to bodily remove the inhabitants?

That would work in our favor as it would expose China to be the

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bully that it is. Chinese use of force would create an international incident and draw United Nations intervention. Even other nations like the US and Australia who are not a party to the South China Sea dispute have shown their concern over Chinese aggression and how it affects freedom of navigation.

If the Chinese really wanted to invade the Philippines, it could have already done so during the standoff for Scarborough Shoal

in April 2012.The standoff for the shoal, also known as Panatag or Bajo Masinloc off the coast of Zambales, started when the Philippine Coast Guard intercepted a Chinese fishing boat loaded with fish and coral.Two Chinese gunboats arrived to rescue the Chinese fishermen and prevented the Philippine Coast Guard from boarding.

Because we backed off and allowed the Chinese to intimidate our non-existent navy, we gave

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China three years to consolidate its claim while they built man-made fortifications within Philippine territory.

LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES Mr. Robles’ column will resume next week.

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F R I D AY, J A N U A R Y 1 , 2 0 1 6

A6

OPINION

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ECONOMY BETTER IN 2016

A DOLE... From A5 It may then follow as precedent the unorthodox way the social welfare department obtained its mandate of granting family allowance to indigent families through its 4 P’s program and social pensions to indigent senior citizens.

Both are non-contributory dole out programs worth billions of pesos that are funded publicly by a consenting Congress out to gain the political loyalty of voters.

DOLE’s calamity assistance could have been in the form of the more practical pack of rice, sardines, noodles and water. After all, these readyto-eat food items are what can only be bought by the P5,000-per-person budget for emergency employment of DOLE. Proudly, DOLE reported having released P520.029 million to 99,325 individual beneficiaries for emergency employment and livelihood assistance under its Yolanda Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program but kept quiet about paying each beneficiary P5,235.63 only.

In body and spirit, TUPAD is unemployment insurance albeit a primitive form of it. And while TUPAD’s immediate goal is lofty and undoubtedly humanitarian, unemployment insurance is not yet a state obligation.

Remember that numerous UI bills had been filed in Congress—several versions were authored by the imminent labor leader and former Senator Ernesto Herrera who passed away in 2015—but employers had consistently rejected all of them vehemently.

Instead, why not use TUPAD’s budget to increase pensions? Pensioners have only pensions for their means of income and surely, calamities also affect them adversely. Besides, TUPAD is financed from public funds that are collected from overly-taxed citizens and lowly-paid workers.

If DOLE really wants to pilot unemployment insurance, it should involve employers and workers.

Haven’t DOLE successfully established thousands of public employment service offices nationwide? It should now easily convince everybody that UI could become a viable contributory scheme to be funded by employers and workers who would be its eventual beneficiaries.

Secretary Baldoz obviously wanted to please PNoy after he declared last Dec. 18 a national state of calamity following the onslaught of Nona. Oddly, it was first named “Nonoy.”

P4 million is only what DOLE’s regional director still needed to fully implement Oriental Mindoro’s emergency employment program. It is a small amount that she could have easily sourced from the cash-awash budget department if assisting Nona’s victims was indeed a national concern.

Instead, she instructed her director to “coordinate closely” about this dole from ILO. It’s a fact that ILO is donating money to promote its social protection programs. But it only does this as technical assistance to impoverished countries in token amounts.

We shouldn’t line up anymore for this kind of dole money.

VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ THE Philippines has better economic growth prospects this 2016 for a number of reasons: one, election spending; two, we will have a new President; three, oil prices are down drastically; and four, the country’s major trading partners will either recover or continue with their recovery, economically.

Consumption—largely by households —is the mainstay of the economy. The economy (measured by GDP or the value of the output of goods and services) has been growing at an average of 6 percent per year under BS Aquino III not because he is an economist or that he is a good president.

In fact, the opposite is true.

Were BS Aquino a little more hardworking, a little more sympathetic to the plight of the people, and a little less divisive, the Philippines would have been truly the tiger economy he claims the country has become.

In the last six years of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, an economist, growth was a stellar 6.5 percent, achieved despite the worst global recession, in 2008 and 2009 when Philippine growth rate faltered, to 4.2 percent and to 1.1 percent, respectively, after rising 6.6 in 2007.

Aquino never faced a recession, except in the talent and intelligence of his cabinet and the rest of the government bureaucracy.

Yet, in his first full year as president, in 2011, BS scored a home run, a scintillating growth rate of 3.7 percent, after coming from a whopping 8.65 percent growth rate in the first half of 2010—the last semester of Mrs. Arroyo, and 6.7 percent, in July-December, the first six months of Aquino III. Why did growth collapse to 3.7 percent in 2011 from the whole year growth of 8.2 per-

cent in 2010? Incompetence. Aquino didn’t spend some P149 billion money intended for infra, for two reasons—he thought it would be stolen anyway and he really didn’t know how to spend it. Every time you don’t spend, you harm the economy.

To window-dress the figures and to show that he is indeed a good economist-president, Aquino’s statisticians keep on adding the whole growth rate of 8.2 percent in 2010 to the 5.9 percent average growth rate in his first full four years in office (2011 to 2014) to show an average growth of more than 6 percent, or 6.2 percent.

How do you make it appear that growth under Aquino was above 6 percent? Simple, add 8.2 (the growth in the whole of 2010) and 5.9 (the average of four years, 2011 to 2014), you get 14. Divide 14 by two, you get 7.05 percent. You then claim that this is the highest five-year growth since the 1970s. This is the claim of Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.

Even if you add only the second half of 2010 growth of 6.7 percent plus the 5.9 percent during 2011 to 2014, you still get an average growth of 6.3 percent. But the growth rates of 7.3 percent and 6.1 percent in the third and fourth quarters of 2010 should still be credited to the spillover effects of reforms under Arroyo.

The first six months of a president (July-December in Aquino’s case) is usually a learning period and nothing concrete could be done. The highest quarterly growth rate under President Arroyo was 8.9 percent—in the second quarter of 2010; her second highest, 8.4, was achieved in first quarter 2010.

In contrast, Aquino’s highest quarterly growth rate was 7.9 percent in the second quarter of 2012. Since then, GDP growth has steadily declined, reaching a low of 5.2 percent in the first quarter of 2015, before making a technical correction at 5.6 percent in the second quarter and 6.0 in the third.

Average GDP growth during the first three quarters of 2015—a disappointing

5.6 percent.

If fourth quarter (October-December) growth is 6 percent, then the whole year 2015 growth will be 5.8 percent, the lowest since the 3.7 percent growth in 2011, Aquino’s first full year, and the lowest in three years, since the 7.1 percent in 2013.

The Manila-based Asian Development Bank estimates the whole year 2015 growth at 5.9 percent, disappointing. Even a 6-percent rate for 2015 is disappointing because Aquino’s economists have targeted a growth of 7 to 8 percent in 2015.

The World Bank predicts 6.7-percent growth for the Philippines in 2016. That, however, will still be no thanks to Aquino.

A higher growth rate will result from big election spending and the euphoria that welcomes a new administration.

The 2016 presidential election has tightened between Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senator Grace Poe. They have identical 26-percent voter preference in the December survey of pollster. A close fight can only mean higher election spending.

For the administration candidate Mar Roxas to win creditably he has to spend more money than either Poe or Binay both of whom are backed by Big Business.

The BS A administration has more than P500 billion of unspent infra money.

That has to be released in the first semester of 2016 to show BS A has achieved something and to polish the lackluster Mar Roxas’ sagging image.

For his part, Economic Planning Chief Balisacan says “with the recent performance of our economy for three quarters of this year, we are confident that we shall see this high growth pattern continue and even improve throughout next year and the succeeding administrations, given the reforms and long-term investments in infrastructure and human capital, which we continue to pursue.”

Balisacan dismisses the below-target at 3.7 percent in 2011 on “external events that disrupted global supply chains, for example the tsunami in Japan, the severe

flooding in Thailand, political stability in some Middle East and African countries, Euro debt crisis, and the sluggish recovery from the financial crisis. Internally, government under-spending contributed to the slowdown, as agencies adjusted to new budget processes.”

Please note that the economy has been growing every quarter since 1998, a total of 68 consecutive quarters or 17 years. Growth keeps taking place, global recession or not, because the Philippine economy is very strong fundamentally. Filipinos just love to spend and 80 percent of economic growth comes from consumption, not the brilliance or lack of it, of a President like BS A. Balisacan likes us to believe that because of the Aquino president, Philippines has “become one of the fastest-growing major economies in Asia, just after India, China and Vietnam.”

In fact, the Philippines should be growing faster than either China or India. These economies are faltering. India growth has plateaued at 7.3 percent in 2014, 7.4 percent in 2015 and 7.8 percent in 2016. China’s economy is decelerating, from 7.7 percent growth in 2012 and 2013 to 7.4 in 2014, 7.1 percent in 2015, 7.0 in 2016, and 6.9 percent in 2017, per World Bank projections.

With the Philippines has been unable to pump up infra spending, Vietnam has caught up with us in economic growth, with 6.5 percent in 2015 and 6.6 percent in 2016.

Meanwhile, oil prices have dropped dramatically, to 11-year lows in December 2015, to $36 a barrel, largely because of reduced demand even as supply keeps rising.

Since 2014, oil prices have been cut by half.

This is a good for an oil-importing country like the Philippines. Cheaper oil means cheaper food. Since food is half of consumer expenditure, households will save money, on both fuel and food. That savings will be pumped into the economy, since Filipinos just love to spend.

Happy New Year! biznewsasia@gmail.com

YET, ANOTHER NEW YEAR PENSEES FR. RANHILIO CALLANGAN AQUINO YET, another new year...there does seem something amiss with that. “Yet” suggests iteration, but, of a new year, there is never a rerun. 2016 never happened before. The point, however, is that we have had turns of the planet around its star in the past, as well as new calendars and new datebooks (now on the way of obsolescence because smart phones being smart, they have it all)! Time has never ceased to beguile, but if eligibility for civil and juridical acts, as well as entitlement to the perks and privileges of senior years are subject to the reckoning of time, then giving it thought is never an idle exercise.

There were eons after the big bang, the cooling of the earth’s crust, the emergence of organic matter and the evolution of life.

But there was time only when humankind came upon the scene. “What time is it?” is a typically and uniquely human question. “It is time for a change in leadership” is not really about what chronometers measure but about decision and the

#FAILOCRACY

realization of possibility. Being a person is making the future come to pass. Like the universe that is said to expand as celestial bodies hurtle away from each other at breath-taking speeds, it is in making decisions about what must come to be that we, human persons, constitute ourselves and make time.

That is what is distracting about feng shui, palmistry and the different forms astrology has taken ever since the time of the Magi. It transfers to the stars, to some anonymous power variously called tadhana or karma or—thanks to Star Wars—the “Force” what is really an intensely defining human phenomenon: the creation of time by deciding and bringing about what can be. But there is the silliness of preachers and self-help hacks who proclaim that superstition that, with the new year, one can be whatever one wants to be. Charming prospect, but naïve really, because human reality is situated reality, it is “enframed” in various ways: every man or woman being a child of his or her times and its ways of thinking and going about things. Creators of structures, we are nonetheless individually and socially structured as well. Frames of thought, the themes of the time, the questions that concern us, the perspectives from which we proffer answers—all of these bear witness to our “datedness.” Historicity conditions being human in the dual sense of making it

possible as well as establishing its limits!

2016 is the beginning of a story, the story that will be told in its completeness when 2017 turns the corner! Human time (humanized time, says Ricoeur) is narrated, and that is what makes it human: that it can be narrated. When one event follows upon another with thorough logical necessity, then one deals with a production line, not with human life.

There is so much of the unexpected; there are just too many contradictions; human life takes a meandering way—because we are free and because we are conditioned.

A seminary student may decide to leave the seminary after ten years of following a priestly course of study—a decision that only freedom explains. When he is asked about his change of heart, he may offer the explanation that there was just so much excitement that the seminary was keeping him from and everybody else seemed to be having such a grand time without having to be bothered by the irksome bell summoning to prayer and to liturgy—a definite resonance of the pervading secularization in our days! Free and structured, thus the vagaries of the narratives of the days of our lives.

Thirteen globular fruits on the dinner table at the stroke of midnight, doors flung wide open, windows too—this is the time of year when television chan-

nels and radio stations seek out experts in signs and portents. We are careful to avoid what may bring misfortune, cautious about our observances. But what we should really be doing is mustering the resolve to make good decisions, to be courageous and intrepid about humanizing possibilities that promise fulfillment. We have no right to expect—even to pray—that things turn our way. What we should be praying for is the wisdom to make of what would otherwise be hanging, meaningless episodes into interesting, if curious, sub-plots in the chapter of our lives’ narratives that 2016 will be.

It is not in the stars. The Star of Bethlehem would never have led the Magi, had they not been wise and truly in search of the new-born King. And that Wisdom can be ours is prophesy: “When a profound silence covered all things and night was in the middle of its course, your allpowerful Word, O Lord, bounded from heaven’s royal throne.” And the almostscandalous title “Mother of God” means just that: that the Divine Wisdom has become available to the human condition.

May 2016 be God-touched and beautiful for us all! rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@yahoo.com

CHONG ARDIVILLA

F R I D AY : J A N U A R Y 1 , 2 0 1 6

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NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

New chapter? Storm survivors like this child are greeting the New Year from their bunk houses in Leyte. MEL CASPE

Group gives ‘certification’ to undocumented children

By A. Perez Rimando

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga Sibugay—By tradition, Muslim parents don’t bother to register their children with the government’s Civil Registrar’s Office. This later causes the children problems upon enrollment in school.

This problem has been addressed by “Katarangan sin Paggunting,” a program initiated by a Muslim non-government organization known as JabuJabu Inc. (The Calling), led by

Jaafar Kimpa and assisted by Nashruddin Modin.

Kimpa said this year alone, some 500 Tausug, Yakan and Samal kids (ages five to 13)— whose families originated from

Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and some Zamboanga Peninsula coastal villages most of whom are temporarily residing in Zamboanga coastal villages— were recipients of the JabuJabu project.

Kimpa told media the project, which began in early 2012, has documented the birth of some 5,000 children “whose birth were not covered by formal birth certificates issued by government.”

He said the certification is attested by the parents, village Imam (leader) and the Jabu-Ja-

bu executive with copies of the signed document later given to the concerned barangay chairman, mosque leader, parents and local civil registrar’s office.

Although the certification is not a substitute for a birth certificate, “it serves as a supporting document when the standard birth certificate of live birth is later processed,” said Kimpa.

He urged Muslim parents to strictly abide by government rules in securing birth certificates for their children.

Mayor’s supporter survives slay try

By Mel Caspe CALBAYOG CITY—Motorcycle-riding suspects shot a supporter of a reelectionist mayor late Thursday afternoon in Barangay Carayman, this city.

The victim was identified as Jojo Taduyo, 56. He is now in critical condition at an undisclosed hospital.

He is a supporter of Mayor Reynaldo Aquino who is running for reelection in May, Jojo is the brother of Adam Taduyo who was shot dead in March 2015. Adam was a candidate for barangay chairman in 2013. His then-opponent, Justin Belleza, was also eventually killed.

Dog saves family of 13 from fire PAGADIAN CITY, Zam- because the dog would often boanga del Sur— “If not for bark at passersby.

But when the dog did not the continuous loud barking of our pet dog, Fadjie, stop barking for the next 10 all of the 13 members of minutes, Ensong asked her my family would have been oldest daughter to open the door and was shocked to see burned alive.”

So said Victoria Ensong, “that our neighbors’ houses 66, a retired widowed teach- were all on fire with their er, as she saw her house at occupants running wildly Purok Sampaguita, Baran- carrying their belongings.”

Ensong quickly woke gay Balangasan here being engulfed by flames together up all her family members with some 40 other nearby and told them to rush out of residences at midnight on their house taking with them whatever they could carry as Tuesday.

Ensong recounted that she pulled out to safety her while she, her four children crying grandchildren.

Soon firemen, led by City and eight grandchildren were fast asleep, she was awak- Fire Chief Inspector Ferdie ened by the loud barking of Morales, arrived and put the Fadjie, chained on the neck fire under control. The fire near their door post. She destroyed an estimated P1 initially ignored the barking million worth of property.

Just in time. Filipinos try to catch a flight back home in time for the New Year revelry. OMAR MANGORSI

A8

friDAY: JANUArY 1, 2016

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Mr. Malasakit. Senatorial candidate and Rep. Martin Romualdez (left) delivers his Christmas and New Year’s message to 500 officers and members of the Quezon City Parents and Teachers Association Federation during the group’s Christmas party held at the Aberdeen Court Hotel in Quezon City. VeR noVeno

LTO chided over car stickers

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

The Land Transportation Office should stop collecting P50 from motorists for non-existent car registration stickers until problems surrounding the long-delayed issuance have been resolved, Senator Francis escudero said on Thursday.

Escudero, a vice presidential bet, issued this call as the LTO, an agency under the Department of Transportation and Communications, began accepting renewal applications for motor vehicle registration for 2016.

“The LTO should refrain from charging our motorists for unavailable car stickers.

2015 is almost over but most motorists have yet to receive their registration stickers that they have paid for,” the senator said.

“Motorists got nothing from paying the amount so it is just right for the agency to refund the cost of the stickers,” he added.

The veteran lawmaker said he has received complaints that some motorists have been paying for registration stickers for the past five years but they did not receive any sticker at all since the agency encountered

supply problems in 2011.

“It is tantamount to robbing motorists of their money for non-existent registration stickers,” he said.

He said this is even worse than the ‘budol-budol gang’ because they see their supposed victims face-to-face and get their money yearly for a product that doesn’t exist,” he said.

Reports said the LTO late this year started releasing stickers for two-wheeled vehicles but failed to do the same for four-wheeled vehicles especially those seeking registration renewal.

The independent vice presidential bet thus called on the Commission on Audit to look into the money collected by the LTO for undelivered registration stickers over the past five years.

“The CoA should look into this because it involves a huge amount of money considering the number of motor vehicles registered in the country,” Escudero said.

Based on 2013 data from the LTO, there are 7,690,038 registered motor vehicles in the country consisting of 868,148 cars; 1,794,572 utility vehicles; 346,396 sport utility vehicles; 358,445 trucks; 31,665 buses; 4,250,667 motorcycles/tricycles; and 40,145 trailers.

On top of the delay in releasing registration stickers, the LTO is also suffering from a backlog of license plates.

This after the CoA barred the LTO from continuing its P3.85-billion motor vehicle plate standardization program as it deemed the project illegal.

The LTO in January this year started collecting P450 and P120 respectively from motor vehicle and motorcycle owners, respectively, renewing registration for the “standardized” license plates.

During his time as chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Escudero questioned the DoTC’s move to bid out the contract even if it was not provided for in the 2013 national budget.

Tax exemption for Wurtzbach’s earnings pushed

By Maricel V. Cruz HOuSE Independent Bloc leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez on Thursday vowed to work along with his colleagues in adopting a resolution exempting newly crowned Miss universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach from paying tax on her earnings and multimillion-peso gem-studded crown as a return of “malasakit” (compassion) to her.

Romualdez, a lawyer and president of the Philippine Constitution Association, said granting tax exemption to Wurtzbach before her scheduled return to the Philippines on Jan. 20 this year (2016) would be a great way of returning a huge favor that she had contributed for bringing honor to the country after winning the world’s most prestigious beauty pageant.

“Exempting from tax her earnings and crown is a simple way of giving Ms. Wurtzback accolades from government for bringing honor to the country. We have to return the favor by showing mala-

sakit to her,” Romualdez, a senatorial aspirant, said in a statement Romualdez said Congress should include in the resolution to be adopted when it resumes session on Jan. 19, 2016 the congratulatory message to Wurtzback and recognizing her rare achievement for the country.

The Czech Republic-made crown of Wurtzbach, 26 and a Filipino-German beauty raised in Cagayan De Oro City, costs $300,000 and comprises of diamonds, blue topaz, blue sapphire, crystal, and gold.

He recalled the case of a 27-year-old Jujeath Nagaowa, a Filipina boxer and mixed martial arts fighter, who expressed disappointment after she was initially ordered to pay P5,819 in taxes by the Bureau of Customs for the release of her championship belt after winning the international light flyweight title of the Women’s International Boxing Association against Chinese fighter Lou Yu Jie last June 8.

“We do not want a similar incident to happen again because this

will be hurtful. Ms. Nagaowa fought hard for the championship belt only to be knockdown by government’s seeming unjust tax policy for Filipino athletes reaping international honors,” Romualdez said.

He congratulated anew Wurtzbach for winning the Miss universe crown, saying her victory would inspire many Filipinos to carve their own names in various international competitions.

Fire monkey. Red monkey lucky charms are being sold for P35 apiece at Commonwealth Market in Quezon City on Thursday, Dec. 31.

According to Chinese astrology, 2016 is the year of the Fire Monkey.

JAnsen RoMeRo

Filmfest sets record earnings

By Joel e. Zurbano THE 2015 year’s Metro Manila Film Festival surpassed its first six-day earnings by P24 million, the Metro Manila Development Authority said on Thursday.

According to MMDA chairman Emerson Carlos, as of Dec. 30, the eight entries in the 2015 MMFF earned at the box office P622 million as against the P598 million it earned for the first six days in 2014.

The movies included in the list of top earners are My Bebe Love #KiligPaMore starring Vic Sotto and the phenomenal Aldub love team Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza, Beauty and the Bestie which featured Vice Ganda and Coco Martin, Haunted Mansion starring Joem Basco, Alan Paule and Janelle Salvador, and Walang Forever starring Jennilyn Mercado.

The MMDA said earlier it was expecting that the 2015 MMFF would surpass the 2014 earnings, citing the film entries of big stars like the Aldub Love Team, which became popular because of its “Kalyeserye” on noontime show Eat Bulaga.

The other entries are Buy Now, Die Later starring Jayson Gainza, John Lapus and Ian Veneracion; All You Need Is Pag-ibig starring Kris Aquino and Derek Ramsay; Nilalang starring Cesar Montano and Maria Ozawa, and Honor Thy Father Starring John Lloyd Cruz.

All entries at the MMFF are being shown during the entire festival period until Jan. 7.

The MMFF executive committee brushed aside allegations of irregularity raised by the producers of Honor Thy Father which was disqualified from the Best Picture category.

Carlos, concurrent head of the MMFF Execom, maintained that all the awardees were deserving and that the decisions made by the jury is proof of Filipino ingenuity, creativity, and passion for the art of filmmaking.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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FRIDAY: JANUARY 1, 2016

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS Govt set to pursue Davao port bidding

By Darwin G Amojelar

THE Transportation Department said it will pursue the bidding of the P19-billion Davao Sasa Port Modernization Project in 2016, despite the objection by the Davao city council.

Transportation undersecretary for planning Rene Limcaoco said the agency would conduct a series of consultations with the bidders this month to resolve issues surrounding the government’s first port project under the public-private partnership program.

Limcaoco said the department

would hold one-on-one consultations with San Miguel Holdings Corp.-APM Terminals Management (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. and Portek International Pte Ltd.-National Marine Corp. Consortium on Jan. 18.

It would also hold talks with International Container Terminal

Services Inc. and Asian Terminals Inc.-DP World FZE Consortium on Jan. 19 and with Ballore Africa Logistics on Jan. 20.

The consultations with the prequalified bidders will be held at the Philippine Ports Authority’s head office in South Harbor, Manila.

The department earlier moved the bid submission for the project to Feb. 26 from Jan. 11, 2016.

The agency pushed back the schedule because of numerous requests from pre-qualified bidders and to give them more time to conduct technical, financial and legal due diligence.

The Sangguniang Panglungsod ng Davao had issued a resolution stopping the Sasa port bidding because of “the irregular procedure as well as the various questions raised against the Sasa Port Modernization project now being bid out without prior consultation and expressed approval of the local government as provided for by the Local Government Code.”

The winning bidder will build a new apron and linear quay, expand the back-up area, container yards and warehouses and install ship-to-shore cranes and rubbertyred gantry.

PSe comPoSite index Closing December 29, 2015

8000 7700 7400 7100 6800 6500

6,952.08 31.53

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing DECEMBER 29, 2015 43.50 44.60 45.40

P47.060

46.20

CLOSE

47.00

HIGH P47.040 LOW P47.165 AVERAGE P47.118 VOLUME 372.750M

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 Tuesday, December 29, 2015

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Asean coins.

Cambodian people buy souvenir coins at the National Bank of Cambodia, which began the sale of silver souvenir coins bearing flags of Association of Southeast Asian Nations to celebrate Asean community 2015 and Asean Economy Community in 2016. AFP

Unit

US Dollar Peso

United States Dollar

1.000000

47.1660

Japan

Yen

0.008311

0.3920

UK

Pound

1.487900

70.1783

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129027

6.0857

Switzerland

Franc

1.012863

47.7727

Canada

Dollar

0.719424

33.9324

Singapore

Dollar

0.710631

33.5176

Australia

Dollar

0.726480

34.2652

Bahrain

Dinar

2.656042

125.2749

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266645

12.5766

Brunei

Dollar

0.708115

33.3990

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000073

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.027678

1.3055

UAE

Dirham

0.272301

12.8433

Euro

Euro

1.097000

51.7411

Korea

Won

0.000856

0.0404

China

Yuan

0.154131

7.2697

India

Rupee

0.015132

0.7137

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.232829

10.9816

New Zealand

Dollar

0.684697

32.2944

Taiwan

Dollar

0.030481

1.4377 Source: PDS Bridge

Asean launches EU-inspired economic bloc to bolster trade SOUTHEAST Asian nations officially launched an EU-inspired economic bloc Thursday aimed at boosting the region’s trading clout and attracting more investment, but analysts said a true single market was still a long way off.

The ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations hailed the project as a “milestone” in combining the economic force of a resource-rich and growing market of more than 600 million people.

The vision for the Asean Economic Community is a single market with a free flow of goods, capital and skilled labour, which should help the region compete with the likes of China for foreign

investment.

Philippine Trade undersecretary Victorio Dimagiba said consumer protection and rights would be strengthened as the integration of Asean Economic Community came into full force.

Dimagiba said a regional network to address consumer complaints has been created prior to integration proper. “From the consumer point, we have set up a network of exchanging developments in the area of consumer welfare. We have set up an Asean network of consumer complaints handling,” he said.

The network is a website or an online platform that is capable

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

of managing inter-regional complaints and queries for 600 million consumers in Asean. The site will also manage exchanges of data on voluntary and mandatory recall of goods and services.

Dimagiba said the inter-regional consumer welfare site was close to crafting a five-year roadmap to support the concerns of an economy of 600 million consumers.

The Asian Development Bank said once all the 10 countries in Asean merged into one economy, it would be seventh largest in the world. It could be fourth largest by 2050 if the growth trend continued.

The new bloc “will contribute significantly to the region’s

growth and create developmental opportunities for all,” said Vivian Balakrishnan, the foreign minister of Asean member Singapore.

But experts say such an idea is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve in a region marked by extremes in development levels, democratization, and institutional capability.

The official launch of the AEC has no practical effect, and diplomats have said Asean—regularly criticized for a lack of concrete achievements--was keen not to miss its own deadline of 2015, set several years ago.

Research group Capital Economics said in a note the establishment of the AEC was “no

game changer”, and it was likely to fall short in tackling major challenges such as reducing non-tariff barriers and improving infrastructure.

“Asean, with its tradition of non-interference into the affairs of member countries, an absence of penalties for non-compliance, and a lack of a powerful central bureaucracy, is ill-equipped to tackle these obstacles,” it said.

John Pang, a senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said there would be only “slow and incremental progress” in integrating the economies of Southeast Asia.

Othel V. Campos, AFP

FRIDAY: JANUARY 1, 2016

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

Sweetheart deals gone sour “AN agreement made in which one gets something that is to his advantage but to the detriment of the stockholders. It’s an abnormally favorable contractual arrangement, like a lucrative golden parachute that is not in the best interests of the stockholders. It particularly applies to government officials and the terms and conditions may hint of corruption. These deals may put a third party at a distinct disadvantage—like you and other taxpaying dolts,” lectured one of our buddies, putting together the various definitions when we asked him what he thought about Leyte Representative and Senatorial candidate Martin Romualdez’s demand that a congressional investigation be made into the alleged P3.81-billion “sweetheart deal” the Department of Transportation and Communication signed for maintaining the Metro Rail Transit-3 without the benefit of a public bidding.

Romualdez was questioning why the agreement entered into with Korean-Filipino consortium Busan Transportation Corp. etc. did not have provisions that would protect the riding public from “hidden fare hikes”—an issue that youth groups and other activists have been protesting against a year ago when the DOTC decided to implement fare hikes for LRT-1, LRT-2 and MRT3.

At the time, these government officials justified the fare hike by saying it is needed to upgrade the services of the rail system.

Of course, that hasn’t happened. The coaches are still decrepit with some even leaking during a downpour, the system still keeps breaking down and commuters ride the trains at their own risk. To top it all, the thick-faced officials unapologetically admit that the added revenues will not do anything to improve the services of the MRT. “It’s the DOTC, so don’t hold your breath,” our buddy answered with much irritation when we said maybe things would be better with the new contract. The bad mood which has been going on for days now, was triggered when he thought of renewing his driver’s license last Tuesday, two weeks ahead of its expiration because he didn’t want to get rushed, intending to celebrate his “golden age” with no hassle.

As (bad) luck would have it, the computer system went bonkers just 30 minutes after 2 p.m., going offline which made it impossible to continue the process. He persisted, deciding to wait until 4 p.m. until his impatience got the better of him.

Adding to the annoyance was the discovery that the registration stickers and car plates for his vehicles are still unavailable —despite the fact that the renewals were done in June and July.

“I was told only car plates ending in 1, 2 and 3 are available,” he fumed, frustrated because he now wants to boycott renewing his license and registration for 2016 but afraid of the hassle it would cause in case he gets flagged down (again) by a super zealous MMDA or LTO operative. The plates, last we knew, are being held by the Bureau of Customs because the supplier did not have the cash to pay for the Customs duties. The LTO spokesman, when cornered by media men, had blamed the Commission on Audit for the inability of the supplier to pay the taxes, saying the COA’s issuance of a notice of disallowance last July 2015 prevented the LTO from paying the contractor.

But the thing is, if the winning contractor really had the money to deliver its commitment for such a huge (and lucrative) contact, why was it dependent on the LTO’s payment in order to have the plates released? Did it mean it didn’t have the financial capability—which was one of the conditions/requirements for winning the deal?

“That’s probably another one of those sweetheart deals entered into by this BS government,” our now thoroughly annoyed buddy muttered, taking a swig of his favorite beer.

Sweetheart deals. They’re really such sour things to swallow especially by us taxpayers. What a way to start the year. But then again, with such people at the helm of government, it’s not surprising. Hopefully, May 2016 would bring on the change all of us need so badly. And if that happens, only then will we greet everybody, Happy New Year!

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!

Unemployment rate fell to 6.5% in 2015

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

UNEMPLOYMENT rate, or the percentage of jobless Filipinos, fell to 6.5 percent in 2015 from 6.8 percent in 2014, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Preliminary results of the annual labor and employment estimates for 2015 showed that 2.6 million Filipinos were jobless in 2015.

“Of this number, 79.8 percent belonged to age group 15 to 34 years while those in age group 15 to 24 years comprised 49 percent and those in the age group 25 to 34 years, 30.8 percent,” national statistician Lisa Grace Bersales said.

PSA said the estimates were based on the average results of the quarterly labor force survey rounds in January, April, July and October.

Unemployed males were recorded at 1.66 million, or 63.7 percent of the total jobless Filipinos while unemployed females reached 940,000.

A third of unemployed persons were high school graduates (33.5 percent) and more than a fifth were college graduates (21.8 percent).

Data also showed that underemployment rate inched up to 18.5 percent in 2015 from 18.4 percent a year ago.

“The underemployed persons or those employed persons who

express the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or to have additional job, or to have a new job with longer working hours was estimated at 7.2 million persons,” Bersales said.

PSA said employed persons, which were grouped into agriculture, industry and services sector, were estimated at 38.7 million in 2015, up from 37.3 million in 2014.

Those in the services sector comprised more than half (54.7 percent) of the total employed persons. About 18.9 percent were engaged in wholesale and retail trade or in the repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles.

Workers in the agriculture sector made up the second largest group accounting for 29.1 percent, while those in the industry sector represented 16.2 percent.

Rice crop manager.

The Agricultural Training Institute, the International Rice Research Institute and Smart Communications Inc. join forces to help more rice farmers increase their productivity and net income through the Rice Crop Manager, an information and communications technology -based decisionsupport tool that provides site-specific crop and nutrient management recommendations. Agriculture Department’s assistant secretary Edilberto de Luna (second from right) hands over a mobile phone to a farmer. With them are (from left) ATI director Asterio Saliot, IRRI senior scientist Madonna Casimero and Smart vice president for community partnerships Darwin Flores.

IN BRIEF SL Agritech cleared to raise P1b THE Securities and Exchange Commission approved the application of hybrid rice producer SL Agritech to issue up to P1 billion worth of short-term commercial papers.

SEC commission secretary Armando Pan Jr. said SL Agritech obtained the SEC approval after it submitted the additional financial information required by the corporate regulator.

SL Agritech said it planned to use the proceeds from the issuance of STCPs to purchase inventory, primarily palay and seeds from contract growers and to pay off some debt.

The company hired Multinational Investment Bancorporation as the sole issue manager and underwriter for the offering. The debt papers will have a terror of 365 days and will carry a discount rate equivalent to the benchmark rate plus a 200 to 300 basis point spread range for initial issuance calculated on a true-discount basis.

The STCPs have been assigned a PRS Aa rating by the Philippine Ratings Services Corp. Jenniffer B. Austria

PLDT taps cloud providers Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. said it will continue to team up with cloud service providers to serve more local companies requiring the service.

“We’ve already seen the interest and need among local enterprises in utilizing the advantages of integrating cloud technologies into their operations. We plan to continue this momentum of forging stronger partnerships with industry

leaders in beefing up our services to the enterprise market, and sustain our leadership as the trusted cloud solutions provider in the country,” said ePLDT Group chief operating officer Nerisse Ramos.

PLDT said that since unit ePLDT teamed up with Microsoft as cloud solutions provider last year, it had served the needs of enterprises for an end-to-end cloud solutions partner through PLDT cloud offerings.

“The rising demand for cloud and mobility has inspired us to steer businesses toward transformation,” Microsoft Philippines general manager Karrie Ilagan said. Darwin G. Amojelar

Negros solar plant on track San Carlos Sun Power Inc. said it is on track to completing a 59-megawatt solar power project in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental by January this year.

SaCaSun is a joint venture company of SunEdison Philippines Helios BV and Aboitiz Renewables Inc., the holding company of Aboitiz Power Corp.’s investments in renewable energy.

“It should be ready by January,” Aboitiz Power president and chief operating officer Antonio Moraza said.

He said the solar project would start commercial operations by January, ahead of the March 2016 deadline for eligibility to the feed-in tariff.

SaCaSun earlier signed a loan agreement with BDO Unibank, Inc. to secure a P3.7-billion loan to finance the solar plant. Alena Mae S. Flores

FRIDAY: JANUARY 1, 2016

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

Uber makes billionth journey SAN FRANCISCO—Uber said Wednesday it made its billionth trip in a new milestone for the global ride-sharing service.

“Marvin and Ara just made our day. Their £5 London uberX ride together on Christmas Eve from London Fields, Hackney to Hoxton in Ara’s blue Honda Insight Hybrid was the billionth Uber trip,” Uber said in a blog posting.

“One billion. That’s a whole lot of riders and drivers sharing the road, special moments, and celebrations together. Certainly far more than we ever imagined when we got started in San Francisco five and a half years ago.”

Uber has expanded to hundreds of cities around the world in at least 68 countries, offering new options for both riders and drivers but also running into complaints from the taxi industry and regulators.

The company has reached a valuation of more than $50 billion based on private investment disclosed to date.

The billionth ride comes a day after an announcement that fellow San Francisco ride-sharing group Sidecar was ending its service.

Uber still faces competition from US-based Lyft and other global startups.

“This holiday season, we’re feeling grateful and festive crossing this milestone as we close out the year,” the company said.

“For riding their way into our history books, we’re putting one year’s worth of free rides in rider Marvin’s stocking and our driver-partner Ara will be taking a vacation on us to the Uber city of his choice.” AFP

Last trade.

Brokers are pictured drinking champagne during the last day of trade at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, on December 30, 2015.

Crude prices facing ‘dark period’ in ’16

By Ben Sharples

OIL is headed for a second annual decline as a record pace of expansion in US crude stockpiles exacerbates a global glut.

Futures have lost 31 percent this year and are set for the first back-to-back loss since 1998. Inventories increased by more than 101 million barrels, or more than 25 percent, over the year, the biggest expansion in weekly Energy Information Administration data going back to 1983. Supplies at Cushing, Oklahoma, the delivery point for US benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude, climbed to a record last week, ac-

Zukunft 2016 IT’S the first day of the year, a time for planning and anticipating. What can we expect from 2016?

Sideways, and shaky There is little bright news on the economic front.

In the October update their World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) generally downgraded their growth forecasts from their July update. Projected growth for 2015 is 3.1%, slightly lower than the 3.4% of 2014, but growth for 2016 is expected to go back up to 3.6%. Advanced economies are expected to grow 2.2% in 2016, and emerging markets and developing economies by 4.5%.

The IMF points to a slowdown in China, continued weakness in commodity prices, geopolitical tensions and domestic strife as worrisome factors and was careful to point out that the projected improvement from 2015 to 2016 is not reflective of an expected general recovery but rather “a less deep recession and “a partial normalization of conditions” in distressed economies. The IMF also expects continued financial volatility.

In September of 2015, Willem Butler, chief global economist of Citigroup, predicted a moderate global recession with a 55% probability. Butler’s scenario would have global growth at 2.5% or less beginning second half of 2016 and remaining at these levels for at least a year. Like many analysts, Butler points to the slowdown in China as a key driver for this potential global slowdown.

cording to the EIA. Oil is trading near levels last seen during the global financial crisis amid signs the oversupply will be prolonged after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries effectively abandoned output limits at a meeting earlier this month. Additionally, US crude output is poised to grow for a seventh straight year.

“There is a long way to go before global supply and demand re-

Just two days before Christmas 2015, Stan Choe of The Associated Press had this to say about investing in 2016: Expect less and buy antacid. His summary of the consensus among analysts and mutual fund managers? Lower returns. Higher volatility. Choe quotes investment bank Barclays title for its 2016 outlook: Curb your expectations. This echoes the August 2015 declaration from Goldman Sachs on the future of US stocks in 2015: “Flat is the new up.” Goldman’s 2016 outlook predicts more of the same. Goldman favors strong balance sheets, high domestic sales and companies with the ability to boost margins.

A Reuters poll in mid-December of 2015 showed that optimism among market strategists had faded. The years-long global stock rally which has been fueled by low interest rates and stimulus money by some of the world’s largest central banks, is seen to be losing steam. Key European indices are expected to inch up 10% by mid-2016, still below peaks reached in April 2015. If this still leaves you feeling hopeful, Reuters is quick to point out that strategists as a group generally overestimated market gains for 2015.

The website tradingeconomics.com similarly forecasts an essentially flat year for the Philippine stock index in 2016, with a predicted Q4 2015 PSE level of 6850 and Q3 2016 level of 6650.

Consumer Trends In the arena of consumer trends, Mary Meehan, Forbes contributor, pinpoints, among others, increasing expectations for consumer control, the movement of social media towards communities, and increased expectations for applications of artificial intelligence.

Trendwatching.com highlights five consumer trends based on 16 underlying megatrends. The five trends include three that involve consumer interactions: interactive campaigns that require customers to

balancing occurs,” Angus Nicholson, a market analyst at IG Ltd. in Melbourne, said by phone. “There hasn’t been a significant cutback in oil production and there is the additional threat of Iran boosting exports. It’s going to be a dark period for the oil price during the next six months.”

WTI for February delivery was at $36.62 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up 2 cents, at 1:56 p.m. Hong Kong time. The contract lost $1.27 to $36.60 on Wednesday. Total volume traded was about 5 percent below the 100-day average. Prices have decreased 12 percent in December and are poised for a second monthly loss.

Brent for February settlement

exert effort to show that they are part of a chosen few; a nuanced use of omnipresence in order to be present to the right customer at the right place and at the right time, and new ways of communicating value.

In the area of managing omnipresence, trendwatching points out a new app called Attention, which can use your mobile phone activities to pinpoint boredom with 85% accuracy. Once boredom is detected, the app from Barcelona’s Telefonica recommends content from Buzzfeed. Trendwatching also extolls the collaboration between Antwerp’s Hotel Banks and French fashion brand Pimkie, providing a mini fashion bar in hotel rooms. The clothes are tailored to the activities and weather in the area and the hotel provides a dedicated fashion concierge.

Trendwatching’s two other featured trends are the relevance of corporate culture to brand building, and the increasing importance of artificial intelligence in improving the customer experience. Cognitoys, powered by IBM Watson, a learning system made famous by its win on the US game show Jeopardy powers, promises a toy that will evolve with its child owner. For the adults, email plug in Paribus will automatically scan email purchase receipts and email the retailer when it detects that a price match claim can be made. Paribus takes a 25% commission and the buyer receives a refund he would likely otherwise not have even know he qualified for.

Social and lifestyle trends, increased concern for social responsibility and technological breakthroughs seem to be the key factors driving consumer trends.

Consumer Tech In the world of consumer tech, Dave Johnson shares his forecasts for 2016 on CBS Moneywatch.

He names 2015 as the year of peak phone screen size and points to battery life and charging as the next

Sideways, shaky, faster, brighter and increasingly connected

was 10 cents higher at $36.56 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. Prices are down 36 percent this year.

The European benchmark crude, which has averaged a $4.62 premium to WTI this year, was at a discount of 5 cents to New York futures.

The gap between Brent and WTI has shrunk amid speculation the removal of a 40-year ban on US crude exports may ease the nation’s oversupply. But with the spread at parity or negative, shipments into the US will probably remain elevated, which may create storage problems on the Gulf Coast during the first half of 2016, Citigroup Inc. said in a research report on Wednesday. AFP

area of improvement in smart phones. Qualcomm’s quick charge already offers 30 minute charging while Storedot announced plans to have a slim battery offering a full charge in 30 seconds before the end of 2016.

Johnson also predicts that virtual reality (VR) will go mainstream when the gold standard in VR, Oculus Rift finally hits the market in the first quarter of 2016. Other choices will include HTC Vive (a gaming headset), Samsung Gear VR and Microsoft’s Hololens.

He predicts laptops and desktops will be increasingly marginalized, smartwatches will continue to flounder, passwords will become obsolete, and mobile payment will proliferate.

In fact, UK-based market research firm Juniper Research also believes 2016 will be the year for VR and predicts that see on watching a flat TV screen will feel like typing on a type writer. Juniper Research also sees increased use of wearable Tach on the job, but they pinpoint smart glasses, which reportedly helped DHL increase productivity by 25%, as the type of wearable tech most likely to be adopted for business use.

In other news, be prepared to move from wi-fi to li-fi. Two startups, Velmenni and Bytelight are actually already working on transmitting data via LED light.

Forward So there we are, sideways, shaky, faster, brighter and increasingly connected. Those are the themes for 2016. As science forges onward, uncertainty, inequity, conflict, and increasingly more devastating natural disasters continue to pose challenges.

Frohes Neujahr!

Zukunft is the German word for future. It is a concatenation of the root words “zu” meaning “to” and “kunft” which comes from the German word “Kommen” meaning “to come”. Hence it literally means what is still to come.

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

FRIDAY: JANUARY 1, 2016

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

Apple to settle tax fraud in Italy ROME—Apple has agreed to pay Italy 318 million euros ($348 million) to settle a tax dispute after the US tech giant was investigated for suspected fraud, the country’s tax agency said Tuesday.

The company’s Italian subsidiary and several of its senior executives had been under investigation for fraud over its alleged failure to comply with obligations to declare its earnings in Italy between 2008 and 2013.

According to Italian daily La Repubblica, Apple Italia should have paid corporation tax of 880 million euros for the period.

After months of negotiations, the tax authorities agreed to close the case in return for a cheque for 318 million.

A spokesman for the tax agency confirmed the newspaper’s report was accurate but would not divulge further details.

Apple Italia did not respond to a request for comment on a case which could set a precedent for other European countries’ dealings with the company.

The settlement comes against a backdrop of mounting controversy over the tax arrangements of multinational groups who use cross-border corporate structures to reduce their tax bills, sometimes with the help of secret and potentially illegal ‘sweetheart’ deals.

Apple Italia is part of the company’s European operation which is headquartered in Ireland, a country with one of the lowest levels of corporation tax in the European Union.

Ireland taxes corporate earnings from normal business activities at a rate of 12.5 percent, which compares with a standard 27.5 percent rate in Italy.

Earlier this month, Apple chief Tim Cook described accusations that the world’s richest company was sidestepping US taxes by stashing cash overseas as “political crap” and insisted: “We pay every tax dollar we owe.”

The settlement of the tax dispute will not halt the criminal investigation into the conduct of three Apple Italia executives but will likely reduce the severity of any sanctions they may face, La Repubblica said.

Apple’s activities in Ireland are currently under investigation by the European Commission, which is due to announce soon whether tax breaks designed to secure the company’s extensive investment in Ireland amounted to illegal state aid.

Apple’s European operations have been headquartered at the southern city of Cork since 1980.

The company is in the process of expanding its workforce there to 6,000 and it has been followed into Ireland by other US tech firms including Twitter, Microsoft and Google. AFP

Emerging currencies set to weaken further

EMERGING-market currencies slumped this year by the most in almost two decades and analysts are forecasting further losses in 2016 due to China’s slowdown and US monetary tightening.

The deteriorating sentiment also hurt stocks and bonds, with an index of equities covering developing countries posting the biggest annual drop since 2011. The premium investors demand to hold emergingmarket sovereign debt widened for an unprecedented third year after the Federal Reserve took the long-awaited move of raising interest rates and signaled more to come.

UBS AG and Citigroup Inc. strategists said this month that more pain is in store because developing markets haven’t fallen enough to reflect subdued global growth. A slump in commodities that pushed Brent crude to an 11-year low is also damping confidence as economists forecast China, the world’s secondbiggest economy and a major buyer of raw materials, will slow further in 2016.

“Fundamentally, none of the emerging-market currencies are going to buck against the tide of a stronger dollar,” said Sim Moh Siong, a foreign-exchange strategist at Bank of Singapore Ltd. “The focus for the Fed has shifted from lift-off to the next rate hike. We could be stuck in the low-for-longer scenario for commodity prices.”

A measure of 20 developingnation exchange rates depreciated 15 percent in 2015, the steepest slide since 1997. All but six of the 24 emerging-market currencies tracked by Bloomberg are expected to weaken again in the next 12 months, with Argentina’s peso, the Brazilian real and the Indonesian rupiah seen falling the most. The afore men-

tioned pair led losses this year, along with the South African rand and Colombian peso.

In Asia, currencies weakened this year mainly due to capital outflows in anticipation of higher US interest rates and the impact from China’s economic slowdown. Malaysia’s ringgit led the losses with a 19 percent decline as the plunge in Brent crude also cut government revenue for the region’s only major net oil exporter. It was the worst annual performance since 1997.

Indonesia’s rupiah dropped 10 percent, the Thai baht depreciated 9 percent and South Korea’s won lost 6.3 percent. The rupiah, won and Taiwan’s dollar are forecast to lead declines in 2016.

Bloomberg

Sales boost. Shoppers stand outside a Uniqlo Co. store in downtown San Francisco, California, US on Monday, Dec. 28, 2015. A late surge in shopping and pent-up demand for women’s clothing gave a boost to holiday sales, according to early spending figures. Bloomberg

Palm oil registers biggest annual gain amid El Niño

By Anuradha Raghu PALM oil is headed for the biggest annual gain in five years as the strongest El Niño in almost two decades parches crops in Southeast Asia and trims record stockpiles of the commodity used in food and biofuel.

Prices are up 9.4 percent this year, the first annual rise since 2013 and the most since 2010. Futures for March delivery on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives rallied to an 18-month high on Thursday before declining 0.6 percent to 2,480 ringgit by the midday break. Prices have surged 5.8 percent this month and 4.4 percent

this quarter.

Benchmark prices slumped to a six-year low in August as a slowdown in China’s economy hurt demand and exacerbated a global glut of vegetable oils. Prices have since rallied 33 percent as the El Niño gathered strength and a haze from Indonesia’s forest fires stoked concerns of a decline in output. The rally helped palm oil buck the rout in commodities from wheat to corn and crude oil.

“The rainmaker for the first quarter of 2016 will be the production more than any other variable,” said Paramalingam Supramaniam, director at Selangor-based brokerage Pelindung

Bestari. “El Niño is like the black swan. We don’t know for certain.

Any drop in output exceeding 20 percent will be supportive.”

The El Niño may curb oil palm yields in Indonesia and Malaysia, which account for 86 percent of supply, as the event can bake parts of Asia while bringing too much rain to Latin America. At the same time Indonesia, the world’s biggest grower, is raising the mandated amount of palm blended with diesel to 20 percent from 15 percent. El Niño and the biofuel mandate will be a “powerful cocktail” that may drive up prices in 2016, Dorab Mistry, director of Godrej International

Ltd., said in November.

“The rebound in prices surpassed expectations in particular from November and December” even as demand from China declined, said Marcello Cultrera, a dealer at Oriental Pacific Futures in Kuala Lumpur.

Record stockpiles and slumping exports are still concerns for investors, Paramalingam said. Inventories in Malaysia rose to a record 2.9 million tons at the end of November as exports fell 12.4 percent, according to the nation’s palm oil board. Shipments fell 5.4 percent in December from a month earlier, cargo surveyor Intertek Testing Services said on Thursday.

F R I D AY : J A N U A R Y 1 , 2 0 1 6

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CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Bill Cosby charged in sexual abuse case ELKINS PARK—US comedian Bill Cosby appeared in a Pennsylvania court on Wednesday to face a sexual assault charge over a 2004 incident—the first criminal charge filed against him after dozens of women claimed abuse.

“Mr Cosby is charged with aggravated indecent assault. This is a felony,” Kevin Steele, a county assistant district attorney, told reporters in Norristown, outside Philadelphia.

Cosby, 78, did not enter a plea in the courtroom in Elkins Park, also in the Philadelphia area, a court clerk told AFP. Bail was set at $1 million, which Cosby posted, and a hearing was set for January 14.

If found guilty, the veteran television star—who has surrendered his passport to the court—could face up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

Cosby, wearing a black and white hooded sweater, was stone-faced as he entered and exited the court through a media scrum.

The court clerk said he had posted bail and went to a police station to be fingerprinted.

More than 50 women have already publicly claimed abuse by the pioneering African-American comedian, who attained his greatest fame for his role as the lovable family doctor and pater familias in the hit 1980s sitcom “The Cosby Show.”

But his lawyers have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing by Cosby, who has gone from megastar to pariah in the face of the allegations, which span four decades.

Earlier this month, he filed a defamation suit against seven of his accusers.

“Make no mistake, we intend to mount a vigorous defense against this unjustified charge and we expect that Mr. Cosby will be exonerated by a court of law,” his lawyers said in a statement.

The Pennsylvania criminal charge stems from allegations made by a former employee of Temple University in Philadelphia, who says the television legend assaulted her at his home in the suburb of Cheltenham in 2004.

“On the evening in question, Mr Cosby urged her to take pills that he provided to her and to drink wine—the effect of which rendered her unable to move, [or to] respond to his advances, and he committed aggravated indecent assault upon her,” Steele said. AFP

WORLD In US, a frantic effort against record floods CHICAGO—Soldiers and volunteers packed sand bags Wednesday in a frantic effort to stave off floodwaters in the US state of Missouri, where 13 people have been killed and several towns have been engulfed.

Birthday girl. 11-year-old female Sumatran orangutan Tsunami eats a fruit platter as part

of her birthday celebrations at the National Zoo in Kuala Lumpur on December 31, 2015. AFP

The Mississippi River is already more than 14 feet (4.2 meters) above flood stage in some areas and is forecast to rise another eight feet before cresting on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

“We’ve never seen water this high,” Missouri Governor Jay Nixon told CNN. “We’re in a massive flood fight.”

Don Smith, the mayor of Rockaway Beach, a small resort town in the southern part of the state, called the flooding “absolutely devastating” and pleaded for help.

“I don’t even know how we’re going to deal with the clean-up,” Smith told CNN. “One of the business owners has an antique shop: there were minnows inside.”

The images shown by local media were dramatic.

Muddy water inundated homes and businesses nearly to the rooftops. Hundreds of volunteers formed human chains to spread sandbags on levees before the rapidly rising water could overflow them.

A man and his dog were rescued by boat from the roof of a home that was almost completely submerged near the Missouri town of Eureka. Another man was towed out of the floodwaters with his legs dangling out the back window of his pickup.

Nixon urged residents to stay out of the frigid and fast-moving waters. Most of the 13 victims in Missouri died when their cars were swept away.

“It’s cold,” the governor said. “It’s dangerous.”

President Barack Obama called Nixon from Hawaii, where he is on vacation, to offer federal assistance if it is needed.

“The president thanked the governor for his leadership during this challenging time and expressed condolences on behalf of the First Lady and himself for those who lost their lives,” spokesman Eric Schultz said.

The United States has been hit by a wave of wild weather—tornadoes, floods and rain—that has claimed at least 51 lives in the past week and stranded millions trying to get home after the Christmas holiday.

So far, the flooding in Missouri has only affected small towns and rural areas.

But the Mississippi is forecast to approach or even exceed record highs in the heavily-populated St. Louis area on Thursday, and Nixon said he is “very concerned” about the safety of residents there. AFP

North Pole temperature pushed above freezing MONTREAL—The temperatures at the North Pole rose above freezing point Wednesday, 20 degrees Celsius above the mid-winter norm and the latest abnormality in a season of extreme weather events.

Canadian weather authorities blamed the temperature spike on the freak depression that has already brought record Christmas temperatures to North America and lashed Britain with winds

and floods.

The deep low-pressure area is looming over Iceland and churning up hurricane force 75-knot winds and 30-foot waves in the north Atlantic while dragging warm air northwards.

“It’s a very violent and extremely powerful depression, so it’s not surprising that hot temperatures have been pushed so far north,” said Canadian government meteorologist Nathalie Hasell.

“This deep depression has pushed hot air as far as the North Pole, where temperatures are at least 20 degrees above normal, at around freezing point, between zero and two degrees,” she said.

US scientists from the North Pole Environmental Observatory told AFP that the temperatures had climbed suddenly.

An Arctic monitoring point 300 kilometers from the Pole that

had been recording minus-37 degrees on Monday had shot up to minus eight by Wednesday, said senior researcher James Morison.

The polar region is the area of the world that has seen the most profound effects of climate change in recent decades.

The average year-round temperatures in the Arctic are three degrees Celsius higher than they were in the pre-industrial era, snowfall is heavier, winds are

stronger and the ice sheet has been shrinking for 30 years.

It would be too hasty, however, to pin this week’s extreme weather directly on the man-made climate change phenomenon, rather than on a discreet anomaly.

Hasell said that Canada has not kept complete records of North Pole weather but that it was nonetheless “bizarre” to see such high temperatures on the ice pack in the middle of its long night. AFP

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sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

Mavs hand Dubs their 2nd loss LOS ANGELES—The Golden State Warriors fizzled without red hot Stephen Curry on Wednesday, falling 114-91 to the Mavericks in Dallas in just their second defeat of the NBA season.

The Mavericks made the most of Curry’s absence with a lower left leg injury, racing to an early 17-point lead that they stretched to as many as 30 in the third quarter.

“Our guys did a very good job of staying very focused even though Curry didn’t play,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “We knew there was a chance he wouldn’t and if he didn’t we didn’t want to have any kind of emotional letdown. The rest of their team is a great team.”

The Mavericks led 60-42 at halftime and with forward Harrison Barnes, backup guard Leandro Barbosa and reserve center Festus Ezeli also all sidelined by injury, Warriors interim coach Luke Walton

had few options.

Golden State guard Klay Thompson had one of his worst nights of the season, connecting on just four of 15 shots from the floor and one of two from the free throw line for 10 points, his lowest contribution since November 11.

Thirty-two of the Mavericks’ 60 firsthalf points came in the paint, where they held a 22-point advantage at the interval.

Dallas built the lead to 83-53 with 5:05 left in the third as they thwarted a Warriors team that have averaged 114 points per game.

Dallas guard J.J. Barea, making his fourth straight start in place of injured Deron Williams, scored a game-high 23

points including five of seven from threepoint range.

Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki had 18 points and eight rebounds and center ZaZa Pachulia posted his 17th doubledouble of the season with 14 points and 15 rebounds.

The Warriors, who will try to bounce back against the Rockets in Houston on Thursday, fell to 29-2—still a record-setting season start that Carlisle called “completely remarkable”.

In another significant stop on the Kobe Bryant farewell tour, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar produced a doubledouble of 15 points and 11 rebounds to help the Lakers to a 112-104 victory over the Celtics in Boston.

Cheered in pre-game introductions— then booed when he touched the ball— the 37-year-old veteran came away with more emotional memories from his last appearance at the Celtics’ TD Garden before he retires at the end of the season.

“Being able to say thanks to the fans was a beautiful moment,” said Bryant, who patted his chest in recognition of the pregame ovation.

He was even more touched, however, by the jeers that recognized the long Celtics-Lakers enmity, a rivalry that he said had shaped his career.

“As soon as I touched the ball and they booed, I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m home,’” said Bryant, who didn’t score until his ninth shot but made a key contribution to a 21-5 third-quarter scoring run.

Bryant was treated to another ovation as the game ended, chants of “Kobe! echoing around the arena before he exchanged embraces with several Celtics players.

Bryant said the Celtics played a pivotal role in his NBA career. After the Lakers’ 2008 NBA title bid ended in a blowout loss to the Celtics in Boston, he and the Lakers turned the tables with a seven-game Finals triumph over the Celtics in 2010. AFP

Knicks’ Early shot, robbed

NEW YORK—New York Knicks’ reserve forward Cleanthony Early was shot in the leg in an apparent robbery after leaving a strip club overnight, reports and officials said Wednesday.

Knicks coach Derek Fisher said Wednesday afternoon that Early was “doing OK”.

While Fisher indicated that the Knicks were not yet sure of the extent of Early’s injury, Yahoo reported that he had no structural damage in his knee.

Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis tweeted “Prayers for my brother” Early on Wednesday, while Knicks veteran Carmelo Anthony told reporters in New York that the incident reinforced the need to tackle gun violence in the United States.

“It’s scary, man,” said Anthony, who contributed to a public service announcement that aired on Christmas urging an end to gun violence.

The incident involving Early occurred moments after the 24-year-old left the CityScapes Gentlemen’s Club in an Uber, according to media reports. AFP

Cignal airs UFC

By Peter Atencio

Chandler Parsons of the Dallas Mavericks takes a shot against Brandon Rush of the Golden State Warriors at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. AFP

Messi: Barca wants more trophies in 2016 BARCELONA—Four-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi has warned Barcelona’s rivals that the European champions are determined to match their five-trophy haul from 2015 in the coming year.

Messi scored on his 500th appearance for the club as Barca rounded off the year in style with a 4-0 win over Real Betis to move back to the top of La Liga on Wednesday.

The Catalans lead Atletico Madrid on goal difference and Real Madrid by two points as well as having a game in hand on their rivals from the Spanish capital.

And having won the Champions League, La

Liga, Copa del Rey, UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup in the past 12 months, Barca also set a new record of 180 goals in a calendar year.

“It has been a spectacular year and we wanted to finish it this way,” said Messi.

“It will be difficult to improve on what we have done, but we always try. We have a great squad that are desperate to continue winning.”

Barca were given a helping hand on their return to action after a shorter than normal 10-day winter break in Spain, though, as they were awarded a controversial penalty when Antonio Adan clashed with Messi after punching the ball to safety. AFP

Casimero gets chance to avenge defeat to IBF champion Ruenrong

By Ronnie Nathanielsz FORMER International Boxing Federation light flyweight champion Johnreil Casimero, who lost in his bid to win the IBF flyweight title against Thai champion Amnat Ruenroeng in an ugly, foul-marred fight at the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium in Bangkok last June 27, gets a chance to avenge that defeat in a mandatory title defense by the IBF champion.

Promoter Sammy Gelloani, who handles Casimero in partnership with internationally known promoter Sampson Lewkowicz, told The Standard/ boxingmirror.com that “negotiations on the fight date will begin next week. I don’t mind if the fight is in Thailand, but Johnreil will have to train well.”

Upset over the performance of referee Larry Doggett, who tolerated Ruenroeng’s patently foul tactics, including

numerous headlocks resorted to by the Thai, Sammy Gelloani formally wrote to IBF president Darryl Peoples and Championship Committee chairman Lindsey Tucker.

Gello-ani protested the failure of the said referee to stop the persistent foul tactics of the Thai champion, which emboldened him to continue. He also protested the fact that the American referee did nothing to stop the champion from repeatedly sending Casimero to the canvas in takedowns, constantly holding and grabbing for long spells and catching him in a headlock and around the throat several times.

He also pointed out that Doggett failed to call a clear knockdown in Round 3, when Casimero caught Ruenroeng with a perfectly-timed left hook, with the groggy champion allowed time to fix his loose laces that helped him

recover. Doggett also ruled a knockdown in the previous round when Ruenrong connected with a much less, but cleaner punch and dropped an off-balanced Casimero.

The two-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist had previously defeated seven Filipinos, including Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation champion Rocky Fuentes, who was also a victim of the same grabbing, holding and takedown tactics in a losing effort.

“We will be very careful about the officials assigned to the fight,” Gello-ani told The Standard/boxingmirror.com, “and would object to some assignments” if they prejudiced Casimero.

Casimero, who returned home from Las Vegas for the Christmas and New Year holidays, has been doing some light training and will step up his preparation after the New Year.

DEFENDING champion Robbie Lawler and challenger Carlos Condit, considered as two of the scariest fighters in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, will headline the UFC 195 in what is billed as the matchup for the ages on Sunday (Jan. 2, 2016 in the United States) The fight will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will be aired courtesy of Cignal TV for its cable TV subscribers on Hyper 53 TV. This was announced by Hyper 53 TV vice president Vito Lazatin following the signing of a three-year deal with UFC executive vice president and general manager Kenneth Berger at the Sede Hotel at the Bonifacion Global City in Taguig.

“2016 is truly a year to look forward to. It’s going to be great year for sports and for Cignal subscribers. The Octagon has a new home with Cignal as the exclusive Philippine broadcaster of UFC,” said Lazatin.

Starting on Jan. 1, Cignal will bring extensive UFC programming starting with UFC 195, which will be the first live event of 2016 to be aired to Filipino households.

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sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

15TH Accracup. Angara Abelleo Concepcion Regala and Cruz Law Offices (ACCRALAW) recently held the 15th ACCRACUP Invitational Golf Classic at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club. This is an annual sports initiative of ACCRALAW to gather its clients and friends in friendship and fellowship.

It’s Pacquiao against Bradley FILIPINO boxing icon Manny Pacquiao will return to the ring on April 9 in Las Vegas to take on Timothy Bradley for a third time, promoter Bob Arum said Wednesday.

Top Rank promotions chief Arum confirmed to AFP that the bout was slated for the MGM Grand.

While Pacquiao has spoken this year of retiring after an April bout to pursue his political career, Arum said he would not market the bout as Pacquiao’s last.

“I’m not certain it is his last fight,” Arum said. “It may well be his last fight, it may not be his last fight. You cannot in good conscience sell it that way.”

A congressman since 2010, Pacquiao announced in October that he would seek a seat in the Philippines senate in 2016.

The 37-year-old, who owns a record of 57-6-2 with 38 knockouts, hasn’t fought since a May 2 unanimous decision loss to unbeaten Floyd Mayweather in their long-awaited bout that shattered revenue records for the sport, generating some 4.5 million payper-view purchases and $600 million in gross revenue.

Pacquiao aggravated a shoul-

der injury in the Mayweather bout and underwent surgery five days later.

This week in a question and answer with fans on his Facebook page Pacquiao said his shoulder was “100 percent”.

Arum, too, said the shoulder “seems to be 100 percent”.

“He’s playing basketball with it, scuba diving with it,” Arum said.

Although not all the paperwork has been finalized, Arum said there were no obstacles to the fight taking place, with major terms such as guaranteed money and the purse split decided.

“These fighters have fought for me for many years,” he said, adding that the fight would be formally announced with Stateside press conferences in January.

Pacquiao and Bradley have met twice before, with the American taking a controversial split decision in a fight many thought Pacquiao had won in June of 2012.

Pacquiao avenged the polariz-

ing defeat and regained the World Boxing Organization welterweight world title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Bradley in April of 2014.

Bradley, 33-1-1 with 13 knockouts, has since regained the WBO welterweight belt and will be coming off a ninth-round technical knockout of Brandon Rios on November 7.

Other fighters reportedly on the short-list as April opponents for Pacquiao included England’s Amir Khan, a former unified super lightweight title holder or Terence Crawford, the current WBO super lightweight world champion.

Arum said financial stakeholders in the bout, including satellite and cable television providers, voiced a preference for Bradley.

And as for fans who feel Pacquiao has already proved himself against the American, Arum said Bradley has changed significantly —especially since linking up with trainer Teddy Atlas prior to his win over Rios.

“This is a different Bradley because his style is completely different,” Arum said. “Teddy Atlas has turned him into a completely different fighter. The question is, can Manny beat this Bradley.” AFP

Mayweather, Ariza to set up sports recovery center in PH

By Ronnie Nathanielsz IN a lengthy, wide-ranging exclusive interview last week, well-known strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza revealed that he and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are “planning to do something in the Philippines” as a way of paying back for the benefits they received.

Ariza worked with eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao for six years before he was eased out by trainer Freddie Roach, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum and Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz and eventually joined Mayweather, who defeated the Filipino ring icon in their May 2 “Fight of the Century.”

The conditioning coach revealed the plan to set up The Best Ever in Sports Recovery Program for some of the Filipino athletes.

“Mayweather is now retired, and has respect for Manny, absolutely. He told me he (Floyd) earned almost half-a-billion dollars fighting Manny Pacquiao, ‘I need to give something back,’” Ariza said.

In an obvious dig at Arum, Ariza claimed that the Top Rank promoter “made hundreds of millions of dollars off Manny, but I don’t think he has given back 50 cents, unlike Floyd whose plan of establishing the TBE Sports Recovery Program is his way of giving something back.”

He described Mayweather, whose top cameraman was formerly with Pacquiao and now works for Floyd, along with a Filipino accountant and some staff members, as “a really good person, generous and a good man inside.”

China to bid for 2023 Asian Cup BEIJING—China is preparing to bid for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, the continent’s biggest football championship, the country’s top soccer authority said as it hopes to one day host the World Cup. The Chinese Football Association is soliciting input for a possible application to host the tournament, it said in a letter to its members posted on its website.

The bid will require at least six cities and eight stadiums to host a total of 51 competitions in the

month-long contest, which is held every four years.

China is the world’s most populous country and its second-largest economy, but its football team languishes in 84th place in the Fifa world rankings, and it is on the verge of elimination for Russia 2018 after a 0-0 draw with Hong Kong in November.

President Xi Jinping has called on the nation to up its game with the goals of eventually hosting and winning a World Cup—a tournament in which it has only appeared once, in 2002. AFP

Balance wins overall Sydney honors SYDNEY—Australian 52-footer Balance was Thursday crowned the overall winner of the Sydney to Hobart race, after overcoming the roughest conditions in many years that forced dozens of yachts to retire.

American 100-footer supermaxi Comanche on Tuesday won line honours over the 628-nautical-mile course in two days, eight hours, 58 minutes and 30 seconds, the first victorious US entry since 1998.

Balance took out the Tattersall’s Cup -- handicap honours for the vessel that performs best according to size -- after main rival and one of the smallest competing boats, local 33-footer Quikpoint Azzurro, missed a pre-dawn arrival deadline.

Balance -- which won the race in

2008 under the name Quest -- had finished seventh in line honours on Tuesday with a race time of three days, three hours, 50 minutes and 45 seconds.

Owner-skipper Paul Clitheroe, 60, said it was an “absolute honour” to win the blue water classic with his 10-yearold yacht, which has now taken out handicap honours in two out of five Sydney to Hobart attempts.

“I thought the little boat had beaten us, until the Derwent River decided otherwise,” the financial guru added.

Some 108 yachts had left Sydney on Saturday, battling strong winds and punishing conditions as they headed towards Hobart’s Constitution Dock on the island state of Tasmania, with more than 30 boats unable to complete the race. AFP

This handout photo released from Rolex shows Balance during the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

Australian 52-footer Balance was crowned the overall winner of the Sydney to Hobart race on December 31, 2015 after overcoming the roughest conditions in many years that forced dozens of yachts to retire. AFP

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RAMON L. TOMELDAN EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

MOTORING HIGH HORSE Your wish list of supercars (Conclusion)

By Dino Ray Directo Ferrari 488 Spyder The inevitable follow-up to the remarkable 488 Coupe will be making its debut in Frankfurt this September. While there are few surprises with the 488 Spyder, where it excels is the competence of its execution. The body maintains the same torsional rigidity as the coupe, thanks to an advanced spaceframe chassis made up of 11 different aluminum alloys com-

invasive when the top is dropped, with both volume and clarity increasing as the engine instantly responds to the accelerator pedal and revs rise, reinforcing the sensation of massive performance.

Overall, response times are 9 percent more rapid than the previous Spider without any compromise whatsoever being made in comfort. The car’s design was adapted to efficiently meet the typical the demands of opentop driving and use.

In fact, the S p i d e r ’s dynamic behaviour is effortless on even the The Huracan is the current King of supercars. most chalbined with metals like magne- lenging routes. It is remarkably sium. There remains a significant easy to drive on the limit thanks cost in weight versus the coupe to flawless handling even on the (3362 lbs vs 3020 lbs), but the im- most demanding of roads. pressive 0-62 mph time of 3 secLamborghini Huracan LP610 onds is not affected.

Spyder Beneath the engine cover throbs When Automobili Lamborghithe 3902 cc turbo-charged V8 that ni presented the new huracán debuted just a few months ago on LP 610-4 Spyder at Frankfurt Inthe 488 GTB. Its performance lev- ternational Motor Show, there els are nothing short of extraordi- was a stunned silence among the nary: a maximum power output of crowd. The open top version of 670 CV combined with maximum the huracán LP 610-4 combines torque of 760 Nm at 3000 rpm the power and performance of the send the 488 Spider sprinting from coupé with the emotion of open0 to 100 km/h in 3 seconds flat and air driving. from 0 to 200 km/h in 8.7 seconds.

“The huracán LP 610-4 Spyder This is also an exceptionally ef- is the next chapter in the success ficient engine as it is not only 100 story of the naturally aspirated CV more powerful than the pre- V10 huracán, and continues a vious naturally-aspirated V8 but Lamborghini tradition of open also has lower CO2 emissions. air motoring,” says Stephan WinIn line with Ferrari tradition, kelmann, president and CeO of this model has its own absolutely Automobili Lamborghini. “The distinctive soundtrack created huracán Spyder combines the using solutions such as exhaust innovation, performance and apheaders with longer, equal-length peal of the huracán coupé, with piping and a flat-plane crankshaft. new technologies and an added It was also further enhanced by an emotional dimension. Its predin-depth study of harmonics and ecessor, the Gallardo Spyder, was tonality at different engine speeds. the best-selling open top model in The sound is seductive but never Lamborghini’s history: we expect

the huracán Spyder to exceed its predecessor in every way.”

The new huracán Spyder stands for inspiring technology, outstanding quality and breathtaking performance. Luxurious comfort with a pure and dynamic design ensures the convertible version of the huracán is an iconic Lamborghini in its own right. Its lightweight, electrohydraulic soft top gives the new Lamborghini a distinctive presence with roof both open and closed, and maximum comfort for driver and passenger with uncompromising handling and performance.

The naturally aspirated 5.2l V10 engine produces 449 kW / 610 hp.

The new huracán LP 610-4 Spyder accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.4 seconds, with a top speed of 324 km/h (201 mph). The Spyder also includes new technical features of the 2016 model year huracán family, including ‘cylinder on demand’ in combination with ‘stop start’, and a new electronically controlled all-wheel drive set-up for even improved driving behavior.

BMW M4 GTS BMW has been playing around with water injection for some time, but this is the first production car from BMW with the technology, and indeed the first production car with water injection since the Saab 99 which ceased manufacture in 1984. A relatively old technology which fell out of favor with the introduction of intercoolers,

BMW is leading a resurgence in keep the stock displacement of its use. the 2.5 liter inline-5, that would even without the use of this rare mean an extreme output of 300 hp technology, the M4 GTS is an im- per liter! even with the current repressive beast. This top of the line duced setup, output is pegged at a track variant of the M4 uses exten- somewhat more sane 207.2 hp per sive weight saving measures, with liter. extensive use of carbon fiber and This kind of performance recarbon fiber reinforced plastic, quired considerable modificawhich can be found on the buck- tions. The turbocharger and inet seats, hood, roof, and on new tercooler were modified, the eCU aerodynamic parts like the front software was reprogrammed, and air splitter and adjustable rear wing.

The 3329 lb car is pushed by a turbocharged 3 liter inline-6 putting out 500 hp, which is good for a 0-62 mph time of 3.8 Golf GTi on steroids, Oettinger’s 500R seconds and a top speed of 189.5 mph. What is works was done to the intake and most impressive, and perhaps a the exhaust. high performance testament that BMW is onto some- forged pistons were used, and the thing with water injection, is that radiator and engine coolant cirfuel economy remains unchanged cuit were modified for durability. from standard M4 Coupe.

Changes were also made to the Production is limited to 700 6 speed manual gearbox, clutch, units. While pricing has yet to be and differential to handle the inannounced, it is safe to say that creased power and maximize perBMW will have no trouble selling formance. every single one.

Brakes have naturally been upVolkswagen Golf 500R by graded as well, with six pot high Oettinger performance caliper and two piece If you were looking for the most perforated brake discs measuring extreme performance package 340 mm. available for the Volkswagen Golf, With a top speed in excess of then better give the guys at Oet- 186 mph, it was important to retinger a phone call. Their take on vise the aerodynamics. Oettinger an all wheel set to work with a new front air drive Golf skirt with expanded air intakes GTi which and carbon fiber splitter. The large they rebadged front flares feature rear ventilainto the 500R tion. Side skirts with carbon fiber with a whop- winglets have been added. The ping 518 hp, is rear fender flares echo those in the first phase front, and the rear features a wide in a series of skirt with carbon fiber diffusor, Volkswagens and rear roof wing on top. with outputs When all is said and done, the of 600, 650, quickness of the 500R is revealed and even 750 with its 0-62 mph performance BMW’s time attack weapon, the M4 GTS hp. If they time of 3.4 seconds

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TATUM ANCHETA EDITOR

BING PAREL

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

BERNADETTE LUNAS WRITER

life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

ST Y L E & BE AU T Y

LIFE UPDATE YOUR

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CLOSET FOR THE NEW YEAR

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t is the first day of the year; many have listed down their New Year plans and resolutions, and have probably thrown some unwanted 2015 baggage.

Make it a point to have something fresh and new in your life, and that should include your closet. Open your cabinet and see what needs to be refreshed: a top, a jacket, accessories perhaps?

A fresh start, a new beginning, and a pair of new pants or top can brighten your day when you start your regular life programming come Monday.

A perfect guide for an updated look is Hackett London’s Spring/Summer 2016 mainline collection. Like a true gentleman, Hackett’s new collection offers effortlessly stylish options for the work environment as well as for your personal life.

A WALK IN THE PARK

Hackett’s casual collection for this season is refreshing to the eyes – prominent colors in the collection are blue, beige and khaki. Denim jeans in light and vintage washes, classic and slim cut chinos can easily be paired with knits and outerwear pieces that are lightweight and cool for the summer ahead.

The stylish yet classic knitwear can be teamed up with a pair of swim shorts or dressed-up with cotton chinos for a dressed down day at the mall or a weekend day out. The espadrille lace up shoe is also perfect for this season as it adds a modern refresh to any casual look.

FITNESS TRACK

HKT Sport Performance Range is the first ever performance range sports wear from the brand, a technical offering to sit alongside Hackett’s HKT Sport collection. It never hurts to look stylish while training for your next marathon or triathlon. Engineered with premium quality fabrics, the range features a selection of running t-shirts and tops, sweatshirts, shorts and outerwear pieces all designed for experienced and dedicated runners.

Leather tip brogues in tan and leather cabin holdall in brown

SUIT UP!

Hackett Mayfair is the premium range from the collection that reflects a successful man and his daily work lifestyle. The collection range can be worn for daily corporate work and a night out after work whether to a date or just drinking with friends. The luxurious palette is composed of blue, cream, green, tan and grey tailored pieces that can be mixed and matched with lightweight jackets paired with elegantly cut chinos. Suede is prominent in the collection as well as form fitting check suits that make any man look like a Don Draper. Key accessories are formal bags and leather wear.

Suede driving loafers in taupe, red, orange and green

Leather receipt wallet, travel wallet and passport cover

Suede belt in black, green and olive

Stripe tie in pink, orange and green, and dot tie in blue

ACCESSORIES

If you’re still hung up on some of your old clothes, sometimes all you need to get are new accessories to make your get up fresh and looking smooth. Brogues and espadrille lace ups are a staple from Hackett Spring/ Summer 2016 collection and are good to pair up with any outfit you may opt to choose. The collection also features leather receipt wallet, travel wallet and passport cover so you can have your files cleaned up and organized in style and arrange them in a classic gentleman’s tote. Sometimes, all you need is a new tie to look fresh and different. Choose from the new collection’s stripe tie in pink or orange and green dot tie in blue and pair it with your usual polo. Belts are also good investments for the New Year. Choose from suede belts in black, green and olive.

Hackett Spring/Summer 2016 collection is available from February 2016 across global Hackett stores. In the Philippines, Hackett is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc., a member of SSI Group, Inc. and is located at Rockwell, Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Shangri-La, and Central Square. A whole new shopping experience is in store online. For more information, visit www.ssilife.com.ph today.

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Calvin Klein platinum’s FW 2015 collection showcases an appealing urban edge

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

The Calvin Klein platinum line showcases modern silhouettes in innovative fabrics and forward-thinking, distinctive color palettes

@LIFEatStandard

The collection’s silhouettes highlight dramatic proportions and extreme opposites with an unexpected combination of fabrics

Calvin Klein platinum’s Fall 2015 collection celebrates spirited independence and uninhibited fashion playfulness

Spirited independence and uninhibited playfulness with CALVIN KLEIN platinum’s latest collection IMAGE CREDITS: DAVID SIMS

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ctor, singer-songwriter and model Gabriel- Kane Day-Lewis along with model Grace Hartzel feature in the new Calvin Klein platinum advertising campaign photographed by David Sims in Southampton, New York.

This represents the first major advertising campaign for Day-Lewis, who is the son of actors Daniel Day-Lewis and Isabelle Adjani.

Hyper modernists celebrate spirited independence and uninhibited fashion playfulness in this Fall 2015 men’s and women’s collection of Calvin Klein platinum that features dramatic proportions and extreme opposites. Contradicting shapes are used in harmony, cut into volumetric squares and triangles, either worn away from the body or sculpted to it. Lengths range from maxi to mini, with amplified, exposed zippers applied for a tough, punk attitude.

Layered styling also creates a new sense of sculptural freedom with twisted, futuristic elegance thrown in.

The fabrics show unexpected combinations with geometric shapes cut in soft, luxe materials like double face cashmere and while textile surfaces are reworked, like embossed alligator and printed python leather bonded to jersey; reversible teddy shearling; and distorted, woven alpacas bonded to felt.

Optical prints and jacquards create linear,

Black/chalk mélange printed veiled top; chalk stretch crepe twill skirt; chalk stretch Axelia boots

Black sheered merino/leather bomber jacket; black new modern stretch shirt collar bomber jacket; black felted wool interlock long sleeve mock neck top; dark grey mélange modern stretch zigzag detailed drawstring pants, charcoal leather Yvian boots

graphic interruptions, while seductive patterns add contrast. Patchwork and appliqué are applied to unique art tees, sweatshirts and soft blouses, putting these rare, distinguished pieces in a class of their own.

The palette is grounded by calcified whites, powdered chalks and blushes,

Dark grey jacquard alpaca voluminous coat; black/chalk boucle faced plush wool top; black square wool felt embroidered skirt; black stretch Axelia boots

Black heather/platinum felted merino top; black extrafine stretch merino top; grey snakeskin skirt; chalk croc embossed Jolene shoulder bag; and, chalk stretch Axelia boots

with contrasting tones of grey. Black, deep oxblood, forest and ink add depth to the line, while cobalt and viridian create a playful allure.

For women, a sculpted jersey dress is layered over a luxe printed python skirt and finished with an embossed alligator moto

Black printed sateen mesh long sleeve mock neck sweater; black felted wool interlock long sleeve mock neck top; black modern stretch pants; and charcoal leather Yancy ankle boots

vest. Proportional tops are key, whether in a disrupted geometric motif on a laser cut silhouette in powdered chalk or a long asymmetric shirt in black. For men, a shearling bomber jacket with exposed zippers in calcified white is contrasted with a black tech jacket and pleated pants.

Accessories include exaggerated front-zip boots in varying heights with an architectural block heel, cut in nude, white and black stretch goat skin or python. Box square and rectangular portfolio bags with exaggerated chains are rebellious and sexy – in white and black embossed alligator or pebble grain leather and python. Circular inspired stainless finish jewelry is refined, elegant and sculptural in cuffs, earrings and a statement choker. For him, retro boots are clean, neat and precise in matte black, navy and grey pebble skin or python. Bags are soft and slouchy, amplified with shiny, nickel zippers like the one-shoulder strap backpack and travel duffle in bonded pebble nappa.

Calvin Klein platinum is located at L1, SM Aura Premier. Brand handle: @calvinklein.

Check out facebook.com/calvinklein; calvinklein.tumblr.com; google.com/+calvinklein; youtube.com/calvinklein; twitter.com/calvinklein; instagram.com/calvinklein; pinterest.com/ calvinklein; snapchat: calvinklein.

Electric extra fine stretch merino top; black metallic knit jacquard top; black wool/cashmere skirt; chalk stretch Avelyn tall boots

F R I D AY : J A N U A R Y 1 , 2 0 1 6

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

Marc Jacobs’ Daisy Dream is the latest chapter in the iconic Marc Jacobs Daisy narrative of bold and youthful fragrances

The Anna Sui La Vie de Boheme celebrates self-expression in a whirlwind of colorful notes

SCENTILLATING PERFUMES: BURBERRY Brit Splash gift set for men that includes eau de toilette, gel-moisturizer, and hair and body wash

Perfect gifts for any season

The BVLGARI Omnia Crystalline gift set for women contains the Crystalline eau de toilette, shower gel and body lotion inspired by the perfection of cut glass crystals

S

Polo Red by Ralph Lauren with its exhilarating ruby red grapefruit makes a bold and zesty impression while the king of spices, red saffron, reigns supreme

cents have the power to evoke strong emotions. They can trigger memories, and they can also drive attraction. For these alone, fragrances should be on top of anyone’s gift list. Perfumes after all are welcome gifts, and you couldn’t go wrong with a wide range of fragrances from top international brands that suit every personality.

Whether you are on the lookout for gifts this holiday season or you just want to give the best to that special someone, drop by any SM Store to check out creatively packaged fragrance gift sets.

For women who love poetry and art, there is the romantic and nostalgic Anna Sui La Vie Boheme, while Marc Jacob’s delightfully free spirited Daisy Dream dazzles with a fruity floral melody that whisks one away to a place of clear skies and a garden of flowers.

For men, there is BVLGARI AQVA pour Homme, the essence of pure masculinity inspired by the power and beauty of the sea; Ralph Lauren’s bold and zesty Polo Red; and CK Free, the fragrance for a man with ambition.

The perfume gift sets are available at the Beauty Section of all SM Stores.

My Burberry Eau de Parfum has top notes of sweet pea and bergamot, a heart of geranium leaf, golden quince and freesia, and a base of patchouli and rain-tipped damask and centifolia roses

CK Free is a fragrance for a man with ambition who makes his dreams happen and has fun along the way

BVLGARI AQVA pour Homme has a natural and fresh scent that is the essence of pure masculinity and inspired by the power and beauty of the sea

F R I D AY : J A N U A R Y 1 , 2 0 1 6

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

ROSEAU REVERSIBLE TOTE

LE PLIAGE HERITAGE MEDIUM TOTE

SPLASH LARGE TOTE

ÉNERGIE POSITIVE: LONGCHAMP SPRING 2016 COLLECTION

S LONGCHAMP 2.0 SMALL BACKPACK

ince 1993, Longchamp Le Pliage has been seen in many colors and sizes, and in Manila, Le Pliage Nylon has been touted as the official Tita bag. This New Year, you may want to rethink that label again as it presents its elegant, young, and energetic burst of energy from its new collection.

The new Longchamp collection ushers in an energetic and positive vibe while carrying the Pantone colors of 2016. Dynamic, vibrant, and made for the stylish woman on the go – Longchamp artistic director Sophie Delafontaine sets a positive tone according to three colored themes: energy generated by heat, light and movement.

The collection highlights the Longchamp Roseau reversible tote that comes in four colors, Long Champ 2.0 which comes in a backpack and a handbag, and Longchamp Heritage, a rigid version of the Le Pliage in all leathers. The positive vibe is seen on the themed colors for the collection. Heat is comprised of colors that are reminiscent of the sun – red, orange, beige to light brown; Light sends off a bright, electric, warm or cold light in purple, blue, pink, and magenta hues which is seen in Le Pliage Neo Fantaisie totes and backpacks; Movement is fluid and graceful in appearance, and traces of movement like brush strokes is seen in Splash totes.

Each bag is clean cut, elegantly designed, and very sturdy. The highlighted reversible Longchamp Roseau can be reversed many times and its quality is still in outstanding condition. Check out the vibrant Longchamp collection available in January at Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Shangri-La and Greenbelt 5.

LE PLIAGE NEO FANTAISIE TROLLEY

LE PLIAGE HERITAGE TRICOLOR CLUTCH

LONGCHAMP 2.0 BUCKET CROSSBODY

LE PLIAGE NEO FANTAISIE LARGE TOTE

F RIDAY : JA NUA RY 1, 2016

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR

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WHAt PeoPle Were tAlkinG About in 2015

rom showbiz highlights and television events to big screen entertainment and recording scene, we’ve combed through breaking news and biggest headlines to list down the most talked about personalities and events in the world of entertainment in 2015.

When it comes to being to being King and Queen of local showbiz this year, there is Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza, and there is everyone else.

AlDub Though the onscreen couple’s massive popularity started only in July, it’s hard for anyone to think of any other highlights that defined fame and fortune in show business this year. Without any scandal and ludicrous gimmicks in tow, just the support of the AlDub Nation, Alden and Maine became the most talked about personalities in the country.

Maine alone already has 15 product endorsements to her name in span of a few months being in showbiz. She even received an acting award from the MMFF just recently and landed on the cover of numerous magazines. Since she became a household name, Yaya Dub has received a total of 13 awards and recognition from various institutions like EdukCircle, Catholic Social Media, PMPC and COMGUILD Academy Choice Awards to name a few. Yes, in six months’ time, Maine had achieved what others took years or even a decade to accomplish.

Alden, on the other hand, is now touted the most popular male star in the country. His appearance in any kind of events is highly anticipated and very well attended.

The former StarStruck reject is the most in-demand star on GMA Network turning the television ratings of any shows he appears in crazy high. He has finally launched a recording career, too, earning multiplatinum record awards for his two current albums.

HenerAl lunA In a sea of profit-driven rom-coms and crappy formulaic films, the biopic is definitely a breath of fresh air. The surprise blockbuster may not be the best film you’d ever see or the most successful movie in terms of box office revenue but Heneral Luna is definitely a standout out and the only film that serves as a preview on what local films can achieve if they’d continue to break boundaries and ditch run-of-the mill ideas of big production outfits.

SArAH Geronimo The country’s new concert queen is the most decorated recording star of the year receiving a total of 17 awards and accolades here and abroad. She just recently launched an all-original album and staged a two-night sold out concert that fea-

Pambansang Bae Alden Richards

Maine Mendoza in her signature pabebe waive

tured songs from her own catalogue definitely putting non singers and audio terrorists to shame. Numbers don’t lie and no other artist has come close to what Sarah achieved in her recording career just this year. mAriAn riverA She went through an 18-hour labor before giving birth to baby Maria Letizia, who is now the most popular one-month old baby in the land.

But prior to giving birth, Marian’s pregnancy became the most talked about pregnancy in the country considering that there’s a baby boom this year. Many celebrities received the gift of having a baby in 2015 but it’s Marian’s that happened to steal the limelight. In fact, she even graced the cover of a fashion magazine looking gorgeous while very pregnant.

JAmeS reiD What separates the young actor from the other matinee idols of his generation is not his chiseled physique rather it’s the long list of achievements he had accomplished for the year. In music, television and movies, James has proven himself to be a force to reckon with. His latest record Reid Alert, earned him a nomination in MTV Europe’s Best Southeast Asian Act, an award for Best RnB Album from PMPC and Best Solo Artist from BSB Pop Asia Awards.

James Reid is a certified TV, movie and recording star

Popstar Sarah Geronimo Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach

PiA WurtzbAcH The most controversial beauty queen made history in the world of pageantry. When she won the local pageant in March, she was told that she’s a downgrade of her predecessors. Well, you cannot put a good and determined person down. She actually had the last laugh…and the Miss Universe crown. ➜ continued on c6

Marian Rivera was a sexy preggy

F RIDAY : JA NUA RY 1, 2016

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SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

PEOPLE WERE TALking¼ From C5

JULiE AnnE SAn JOSE The singer who received a diamond record award from PARI in October 2014 marked another milestone in her career when she took home the Best Selling Album of the Year award for her new record called Deeper. It’s also good to note that Julie Anne is still the most successful recording star in the Kapuso lot.

DAniEL PADiLLA He is one of the most successful male stars of the year scoring a double platinum award and a gold award for his two recent records. His film with Kathryn Bernardo, Crazy Beautiful You, is this year’s most successful rom-com and the TV series they star in together holds the distinction of being one of the top rating programs on primetime.

DEnniS TRiLLO He is currently the highest paid actor in the Philippines after playing the lead role in the biopic Felix Manalo. In an interview with the press during the film’s promo, Dennis admitted that it was, so far, the highest contract he got for a film project. We got word that he received P10 million.

Though Felix Manalo’s performance at the tills wasn’t that impressive, it went on to breaking two Guinness World Records and Dennis name became all connected to the film like no one else did.

Recording star Julie Anne San Jose

Philips Power Juicer

Worry no more about those post-Christmas pounds

J

ump-start your post-holiday health regimen with the Philips Power Juicer.

With the abundance of delicious food last Christmas and New Year’s Eve, it’s not surprising that most have gained a few pounds over the holidays. There’s nothing wrong with taking a well-deserved break from diets and weight-loss goals to enjoy the season, but now it’s over, it’s time to go back to healthy living.

An easy yet delicious way of returning to a healthy regimen is juice cleansing.

By consuming fresh fruit and vegetable juice as part of a diet program, the body is able to get rid of built-up toxins from unhealthy food and habits. It also helps the body absorb the nutrients it needs to jump-start metabolism for weight loss.

Make juicing so much easier by using a power juicer that can provide you with everything you need and more. As a leader in health and wellness, Philips, a leader in health and well being, has come up with the Viva Collection Juicer—the perfect appliance for both beginners and long-time juice enthusiasts.

Thanks to its 700 W motor, fruits are effectively blended, mixed, and crushed, creating up to two liters of juice in one go. Its 75 mm extra-large feeding tube allows you to juice larger fruit and vegetables such as apples, carrots, and

Daniel Padilla is one of the most in demand male stars of 2015

Dennis Trillo is the country's highest paid actor

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 43 45 46 47 50 51 52 53 54 57 62 63 64 65 66 67

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Runaway vine 6 Like storm clouds 11 Mark of Zorro 14 In leaf 15 Madras money 16 Ending for depart 17 Mixture 18 Friar’s home 19 Choice word 20 Martha of dental ads

22 24 28 30 31 32 33 37 38 39 40

Fruits you can extract juice from

Kid’s classic Computer networks Gander (hyph.)

Upfront Wallflower opposite “Gunsmoke” doc Gypsy Rose Lee’s milieu Lib. section Columbus’ birthplace Old Opry network Majority

Law Blooms “— People Eater” Sell moonshine Whistle-blower Divert Jeepers!

Right off the — Defiant reply Poe’s night visitor Goof up Brown bread Mournful poem U-turn from NNW Rumormonger Attack on a castle

DOWN 1 Frequent 007 foe 2 WWW address 3 Ruby or Sandra 4 Koan discipline 5 Strip 6 Donkey noises 7 Grease job 8 PD dispatch 9 So-so grade 10 Place to eavesdrop 11 New Mexico people 12 Form a gully 13 Like a seance 21 Oz. or tsp.

23 Barely scrapes by

FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 2016

24 25 26 27 28 29 31 33 34 35 36 38 41 42 43 44 46 47 48 49 50 52 55 56 58 59 60 61

Pointed Call from the Alps Super blooper Speaker pro — “Bad, Bad — Brown” Earthen jar Baseball ploys Existence Handy swabs (hyph.)

Mom’s brother “— the Dragon” Mirth Composts Galore 32-card games Joanne of “Red River” HP or Acer wares Zaharias and Bunyan’s ox Sharif et al Bizarre Major artery Daring exploit Job-ad letters Panel truck Rope-a-dope boxer Peace gesture Urge on PBS “Science Guy”

beetroots without pre-cutting. Every use results in the maximum amount of juice with minimum fuss.

The Philips Juicer is as easy to clean as it is easy to use. Regular juicers often make cleanup very difficult since a lot of pulp fibers get stuck in the sieve. With the Philips Juicer’s QuickClean technology, the entire surface of the sieve is smooth, allowing for the quick removal of fibers with only a standard kitchen sponge.

Pulp collection is also convenient since everything goes to the pulp container; you don’t have to remove pulp in other parts of the appliance.

“We at Philips believe in the power of home-made food and how it can change the lives of consumers. That’s why we continue to create products that make it easier to prepare delicious and healthy food,” says Reah Ronsayro, Business Development Manager for kitchen appliances. “The Philips Viva Collection Juicer is perfect for anyone who wants to enjoy the benefits of juicing, especially after the holidays. The Juicer ensures that consumers get delicious juice with every single use, making it the perfect gift for any health buff out there.”

Available at leading retail stores. To learn more about Philips products, log on to www.philips.com.ph or check the Philips Home Living Philippines facebook fan page.

F RIDAY : JA NUA RY 1, 2016

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

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Red Gatus, Ruffa Gutierres, Niño Bautista , a friend and the Semerad twins

Edward Benosa

What EdWard BEnosa is looking forWard to in 2016

Niño Bautista

Niño with Ruffa Gutierrez

Birthday celebrant Niño with Isah Red and Red Gatus

NiÑo Bautista’s party

s

everal days before Christmas last year, we found ourselves at Fairmont Hotel in Ayala Center. In the ballroom, Niño Bautista met us and asked us to “feel at home.” It was a birthday celebration he was hosting for family and friends. We felt lucky to have been invited along with media colleagues Jojo Panaligan of Manila Bulletin and Ian Fariñas of People’s Tonight and columnist Jun Lalin.

Niño Bautista is the brain behind the successful BARGN Farmaceutici Phils. Co., a company engaged in the manufacture and distribution of wellness products under the brand name Cosmo. It has several products under that label – Cosmo Skin, Cosmo Whitening Soap –– that have made strong consumer acceptance that company is developing continuously other products.

With Nino that night was Red Gatus, marketing man of the company.

The tandem of Bautista and Gatus evidently has made inroads in the wellness and food supplement market that even Mercury Drug has recently invited the company to sell its products through its chain nationwide. But Bautista said he’d forever be grateful to Watsons for giving Cosmo products a break in the market.

Nino celebrated his birthday in advance. His real birthday falls on Dec. 28.

Among Nino’s guests were his parents, Rey and Paz Bautista, Ruffa Gutierrez, Cosmo Skin’s brand ambassador, and her parents Annabelle Rama and Eddie Gutierrez. Ruffa told the guests how lucky she was to be part of the Cosmo Skin family, which Annabelle echoed later.

Other guests were the Semerad twins – David and Anthony Paul – and chef Neilkhan Bautista whose Humbleger in Marikina is simmering to become a major player in the burger market.

Nino was grateful that his friends and family were there despite the horrendous traffic that night.

He turned 32 on Dec. 28.

HHHHH Creepy similarity The entertainment industry became hyperactive with the sudden announcement by the 2015 Metro Manila Film Fest (MMFF) executive committee disqualifying the film

Mary Grace Poe

Honor Thy Father starring John Lloyd Cruz in the “Best Film” award competition of the festival.

The film Honor Thy Father was expected by many cinema-lovers to run away with the coveted Best Film award.

Despite the strong outcry from the public and film industry insiders, the organizers refused to budge, further fueling speculations of cheating in the judging process.

There is a creepy similarity between the case of Honor Thy Father and Sen. Grace Poe, considered the front-runner candidate in the 2016 May presidential elections.

Powerful individuals with vested interest quietly moved to disqualify Honor and Poe because the two were perceived to great threats to their plans: of winning at all cost, preferably under the cloak of technicality and legality.

The electorate must be alarmed by this “elimination mentality” in the field of politics, now being used in the genre of film awards.

These days, it is difficult to simply erase the physical existence of a strong candidate as popular as Poe. So the option being used is to resort to legalistic ways, invoking technicalities and fine prints of the laws, even when these details were contrary to the intent, spirit and mission of those who crafted the laws.

Based on how his 2015 turned out, singer Edward Benosa is looking forward to a really good year in 2016.

In 2015, Edward—most known for his hit song “Di Man Lang Nagpaalam” which made it to the country’s top music charts and won for him a loyal following—won two awards, a Best New Artist trophy from the Star Awards for Music and another, from the MOR Awards of radio station 101.9FM. He sees these awards as an affirmation that he is in the right place, and that he should continue pushing forward with his career in 2016.

“Sa isang nagsisimula na tulad ko, o kahit sinong nagsisimula, mabigyan ka ng Best New Artist of the year, parang enough reason na ‘yon na ipagpatuloy mo itong ginagawa mo. Susundan na kailangan, ipagpatuloy ang sinimulan,” he says.

Edward’s goal is to sustain the momentum of his achievements in 2016. He wants to get into new things, maybe do a concert, record another album and even try more theater.

He is making the phrase “moving forward” his goal for next year. He is happy that groups like the Philippine Movie Press Club (which is behind the annual Star Awards for Music) and MOR 101.9 have seen his potential and by giving him awards and recognition, are encouraging him to do more with what he has.

“Siguro nakikita ‘yung potential ko to be this person na malaki pa yung pwede ko ma-achieve as a singer, sa craft ko, na-a-appreciate nila na ako ‘yung bago ngayon, as a pop rock balladeer.”

His manager, stage and screen actor Arnold Cruz Reyes, believes that Edward will go pretty far in 2016. When Edward won the awards in 2015, he was surprised but says things aren’t going to stop there.

There is much more for Edward to achieve in 2016.

Arnold says it is obvious that Edward, while a newbie singer and occasional actor, is meant to go places and encourages him only to work harder and pay attention to the advice of people who want to see him succeed even more next year. “Consistent naman kasi, na-nominate siya na Best New Artist of the Year. Nu’ng nangyari nga, sabi ko, ‘Uy nakakatuwa, napapansin tayo,” says Arnold, who’s hoping Edward will be able to build on his past achievements to have an even greater year in 2016.

Edward says that one way of ensuring a better year in 2016 is also to stay positive and not to mind the bashers and critics. Like when he won those two awards, there were people who didn’t think he deserved to win and asked: “Sino siya? Hindi namin siya kilala.”

He just wants to be positive going into 2016. Regardless of what people say, he will keep pressing forward. Even if there are critics, he says, he intends to see things constructively and make positivity his motto for next year.

Edward has high hopes for 2016. He is excited about all the new things coming his way, and is eager to get things started.

“Ang daming bonus ni God para sa akin,” he says with a big smile. Edward is grateful for all the things that happened in 2015, and is looking to make an even bigger splash in 2016.

F RIDAY : JA NUA RY 1, 2016

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ Top One Project (TOP)

3logy (from left to right Abel Estanislao, Jeric Gonzales, Jak Roberto

James Wright

Hannah Precillas

Katherine Castillo

Gabbi Garcia

Ayra Mariano and Phytos Ramirez

Migo Adecer

Ruru Madrid

Rocco Nacino

Klea Pineda

Julian Trono

GMA Artist center stArs extend GrAtitude viA christMAs fAns dAy ISAH V. RED An eventful Christmas celebration was brought by the GMA Artist Center on Dec. 23 as they shared merriment with their loving fans and supporters at the Studio 7 of GMA Network Annex.

The Master Showman himself, German Moreno, opened the event with a short message and was humbled by the warm acknowledgment of the audience. He was thankful for their support and he promised to offer more to the showbiz industry in the coming years.

“Maraming salamat sa inyo na walang tigil ang suporta sa mga iniidolo. Salamat sa GMA dahil walang sawa silang gumagabay sa mga batikan, at maging sa mga baguhang artista. Maligayang Pasko sa ating lahat.”

Meanwhile, Top One Project

(TOP) spiced up the event with their pop song covers, and serenaded the fans with their single “Paggising.” The dance number

by Julian Trono sent the fans on a high and even more so as he went down the stage to invite some of them to dance. Bet Ng Bayan finalists Hannah Precillas, Kai Atienza, Katherine Castillo, and Ralf King also gave powerful renditions of their songs.

The young pool of stars fronted by Barbara Miguel expressed their thanks and greetings for the holidays. Starstruck VI Ultimate Survivors Migo Adecer and Klea Pineda as well as the other finalists were also given the chance to thank their fans through a performance.

Burning up the hype were James Wright and Rocco Nacino who were joined by some fans in their song numbers. 3logy also graced the event with their sweet tunes and wooed everyone in the audience. It was a remarkable night for the fans who took the stage with their idols.

Raffle entries were also drawn by the Kapuso stars and the fans received different prizes as well as the chance of taking selfies with their idols. The night got deeper, but the energy didn’t falter as the two batches of GMA Artist Center Workshop took turns in heating up the dance floor. The studio was then filled with butterflies as the Kapuso love team Gabbi Garcia and Ruru Madrid went up the stage to sing to the fans.

Not until the video greeting from the Pambansang Bae Alden Richards was shown on the screen did the fans get wild and shake the ground with their screams. His busy schedule got in the way of being physically present, but he promises that his love and gratitude for the fans transcend any distance.

The GMA Artist Center Christmas Fans Day was a success as the holiday spirit of both the GMA stars and the fans were gratified during the event with their exchange of love with one another.

Dimples Romana, Tonton Gutierrez, Miles Ocampo, and Inigo Pascual from a scene in from And I Love You So

HHHHH Alfonso And Michelle tie the knot Alfonso (Tonton Gutierrez) and Michelle (Dimples Romana) prove true love waits as they tie the knot in And I Love You So. Their wedding marks another chance for love and life now that they can build the family they have always been dreaming of with their children Joana (Miles Ocampo) and Trixie (Julia Barretto).

However, with Katrina’s (Angel Aquino) return, she makes sure they feel her objection as she gives out unwanted surpris-

es to Alfonso and Michelle as part of her revenge. Can Katrina successfully get Alfonso back in her arms? Will Joana and Trixie finally get along now that their parents are married?

Don’t miss the fight for love and family in And I Love You So, weekdays on ABS-CBN. For more information about the program, visit the official social networking site of Dreamscape Entertainment Television at Facebook.com/DreamscapePH, Twitter.com/DreamscapePH, and Instagram.com/DreamscapePH. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!