The Standard - 2016 January 10 - Sunday

VOL. XXIX  NO. 332  3 Sections 24 Pages P18  SUNDAY : JANUARY 10, 2016  www.thestandard.com.ph  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

HOW A FILIPINO COMPANY BUILT A SMARTPHONE BRAND

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MARCOS HITS OUT AT LP OVER SAF 44

By Vito Barcelo and John Paolo Bencito

VICE presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand Marcos twitted attempts by the ruling Liberal Party and Malacañang Palace to discredit the reopening of the Senate inquiry into the Mamasapano incident and asked what the Aquino administration is hiding.

“It is unfortunate that instead of awaiting the outcome of the investigation, Malacañang insinuates bad faith in the reopening of the Mamasapano probe,” Marcos said after President Benigno Aquino III said on Friday that politics was behind the reopening of the probe.

“If Malacañang really has nothing to hide it should welcome the reopening of the investigation,” Marcos said, noting that Aquino himself admitted that the probe could be an opportunity to find answers to still unanswered questions.

“I believe majority of the Filipino people sincerely want answers and would be discerning enough to recognize any attempt at grandstanding merely to score political Next page points,” Marcos said.

TWO DEAD, HUNDREDS INJURED IN TRASLACION

By Joel E. Zurbano, Sara D. Fabunan and Francisco Tuyay

DEVOTED TO THE NAZARENE. Devotees of the Black Nazarene join the crush of the annual procession in Manila. JANSEN ROMERO

TWO devotees died while hundreds of others were hurt before and during the procession of the Black Nazarene in Manila Saturday which was attended by millions of people from different parts of the country.

“We have a casualty or a fatality in our reports, one of the devotees who assisted and escorted the [Black Nazarene] float,” said Gwendolyn Pang, secretary general of the Philippine Red Cross.

Responding Red Cross physicians and volunteers tried everything to revive the 27-yearold devotee after having a seizure but to no avail. The man, a resident of Sampaloc, Manila, was declared dead around 11:40 a.m.

Another fatality was reported by the National Capital Region Police Office before the procession.

NCRPO spokesperson Kimberly Molitas said personnel of the Department of Health rushed the 48-year-old Mauro Arabit from Evangelista Street in Quiapo to the Dr. Jose Next page

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46 CHINESE FLIGHTS SCORED

HANOI—Vietnam’s civil aviation authority has accused Beijing of threatening regional air safety by conducting unannounced flights through its airspace to a disputed reef in the South China Sea, state media said Saturday.

TOO MUCH TO HANDLE. Marshals of the Black Nazarene procession help a female devotee who passed out during march. ANDREW RABULAN

MARCOS...

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Marcos said he wants to find out why almost a year after the incident no criminal charges have been filed against those responsible despite the government’s promise that justice will be served.

“The families of the policemen slain in the Mamasapano massacre do not ask for anything from the government save for justice,” said Marcos, who backed the call of Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile to reopen the probe.

Enrile was in detention on plunder charges at the time the hearings were conducted last year and he moved for the reopening of the probe because of new personal information.

Independent presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe agreed to reopen the probe and scheduled the hearing on Jan. 25, the first anniversary of the tragic police operation that resulted in the death of 44 police commandos and at least 17 fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

But Aquino said at the launching of a power plant in Davao City on Friday that politics played

TWO...

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R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center but attending doctors declared him dead on arrival around 3 a.m.

Coast Guard personnel was also able to rescue a teenager who fell to the Pasig River as the procession reached the Jones Bridge.

Another devotee sustained head injury when he tried to jump onto the carriage holding the image of the Black Nazarene. Others experienced dizziness and difficulty in breathing during the procession.

“We asked the people to avoid getting nearer to the crowded areas if they are experiencing any discomfort or condition, and to just keep watch along the processional route of the Black Naza-

a major role in the reopening of the probe.

“I think with all these occurrences, I can see the big role of politics,” Aquino said. “Perhaps, we should not forget who pushed for it, maybe we can understand, most likely ill feelings towards my administration.”

“We all know that the campaign period is coming soon. Among our opponents, they see that this has been the greatest burden I have had since I took office. Perhaps, they are trying to take this opportunity,” he said.

“Of course, as President and father of the nation, I can’t let emotions take over... You know, Jan. 25 is my mother’s birthday, the first anniversary of the Mamasapano incident. It’s like they are insisting that you must suffer here,” Aquino added.

“There is a saying, we can see it in the teachings of the church that I belong to, in the Bible, ‘the truth shall set us all free’,” he said.

Even LP standard bearer Manuel Roxas II, who was interior secretary at the time of incident, said he is ready to face another probe although it was already ascertained in earlier hearings that he was kept out of the loop by former Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima.

“I won’t back off from any investigation and I am open to any view in all things,” Roxas said

rene,” said Manila Police District director Rolando Nana.

MPD officials said there are also cases involving minor injuries and lacerations on the feet.

They added most of those injured are women, elders and minors.

Red Cross medical booths assisted at least 700 individuals as of 1 p.m.

The agency recorded two deaths during last year’s Traslacion while more than 1,000 devotees were given medical assistance.

Authorities said the procession started much earlier than the past.

It only took about two minutes to transfer the life-sized Black Nazarene from the Quirino Grandstand to its float, and for the procession to start at 5:30 a.m.

Molitas said based on NCRPO records, 279 (106 male and 173

in Romblon on Saturday.

“This issue already had a lot of hearings, in the lower House, the PNP themselves, the DoJ and in the Senate. So if there are other questions left unanswered, we are much willing if we would be called to answer all of their questions,” he said.

But Poe allayed fears that the reopening of the Senate probe will be used by the senators and possible resource speakers to advance their political agenda in this year’s elections.

Poe, who will preside over the inquiry as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Order, assured the public that the committee will not allow grandstanding and will immediately examine the supposed new information on the incident.

“I will not allow this to be used for politics,” Poe said. “The questions should be constructive and we will not allow them to argue and take things personally.”

“I don’t want the [Philippine National Police] and [Armed Forces of the Philippines] to quarrel because of this,” she said.

“Questions just need to be answered to bring out the truth and what benefits were really given to the survivors of the heroic SAF 44,” she added.

female) were given medical assistance as of 10 a.m.

Although there were reports of pickpockets and petty theft during the religious event, Molitas said the occasion was generally peaceful.

Johnny Uy, head of the Manila City Risk Reduction and Management Council, said more than 1.5-million people participated in the event as early as 6 a.m.

Majority of those escorted the float and at least 80,000 gathered in front of the Quiapo Church as of 7:30 a.m.

Uy said they are expecting the procession’s crowd to balloon to 13 million to 15 million by the evening.

“Today is Saturday and there’s no classes then tomorrow is Sunday. So, there is a possibility that

the number of people will be doubled, may mga nagka-camping talaga. pami-pamilya po ngayon eh,” he said.

Also as of 10 a.m., a team of street sweepers from the Metro Manila Development Authority already collected six trucks of garbage scattered from the area of Luneta Park to Manila City Hall.

Francis Martinez, MMDAMetro Parkway Clearing Group chief, said the trash collected, composed mainly of plastic food wrappers and empty mineral water bottles, were hauled to Pier 18 in Manila in coordination with the city government.

He added the clearing operation was quite efficient as the MMDA personnel followed the main bulk of the procession and collected trash.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam warned that the unannounced flights “threaten the safety of all flights in the region,” according to a report in the Tuoi Tre Daily newspaper.

In quotes published in Vietnamese official online newspaper Zing.vn late Friday, CAAV director Lai Xuan Thanh said a protest letter about the flights had been sent to Beijing, as well as a complaint to the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization.

“Chinese aircraft have ignored all the rules and norms of the ICAO by not providing any flight plans or maintaining any radio contact with Vietnam’s air traffic control center,” he added.

In the seven days to Jan. 8, Vietnam logged 46 incidents of Chinese planes flying without warning through airspace monitored by air traffic control in the southern metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City, according to civilian aviation authorities quoted in the Tuoi Tre Daily newspaper report.

Chinese state media on Wednesday said two civilian planes landed on an island in the Fiery Cross reef in the contested Spratly Islands, which have long been at the center of bitter wrangling between Vietnam and its giant neighbor.

The two “test flights” Wednesday followed an initial aircraft landing on Saturday, which prompted the first formal diplomatic complaint from Hanoi.

The Spratlys are claimed by Hanoi but controlled by Beijing, which has ramped up activity in the area by rapidly building artificial islands, including airstrips said to be capable of hosting military jets.

The recent flights, slammed by Vietnam as a “serious violation” of its sovereignty, have sparked international alarm, with the United States warning Thursday that the move would raise tensions in the disputed waters.

The Philippines has also said it would file a protest.

China asserts ownership over virtually all the South China Sea, putting it at odds with regional neighbors the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, which stake partial claims.

Several of these nations, including Vietnam, have also built facilities on islands they control, but at a significantly slower pace and smaller scale than Beijing.

Rioting broke out in Vietnam after Beijing sent an oil rig into contested waters in 2014, and at least three Chinese people were killed.

Since then, the two sides have tried to mend relations. China’s President Xi Jinping visited Hanoi in November but that visit also saw anti-Chinese protests.

Vietnamese officials said last week they had asked Beijing to investigate the ramming and sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat by a suspected Chinese boat.

Hanoi has stepped up cooperation with the US, in what analysts say is a hedge against China’s rising power. AFP

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IN THE STEPS OF THE NAZARENE. Workers of the Manila City Hall rush to clean up the litter caused by the participants of the Black Nazarene procession in Manila. PNA

AQUINO NOT KEEN ON HIKED PENSION

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III is not keen on signing into law House Bill No. 5842 which grants a P2,000 across-theboard increase in the monthly pensions of Social Security System members.

Although HB5842 has been approved by both houses of Congress and has been sitting on Aquino’s desk since last month, Presidential Communication Undersecretary Manuel Quezon III said the government should study it further.

“We all want to increase the pension that we will receive from the dues we pay to the SSS, but we are not alone,” Quezon said in a radio interview.

“We also need to think about those individuals down the road. So we are still studying it. Maybe we can hope that some sort of compromise will be reached. But at this point, there is no information yet on where and what will happen on the part of the President,” Quezon said.

The bill was passed on third reading by the House of Representatives June 9 last year and was

adopted by the Senate Nov. 9. It was transmitted to Malacañang for Aquino’s signature mid-December, but there has been no word on Aquino’s next moves.

Aquino has 30 days, or up to the middle of March, to sign the bill into law and if it remains unacted upon, it automatically becomes a law. But Aquino can also veto the bill and Congress will have to override the veto via a two-thirds majority.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte had earlier said Aquino wants a twin bill passed that would amend the SSS charter to “give some leeway” to its board of directors to adjust the contribution of its members, among other things.

The House of Representatives has approved the bill, but the Senate has yet to act on it.

Quezon said the Palace was concerned that increasing the benefits to members would shorten the life of the SSS. “Let’s wait. Time has not run out yet and we really need to think about this seriously because we need to balace the interests of our countryment now and in the future,” he said.

Once enacted into law, the minimum monthly pension will increase to P3,200 from the current P1,200 for SSS member with at least 10 credited years of services.

EASTERN VISAYAN TOPS NURSING TEST

By Joyce Pangco Pañares

WHEN 20-year-old Alyssa Almo received word late Friday that she topped the nursing exam, besting more than 18,000 other takers across the country, she did not want to sleep.

“I was afraid I would wake up and realize it was just a dream,” said Almo, a graduate of the Remedios Trinidad Romualdez Medical Foundation in Tacloban City.

Almo, accompanied by her grandparents, received an initial cash prize of P20,000 from RTRMF president Juliette Romualdez and vice chairman Philip Romualdez along with senatorial candidate Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez in a simple ceremony at the Manila Golf Club on Saturday.

She will get P100,000 more once she takes her oath.

RTRMF also offered her full scholarship if she decides to pursue medicine.

The eldest of three children, she said she will use her cash prize for the tuition

and educational needs of her siblings.

A native of Quinapondan, Eastern Samar, Almo said she chose to enroll at RTRMF because of the school’s stellar performance, being a top performing school for nursing for eight years now.

“When I enrolled at RTR, it had a passing rate of 97 percent and consistently had passers in the top 10,” she said.

The school’s record has even improved—it achieved a 100-percent passing rate for all its graduates for two consecutive years now.

“We are very fortunate that practically every year, we produce topnotchers,” said Mrs. Romualdez, the daughterin-law of the late Remedios Romualdez, whom the school was named after.

“When we started the school, it was my husband’s [the late Ambassador Benjamin Romualdez] vision to honor his mother. As you know, Eastern Visayas and Leyte before were considered as not so well-off provinces.

So he put up the school to help young people,” she added.

FILIPINOS REMEMBER LINGAYEN LANDINGS LINGAYEN—Gov. Amado Espino Jr. on Saturday led the 71st anniversary of the Lingayen Gulf Landings by allied forces, headed by General Douglas MacArthur on Jan. 9, 1945, which started the liberation of Luzon from the enemy.

The celebration, held at the War Memorial Park behind the provincial capitol, was attended by about 100 World War II veterans, some of whom were in wheelchairs, others limping and being assisted by their relatives and some walking in canes and almost cannot walk anymore.

But still, they executed a snappy salute when the national color passed by and the national hymn was played by a Philippine Army band.

In his last turn to preside over the anniversary celebration, Espino paid tribute to the veterans, who gave up their

lives, were wounded and affected not only physically but also psychologically in that war, for their sacrifices to make Filipinos free.

Espino is the only governor of Pangasinan who institutionalized the Lingayen Gulf landings by making it a yearly celebration being observed every Jan. 9, which also coincides with the observance of the Pangasinan War Veterans Day. Guest of honor and speaker during the celebration was retired military chief Ernesto Carolina, now administrator of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, thanked the provincial government for holding an annual celebration of the Lingayen Gulf Landings to relive the memories and inform the current generation what their ancestors did in the name of freedom. PNA

BOARD TOPNOTCHER. Alyssa Almo receives a cash award from Mrs. Juliette Romualdez of the Remedios T. Romualdez

Medical Foundation after recently-released results showed that she topped the nurses’ licensure examination last year. Photo also shows Mrs. Romualdez’ children (from left) Philip, Marian Pompidou, daughter-in-law Yedda and Martin. VER NOVENO

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OPINION

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STIFFER SANCTIONS ON NORTH KOREA WON’T WORK

By Andrei Lankov

[ EDI TORI A L ]

AFTER Kim Jong Un’s latest nuclear provocation, the US has vowed to press for stringent new trade and financial sanctions against North Korea. When it comes to further isolating the Hermit Kingdom, however, there’s good news and bad news. The truth is that sanctions haven’t and aren’t likely to work. The good news is that the bad news isn’t so bad: Truly effective sanctions would probably make the problem posed by North Korea worse.

The inefficiency of sanctions should be clear by now. The first set of the international sanctions on North Korea was levied by the United Nations in 2006, after the regime’s first nuclear test. They were further strengthened after subsequent tests in 2009 and 2013. The measures, however, have failed to have any impact on the North Korean economy.

To the contrary, the clampdown roughly coincided with the beginning of North Korea’s economic recovery, which had started few years earlier but became noticeable in 2006-07. Since then the country has enjoyed a resumption of economic growth— around 1.5 percent annually, if you believe the pessimists, or four percent according to optimists.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. North Korea has one of the world’s lowest trade-to-GDP ratios. More than three-quarters of its trade is with China, a country which, despite being skeptical of and even hostile to the regime’s nuclear ambitions, is unlikely ever to support economic sanctions wholeheartedly.

Some proponents of additional sanctions argue they’ll at least deprive the North Korean elite of luxury goods, thus making them restive. Kim, they say, needs to keep his subordinates happy by showering them with gifts and money, lest they defect and replace with another, more generous ruler.

Of course, giveaways are appreciated. But the Pyongyang elite have never forgotten that they live in a divided country whose southern half is far, far richer and highly attractive to common citizens.

Any outbreak of instability is likely to result not in a change at the top, but in a massive disintegration of the system. The North would almost certainly be absorbed by the more prosperous South Korea, as happened to East Germany 26 years ago. If that happens, the current elite would have no future and might be even held responsible for committing human rights abuses. Given the choice, they’d surely rather live without a few luxuries. Most of these people know little of Benjamin Franklin (even though they like his portraits on $100 bills). But his famous dictum about hanging together—“or assuredly we shall all hang separately”—determines their politics.

In an isolated and carefully controlled state without any civil society, the pressure required to spark an uprising would have to be appallingly strong. In the late 1990s, a massive famine killed some half-million North Koreans, about two percent of the population, yet produced no riots or open discontent, let alone a rebellion. North Korean commoners died quietly.

Last but not least, one shouldn’t forget that a revolution, should it happen, would plunge a nuclear country into the state of anarchy—the first such case in the world’s history. It’s quite possible that a collapsing nuclear North Korea would be more dangerous to the world than a stable North Korea, working hard to improve its nuclear arsenal. Fortunately, the last piece of good news is that the Chinese would probably sabotage any new sanctions well before matters reached that point. Bloomberg

EXTERNAL SHOCKS IF WE are to go by beginnings, the year 2016 promises to be a tumultuous one.

After the New Year celebrations, we heard that 47 people, including a popular Shiite cleric, were put to death in several cities in Saudi Arabia.

There were demonstrations and even a ransacking of the Saudi Embassy in the Iranian capital of Tehran.

On January 3, the foreign ministry of Saudi Arabia announced it would sever diplomatic relations with Iran because of the violence.

On January 7, Iran claimed that Saudi warplanes had “deliberately” targeted its embassy in Yemen in the city of Sanaa.

For Filipinos, this is more than just an item in the foreign news section.

The conflict in the Middle East would have long-term and profound consequences with millions of Filipino migrants working in the area. For decades, the Middle East has been the destination of choice of overseas workers because of the opportunities it provides.

It is far-fetched that this deeply rooted problem would have an immediate resolution. This does not stop us from hoping that the parties would at least find reasons to be tolerant of each other instead of resorting to violence. Remember, too, that the problem is not limited to Iran and Saudi Arabia. There are other countries, other branches of the faith and other demographic profiles coming into play.

Meanwhile, we wonder whether the Aquino administration could take time off from ensuring its favored candidates win and making lastminute (i.e., superficial) attempts to leave a legacy after six years of overpromising and under-delivering.

This early, there must be an exit plan for Filipinos—and there are way too many of them—who might get trapped in the conflict should it escalate. And when they are brought home, are there even enough opportunities they can explore to continue earning for their families?

Despite the contribution of migrant workers to the economy, sending our citizens to work abroad should be at best a temporary measure.

Inclusive growth in the domestic economy and an abundance of longterm employment opportunities for the people are always the best shield against external shocks.

This is one platform of presidential candidates we would love to hear about.

RUNNING OUT OF TIME FOUR women in their eighties traveled from Mapanique, Tarlac to a restaurant on Maria Orosa Street in Manila on Wednesday, Jan. 6. The journey was punishing but they needed to relay their message to some members of the press, and consequently to the Philippine government and the people.

They had been informed that the governments of Japan and South Korea had announced a landmark agreement the week

before, where the Japanese prime minister would apologize for the atrocities done to South Korean comfort women victims of systematic sexual slavery by the Japanese soldiers during World War II. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Japanese government would pay an equivalent of $8 million to the surviving women.

“Building on such experience, the Government of Japan will now take measures to heal psychological wounds of all former comfort women through its budget. To be more specific, it has been decided that the Government of the Republic of Korea establish a foundation for the purpose of providing support

Are Filipino comfort women correct to still hope for remedy given the agreement between Japan and South Korea?

for the former comfort women, that its funds be contributed by the Government of Japan as a

one-time contribution through its budget, and that projects for recovering the honor and dignity and healing the psychological wounds of all former comfort women be carried out under the cooperation between the Government of Japan and the Government of the ROK,” the agreement in part reads.

The deal was arrived at after painstaking talks between the two governments.

But South Korea is not the only country with comfort women.

Filipino women and girls also became victims of rape during the war. Since 1992, when Maria Rosa Luna Henson came forward, Filipino comfort women had sought to seek justice for the ordeal

they endured decades before. They held press conferences, filed cases in Japanese courts, demanded reparation and apology and even marched on the streets.

The four women from Tarlac— Adelina Culala, Isabelita Vinuya, Emilia Mangilit and Candelaria Soliman—are part of the original 90 women (collectively called the Malaya Lolas) who filed, in 2004, a suit before the Supreme Court saying that top government leaders at that time committed grave abuse of discretion by not espousing their claims for official apology and other forms of reparation from Japan.

Alas, the high court ruled in April 2010 that the Lolas’ petition had no merit because “from a

domestic law perspective, the Executive Department has the exclusive prerogative to determine whether to espouse petitioners’ claims against Japan.” The court also said that the Philippines is “not under any international obligation to espouse the petitioners’ claims.”

The outrage that should have followed this decision was clouded by the plagiarism scandal that came with it. The ponente of the decision, Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo, was said to have borrowed liberally, without

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attribution, from various legal scholars and even made it appear that their words supported the decision. The Court eventually blamed a computer program and said the justice acted in good faith.

In August 2014, the Supreme Court denied the motion for recommendation of the Malaya Lolas.

••• Of the 90 original petitioners, 32 remain alive today.

Lola Candelaria recalls that when they first filed the case in

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2004, she and her fellow petitioners could still take jeepneys as they moved around. Now, no more.

She and her husband live in a farming community in Mapanique with four of their six children. “My youngest child cannot find work because of an accident,” she said, “and the eldest is suffering from diabetes.” Every now and then, the other children pop in to see how they are doing and bring them food.

“We have no other source of income,” the 85-year-old said. It

is a good thing she tends to her plants and makes sure she does some walking exercises to keep herself active. Her husband takes on whatever odd jobs he could find at his age. They have no pension; she has to scrounge around for the P500 they spend monthly for their maintenance medication.

Lola Candelaria was 14 when the Japanese came to their town, killed all the men and the boys and imprisoned the women and the girls in a big house they now refer to as “Bahay na Pula.” They

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were held overnight and raped by the soldiers, who set them free the following day.

According to her, she was only able to tell her family about her ordeal when the news broke out in the media. At that time, her children were already adults, already able to comprehend that she, like the other women in the town, were victims. “Nobody wanted it to happen,” she said.

“We were lucky they did not kill us.”

Continued on A6

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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

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OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

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OPINION

A5

STIFFER SANCTIONS ON NORTH KOREA WON’T WORK

By Andrei Lankov

[ EDI TORI A L ]

AFTER Kim Jong Un’s latest nuclear provocation, the US has vowed to press for stringent new trade and financial sanctions against North Korea. When it comes to further isolating the Hermit Kingdom, however, there’s good news and bad news. The truth is that sanctions haven’t and aren’t likely to work. The good news is that the bad news isn’t so bad: Truly effective sanctions would probably make the problem posed by North Korea worse.

The inefficiency of sanctions should be clear by now. The first set of the international sanctions on North Korea was levied by the United Nations in 2006, after the regime’s first nuclear test. They were further strengthened after subsequent tests in 2009 and 2013. The measures, however, have failed to have any impact on the North Korean economy.

To the contrary, the clampdown roughly coincided with the beginning of North Korea’s economic recovery, which had started few years earlier but became noticeable in 2006-07. Since then the country has enjoyed a resumption of economic growth— around 1.5 percent annually, if you believe the pessimists, or four percent according to optimists.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. North Korea has one of the world’s lowest trade-to-GDP ratios. More than three-quarters of its trade is with China, a country which, despite being skeptical of and even hostile to the regime’s nuclear ambitions, is unlikely ever to support economic sanctions wholeheartedly.

Some proponents of additional sanctions argue they’ll at least deprive the North Korean elite of luxury goods, thus making them restive. Kim, they say, needs to keep his subordinates happy by showering them with gifts and money, lest they defect and replace with another, more generous ruler.

Of course, giveaways are appreciated. But the Pyongyang elite have never forgotten that they live in a divided country whose southern half is far, far richer and highly attractive to common citizens.

Any outbreak of instability is likely to result not in a change at the top, but in a massive disintegration of the system. The North would almost certainly be absorbed by the more prosperous South Korea, as happened to East Germany 26 years ago. If that happens, the current elite would have no future and might be even held responsible for committing human rights abuses. Given the choice, they’d surely rather live without a few luxuries. Most of these people know little of Benjamin Franklin (even though they like his portraits on $100 bills). But his famous dictum about hanging together—“or assuredly we shall all hang separately”—determines their politics.

In an isolated and carefully controlled state without any civil society, the pressure required to spark an uprising would have to be appallingly strong. In the late 1990s, a massive famine killed some half-million North Koreans, about two percent of the population, yet produced no riots or open discontent, let alone a rebellion. North Korean commoners died quietly.

Last but not least, one shouldn’t forget that a revolution, should it happen, would plunge a nuclear country into the state of anarchy—the first such case in the world’s history. It’s quite possible that a collapsing nuclear North Korea would be more dangerous to the world than a stable North Korea, working hard to improve its nuclear arsenal. Fortunately, the last piece of good news is that the Chinese would probably sabotage any new sanctions well before matters reached that point. Bloomberg

EXTERNAL SHOCKS IF WE are to go by beginnings, the year 2016 promises to be a tumultuous one.

After the New Year celebrations, we heard that 47 people, including a popular Shiite cleric, were put to death in several cities in Saudi Arabia.

There were demonstrations and even a ransacking of the Saudi Embassy in the Iranian capital of Tehran.

On January 3, the foreign ministry of Saudi Arabia announced it would sever diplomatic relations with Iran because of the violence.

On January 7, Iran claimed that Saudi warplanes had “deliberately” targeted its embassy in Yemen in the city of Sanaa.

For Filipinos, this is more than just an item in the foreign news section.

The conflict in the Middle East would have long-term and profound consequences with millions of Filipino migrants working in the area. For decades, the Middle East has been the destination of choice of overseas workers because of the opportunities it provides.

It is far-fetched that this deeply rooted problem would have an immediate resolution. This does not stop us from hoping that the parties would at least find reasons to be tolerant of each other instead of resorting to violence. Remember, too, that the problem is not limited to Iran and Saudi Arabia. There are other countries, other branches of the faith and other demographic profiles coming into play.

Meanwhile, we wonder whether the Aquino administration could take time off from ensuring its favored candidates win and making lastminute (i.e., superficial) attempts to leave a legacy after six years of overpromising and under-delivering.

This early, there must be an exit plan for Filipinos—and there are way too many of them—who might get trapped in the conflict should it escalate. And when they are brought home, are there even enough opportunities they can explore to continue earning for their families?

Despite the contribution of migrant workers to the economy, sending our citizens to work abroad should be at best a temporary measure.

Inclusive growth in the domestic economy and an abundance of longterm employment opportunities for the people are always the best shield against external shocks.

This is one platform of presidential candidates we would love to hear about.

RUNNING OUT OF TIME FOUR women in their eighties traveled from Mapanique, Tarlac to a restaurant on Maria Orosa Street in Manila on Wednesday, Jan. 6. The journey was punishing but they needed to relay their message to some members of the press, and consequently to the Philippine government and the people.

They had been informed that the governments of Japan and South Korea had announced a landmark agreement the week

before, where the Japanese prime minister would apologize for the atrocities done to South Korean comfort women victims of systematic sexual slavery by the Japanese soldiers during World War II. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Japanese government would pay an equivalent of $8 million to the surviving women.

“Building on such experience, the Government of Japan will now take measures to heal psychological wounds of all former comfort women through its budget. To be more specific, it has been decided that the Government of the Republic of Korea establish a foundation for the purpose of providing support

Are Filipino comfort women correct to still hope for remedy given the agreement between Japan and South Korea?

for the former comfort women, that its funds be contributed by the Government of Japan as a

one-time contribution through its budget, and that projects for recovering the honor and dignity and healing the psychological wounds of all former comfort women be carried out under the cooperation between the Government of Japan and the Government of the ROK,” the agreement in part reads.

The deal was arrived at after painstaking talks between the two governments.

But South Korea is not the only country with comfort women.

Filipino women and girls also became victims of rape during the war. Since 1992, when Maria Rosa Luna Henson came forward, Filipino comfort women had sought to seek justice for the ordeal

they endured decades before. They held press conferences, filed cases in Japanese courts, demanded reparation and apology and even marched on the streets.

The four women from Tarlac— Adelina Culala, Isabelita Vinuya, Emilia Mangilit and Candelaria Soliman—are part of the original 90 women (collectively called the Malaya Lolas) who filed, in 2004, a suit before the Supreme Court saying that top government leaders at that time committed grave abuse of discretion by not espousing their claims for official apology and other forms of reparation from Japan.

Alas, the high court ruled in April 2010 that the Lolas’ petition had no merit because “from a

domestic law perspective, the Executive Department has the exclusive prerogative to determine whether to espouse petitioners’ claims against Japan.” The court also said that the Philippines is “not under any international obligation to espouse the petitioners’ claims.”

The outrage that should have followed this decision was clouded by the plagiarism scandal that came with it. The ponente of the decision, Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo, was said to have borrowed liberally, without

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attribution, from various legal scholars and even made it appear that their words supported the decision. The Court eventually blamed a computer program and said the justice acted in good faith.

In August 2014, the Supreme Court denied the motion for recommendation of the Malaya Lolas.

••• Of the 90 original petitioners, 32 remain alive today.

Lola Candelaria recalls that when they first filed the case in

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2004, she and her fellow petitioners could still take jeepneys as they moved around. Now, no more.

She and her husband live in a farming community in Mapanique with four of their six children. “My youngest child cannot find work because of an accident,” she said, “and the eldest is suffering from diabetes.” Every now and then, the other children pop in to see how they are doing and bring them food.

“We have no other source of income,” the 85-year-old said. It

is a good thing she tends to her plants and makes sure she does some walking exercises to keep herself active. Her husband takes on whatever odd jobs he could find at his age. They have no pension; she has to scrounge around for the P500 they spend monthly for their maintenance medication.

Lola Candelaria was 14 when the Japanese came to their town, killed all the men and the boys and imprisoned the women and the girls in a big house they now refer to as “Bahay na Pula.” They

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were held overnight and raped by the soldiers, who set them free the following day.

According to her, she was only able to tell her family about her ordeal when the news broke out in the media. At that time, her children were already adults, already able to comprehend that she, like the other women in the town, were victims. “Nobody wanted it to happen,” she said.

“We were lucky they did not kill us.”

Continued on A6

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

A6

OPINION

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DEAR ADAM: NEW YEAR, NEW LIFE FOR REFUGEES LIKE YOU

By Serene Assir (AFP) PARIS—Dear Adam, I first met you when you were just three months old, a baby in your father’s arms as he and your beautiful mother climbed onto an old, packed train on the Balkan migrant route to Europe.

It was September 2015 and there were hundreds of people traveling that day from the Macedonian border with Greece up to the Serbian frontier—all of them fleeing war and misery, all of them in search of a brighter future.

There wasn’t enough room for everyone, but the Macedonian authorities seemed keen to just push all the migrants and refugees out of the country as quickly as possible.

It was undignified and hard to watch, especially knowing that every single person there had just survived a dangerous journey across the Aegean Sea. Everyone deserved better.

Your father, Ahmad, was holding you in his arms as he handed the family’s train tickets over. Your mother Alia carried your light blue blanket, a blue and red nap mat and a bag for your baby bottle, milk and nappies.

There was nowhere to sit, and barely any room to even squat on the dusty floor of the train corridor.

You didn’t once cry during that train ride—not that I can remember, at least—while your parents opened up to me and my colleagues, photographer Aris Messinis and videographer Celine Jankowiak, sharing with us their hopes, dreams and fears.

They were nervous and frightened that the money they had on them wouldn’t get you three to safety. In the end, by the time they reached the Netherlands, they had three euros left.

‘Boat of death’ They also worried that the special baby milk you needed was fast running out.

As the train’s rusty wheels creaked their way through Macedonia, Ahmad and Alia told us about how they had survived a bomb attack in Baghdad—where you were born—and about the sheer terror they had experienced on board the fishing boat you were smuggled in from Turkey to Greece.

They showed us pictures on Ahmad’s mobile phone of their beautiful

Crossing the canal in Leeuwarden in December 2015. AFP wedding in Turkey, and of Alia’s badly scarred face in the aftermath of the bomb attack.

On the boat, they were terrified that they wouldn’t make it to Greece.

“The boat of death,” they called it.

And after that first meeting, we followed your family’s odyssey up to the Germany and then the Netherlands, crossing six countries in as many days.

Then in December, Celine and I visited you with photographer Emmanuel Dunand, to see how you were getting along.

Your parents and you were living in an exhibition center that the Dutch authorities had converted into a temporary shelter for the hundreds of asylum seekers like you. Your family’s papers had finally been processed and now there was nothing left for your parents to do but wait and see whether they would be allowed to stay in the country they risked so much to reach.

You were seven months old by then, an outgoing, bubbly baby, and you’d learnt to say “Mama, Baba,” delighting Ahmad and Alia who were thrilled to watch you grow.

We laughed when we realized that for such a young child, you had already traveled to more countries than many adults have in a lifetime.

Because you’ve had such an in-

credible start to life, I decided to write you this letter to start the New Year.

I’ll ask your parents, who moved mountains to bring you to Europe, to keep it safe so you can read it when you’re older.

Never lose hope Things might be hard sometimes, for years to come.

The process of making a northern European country their home might not always be easy for your parents, especially as they arrived amid the continent’s worst migration crisis since World War II. The Netherlands is cold and wet, they grew up in a hot, dry country.

They sold everything to get here and had to start from scratch.

What has kept them going so far is their love for you and for each other.

And I’m pretty sure, despite a million obstacles and difficulties they will face on the long road to integration, that your family will make it.

Your parents have enough spirit and there are enough good people in the world to make that happen.

Oh, and just a last thought before I finish...You mustn’t think that just because you were a little baby at the time, you had no hand in getting your family to safety. You played a key role!

Like an angel, you fell asleep the night we followed a smuggler

through a corn field on the SerbianHungarian border—one of the toughest junctures of the journey.

You loved to smile and you were happy to play with other people on the over 2,000-km route who needed a little love to keep them going.

You made us all laugh, especially when you tried to eat Celine’s bright blue AFP microphone foam during interviews.

Your life has been an adventure from very early on, so I’m sure that whatever your future holds, you’ll have it in you to make it through.

A case in point‚—a few days after I returned to Paris after visiting you in the Netherlands, your father texted me saying you had been assigned a new place to live —this time a single room in another shelter.

It wasn’t perfect, he said, but it was better. That became the sixth place you had lived in since your arrival in the Netherlands—imagine that!

And if things ever do get tough, remember what your father told us in Leeuwarden: Never lose hope. “If one loses hope in life, there can be no more life,” he said.

I wish you three survivors a wonderful life ahead. No one I know deserves it more.

With love, Serene

RUNNING... From A5 When the Supreme Court denied their appeal, things seemed bleak for the lolas. But when they heard about the agreement between Japan and South Korea, they felt a spark of hope that perhaps their grievances could be addressed, as well. After all, what is the difference between the comfort women of South Korea and the comfort women of the Philippines when they all suffered indignities of war and had to spend the rest of their lives haunted by this burden?

The difference could lie on which government was more supportive of the plight of its women.

Lawyer Harry Roque, who represented the Malaya Lolas in their case before the Supreme Court, said that the worst thing the Court did to the women was to rob them of 10 full years—from the time the case was filed to when the appeal was dismissed with finality.

Ten years is a long time especially for the women who are at the twilight of their lives. Had the case been resolved earlier, the women could have gone to international courts. But no, they needed to exhaust all domestic remedies first.

The recent Japan-Korea agreement is not perfect. In South Korea, some sectors protest that there was inadequate consultation among the comfort women during the negotiations with Japan. Still, it is a beginning, and it is a milestone— proof that something could be done if government officials acknowledge their responsibility to champion the cause of their aggrieved citizens.

Is there reason for hope? Could the same be done here?

The lawyers say they have been prompted to move again, this time invoking international agreements. There could be remedies, if only the government did its job. So they would try to make as much noise to get the government to do its job. It’s a tall order, given the distraction that is the 2016 elections.

Roque called the attention of the lolas. “We have an injunction,” he announced. “Bawal mamatay.

May laban pa tayo [You are prohibited to die. The fight is still long]. If we disobey, we will be cited for contempt.” adellechua@gmail.com

IN CELEBRATION OF 4 NEW ELEMENTS

By Stephen L. Carter ON DEC. 30, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry announced that four new elements are being added to the periodic table. The group had “reviewed the relevant literature for elements 113, 115, 117, and 118 and has determined that the claims for discovery of these elements have been fulfilled.”

Television networks cut into their regular programming to make the announcement. There was dancing in the street. Facebook and Twitter erupted with pledges to name newborns after the physicists responsible for the discoveries.

Okay, nothing in that last paragraph happened. You didn’t jump around your living room for joy, and, to tell you the truth, neither did I. In a flood of information demanding our attention, the news of the approval of new elements barely caused a ripple.

And that’s too bad. Like most

vitally important scientific discoveries these days, this one will never get the publicity it deserves.

When I was growing up, all the kids wanted to know what brilliant invention those scientists would come up with next. “My Weekly Reader” and “Boys Life” featured stories about aircraft designed to set altitude records and physicists building bigger and more powerful atom smashers. My schoolmates and I used to impress one another by knowing what ENIAC stood for. And although I wasn’t yet born in 1952 when UNIVAC contradicted the pollsters by predicting an Eisenhower landslide, our science teacher loved telling the story, and we were always delighted to hear it.

Over the years, alas, something terrible has happened to science— more precisely, to our excitement about science. We love our gadgets and devices. We can be passionate about the latest app. And despite our constant criticism of

the pharmaceutical companies, we demand faster approval for the new medicines that emerge from their research arms.

But basic science—science for its own sake—has largely lost its luster. Apart from paleontologists and creationists, nobody much cares whether those fossils that keep turning up in China really belonged to a dinosaur with pennaceous feathers. The discovery of the most distant known galaxy this past spring didn’t produce a sudden wave of excitement and awe as we looked up at the sky and contemplated our place in the cosmos. What thrills us nowadays isn’t growth in the body of human knowledge, but innovations that apply that knowledge in our dayto-day lives.

There’s nothing wrong with focusing on the day-to-day. We have a lot to worry about: the economy, terrorism, climate change, gun violence—the list goes on and on.

We have to take our small plea-

sures where we can find them.

But it’s important, too, to seek sources of awe. Some will look to God. Some will look to examples of human kindness. But as the late philosopher Ronald Dworkin noted in his final book, one source to which we can all look, whatever our religious or political persuasions, is the majesty of the universe itself.

That’s what should make the four new elements so exciting.

They help us to look at the universe with awe. Their discovery completes the seventh row of the periodic table. Okay, so we don’t think about the periodic table too often. Maybe we remember it as a bizarrely colored wall chart we had to memorize in the 8th grade, or as a set of columns and rows whose mysteries we briefly unlocked to pass undergraduate chemistry, or even as the cleverly deployed inspiration for the opening credits in “Breaking Bad.” But the periodic table is more

than that. It’s a near-perfect index to the various properties of the elements, and in that sense a window into creation. When the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev organized his early version in the 1860s, he was ridiculed by his fellow scientists for believing such a chart could predict the properties of elements yet undiscovered. But he was right.

Not thrilled yet? Here’s a way to make it fun. Consider the working names of the new elements: ununtrium, ununpentium, ununseptium and ununoctium. All of them sound like the stuff the Resources Development Administration was mining in “Avatar.” Permanent names are still to come. If you have an idea, IUPAC is taking suggestions. So is Twitter.

In the meantime, let’s be thankful for knowledge for knowledge’s sake. I have no idea what if anything the new elements will ever be useful for. But it’s exciting that they’re there. Bloomberg

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

A7

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

4 BRIDGES OVER TROUBLED METRO

By Joel E. Zurbano

MOVES are under way to build at least four steel flyovers to ease traffic in Metro Manila particularly along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.

Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Emerson Carlos said the Department of Public Works and Highways has firmed up a plan to construct the Katipunan Bridge, a modular bridge which will cross two intersections along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City.

“They will do it and they will start in Katipunan. The bridge will cross two intersections—Miriam and the Gate 3 of Ateneo de Manila,” said Carlos. “They should have start the bidding [for the project].”

Carlos’ predecessor Francis Tolentino, who came under fire last year over the worsen-

ing traffic problem in Metro Manila, made the proposal and asked the DPWH to consider building the flyovers in Santolan, P. Tuazon, Katipunan and Vito Cruz, all areas covered by the six major chokepoints on Edsa.

He said the flyovers, each spanning 400 meters, are made of steel similar to what Thailand built to solve the traffic problem in Bangkok.

Carlos said the government needs short-term and long-term solutions to solve the worsening traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

“We need to finish the infrastructure projects to cope with the number of vehicles

and the population. Ang daming kotse ngayon. What we really need is to finish these projects,” he said.

“If you launch a long-term project you will suffer before its implementation so, we need a combination of a longand a short-term solution,” the MMDA chief added.

Carlos said the increasing number of private vehicles remain the major cause of monstrous traffic along Edsa.

“The volume remains a problem. The actual capacity of Edsa is 6,000 vehicles one direction per hour but right now we have 6,800 vehicles. So, there is overcapacity,” he said.

This despite the metrowide number coding scheme, or the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program, being imposed by the agency everyday, except during weekend and regular holidays.

Under the coding scheme,

which aims to ease the volume of traffic on Metro Manila’s streets, vehicles are banned from major roads from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., depending on the last digit of their license plates.

The MMDA said that about 6,000 private cars are being sold every month.

Study showed that for a mega-city like Metro Manila, 25 percent of the total land area should be allotted for roads. Based on the MMDA’s records, only 5,000 kilometers of road network is in place instead of the ideal target of 8,000 kilometers.

Carlos said 90 percent of vehicles using Edsa are private. “Maybe, the solution is for the people to use public transport.”

Apart from the volume of vehicles, Carlos said road accidents also contributed to the traffic problem. He added an average of 40 vehicles figure

in road accidents daily.

To encourage private motorists leave their cars at home, the government launched the Premium Point-to-Point (P2P) express bus service project.

The project was created by the Transportation Department that offers commuters another safe and reliable mode of transportation. It allows shorter travel time, as bus units depart on a fixed schedule and travel directly from the terminal to the drop-off point.

The government recently reduced fares for the Express Bus project to attract more passengers.

The bus fare from Trinoma and SM North-Edsa in Quezon City to Ayala Center in Makati City fall into P55 from its original rate of P64 while, the rate for persons with disabilities, students and senior citizens is P40.

The P2P also offers P10 discount from its standard rate to a group of five regular passengers, making it P45 per person.

Passengers coming from SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City to Ayala Center in Makati City will pay only P40, instead of P60; while P30 for PWDs, students and senior citizens and P35 each for a group of five.

The P2P, also known as the Edsa Non-Stop Bus, also offers a Weekend Unli (unlimited) promo wherein a passenger can avail of the service bus from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. the whole day for P100 only.

Each P2P express bus can accommodate 40 passengers and is available from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. weekdays.

The double-decker bus was also launched to improve vehicle movements along the congested Edsa.

INC MISSION.

Villagers of Barangay Maharlika in Taguig City receive goodies as well as medical and dental treatments from a mission of 1,500 personnel under the Iglesia Ni Cristo’s Lingap sa Mamamayan event.

SONNY ESPIRITU

HOUSE PANEL OKAYS NURSING BILL

By Maricel V. Cruz THE House committee on appropriations has approved a substitute bill seeking to provide for a “Comprehensive Nursing Law” aimed at improving the country’s health care system.

The still unnumbered bill repeals Republic Act 9173, otherwise known as the “Philippine Nursing Act of 2002.”

The bill, approved by the committee chaired by Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, substituted House Bills 1372 and acknowledged the State policy to uphold the dignity of the nurses and assume responsibility for the protection, respect, and improvement of the nursing profession by instituting measures towards competent and relevant nursing practice for the health and safety of the public, just and humane conditions of work, and promotion of professional growth.

The proposal, principally authored

by House deputy speaker and Nueva Vizcaya Rep. Carlos Padilla and ANG NARS party-list Rep. Leah Paquiz, said the State recognizes nurses as prime movers of national development and contributors to international cooperation and understanding.

Moreover, the State guarantees the delivery of accessible, affordable and available quality health care to all the people through implementation of adequate and competent Nursing Personnel System throughout the country, Padilla said.

Paquiz said the bill provides for the creation and composition of a Professional Regulatory Board of Nursing whose seven members shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines. The Board shall be headed by a chairperson to serve for one year without reelection.

To be a member of the Board, the bill provides that one must be a natural-born citizen and resi-

dent of the Philippines for the past five consecutive years; a nurse in the country and holder of valid and updated certificate of registration and current professional identification card; a holder of a master’s degree in nursing and preferably with a doctorate degree conferred by a university duly recognized by the government; must have at least 10 years of continuous practice of the nursing profession prior to appointment; and must be of good moral character and has not been convicted of any offense involving moral turpitude.

Among its powers and duties are to ensure the proper conduct of the Philippine Nurse Licensure Exam; issue, suspend, revoke or reissue certificates of registration for the practice of nursing and ensure the widest publication through electronic and written media; and enforce and monitor safe and quality standard of nursing practice, the bill added.

DANGER. A broken pole of Meralco in Libis Baesa in Caloocan City poses danger to passersby as it may give way anytime unless Meralco crewmen repair it soon. ANDREW RABULAN

A8 AURORA RESORTS LACK ECCS

By Ferdie G. Domingo BALER—Nine out of 10 resorts in Aurora province are operating without the required Environmental Compliance Certificates, according to an official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The lack of the requisite ECCs is posing a risk to the province’s tourism just like the problems now hounding Boracay, said the regional director of the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau, the office in charge of issuing the document.

An ECC is required to be secured from the EMB for any project in the Philippines that poses a potential environmental risk or impact (such as mining, agriculture projects, and construction).

The EMB issues the ECC but only after a thorough and positive review of the project’s application. This certificate indicates that the proposed project will not cause a significantly negative impact on the environment.

The ECC contains specific measures and conditions that must be met by the project proponent before and during the operation of the project.

In some cases, conditions are listed to be performed during the project’s abandonment phase to lessen identified potential environmental impacts.

An ECC also certifies that the proponent has complied with all the requirements of the Environmental Impact Statement System and has committed to implement its approved environmental management plan.

Cyril Coliflores, DENR provincial environment and natural resources officer, said that save for a few resorts and hotels in this capital town, practically majority of those operating in the province have failed to secure ECCs which provide for mitigating measures and pollution control.

Coliflores said the holding capacities of resorts to accommodate the influx of tourists are going beyond the normal, adding Aurora is threatening to become another Boracay , unable to absorb the tourism boom.

He said the EMB in Central Luzon is in the process of training pollution control officers in the province to arrest the emerging urban blight brought on by tourist migration.

Lormelyn Claudio, EMB regional director, confirmed that Aurora is going the way of Boracay in terms of environmental risks posed by tourism.

Claudio observed that the tourism surge has also triggered the mushrooming of souvenir shops.

She said that the EMB has been conducting seminars among local government units and resort operators in the province to help them cope with the tourism boom.

“In fact, we have embarked on training seminars with resort operators in Barangay Dinadiawan in Dipaculao and in this capital town,” she said, adding their office has also coordinated with the environment and natural resources office of the provincial government for the fine-tuning of an ecological profile in the eight municipalities of the province.

She said that what the EMB envisioned was the crafting of a master plan to enable the entire province to cope with the environmental demands of tourism.

Vice Gov. Rommel Rico Teh Angara, presiding officer of the SangguniangPanlalawigan, said they have already called the attention of the municipal planning officer and the municipal engineer, more specifically in this capital town, to take into consideration the compliance of resort owners and operators with regard to the securing of ECCs.

SUNDAY: JANUARY 10, 2016

NEWS editorial@thestandard.com.ph

LAGMAN BLASTS SOTTO OVER P1-B RH BUDGET CUT

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE principal author of the Reproductive Health Law has chided Senator Vicente Sotto III over the latter’s move to delete from the 2016 national budget the P1-billion allocation for family planning commodities aimed at providing artificial contraceptives to poor Filipino couples.

Former Albay congressman Edcel Lagman, the principal author of Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law or Republic Act 10354, said Sotto, after failing to block the passage of the RH Law, is now deliberately stalling the law’s implementation.

“During the bicameral conference on the 2016 General Appropriations Bill , Sotto caused the deletion of P1.0 billion from the P1.157 billion for the procurement of Modern and Natural Family Planning Supplies,” Lagman said in a statement.

Lagman made the remark af-

ter Health Secretary Janette Garin earlier disclosed that the bicameral conference committee on the national budget got rid of the P1billion budget from P124-billion funding of her department to cover the free provision of condoms, IUDs and birth control pills, particularly for breastfeeding mothers, at health centers.

“The Congress, particularly the Senate, reneged on its obligation to adequately fund the speedy and full implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law,” Lagman protested.

Lagman said that the remaining P157 million is inordinately inadequate for the purchase of family planning commodities, which amount may even be lower than the appropriations for such expenses when there was no RH Law yet.

“The P1.0 billion, which was meanly cut by Sotto, is a drop in the bucket in the P3-trillion 2016 national budget and it is a measly amount compared to government’s mega projects which have fewer number of beneficiaries,” Lagman said.

He said the original funding of P1.157 billion, which was deleted

by Sotto, was recommended by President Benigno Aquino III in his National Expenditure Program and adopted in toto by the House of Representatives in its version of the 2016 GAB or the newly signed General Appropriations Act for this year.

The Supreme Court declared on April 8, 2014 the RH Law constitutional on the whole after the bill was approved by Congress on Dec.

19, 2012 and signed into law by President Aquino on Dec. 21, 2012.

Due to the lack of funding in the 2016 GAA, Lagman said that the government’s purchases of family planning commodities must be sourced by the DoH from its share in the incremental revenues from sin taxes or from the President’s Contingent Fund, in addition to the donations from foreign agencies.

Garin said the budget cut was a surprise as the three-year-old Reproductive Health Law gives beneficiaries determined by the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction universal access to medically safe, non-abortifacient and effective quality reproductive health care services, methods and supplies.

Without proper funding, Garin said the health agency would continue to face the challenge of providing for 6.7 percent of the country’s population with “unmet” family planning services, or roughly seven million Filipino women.

REUNITED. VICE President Jejomar C. Binay is reunited with an Overseas Filipino Worker’s son whom his office help repatriate from Kuwait.

Binay was instrumental in helping Rosemarie Solon (left repatriate her son, Jasven, who was born in Kuwait without proper documentation.

“Nagpapasalamat ako sa kanya [Binay] ng malaki dahil itong anak ko nandito na. Maraming, maraming salamat po sa kanya sa lahat-lahat,” Solon said.

“Tinulungan niya ako. Sinalubong ng mama ko si Jasven. Ang ganda ng mga ugali nila. Tinawagan pa niya ako sa Abu Dhabi para tulungan. Kinumusta ang kalagayan ko doon,” she added.

Solon was forced to leave her son with her friends in Kuwait after she was deported due to an expired working visa.

Binay, with the help of the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait, was able to secure an exit clearance for her son.

Binay also arranged for the plane tickets of the boy and his grandmother, who fetched him at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, so they could go home to Bohol.

TAGUIG SORTIE.

Vice presidential candidate Ferdinand ‘BongBong’ Marcos Jr. is greeted by Taguig City TODA and sectoral group leaders during a gathering at the Technological University of the Philippines’ Taguig campus where he lays down his platform for the 2016 national polls. He also administered the induction of TODA officers. EY ACASIO

SUNDAY: JANUARY 10, 2016

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

BUSINESS

B1

HOW A FILIPINO COMPANY BUILT A SMARTPHONE BRAND STARMOBILE, a Filipino-owned smartphone and tablet manufacturer, started its operations from a single room in Pasig City in 2011, just when Filipinos began to replace their feature phones with smartphones.

Star Telecom Alliance Resources Inc., the full name of the company, decided to outsource the manufacturing operations to China, but adopted a Filipino brand to appeal to local consumers. The strategy has paid off.

Starmobile president Ulysses Lao says the concept for smart devices is developed in Pasig City, but the manufacturing process takes place in China, where technology and parts are available. “We have a group here that develops the phones, test the phones. That’s why based on feedback from clients, our quality and return rate is way below that of the industry,” Lao says. Starmobile now sells around 50,000 smartphones in the Philippines a month, he says.

“We have been growing leaps and bounds. Just looking at our office space, when we started, we started with a room. After a year, it was one floor. Now we have 250 employees who are occupying a whole building of six to seven floors. We are in Kapitolyo [Pasig], which is the center, in terms of distribution,” Lao says in an interview.

Starmobile has a wide range of products, from feature phones called Uno, tablets under the name Engage and entry-level Play smartphones to feature devices called Jump, mid-range Up series and high-performance Knight smartphones.

It teams up with mobile service providers to offer free SIMs and ‘instantly connected’ phones and 5.5-inch Full HD Starmobile KNIGHT X

tablets.

“Majority or 40 percent of our sales are here in NCR [National Capital Region], but we are available nationwide,” says Lao. Lao says the company has been operating on a profit since it opened for business in 2011, by creating a niche in the market.

“Since the first year, we were already making money. Our phone is on the high-end side. We are not competing against other local brands where the margin is small.

So our phones have better margins than the other local brands,” he says.

“We were just lucky that when we started Starmobile, the trend was from feature phone to smartphone. So we focused on the smartphones. That’s why when it comes to the smartphones and gadgets, we are ahead of other local brands,” says Lao. He says Starmobile’s business strategy focuses on good user experience. “We are focusing on lifestyle. We don’t want to compete with other brands in terms of specs and price. We feel that the consumer should enjoy the phone. The user experience is more important than the specs and the price. We would like to give value for money to the consumer,” he says.

He says while labor cost in China has risen substantially over the past several years, the company has kept its expenses manageable.

“We try to keep our overhead low,” he says.

Sales, he says, have been rising

Starmobile president Ulysses Lao over the past four years, putting the company on track to double or even treble its market share.

“Our sales in 2015 are better than the previous year’s. It is an improvement of around 40 percent up from 2014. Offhand, the number of units sold should be around 50,000 units a month. We are talking about smartphones only.

We don’t count feature phones in our portfolio. In our product portfolio, smartphones should be around 70 to 80 percent of total. Unlike other local brands, we concentrated on smartphones since the start,” says Lao. Lao says Starmobile tapped both the traditional stores and electronic commerce to reach out to Filipino consumers. “Ever since we started, we are actually the first local cell phone brand to deal with Lazada,”says Lao, referring to the country’s leading ecommerce platform.

“Basically, there are some phones where we give special discounts through Lazada. Aside from that, we sometimes give vouchers. If you buy from Laza-

da, it is cheaper. It is cheapest to buy Starmobile phone in Lazada,” he says.

Lao says the partnership with Lazada will continue in the coming years, as more Filipinos buy products online. “Definitely, online is the way to go in the next few years,” he says. “But we also need stores to showcase the products. People may touch and feel the phone and then they decide to buy or not.”

“These people will go to the store, touch and feel, think about it and if they decide to buy, they can order through Lazada. They might be able to get a better deal through Lazada,” says Lao. “We have been talking to Lazada. We will be doing more projects with them. If we have special new phones, most probably we will launch in Lazada first, before we offer them to the public.

Lao says Starmobile has been on an expansion mode and hired IT executive Jerry Manus as chief operating officer. “He joined us to head the operations of the company,” says Lao, referring to

Manus, a former top executive of Nokia and Apple in the Indochina region.

Lao says Starmobile, the youngest player, currently accounts for around 3 percent to 4 percent of the mobile phone market in the Philippines. “In the next few years, we hope we can increase it by a few percentage points every year. If we get 8 to 10 percent of the market, we will be very happy, maybe in the next three to five years.”

There is a possibility that Starmobile will expand to other Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, according to Lao. “For now, we would like to concentrate on the Philippine market first. I think there is a lot of room of growth for us. Once we are able to handle the situation here, expanding overseas is definitely a part of the plan of Starmobile,” he says.

“Right now, all phones are made in China. Locally, we have our own product development department where we have some proprietary software. There is also a possibility or talks of hopefully, doing something locally,” Lao says, referring to possible assembly operations of smartphones in the Philippines.

This is because the cost of operation in China is now more expensive. “Labor cost in China is double or triple our labor cost.

Local manufacturing is a possibility. I think Filipinos are capable.

On top of that, it will become a true Filipino phone. If it is done here, we assemble it here, we sell it here. The challenge is in terms of supply. If we look at logistics and everything, it is something possible. I think within five years, that is very possible,” he says.

Lao says Starmobile is currently doing a feasibility study on local production, through a facility located in an export processing zone, which can avail of tax incentives. “Let us wait for the election. If we do that, we will have to inject more investments,” he says.

Lao says competition among local and international players has been intensifying, but Starmobile is expected to keep its advantage over other players.

“Right now, inside the industry, we call it elimination round.

There will be a lot of brands that will come in, but there will also be a lot of brands that will be fading out. For us, we look at ourselves first. We don’t compete with others in the sense that we feel our products are of value in terms of user experience. I think, because of that, the millennials are wise enough to choose a better product,” he says.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

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

10 TOURISM CZARS COMING TO MANILA

By Othel V. Campos

TOURISM ministers from 10 countries constituting the Association of South East Asian Nations are meeting in Manila for the 35th Asean Tourism Forum on Jan. 18 to 25 to map out an integrated tourism development plan and policy framework for the entire region.

Tourism Undersecretary and ATF 2016 Philippine host committee chairman Benito Bengzon Jr. said the forum aimed to make Asean tourism contribute to the overall regional economic integration agenda to address the requirements of 622 million people across Southeast Asia.

Bengzon said the ATF exhibits featuring the best of Asean would give thousands of visitors from all over the world an awesome viewing experience.

Among the visitors will be hundreds of foreign buyers and members of the international media.

“Representing the Philippines at the Asean Ministers Meeting is Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., who sees the region emerging as a major player in global tourism,” Bengzon said.

Asean tourism ministers will also meet with the officers of the national tourism organizations of the Asean-member countries during the ATF 2016.

NTO participants are industry players and regulators from

Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr.

Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

“The policies to be formu-

lated and polished will be based on the inputs from the various NTOs and how these can be reconciled with the current laws of the Asean-member countries

and immediately implemented across the board. The overriding objective is to come up with a single tourism policy infrastructure, legal framework or

YOUNG FILIPINA CEO EXPLAINS WHY SHE WANTS TO GO TO MARS PHILIPPINE-BORN and California- dates from all continents of the world who founder of social media platform Giggup based entrepreneur Jaymee del Rosario made the cut in the third round of astro- and president and chief executive of Interhas emerged as a qualified candidate to be- naut selection and will compete with one national Metal Source. come an astronaut for the first ever Mars another for two one-way tickets to Mars.

International Metal Source distributes space travel.

Fifty men will also compete for the other raw material metals and exotic alloys to Del Rosario was chosen among 202,586 two one-way tickets out of Earth. aerospace, defense and commercial indusapplicants globally to become one of the Del Rosario, who was born in the Phil- tries.

100 candidates for the ‘Mars One’ project. ippines, is now a US-based entrepreneur, The Netherlands-based ‘Mars One’ projDel Rosario, the guest speaker at ‘Pande- metallurgist, political science junkie, a co- ect offers four one-way tickets to Mars, sal Forum’ held at the 77-yearwhich Del Rosario sees as old Kamuning Bakery Cafe a great opportunity to help along Judge Jimenez Street in mankind find another place Quezon City on Jan. 8, said she for humans to travel to and wanted to be a part of the quest live in.

I hope that we can help create a to establish a human settleDel Rosario said that she new world of peace and a world of ment on Mars. accepts the risks involved.

Del Rosario is one of two conservation of the environment there. If “Death is just an exit, just Filipinas shortlisted to join the I set foot on Mars, my first words would a part of life. You can walk ambitious Mars space voyage, out of the door and die. As be: Mars, no war. the other being Minerva Ralong as you are at peace in ñeses of Pasig City. They are your heart, I’m at peace with among the 50 female candiCONTINUED ON B3

strategic platform for all of Asean that will be in line with the Asean Economic Community blueprint 2025 and boost the inflow of tourists, not just to one or two countries, but throughout the region,” Bengzon said.

Daily meetings will be held at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel on Jan. 18 to 22 as the Tourism Promotions Board, the department’s marketing arm, rolls out the ATF exhibits at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia, for the entire duration of the eightday international event until Jan. 25.

World Bank figures show that Asean is a consumer market with an economic output of $2.57 trillion at a growth rate of 4.6 percent in 2014, which was faster than Europe’s 2.4 percent, Latin America’s 0.9 percent, and the combined Middle East’s and North Africa’s 2.2 percent.

“The ADB [Asian Development Bank] sees Asean economic growth rising by 4.9 percent in 2015 and 5.3 percent in 2016 to help balance the deceleration in China and cushion its global impact,” Bengzon said.

He cited tourism as one of Asean’s major strategic and tactical weapons in perking up business activities, drawing investments from other global growth centers, generating employment, raising government revenues, increasing corporate and individual incomes and broadening the region’s domestic capital and entrepreneurial base to help fight poverty and resist global financial shocks.

“We just have to collectively preserve, develop and promote our distinctly natural, historical and cultural tourism attributes as economic assets and use them sustainably in addressing the needs of the Asean people,” he said.

“As the saying goes: ‘The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.’ This exactly is what Asean tourism integration is envisioned to achieve and inspire through this year’s ATF theme ‘One Community for Sustainability.’ Asean’s tourism resources constitute a gold mine yet to be tapped as, indeed, the best is yet to come,” Bengzon said.

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

MAKATI-BASED BPO FIRM

WINS ENDEAVOR’S SUPPORT MAKATI-BASED PSG Global Solutions, the world’s largest and fastest growing offshore recruitment process outsourcing company founded by Vivek Padmanabhan and Brian Cotter, was selected as the Philippines’ second Endeavor Entrepreneur Company during Endeavor’s 62nd International Selection Panel held in Mexico City in December 2015.

PSG was co-founded by copresidents Vivek Padmanabhan and Brian Cotter, both veterans of the Philippine business process outsourcing industry in November 2008.

PSG leads the Philippines’ move to higher value BPO work by providing outsourced recruitment services to the some of the largest US staffing companies.

Endeavor is a global nonprofit group that supports high-impact entrepreneurs to create and sustain a robust ecosystem of entrepreneurship. The entrepreneurs have gone through a rigorous screening process with mentors and board members in the Philippines over the last six months. After selection, the selected companies receive global and local business mentors, professional services and access to capital.

“Panelists were impressed by the duo’s ability to execute business strategy as they combined their US market experience and their knowledge of the Philippines BPO industry,” Endeavor Philippines managing director Manny Ayala said.

Under their leadership, PSG grew to 900 employees in 2015, and the company expects to grow revenues by more than 40 percent in 2016. More importantly, PSG sets an example in the Philippine BPO industry through strong internal HR practices as well as rigorous training and development of staff, resulting in materially

YOUNG... FROM B2 death. But of course, this is not what this voyage is about. I’m optimistic, hopeful and excited about what this Mars space travel can mean to life for us humans, to helping build a better future for all mankind,” she said.

“If I am privileged to have been chosen among those to finally travel to Mars, I hope that we can help create a new world of peace and a world of conserva-

lower than average absenteeism and attrition rates.

“We are excited to further accelerate our growth through the support of Endeavor. It is an honor for us to have been selected and we believe it also speaks to the amazing talent and potential we have found in the Philippines,” Padmanabhan said.

Cotter and Padmanabhan first met as senior executives in eTelecare, a Manila-based BPO company which was among the first to develop the Philippines as a delivery location for handling sales, technical support, and customer service calls for the US market.

After helping to grow eTelecare’s revenues to $200M and listing it on the Nasdaq in 2007, Cotter and Padmanabhan decided to venture into entrepreneurship and set up PSG Global Solutions.

“Being selected as Endeavor Entrepreneurs have given us the opportunity to interact with global mentors and entrepreneurs. This experience has pushed us to consider PSG’s potential in providing even more jobs and opportunities for the Philippines,” Cotter said.

PSG Global Solutions is poised for fast growth with plans for geographic and client expansion in the next two years with the Philippines continuing as its base of operations. Further, it will increase its tion of the environment there. If I set foot on Mars, my first words would be: Mars, no war,” Del Rosario said.

Science Secretary Mario Montejo sent his message of support to Del Rosario through assistant secretary Raymund Liboro who attended the forum.

Montejo and Liboro said the government supports the development of science and technology to ensure not only Philippine economic growth, but also the upliftment of the people’s quality

PSG Global Solutions founders Brian Cotter and Vivek Padmanabhan

commitment to the Philippines by setting up a new subsidiary that will provide its services to companies in the

Philippines.

Endeavor will provide strategic mentoring and support to PSG Global Solutions to

scale up their already impressive growth. Endeavor Philippines is supported by generous donors and supporters including JPMorgan Chase & Co. With their guidance, over 1,100 Endeavor Entrepreneurs throughout Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and the US have created over 500,000 jobs generating $7.6 billion in revenues.

The Endeavor Philippines office was launched in 2014, supporting three Endeavor Entrepreneurs in two companies.

of life.

The department also provided technological support and technical guidance to Kamuning Bakery Cafe’s upgraded production capacities, while still retaining its artisanal and antique ‘pugon’ or wood-fired brick ovens.

“Hopefully, Jaymee Del Rosario’s example of seeking to volunteer for the Mars project can encourage better interest in science and technology nationwide, also empowerment of women,”

World Balance footwear’s marketing officer Eric Nadurata said at the Pandesal Forum.

Mars One is a non-profit organization based in the Netherlands that has proposed to land the first humans on Mars and establish a permanent human colony there by 2027.

The private spaceflight project is led by Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp, who announced the Mars One project in May 2012.

Mars One wants to start sending groups of four on the one-way

trip to Mars by 2023.

Pandesal Forum hopes to help elevate the quality of public discourse in the Philippines on current affairs, politics, economics and other topics by focusing more on socio-economic, gut or ‘pandesal’ issues. It also hopes to advocate genuine reforms and new ideas.

The non-partisan, liberal, propeople and informal Pandesal Forum was started on Sept. 15, 2015 by writer Wilson Lee Flores as convenor and moderator.

It is an honor for us to have been selected and we believe it also speaks to the amazing talent and potential we have found in the Philippines.

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Spain’S prinCeSS CriStina goeS on trial for tax fraUd

drug kingpin Joaquin ‘el Chapo’ guzman is escorted into a helicopter at mexico City’s airport on Jan. 8 following his recapture during an intense military operation in los mochis, in Sinaloa State. AFP

reCaptured el Chapo Called ‘lord of tunnels’

Mexico city—With his daring underground escapes and ability to sneak narcotics under the US-Mexico border, Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “el chapo” Guzman earned a new nickname: “the Lord of tunnels.”

In fact, Guzman made one last tunnel escape before his capture on Friday, fleeing through a drainage system in the city of Los Mochis, Sinaloa state, as marines hunted him down. He was finally caught in a stolen car.

The man whose old nickname means “Shorty” had used the money from a drug empire whose tentacles reach Europe and Asia to dig himself out of trouble again and again.

The bathtub in one of his houses opened into an escape route

through drainage systems that he used to flee from troops in early 2014, and he repeated the act last year from a maximum-security prison.

US and Mexican authorities have regularly discovered sophisticated tunnels with rails and electricity used to ship marijuana, cocaine and other drugs into the United States, with cash and weapons coming the other way.

The 58-year-old Sinaloa drug cartel leader’s legend soared after he humiliated authorities by escap-

ing prison in his most ambitious tunnel yet.

On July 11, 2015, after just 17 months at the Altiplano prison in central Mexico, Guzman slipped through a hole in his cell’s shower, climbed on a motorcycle mounted on rails, and traveled 1.5 kilometers through the tunnel.

US and Mexican law enforcement officials say Guzman then flew to his home patch on the Sinaloadurango state border because he is revered as a modern-day robin Hood in the region. His octogenarian mother still lives in his village of La Tuna.

Marines nearly captured him in October in a remote mountain region. Authorities said Guzman injured his face and a leg while falling in the rough terrain, but special forces failed to nab him.

Guzman had been previously captured on Feb. 22, 2014, in the Sinaloa resort of Mazatlan. He was found in a condo with his wife and their young twin daughters.

Guzman became a legend of Mexico’s underworld, with musicians singing his praises in folk ballads known as “narcocorridos,” tributes to drug capos.

He is said to have been brazen enough to walk into restaurants in his state of Sinaloa, ask diners to hand their cell phones to his bodyguards, eat calmly and pay everyone’s tabs before leaving.

His ability to sneak tons of cocaine, heroin and marijuana into the United States made him “Public Enemy Number One” in Chicago, a moniker that had been given to US prohibition-era mafia boss Al Capone. AFP

MAdrId—Spain’s Princess Cristina, the sister of King Felipe VI, and her husband will go on trial Monday for corruption in a high stakes case likely to further damage the monarchy’s image.

The highly anticipated trial of the royal couple and 16 other accused will run until June at a court in Palma, on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, where the Spanish royal family has a seaside holiday home.

Cristina, 50, will be the first direct member of the royal family facing criminal charges since the monarchy was reinstated following the death of dictator General Francisco Franco in 1975.

The case is centred on the shady business deals of the Noos Institute, a charitable organisation based in Palma which her husband, former Olympic handball player Inaki Urdangarin, chaired from 2004 to 2006.

As a result of their indictment, last year, King Felipe VI, who took over from his father Juan Carlos in June 2014, stripped Cristina and her husband of their title as duke and duchess of Palma de Mallorca, in a bid to undo damage to the monarchy’s image ahead of the trial.

Juan Carlos had given the couple the title when they married in 1997 in a lavish ceremony at the height of the popularity of the Spanish royals.

“Felipe VI cannot allow there to be the slightest doubt over the rigor of his sister’s trial,” historian Pilar Urbano, who has written extensively about the royal family, told AFP. The trial must be “exemplary, the opposite would hurt him,” she added. AFP

US lawmakerS aim to Strip Bill CoSBy of preSidential medal WASHINGTON—A bipartisan group of US lawmakers will introduce legislation that provides President Barack Obama authority to revoke the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Bill Cosby, the actor-turned-pariah facing several rape accusations.

The medal was established half a century ago as the nation’s highest civilian honor, but in July Obama acknowledged there was no mechanism for officially revoking the award.

Members of Congress are moving to empower the president to do just that, rolling out a bill that also provides criminal penalties for anyone who pub-

licly displays such a medal that has been stripped.

“Cosby has admitted to drugging women in order to satisfy his sexual desires, and, therefore, the federal government should not recognize Cosby with an honor like the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” read a draft of the measure provided by the office of House republican Paul Gosar, the bill’s main sponsor.

Cosby, 78, was charged last week with felony sexual assault, the first to stem from a series of allegations that have ruined his image as an affable patriarch in the wildly popular 1980s television hit “The Cosby Show.”

More than 50 women have accused Cosby of drugging and sexually molesting or raping them—allegations the veteran television and movie showman has vehemently denied.

Gosar said that while there is a legal presumption of Cosby’s innocence, the actor’s admission to drugging several women puts him “outside the bounds of whom we should admire in our society.”

“Like so many Americans, I am sick and tired of watching the rapid decline of our culture right in front of our eyes,” he said. “It is time to reclaim our nation’s moral compass.” AFP

MARTIAL ARTS.russian

president Vladimir putin (left) wrestles with the 2014 world Judo Championship silver medal winner Beslan mudranov during a training session in moscow on Jan.8. AFP

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WORLD editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Nokor releases video of ‘New’ BallisTiC missile TesT Seoul - North Korea has released video footage of a purportedly new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test, three days after it claimed it had successfully tested its first hydrogen bomb.

But South Korean media suggested the footage broadcast by state Korean Central TV late Friday was an edited compilation of the North’s third SLBM test, conducted last month in the Sea of Japan, and a different ballistic

missile test from 2014.

The undated footage shows leader Kim Jong-Un, on board a military vessel in a winter coat and a fedora hat, looking on as a missile is launched vertically from underwater and ignites in mid air.

The video then cuts to a rocket flying through the clouds, suggesting the missile was able to reach such altitudes.

But South Korean media said the images of a rocket rising through the clouds was in fact taken from footage of a SCUd missile test broadcast in 2014.

North Korea first announced in May that it had conducted a successful SLBM test, a claim accompanied by pictures of Kim pointing

at the missile as it blasted out of the water at a 45-degree angle. a second SLBM test was carried out off the southeastern port of Wonsan in November but this was apparently a failure as only debris from its casing was seen in the sea and no traces of the flight were detected.

South Korean military officials say the North is continuing to actively pursue the development of SLBMs, which would take its nuclear threat to a new level. AFP

south korean conservative activists shout slogans with placards showing portraits of North korean leader kim Jong-Un during a rally denouncing North korea’s hydrogen bomb test in seoul on Jan. 7. AFP

14 dead iN two deadly migraNt bUs crashes iSTaNBUL—Fourteen people, most of them Syrian refugees, were killed and dozens more injured in two deadly bus accidents in Turkey in the past 24 hours, reports said Saturday. early on Saturday, a bus carrying migrants hoping to catch a boat to the Greek island of Lesbos overturned and rolled into a gorge in the western Balikesir province, killing seven Syrians and the driver, state-run anatolia news agency said.

Forty-two others were injured, it said. in a separate incident a day earlier, a bus carrying migrants from Syria, afghanistan and Myanmar slammed into a car in the northwestern Canakkale province, killing six Syrians and injuring 30 others, the private dogan news agency said.

They were also being driven to a beach from where they would have tried to cross to

Lesbos, it said.

Turkey, which is home to some 2.2 million refugees from Syria’s civil war, has become a hub for migrants seeking to reach europe, many of whom pay people smugglers thousands of dollars for the risky crossing.

This week, the bodies of 36 migrants, including several children, were found washed up along the Turkish coast after their boats sank while crossing the aegean Sea to eU member Greece.

The european Union has pledged to give ankara three billion euros ($3.2 billion) as well as political concessions in return for its cooperation in tackling europe’s worst migrant crisis since World War ii.

But earlier this week, the eU said it was far from satisfied with Turkey’s cooperation in stemming the flow of migrants trying to reach the bloc. AFP

UN coUNcil coNdemNs ‘heiNoUs’ isis attack iN libya UNiTed NaTioNS—The UN Security Council strongly condemned the “heinous” suicide bombing claimed by islamic State extremists that killed dozens in Libya and called on rival groups to speed up the formation of a unity government.

More than 50 people were killed in the attack on Thursday on a police training school in the coastal city of Zliten, a security source said, in the deadliest single attack in Libya since the fall of Moamer Kadhafi.

The 15-member council described the suicide bombing as a “heinous act” and said those responsible should be brought to justice. it also condemned a separate attack the same day on a checkpoint in Ras Lanouf, home to a key oil terminal, in which six people died including a baby.

The council “urged all parties in Libya to join efforts to combat the threat posed by transnational terrorist groups exploiting Libya for their own agenda by urgently implementing the Libyan political agreement” setting up the unity government.

The United Nations brokered the unity government deal that was signed by politicians last month, but the agreement does not have the full backing of Libya’s rival parliaments.

Libya has had rival administrations since august 2014, when an islamist-backed militia alliance overran Tripoli, forcing the government to take refuge in the east. AFP

Fluid movement. chinese dancer yang liping performs the ‘spirit of the Peacock’ dance in kunming during the ‘dynamic yunnan’ show, a large dance drama and depiction of the life of the ethnic people of yunnan province. AFP

twiN sister of last iraN shah dead at 96 NeW YoRK—Princess ashraf Pahlavi, the twin sister of the last shah of iran and a controversial trailblazer for women’s rights, has died aged 96.

Princess ashraf, who played a key role in domestic and international politics, died at her home in europe on Thursday, advisor

Robert armao said.

She was widely regarded as a talented diplomat and headed the iranian delegation to the United Nations General assembly for more than a decade.

The princess was also considered a powerful spokeswoman and ally for her brother, although she was loathed

by religious fundamentalists. after the islamic revolution overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, she supported initiatives related to reviving iran’s cultural, literary and artistic heritage from exile.

She is survived by one son, Prince Chahram, and five grandchildren and great grandchildren.

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POC EYES MORE ATHLETES FOR RIO OLYMPIC GAMES pic Council of Asia meeting last November, he was informed that invitations will be given to qualified athletes, who have not made the cut through world rankings and qualifying competitions.

He has asked the NSAs for a list of athletes who can be given invitational places.

There will be a total of 110 places in 16 individual sports, which will be available for allocation to all eligible National Olympic Committees.

Under the rules, the number of invitation places to be allocated to an eligible NOC, if any, remains at the full discretion of a Tripartite the Commission, which will screen the applicants.

So far, the Philippines is looking forward to qualify at least one boxer to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

A Filipino boxer can become among an additional 190 men and 36 women, who will be confirmed for Rio 2016 over

By Peter Atencio

THE Philippines has until Feb. 5 to determine which Filipino athletes have a good chance of earning an invitational place in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Philippine Olympic Committee vice president Joey Romasanta said this after he informed various national sports associations that more qualifications are available for the quadrennial meet.

“We want to have more athletes included. But they have to meet the minimum qualifying standard,” said Romasanta.

Romasanta said that during an OlymManila

Standard

Republic of the Philippines Province of Bataan City of Balanga BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE OFFICE

TODAY

INVITATION TO BID NO. GOODS-004-2016 The Provincial Government of Bataan, through the Special Educational Fund04 intends to apply the below listed procurement w/ corresponding Approved Budget of the Contract (ABC). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

Name of Project 1.

Approved Budget of the contract (ABC)

Supply & Delivery of Uniforms and Rubber Shoes for the use of Palarong Pampook CLRAA) 2016 to be held on (February 7 - 12, 2016 at Malolos, Bulacan

=P=2,930,850.00

The Provincial Government of Bataan now invites bids for the above listed Procurement.

Delivery of goods is required on or before the maturity date stipulated on contract. Bidders should have completed, at least one (1) contract that is similar to the contract to be bid.

The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is open to all interested bidders, whether local or foreign, subject to the conditions for eligibility provided in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from Office of Bataan Bids & Awards Committee and inspect the Bidding Documents from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the same office.

Bid documents will be available only to eligible bidders upon payment of a nonrefundable amount of using standard rates approved by GPPB as stated on their Resolution No. 04-2012 listed below.

Approved Budget for the Contract 500,000 and below More than 500,000 up to 1 Million More than 1 Million up to 5 Million More than 5 Million up to 10 Million More than 10 Million up to 50 Million More than 50 Million up to 500 Million More than 500 Million

Maximum Cost of Bidding Documents (in Philippine Peso) 500.00 1,000.00 5,000.00 10,000.00 25,000.00 50,000.00 75,000.00

The Provincial Government of Bataan will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on January 18, 2016 at 10:00 A.M at Provincial BAC Office, PEO Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

Bids must be delivered on or before February 01, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. at Provincial BAC Office, PEO Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated on IRR of RA 9184 and Bid Securing Declaration in standard form.

The winning bidder has the option to deliver the items requested by the end-user with higher technical specification & better technology provided it will be beneficial to the government & will not incur additional expenses on the part of the procuring entity.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend opening of Bids at Bataan BAC Office. Late bids shall not be accepted.

In case of the above dates is declared a special Non-Working Holidays, it will automatically reset on the next working days.

Other necessary information deemed relevant by the Provincial Government of Bataan Activities 1. Advertisement/Posting of Invitation to Bid 2. Eligibility Check 3. Issuance and availability of Bidding Documents 4. Request for Clarification 5. Opening of Bids

Schedule January 11 – 17, 2016 Refer to date of Opening of Bids January 11 – February 01, 2016 January 22, 2016 February 01, 2016

The Provincial Government of Bataan reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to: Engr. Josephine R. Valenzuela Provincial BAC / PEO Bataan Provincial BAC / PEO Office, Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan 047-237-9316 bac@bataan.gov.ph (TS-JAN. 10, 2016)

(SGD) ENRICO T. YUZON BAC CHAIRMAN

the coming months and in the coming Olympic Qualifiers to be held in Argentina, Cameroon and China in March.

Roger Ladon, a fighter in the 46-49 kg weight class in the men’s division, is among those who are expected to have a big chance.

Ladon is fourth in the Olympic rankings with 1050 points in his weight category, according to a list released by the International Boxing Association on its official website.

He will be joined by Mark Anthony Barriga, who has 350 points, and is ranked no. 24 behind Ladon World Archery-Philippines, formerly known as Philippine Archers National Network Alliance, is optimistic that Philippine archers can grab a Rio Olympic berth in the last qualifier in the the June 12 to 19 World Cup in Antalya, Turkey.

Joey Romasanta

CYAN MAGENTA YELL

DONAIRE PLANS 10-WEEK TRAINING CAMP

By Ronnie Nathanielsz FORMER five-division world champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire plans on having a 10-week training camp for the first defense of his World Boxing Council super bantamweight title on April 23 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines.

Donaire told The Standard/ boxingmirror.com that while there hasn’t been a definite word on whether he will face world No. 4 ranked Hungarian Zsolt Bedak or his original opponent, former world featherweight champion Evgeny Gradovich of Russia, “I will just train hard and when they figure out who my opponent will be, I’ll be ready.”

The champion said he will begin training in mid-February in Las Vegas with his trainer/ father “Dodong” Donaire, who steered him to his second world 122-pound title and will enlist Fred Bowen, who helped him prepare for the title- winning effort against Mexico’s Cesar Juarez in what turned out to be a lopsided decision, but was a brutal fight in which Donaire dropped Juarez twice in Round

Nonito Donaire Jr.

4 and had him in trouble with some vicious shots to the head and body, but which the Mexican inexplicably withstood and appeared to get stronger as the fight progressed.

Should it be Bedak, the 2004 Athens Olympian who won comfortably over Abner Mares, a world title holder, Donaire said: “He is a pretty good fighter and won’t be rated No. 4 if he’s not.”

Donaire revealed that he and his trainer/father would study Bedak’s fight tapes and “figure

things out.”

The world 122-pound champion a second time around, who has redeemed himself after the brutal victory over Juarez and has won the respect of Filipino fight fans, made it clear “we’ll be ready,” no matter who he faces since there is a possibility that Gradovich who tests the waters in a super bantamweight ten round bout in Valencia, Spain this weekend, may decide to accept the title shot at Donaire, with whom he had sparred in the past.

GENERALS EARN TWICE-TO-BEAT EDGE THE defending champion Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals earned themselves a twice-tobeat advantage in the Final Four semifinals of the 91st National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s volleyball tournament at the Arena in San Juan.

They snapped the University of Perpetual Help Altas’ seven-game winning streak with a resounding 25-20, 25-22, 25-17 triumph, with Howard Mojica scoring 20 points in attacks.

This sent the Generals to their seventh win in eight games in second spot.

With the win, the Altas missed an outright finals berth via a nine-game sweep of their ninegame assignment.

Because of this, the Generals earned the top seeding in the semis.

“All the players, especially Howard (Mojica) wanted to win,” said EAC coach Rodrigo Palmero.

In the junior side, the EAC-ICA Brigadiers also took the top seeding in the semis after they toppled the Junior Altas, 25-27, 25-21, 25-21, 21-25, 15-7, in a 95-minute contest.

Ralph Pitogo had 22 points as the Brigadiers finished the elims with a 6-1 card.

On the other hand, the Generals have set themselves up for a possible semis clash with San Beda, which closed out with a 5-4 record.

Peter Atencio

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SPORTS

REUEL VIDAL EDITOR

sports@thestandard.com.ph

B7

PBA SEMIFINALS HEAT UP

By Reuel Vidal

THE semifinals of the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup continue to heat up with the daily games turning physical as the four remaining teams chase berths in the finals.

The stakes are higher, the teams are emotional and the daily games make the PBA semifinals feel as rushed as a shotgun wedding with a pregnant bride.

A scuffle in Game 2 of the Alaska-GlobalPort series almost escalated into a bench-clearing free-for-all while both coaches of Rain Or Shine and San Miguel Beer are complaining about the way the referees officiate their bruising playoff.

In Game 2 GlobalPort’s Anthony Semerad bumped Alaska’s Dondon Hontiveros sending him to the floor. Hontiveros grabbed Semerad and both fell backwards into the hard court.

Jay Washington helped up Semerad. Calvin Abueva helped Hontiveros get up but couldn’t resist the urge and bumped Semerad. Washington didn’t appreciate the contact and shoved Abueva to the floor. Washington got entangled with Hontiveros and shoved him as well.

Players and team officials then rushed into the court. All four players were assessed technical fouls. Technical fouls were also handed out to GlobalPort officials Erick Arejola, Bonnie Tan, Pido Jarencio as well as Alaska officials Louie Alas, Alex Compton, Monch Gavierres, Jeffrey Cariaso and Dickie Bachmann for entering the court.

It should have been a nonincident but players and officials of both teams were so emotional that for a few minutes all hell almost broke loose.

The Aces went back to their roots and shut down the GlobalPort Batang Pier with their trademark defense to post a 100-76 rout in that Game 2 to equalize their bestof-seven playoff.

GlobalPort Batang Pier point guard Terrence Romeo and Alaska Aces defender RJ Jazul (31) collide as Romeo tries to drive into the paint.

Alaska Aces forward Calvin Abueva (8) charges into the paint against GlobalPort Batang Pier defender Stanley Pringle (3) while GlobalPort big man Keith Jensen looks on.

Two days later the Aces took the initiative in their playoff when their unrelenting defense once again shut down the GlobalPort offense. Alaska

posted a decisive 82-69 victory in Game 3.

The Aces engaged the Batang Pier in a bruising, defense-oriented game which they won decisively to grab a 2-1 advantage in their best-of-seven semifinal playoff.

The unforgiving Alaska defense held GlobalPort to a dismal 27-percent (24-of-91) shooting and forced the Batang Pier gunners to miss all but two of their 31 triple attempts.

GlobalPort’s breakout star Terrence Romeo also let his emotions get the better of him. He was ejected on successive technical fouls in Game 3.

With the Aces leading by 11 with over six minutes left, RJ Jazul committed an offensive foul on Romeo, who retaliated by bumping Jazul.

The Rain Or Shine-San Miguel Beer playoff is tied at one-all as we went to press.

In both games the Elasto Painters jumped out to big leads. The difference is that the Elasto Painters

succumbed to pressure in Game 1 and lost. They kept their composure in Game 2 and won.

The Elasto Painters built a 25-point lead which was trimmed to five late in Game 2. Despite the blazing rally the Elasto Painters retained their composure and drained pressure packed free throws to hack out a 105-97 victory to tie their own best-of-seven series at one game apiece.

Credit Elasto Painters coach Yeng Guiao for making the necessary adjustments which led to their Game 2 win.

Jeff Chan, who was scoreless in their Game 1 loss, bounced back by scoring 16 points - including back-to-back three-pointers late in the game - to lead the Elasto Painters to victory.

Don Trollano, who didn’t even play in Game 1, was a starter in Game 2. He chipped in 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting in 18 minutes of burn.

June Mar Fajardo put up his usual monster numbers with 38 points, 17 boards, one steal, and one block in 39 minutes. But he was tired, tired, tired late in the game and uncharacteristically missed 10 of 22 free throws.

In contrast to the AlaskaGlobalPort playoff, where coach Alex Compton and coach Pido Jarencio never questioned referee calls, both coaches Yeng Guiao and Leo Austria were unsatisfied with the referees.

Despite winning Game 2 Guiao still felt the need to say that based on the way the referees are calling them, he had no idea what’s a foul and what’s not a foul. He added that this was a concern not just for the Elasto Painters but for the Beermen as well.

Austria on the other hand claimed the Elasto Painters committed several travelling violations that were not called. He also questioned the backing violation called on Chris Ross.

Austria said Ross did commit a backing violation but only because he was fouled by Chris Tiu. Yes, these playoffs are heating up.

A slimmed down Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters big man JR Quinahan (43), who reportedly lost 20 lbs in preparation for this PBA Philippine Cup, spins past San Miguel Beer defender Arwind Santos (29).

B8

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

ALA Promotions kicks off 2016 with a big card on Feb. 27 at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu titled “Stars of the Future,” headlined by unbeaten super bantamweight Prince Albert Pagara and featherweight Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo, along with KJ Cataraja and unbeaten minimum weight Melvin Jerusalem.

Pagara will face former International Boxing Federation super flyweight champion Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr., the 24-year-old Mexican southpaw with a record of 20-4-1 with 9 knockouts, who battled Cesar Juarez and lost by a 12-round unanimous decision in a World Boxing Organization International title fight.

Juarez subsequently engaged fivedivision world champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire in a brutal fight for the vacant WBO 122-pound title, which the Filipino won after dropping Juarez twice in the fourth round. Juarez made an unbelievable turnaround and engaged Donaire in a slugfest in the second half of the fight, showing no signs of tiredness, while throwing flurries of punches and not backing off even after getting nailed by some big shots.

Sanchez Jr., who beat Juan Francisco Estrada, the current WBO/World Boxing Association flyweight champion in an eight-round bout early in his career, but lost in a rematch, also scored a ninth-round knockout in a title defense against Filipino Rodel Mayol on Sept. 22, 2012.

The 21-year-old Pagara, in his last fight when he made his US debut at the StubHub Center in Carson City, California, scored an impressive sixthround knockout over Nicaraguan southpaw William Gonzalez to win the vacant WBO Youth Intercontinental title after earlier scoring a spectacular first-round knockout over highly touted Hugo Partida, to win the vacant IBF Intercontinental title on June 21, 2014.

Magsayo will face off with another Mexican warrior in 22-year-old lightweight Eduardo Montoya, who has a record of 17-4-1 with 13 knockouts.

Montoya, who is scheduled to fight Tony Luis for the World Boxing Council Latino Interim title on Jan. 29, is coming off a sixth-round TKO win over Cipriano Garcia in a scheduled 10-round bout last Oct. 2 after earlier scoring a 10-round unanimous decision over Luis Gonzalez on Sept. 19, 2014.

Magsayo also fought on the initial US presentation of ALA Promotions in partnership with the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN and the widely watched The Filipino Channel – and scored a spectacular first-round knockout of fancied Mexican Yardley Suarez to capture the IBF Youth featherweight title after earlier winning by a fifth-round TKO over Rafael Reyes on July 11, 2015.

The 20-year-old Magsayo has a record of 12-0 with 10 knockouts and together with Pagara is regarded as a future world champion.

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rierA U. MAllAri EDITOR sports@thestandard.com.ph

sports

ALA’s

stArs of the future

Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo (right), who scored a spectacular first-round knockout of fancied Yardley Suarez during the initial US presentation of ALA Promotions, will face off with another Mexican warrior in 22-year-old lightweight Eduardo Montoya, who has a record of 17-4-1 with 13 knockouts.

Prince Albert Pagara, shown here watching a fallen foe, will face former IBF super flyweight champion Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr., the 24-year-old Mexican southpaw with a record of 20-4-1 with 9 knockouts.

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TATUM ANCHETA EDITOR

BING PAREL

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

BERNADETTE LUNAS

life @ thestandard.com .ph

WRITER

@LIFEatStandard

S U NDAY L IF E

LIFE

SO LONG 2015, AND HELLO 2016!

The year 2015 has been one heck of a journey for everyone; globally the human race has accomplished so much – from revolutionary products that save lives to slowly addressing some long overdue climate issues to new frontier CAROTID ARTERY change discoveries and many more.

BY TATUM ANCHETA NowThisNews – the video news network made for the digital age especially for social media – released a summary of humankind’s ingenuity and accomplishments for 2015 and it will make you proud that you are, after all, part of the homo sapiens species. It featured science and tech advancements in 2015 like Los Angeles’ black shade balls, created to protect

the region’s water supply from contaminants and from evaporation by dumping them into the water and preserving what’s underneath; UK company Tarmac invented “thirsty concrete,” a solution to flash floods on the road; University of Maryland has developed a foam that is released in the body to potentially shield trauma patients from any internal bleeding; and a breakthrough from NASA – the agency finally found water on Mars and discovered a planet similar to ours named Kepler 452b or Earth 2.0. These are just a few of 2015’s breakthroughs, and even with so many global issues plaguing our existence – like natural disasters, terrorism, hunger, climate change – there is still so much more to be thankful for.

In the Philippines, aside from the soap opera-like election dramas, we were always in international news fronts. And whether good or bad, these made our country look larger than life. Among the many things to highlight from 2015

are our winning the Miss Universe crown after 42 years, Aisa Mijeno’s saltwater lamp project that got everyone talking during the APEC (fine, aside from the trending #APECHotties), and the Alden Richards-Maine Mendoza tandem that, aside from making the public happy through AlDub nation’s Kalyeserye, even reached global audiences and had everyone waving pabebe-like.

For 2016, I’m excited to see what we will all come up with; hopefully we all make it a good year (crossing our fingers for the election outcome). I’ve asked different personalities from the fields of fashion, culinary arts, hospitality, photography, mixology, home and living, and fitness to tell us what they loved about 2015 and how it affected the industries they worked in to what gets them excited for 2016 –the trends in their industries and how these can affect the new year ahead. Here are their answers:

GABRIEL GUERRERO

Coach, CrossFit MNL (Fort) The rise in popularity of fitness apps and wearable devices have gotten more people active because they can now easily track their footsteps, daily runs and workouts, and share their progress. I can see this continuing into 2016, but more than just walking and 5k runs, I hope to see more people (especially women) getting into strength training and functional fitness. Boot camp style classes are a good start for inexperienced trainees, and as they get fitter, they’ll be able to transition to a more challenging program to fast track their results. I hope to see less of gimmicky devices like that rubber cylinder you swing around, and hopefully less people texting and taking selfies during their workouts.

LUIS ESPIRITU JR.

Creative director; fashion columnist; EIC-Digital Fashion Week Manila This 2016, I would like to see more contemporary and progressive designs in fashion. Attention to education should be a focus, wherein knowledge of history and its contribution to the industry is given relevance. I would also like to see a lot of reinventions and expositions of the classics made new. Most importantly, for the new year, I hope to see the propagation of the value of authenticity, handmade creations, cultural preservation and progressive design.

MARIEL SAN AGUSTIN

Owner and designer of Domesticity Domesticity is all about rustic and relaxed accessories for the home that give back to our Gawad Kalinga community. For 2016, we would like to see more conscious and sustainable choices when decorating spaces whether decorative or functional. Buy pieces that have a story behind them and add meaning to one’s lifestyle, from drinking glasses to decorative vases and lighting fixtures. I think we need to put the whole mason jar trend to rest!

KRIST BANSUELO

Celebrity makeup artist For makeup, the trends I would like to forget from 2015 are these so-called contouring of faces, heavy makeup like the Kardashians’ way of putting makeup, and heavy fake eyelashes. For 2016, I would like to see dewy skin and everything real in beauty to come back again. No fake lashes, no contouring, no strobing, no heavy painted lips, just makeup that enhances one’s features and revels in what makes one person’s beauty different from the rest. In short, being individualistic in accepting one’s own beauty.

GEE PLAMENCO

Fashion photographer This 2016 would be a year of owning your own voice and aesthetic. I’ve realized that from a global perspective, there are no parameters and limitations, no right and wrong in fashion photography. In 2015, I’ve played it too safe; this year I will challenge myself to be bigger than the idea of today’s norm.

CRISTINA DEL CARMEN

Director of Communications, Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort & Spa I am proud to call Boracay my home, and I look forward to seeing a leap in our marine preservation efforts, as well as great success in projects that help preserve our environment.

With strong law enforcement and concentrated individual efforts for the greater welfare of Boracay, we can better enjoy our beloved island and encourage more visitors from around the world to come and visit. Boracay Island is truly a special place, and it is our collective responsibility to make sure it thrives.

The year 2015 saw inbound travel from China and Russia decline, and these are key feeder markets in our business. I hope 2016 enables travelers from these countries to come to the Philippines – and to Boracay – more often once again.

CHEF PHILIP JOHN GOLDING

COO and culinary director of S&L Fine Foods, and founding president of the Philippine chapter of Disciples Escoffier Chefs playing with tweezers and micro greens will fade out, replacing the trend with “back to basics approach.” Bring back the plates! Some concepts get away with modern elements; others are better off sticking to essentials rather than trying to be clever. Mixology and bartenders were the stars of 2015, and fine drinking finally got the spotlight.

Cool, clean, and fresh clever combinations and concoctions bursting with flavors took off.

I believe 2016 will be a great year for food, wine hangouts, and wider cuisine choices. The year offers greater authenticity and more precise cooking styles returning to fundamental basics, and a thrust for better knowledgeable service standards. Concepts such as delicatessens catering to imported and local regional cheeses along with smoked and cured meats, jamons and healthy food restaurants will continue to grow in popularity. The selection of world cuisine will grow as more and more restaurants and hotels open throughout the country. There’s also more demand for sustainable quality produce – line-caught fish, grass-fed meat all with traceability. Consumers want to know more in every aspect where their food comes from. The trend for good quality meat continues, steak houses will evolve capitalizing on nicely seasoned and cooked meat paired with reasonably priced wines from all over the world vastly changing from the selections15 years ago. Happy cooking and happy shopping in 2016!

FRANCIS LIBIRAN Fashion designer

This year, I will focus on developing better design details for my creations. I would like to keep the spirit alive of made-to-order in the fashion industry and strengthen its essence – making it the hallmark of all my runway collections. Every quarter of the year, it has always been my goal to create new techniques for new designs that I can offer to my clients – be it haute couture, menswear or weddings. I believe that in a world where fashion and trends are continuously evolving, we must continue to create new ideas, always offer something new and innovative.

The year 2015 was a good one for fashion. It gave us some trends that we’re ready to fully embrace this new year, and some we’ll build on and explore further. But the last year also showed some overexposed trends that need to rest. Some of the trends that, I believe, must need to retire include excessively distressed jeans, using leggings as pants, designer logo puns and mullet skirts.

Continued on C4

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

The balancing act of

Senator Chiz Escudero, Teddy Boy Locsin Jr. and Atty. Karen Jimeno

P

olitician Chiz Escudero, journalist Teddy Boy Locsin Jr. and lawyer Karen Jimeno may be leading different lives and thriving in contrasting fields, but they all share one thing in common: they have found balance between their personal and professional lives.

Finding that elusive “balance,” in which one excels in his career as he maintains a healthy life outside of work, can be a challenge even for the most passionate individual. But these successful personalities make it work.

In an exclusive photo shoot for American polo shirt brand Original Penguin by Munsingwear, Escudero, Locsin and Jimeno share how they work hard and play hard equally well.

THE COOKING SENATOR

Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero has a couple more stressful months ahead of him. This is not to say that Escudero had a walk in the park since at 28, he was already immersed in the political scene. But after his announcement in September last year that he was joining the vice presidential race, he

Francis 'Chiz' Escudero (photo by Magic Liwanag)

now has to work double time fulfilling his current responsibilities and encouraging the public to support him this May. Escudero has a rational and simple approach in achieving work-life balance, and that is by not eating politics for breakfast, lunch or dinner. He makes it a point to work when he needs to work and reserves weekends to spend quality time with his family.

In a field where almost nothing is within control, Escudero takes refuge in cooking.

“There are no variables. Everything is within your control. If I make a mistake I know the exact outcome. Sometimes in life and love, even if I do not commit a mistake, the outcome is still different,” he says.

“Unlike life or politics or love, where almost everything is a variable, cooking somehow preserves my sanity,” he says, adding that preparing meals keeps him grounded and makes him feel that something is still within his control and reach.

THE FEARLESS JOURNALIST

Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin Jr. has been in public service since the late ‘60s, both in media and politics. He was an editorial writer for the Philippines Free Press, practiced law at the Angara law office, founded The Daily Globe, Philippines Free Press (re-opening) and Today newspaper, and became the speechwriter and legal counsel of the late President Corazon Aquino.

From 2001 to 2010, he served as congressman for the 1st district of Makati.

“My public service was a great experience.

As a young writer before, I looked down at

Penshoppe, the famous clothing and lifestyle brand, has its roots in the Queen City of the South. It is located at the Lower Ground floor

Love your body with The Body Shop located at the Upper Ground floor

Kultura Filipino showcases uniquely Filipino fashion, home ware, souvenirs, and delicacies

Teddy Boy Locsin Jr. (photo by Shaira Luna)

politicians. But when I entered politics, I realized how hard it was to be a politician and it was a good lesson,” shares Locsin At 66, Locsin is the host of TEDitorial, an editorial segment on a late night newscast.

His daily routine includes writing his script in the morning, hosting his program in the evening, and swimming and exercising in between. He also spends time organizing his house and reading in his own library.

THE PRETTY, CAR-LOVING LAWYER

She might be known to many as the court trial beauty, but Atty. Karen Jimeno is more than just a pretty face. A practicing lawyer both in the Philippines and New York, a Law professor, an advocate of enlightening voters about automated election, and a TV host, it

would seem impossible to believe that she is also a loving wife who still has time left for her interests and hobbies.

“Having a partner who enjoys simple things and respects your work boundaries is a good relationship to treasure,” she shares.

When not doing legal work, Jimeno writes about cars. “Ever since I was a child, I have developed a love for cars as an art with its aesthetics and engineering. For me, it’s a fun type of work. I get to write creatively as well, which is different from legal writing.”

Senator Chiz Escudero, Teddy Boy Locsin and Atty. Karen Jimeno have different personalities, inclinations, and professions – but they all know how to balance priorities and live life to the fullest.

H & M, the iconic Swedish multinational retail-clothing company has opened a new store American brand Forever 21 opens its 11th store in the country at the at the Upper Ground Floor and Level 2 Upper Ground floor level

Global fashion brands now at SM Seaside City Cebu

S Fashion Forum is a multi-brand boutique featuring contemporary US brands at The SM Store

Karen Jimeno (photo by Kenji Onglao)

M Seaside City Cebu’s iconic features such as the nautilus design concept as well as The Cube which is a sculptural piece that pays tribute to the resilience of Cebuanos and Filipinos plus its amazing architecture are just some of the reasons why the new mall has become the go-to place for Cebuanos.

Cebuanos – who are known to be fashionable – are also excited at the wide fashion options now made available through the mall’s mix of global, national, and home-grown brands.

In fact, “Seaside style” could soon be a byword which is a combination of global glam and local luxe, elevating fashion shopping standards in the Queen City of the South. SM Seaside

City Cebu is now home to major global brands like Sweden’s H&M, Japan’s Uniqlo, US based Forever 21, Spain’s Sfera, and the UK’s Body Shop.

The SM Store’s Fashion Forum is also a multi-brand boutique of contemporary clothes from US brands like Donna Morgan, Adriana Papell, Ali Rio, David Meister, Eliza J, Muse, and more. The selections will effortlessly take shoppers from day to night – from weekend dresses, work wear, cocktail dresses, to long gowns for formal occasions.

Home grown brands are also showcased at SM Seaside City Cebu, among them from the Golden ABC Group – Penshoppe, Oxygen, Forme, Memo, and Regatta as well as Loalde.

Soon to open is Island Souvenirs.

Love your body with The Body Shop located at the Upper Ground floor

Uniqlo is located at the Upper Ground floor level

SFERA is at the Upper Ground floor

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

Regional Awardee for Luzon Ester Shiela Vitto (center) receives her award Organic farmer Marines Takingan receives the special award for community Citi Philippines chief executive officer Aftab Ahmed and Bangko Sentral ng leadership from 2015 CMA National Selection Committee members Alfredo Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. flank 2015 Citi Microentrepreneur of from National Selection Committee member and Ayala Corporation President Fernando Zobel de Ayala (4th from left) and representatives from CARD the Year national winner Lydia Malot Antonio and Marixi Rufino-Prieto MRI (from left) managing director Dr. Jaime Aristotle Alip, account officer Rosechelle An Noble, and CARD Bank president Dolores Torres

L

NATA DE COCO MAKER TOPS MICROENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARD

ydia Malot only had P300 and a recipe she got from a magazine when she and her husband started their business of manufacturing nata de coco.

During the early years of their business, the husband-wife tandem from Davao worked hands-on, from grating the coconut to selling their finished products. They were running their modest business while working full-time; Lydia was a public school teacher and her husband was a mechanic. She eventually decided to leave teaching to focus on their nata de coco venture.

Her first client ordered 500 kilos of nata de coco, which eventually became eight tons a week. Lydia’s business was experiencing steady growth until the company to which she supplied closed down.

The setback was followed by a few more ups and downs. But the biggest obstacle came when her diabetic husband succumbed to kidney failure. Lydia may have lost her husband but not her determination.

The single mother bravely took on the reins and opportunities came one after

another. She now supplies nata de coco to large canned food and juice producers in the Philippines, and will soon supply to a Korean drink company. Microfinance institution Kabalikat para sa Maunlad na Buhay, Inc. will provide capital for her expansion.

Good things continue to come to this hardworking woman’s way. Of the 144 nominations from 28 microfinance institutions, Lydia was chosen as the National Winner of the 2015 Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards, the first to hail from Mindanao in the program’s 12-year history.

A partnership among the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Citi Philippines, and the Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc., the CMA is a nationwide search for the most outstanding micro business owners and funded by Citi Foundation.

The National Selection Committee, chaired by Citi Philippines chief executive officer Aftab Ahmed, unanimously chose Lydia because of her impressive business achievements and acts of bravery and

perseverance. She and six other winners were honored recently.

Regional Awardee for Luzon Ester Shiela Vitto and husband Ronald were able to carve a market for their homegrown sandals and slippers using old tires. Visayas Awardee Jordan Inalisan who started as a pastillas business worker is now the owner of the goto store offering special pastillas and other delicacies from Carigara, Leyte. Maternidad Salili, Mindanao winner, is a proud manufacturer of coil springs for some of the country’s biggest manufacturing companies.

Ester, Jordan and Maternidad are clients of CARD Bank, Inc., Taytay sa Kauswagan, Inc. and KMBI, respectively.

The NSC gave the Special Award for Agri Micro-business to mushroom and organic rice grower Victoria Bantilan of Negros Occidental; and fish breeder and knife fish trader Laarni Ditablan of Binangonan, Rizal.

Marines Takingan’s advocacy on organic farming in La Trinidad, Benguet earned him the Special Award for Community

Leadership. Victoria is a member of the Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation, Inc., while Laarni is supported by Ahon sa Hirap, Inc. Marines receives assistance from ECLOF Philippines Foundation.

“With each passing year, it becomes more and more evident that there continues to be a great wealth of entrepreneurs in this country.

These are men and women who have displayed exceptional commitment, determination, and ingenuity to create businesses that have contributed to better lives for themselves and their families as well as to the communities in which they live,” remarked Ahmed.

The winners received close to P2 million in cash and non-cash prizes that include life and health insurance coverage, 4-week entrepreneurship training, as well as laptops and IT training. They were also inducted to the CMA Alumni Network, which offers members access to a one-on-one mentoring program that aims to identify and address specific business needs of the alumni to enhance business competitiveness.

OFWs treated to star power at SM Malls

O

verseas Filipino workers are considered the “new heroes” of this country. They are the people who endure separation from their loved ones to earn a living in a foreign country, and the remittances they send have been a major reason why the economy has sailed through difficult times and continues to be afloat despite global financial shocks.

Sisters Ana Marie Pader and Angelita Buenaseda have been very close all their lives, But a few months ago, Buenaseda had to work in an Information technology company in Singapore – which is why the sudden separation was especially hard for the siblings.

For Pader and millions of Filipinos like her, Christmas is not the same when their loved ones are away – which is why SM Supermalls, through its SM Global Pinoy Program, initiated “Pamaskong Handog Para sa Global Pinoy” featuring the hottest stars in show business in the various SM malls all over the country for the benefit of OFWs and their relatives.

Live performances, games and raffles were held at 43 SM malls all over the country. In SM Fairview where Pader was in attendance, young stars James Reid and Nadine Lustre sang before hundreds of Global Pinoy members.

“This is truly memorable for us because this is a different way to spend the holidays.

We appreciate this gesture of SM to give importance to our OFWs and their families.

We feel so special and blessed,” Pader said.

Other stars who graced the Pamaskong Handog in other malls were Piolo Pascual in SM Taytay and SM Masinag, Xian Lim in SM Cabanatuan and SM Marilao, Sam Milby in

At SM City Fairview, one of the malls where OFWs and relatives enjoyed the SM Global Pinoy program

Freebies and raffle items from SM partners were given away to hundreds of OFWs and their families in SM malls all over the country

SM Muntinlupa and SM Sta. Rosa, Jay R in SM Dasmariñas and SM Bacoor and Pinoy Pig Brother artists Loisa Andalio, Marlo Mortel and Joshua Garcia in SM Bicutan.

According to Glenn Ang, senior vice president of SM and program director of SM Global Pinoy, “Pamaskong Handog Para sa Global Pinoy” is a yearly celebration to make Christmas memorable and entertaining for OFWs and their families.

Xian Lim at SM Cabanatuan

James Reid and Nadine Lustre singing a popular love song

Piolo Pascual at SM Masinag

Games plus giveaways from SM partners including BDO, SM Development Corporation (SMDC), Jollibee, Surplus, ePlus, SM Markets, Smart Communications and Sun Cellular, Filipino food bazaar and discounts and freebies exclusive to OFWs and their families were also given.

The SM Global Pinoy also put up the SM Global Pinoy Center in SM Supermalls, a

Jay-R at SM Dasmariñas

specialized one-stop-shop offering various exclusive services, perks, and privileges to welcome and uplift the Global Pinoys.

Membership is offered to past, present, and future OFWs, immigrants, balikbayans, and their immediate beneficiaries such as parents, spouses, siblings, children and guests. To know more about SM Global Pinoy and its programs, visit www.smglobalpinoy. com or www.facebook.com/smgpc.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

Host Bianca Valerio interviews Mark Bumgarner and Love Marie Ongpauco-Escudero about their collection

@LIFEatStandard

The designers flanked by models wearing their creation

A COLLABORATION OF FASHION AND ART Designer Mark Bumgarner and painter Love Marie Ongpauco-Escudero create wearable art PHOTOS BY STAR SABROSO

F

ormer race car driver turned designer Mark Bumgarner collaborates with celebrity turned painter Heart Evangelista – also known as Love Marie by her peers outside of showbiz – in a 40-piece dress collection, 18 of which were hand painted by Heart herself.

Mark and Love Marie met through stylist Kat Cruz through a beauty campaign project, and from then on became friends. And now, their friendship has blossomed into an artistic partnership. “She’s so easy to work with and she gives me freedom, and asks Kat for direction. When Kat introduced us, after that it’s like, not work anymore,” says Mark.

The collaboration started when the two were fitting and discussed about painting bags and shoes and eventually agreeing on painting dresses. “We slowly started making stuff even there was no set plan yet,” says Mark.

“You know, you have the fast fashion, it’s ready made, (and) somewhere along the way you lose your individuality and you kind of look like everybody else,” explains Love Marie. “You want to be original, you want to be unique when people see you. ‘Oh, this is who she is, this is her personality, this is what she likes to wear,’ so I started to go to Mark, because I wanted a certain look and Mark would create it for me until we expounded on painting our shoes. (Then) I started painting on bags and then we did the whole painting on dresses, so that’s how I guess it all started,” she explains.

Inspired by a woman’s femininity, the collection will feature silhouettes for different personalities unified by beauty of fluid art

by Love Marie and Marks’ design, with a lot of attention to detail. “I don’t always have the same woman in mind. For example

Love Marie, or someone else, it’s really different; there are many different parts of the collection that shows the woman I imagined dressing,” says Mark.

“It’s also hard to give them away,” adds Love Marie. “It’s really hard to share them but in a way, that’s why I love the idea, it kind of immortalizes you. When you pass and you leave your paintings behind, it immortalizes you and people will remember you for that.

So whoever gets the dress, you can wear it and then you can cut it or you can frame it.”

Dubbed as a collection with a heart, the pieces will be showcased during the fashion show gala on January 18 at the Dusit Thani Ballroom where some of the dresses will be auctioned off for the benefit of the Corridor of Hope Foundation and Thalassemia International Association (formerly Balikatang Thalassemia Foundation). One of the first dresses revealed during the press con will be auctioned off, with proceeds to go to the Corridor of Hope which is close to the heart of Love Marie. “I used to teach paintings to the patients there in St. Luke’s. All the women have very inspiring stories. This dress is dedicated to them, that’s why we want to make it light and very feminine,” she shares.

The gala will serve as the launch of a fruitful partnership between Mark and Love Marie, as they will be accepting commissioned work even after the show.

January 18’s gala is produced by Fearless Productions Inc. with co-presenters Mazda and Dusit Thani Manila. Other sponsors of the event are Bettina Araneta Aboitiz, New San Jose Builders, Inc., Frabelle Corporation, Philippine Estates Corporation, GoPro, Mac Cosmetics, Creations by Lourd Ramos, Grey Goose, Janylin, and Albert Kurniawan.

A work of art– The feminine designs are all hand graved, hand tacked corsets, hand painted, and hand embellished

Hand painted and embellished bow tie gifts together with the media invitation for the gala

Detachable collar hand painted Detachable collar designed

by Love Marie

by Mark with embellishments

SO LONG 2015, AND HELLO 2016!

From C1

IVAN HENARES,

President, Heritage Conservation Society For 2016, I hope we have more responsible travelers, especially locally – those who respect the destinations that they visit. It’s very important to remember that when we travel, we are guests of the communities that host us. We need to respect their local customs and traditions, and take care of the environment. There’s been a trend of travelers rushing to a place after it’s been featured in a teleserye or a movie. And in the end, the place gets trashed. That has to stop. There are communities that are not prepared for a sudden influx of tourists, like Sitio Pungayan in Mount Kabuyao, a.k.a. La Presa, which is now closed to tourists. Other places like Sagada don’t have the carrying capacity for mass tourism. These are niche destinations where arrivals should be limited in order to preserve their character and charm.

Love Marie shows the press how to use the hand made detachable collars that served as tokens for the gala invitation

NEIL PARAS OCAMPO Liquid chef

Twenty-fifteen has been an amazing year for me.

As we know, there has always been a separation between the bar and the kitchen. In the past, people have never really loved the idea of mixing food with their drinks. However, it is now 2016 and times have most definitely changed. The infusion of fresh food in cocktails has increased massively in the past year and will ultimately reach its peak this 2016.

While 2015 will always be part of our lives and history, we all should look ahead and keep on moving. What about you? What are you excited for this year and what would you do for the industry and your community to at least make it a better place?

For comments and topic suggestions drop me a line at tatum@thestandard.com.ph. For my crazy life’s adventures, follow me at @tatumancheta on Instagram and Twitter.

S UNDAY : JA NUA RY 10, 2016

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

C5

A fresh take on Macbeth: Pioneer Films’ thrilling interpretation of William Shakespeare's popular play

RediscoveRing the poWeR of ‘Macbeth’ today

W

illiam Shakespeare’s most popular play Macbeth is adapted anew with powerful performances by ace actors – Academy Award nominee Michael Fassbender in the title role and Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard as Macbeth’s wife.

One of the greatest tragedies ever created, the latest Macbeth movie is directed by highly acclaimed director Justin Kurzel.

From the producers of The King’s Speech comes the story of a fearless Scottish General, Macbeth (Fassbender), whose ambitious wife (Cotillard) urges him to use wicked means to gain power of the throne.

As relevant as today’s world issues on politics and abuse of power, Macbeth is a thrilling interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s most famous and compelling characters, a reimagining of the realities of war-torn times and a tale of all-consuming passion and ambition.

Teeming with blockbuster battle scenes and superbly powerful

performances by the lead and supporting cast, Macbeth is produced by Academy Award® winners Iain Canning and Emile Sherman of See-Saw Films (Shame, Tracks, Mr. Holmes) with Laura Hastings-Smith (Hunger).

Of all of Shakespeare’s classic works, Macbeth must surely be amongst his most famous.

Certainly, in the more than 400 years since its first publication, it has been one of the most

Michael Fassbender as Macbeth

frequently adapted; revived regularly on stage and reenvisioned time and again in the age of cinema and television.

The tragic tale of a Scottish general haunted by his own ambition, and a prophecy that he will one day become King of Scotland, has long fascinated actors, directors and audiences, and on the big screen has led to adaptations by directors from Orson Welles to Roman Polanski.

But with a new generation of British actors commanding the stage, as well as screens big and small, producers Iain Canning and Emile Sherman of See-Saw Films felt the time was right for a new approach to Macbeth.

“You’ve got actors such as Tom Hiddleston and Jude Law playing the leads in Shakespeare plays,” notes Canning.

“And I think it’s interesting to see this new wave come in and reinterpret the plays – discovering again what they mean.”

The timing was right from a topical point of view too, with greed, and its effects, on the agenda more than ever before. Notes

Fassbender and Cotillard as a couple in the reimagining of what wartime must have been like for one of Shakespeare’s most popular works

Jack Reynor, who plays Malcolm: “Greed is a really terrible thing that can corrupt on a monumental scale, and it can destroy people’s lives. So the story of Macbeth is particularly poignant when you take into account the economic climate of the past few years.”

The filmmakers felt that the globalized nature of the world today offered an opportunity to increase the scope of the story on the big screen and give Macbeth a modern feel. “What I think has been very strong in this adaptation is the sense of community and the wider world that exists around these characters,” Canning notes. “We’ve expanded the idea that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth exist within a world, that they were a product of it and that their actions affected it. We’re exploring the story from a much more modern, cinematic place.”

For his part, Fassbender, who has fast emerged as one of the world’s most accomplished and popular actors, immediately saw the potential in a new adaptation of the play. “It was comprehensively engaging,” he says of his attraction

Marion Cotillard plays Macbeth’s wife

to the project. “It’s an amazing piece of writing and you’ll only get one chance to do it. So I tried to be as well-prepared as I could be and making sure I uncovered every stone so that you’re not leaving anything wanting at the end of the day.”

Macbeth opens on Jan. 13 from Pioneer Films.

Check out the film’s epic trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v

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SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

TEL Aviv PARTy TO ROCk MAniLA

Tel Aviv Party Weekend, featuring Israeli DJs Daniel Mariuma and Moti Saadia and party host Kay Long, will rock Manila on Jan. 15 and 16 at the Palace Pool Club, and Revel at The Palace in Uptown Bonifacio Taguig, respectively. Admission is free.

Deputy Chief of Mission Hadass Nisan said the two-day event will set the motion of the cultural program for 2016, and what can be better than a belated “Happy 2016” party.

“We love the Philippines so we are bringing Tel Aviv – the fun capital of Israel to Manila. The best DJs and performer from Israel will be in Manila to intensify the festive vibe and fun ambiance in the hippest and coolest party venues in town,” Nisan said.

One of the most influential LGBT personalities in Israel is Kay Long who started performing in 1998 as part of the successful drag queens. She has directed the LGBT Day Pride in Tel Aviv and has been leading the parade for 14 years. She has also represented Tel Aviv in world capitals as part of the delegation of Tel Aviv LGBT vibe.

Musically inspired by the end of disco age music, Mariuma entered the club scene with a fuse of electronic music and different styles – house, progressive, electro, soul, deep, funk, groove and new disco. His musical library is a mix of disco, 80’s melodies, pop, 90’s RNB and electronics of the second century. His music and production work led him to the highest clubs and biggest

Dj Daniel Mariuma

venues of Israel’s nightlife. Mariuma produces and performs in musical events with thousands of participants.

Saadia is one of the best DJs and music producers in Israel who performs in famous clubs, big events, parades and after-parties. Known for his unique style and subtle smooth mix between oldies New York house music and current music, Saadia sweeps the public into an explosive musical experience and mesmerizing visual performance. With over 30 years of performance, Saadia has played in front of thousands of people and has been featured in events such as Tel Aviv Parties in China, India and Vietnam; Tel Aviv LGBT Pride, Rome LGBT Pride, and LGBT-Games in Copenhagen; and Love Parade in Tel Aviv with 250,000 people in attendance. He has also worked with some of the biggest names in the electronic music industry.

For more information, visit the Israel Embassy’s Facebook page Israel in the Philippines and Twitter account @IsraelinPH.

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ACROSS 1 Ferret feet 5 “Two Women” Oscar winner 10 Put out bait 15 Lens holders 21 Exclude 22 Wear away 23 Soap plant 24 Changed, as decor 25 Bonet or Simpson 26 Green drink 28 Coax 29 Schedule 31 Physical prefix 32 “Carmen” setting 34 Chainsaw target 35 Imps 37 Impose taxes 39 Goethe villain 40 Go underground 41 Hospital-clean 43 Wheel and — 45 S. Dak. neighbor 46 Yokum lad 47 Chopin piece 49 Q-tip

51 53 57 59 61 62 65 67 69 71 73 75 76 78 79 81 84 86 87 89 91 93 95 96

Dragon constellation Blow gently People with safe jobs?

Kilt sporter Mi. above sea level Lid Vaughan or Miles “Cosmos” host Room and board Dawn deity — the beef?

McEntire of country Assault the nose Thick soup Lop- — bunny They may be cut Beowulf’s quaff Noted lava spewer Rx monitor Snide remark Lorelei’s river Genghis — John, in Glasgow Sitar tune

Adinia Wirasti in a scene from the original HBO Asia series Halfworlds

Final two episodes oF ‘HalFworlds’ tonigHt

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE

Dj Moti Saadia

127 128 130 132 134 137 139 141 145 146 148 150 152 153 155 157 158 160 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171

Racetrack Bradley and Sharif Robs of feeling Pizzeria musts Clap of thunder Zodiac animal Past Caustic comeback Hera’s hubby McHale of the NBA Inert gas C’— la vie!

Came to the suet Lie adjacent Painter of ballerinas Immunity shots Fossil resin One who reunes Calgary Stampede Ms. Garbo Eastern philosophy Bryce Canyon site Honey sources Glittery fabric Seashell Oops! (hyph.)

Good-as-new tire Forum hello Summer wear (2 wds.)

Forever and — — Submissive Look-alike Blue mineral (2 wds.)

Con Win over Odds’ opposite Brat, plus Insect repellent “— Rides Again” (1939 oater) Four-door model Street lingo Vortex

HBO Asia’s eight-episode original series, Halfworlds, will conclude with a riveting two episode finale this 10 p.m. tonight.

Viewers catch the complete season of the entire dark fantasy series via the internet and on mobile devices on HBO GO from 11 p.m. on Jan. 10 or on HBO from Jan. 26 to 29, where two episodes will air back to back every night.

Boasting an entirely Asian cast, Halfworlds stars Bront Palarae (Terbaik Dari Langit); newcomer Salvita Decorte as Sarah; Arifin Putra, Reza Rahadian, Tara Basro, Ario Bayu (HBO Asia’s Serangoon Road), Alex Abbad (The Raid 2); Adinia Wirasti, Hannah Al-Rashid; Verdi Solaiman (The Raid); Cornelio Sunny (Another Trip to the Moon); and singer-songwriters, Nathan Hartono (Musical Spring Awakening) and Aimee Saras (Musical Onrop). Eight yearold Puteri Balqis (Best Actress, 2014 Asian Television Awards) guest stars.

Created and conceptualized by HBO Asia and directed by Joko Anwar, Halfworlds was written by Collin Chang and Anwar, and shot in Batam and Jakarta, Indonesia.

Log on to the HALFWORLDS Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/HalfworldsHBO/ for more.

Kay Long

SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2016

DOWN 1 — front or bear 2 Pablo’s dates 3 Most prudent 4 Batting position 5 Attorney’s concern 6 Ice hockey great 7 Be footloose 8 Detroit dud 9 Raised a brood 10 Mekong native 11 Ballpark figures 12 Snagged a dogie 13 Football team 14 Stemmed from 15 Ruffle 16 Descartes’ name 17 Extend 18 Cancan’s — Rouge 19 Conceal a mes sage 20 Folk singer Pete — 27 The affluent 30 Boldly attempt 33 Astrologer’s balance 36 Fishtails 38 Course deviations 40 Showtime rival 42 Psychic — Cayce 44 Run out of 46 Misbehave (2 wds.)

48 Urged on 50 Dutch colonist 52 Wing 53 Vane dir.

54 Long sigh 55 Player without a contract (2 wds.)

56 Butler’s quarters?

58 Cavalry weapon 60 Bristle with 62 A steroid 63 Wrestling venue 64 Joyous outburst 66 Medicinal plant 68 Cheesy chip

70 72 74 77 80 82 83 85 87 88 90 92

Glance furtively Wish undone Musical-chairs quest Madeline of “Clue” Beat decisively Kipling novel Peanuts or popcorn Smear Stood petrified Geena or Bette Tito’s real name Used poor judgment

94 97 99 101 103 105 107 109 111 112 114 116

Santa Fe loc.

Director — Lee Type of market Pack rat Ciao, adios, etc.

Historic march setting Oompah horn Really into (2 wds.)

Fjord terr.

Spiral molecule Umbrella spoke Crewmate of Uhura

118 122 124 126 128 129 131 133 134 135 136 138 140

Corvair critic Wyoming range Ballet costume Withdrawing Corroded, as acid Doesn’t sit well Taj — Herr von Bismarck Looked daggers at Arroyo Revises Pianist’s span Surfer wannabes, to some

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Pinball palace — in (curbed) Like pretzels Tote or lug Was optimistic Eye color Jupiter or Ra Muscle injury — colada “3:10 to —” Hear clearly W-2 info Mr. Chaney of film

S UNDAY : JA NUA RY 10, 2016

C7

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

make your sunday viewing exciTing wiTh ‘i-BiliB’ Join Chris Tiu, James & Roadfill of Moymoy Palaboy and Cosplay Queen Alodia Gosiengfiao in today’s edition of i-Bilib.

Believe it or not, in Discover Science, you will see a wedding dress made of 850 liters of water and 350 kilos of salt. The segment is called a “Salty Wedding.”

In the show’s Dust Explosion Experiment, find out how you can breathe fire like a dragon with the help of a unique powder.

Watch out for Alodia’s tips in her Toothpaste Trivial.

And also watch how a tiny book, smaller than a human hand can make a big and heavy tome fall in the Book Domino Experiment.

You can learn many things while watching i-Bilib, airing Sunday mornings on GMA 7.

HHHHH Trixie accused of poisoning Joanna Trixie’s (Julia Barretto) hatred intensifies as her friends and classmates accuse her of poisoning Joanna (Miles Ocampo) in the Kapamilya Gold series And I Love You So. After Joanna suddenly collapsed during the wedding of Michelle (Dimples Romana) and Alfonso’ (Tonton Gutierrez), people blame Trixie for the incident

Julia Barretto

Alodia Gosiengfiao

since she has the motive of casting harm towards her half-sister.

However, with his suspicion that Katrina (Angel Aquino) is behind her daughter’s poisoning, Alfonso does an investigation to prove Katrina’s involvement and to make her suffer the consequences of her actions.

Can Alfonso find Katrina or will she successfully put all her plans to work?

Don’t miss the thrilling scenes in And I Love You So, weekdays on ABS-CBN. For more information about the program, visit the official social networking site of Dreamscape

Angel Aquino

Entertainment Television at Facebook.com/DreamscapePH, Twitter.com/DreamscapePH, and Instagram.com/DreamscapePH. HHHHH sisay meeTs chokee Chokee (Marco Masa) gets the chance of escaping the bamboo he has been locked in for years as he meets Sisay (Sharlene San Pedro) in the continuation of their adventure in Wansapanataym Presents: Susi ni Sisay.

After bumping on the bamboo fairies in his persistence of getting chocolates, the fairies punish Chokee by locking him inside a bamboo tree. He gets the chance

Dimples Romana

Sharlene San Pedro and Marco Masa play the main characters in Wansapanataym Presents: Susi ni Sisay

of escaping when Sisay grows up.

In their first encounter, Chokee is surprised to know that Sisay is able to hear him speak. Curious where the sound comes from, Sisay pulls down the bamboo chair, which contains Chokee and sets him free.

Now that they have met each other, how can Sisay help Chokee return to their kingdom? Can they find the key that opens the portal to Chokee’s kingdom?

Joining the cast of Wansapana-

Miles Ocampo

ImbestIgador turns 15

Hindi namin kayo tatantanan.

That’s the battle cry of Imbestigador. In fact, that call has been known and associated with just one television program.

Fifteen years ago, GMA News and Public Affairs launched Imbestigador, a public service program with the mission to be the go-to place of vigilant citizens and be the public’s defense against injustice.

Hosted by GMA News pillar and seasoned broadcast journalist Mike Enriquez, Imbestigador took investigative reporting to the next level by giving voice to the oppressed and righting wrongs for the ordinary people.

In essence, it has not only aired grievances but provided concrete solutions to the victims of injustices of numerous ills in society—from anomalies and corruption to unscrupulous activities and various other crimes. Imbestigador also broke new ground on television when it pioneered using actual footage of gripping surveillance operations in the pursuit of its stories.

Imbestigador did not fail. It made true to its promise. With the help of different agencies and offices, unscrupulous individuals were arrested, prosecuted and put behind bars.

Big-time syndicates were busted; illegal

taym Presents: Susi ni Sisay are Jolina Magdangal, Marvin Agustin, Tetchie Agbayani and Matet de Leon.

Don’t miss the life lessons shared in the show, Sundays 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.

Mike Enriquez hosts Imbestigador, which celebrates 15 years on the air this year

and detrimental establishments were closed down and victims were rescued and kept out of harm’s way.

As the program begins its 15th year, Imbestigador, now the country’s longestrunning investigative program and one of GMA News and Public Affairs flagship programs, strengthens the public service brand that it has long been known for—to go after those who break the law and those who believe they are above the law.

To heed public clamor, Imbestigador reverts to its action-packed episodes by

doing stories based from complaints of the public and bringing justice against guilty parties. Week after week, Imbestigador will attempt to do exposes tackling a wide range of stories dealing with illegal and unscrupulous activities as it has been known for.

Yesterday, Imbestigador gave the full story behind its exclusive operation of an online pornography operating in Cebu.

Coincidentally, in its desire to tackle the biggest issues that matter, Imbestigador launched its special election segments

titled “Isyu ni Juan”.

“Isyu ni Juan” is a 10-part special election series which goes beyond personalities but tackles key issues that confront the Filipinos. The special election series also intends to present and examine the respective campaign platforms and specific plans of the presidential aspirants in addressing specific issues.

Imbestigador host Mike Enriquez snatched exclusive one-on-one interviews of all the leading presidential hopefuls for this important election series.

S UNDAY : JA NUA RY 10, 2016

C8

ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

ViVa and TV5’s opening salVo as enTerTainmenT parTners Last year before Christmas, TV5 announced an arrangement with Viva ComISAH V. RED munications, Inc.’s Vic del Rosario that would strengthen the network’s entertainment component beginning this year.

Early last week, Del Rosario and his company held a press conference to launch the first of several programs that would dominate the primetime block on TV5.

The opening salvo, said the top gun of one of the biggest media conglomerates in the country is a nationwide search for a singer that would eventually become the next singing superstar in the same mold as those it discovered, like Sharon Cuneta, Regine Velasquez, Sarah Geronimo, Rachelle Ann Go, and Mark Bautista.

Billed Born To Be A Star, the weekly competition will air on Saturday primetime starting Feb. 6. Multiawarded singer-songwriter Ogie Alcasid will host the hour-long show together with VIVA’s young and promising singer-actress Yassi Pressman and pop heartthrob Mark Bautista.

Four of the country’s top-caliber performers namely, concert queen Pops Fernandez;; rock star Rico Blanco, acoustic sensation Aiza Seguerra and Pinoy rap icon Andrew E.,., will act as judges.

Star hopefuls will perform onstage each week until the Ultimate Star’s name is called. The Ultimate Star will receive a total of P3 million in prizes, including P1 million in cash, a P1 million worth of management contract from VIVA Artists Agency (VAA) and TV5 and a real estate property worth P1 million.

Contestants will have to pass two pre-audition processes before they are able to sing in the show.

Auditions are open to male and female applicants, aged 13-18. Auditions have started yesterday at SM City Bicutan. There will be another one today. Interested individuals can also go to SM City Sta. Mesa on Jan. 16 and 17; SM City San Mateo on Jan. 23 and 24; and SM City Novaliches on Jan. 30 and 31.

Five major audition legs will also be held in Cebu, Davao, Batangas, Dagupan and Metro Manila starting March.

Four new contestants will be introduced in the show each week. Each episode will show the “making” of the stars and their back stories apart from the competition.

Viewers can expect to see not just tough and competitive performances on stage but also touching, real-life drama unfold before their very eyes.

Contestants who will make it to the weekly round will undergo a make-over session and mentoring from some of the country’s highly regarded vocal coaches.

From the weekly set, lucky contestants will advance to the monthly round. The winner of the monthly round will proceed to the finals night. A primer will be aired prior to the pilot episode.

So, who will be the country’s next big thing? Will he/ she follow in the footsteps of the Megastar, the Asia’s Songbird, the Broadway Gems or the Popstar Royalty?

Find out as Born To Be A Star premieres on primetime television on Feb. 6 on TV5, your Kapatid Network.

TV5 can be seen on the following cable channels: Cignal Digital TV, Ch. 5; Destiny Cable, Ch. 6 (Analog) and Ch. 10 (Digital); and Sky Cable, Ch. 10. ➜ Continued on C7

(From top to bottom) Ogie Alcasid, Yassi Pressman, Pops Fernandez, Andrew E., Aiza Siguerra, and Mark Bautista