The Standard - 2016 January 30 - Saturday

VOL. XXIX  NO. 352  3 Sections 32 Pages P18  SATURDAY : JANUARY 30, 2016  www.thestandard.com.ph  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

AMERICANS HELPED SAF UNDER VFA, ENVOY SAYS

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COURTS BLAMED FOR SLOW JUSTICE

By Sandy Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

THE PALACE blamed the courts Friday for the snail-paced dispensation of justice after the international group Human Rights Watch took President Benigno Aquino III to task for failing to significantly improve human rights in the country in his six years in office.

“The delays in litigation of pending human rights violations are mainly due to systemic weaknesses in the criminal justice system that the Supreme Court is addressing,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., in a text message to The Standard.

Coloma was reacting to the Human Rights Watch 2016 World Report that said Presi-

dent Aquino has been unable to deliver on his promise “of a rights-respecting Philippines,” and pointed to the ongoing killings of prominent activists, indigenous leaders and journalists.

But Coloma said Aquino’s own experiences made him value human rights.

“As one who has personally experienced the human rights violations inflicted upon his

late father and family during the Martial Law regime, President Aquino has emphasized the importance of respecting human rights during his watch,” said Coloma.

“The CHR [Commission on Human Rights] has noted the decrease in the overall number of human rights violations filed,” said Coloma.

“The President had also ordered an interagency task

force headed by then Secretary of Justice Leila De Lima to review and work to expedite the prosecution of long standing cases dating back to previous administrations,” Coloma said.

Coloma said it was also under the Aquino administration that the human rights claims board was formed and received more than 75,000 claims.

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Better times. President Benigno Aquino III and Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno share a light moment during the groundbreaking of the new Supreme Court complex in Taguig last October, three months before the Palace blamed the Supreme Court for the administration’s plunging human rights record.

POLL BODY CATCHING UP TO POLL TIMELINE

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Palace slammed for hiding slump

By Maricel V. Cruz and Vito Barcelo A LEFTIST lawmaker on Friday chided Palace officials for playing down the marked slowdown in the economy, which grew only 5.8 percent in 2015.

Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, member of the Makabayan bloc in the House, noted that gross domestic product growth has slowed down from a peak of 7.1 percent in 2013, to 6.1 percent in 2014, and to only 5.8 percent last year.

“These figures offer a bleak economic fore cast for the coming year. Yet what we are more appalled about is the fact that Malacañang officials... still have the gall to heap praises on the administration,” Ridon said.

Instead of discussing the economic downturn as it

is, Ridon said, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda and Budget Secretary Florencio Abad “twisted the data to downplay, and even hide” the slowdown.

He said Lacierda “obfuscated reality” by using terms Next page

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‘Pact allowed US role in SAF raid’

By Vito Barcelo

UNITED States Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg on Friday confirmed that the US played a role in last year’s botched operation to capture Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan, which led to the massacre of 44 members of Philippine National Police-Special Action Force.

The US ambassador said in local radio and television interviews that the cooperation between the two countries in the Jan. 25 operation to arrest Marwan fell within the scope of the Visiting Forces Agreement the two countries had signed.

“There is cooperation, that all of these is done within the legal framework, and that there are agreements, and everything was done consensually or at the request of the Philippine government,” Goldberg said.

The admission came after the Senate reopened its investigation into the massacre that took the lives of 44 SAF commandos, 18 rebels

and five civilians on Jan. 25, 2015.

The US envoy emphasized, however, that the operation was designed and carried out

by Filipinos.

“This is not an American operation,” Goldberg said over the radio.

Residents near the battle zone a year ago said they saw white men evacuating wounded police commandos on a helicopter that flew in from Mamasapano town.

The US also later helped the Philippines confirm that Marwan was killed during the operation through DNA testing.

“We have agreements that cover the police as

well and our cooperation with Special Action Force has to do with international terrorism.

We have dealt with the Special Action Force,” he said, insisting that the US role was within the legal framework of both countries.

Reports said a US drone believed to have originated from a drone facility in Zamboanga City at the foot of the South also filmed the operation.

Goldberg refused to confirm or deny the presence of drones, however.

“I’m not going to discuss specifics of a very sensitive matter publicly,” he said, adding that information about the role of the US had been provided to investigating bodies, including the Senate.

He said that the only physical role was for casualty evacuation.

Goldberg also confirmed that the $5-million reward for the death of Marwan during the operation was “already in process.”

He declined to confirm, however, that a claimant has been identified and confirmed by the US.

Seeing is believing. Agence France Presse file photo shows US soldiers in military gear helping Filipino soldiers board an injured police commando from one stretcher to another and onto a waiting US military helicopter in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Jan. 26, 2015, following clashes with Muslim rebels.

Palace...

From A1 like “six-year moving average,” which masked the actual slowdown taking place.

In a statement, Lacierda said the 5.8-percent full-year GDP growth is an “encouraging result” that is “in line with the government’s commitment to growth that is both inclusive and sustainable.”

This was far from the truth, Ridon said.

“The truth is that since 2014, our country has been experiencing an economic downturn, which actually signals the coming of a greater crash. Lacierda and the Aquino administration want to whitewash that fact,

and glaze it over with sweet euphemisms,” Ridon said.

Ridon noted that in 2015, the government’s fiscal managers actually projected a 7-8 percent GDP growth, as reflected in the 2015 National Expenditure Program.

“We’re way off-target, and this has serious implications, even for the country’s national budget,” he said.

Ridon also noted that while the fourth quarter GDP rebounded to 6.3 percent, thus becoming the highest quarterly growth for the year, the growth is still slower than the 6.6 percent posted in the same period last year.

“Analyzing these figures, we can see that the main driver of growth remains to be the

service sector, which provides service and not actual products, which include banking, real estate, education, and media. This reflects our nation’s continued failure to address growth drivers in the industry and agriculture sectors,” Ridon said.

The lawmaker noted that while the service sector posted a 6.7-percent growth in 2015, up from 5.9 percent posted the previous year, both industry and agriculture sectors decelerated.

Industry growth contracted to 6.0 percent in 2015 from the 7.9 percent posted in 2014.

Growth in agriculture, meanwhile decelerated to 0.2 percent in 2015 from 1.6 percent in 2014.

“We are particularly concerned about the steady and continued contraction of the ag-

Courts...

From A1 Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director, did not put much stock in the decline of human rights cases, however.

“While the number of serious violations has declined during Aquino’s administration, ongoing killings of prominent activists and the lack of successful prosecutions mean there’s nothing to prevent an upsurge of abuses in the future,” Kine said.

Human Rights Watch said there has been little accountability for the killings of indigenous leaders, activists, and journalists, and other serious abuses during Aquino’s administration.

The killings were also publicly encouraged by local officials such as presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

In the first eight months of 2015, military and paramilitary groups allegedly killed more than a dozen tribal leaders and tribal community members, local rights groups reported.

Military operations in areas in Mindanao, heavily populated by indigenous peoples, contributed to the displacement of 243,000 since January, according to the United Nations refugee agency. Many of those displaced faced inadequate food, shelter, and health care.

Nine journalists were killed in 2015— three of them over 10 days in August.

Only one suspect was reported arrested in these attacks. Killings of alleged petty criminals, drug dealers, and others by “death squads” or contract killers in several cities continued unabated.

Children throughout the Philippines face a wide range of human rights abuses. As a September 2015 Human Rights Watch report documented, in small-scale gold mining, children are exposed to extremely hazardous work conditions, working deep underground, diving underwater to dig for gold, and processing ore with toxic mercury.

Armed conflict prevented children in a number of areas from attending school, and paramilitaries raided several schools, killing a school administrator in August.

In Manila in November, authorities detained hundreds of poor and homeless, among them many children, to clear the capital of street dwellers during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, a practice previously used during high-profile events.

“While Aquino’s presidency has had a mixed record on rights issues, ultimately he has failed to make the institutional reforms to ensure a lasting positive human rights legacy,” Kine said.

Lawmakers on Friday also expressed concern over the country’s 10-place decline in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.

Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, a candidate for senator, said the group’s findings showed that Aquino’s anti-corruption drive under its Daang Matuwid or straight path campaign was merely superficial.

Romualdez, a lawyer, blamed this on the administration’s selective justice, which prosecuted its political enemies while ignoring the corrupt practices of its friends and allies. riculture sector, which remains to be one of the largest source of employment in the country. The Philippines is an agricultural country, yet the agriculture sector now only comprises about 10 percent of the GDP,” Ridon said.

Given the current economic situation, the lawmaker expressed concern over the effect of external shocks to the economy in the coming years.

“There are several external shocks that we need to take into consideration: the intensifying slowdown experienced by China, falling commodity prices, the Eurozone debt problems, and falling oil prices. All these paint a bleak economic outlook for the next sitting president,” Ridon said.

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Poe promises to be fair to all SENATOR Grace Poe said Friday her campaign backers and donors would have no advantage over those who did not support her candidacy if she won in this year’s elections.

Responding to a question on the possible “special treatment” for her campaign donors and those of her running mate, Senator Franccis Escudero, in case they were elected, Poe said they would not get anything but a level playing field.

Poe is running as an independent candidate for president in the May elections..

“They are individuals. Some are friends, some are family members,” Poe said.

“What’s clear to them is that what they could only ask from me is a level playing field.

But Poe said that, thankfully, no one had sought anything from her or Escudero.

“Perhaps they are uneasy with us because they know we are not those kinds of candidates,” Poe said.

She said she understood that businesses needed assurance that they would have a fair chance once they invested in the country, which could use the jobs and other opportunities stemming from those investments.

Philippine laws allow a presidential and vice presidential candidate to spend P10 per voter for their campaign, which is on top of the P5 per voter that their political parties may spend on their behalf. Independent candidates, however, may only spend P5 per voter. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Demonstration. Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista and mayors from different region listen as Comelec

information technology expert Jil Geraldino explains how to use the PCOS machines during the League of Cities of the Philippines’ Special General Assembly and 57 th National Executive Meeting in Taal, Batangas, on Friday.

DANNY PATA

Comelec ‘still catching up’ COMMISSION on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista said Friday they were still “catching up” with the time line in preparing for a successful automated national and local polls in May this year.

He said he was confident they would be able to conduct an automated election on May 9, but that there were several dates from the time line that had been moved for a later period and they were still running after the original schedule.

“It seems like we are still catching up a little bit,” Bautista told reporters.

“I actually said when I entered the office in May 2015 that I thought we were 20 points down [in the preparation], but right now we are only 10 points

Roxas confident of Robredo win ADMINISTRATION standard-bearer Manuel Roxas II said Friday he is confident his running mate, Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo, will win the vice presidential race.

He made the statement despite Robredo’s admission that she was “running scared” in her head-to-head battle with her rivals whom she described as “more popular” than her.

Leni Robredo is a very strong candidate. I strongly believe that she’s going to win this thing, Roxas said.

Robredo, whom the Liberal Party drafted after failing to woo Senator Grace Poe to be Roxas’ running mate, is up against Senators Francis Escudero, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Alan Peter Cayetano, Gregorio Honasan and Antonio Trillanes IV. “I am always bothered. I am running scared in this campaign,” Robredo said in Dagupan City Thursday.

“My rivals are all senators, I’m the only local representative. I need to exert extra effort to be known.”

But Roxas disagreed.

“I see Leni and the crowds take her instantly and seriously,” he said.

“She’s sincere, she’s fresh and she’s grounded. She speaks from experience and above all, she’s not a politician. I think a big point comes from that.”

Roxas said that, with Robredo with her, the gains of the straight path would “continue to trickle down to the poor.” John Paolo Bencito

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

[behind the original time line].”

And with less than a week before the Comelec finalizes its list of candidates, Bautista said the final list of presidential candidates was composed of seven contenders.

He said that despite their

pending disqualification cases, presidential aspirants Senator Grace Poe and Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte would be included in the final list of candidates together with Vice President Jejomar Binay of the United Nationalist Alliance, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago of the People’s Reform Party, Mel Mendoza of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, Manuel Roxas II of the

Liberal Party, and Rep. Roy Señeres of the Partido ng Manggagawa at Magsasaka Workers and Peasants Party.

“That’s it. The Magnificent Seven,” Bautista said.

He said the Comelec would be able to finalize the Certified List of Presidential Candidate on Feb. 3.

“I think we can still catch up and beat the deadlines,” Bautista said. Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

WCKF responds to the Eucharistic call for success The Wong Chu King Foundation Inc. (WCKFI) has supported International the 51st Eucharistic Congress held in Cebu City as it joined the roster of 42 foundations, firms, families and individuals who responded to the call to make this year’s Congress successful by construction the “Garden of Thanksgiving” and the symbolic monument of the “Agony in the Garden.”

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Akihito visits Laguna shrine JAPANESE Emperor Akihito offered flowers Friday at a shrine built in Laguna for Japanese soldiers killed during Japan’s brutal World War II occupation of the Southeast Asian nation.

Saluting the war dead. Japan’s Emperor Akihito and his wife Empress Michiko offer flowers during a visit to a Japanese memorial shrine in Laguna built for Japanese soldiers killed during World War II. AFP PHOTO

3 suspects in Palawan slays

By Francisco Tuyay THE killing of a Frenchman and his family in Narra, Palawan last Wednesday may have been caused by a personal grudge or a business rivalry and the police are investigating three possible suspects, investigators said Friday.

Palawan police probers said that may have been the motive behind the killing of Jean Marc Messina, his Filipino wife Jewelyn and four-yearold son Guiliano, who were all found dead with gunshot wounds inside a parked vehicle in Barangay Poblacion in Narra town.

Chief Insp. Jeffrey Mendiola said the family was found inside a white Nissan Navarra truck which had been parked for almost a day along the national highway,

some 80 kilometers south of Puerto Princesa.

“We are investigating three people,” Mendiola said, refering to three people who were seen at the place where the victims’ vehicle was parked.

The Frenchman was found in the driver’s seat while his wife in the rear passenger seat with their son on the floor behind his father’s place.

Supt. Emelda Tolentino, spokesperson of Mimaropa Regional Police Office, said crime scene investigators found three .45 cal. shells inside the truck.

Tolentino said Messina had a gunshot wound in the right part of the mouth without exit point and a blunt traumatic injury on the left part of the head.

Jewelyn had three gunshot wounds in the left ear, left shoulder and left arm

while the child sustained a gunshot wound in the face. Tolentino said police suspect that the Frenchman was hit with a hammer.

Police learned that the Messinas leased their dump trucks to the mining bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the manager of Messina’s business collects the income.

The police refused to identify him.

The manager, according to Mendiola, had apparently failed to remit rental fees to the Messinas for quite sometime and the family was on their way to Quezon town, where their business was located to collect the money.

Investigators are also tracing whether the Frenchman had enemies in the neighboring coastal town of Taytay, which he frequently visited.

The 82-year-old monarch and his wife, Empress Michiko, bowed twice while laying white bouquets at a table in front of the grey marble shrine, located in the lake town of Caliraya about three hours’ drive from Manila.

In a half-hour event aired live in Japan by public broadcaster NHK, the imperial couple spoke and shook hands with former Japanese soldiers as well as relatives of their comrades killed in the Philippines. ‘‘You have survived difficult times,” Michiko said to one of the the soldiers in attendance.

Akihito, meanwhile, told another: “Take care of yourself, stay well.”

The royals are winding up a five-day visit to the Philippines to celebrate 60 years of diplomatic ties as well as to honor those who died during the Japanese occupation.

Akihito has made honoring Japanese and non-Japanese who died in World War II a touchstone of his near three-decade reign —known as Heisei, or “achieving peace”— and now in its twilight.

He has previously journeyed to other Pacific battle sites where Japanese troops and civilians made desperate last stands in the name of his father Hirohito.

On Wednesday, he bowed his head in sorrow during a somber ceremony at the Philippines’ biggest war cemetery in Manila, vowing later never to forget the many Filipinos killed during the occupation.

Tens of thousands of Philippine and allied US troops died marching to Japanese concentration camps or in confinement during Japan’s World War II occupation.

An estimated 100,000 Filipinos also died during the month-long campaign to liberate Manila in 1945, which saw aerial bombings and artillery flatten the city.

Akihito’s visit is the first by a Japanese emperor to the Philippines and comes as the two countries strengthen economic and defense ties, partly to counter China’s increasingly assertive actions in disputed regional waters.

Japan’s perceived failure to properly atone for its wartime actions has been a constant source of friction with China and South Korea.

But the Philippines has been much more accepting, partly because Japan has given billions of dollars in aid.

Ricketts, 3 others suspended

By Rio N. Araja THE Sandiganbayan on Friday ordered the suspension of Optical Media Board chairman Ronnie Ricketts and three other officials over graft raps for allowing the return of confiscated pirated digital video discs and video compact discs to Sky High Marketing Corp. from which they were seized.

Also placed under a 90-day preventive suspension were Enforcement and Inspection Division head Manuel Mangubat, EID investigation agent Joseph Arnaldo and EID computer operator Glenn Perez.

The court issued the suspension orders as it ordered the four officials to cease and desist from exercising the function and privileges of their office for 90 days upon receipt of the resolution. The court ordered the Office of the President that oversees the OMB to implement the suspension order.

On July 23, 2015, Ricketts, Mangubat, Arnaldo and Perez pleaded not guilty to

the charges.

“Under the rule, it becomes mandatory for the court to immediately issue the suspension order upon proper determination of the validity of the information,” the anti-graft court’s Fourth Division’s decision read.

Under the law, it was “mandatory” to issue a suspension order “upon proper determination of the validity of the [graft] information,’’ the court said.

The Ombudsman said Ricketts must be held culpable for the release of the seized counterfeit items in giving due advantage to Sky High Marketing Corp.

Earlier, Ricketts urged the Sandiganbayan to dismiss the graft case filed against him and expressed the intention to become a witness against Perez, the computer operator, who allegedly supervised the pullout of 121 boxes of DVDs from the OMB office in Quezon City.

He blamed OMB executive director Cyrus Paul Valenzuela for failure to stop the release despite his knowledge.

Dialogue in Pampanga. Senator Grace Poe speaks to senior citizens during her visit to the Pampanga Provincial Capitol in San Fernando City on Friday. LINO SANTOS

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Break impasse on SSL, solons urged

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

We remember. Elderly women, who supposedly served as comfort women in Tarlac during the Second World War, hold a protest in front of the Japanese Embassy on Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City to demand an official apology and compensation for their suffering. MANNY PALMERO

Palace concedes BBL may not pass this year MALACAÑANG conceded on Friday that the controversial Bangsamoro Basic Law may not pass Congress before President Benigno Aquino III steps down from office on June 30 because Congress will already be adjourning next week.

But Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the Palace believes the peace process will not have to go back to zero even if the BBL is not passed with Aquino’s term.

“What we have started should be continued so that we will finally achieved the objective of the peace process,” Coloma said.

He said Aquino is determined to pursue peace process will stay whatever the results of the BBL in the

House of Representative and Senate.

“The President will continue in convincing every sector and stakeholders of society to give peace a chance,” Coloma said.

Coloma encouraged all the stakeholders should maintain the desire to achieve peace by respecting each other at all times.

“Whatever is the final outcome of the proposed BBL, the government’s determination will not falter in pursuing the

peace process and in persuading the stakeholders to give peace a chance,” Coloma said.

As Congress will adjourn by next week for the election campaign season, lawmakers are holding on to the faintest hope that the BBL will be passed during the Aquino administration.

However, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said there is no more possibility that the law will be passed under the current administration.

The Bangsamoro bill, now called the proposed Basic Law on the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, seeks to formalize the creation of a new political entity that will replace the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Even the Moro Islamic Liberation Front admitted that the BBL may not pass during Aquino’s term, but the group vowed to pursue the path of peace even if the measure is not enacted into law this year.

MILF peace panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal said there were signs that the BBL would not be passed and there would be frustration in the ranks of the MILF. But the MILF would still pursue the path of peace even if the measure is not enacted.

“Signs are already pointing in that direction. There’s a repeated lack of quorum in the House of Representatives. If it would not be passed these three days, I don’t think it would ever be passed at all,” said MILF peace panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal.

SENATE President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said a bonus equivalent to one month pay is scheduled to be given to government workers in June, highlighting the need for the House and the Senate to break their impasse over a pay hike bill for state workers.

Recto said the proposed Salary Standardization Law IV for government workers provides for a 14th month pay to be given in the middle of the year.

Under its section on “compensation system,” the measure seeks the grant of a “a mid-year bonus equivalent to one month basic salary to be given not earlier than May of every year.”

“This mid-year bonus becomes the 14th month pay. The traditional 13th month pay being the year-end bonus,” Recto said.

In the past, he. said the 13th month pay was given in two installments. Half in May or June, so that government employees will have money for the school enrollment of their children, and the balance in December.

The SSL IV makes what is given mid-year and year-end equivalent to a full month pay each,” Recto said.

He said these two bonuses will be tax exempt for most state workers.

By one estimate, both the 13th and 14th month bonuses of 970,943 employees—or 83 percent of total national government workforce— will be tax-exempt, Recto said.

“There‘s research which shows that those in the Salary Grades [SG] 1 to 16 will get these bonuses tax-free,” he said.

“The mid-year bonus translates to an eight percent increase in the annual pay of government workers and, if early calculations are correct, they will be getting it without any tax deduction,” Recto said.

He added most employees holding SG 17 to 23 positions will also get their 13th month pay with no withholding tax.

DoH: No alarm vs Zika virus THE Department of Health said Friday it does not see any possibility of imposing travel restrictions to countries where Zika virus cases have been reported and it is not planning to start monitoring arriving passengers to check if they are sick or infected with the virus.

“We have no travel restrictions,” said DoH spokesperson Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy in an interview with reporters.

Lee Suy explained that it is not feasible to implement the same kind of measures that the DoH utilized during the threats of emerging infec(EVD) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus.

He said the DoH does not want to create a wrong impression that may cause confusion which they are trying to avoid.

He said the DoH recognizes the need to be alert, but the public must be made aware that acquiring or transmitting the Zika virus is very different from EVD and MERSCoV and other infectious diseases.

Lee Suy stressed that the transmission of infectious diseases such as EVD and MERSCoV is through people-to-people contact while Zika virus can be transmitted by bites of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus.

The DoH spokesperson added that what should be given much attention is the “potential source/s” of Zika virus which is also present in the country—the Aedes mosquito which should be stopped from growing in numbers.

Aedes mosquitoes are also the same mosquitoes that can cause dengue hemorrhagic fever.

The Health official said that what should be strengthened at this point in time is the people’s participation in cleanliness activities that will help stop the breeding or growing of the number of aedes mosquitoes that can possibly transmit and become carriers of the Zika virus.

Spider boxing. Two men test their strength and agility as they box on an improvised vaulting horse in a campus in Kidapawan City similar to the bamboo sticks Filipino children use in pitting their pet spiders to fight. GEONARRI SOLMERANO

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By Francisco Tuyay AUTHORITIES transferred former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency executive Marine Col. Ferdinand Marcelino and the Chinese national, arrested last week during a drug raid in Manila, from their Camp Crame detention cell to the Bureau of Jail Management Penology in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City yesterday.

“Because of security reasons, and based on the order issued by PNP Chief Ricardo Marquez, we transferred them to the jail facility under the [BJMP] in Bicutan,” said Senior Superintendent Antonio Gardiola Jr., officer in charge of the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force.

Marcelino, wearing an orange shirt with AIDG markings, underwent medical procedure before being taken to the vehicle that would transport him to Bicutan at 1:45 p.m. Friday.

Marcelino, along with Chinese national Yan Yi Shou, were arrested by combined Philippine National Police and PDEA narcotics agents inside the Celadon Residence along Felix Huertas corner Batangas Streets in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

During the raid, authorities also seized P380 million worth of shabu and several equipment.

“Marcelino, when he was a PDEA agent, was involved in an incident—a clash between his personnel and our personnel from AIDSOTF,” Gardiola explained.

“It is for his [Marcelino’s] protection because he is worried that something may happen to him inside the AIDG,” Gardiola added.

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Official raises concern over drivers’ drug use

By John Paolo Bencito

AN OFFICIAL on Friday raised alarm over the rampant use of prohibited drugs in the public transportation sector, emphasizing that the safety of all motorists rely on the state of mind of their drivers.

“Almost all violent crimes involving taxi, bus and jeepney drivers are

because the suspects are under the influence of illegal drugs,” Land Trans-

portation Franchising and Regulatory Board member Ariel Inton said.

Section 36, Article 2 of the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 mandates all drivers applying for drivers for license or renewal of license have to undergo drug tests.

“Actually, it is not in the specific mandate of the LTFRB to catch drug users but we are doing it anyway because anybody under the influence of illegal drugs should not be allowed to

drive a public transportation vehicle,” Inton said.

Latest statistics of the PNP-Highway Patrol Group showed that more than 15,572 road accidents nationwide were recorded in 2014, with 1,252 persons killed and 9,347 others injured.

Of these number, 79 percent were due to driver’s error with some mainly caused overspeeding drivers that are high on drugs to keep them awake from the long drive.

Inton added that even the mechanics who check on the soundness and safety of these public transportation should be tested as well, everyone should be held responsible and accountable.

“Those vigilant netizens who helped us apprehend abusive taxi drivers and also helped us honor the hero taxi drivers, your power of communication is needed in this our collective campaign to keep everyone safe against illegal drugs,” Inton said.

Cleared for transfer. Marine Col. Ferdinand Marcelino (left) undergoes a medical check-up before being transferred to Bicutan for security reason.

Chinese national Yan Yi Shou looks on. FRANCISCO TUYAY

High Court: Prosecute ex-Palawan governor

By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court has paved the way for the Palawan regional trial court to proceed with the prosecution of former Palawan Gov. Mario Joel T. Reyes, in connection with his involvement in the 2011 murder of radio anchor and veterinarian Gerardo Ortega.

The SC Second Division, through Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, also dismissed for being moot the government’s petition for certiorari on ground that the RTC, Branch 52, handling the criminal case has already issued a warrant of arrest against Reyes.

The tribunal issued

the decision on Jan. 11, 2016. Ortega was killed on Jan. 24, 2011.

“Once the information is filed in court, the court acquires the jurisdiction of the case and any motion to dismiss the case of to determine the accused’s guilt or innocence rests within the sound discretion of the court,” the Court ruled.

“It would be more prudent to refrain from entertaining the Petition considering that the trial court already issued a warrant of arrest against respondent,” the SC said, noting that arrest warrants against Reyes and coaccused were issued by the RTC on March 27, 2012.

According to the Court, the issuance of the warrant

signifies that the trial court has made an independent determination of the existence of probable cause.

Then Justice Secretary Leila de Lima filed the petition after the Court of Appeals rendered as null and void the Department of Justice’s creation of a second panel to reinvestigate the murder case.

The appellate court upheld the defense’s claim that De Lima gravely abused her discretion when she issued Department Order No. 710 to create a second panel to reinvestigate the case after the first panel refused to receive additional evidence that would have been crucial for the determination of existence of probable cause.

Welcoming new dentists. Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez (2nd left) is joined by Professional Regulatory Board of Dentistry OIC Ranner Reyes, member Steve Mark Gan and Chamber of Mines president Philip Romualdez during the oathtaking of new dentists at the Philippine International Convention Center. VER NOVENO

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Barangays from Albay to implement bottom-up budgeting LEGAZPI CITY—Albay will be one of the first provinces to implement the barangay-level Bottom-up Budgeting scheme, the provincial government said.

BuB is a “revolutionary good governance strategy at the grassroots level involving barangays and accredited civil society organizations [CSO] and direct transfer of resources from the national government down to its most basic unit.”

The Barangay BuB entails the direct participation of the Sangguniang Barangay and CSOs in assessing their communities, identifying and planning projects that will best address their needs, and monitoring the implementation of their development programs, funded by resources directly released to the barangays by the national government.

All of Albay’s 720 barangays would be part of the first batch of recipients of the direct government funding, set for release in 2017.

This first group, composed of some 12,000 barangays in the entire country, will each receive from P500,000 to P1 million depending on their program undertakings.

It was launched recently in Albay via a consultative conference attended by Department of Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad, Department of Interior and Local Government top officials, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda and local officials including 232 barangay captains from the province’s second district.

Based on the BuB handbook, the projects eligible for funding are those related to Basic Facilities and Services under Sec. 17 (b) of the Local Government Code, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, on which Albay has excelled.

Bridge of Peace. Residents cross the 120-meter Bridge of Peace in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. MARK NAVALES

Tacloban youth group bags national award TACLOBAN CITY—Junior Jaycees-Tacloban Sinirangan is TAYO People’s Choice Awardee and national finalist in the 2015 Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations awards. The National Finals Awarding was held last Jan. 21, 2016 at the Malacaňang Palace.

The Search for the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations of the Philippines is organized annually by the TAYO Awards Foundation Inc., in partnership with the National Youth Commission and the Office of Senator Bam Aquino.

TAYO Awards recognizes youth organizations all over the country with programs and projects that help their communities.

Junior Jaycees-Tacloban Sinirangan’s entry was the RISK Project under the Liveli-

hood/Entrepreneurship category. RISK stands for Recreate, Invest, Save and Know, according to the TAYO website.

“Their [Junior Jaycees-Tacloban Sinirangan] achievement is a success story. Two years after Typhoon Yolanda, seeing young people do something to help its own community makes us proud. We are ready for change and young people are making this change possible,” praised Daciano David Palami, second nominee of

Tingog-Sinirangan Party-list.

The livelihood project is composed of a livelihood seminar and distribution of farming resources.

In the seminar, residents were taught how to use materials easily accessible to the community and useful for the production of organic fertilizers. They were given vegetable seedlings and farm tools so they can create vegetable gardens. Surplus funds were also generated and set aside as a contingency fund for future needs of the beneficiaries.

The project helped more than 200 residents of Barangay San Agustin, Palo, Leyte.

According to the youth group, the idea for the project came in the aftermath of Typhoon

“Yolanda.” Junior Jaycees wanted to help the people cope with the devastating socioeconomic and environmental problems of the people.

Junior Jaycees-Tacloban Sinirangan received a specially commissioned trophy sculpted

by Mr. Toym De Leon Imao as a National finalist and a separate trophy for the People’s Choice Award.

Youth organizations from Eastern Visayas have been recognized by TAYO Awards in the past years. In 2011, RTRMF Akma-Resbak was one of the top 10 TAYO awardee for Back to Greens for Health Initiative.

In 2007, UP An Balangaw Performing Arts Group and Silak sa Kauswagan Youth Organization were national finalists.

Zamboanga cooperative named most outstanding

By A. Perez Rimando AURORA, Zamboanga del Sur—Aurora Integrated Multi-Purpose Cooperative was adjudged the Most Outstanding Cooperative-Best in Membership Growth and Expansion category among the country’s 24,000 registered cooperatives.

Its manager, Pacenciano Tomarong, was named Most Outstanding Cooperative Leader during the Gawad Parangal Cooperative Development Authority Day in Manila, a top CDA official said.

CDA chairman Orlando Ravanera handed to Tomarong the two national awards of GPCDA, a recognition for cooperatives, local government units, partner organizations and co-op officers for their exemplary performance, best practices and good governance and in giving responsive services to the people and community.

Tomarong attributed these awards to the

48-year-old AIMPC’s personnel “for excellently performing their job, helping promote the co-op’s image and the members’ continued trust in us,” stressing that the co-op’s main mission “is to serve the community in a friendly manner.”

He said employees of AIMPC, now with 72 offices nationwide with over one million members, are mandated by law “to be most accountable and responsible persons to protect the co-op’s investment.”

The co-op’s products and services for its members include loans, savings, cash express and free funeral services, Tomarong said, adding it also established ATM machines in its branches to promote cashless society even as it established Eskwela Kooperatiba in every school to encourage student cooperative participation.

Tomarong said that stressing its personnel’s harmonious relationship with each other is vital to its success.

Young and proud. Representatives of Junior Jaycees-Tacloban Sinirangan pose, holding their trophies, with Dingdong Dantes, commissioner at large of National Youth Commission.

S AT U R D AY : J A N U A R Y 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

A8

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA

SERIOUS LEGAL ISSUES REGARDING EDSA YELLOW LANES, ROAD BARRIERS

[ EDI TORI A L ]

A BLOW TO PEACE

THERE is no further reason to believe that the Bangsamoro Basic Law in its current form will be passed under the Aquino administration. This is according to Lanao del Sur Rep. Pangalian Balindong.

“Today, with a heavy heart and disturbing sense of foreboding, I close the book of hope for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law. 51 public hearings, 200 hours of committee level debates and 8 months of consultations are all put to waste —thrown into the abyss of uncertainty and darkness. This is the lowest and saddest day of my legislative work,” he said Wednesday.

From the International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu, Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Cardinal Quevedo said politics was responsible for the demise of the law, even as he still hopes President Aquino can muster support from lawmakers in this last few weeks of the administration.

We agree with the cardinal that politics is the culprit. Unlike him, however, we believe that politics damaged not the BBL per se but the pursuit of peace in general.

At the outset, President Aquino had wanted the BBL to be his legacy. He wanted it passed, at all costs, under his administration. He wanted to be able to say that he was the leader who was able to bring peace to a land that had been strife-torn for decades.

We would have wanted that, too—if it did not come at the cost of sacrificing the concerns of the other stakeholders in the peace process.

We recognize that a lot of work was rendered by the peace workers who had the same goals as the rest of the nation: to end the conflict in Mindanao and set it up for inclusive growth and development so it could reach its potential and its people could live the life they deserve, free from fear and poverty and ignorance.

Alas, in its haste to claim credit for passing the law that would bring peace to Mindanao, this administration flatly rejected the valid issues raised by critical but well-meaning quarters, dismissing them as enemies of peace.

And when 44 young police commandos were stuck in enemy territory—how else could we interpret the terrorists living right inside MILF-controlled areas—their plea for help was supposedly ignored just because it might endanger the talks.

But the BBL is not peace, and peace is not automatically assured by its passage.

There are many roads to peace but a common characteristic is the inclusion of as many stakeholders as possible in the discussions, even as the challenge might seem immense in the beginning.

We must begin again, it seems. In doing so, we must accept that we failed, identify why we did, and take great pains to ensure that we don’t commit the same blunder.

FIVE THINGS I LEARNED FROM MAMASAPANO POWER POINT ELIZABETH ANGSIOCO AFTER intently listening to the reopening of the Mamasapano Senate hearing, I agree with Senator Grace Poe’s conclusion that nothing new was uncovered. However, this is not to say that it was a useless exercise.

For a civilian with almost zero knowledge about military and police operations, the hearing confirmed (at least to me) important things, and some were

noticeably kept as hush-hush as possible during earlier hearings.

One, Uncle Sam was involved in a major way. The former director of Special Action Force, Getulio Napeñas, said that it was the US military that trained them in preparation for Oplan Exodus aimed at getting Malaysian terrorists Marwan and Basit Usman.

The US was involved in the planning, preparation, and execution of the operation. In fact, it was the US forces that got Marwan’s finger for identification, not our police or military.

According to Napeñas, he

was wondering why the SAF, and not the Armed Forces of the Philippines was given this assignment. Who assigned the SAF? This was not clearly answered because when Napeñas met with President Aquino (as arranged by then-suspended PNP Chief Alan Purisima), there was already a plan that he presented to PNoy. This means that there were already previous talks prior to the meeting.

When Senator Ralph Recto asked who chose the SAF for the mission, and how it came to happen that the US trained them, Napeñas, in a roundabout

A9

The SAF44 were betrayed by their comrades.

manner, said that this operation was part of efforts against international terrorism, which, to me indicated that the SAF was chosen by the Americans.

I will not be surprised if Oplan Exodus was in fact a US military operation that used our SAF and resulted in the massacre of SAF44.

Two, President Noynoy Aquino is not as blameless as he is made out to be. The President knew of the operation. I do not for one second think that PNoy’s meeting with Napeñas and Purisima was the first time that the President was informed

of the mission. He is not only president, he is also the Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces.

It is impossible to think that the president did not have prior knowledge of the whereabouts of terrorists as big as Usman and that the US will move without his knowledge. My guess is that the President and Purisima were both involved in the decision to launch the operation hatched by the Americans even before Napeñas came into the picture.

PNoy, as Napeñas claimed, made suggestions in the plan presented by

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

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

the latter. As Senator Juan Ponce Enrile pointed out, PNoy compartmented the conduct of the mission and agreed with the “time on target” manner of releasing information about this oplan.

Very early on on the day of the operation, PNoy already knew that our SAF succeeded to get Marwan. Surely, the president was pleased. It is quite possible that he flew to Zamboanga to claim victory but was later on informed of the very bad news. That he went there with then Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Defense Secretary Voltaire

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

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PPI

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Gazmin is indicative of the importance of the trip. The Zamboanga bombing that happened sometime prior was a convenient but lame excuse.

The last Mamasapano hearing made us aware of the plethora of text messages exchanged between and among the PNP, AFP, and high government officials.Amazingly, there was almost no mention of phone calls made except by then PNP OIC Gen. Leonardo Espina. It is impossible, in fact, irresponsible, that under such a Continued on A11

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

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

LATE last year, President Benigno Aquino III turned over the management of the traffic problem along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue to the Highway Patrol Group of the Philippine National Police.

The HPG managed to improve the traffic situation along Edsa for a few weeks, until recently when the situation even worsened due to plain and simple administrative incompetence.

It will be recalled that during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation conference held last November in Pasay City, traffic was reorganized throughout the metropolis. Heavy, orange-colored road barriers that look like expired Toblerone chocolate bars were installed in many major roads to designate the lanes for the exclusive use of Apec participants.

The new MMDA chief, Emerson Carlos, said that the inconvenience to metropolitan motorists will be for the duration of the Apec conference only.

That was not to be so.

After the Apec conference, Carlos used the orange road barriers to separate the so-called yellow lanes (external lanes reserved for buses) from the inner lanes of Edsa. These barriers were also used in other roadways, mostly in Quezon City and in Pasig.

Because the barriers are not reflectorized, they become dangerous road hazards at night, especially to motorists who do not frequent the roads on which they are installed. Since these barriers are heavy, a motorist accidentally hitting them can get seriously injured or even killed, with the vehicle concerned ending up a total wreck. Carlos’ road barriers along both lanes of Commonwealth Avenue, those on the southbound lane of Edsa, particularly infront of Nepa-Q-Mart and Farmers’ Market, and those at the approach to the Edsa-Ortigas Avenue flyover, are all life-threatening roadblocks. Their use is a violation of the Vienna Convention on road safety.

One day, a motorist who will end up in an accident because of these road hazards will file anti-graft charges against Carlos before the Office of the Ombudsman. That should wake up Carlos.

There are many other reasons why traffic along Edsa and other major roadways will never improve as long as Carlos and his cohorts are in the MMDA. Here are some.

Continued on A11 Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

S AT U R D AY : J A N U A R Y 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

A8

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA

SERIOUS LEGAL ISSUES REGARDING EDSA YELLOW LANES, ROAD BARRIERS

[ EDI TORI A L ]

A BLOW TO PEACE

THERE is no further reason to believe that the Bangsamoro Basic Law in its current form will be passed under the Aquino administration. This is according to Lanao del Sur Rep. Pangalian Balindong.

“Today, with a heavy heart and disturbing sense of foreboding, I close the book of hope for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law. 51 public hearings, 200 hours of committee level debates and 8 months of consultations are all put to waste —thrown into the abyss of uncertainty and darkness. This is the lowest and saddest day of my legislative work,” he said Wednesday.

From the International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu, Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Cardinal Quevedo said politics was responsible for the demise of the law, even as he still hopes President Aquino can muster support from lawmakers in this last few weeks of the administration.

We agree with the cardinal that politics is the culprit. Unlike him, however, we believe that politics damaged not the BBL per se but the pursuit of peace in general.

At the outset, President Aquino had wanted the BBL to be his legacy. He wanted it passed, at all costs, under his administration. He wanted to be able to say that he was the leader who was able to bring peace to a land that had been strife-torn for decades.

We would have wanted that, too—if it did not come at the cost of sacrificing the concerns of the other stakeholders in the peace process.

We recognize that a lot of work was rendered by the peace workers who had the same goals as the rest of the nation: to end the conflict in Mindanao and set it up for inclusive growth and development so it could reach its potential and its people could live the life they deserve, free from fear and poverty and ignorance.

Alas, in its haste to claim credit for passing the law that would bring peace to Mindanao, this administration flatly rejected the valid issues raised by critical but well-meaning quarters, dismissing them as enemies of peace.

And when 44 young police commandos were stuck in enemy territory—how else could we interpret the terrorists living right inside MILF-controlled areas—their plea for help was supposedly ignored just because it might endanger the talks.

But the BBL is not peace, and peace is not automatically assured by its passage.

There are many roads to peace but a common characteristic is the inclusion of as many stakeholders as possible in the discussions, even as the challenge might seem immense in the beginning.

We must begin again, it seems. In doing so, we must accept that we failed, identify why we did, and take great pains to ensure that we don’t commit the same blunder.

FIVE THINGS I LEARNED FROM MAMASAPANO POWER POINT ELIZABETH ANGSIOCO AFTER intently listening to the reopening of the Mamasapano Senate hearing, I agree with Senator Grace Poe’s conclusion that nothing new was uncovered. However, this is not to say that it was a useless exercise.

For a civilian with almost zero knowledge about military and police operations, the hearing confirmed (at least to me) important things, and some were

noticeably kept as hush-hush as possible during earlier hearings.

One, Uncle Sam was involved in a major way. The former director of Special Action Force, Getulio Napeñas, said that it was the US military that trained them in preparation for Oplan Exodus aimed at getting Malaysian terrorists Marwan and Basit Usman.

The US was involved in the planning, preparation, and execution of the operation. In fact, it was the US forces that got Marwan’s finger for identification, not our police or military.

According to Napeñas, he

was wondering why the SAF, and not the Armed Forces of the Philippines was given this assignment. Who assigned the SAF? This was not clearly answered because when Napeñas met with President Aquino (as arranged by then-suspended PNP Chief Alan Purisima), there was already a plan that he presented to PNoy. This means that there were already previous talks prior to the meeting.

When Senator Ralph Recto asked who chose the SAF for the mission, and how it came to happen that the US trained them, Napeñas, in a roundabout

A9

The SAF44 were betrayed by their comrades.

manner, said that this operation was part of efforts against international terrorism, which, to me indicated that the SAF was chosen by the Americans.

I will not be surprised if Oplan Exodus was in fact a US military operation that used our SAF and resulted in the massacre of SAF44.

Two, President Noynoy Aquino is not as blameless as he is made out to be. The President knew of the operation. I do not for one second think that PNoy’s meeting with Napeñas and Purisima was the first time that the President was informed

of the mission. He is not only president, he is also the Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces.

It is impossible to think that the president did not have prior knowledge of the whereabouts of terrorists as big as Usman and that the US will move without his knowledge. My guess is that the President and Purisima were both involved in the decision to launch the operation hatched by the Americans even before Napeñas came into the picture.

PNoy, as Napeñas claimed, made suggestions in the plan presented by

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

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

the latter. As Senator Juan Ponce Enrile pointed out, PNoy compartmented the conduct of the mission and agreed with the “time on target” manner of releasing information about this oplan.

Very early on on the day of the operation, PNoy already knew that our SAF succeeded to get Marwan. Surely, the president was pleased. It is quite possible that he flew to Zamboanga to claim victory but was later on informed of the very bad news. That he went there with then Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Defense Secretary Voltaire

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

MST ONLINE

can be accessed at: www.manilastandardtoday.com

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

Gazmin is indicative of the importance of the trip. The Zamboanga bombing that happened sometime prior was a convenient but lame excuse.

The last Mamasapano hearing made us aware of the plethora of text messages exchanged between and among the PNP, AFP, and high government officials.Amazingly, there was almost no mention of phone calls made except by then PNP OIC Gen. Leonardo Espina. It is impossible, in fact, irresponsible, that under such a Continued on A11

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

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

LATE last year, President Benigno Aquino III turned over the management of the traffic problem along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue to the Highway Patrol Group of the Philippine National Police.

The HPG managed to improve the traffic situation along Edsa for a few weeks, until recently when the situation even worsened due to plain and simple administrative incompetence.

It will be recalled that during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation conference held last November in Pasay City, traffic was reorganized throughout the metropolis. Heavy, orange-colored road barriers that look like expired Toblerone chocolate bars were installed in many major roads to designate the lanes for the exclusive use of Apec participants.

The new MMDA chief, Emerson Carlos, said that the inconvenience to metropolitan motorists will be for the duration of the Apec conference only.

That was not to be so.

After the Apec conference, Carlos used the orange road barriers to separate the so-called yellow lanes (external lanes reserved for buses) from the inner lanes of Edsa. These barriers were also used in other roadways, mostly in Quezon City and in Pasig.

Because the barriers are not reflectorized, they become dangerous road hazards at night, especially to motorists who do not frequent the roads on which they are installed. Since these barriers are heavy, a motorist accidentally hitting them can get seriously injured or even killed, with the vehicle concerned ending up a total wreck. Carlos’ road barriers along both lanes of Commonwealth Avenue, those on the southbound lane of Edsa, particularly infront of Nepa-Q-Mart and Farmers’ Market, and those at the approach to the Edsa-Ortigas Avenue flyover, are all life-threatening roadblocks. Their use is a violation of the Vienna Convention on road safety.

One day, a motorist who will end up in an accident because of these road hazards will file anti-graft charges against Carlos before the Office of the Ombudsman. That should wake up Carlos.

There are many other reasons why traffic along Edsa and other major roadways will never improve as long as Carlos and his cohorts are in the MMDA. Here are some.

Continued on A11 Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

A10

S AT U R D AY : J A N U A R Y 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

NOT PRIVACY BUT CRIMINAL LIABILITY BACK­ BENCHER ROD P. KAPUNAN IT IS most disgusting to see Senate President Franklin Drilon blocking what the people want to hear in the supposed recorded conversation between a lawmaker and a ranking government official, which according to retired Police Chief Supt. Diosdado Valeroso, was an attempt to cover up the truth behind the bloody massacre of the 44 country’s elite members of the Special Action Force.

Drilon keeps on reminding Valeroso that under Republic Act No. 4200, unauthorized recording, possession and communication of tapped conversation is illegal, cannot be made admissible as evidence, and any person who commits such violation can be penalized by imprisonment.

The attempt by the minions of the Aquino administration to prevent the

The issue is not about national security or privacy but the extent of the President’s criminal liability.

public from knowing the contents in that taped conversation confirms their suspicion of the President did not just have knowledge but actually oversaw the bungled operations, and are now desperately trying to sanitize him from any responsibility.

The issue is not about national security or privacy but the extent of the President’s criminal liability. As the inquiry slowly unearthed the details on what transpired, they all conclude that PNoy knew or maybe participated in the planning of Operation Exodus, and was possibly monitoring the progress inside a military base in Zamboanga City. Worse, he did not send reinforcement to the beleaguered SAF to minimize the casualties or to turn the tables against the encircling MILF and BIFF forces.

Effectively, whether

President Aquino gave a stand-down order to the Armed Forces encamped nearby is only of secondary importance. What is clear is that he was aware that a carnage was going on, and did not lift a finger to save the lives of the remaining police forces, many of whom were seriously wounded and purposely videoed by those terrorists to show how they finished off a fallen soldier with his body still twitching in pain.

Some even insinuate that PNoy probably saw in “real time” the slaughter, alleging there were drones taking photos of the area.

Such humiliating defeat in the hands of terrorists who beg for peace while waging a bloody secessionist war is most disheartening. We have a President whom we gave the title of commander-in-chief but forsaking his embattled men. Major General Angelito de Leon’s statement blaming wholly General Getulio Napeñas for the fiasco, allegedly failing to coordinate with the Armed Forces, was meant to focus the blame on the police general. But to whom would SAF coordinate in that tense moment when fighting was raging?

Even if the demand for assistance did not pass through unusual “protocol” of coordination, the duty of the commanding officer of the Army encamped in the area was to take the initiative of saving the lives of their comrade-in-arms though belonging to a different agency of the government. In fact, the MILFBIFF encampment was within the reach of artillery fire from the army base to relieve the beleaguered SAF who were under heavy gunfire. Rather, their inaction was telling that they were awaiting orders from the commander-in-chief who was politicking with the lives of those men obeying orders to secure the arrest of two terrorists.

Senators Drilon, Antonio Trillanes and that overtly ambitious Senator Grace Poe need not belabor on the illegality of the tapped conversation. The issue of national security has nothing to do with what Valeroso would want to share to our people. Everybody knows that the operations ended up in fiasco principally because of the ineptitude of President Aquino who is more interested in saving the peace agreement than in saving

EAGLE EYES DEAN TONY LA VIÑA

THE DEATH OF THE MANY AND THE ONE

THIS week, we remember fellow Filipinos who died violently at this time last year (at least 72 SAF policemen, MILF warriors, and Moro civilians in Mamasapano) and one who was killed also this week five years ago, the environmentalist and anticorruption advocate Gerry Ortega.

Mamasapano was remembered well through the Senate hearing led by Senator Grace Poe. Senator Juan Ponce Enrile did the country a favor by calling for this hearing and by doing the exhaustive research to ask the sharp questions raised last Wednesday. I think Enrile, still brilliant and in control of his mental faculties, did the country a favor.

He was thorough and covered all the bases and confirmed the findings of the Poe report. Senator Poe is right that there is no reason to change the findings and conclusions of her report. The case should now be closed.

The impression is almost unanimous that Senator Poe did an excellent and fair job running the hearing. I was not able to follow everything as I had teaching duties but a person whose judgement is impeccable and one I totally trust messaged me this: “Magaling si Grace. orderly, hindi magulo ang pagpatakbo ng hearing, kalmado, uneventful, which was good.”

The reopening of the

Mamasapano investigation could have been dynamite but Poe handled it very well for everyone, for Enrile, for President Aquino, for the police and military officials, for the SAF 44 and the Moros who were killed, the families of the dead, even for her rival Mar Roxas, and above all for the country who can now lay this matter to rest.

I wish all our politicians were as focused, competent and ethical as she is.

As for the possible liability of President Aquino, Enrile is right this will be up to the courts if this reaches them. “Let the law enforcement people do the job in the future,” he said.

In my view, Aquino will be fine whoever wins. Roxas, Poe, Binay, Duterte, and Santiago have different priorities. They will not go after Aquino.

The next step should be to legislate the reforms proposed in that report, particularly those relating to police reforms. Moving forward on the Mindanao peace process is also essential.

I do understand Deputy Speaker Pangalian Balindong when he lamented the other day the demise of the BBL: “Today, with a heavy heart and disturbing sense of foreboding, I close the book of hope for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law. 51 public hearings, 200 hours of committee level debates and 8 months of consultations are all put to waste

—thrown into the abyss of uncertainty and darkness. This is the lowest and saddest day of my legislative work. Today, we take away the hopes of millions of people in the Bangsamoro. By sheer tyranny of the majority, we have foreclosed all possible peaceful, legal, and constitutional avenues for peace.”

There is hope, however.

While the Bangsamoro Basic Law can no longer be enacted during Aquino’s term, it can be passed on to the new administration. It’s better that way actually so the new president can own it and so the current versions, which are all noncompliant with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and weaker than the current ARMM law, can be improved. A transition agreement must now be negotiated. It’s analogous to the last months of the GMA Administration when we (I was a member of the panel led by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis) negotiated such a transition. Because we did it after the elections with a winner already known, we made sure we consulted, as a courtesy and so turnover would be smooth, with the incoming officials. I considered that best negotiation and governance practice. *** For the death of Gerry Ortega, gunned down in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, the demands of justice is

simpler. What is called for is the conviction and imposition of the right penalties on the perpetrators —the gunman and more importantly the masterminds. I will not comment on the case as the trial is currently going on. With the arrest of the alleged masterminds in Phuket, brothers Joel and Mario Reyes in Thailand last year, a decision on this case should be forthcoming.

Thankfully, the Supreme Court just cleared the way for the trial.

We must pursue justice whether for the many of the one, the words of Gerry Ortega’s daughter Michaela (posted in Facebook) rings very true: “The pursuit of justice comes at such a high cost— a cost on top of an already incalculable loss. It consists of saying the names of murderers over and over again. I had to replay the sequence of events in my head until I can recite them in my sleep. It means granting permission to making a spectacle of my grief, which entails having cameras and microphones at my face when I am most vulnerable. It involves constantly asking for help from complete strangers, trying to get them to care about the death of a man they never met. But nothing quite compares to seeing the faces of the masterminds, the very men who decided my father’s death, in a courtroom for a Continued on A11

the lives of our policemen who were doing their duty of enforcing the law.

Even in the US where we love to cite jurisprudence involving wire-tapped conversation used as evidence have often been upheld when public interest so demands. The “Watergate scandal” wherein the tape of conversations of President Nixon to his confidants who carried out the burglary at the Democratic Party headquarters was ordered to be made public to prevent whitewash of the case. And when it became clear that the Senate would vote to impeach him, President Nixon had to resign rather than wait for the verdict of being kicked out of office. Here, misconduct in office, plunder, and even treason has been so politicized that PNoy is likely to get away with them.

PNoy would not mind being called a puppet.

What is important is that he finished what the US

wanted him to do. This was clear because there was a ceasefire that was supposed to be in place after the signing on March 27, 2014 of the Bangsamoro Basic Law to replace the law creating the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The US, on the other hand, was pressuring him to get that Malaysian terrorist, Zulkifli Bin Hir alias Marwan and Filipino Muslim terrorist identified as Basit Usman, Marwan had a price tag of $5 million for his capture, dead or alive. Many believe that US intelligence operatives were involved because Caucasian-looking men, possibly Americans, were seen airlifting the wounded out of the battle zone.

Many political analysts wonder why the US did not press the PNoy government to segregate the MILF from the BIFF to prevent them from pinpointing at each other as a terrorist organization. The Mamasapano clash catalyzed

the truth that they were united during the fighting, as they fought side by side to repulse the arresting SAF force on Jan. 25, 2014.

Moreover, while the US was interested in keeping intact the peace agreement signed by the government with the MILF, it was unwilling to delay the arrest of the two terrorists even if that could jeopardize the deal.

Thus, the Aquino government was forced to come out with a strategy of limiting the parties involved in the operations. That explains why his protégé, Local Government secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas (with which the PNP is supposed to be a part of his department), and then acting PNP director Leonardo Espina who temporarily took over the post of then suspended Chief of Staff, Alan Purisima, were both excluded in the operational planning to get the two terrorists.

Now that it has failed with many of our legisla-

tors promising not to ratify the BBL, plus the events in Europe, in the Middle East and in Africa where there has been a surge in terrorism and the US having second thoughts on whether to continue supporting these groups that openly declared having connection with the MILF, PNoy is once again unable to solve the problem that badly tarnished his reputation.

The debacle has even affected his endorsement of Mar Roxas and his LP ticket. They have become a political pariah which only their elitist–controlled media are romping them as popular. As said, PNoy cannot now distance himself from the massacre that brought humiliation to the nation because it has become evident that he had knowledge in the planning, implementation, and now wants to get away from the aftermath that ensued. rpkapunan@gmail,com

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OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

CHINA CAN’T POSTPONE THE PAIN FOREVER pain of one. No matter what levers its bureaucrats may pull, ALL OF the pieces are in place the country can’t forever escape for a financial crisis in China. the economic consequences of The currency is weakening its deep-rooted problems.

First of all, China would and, if left to the market, would likely plunge further. Capital have to defy decades of hisoutflows have hit record lev- tory to avoid being crushed els. Reserves are in retreat. A by its mountain of debt. Redramatic selloff on Shanghai’s search firm Capital Economics stock market has wiped out all analyzed 30 years of emergthe gains from 2015’s bull run. ing-market crises and conThe leadership, usually lauded cluded that “no country has for its sagacity, has at times experienced an increase in its seemed befuddled about what private debt-to-GDP ratio of 30 [percentage points] within to do.

Such a nasty combination of the space of a decade and not woes could easily topple many experienced problems.” At emerging economies. They best such countries endured can cause banks to collapse significant, and often proand growth to evaporate, even tracted, slowdowns in growth. national insolvency. Yet so far China has seen an 80 percentChina has avoided the kind age point jump in that ratio of edge-of-your-seat financial over the past decade, to more meltdown Wall Street experi- than 200 percent. A reckoning enced in 2008, and Thailand, seems inevitable.

And the chances of that Indonesia and South Korea did in 1997. Indeed, there’s a good debt bomb exploding are riscase to be made China never ing, since the government, will. The state commands such rather than defusing it, is tremendous power over every- throwing on extra TNT. Terthing from capital movements rified of the political fallout to the banking system that from a slowing economy, the policymakers might be able central bank has been loosento prevent the world’s second- ing money; credit growth is largest economy from flying accelerating. Meanwhile, the stimulating effect from this completely off the rails.

Even if China doesn’t display renewed flood of lending apthe standard trappings of a pears muted, a sure sign that financial crisis, however, that the new cash is being used undoesn’t mean it can avoid the productively. That means the

weight of China’s debt burden will continue to increase and the inevitable damage will be even greater.

Nor does it seem possible for China to avoid a monstrous downsizing of industry. Chinese companies simply churn out too much steel, coal, cement and other stuff, no matter how many roads and railways the government builds at home and abroad. That reality is slowly sinking in. The State Council announced in late January it would speed up the elimination of steel capacity, a step analysts consider necessary to repair the sector. But the cost will be heavy. The China Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute has estimated that the cuts could cause as many as 400,000 steel workers to lose their jobs.

Now imagine those layoffs repeated across old-line manufacturing industries.

All of these problems will eventually show up on banks’ balance sheets. Officially, the government claims that the slowdown has barely dented the stability of Chinese banks, with nonperforming loans at a mere 1.6 percent of the total. If you believe that, I’ve got some subprime mortgages to sell you. Private estimates place the potential NPL ratio somewhere between the high

single-digits and as much as 20 percent.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the banks will pancake Lehman-style. Backed by the state, they’d almost certainly be rescued. But policymakers should prepare for sticker shock. By one estimate, theprice tag to support the banks could reach $7.7 trillion—or the equivalent of three-fourths of China’s 2014 gross domestic product.

Such figures may seem outrageous, but history tells us they’re not. Indonesia’s bank bailout cost the government nearly 57 percent of the nation’s GDP, while Korea spent 31 percent. If we extrapolate from Korea’s experience— which isn’t unreasonable, since the country had adopted a similar investment-led growth model—China would end up spending some $3 trillion rebuilding its banking system.

Perhaps Beijing’s mandarins believe that by keeping growth aloft some of these problems will solve themselves. More likely, delaying hard choices will make the hit to future growth more damaging and the costs larger.

Call China’s problems whatever you wish, but in the end, a crisis by any other name still smells pretty bad.

Bloomberg

Commander-in-Chief.

Three, Purisima was on top of the operations despite being suspended. That the President trusted Purisima cannot be questioned. I will not be surprised if he still does. The latter could easily have an appointment with the President.

He brought Napeñas to PNoy. Napeñas reported to Purisima all throughout and it was Purisima who relayed information to PNoy. Purisima was the one dealing with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front for a ceasefire despite being suspended.

While Napeñas was the implementor, Purisima was the key player in Oplan Exodus because the president trusted him. The fact that he was suspended was not a factor in PNoy’s decision to put him on top of the mission that killed #SAF44. This further proves that this president operates based on friendship.

Four, both the SAF and the

AFP betrayed #SAF44. It was heartbreaking to know that the bigger number of SAF members stayed on the roadside and refused to enter the area where their comrades were being massacred. I can understand not wanting to put themselves in harm’s way but it is very sad to know that in battle, one cannot rely on comrades to help. Lives could have been saved. These men were their friends and comrades. They were virtually family. I agree with the AFP that this fact should also be looked into.

However, the AFP is also to blame. They became too rigid in their rules in terms of sending assistance. I wonder if there was nothing else the military could have done.

Senator Enrile believed otherwise. They could have moved earlier and saved some of our men. The military dilly-dallied and when they helped, it was already

too late.

The #SAF44 were betrayed by their comrades.

Five, our military and civilian officers and officials are incapable of accepting responsibility for the tragedy.

Finger-pointing is the game they all play now. Forty-four lives were lost but the way everyone involved speak, it is as if they all did as they were supposed to do and they cannot be blamed.

PNoy, Purisima, Napeñas, the AFP, the other SAF men in the operation, they were all responsible for the carnage that was #SAF44.

Beyond them, I likewise put blame on Uncle Sam. The United States played us on this one and we paid dearly.

We paid with the lives of #SAF44. Never again.

By Michael Schuman

Five... From A9 situation, everyone else would rely solely on SMS. Roxas mentioned that PNoy was getting information from various sources. It is reasonable to think that the President called people. It would be very interesting to know who the President was in touch with and what his orders were.

It puzzles me no end that we did not hear much about the President’s orders during the crucial hours. Or did I miss this part? Purisima reported to PNoy that the SAF was already being assisted by the AFP. Was that enough for PNoy? Who was calling the shots? Is not the president also the Commander-InChief ?

The death of the #SAF44 will forever be remembered as caused by a failed leadership. Ultimately, the buck stops with the President and

The death... From A10 hearing set on my birthday. It has got to be one of the most abnormal experiences I’ve ever had in my life.

There’s the incessant nagging question of whether or not any of this is still worth it. The past five years have been the hardest, most trying years, in my family’s

life. The fight has been exhausting and painful and expensive.

And let’s face it, with or without justice, my dad would remain dead. Conviction would not change that.

Perhaps we could allow ourselves to hope that his sacrifice had meant something. That it made a dent. That it somehow curbed corruption. Or, at the

bethangsioco@gmail.com @bethangsioco on Twitter Elizabeth Angsioco on Facebook

very least, it prompted us to become better, braver Filipinos.

But could we really claim any of those things? And say we could, did they really have to come at such a high price?

Five years feels like a lifetime ago. My dad’s murder was thrust upon us. We had absolutely no choice in the matter.

But we have since accumulated

Serious... From A9

The numerous potholes along Edsa are large enough to force motorists who see them to slow down to avoid damage to their vehicles. With Carlos’ orange road blocks reducing the volume of movable space in the area where the pothole is located, many motorists have no choice but to suffer these road ruts. Several large potholes can be found along the northbound lane of Edsa right after the exit end of the Aurora Boulevard underpass.

Motorcycles along Edsa and Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City change lanes indiscriminately, thus causing frequent disturbance in traffic momentum. Former MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino once introduced motorcycle lanes along these roads, but soon discontinued it.

Tricyles and pedicabs should be banned from Edsa and its tributaries. They clog the segments of Edsa near Roxas Boulevard, near the Magallanes flyover, and especially in the four corners of the EdsaQuezon Avenue intersection.

Speed limits fixed by law must be enforced along Edsa which means that the innermost lane of a highway is solely for fast vehicles, and that slow-moving vehicles should stay off these lanes. It also means that the u-turn segments along Edsa in Quezon City should be dismantled. They block the fast lanes and create unnecessary bottlenecks. Vehicles that need to make u-turns are the exception to the general flow of traffic. Being so, they should adjust and make their uturns under flyovers and bridges.

Carlos has not done anything to solve these problems. He may be too busy computing how much money the MMDA made in last year’s film festival.

Last week, the authorities announced that the yellow lanes along certain parts of Edsa will be for buses only, and that private vehicles are not allowed in these lanes unless they are entering or leaving Edsa. So far, heavy fines have been imposed on violators. The government claims that the measure has reduced travel time for bus commuters. In contrast, many commuters insist that there is no such improvement.

The yellow lane rule and the fines that come with it raise a serious legal issue.

First, there is no law which authorizes them, and the MMDA cannot act without an enabling law because the Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that the MMDA is devoid of police power. Second, rules which impose penalities, fines included, must be published in newspapers of general circulation and their publication must be certified by the University of the Philippines Law Center. So far, the yellow lane rule and its punitive sanctions have not been published.

Evidently, anyone implementing the yellow lane rule may be vulnerable to anti-graft raps from any motorist who is subjected to the fine. In other words, a motorist who has been issued a traffic ticket and fined for violating the yellow lane rule can file criminal charges against the traffic enforcer who issued the ticket, and the government officials behind this unlawful measure.

five years’ worth of consistent choices. We haven’t given up yet. And despite the many setbacks and the long battle ahead, we finally have the masterminds in custody. That must count for something...

There are times, however, when reality sets in and all hope seems lost. Because the enemy has power and money. Because depravity

is easier than integrity. But when not even our lofty ideals could protect us from the encroaching darkness, all we can ever promise to do is resist. Never will we be neutral. Never will we be silent.

Never will we become the evil that killed my father.”

Facebook Page: Dean Tony La Viña Twitter: tonylavs

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

‘Flawless’ Djokovic floors Federer to reach Open final NOVAK Djokovic said his sublime first two sets against Roger Federer were the best he’s ever played against the Swiss as he reached his sixth Australian Open final in convincing fashion on Thursday.

The world number one, now into his fifth straight Grand Slam final, was on a different level to the 17-time major winner in the opening two sets as he dished out a dominant, four-set semi-final victory.

The five-time winner maintained his hold over world number three Federer, winning 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in two hours, 19 minutes, and will face either Andy Murray or Milos Raonic in Sunday’s final.

It was the 45th meeting between two titans of the sport, with Djokovic now edging Federer 23-22 in their head-to-head duels.

“These first two sets have been probably the best two sets I’ve played against him overall throughout my career,” declared Djokovic.

“I’ve had some moments against him in sets where I’ve played on a high level, but this was, yeah, I think a different level than from before.

“I’m just very, very pleased that I was able to perform the way I did from the very beginning till the end.”

Djokovic, who was simply irresistible in cruising two sets up in 54 minutes, said he played “flawless” tennis.

“When you’re playing one of

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic hits a return during his men’s singles semi-final match against Switzerland’s Roger Federer on day eleven of the 2016 Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. AFP

your top rivals, somebody of Roger’s resume, of course it requires a lot of focus, determination, and a different preparation for that match-up than most of the other matches,” he said.

“I played flawless tennis for first two sets, no doubt about it.”

Djokovic said he was now going to enjoy his two days off and prepare for his 19th Grand Slam final.

“I think it’s good for me at this stage. I’ve played a lot of tennis.

Actually it’s going to serve me well for my recovery,” he said.

“Tomorrow’s match is going to be interesting to watch. Being in

the final and watching the other semi-final, of course it’s quite a joyful feeling. Whoever wins I’m going to be ready for the great battle.”

Djokovic broke Federer’s serve five times, dropped his serve just once, won 115 points to 82 and hit 33 winners with only 20 unforced errors, while Federer committed 51 unforced errors.

The 10-time Grand Slam champion was in jaw-dropping form in the opening two sets, carving up Federer in their 15th Grand Slam encounter with his dazzling groundstrokes for the loss of only

three games.

He broke Federer’s first service to 15 and then held his serve to lead 3-0, winning 12 of the first 14 points.

The Swiss third seed was broken again in the sixth game, netting a forehand with Djokovic in full cry.

Djokovic’s 6-1 first set was his easiest opening set win over Federer. He won 24 points to 11, with the rushed Swiss making 12 unforced errors.

Federer was broken to love in the third game in a similar start to the second set with the world number one able to do no wrong. AFP

Brown, Loupe share PGA Torrey Pines lead SCOTT Brown and Andrew Loupe shared the first-round lead at Torrey Pines on six-under par 66 as defending champion Jason Day struggled in the $6.5 million US PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open.

Australia’s Day, ranked second in the world, had skipped Wednesday’s pro-am at the venue north of San Diego with flulike symptoms.

He got off to a good start on the Torrey Pines North Course on Thursday, teeing off on 10 and nabbing birdies at 13, 14 and 15.

He bounced back after bogeys at 17 and the first with a birdie sat the second, but back-to-back bogeys at seven and eight saw him finish the day tied for 76th.

Rickie Fowler, who has ascended to number four in the world on the strength of an impressive victory in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on Sunday, fired an opening 73 that included a double-bogey and three bogeys on the North Course, the easier of two layouts in use over the first two rounds of the tournament.

Brown’s round was all the more impressive coming on the South Course.

Brown, whose only prior PGA Tour win came at the 2013 Puerto Rico Open, surged up the leaderboard with eight birdies in his last 11 holes, including four in his last five.

“I hit it really good coming in,” Brown said. “Had a lot of good looks, made a couple of lengthy putts and capitalized on the short ones. AFP

Team of ‘refugees’ to participate in Olympics A CROSS-NATION team of refugees will participate in this year’s Rio Olympics to send a “message of hope”, International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach said on Thursday.

“The IOC has decided to invite the highest-qualified refugee athletes to the Olympic Games in Rio,”

Bach said at the Eleonas camp in Athens, a facility housing hundreds of migrants hoping to find passage to northern Europe.

The refugee team, around five to ten strong, will participate as a delegation in its own right and be lodged at the Olympic Village with the rest of the

athletes, Bach said.

“We want to send a message of hope and confidence to the refugees and turn the attention of the world to the fate and problem of the 60 million refugees of the world,” the German said.

In December, the IOC said it had already identified three athletes who had

fled their home countries and could qualify for the Games in August.

They are a Syrian swimmer currently training in Germany, a Congolese judoka who found refuge in Brazil and an Iranian taekwondo athlete in Belgium, the IOC said.

On Thursday, Bach took

down the details of Farhad Takallo, an Iranian man at the camp who said he was a shooting champion.

While he welcomed the prospect of training in Greece, Takallo asked Bach to help him reach Germany.

Only war refugees—at present Syrians, Iraqis

and Afghans—who reach Greece are allowed to continue the journey to northern Europe.

Bach added that the Olympic torch relay, beginning in ancient Olympia in April, will pass from the Eleonas camp and a refugee will carry the flame. AFP

Argentina to create football hooligan database THE Argentine government announced the creation of a football hooligan database and called for players to be taught about fair play in an attempt to tamp down violence marring the game.

Thursday’s announcement came hours after President Mauricio Macri, former president of the club Boca Juniors, called for players to set a better example in the wake of a friendly between Boca and fierce Buenos Aires rivals River Plate that descended into on-pitch scuffles.

Hooliganism between rival ultras has roiled Argentine football

for years and the database will create a register of supporters banned from stadiums.

“The main and immediate objective is to put an end to aggression in football and hooliganism problems,” said the security ministry.

Authorities also ordered the Argentine Football Association (AFA) to set up a training program for players, coaches and referees at all levels of the game to learn about “values of fair play and respect.”

Five players were sent off in Saturday’s so-called friendly, in

what Macri described as “disgraceful” scenes.

Boca were disqualified from the Copa Libertadores last year after a fan or fans sprayed toxic gas at River Plate players.

River Plate players were returning for the second half when a chemical irritant was released into the inflatable tunnel leading from the dressing rooms to the pitch.

The attack left several players rubbing their eyes in agony as teammates desperately threw water in their faces to try to relieve the pain. AFP

Roma’s midfielder from Bosnia-Herzegovina Miralem Pjanic (back) fights for the ball with Juventus’ forward from Argentina Paulo Dybala during the Italian Serie. AFP

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

6 foreign bets fight PH warriors

Jorge feted. Nic Jorge (front, second from left), founding president of the BEST Center, receives The Rotary Golden Wheel Vocational Excellence Award for Sports from Rotary Club-Cubao District Gov. Rey David (left) in a ceremony recently that was witnessed by Past Vice President Johnny Yu and Mrs. Marilyn Jorge, among many others.

SIX foreign fighters from India, Iran and Oman will showcase their skills in Mixed Martial Arts when they face Filipino warriors in the Balikatan 14: Heart of a Warrior, which gets going today at the Marikina Sports Center in Marikina City.

This is the biggest event yet in local MMA history with 20 bouts in the fightcard to be bannered by the female showdown between Irish Cristina Conrado of the Philippines and Harpree Kauruvs of India. The bout starts at 5 p.m.

Local fighters seeing action will come from as far as Bulacan, Batangas, Rizal and Metro Manila.

Tickets for the fights sell for as low as P350.

Master Henry Kobayashi expressed his gratitude to Underground Battle president and founder Ferdie Munsayac for letting him use the UGB cage, which was used in the recent UGB13 Foreign Invasion-World Series of Fighting-Global Championship.

“It’s going to be a long night of hard action in the cage. We are ready and the fighters are ready,” said Kobayashi, owner of the Hybrid Yaw-Yan Mixed Martial Arts Training Center in Cubao.

The Balikatan MMA tournament is held every quarter. The next events, Balikatan 15 “Destined to Excel will be held on April 30, Balikatan 16: Test of Courage on July 30 and Balikatan 17: Rival War on Oct. 29. Randy Caluag

PH triathletes training abroad THE Triathlon Association of the Philippines recently announced that it sent two groups of the National Team triathletes to High Performance training camps abroad, made possible by support from the Philippine Sports Commission and endorsement from the Philippine Olympic Committee.

The first group composed of youth and junior elite athletes is now attending the ongoing Asian Triathlon Confederation Talent Identification Camp in Rayong, Thailand under coach Peter Clifford.

Brent Valelo, 2015 Batang Pinoy triathlon and duathlon gold medalist and Yuan Chionbian, the 2014 gold medalist of those events, are the male participants, while Nicole Eijansantos, a Youth Olympic Games candidate, and Una

Sibayan, the 2015 BP Duathlon champion, are the female components. Kevin Eijansantos, Nicole’s elder brother is the Team Coach.

“The Rayong Camp’s objective is to pinpoint athletes from developing countries, who have real potential so that Asia can be more competitive in world triathlon.

For the first time, the camp will be open to Youth Olympic Games eligible athletes like Nicole, a 3-time Batang Pinoy Champion from 2013 to 2015. We hope she and the others can be selected,” said Tom Carrasco, TRAP President.

He added: “The coaches attending will also be mentored and undergo hands on training to improve their craft. This is a great opportunity for these guys. Selected prospects will be included in the ASTC Developmental Team and be entitled to training, equipment, and travel subsidies.”

The other squad composed of elite athletes--SEA Games Gold medalist Nikko Huelgas, Women’s Silver medalist Kim Mangrobang, and Edward Macalalad.

They are continuing their training at the DESMOR HP Camp in

Rio Maior, Portugal under Sergio Santos, the same coach who prepared the successful 2015 SEA Games Triathlon team.

SEA Games triathlon gold medalist Claire Adorna, meanwhile, is still recuperating from a recent surgery.

“We like the progress of the athletes who have gone to DESMOR and we want this to continue until 2020 in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics,” explained Carrasco, “and then on the short term, we would like to achieve a Top 5 finish at the Asian Triathlon Championships in Japan at the end of April.”

Kelly on Clash of Heroes: Nothing personal, just business “Ruthless” Rob Lisita wherein he overcame sheer exhaustion and a broken nose to seal the deal via rear naked choke.

The shot at ONE Championship gold never materialized and Kelly was left nursing injuries and spent some time away from competition.

For his efforts, Kelly was rewarded with the first and only $50,000 ONE Warrior Bonus to date, given to fighters who demonstrate an incredible warrior spirit.

There was no doubting Kelly’s warrior spirit that night as ‘The Natural’ was certainly on point.

Kelly regards himself as a natural fighter, born to fight and compete in the cage.

Against Ting, Kelly will be going up against a highly-experienced opponent with a solid amateur background. Ting is one of the top contenders at featherweight and will be one of Kelly’s biggest tests.

“There are a lot of good fighters in my division,” said Kelly. “But I like it that way. It’s more challenging for me. I love challenging myself and testing my abilities.”

Ting on the other hand has

faced a Kelly before, but it wasn’t Eric.

A few months after Eric’s epic battle with Lisita, Ting knocked out Eric’s younger brother Edward via a well-timed second round head kick. Eric was in the cage to console his brother and also to congratulate Ting on the victory, knowing that one day they would eventually meet to settle the score.

Kelly, however, maintains that this upcoming bout is not about vengeance, it’s just business.

“I have nothing personal against Ev Ting,” said Kelly. “I trained hard and like a natural for this fight so I am prepared to beat him. Even if he beat my brother, this isn’t about revenge.

I would rather just do my best so that I can win and make my brother proud.”

A victory for either fighter will bring them an inch closer to a title shot. In a stacked featherweight division, Marat Gafurov remains supreme but interesting matchups lie ahead. If Eric Kelly can defeat Ev Ting, a long awaited title shot could be just over the horizon.

a

FILIPINO mixed martial artists have come a long way. Together with the fast rise of the sport, Filipino fighters have upped their games to be able to compete on the world stage. Focus on the grappling arts has taken priority while still maintaining signature striking capabilities.

Baguio City’s Eric “The Natural” Kelly (12-1) returns to the ONE Championship cage this Friday, January 29, at the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia against hometown favorite Ev “E.T. Ting (10-3).

They will do battle in a threeround featherweight main event at ONE: CLASH OF HEROES that will bring the victor one step closer to a shot at the ONE Featherweight World Championship, held by reigning champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov.

“Training has gone well. I feel great. I’m ready,” said Kelly. “I feel strong and ready to bring honor to my country.”

Kelly, considered one of the best Filipino fighters currently on offer, came very close to a title shot back in 2014, following his scintillating victory over

Eric Kelly is carried by a supporter after a win.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

China’s LK Yang picked as Pacquiao’s sparmate

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

TRAINER Freddie Roach predicted that the presence of coach Teddy Atlas won’t make any difference to World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley’s chances when he faces eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 9.

ABS-CBN Sports Consultant Peter Musngi told The Standard/boxingmirror.com that Yang, who lost ion his bid to win the vacant International Boxing Federation title against Argentina’s Cesar Rene Cuenca on

July 18, 2015, will also be seeing action on the undercard of WBO super bantamweight Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire, who makes the first defense of the newly won title at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on April 23.

The 30-year-old Yang has a record of 19-1, with 14 knockouts.

Pacquiao is taking no chances in his third fight against Bradley after losing the first in a bitterly criticized split decision and coming back to win a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision in a rematch and has begun training in his hometown of General Santos City.

He will be joined by trainer Freddie Roach on Feb. 3.

The Pacquiao-Bradley showdown will mark the first time former “Trainers of the Year” Roach and Teddy Atlas, who steered Bradley to an impressive ninth-round knockout of Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios, will face each other.

Pacquiao, who has a record of 576-2 with 38 knockouts, is a two-term congressman from the lone district of Sarangani Province and is vying for a Senate seat in the May elections and is expected to win, finishing inn the Top 10 in all pre-election surveys.

Pacquiao, who was named “Fighter of the Year” three times by the Boxing Writers Association of America and was also honored as “Fighter of the Decade,” is aiming for a spectacular peformance in what he has announced will be his farewell fight, while Roach has predicted his prized possession will win by a ninth-round knockout.

Cebuana Lhuillier gives PH tennis a big boost PHILIPPINE tennis is experiencing a renaissance the last couple of year, thanks to the untiring efforts and support of Philippine tennis patron Jean Henri Lhuillier and his company Cebuana Lhuillier.

After funding the ITF Men’s Futures tournament as well as co-owning the Philipine Mavericks in the International Premiere Tennis League last year, Lhuillier, just recently, helped an ATP Challenger tournament happen again in the country after 22 years.

The ATP Challenger paraded world-class players such as former world number 8 Mikhail Youzhny, who captured the singles’ title as well 2012 Wimbledon doubles’ champion Frederik Nielsen, who won the doubles’ title with partner Johan Brunstrom of Sweden.

“Hosting the ATP Challenger was an opportunity that was too good to pass so I did everything possible to make it happen. It’s definitely a big boost to Philippine tennis as it provided our players the opportunity to pit their skills against world-class players and see where they stand against the world’s best. Nino Alcantara’s finals run in the doubles shows that our players have what it takes to become world-beaters if given the right opportunities,” Lhuillier said.

Philippine tennis is definitely in the upswing with Alcantara’s doubles’ title partnership with Johnny Arcilla in last year’s Men’s Futures and his finals run in the ATP Challenger with an Indonesian partner, Treat Huey’s excellent performance in the Australian Open and AJ Lim’s surge in the world junior rankings, among others.

Hans Sy Sr. (left), President of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. is shown with Eric Altamirano (center), Program Director of the National Basketball Training Center and Edgar Tejerero, President of SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc.

Philracom probes Xen Young incident THE Philippine Racing Commission recently concluded its investigation into the case of horse Xen Young, which acted hostile in the starting gate in Race No. 5 last Jan. 14 at Santa Ana Park.

Jockey Mark Angelo A. Alvarez, race starter Ricardo Cruz, and starting gate helper Mark Lester Baldecasa were summoned to appear before the Commission’s committee on the conduct of races last Jan. 26 to explain their actions during the race.

According to the Santa Ana Park stewards report, Xen Young’s trainer CM Vicente complained that his jockey, Alvarez, said that the

horse was calm inside the gate but became hostile after Baldecasa threw a halter that hit the horse’s back and made a loud noise when its buckle hit the gate, startling the horse and “causing it to become hostile” and lie flat in its stall.

Alvarez refused to ride the horse, which was scratched from the race.

Racing rules prohibit the substitution of the jockey in this situation.

The stewards “found negligence on the part of Baldecasa” and recommended “that he be given disciplinary action.”

Upon investigation, the Philracom’s committee on the conduct of races found

that Xen Young, being a juvenile (2YO) horse, “still has a tendency to be easily disturbed and become unstable.”

The committee also found that Baldecasa’s action and the halter’s buckle hitting the rail was an accident, therefore there was no need for disciplinary action.

However, they also pointed out that the assigned veterinarian should have recommended the scratching of the horse, in line with racing rule 65-E on vicious horses: “hostile inside the gate for more than two minutes that poses danger to jockeys; causes delay of the race and affects untowardly the be-

havior of the other horses in the starting gate—automatically scratched or withdrawn from the race.”

The investigation findings were disseminated to racing clubs, particularly their racing managers; boards of stewards, starters, trainers, and Philracom field inspection division personnel.

“We use our full regulatory powers to investigate such cases and penalize, if need be, erring participants. This sends a strong signal that racing rules are strictly implemented for the protection of the betting public,” said Philracom Chairman Andrew A. Sanchez.

SM backs National Basketball Training Center SM, through its entertainment arm, SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc. has inked a partnership to fully support the National Basketball Training Center as it develops its grassroots program to build basketball athletes that may potentially excel as the Philippines’ representatives in the global arena.

Going beyond monetary sponsorship, SMLEI will be building the awareness and means of stability of the NBTC, so as to lay the foundation of the brand for the long run.

“SM is very proud to support the NBTC,” said Edgar Tejerero, president of SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc. “SM believes in creating opportunities for the Filipino to realize his or her full potential through actively involving our company in sports development.”

The National Basketball Training Center Developmental League, headed by Coach Eric Altamirano, is a nationwide grassroots program that aims to identify, prepare, and develop outstanding players found in public and private schools nationwide.

“It is a great honor for the NBTC to partner with a name as highly esteemed as that of SM. The NBTC is fully invested in its vision of Developing Skills, Building Character, and Raising Leaders in young basketball players and coaches nationwide,” said Alex Compton, NBTC National Training Director. “SM has been like minded in its development throughout the Philippines.

We foresee a long partnership in trying to bring the best out of the next generation of basketball leaders.”

Raptors...

From A16

Anderson’s 30 first-half points were the most scored by any NBA player this season in the first half, and also set a Pelicans franchise record for first-half scoring.

DeMarcus Cousins finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Ben McLemore matched him with 26 points for the Kings.

In Indianapolis, Monta Ellis scored 25 points and rookie Myles Turner added 20 in his first career start to lead the Indiana Pacers over Atlanta 111-92 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

George Hill added 18 and Paul George had 11 for the Pacers despite making only two-of-11 field goal attempts.

Jeff Teague had 20 for the Hawks and Al Horford added 14. AFP

S AT U R DAY : J A N U A R Y 3 0 , 2 0 16

A15

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

LOTTO RESULTS 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 4 DIGITS 00-00-00-00 3 DIGITS 00-00-00 2 EZ2 00-00

UAAP 78 volleyball wars begin AFTER the FEU Tamaraws’ definitive and historical victory last December at the basketball championship beating UST Growling Tigers, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ officially opens the much-awaited Season ‘78 volleyball tournament to be broadcast live on ABS-CBN Sports+Action worldwide beginning Sunday.

Unlike in previous years when only women’s volleyball matches were aired, this time the men’s tournament likewise gets ample coverage for Season ‘78.

Kicking off the new volleyball season is the men’s Game 1 match-up between defending champion Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles versus the UST Growling Tiger.

On the women’s side, this year’s UAAP host school the UP Lady Maroons will tangle with the UE Lady Warriors in Game 1, to be followed by the explosive Game 2 clash pitting the two-time defending champions Ateneo Lady Eagles against the NU Lady Bulldogs.

Last Season ‘77, the Ateneo men’s volleyball team repulsed the NU Bulldogs to grab its very first championship, while the Ateneo Lady Eagles captured its second consecutive crown by edging archrival De La Salle Lady Spikers in the finals. Will Ateneo continue its dominance of the volleyball tournament this year?

Support your favorite universities and catch the exciting volleyball games live worldwide on ABS-CBN Sports+Action and available on TFC’s satellite and internet protocol television platforms. Fans of the collegiate tournament can also watch the games via livestream on TFC’s official online service, TFC.tv The UAAP Season ‘78 men and women’s volleyball tournament will air beginning this Sunday and will take on the Wednesday-Saturday-Sunday schedule (TuesdayFriday-Saturday, Pacific time) during its regular run until Feb. 28.

Livestream matches and schedules can also be seen via sports.abs-cbn.com/ livestream/uaap

Jarencio: No UST Tiger involved in game-fixing

By Peter Atencio

NO member of the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers is involved in gamefixing in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.

Former UST coach Pido Jarencio believes so, because he knows most of the players who played for the team before he left last year to handle GlobalPort in the Philippine Basketball Association.

“Sa akin nanggaling iyung mga players na naglaro diyan.

Kilala ko sila. Hindi totoo iyan,” Jarencio told The Standard, when he learned of allegations that players could be selling out games

last season.

Jarencio spoke his mind on Friday after school officials have asked coach Bong dela Cruz to stay away from team’a practices since the second week of January.

Fr. Ermito de Sagon, O.P., director of the Institute for Physical Education and Athletics, said that Dela Cruz is now under investigation, but not suspended from the team.

Dela Cruz has complied and waiting for the decision of the University administration on his fate.

School officials have been silent on their probe on Dela Cruz.

But sources said authorities are also looking into claims that rookie members of the team have experienced verbal and physical abuse under Dela Cruz, whose punishments were said to be harsh.

De Sagon, in a statement to the official school paper, The Varsitarian, did not reveal the subject of the investigation.

He merely said that it was “about our basketball program in reference to the University’s policies.”

For the moment, the team’s practice sessions since Monday is being run by Tiger Cubs’ assis-

World-class show for Abreanos. Australian freestyle riders wow local folks during the 4th Mayor JB Bernos freestyle motocross show recently. Mayor JB Bernos’s sports treat for his constituents in La Paz town lured over 100,000 spectators from all over the province--the biggest crowd in a sports event in Abra history.

May The Big Difference be an inspiration to Gilas INSIDE SPORTS RONNIE NATHANIELSZ

ON the same day that Gilas Pilipinas was drawn in perhaps one of the two strongest groups in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, we received the distressing news that the greatest basketball player of all time to wear our country’s colors with pride and distinction – “The Big Difference” Caloy Loyzaga had passed away at the Cardinal Santos Memorial Hospital.

Caloy had always supported the Gilas Pilipinas national team and indeed the Gilas concept and pro-

tant Juben Ledesma.

Meanwhile, the Ateneo Lady Eagles will open their bid for a three-peat against the National University Lady Bulldogs on Sunday at the start of the 78th UAAP women’s volleyball tournament at the Arena in San Juan.

The Lady Eagles are expected to have a tough fight with the Lady Bulldogs, who will experience their first full season under coach Roger Gorayeb at 4 p.m.

Alyssa Valdez, who is among the most popular spikers these days, is hoping to finish her playing years as a winner. She will also get a lot of help from holdovers Amy Ahomiro, Jho Maraguinot, Bea de Leon and setter Jia Morado.

vided the much-needed inspiration to a team that was intensely committed to redeeming our country’s stature and respect in the international basketball community.

Indeed, it was Loyzaga who made the big difference in motivating the Gilas Pilipinas team towin a slot in the FIBA World Cup in Spain after finishing second to Iran in the Fiba Asia Championships in Manila, playing without naturalized center Marcus Douthit, who could have made a difference against Iran’s awesome center Haddadi.

If anything, Caloy Loyzaga proved that height was not necessarily might in basketball as he was just under 6’4” in height, but more

than held his own against the much bigger Americans and Brazilians in the 1954 World Championships in Brazil, where Caloy led the Philippines to a bronzemedal finish, which was the highest by any Asian team in the Fiba World Championships.

His average of over 16.4 points a game earned Caloy a place in the World Championship All-Star Five, which was an honor richly deserved both for him and our country.

Loyzaga was an unbelievably talented player, who used his innate skills to take on bigger men and get the better of them.

We can only fervently hope that among our present Gilas Pilipinas squad

that will compete in the FIBA qualifying tournament in Manila, we will discover players with the same courage, skill and fierce competitive spirit that Loyzaga displayed when he donned our country’s colors in The World Championships, the Asian Championships and other major international tournaments.

Not only was Caloy a truly great player, he was a dedicated husband and father and a glowing example of the very best in the Filipino.

We grieve over his passing and hope that his death will inspire our Gilas Pilipinas team to overcome the odds just like Caloy Loyzaga did in 1954 and lead us to the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games later this year.

Peping urges PH bets to continue training

PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee president Jose “Peping’ Cojuangco urged national athletes, who are seeking qualification slots to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics to continue training and preparing for other international competitions for the next two years.

Cojuangco, who presided over POC’s first-ever general assembly for 2016 on Wednesday, said the Philippines can possibly send around 15 athletes to Rio, but all athletes should not stop training for other events.

“Dapat tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang training kahit di sila makarating sa Rio. One day, we will have a fully-supervised training center for the athletes,” said Cojuangco, who was earlier named special adviser to the Olympic Council of Asia president.

POC cluster head Romeo Magat, on the other hand, said the athletes should also focus on the 2017 and 2019 Southeast Asian Games, the Asian Games, and the 2020 Olympics.

So far, sprinter Eric Cray is already sure of making it to the Games, while cycling officials have yet to make it official if BMX rider Daniel Caluag could also make it, along with golfers Miguel Tabuena, Angelo Que, Jennifer Rosales and Princess Superal.

Magat also named weightlifters Hidilyn Diaz and Nestor Colonia as possible Olympic qualifiers, as well as shooters Hagen Topacio, Teresa Acuna and Jayson Valdez.

Chances are also good for long jumper Marestella Torres and pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, who is training in Italy.

Boxing, meanwhile, is hoping to send Rogen Ladon, Eumir Felix Marcial and Samuel Morrison, while judo has Riyuko Watanabe as its solo Olympic bet. Peter Atencio

S AT U R DAY : J A N U A R Y 3 0 , 2 0 16

A16

RIERA U. MALL ARI EDITOR

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

sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS

Raptors nail 10th straight victory DeMar DeRozan (10) of the Toronto Raptors goes for a lay up during his team’s game against the New York Knicks at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Raptors won, 103-93. AFP

Lady Blazers seeking volleyball title repeat THIS early, newly crowned NCAA women’s volleyball champion College of St. Benilde, is eyeing a title repeat after bringing down San Sebastian in a gutwrenching finale.

And Lady Blazers coach Michael Carino wants to start the ball rolling by appointing Finals MVP Jeanette Panaga as their new team captain come next season.

“Siya na,” said Carino moments after St. Benilde clinched its first ever NCAA crown by downing Grethcel Soltones and San Sebastian, 25-22, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22, Thursday at The Arena in San Juan City.

Novak makes Aussie Open finale TURN TO A12

Panaga, a 21-year-old proud daughter of Limay, Bataan, earned the confidence of Carino after a masterful performance in the finals, where the Lady Blazers erased the Lady Stags’ “thrice-tobeat advantage” by winning three games to one.

It was in the fourth and final game, however, where Panaga shone the brightest as she came through with a series-best seven

blocks that helped slow down the usually high-scoring Soltones, who was held to just 19 hits after averaging 28.3 in the first three finals games.

Panaga said she will accept the challenge.

“It’s not easy but it’s a responsibility that I will gladly accept,” said Panaga in Filipino.

Panaga will take over from setter and this season’s skipper Djanel Cheng and the team’s other leader, Janine Navarro, who were both instrumental in the Lady Blazers’ storybook run.

The road to success was not easy though for Carino and the

Pacman gets a sparmate TURN TO A14

Lady Blazers.

When Carino took over and replaced Thelma Barina three years ago, he didn’t think the Lady Blazers could achieve what they accomplished in the present after seeing an overweight team.

“The first time I saw them, I thought I was handling a sumo team and not a volleyball team,” said Carino.

But Carino found a way to change the culture and molded his squad from a non-semifinalist on his first season as a coach two years ago, to a semifinalist last year and now, the league’s newest champion.

LOS ANGELES—Kyle Lowry scored 26 points and added 10 assists as the Toronto Raptors stretched their winning streak to a franchise-record 10 games Friday with a 103-93 win over the New York Knicks.

The Raptors previous best winning streak was nine games in 2002.

The Raptors led by 10 points entering the fourth quarter and by as many as 14 points in the second. The Knicks rallied to within seven points in the fourth before the Raptors stretched the lead to 11 points on a three-pointer by Lowry with 1:45 remaining.

Lowry scored 10 points in the fourth quarter in front of a crowd of 19,800 at the Air Canada Centre.

Guard DeMar DeRozan, who was named to the East all-star team earlier Thursday, had 26 points for the Raptors. Center Jonas Valanciunas added 11 points and had a season-best 18 rebounds, and forward Patrick Patterson added 10 points. Reserve guard Cory Joseph chipped in 11 points.

Asked if this was the best Raptor team DeRozan’s been a part of he said, “Yeah. By far, by far and we’ve still got a long way to go.”

Guard Arron Afflalo scored 20 points and for the Knicks, who have lost four straight.

Sasha Vujacic and Jerian Grant added 13 points each for New York and guard Langston Galloway had 12.

Pelicans sink Kings Jrue Holiday came off the bench to score 25 points and Ryan Anderson tallied 30 points in the first half en route to 36 to power the New Orleans Pelicans past the Sacramento Kings 114105 at Smoothie King Center.

Turn to A14

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

B1

SATURDAY: JANUARY 30, 2016

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

Multi-mission vessels.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alacala (fourth from left) and Undersecretary Asis Perez lead the ceremonial ribbon-cutting and keel laying of two multi-mission vessels on January 28, 2016 at the Josefa Slipways in San Roque, Navotas City. The 50m multimission vessels, each costing P180 million, are half a meter larger than an Olympic-size swimming pool. These vessels are the first of their kind to be constructed in the Philippines. Also shown are photo are Philippine Navy Captain Loumer Bernabe, Philippine National Police General Efren Perez, National Security Council Deputy Director-General Vicente Agdamag, National Coast Watch Council Undersecretary Jose Luis Alano, and Philippine Coastguard Rear Admiral Cecil Chen.

PSe comPoSite index Closing January 29, 2016

8000 8340 7880

BDO, Mitsubishi form joint venture

By Julito G. Rada

BDO Unibank Inc., the country’s biggest bank controlled by retail tycoon Henry Sy, formed a joint-venture company with Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. and two other companies to provide financing services to individual and corporate buyers of Mitsubishi vehicles.

BDO said in a statement Friday it signed an agreement with Mitsubi-

shi, Sojitz Corp. and JACCS Co. Ltd. to form MMPC Auto Financial Services Corp.

“This investment will be made through the bank’s subsidiary, BDO Leasing and Finance Inc., which will own 40 percent of the joint-venture company, while Sojitz, MMPC,

and JACCS will hold the remaining 60-percent stake,” BDO said.

“The joint venture, to be named MMPC Auto Financial Services Corp., is seen harnessing the complementary strengths of the joint-venture partners to take advantage of the sustained growth

in vehicle sales on the back of increasing consumer affluence and a growing population,” it said.

The Sojitz Group of Japan is a major trading company formed through the merger of Nichimen Corp. and Nissho Iwai Corp.

Carmakers in 2015 sold 288,609 units, or 23 percent higher than 234,747 a year ago. The industry aims for a 21-percent growth this year, or equivalent to combined sales of 350,000 units.

BDO’s wide distribution network and industry leadership are seen to complement MMPC’s established presence in the automotive industry, while both SJC and JACCS will contribute their international perspective and knowledge base on consumer credit to the business.

BDO Leasing and Finance Inc. is the leasing and financing subsidiary of BDO Unibank, which provides its customers direct leases, real estate leases, sale and leaseback arrangements as well as receivables factoring.

It also provides operating leases through its wholly-owned subsidiary BDO Rental Inc. BDO Leasing and Finance is among the country’s dominant players in terms of total assets, capitalization and profitability.

BDO on Wednesday announced the completion of the investment of Nomura Holdings Inc., Japan’s largest securities firm, in a brokerage unit of the bank-PCIB Securities Inc.—that will provide online trading services in the country.

Vehicles sales to reach $9.2b in next six years—BoI

By Othel V. Campos VEHICLE sales in the Philippines are expected to reach $9.2 billion in the next six years, the Board of Investments said Friday.

Industry forecasts released by BoI showed sales of imported and locally-manufactured vehicles would increase dramatically, as the percentage of households with a capability to buy cars was expected to improve to 26 percent in 2016 and 36 percent in 2017.

“This is something we expect will happen during the duration of the Cars [Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy] program until 2022,” BoI director Corazon Halili-Dichosa said at

the sidelines of the Supply Chain Readiness Training for the Automotive Sector at Acacia Hotel in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

The government based the sales forecast from the anticipated improvement in competitiveness of the local vehicle manufacturing sector with the implementation of the Cars program.

Vehicle sales in the Philippines increased 21.6 percent in 2015 to 328,854 units from 270,430 units in 2014. The industry expects total vehicles sales to hit 370,000 units in 2016.

Dichosa said the program aimed to speed up local production of vehicles and stimulate local demand by giving time-bound

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to select car manufacturers.

The program targets to generate 200,000 jobs, bring in fresh investments of $1.2 billion and implement industry regulations that will revitalize the Philippine automotive industry to emerge as a regional automotive manufacturing hub, she said.

The government opened the application process to interested yet qualified car manufacturers for the Cars program until endMarch 2016.

Qualified participants will get to share the P9 billion worth of incentives the Philippine government will provide under the program.

The industry currently has a manpower of 68,000 directlyhired, highly skilled employees.

Despite a high population base, the Philippines has low motorization rate of 35 per 1,000 people, compared to Malaysia with 395, Thailand with 200 and Indonesia with 73.

The Business Alliance, a partnership between the US-Asean Business Council and the US Agency for International Development, conducted the workshop in cooperation with the Federation of Automotive Industries of the Philippines, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and the Philippines Parts Makers Association.

7420 6960 6500

6,687.62 124.24

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing JANUARY 29, 2016 48.00 46.00 45.00

P47.650

44.00

CLOSE

43.00

HIGH P47.615 LOW P47.780AVERAGE P47.685 VOLUME 520.100M

P417.00-P627.00 LPG/11-kg tank P33.30-P40.75 Unleaded Gasoline

oPriceS il P today

P20.40-P23.80 Diesel P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Friday, January 29, 2016

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

47.8230

Japan

Yen

0.008416

0.4025

UK

Pound

1.435700

68.6595

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128327

6.1370

Switzerland

Franc

0.986388

47.1720

Canada

Dollar

0.712809

34.0887

Singapore

Dollar

0.700427

33.4965

Australia

Dollar

0.709019

33.9074

Bahrain

Dinar

2.657595

127.0942

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266667

12.7528

Brunei

Dollar

0.697983

33.3796

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000072

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.027917

1.3351

UAE

Dirham

0.272316

13.0230

Euro

Euro

1.094000

52.3184

Korea

Won

0.000831

0.0397

China

Yuan

0.152082

7.2730

India

Rupee

0.014691

0.7026

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.237530

11.3594

New Zealand

Dollar

0.646496

30.9174

Taiwan

Dollar

0.029810

1.4256 Source: PDS Bridge

SATURDAY: JANUARY 30, 2016

B2

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Friday, January 29, 2016

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 4.2 17 30.45 0.92 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 91.5 137 361.2 57 180 124 3.26

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.97 1.68 12.02 19.6 0.74 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 62 88.35 276 41 118.2 59 2.65

AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. Bright Kindle Resources COL Financial Eastwest Bank First Abacus MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

PB Bank Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Union Bank Vantage Equities

2.75 44.7 99.50 86.70 34.6 2.50 1.45 14.5 15.88 0.63 0.470 72.95 0.88 15.58 49.00 97 276 32.7 141.6 56.50 1.45

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 148 20.6 125 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 31.8 109 15.3 9.4 0.98 241

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 32 15.32 62.5 10.08 29.15 1.5 1.5 10.72 9.55 9.04 6.02 8.86 20.2 71.5 13.24 5.34 0.395 173

3.95 33.9 90 13.26 293 5 5.25 12.98 15 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.34 238 5.5 3.28 0.315 2.65 234 5.28 1.3 2.17

2.3 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 3.37 3.87 8.45 10.04 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 5.9 161 4.1 1.55 0.138 2.09 152 4.28 0.640 1.2

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

Asiabest Group C. Azuc De Tarlac Century Food Chemphil Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Concepcion Crown Asia Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) EEI First Gen Corp.

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

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

Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Petron Corporation Phinma Corporation Phoenix Petroleum Phils.

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

Splash Corporation Swift Foods, Inc. Trans-Asia Oil Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

41.35 4.29 0.6 1.22 9.59 140.00 15.54 100 19.7 41 2.09 2.49 11.7 7.640 7.23 5.48 5.77 18.28 54.8 14.30 5.13 2.400 204.80 6.4 1.73 24.8 13.64 5.5 309.20 3.90 2.95 6.30 11.50 3.50 1.40 2.24 3.64 5.99 135.6 3.95 2.49 0.149 2.15 187 4.68 0.58 0.99

0.59 59.2 30.05 2.16 7.39 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 4.92 0.66 1455

0.44 48.1 20.85 1.6 6.62 0.23 0.23 634.5 7.390 12.8 2.26 0.152 837

76 9.25 0.85 17.3 0.71 5.53 0.0670 1.61 2.99 84.9 974 1.66 1.39 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

49.55 4.84 0.59 12 0.580 4.2 0.030 0.550 2.26 59.3 751 1.13 0.93 80 0.211 0.179 0.310

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

Forum Pacific GT Capital IPM Holdings JG Summit Holdings Lopez Holdings Corp.

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

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

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

0.285 57.0000 14.50 1.08 6.00 0.200 0.210 670 7.35 11.20 4.53 0.222 1250 9.49 62.70 5.17 0.53 16 0.49 5.45 0.0280 1.960 2.7 70.00 815.00 0.99 0.71 99.700 0.2500 0.2100 0.275

10.5 1.99 1.75 41.4 5.6 5.59 1.44 1.97 0.201 0.69

6.74 0.65 1.2 30.05 3.36 4.96 0.79 1.1 0.083 0.415

8990 HLDG A. Brown Co., Inc. Araneta Prop `A’ Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. `A’ Cebu Holdings Century Property City & Land Dev. Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp.

6.650 0.70 1.100 30.050 2.36 4.41 0.470 0.91 0.118 0.390

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

SHARES 12,672,019 123,755,018 203,212,054 338,151,652 320,572,341 158,969,074 1,159,972,558

Close

High

Low

FINANCIAL 2.9 2.76 44.75 44.35 102.00 99.85 87.90 86.60 35 34.5 2.50 2.50 1.42 1.42 14.5 14.28 15.98 15.86 0.72 0.72 0.460 0.450 74 71 0.92 0.92 15.58 14.70 50.00 49.50 103.4 93.3 278 270 32.75 32.3 142.8 141.7 56.90 56.10 1.45 1.45 INDUSTRIAL 41.7 41.35 4.53 4.16 0.65 0.6 1.27 1.22 9.6 9.5 145.00 145.00 15.7 15.56 105 95 19.72 19.2 41 40 2.14 2.06 2.48 2.28 11.88 11.52 8.130 7.660 7.40 7.29 5.54 5.42 5.70 5.58 18.54 17.98 56.5 54.9 14.30 13.70 5.13 4.98 2.530 2.250 205.80 204.00 7.47 7 1.74 1.7 25.7 24.3 14.8 13.28 5.8 5.5 311.20 308.80 4.04 4.04 3.02 2.95 6.79 6.32 11.50 10.94 3.50 3.50 1.39 1.31 2.37 2.21 3.80 3.65 6.34 5.9 142.6 138 3.95 3.95 2.54 2.49 0.147 0.145 2.14 2.10 194.9 188.5 4.64 4.55 0.61 0.57 1.00 0.97 HOLDING FIRMS 0.300 0.280 58.6500 56.9500 14.80 14.40 1.06 1.06 6.00 6.00 0.200 0.200 0.180 0.180 683 670 7.39 7.35 11.60 11.20 4.52 4.50 0.224 0.211 1290 1250 9.53 9.48 67.00 62.00 5.35 5.18 0.59 0.54 16.2 15.5 0.48 0.48 5.7 5.46 0.0300 0.0280 2.000 1.910 2.70 2.70 73.10 69.50 831.00 810.00 1.00 1.00 0.77 0.70 104.900 93.600 0.2750 0.2500 0.2100 0.1950 0.280 0.275 PROPERTY 6.800 6.600 0.78 0.69 1.050 1.050 31.400 30.750 2.47 2.35 4.6 4.45 0.53 0.48 0.91 0.91 0.118 0.116 0.420 0.390

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

2.9 44.7 102.00 87.65 34.6 2.50 1.42 14.32 15.88 0.72 0.450 71 0.92 15.58 50.00 97.9 270 32.75 141.8 56.90 1.45

5.45 0.00 2.51 1.10 0.00 0.00 -2.07 -1.24 0.00 14.29 -4.26 -2.67 4.55 0.00 2.04 0.93 -2.17 0.15 0.14 0.71 0.00

100,000 86,700 5,221,790 3,008,390 24,900 16,000 18,000 30,500 177,800 10,000 230,000 2,561,050 9,000 134,500 27,900 4,290 1,140 205,600 779,720 19,580 5,000

41.6 4.33 0.63 1.27 9.5 145.00 15.58 105 19.72 40 2.08 2.29 11.82 8.100 7.34 5.48 5.58 18.4 55.8 14.30 5.08 2.250 205.20 7.44 1.7 24.3 13.7 5.5 310.00 4.04 2.95 6.50 11.50 3.50 1.35 2.32 3.80 6.34 138.6 3.95 2.49 0.146 2.10 193 4.64 0.6 0.98

0.60 0.93 5.00 4.10 -0.94 3.57 0.26 5.00 0.10 -2.44 -0.48 -8.03 1.03 6.02 1.52 0.00 -3.29 0.66 1.82 0.00 -0.97 -6.25 0.20 16.25 -1.73 -2.02 0.44 0.00 0.26 3.59 0.00 3.17 0.00 0.00 -3.57 3.57 4.40 5.84 2.21 0.00 0.00 -2.01 -2.33 3.21 -0.85 3.45 -1.01

3,591,500 766,000 294,000 36,728,000 1,800 20 160,400 40 263,900 6,400 1,211,000 3,188,000 69,800 14,071,100 2,977,500 25,896,500 787,400 4,217,000 61,100 200 216,100 7,936,000 1,478,920 1,300 25,000 736,700 4,991,700 6,500 140,900 1,000 282,000 4,880,000 6,200 2,000 537,000 285,000 312,000 1,700 23,150 5,000 1,255,000 740,000 200,000 4,638,760 11,000 611,000 96,000

0.290 58.5000 14.80 1.06 6.00 0.200 0.180 679.5 7.37 11.40 4.51 0.223 1290 9.53 67.00 5.25 0.54 15.9 0.48 5.5 0.0280 1.940 2.7 72.90 827.50 1.00 0.77 104.900 0.2650 0.2100 0.275

1.75 2.63 2.07 -1.85 0.00 0.00 -14.29 1.42 0.27 1.79 -0.44 0.45 3.20 0.42 6.86 1.55 1.89 -0.62 -1.03 0.92 0.00 -1.02 0.00 4.14 1.53 1.01 8.45 5.22 6.00 0.00 0.00

210,000 3,826,580 8,349,200 5,000 27,800 1,000,000 40,000 701,220 5,371,200 24,370,500 27,000 170,000 261,680 2,750,200 4,138,970 6,796,200 174,000 6,914,900 50,000 66,068,300 62,100,000 1,481,000 37,000 1,752,520 407,410 75,000 63,000 128,160 4,300,000 360,000 880,000

6.760 0.72 1.050 31.400 2.37 4.6 0.500 0.91 0.118 0.390

1.65 2.86 -4.55 4.49 0.42 4.31 6.38 0.00 0.00 0.00

93,700 7,056,000 5,000 18,207,900 9,463,000 117,000 11,590,000 1,000 1,830,000 570,000

3,569,695.00 123,917,300 -6,081,792.00 79,800.00

-641,488.00 68,000.00 -7,167,304.00 345,050.00 93,067.00 6,540,600 9,475,723.00 903,620.00 18,981,375.00 -154,080.00

1,162,366.00 59,520.00 -4,095 10,600.00 -13,800.00 13,535,315.00 -15,720,703.00 15,227,397.00 2,862,249.00 -28,540,578.00 -469,602.50 -1,430.00 10,000.00 -2,407,010.00 58,269,786.00 6,602,865.00 -3,452,596.00 -19,209,040.00 5,900.00 -3,237,110.00

0.00 375,973.00 12,500.00 221,206,027.00 45,500.00 3,990.00

128,355,458.50 19,745,726.00

7,200.00 59,974,605.00 11,548,337.00 -13,423,968.00 13,500.00 72,366,995.00 92,964,715.50 4,666,498.00 -20,980,280.00 33,963,604.00

-8,491,306.50 197,816,450.00 -1,490,433.50

3,990.00 70,000.00 -52,962,180.00 179,390.00 -369,600.00 264,500.00

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

10.96 0.97 0.305 2.22 2.1 1.8 5.94 0.180 0.470 0.72 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 7.56 1.62 8.59

2.4 0.83 0.188 1.15 1.42 1.27 4.13 0.090 0.290 0.39 2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 3.38 0.83 5.73

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

Phil. Realty `A’ Primex Corp.

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

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 28.5 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 12.3 2.6 7.67 1700 2720 8.41 1.97 119.5 12.5 0.017 0.8200 2.2800 12.28 3.32 2.53 3.2 2.46 15.2

1.97 35.2 1 0.63 18.2 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 10.14 1.6 4.8 830 1600 5.95 1.23 102.6 8.72 0.011 0.041 1.200 6.5 1.91 1.01 1.95 1.8 6

0.62 1.040 22.8 6.41 4 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

0.335 0.37 14.54 3 2.28 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

11.6 0.85 10 1.9

7.59 0.63 5 1.14

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

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

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

Manila Jockey Melco Crown Metro Retail MG Holdings NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

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

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

SSI Group STI Holdings Travellers Yehey

0.0098 5.45 17.24 0.330 12.8 1.19 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 1.030 3.06 0.020 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9

0.0043 1.72 6.47 0.236 5.11 0.85 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 0.365 1.54 0.012 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67

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

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

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

TA Petroleum

70 525 515

33 500 480

1047

1011

78.95 84.8

74.5 75

1.34

1

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ GLOBE PREF P PCOR-Preferred B PF Pref 2 PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred F Swift Pref

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant Alterra Capital Italpinas Xurpas

12.88

5.95

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

High

VALUE 1,107,599,338.75 2,002,080,528.49 2,805,958,309.95 1,887,998,714.02 1,829,439,591.83 124,094,841.8776 9,789,311,799.92

FINANCIAL 1,506.54 (up) 7.73 INDUSTRIAL 10,530.65 (up) 138.27 HOLDING FIRMS 6,323.63 (up) 154.88 PROPERTY 2,662.48 (up) 53.45 SERVICES 1,519.89 (up) 25.16 MINING & OIL 9,008.96 (down) 90.39 PSEI 6,687.62 (up) 124.24 All Shares Index 3,812.87 (up) 61.52 Gainers: 116; Losers: 53; Unchanged: 46; Total: 215

Close

20.6 0.750 0.139 0.90 1.47 1.17 3.42 0.076 0.2800 0.310 8.39 24.20 1.5 3.05 21.00 0.73 4.6 0.820 3.760

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

21 20 20.9 0.850 0.760 0.790 0.149 0.149 0.149 0.94 0.88 0.89 1.53 1.47 1.48 1.16 1.09 1.16 3.63 3.47 3.57 0.076 0.071 0.076 0.2850 0.2750 0.2850 0.36 0.330 0.340 8.39 8.39 8.39 25.90 24.50 25.00 1.5 1.47 1.49 3.05 3 3.05 21.70 20.90 21.15 0.77 0.74 0.76 4.6 4.4 4.6 0.890 0.830 0.860 3.820 3.590 3.740 SERVICES 6.44 6.34 6.22 6.35 55.8 56 55.7 55.75 1.14 1.2 1.2 1.2 0.395 0.400 0.400 0.400 20.2 26 26 26 3.99 4.26 3.99 4.10 0.0410 0.0420 0.0410 0.0410 3.35 3.34 3 3.3 76.7 77.85 76.7 77.1 9.5 9.5 9.5 9.5 1.5 1.58 1.5 1.58 6.00 6.02 5.81 6.02 955 989 955 989 1830 1891 1847 1864 6.54 6.57 6.50 6.55 1.10 1.16 1.16 1.16 60.75 62.4 60.5 60.8 11.78 11.96 11 11.96 0.0083 0.0083 0.0078 0.0078 0.140 0.151 0.140 0.147 1.3500 1.3500 1.2900 1.3500 7.02 7.20 7.06 7.10 3.99 4.03 3.95 4.00 1.23 1.21 1.21 1.21 2.40 2.40 2.40 2.40 1.98 1.97 1.9 1.97 2.05 2.35 2.12 2.26 3.05 3.35 3.10 3.15 0.255 0.255 0.245 0.250 0.620 0.650 0.620 0.640 18 18.9 18.38 18.4 4.30 4.50 4.35 4.35 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.4 99.40 100.00 100.00 100.00 20.00 20.00 19.78 20.00 2176.00 2220.00 2180.00 2220.00 0.400 0.420 0.385 0.385 0.750 0.810 0.750 0.750 33.10 33.75 33.00 33.00 57.30 59.05 57.60 59.05 4.82 5.10 4.78 5.00 2.50 3.47 2.60 3.20 0.400 0.410 0.390 0.390 3.84 3.71 3.99 3.68 3.670 3.750 3.650 3.750 MINING & OIL 0.0041 0.0042 0.0041 0.0042 1.65 1.65 1.52 1.65 4.00 4.01 3.98 4.00 0.203 0.203 0.203 0.203 4.9000 3.2 3.2000 3.2000 0.49 0.56 0.52 0.54 0.420 0.455 0.380 0.400 6.20 6.40 6.12 6.20 0.620 0.630 0.590 0.600 0.250 0.270 0.250 0.250 0.174 0.174 0.166 0.168 0.190 0.190 0.181 0.181 0.0100 0.0090 0.0098 0.0098 0.012 0.012 0.011 0.011 1.72 1.8 1.72 1.72 4.16 4.39 4.08 4.1 2.5 2.52 2.3 2.42 0.4800 0.4600 0.4400 0.4450 1.1600 1.1500 1.0100 1.1000 0.0090 0.0094 0.0094 0.0094 3.31 3.37 3.31 3.35 4.15 4.17 4.05 4.07 1.39 1.52 1.40 1.48 0.0110 0.0110 0.0100 0.0110 118.50 121.00 118.50 118.70 1.88 1.96 1.88 1.88 PREFERRED 55 55.2 54 55.2 540 540 530.5 530.5 514 514 514 514 1065 1065 1065 1065 1028 1026 1025 1025 105 105 105 105 106.5 108 107 108 80.5 80.5 80.5 80.5 82 83 83 83 79 79 79 79 2.3 2.56 2.56 2.56 WARRANTS & BONDS 2.420 2.880 2.450 2.730 SME 3 3.1 3.01 3.1 2.31 2.79 2.39 2.51 12.4 12.88 12.4 12.86 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 105.6 111.5 107.2 111.5

T op g ainerS STOCKS

Low

1.46 5.33 7.19 -1.11 0.68 -0.85 4.39 0.00 1.79 9.68 0.00 3.31 -0.67 0.00 0.71 4.11 0.00 4.88 -0.53

1,856,500 519,000 240,000 9,958,000 29,312,000 120,000 86,812,000 410,000 110,000 1,040,000 25,000 5,856,100 59,000 29,000 23,342,700 2,694,000 3,000 1,658,000 25,126,000

5,759,660.00

-1.40 -0.09 5.26 1.27 28.71 2.76 0.00 -1.49 0.52 0.00 5.33 0.33 3.56 1.86 0.15 5.45 0.08 1.53 -6.02 5.00 0.00 1.14 0.25 -1.63 0.00 -0.51 10.24 3.28 -1.96 3.23 2.22 1.16 4.35 0.60 0.00 2.02 -3.75 0.00 -0.30 3.05 3.73 28.00 -2.50 3.50 2.18

75,100 20,350 1,000 600,000 400 12,972,000 7,769,710.00 25,500,000 281,000 573,130 10,406,944.00 200 520,000 85,400 420 167,875 156,179,730.00 100,000 78,000 1,216,420 440,648.50 23,400 13,000,000 18,080,000 29,700.00 991,000 124,900 7,832.00 241,000 19,900.00 1,000 8,000 121,000 -190,200.00 101,534,000 35,108,680.00 3,456,000 892,530.00 570,000 3,305,000 700 4,000 3,000 10 130,800 -1,441,604.00 306,970 100,492,650.00 5,690,000 -682,000.00 66,722,000 -295,400.00 1,485,000 14,711,965.00 2,221,850 35,238,682.50 2,147,000 -532,900.00 47,554,000 -18,331,950.00 7,330,000 -1,995,050.00 215,000 113,000

2.44 0.00 0.00 0.00 -34.69 10.20 -4.76 0.00 -3.23 0.00 -3.45 -4.74 -2.00 -8.33 0.00 -1.44 -3.20 -7.29 -5.17 4.44 1.21 -1.93 6.47 0.00 0.17 0.00

55,000,000 160,000 155,000 20,000 2,000 200,000 13,870,000 3,500 16,680,000 720,000 3,440,000 1,710,000 17,200,000 2,200,000 865,000 13,078,000 31,000 370,000 220,000 200,000 28,000 549,000 1,893,000 27,900,000 358,740 197,000

0.36 -1.76 0.00 0.00 -0.29 0.00 1.41 0.00 1.22 0.00 11.30

85,070 38,200 4,000 100 30,305 2,000 5,160 5,320 235,080 11,120 1,000

-948,781.00

12.81

2,895,000

-8,400.00

3.33 8.66 3.71

16,000 1,249,000 1,256,000

4,866,628.00

5.59

119,400

-32,400.00

-132,300.00 1,215,620.00 79,677,930.00

125,850.00 57,493,105.00 130,169,870.00 22,200.00 -44,210,590.00

21,000.00 -248,100.00 -6,400.00

-480,500.00

-247,960.00 -3,954,740.00

20,270.00 29,250.00 -61,000.00 2,474,440.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Berjaya Phils. Inc.

26

28.71

Benguet Corp `B'

3.2000

-34.69

SSI Group

3.20

28.00

ATN Holdings B

0.180

-14.29

LBC Express

7.44

16.25

Manila Mining `B'

0.011

-8.33

First Abacus

0.72

14.29

Da Vinci Capital

2.29

-8.03

LR Warrant

2.730

12.81

Omico

0.4450

-7.29

Swift Pref

2.56

11.30

Ionics Inc

2.250

-6.25

Melco Crown

2.26

10.24

IP E-Game Ventures Inc.

0.0078

-6.02

Century Peak Metals Hldgs

0.54

10.20

Oriental Peninsula Res.

1.1000

-5.17

Phil. Realty `A'

0.340

9.68

Coal Asia

0.400

-4.76

Italpinas

2.51

8.66

Lepanto `B'

0.181

-4.74

SATURDAY: JANUARY 30, 2016

B3

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

SBS names Tan, other key senior executives

New aircons.

Panasonic Corp. introduces a new radiant cooling air-conditioning system called Elite Inverter Sky Series Split Room Air Conditioners at the Shangri-la Hotel in Makati. This is the product’s first launching in Asia and will be available to the Philippine market in March.

Shown presenting the new Panasonic Elite Inverter Sky Series Split Room aircons are (from left) Hiroyuki Tagishi, president of Panasonic Appliances Asia Pacific; Shinichi Hayashi, president of Panasonic Manufacturing Philippines Corp. and Masaru Toyota, vice president of Panasonic Philippines for sales and marketing division.

By Jenniffer B. Austria CHEMICAL trader SBS Philippines Corp. announced Friday the appointment of key senior officers as the company explores more growth opportunities in the Philippines and other countries.

SBS said in a disclosure to the stock exchange its board of directors appointed Gerry Tan as new president and chief executive effective Jan. 29, 2016.

Tan succeeded Necisto Sytengco who has relinquished his post as president, which he held on an interim basis.

Sytengco, the company’s founder, will continue as chairman of the board of directors and chairman of the executive committee of the company.

Tan has a 30-year experience in the chemical distribution industry in the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific region.

Prior his appointment in the company, he was senior adviser and general manager of Bluestar Silicones Asia-Pacific and a board director of Bluestar Silicones Shanghai of the China National Bluestar Corp. Group, a global frontrunner in new chemical materials.

As general manager of Bluestar Silicones Asia-Pacific, Tan had commercial responsibility for sales of over $100 million and executive oversight of the regional business in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Japan, Korea and India.

SBS said Tan, with extensive international experience in sales, marketing and operations, will bring a wealth of industry insights and contacts worldwide to develop and expand the company’s business and tap new opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region as the company adjusts to changing macroeconomic and competitive dynamics brought about by the Asean economic integration.

“Gerry’s experienced perspective in Asia-Pacific regional markets and international business fits well with the company’s thrust to better understand the customer’s needs today and expand its business in the region. Under his leadership, we will continue to take the Company forward to its next stage of growth and development.” Sytengco said.

SBS said in line with company’s strategic reorganization, it redesignated Esmeraldo Tepace as executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Necisto Sytengco II was also appointed as senior vice president for marketing operations and Lali Sytengco as vice president of purchasing.

“SBS is truly unique among the chemical distributors in the country given its scale and reach. We will further build on these competitive strengths to drive business growth and capitalize on the business growth momentum presented by the continued economic development in the country and Asean region. I look forward to working with the SBS team to promote long-term business success for the company,” Tan said.

Stock market climbs; SSI, Melco lead gainers STOCKS rose for a third day, sending the benchmark index above the 6,600-point level, after the Bank of Japan announced a new round of economic stimulus that boosted the Asian markets, including the Philippines.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, gained 124 points, or 1.9 percent, to close at a three-week high of 6,687.62 on Friday. The gauge, however, was still down 3.8 percent since the start of the year.

The heavier index, representing all shares, also rose 61 points, or 1.6 percent, to settle at 3,812.87, on a value turnover of P9.8 billion. Advancers outnumbered losers, 116 to 53, while 46 issues were unchanged.

Nineteen of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by

retailer SSI Group Inc., which surged 28 percent to P3.20.

Casino operator Melco Crown (Philippines) Resorts Corp. jumped 10.2 percent to P2.26, while conglomerate JG Summit Holdings Inc. climbed 6.9 percent to P67.

Property developer Megaworld Corp. advanced 4.4 percent to P3.57, while food manufacturer Universal Robina Corp. gained 3.2 percent to P193.

Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan’s shock announcement that it would charge banks to hold their cash sent Asian markets surging

and the yen tumbling Friday as investors ended a highly volatile month with a bang.

Trading floors across the planet have been awash with red in January as investors endured one of the worst starts to a year in recent history, hit by China’s economic crisis, weak global growth and crashing oil prices.

However, some stability seemed to be established over the past week on hopes that the Bank of Japan and European Central Bank will provide some support.

And on Friday, Japanese bank policy makers stepped up, unveiling a new weapon in their longrunning fight against anaemic economic growth and deflation.

After a two-day meeting the bank’s policy committee said it would adopt a negative interest rate policy, meaning banks pay to park their cash in the BoJ. The

move aims to give banks an incentive to boost lending, which in turn should help fuel economic growth.

A similar policy was adopted by the European Central Bank in 2014, the first time by a major central bank.

“It’s a surprise,” Hideaki Kuriki, a bond investor in Tokyo at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management, told Bloomberg News.

“They think the ECB policy is successful so they’re taking the same policy.”

The news sent Japan’s Nikkei stock index soaring more than three percent at one point before paring the gains slightly to sit 1.7 percent higher. But the yen held its losses. The greenback jumped to 120.30 yen in the afternoon, up from 118.60 yen before the announcement.

With AFP, Bloomberg

ABS-CBN appoints new chief operating officer

By Darwin G. Amojelar ABS-CBN Corp. said Friday it appointed Cory Vidanes as chief operating officer effective Feb. 1, 2016.

Vidanes replaced Carlo Katigbak who was earlier named president and chief executive of the company.

Vidanes will lead and oversee the total channel programming, artist development, on-air operations, events management and overall revenue and profit delivery of Channel 2.

Together with the content development council headed by chief content officer Charo Santos-Concio, Vidanes will manage the development of new concepts for Channel 2 and the ABS-CBN TVplus channels Yey, CineMo

and Knowledge Channel.

Vidanes began her career in television with BBC-2 in 1982. She joined ABS-CBN in 1986 as associate producer and was later appointed to various positions in the company, including executive producer, assistant production manager, production manager, production director, head of TV production, Channel 2 head, head of broadcast and finally, head of free TV. Vidanes completed an Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School in 2014. She graduated from Ateneo de Manila University with a degree in Communication Arts.

Earlier, ABS-CBN appointed Carlo Katigbak as the new president and chief executive starting January this year, replacing Concio.

Katigbak has 20 years of combined experience in financial management and business operations, corporate planning and general management.

Prior to his appointment as chief operating officer (of ABS-CBN in March 2015, Katigbak was the head of Access.

Katigbank helped pave the company’s expansion into promising technologies and ventures and managed the operations of Sky Cable, ABS-CBNmobile and ABS-CBN TVplus.

ABS-CBN earlier reported a net income of P1.89 billion in the January to September period last year from P1.54 billion a year ago.

ABS-CBN’s consolidated revenues in the first nine months of 2015 rose 11 percent to P27.8 billion from P25.06 billion in 2014.

SATURDAY: JANUARY 30, 2016

B4

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

IN BRIEF Globe’s big capex GLOBE Telecom Inc. said Friday its spending on infrastructure network over the last two years was one of the highest in Asia.

The company, owned by conglomerate Ayala Corp., said it had a capital expenditure-to-revenue ratio of 28 percent in 2015 and 27 percent in 2014 against the local telecommunications industry average of 23 percent in both 2015 and 2014.

By comparison, only China’s capex-torevenue ratio of 36 percent in 2015 and 33 percent in 2014 exceeded those of Globe.

Other Asian economies registered lower ratios in 2015 and 2014 with Singapore at 26 percent and 22 percent respectively; Indonesia, 24 percent and 26 percent; Thailand, 23 percent and 21 percent; India, 17 percent and 16 percent; Taiwan, 14 percent and 16 percent; Hong Kong 13 percent and 14 percent; and Malaysia, 13 percent and 12 percent.

“Over the past several years, we have invested in our network to enable our customers to enjoy their digital lifestyle and empower businesses with digital capabilities, enhance their productivity and make globally competitive,” Globe president and chief executive Ernest Cu said.

Darwin G. Amojelar

Goldxtreme stopped THE Securities and Exchange Commission issued a cease-and-desist order against gold trading company Goldxtreme Trading Co. and two other firms for offering investment-type products without the proper authorization from the corporate regulator.

The SEC directed the officers, directors, agents and representatives of Goldxtreme to immediately stop engaging in activities of selling and offering securities in the form of investment contracts without prior registration with the corporate watchdog.

The SEC also ordered the company to stop luring investors through the Internet.

Goldxtreme in a statement said it would cooperate by temporarily suspending its Gold Swap Program. In a statement, the company apologized to all its GSP patrons for the inconvenience and assured it would take all necessary legal actions to have the CDO lifted and resume normal operations.

It said it would continue with the sale of 14-karat mini gold bars but due to the effects of the CDO, prices would adjusted upward. Jenniffer B. Austria

Sacasun seeks link SAN Carlos Sun Power Inc., or Sacasun, is seeking approval from the Energy Regulatory Commission to link its 48.6-megawatt solar power plant in Negros Occidental to the transmission system of National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.

Sacasun, the joint venture company between SunEdison Philippines Helios BV and Aboitiz Renewables Inc., the holding firm of Aboitiz Power Corp.’s investments in renewable energy, said in a petition it planned to commission the solar plant by March to avail of the feed-in tariff system.

The plant will be connected to the grid by a a two-point tap connection along the San-Carlos-Guigulngan 69 kB transmission.

The power plant’s output will be delivered toward the south portion of the line (first connection point) and the other portion toward the north side.

Sacasun estimated the total cost for the development of the connection facility at P84.373 million. Alena Mae S. Flores

DBS Bank keeps 6.1% growth target for 2016

By Julito G. Rada

DBS Bank of Singapore kept Friday its previous economic growth forecast for the Philippines this year at 6.1 percent after the fourth-quarter data of 6.3 percent exceeded the bank’s expectations of a 5.7-percent expansion.

“That brought full-year 2015 GDP growth to 5.8 percent, a moderation from the 6.1 percent chalked in 2014. That said, we see enough positives in the data and maintain our 2016 GDP growth forecast at 6.1 percent,” DBS said in a report.

The bank noted that gross

fixed capital formation growth increased by 22.5 percent in the fourth quarter versus the same period a year ago. Also, full-year investment growth was solid at 14 percent, well above its expectations for a 9.3-percent expansion.

It said large swings in investment growth were typically driv-

en by construction, which tended to be patchy throughout the year.

But it said the main driver in the fourth quarter was the 20-percent jump in durable equipment purchases.

“This could only be a good sign for this year’s outlook. That imports of capital goods continue to grow at double-digit pace also reinforces the strong investment growth story,” DBS said.

It also said even if the agriculture sector might remain under pressure in early-2016, it seemed that the impact on private consumption growth was likely to be limited. It said discretionary spending remained strong in the

economy, indicated by how nonfood consumption continued to lead overall consumption.

“Another 6-percent consumption growth is on the cards this year. Given the strong momentum in 4Q15, there is a chance that 2016 GDP growth may come in even faster than our forecast,” DBS said.

However, the bank said it was important to watch for the firstquarter 2016 numbers, given the impact of the approaching national elections to the economy. It said while the election campaigning process might provide a boost to consumption growth, the pace of investment growth might also ease ahead of the elections.

Pru Life in Muntinlupa.

Pru Life UK, the country’s lone British insurer, enters its 20th year in the Philippines with the unveiling of its newest business center in the heart of South Luzon. Escosia Pearl, branching out from the Laguna pioneering branch Escosia & Associates, inaugurates its hub at the Sycamore Prime Building along Alabang Zapote Road in Muntinlupa. The branch is headed

by Margarita Tiples and officially brings the roster of Pru Life UK branches in Alabang to seven.

At the inauguration rites are (from left) Pru Life UK senior vice president and chief agency officer Divine Furagganan and Escosia Pearl branch manager Margarita Tiples.

Liquidity up 8.3% DOMESTIC liquidity, or money supply in the financial system, grew 8.3 percent in December 2015 year-on-year to P8.3 trillion due largely to sustained demand for credit, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Friday.

The growth, however, was slower than the 9.4-percent expansion in November.

On a month-on-month seasonally-adjusted basis, liquidity decreased by 0.2 percent.

“The continued expansion of domestic liquidity during the month indicates that money supply remains adequate to support economic growth. Going forward, the BSP will continue to monitor monetary conditions to ensure that liquidity dynamics remain in line with maintaining price and financial stability,” Bangko Sentral said.

Domestic claims rose 10.8 percent in December, slower than the 11.8-percent growth a month ago. Credits to the private sector increased at a slower pace relative to the previous month.

The bulk of bank loans was channeled to key production sectors such as real estate; electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply; and wholesale and retail trade. Julito G. Rada

PAL starts Saipan route in June as part of expansion

By Darwin G. Amojelar PHILIPPINE Airlines said Friday it will mount flights to Saipan in June as part of a strategy to expand in the international market.

The Lucio Tan-led airline said the twice weekly service between Manila and Saipan, a US territory in the Pacific, would start on June 15.

One of the largest islands in the Northern Marianas, Saipan is four hours away from Manila. The new flights are on code share with PAL Express.

“Saipan is home to thousands of Filipinos.

Opening this new route will provide our kababayans that much-needed link to their

homeland. On top of that, business and leisure travelers from Saipan now have the opportunity to experience PAL’s brand of service that is uniquely Filipino,” said PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista.

PAL on March 15 will start flying to Los Angeles from Cebu.

PAL since 2015 has opened new destinations, namely New York, Jinjang in China, Cairns, Auckland, Kuwait and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

PAL’s new A330-300 will be the fleet for the new Mid-East routes.

Bautista earlier said PAL was set to sign a $1-billion deal with an aircraft manufacturer for six long-range, twin-engine wide-body

jets next month.

Bautista did not identify the aircraft manufacturer, but he earlier said the company was looking at either Airbus A350 or Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

PAL Holdings Inc., the holding company of PAL, posted a net income of P6.55 billion in the first nine months of last year from P169.1 million in the same period in 2014.

PAL ’s total revenues for the nine months reached P81.99 billion, up 10.8 percent from P73.98 billion during the same months in 2014.

PAL attributed the favorable performance to higher passenger revenues and other revenues generated during the period.

S at u r D aY : J a n u a r Y 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

B5

ceSar barrioquinto EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

world Historic HK village demolished HONG KONG—A 650-year-old urban walled village in Hong Kong the last of its kind will be destroyed to make way for development in what critics say is another nail in the coffin for the city’s cultural heritage.

Present. TV personality Joseline Hernandez attends Rick Ross’ 40th birthday celebration on January 28, 2016, in Fayetteville, Georgia. AFP

On a chilly morning, around 20 remaining residents of Nga Tsin Wai, an ancient settlement in the heart of bustling Kowloon, despondently packed their belongings before the wrecking ball arrives in the coming days.

There were once dozens of such villages scattered across what became the urban center of the city they were built by Chinese clans centuries ago, complete with moats and watchtowers to guard against intruders.

While many walled villages still remain intact on the city’s rural outskirts, Nga Tsin Wai is the only one left in the heart of Hong Kong.

The village was built in 1354 and the original walls and battlements have disappeared, leaving a collection of around 50 ramshackle houses, shops and a temple, hemmed in by concrete tower blocks that have grown up around it.

Authorities argue the village is in poor condition and should make way for better quality housing units in an overcrowded city —750 new flats will be built on the site.

Heartbroken residents say it is the only place they call home.

“The village has a long history and we have been here for a long time. But we have been given no choice but to leave,” one resident, Kwok Yue-ka, told AFP. Kwok, a 52-year-old barber, held out until the eviction deadline, unhappy with the government’s compensation package.

Authorities warned he must leave or risk jail.

Kwok said he received HK$200,000 ($25,665) in compensation and would be moved to temporary housing.

“I have treated this as my only home. I have lived here for 20 years. Now the future is uncertain. I feel frustrated,” he said.

The destruction of historic buildings, old communities and street markets across Hong Kong has drawn widespread criticism in recent years.

The last decade has seen the demolition of the landmark Queen’s Pier, built during the British colonial era, swept away for a bypass and harborf ront development.

An entire street in the Wan Chai neighborhood known as “wedding card street” for the abundance of shops selling traditional Chinese wedding invites was demolished to make way for residential development and luxury stores.

The government is under pressure to find space for 400,000 new housing units in the next 10 years to remedy the shortage of affordable homes as property prices have skyrocketed.

But while there is a pressing need for more accommodation, district councilor Paul Zimmerman, an advocate of sustainable urban planning, said Hongkongers were beginning to question the sacrifices made.

“How do you balance the [economic] gains and the impact on individuals? How do you maintain these areas without destroying the local culture?” asked Zimmerman. AFP

Envoy: Freedoms being eroded in S. Korea SEOUL—A UN envoy on Friday warned of a gradual erosion of the freedom of assembly in South Korea, and cited North Korea as an extreme example of what happens when such tendencies go unchecked.

Wrapping up a week-long visit, UN Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai praised South Korea’s successful transition from military rule to democracy, but also highlighted signs that the country was moving backwards.

“I sense a trend of gradual regression on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and

of association – not a dramatic shutdown of these rights, but a slow, creeping inclination to degrade them,” Kiai said.

“I find that space for exercising the right to peaceful assembly has been shrinking over the past few years,” he added.

In particular, he noted cases where government officials had restricted protests by citing the inconvenience they caused or by raising the specter of the security threat posed by North Korea.

And he expressed concern over police tactics used against demonstrators during rallies.

Last November, more than

60,000 people took to the streets of Seoul to protest the government’s push for an unpopular labor reform plan and a controversial scheme to impose state-issued history textbooks in schools.

That protest the largest South Korea has seen in nearly a decade erupted into violent clashes between demonstrators and police using water cannons and pepper spray.

President Park Geun-hye condemned the rally as an effort to “deny the rule of law,” urging strong measures against violent protesters. AFP

New Barbies. This handout photo provided by Mattel France via Self Image shows the new Barbie dolls alongside the iconic ones. AFP

B6

S AT U R D AY : J A N U A R Y 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

WORLD

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Grief amid Zika virus fallout E R R A T U M

ERRORS & OMISSIONS

There were errors in the ad placement of Extrajudicial Notice dated December 2,9 & 16, 2015.

The ad should have read as follows:

In Classified Ads section must be brought to our attention the very day the advertisement is published. We will not be responsible for any incorrect ads not reported to us immediately.

NOT IC E IS H ER EBY G IVEN T H AT THE ESTAT E OF T H E LAT E RIZ ALIN A T. GERVASIO WAS EXT R AJ U D IC IALLY SET T LED BY H EIR S AS PER D OC . 468, PAGE 95; BOOK N O. I; SER IES OF 2015 BEF OR E NOTARY PU BLIC AT T Y. SH ERW IN D W IGH T O. EBALO OF M AKAT I C IT Y.

Republic of the Philippines CO M M I SS I O N O N ELECTI O NS M anila IN THE M AT T E R OF AMENDING S E C T I O N 1 (C) , R U L E I I I O F C O M E L E C RESOLUTION NO. 10 0 15 ; AND A L L O W I N G T H E P H I L I P P I N E N AT I O N A L P O L I C E ( P N P) T O P R O V I D E S E C U R I T Y D E TA I L TO QUALIFIED P R I VAT E INDI V IDUALS X - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -X

C h a i r m a n J . A n d r e s D. B a u t i s t a Commissioner Christian Rober t S. Lim Commissioner Al A . Parreño C o m m i s s i o n e r L u i e T i t o F. G u i a C o m m i s s i o n e r A r t h u r D. L i m Commissioner Ma. Rowena Amelia V. Guanzon Commissioner Sheriff M. Abas

SALVADOR, Brazil—Mateus Marcelina da Silva had big dreams for his son, but they were shattered when he was born with brain damage, like thousands of babies in Brazil affected by a birth defect blamed on the Zika virus.

Little Pietro looks almost like any other baby, but his head is unusually small and rigid.

Soon after he was born, he was diagnosed with microcephaly, a birth defect that has surged in Brazil and which health officials say appears to be caused by pregnant mothers catching Zika, an otherwise mild tropical fever.

Doctors think Pietro turned out this way because Mateus’s wife, Kleisse, was bitten while she was pregnant by a mosquito carrying Zika.

The virus originated in Africa and has spread rapidly through Latin America since it was first

detected in the region last year.

“When he was born, it was like a bombshell. I had so many dreams for him. I wanted him to do sports, to play, to be healthy and strong,” Mateus told AFP, holding Pietro as he and his wife awaited their turn at a special clinic set up for babies with microcephaly in Salvador, the capital of the hard-hit state of Bahia.

Kleisse was five months pregnant when she came down with Zika, which causes mild flu-like symptoms and a rash.

“I went to the doctor and he told me there was no risk for my baby. But when he was born, on

November 22, they told us he had microcephaly, and that’s when we found out he would never be a normal little boy,” said Kleisse, 24.

As she speaks, Pietro squirms in her husband’s arms. His body is stiffer and his head less soft than an infant with normal brain development typical of babies with microcephaly.

Pietro is the couple’s first child together, and Kleisse said she couldn’t stop crying after his birth.

“I’ve calmed down now, but I’m still afraid for my son’s future,” she said. “Will he be able to walk or talk?”

Ana Paula Santos, 34, has a similar story.

“I caught Zika while I was pregnant. They told me nothing would happen, but in my eighth month they detected microcephaly. I haven’t been able to sleep since,” she said, holding six-week-old Flavia in her arms. AFP

P r o m u l g a t e d: J a n u a r y 2 8 , 2 016

R ESO LUT I O N N O. 10 0 47 W H E R E A S , C O M E L E C R e s o l u t i o n N o . 10 015 p r o m u l g a t e d o n N o v e m b e r 13 , 2 015 e n t i t l e d: ” R U L E S A N D R E G U L AT I O N S O N : (1) T H E B A N O N T H E B E A R I N G , C A R R Y I N G O R T R A N S P O R T I N G O F F I R E A R M S A N D OT H E R D E A D LY W E A P O N S A N D (2) T H E E M P LOY M E N T, AVA I L M E N T O R E N G A G E M E N T O F T H E S E R V I C E S O F S E C U R I T Y P E R S O N N E L O R B O DYG U A R D S D U R I N G T H E E L E C T I O N P E R I O D O F T H E M AY 9 , 2 016 SY N C H R O N I Z E D N AT I O N A L A N D LO C A L E L E C T I O N S ”; W H E R E A S , S e c t i o n 1 (C) , R u l e I I I o f C O M E L E C R e s o l u t i o n N o . 10 015 , provides:

Republic of the Philippines CO M M I SS I O N O N ELECTI O NS M anila

“ S ECT I O N 1. W ho may b e a r, c a r r y o r t r ans p o r t f i r e a r ms o r d e a d l y we a p ons. – O n ly the fo l l owi ng per s o ns may be au tho r ized to b ear, c ar r y o r tr ans p o r t Fi r ear ms o r other D ead ly Weap o ns dur i ng the Elec ti o n Per i o d: XXX C. Senators and M embers of the House of Representatives (who a r e n o t c a n d i d a t e s ); XXX” WHERE AS, Law Depar tment Acting Director IV Maria Norina Ta n g a r o C a s i n g a l , H e a d , L e g a l - C B F S P, i n m e m o r a n d u m N o . 16 - 0 6 2 0 d a t e d J a n u a r y 14 , 2 016 addressed to Comm. Al A . Pareño, Chairman of the Commit tee on the Ban on Firearms a n d S e c u r i t y P e r s o n n e l (C B F S P) , s t a t e d t h a t p u r s u a n t t o t h e R u l e s , o n l y i n c u m b e n t Senators and Members of the House of Representatives, who are not candidates, may be allowed to bear and c ar r y f irear ms during the election period for the 0 9 May 2 016 N a t i o n a l a n d L o c a l E l e c t i o n s . H o w e v e r, D i r. Ta n g a r o - C a s i n g a l o p e n e d t h a t a n incumbent Senator or Member of the House of Representatives remains to be a high ranking elected of f icial, and is entitled to such position, to exercise and discharge his law ful mandate to the full term of his Of f ice, regardless of whether he had f iled a C e r t i f i c a t e o f C a n d i d a c y f o r p u r p o s e s o f r e - e l e c t i o n o r f o r o t h e r e l e c t i v e p o s i t i o n; and fur ther stated that Senators and Members of the House of Representatives, being elective public of f icials , are not c onsidered resigned from of f ic e, even if they f i l e d C O C s . T h e y a r e e x c l u d e d f r o m p a r a g r a p h 3 , S e c t i o n 13 o f R e p u b l i c A c t 9 3 6 9 a m e n d i n g S e c t i o n 11 o f R e p u b l i c A c t 8 4 3 6 w h i c h c o n s i d e r e d o n l y t h o s e w h o a r e public appointive of f icials as “ipso facto resigned” from the f iling of the COC; W H E R E AS, t h e C o mmit te e o n t he B an o n Firear ms an d S e c ur it y Pe r s o nne l (C B FS P) e nc o unte re d s eve r al c hall e n g e s in t h e imp l e m e nt at i o n of C O M ELEC Re s o lut i o n N o. 10 015, par t i c ular ly o n t he fo ll ow ing i s sue s: 1) as to w h o shall b e all owe d to b e ar, c ar r y o r t r ansp o r t f ire ar ms and ot her deadly weap o ns; and 2) w h et h e r o r n ot t h e Philip p ine N at i o nal Po lic e (PN P) shall b e all owe d to p r ov i de s e c ur it y det ail to quali f i e d ap p li c ant s.

W H E R E A S , i n t h e s a m e M e m o r a n d u m N o . 16 - 0 618 , D i r e c t o r Ta n g a r o - C a s i n g a l fur ther recommended that the PNP be allowed to provide securit y detail to qualif ied private individuals subject to cer tain c onditions; NOW THEREFORE, the Commission RESOLVED, as it hereby RESOLVES, as follows: 1.

To a m e n d S e c t i o n 1 (C) , R u l e I I I o f C O M E L E C R e s o l u t i o n N o . 10 015 b y d e l e t i n g t h e p h a s e “ w h o a r e n o t c a n d i d a t e s ”;

2.

To a m e n d S e c t i o n 1, R u l e I I I o f C O M E L E C R e s o l u t i o n N o . 10 015 a s t o i n c l u d e p e r s o n s w h o a r e c o n s i d e r e d a s h i g h - r i s k t o b e a r, c a r r y a n d transpor t f irearms and other deadly weapons; For this pur pose, a person shall be c onsidered as high - risk if his/her applic ation is suppor ted by credible evidenc e (i.e. threat assessment, p o l i c e r e p o r t s , e t c .) w h i c h t h e C B F S P, a f t e r c a r e f u l b a c k g r o u n d c h e c k a n d thorough evaluation, f inds suf f icient, and the reason is urgent to justif y the g r a n t o f s a i d e x e m p t i o n; a n d

3.

To a l l o w t h e P h i l i p p i n e N a t i o n a l P o l i c e ( P N P) t o p r o v i d e s e c u r i t y d e t a i l t o qualif ied pr ivate individuals, subject to the presenc e of any of the following conditions, viz:

I N TH E M AT TER O F A M END I NG CO M ELEC R ESOLUTI O N NO. 9 9 81 DATED 2 2 D ECEM BER 2015 , OTH ERW I SE K NOW N AS TH E CA LENDA R OF ACTI V ITI ES A ND PER I O DS O F PRO H I BITED ACTS I N CO NNECTI O N W ITH TH E M AY 0 9, 2016 N ATI O N A L A ND LOCA L ELECTI O NS, SPECI FI CA LLY AS TO TH E DATE FO R TH E POSTI NGS O F TH E CERTI FI ED LI ST O F VOTERS. x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

B AU T I S TA , J . A n d r e s D. LIM, Christian Rober t S. PA R R E Ñ O, A l A ., G U I A , L u i e T i t o F., L I M , A r t h u r D. G UA N Z O N , M a . R o w e n a A m e l i a V. A B A S, S h e r i f f M .,

Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner

P r o m u l g a t e d J a n u a r y 2 6 , 2 016 .

R E S O LU TI O N N O. 10 0 4 4 W H E R E A S, f o r p u r p o s e s o f t h e M ay 0 9 , 2 016 N a t i o n a l a n d L o c a l E l e c t i o n s , t h e p o s t i n g o f t h e c e r t i f i e d l i s t o f v o t e r s i s s e t o n Fe b r u a r y 0 9 , 2 016; W H E R E A S, p e n d i n g t h e p o s t i n g o f t h e c e r t i f i e d l i s t o f v o t e r s , t h e Commission has introduced in its website as application where voters c a n ve r i f y w h e t h e r t h e i r n a m e s a r e i n c l u d e d i n t h e s a i d l i s t ; W H E R E A S, t h e p r o c u r e m e n t o f s u p p l i e s f o r t h e p r i n t i n g a n d actual printing of the cer tif ied list of voters cannot be completed before i t s p o s t i n g o n Fe b r u a r y 0 9 , 2 016; W H E R E A S, u n d e r S e c t i o n 2 8 o f R e p u b l i c A c t N o. 8 4 3 6 , i f i t s h a l l n o l o n g e r b e r e a s o n a b l y p o s s i b l e t o o b s e r ve t h e p e r i o d s a n d d a t e s p r e s c r i b e d by l a w f o r c e r t a i n p r e - e l e c t i o n a c t s , t h e C o m m i s s i o n s h a l l fix other periods and dates in order to ensure accomplishment of the a c t i v i t i e s s o t h a t v o t e r s s h a l l n o t b e d e p r i ve d o f t h e i r s u f f r a g e; N O W, T H E R E FO R E , t h e C o m m i s s i o n R ES O LV E D a s i t h e r e by R ES O LV ES , t o r e s e t t h e d a t e f o r t h e p o s t i n g o f t h e c e r t i f i e d l i s t o f v o t e r s f r o m Fe b r u a r y 0 9 , 2 016 t o M a r c h 10 , 2 016 .

a.

No securit y /protective or intelligence agency is available in the areas as c er tif ied by the PNP;

b.

There is a histor y of violence in the area;

c.

T h e a r e a i s a m o n g t h o s e c o n s i d e r e d a s a n a r e a o f c o n c e r n;

Let copies of this Resolution be furnished all Of f ices/Depar tments and f ield of f ices of the Commission on Elections.

d.

The applic ant is c onsidered as a high - risk individual as evidenc ed by suppor ting documents such as but not limited to threat assessment, p o l i c e r e p o r t s , e t c .; a n d

L e t t h e O f f i c e o f t h e D e p u t y E xe c u t i ve D i r e c t o r f o r O p e r a t i o n s implement this Resolution.

e.

Those who are government.

under

the

Witness

Protection

Program

of

the

S O O R D E R E D.

L e t t h e L a w D e p a r t m e n t , L e g a l C B F S P, a n d t h e C o m m i t t e e o n t h e B a n o n Firearms and Security Personnel implement this Resolution.

The Education and Information Depar tment of the Commission is directed t o c a u s e t h e p u b l i c a t i o n o f t h i s R e s o l u t i o n i n t w o (2) d a i l y n e w s p a p e r s o f g e n e r a l circulation in the Philippines, and to furnish with copies thereof the Regional Election Directors, Provincial Election Super visors, and Election Of f icers of the Commission, t h e P N P, t h e A F P a n d a l l o t h e r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s .

SO ORDERED. J . A N D R E S D . B AU S T I S TA Chairman CHRISTIAN ROBERT S. LIM Commissioner

A L A . PA R R E Ñ O Commissioner

L U I E T I T O F. G U I A Commissioner

ARTHUR D. LIM Commissioner

M A . R O W E N A A M E L I A V. G UA N Z O N Commissioner

SHERIFF M. ABAS Commissioner ( T S - J A N . 3 0 , 2 016)

J . A N D R E S D. B AU S T I S TA Chairman

CHRISTIAN ROBERT S. LIM Commissioner

A L A . PA R R E Ñ O Commissioner

L U I E T I T O F. G U I A Commissioner

A R T H U R D. L I M Commissioner

M A . R O W E N A A M E L I A V. G UA N Z O N Commissioner

SHERIFF M. ABAS Commissioner ( T S - J A N . 3 0 , 2 016)

Canadian accused of spying in China CHINA has charged a Canadian citizen with spying and stealing state secrets, the government said Friday.

Kevin Garratt was detained in 2014 along with his wife, who was later released on bail, in the northeastern Chinese city of Dandong, on the border with North Korea.

“The Canadian citizen Kevin Garratt, suspected of spying and stealing Chinese state secrets, has been indicted,” Hua Chunying, a foreign ministry spokeswoman, said at a regular briefing in Beijing.

“During the investigation, authorities found that Kevin Garratt may also be involved in gathering information for Canadian information agencies.”

Before their arrests Garratt and his wife, both Christians, had run a coffee shop in Dandong and been active in helping send humanitarian aid to impoverished North Korea.

In 2013 he told a church in Surrey, British Columbia: “God said, in a prayer meeting, go to Dandong and I’ll meet you there, and he said start a coffee house.

“We’re trying to reach North Korea with God, with Jesus, and practical assistance.” AFP

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PROPERTY

JOEL D. L ACSAMANA EDITOR

jdlacsamana@gmail.com

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‘Peyton Place’ redux

r

emember growing up in that village where your parents hung out together at the parish church, village clubhouse bowling alley and shopped at the neighborhood supermarket? Where their kids were your playmates from grade school to college, and all played at the summer inter-color basketball league and chilled with soft drinks and burgers at the neighborhood soda fountain, or had their first dance at the May-time frolics at the clubhouse?

Well, new families can enjoy that type of living again with The Enclave Alabang. Construction for this Peyton Place-like development kicked off recently at The Enclave Alabang, a project of Filinvest Alabang, Inc. An expansive 10.5-hectares property, the project spearheads the charge of Filinvest into the luxury horizontal residence market. The Enclave features modern architecture set in a lush, sweeping designed landscape, as well as a man-made lagoon.

“Part of our concept for The Enclave Alabang is to bring back the close-knit community lifestyle that used to be enjoyed healthily by the residents of many exclusive villages,” said executive vice president Catherine Ilagan, Filinvest Land, Inc. (FLI). “The type of place where families are raised knowing other families in their neighbourhood.”

There will be 169 single-detached homes with a 1-hectare amenity area, and a lot of green open spaces to allow fo outdoor activities “We want families, especially children to rediscover the joys of ‘playing outside’ the way it used to be,” added Daphne Sanchez of senior assistant vice president of Filinvest Alabang. “The features and amenities we designed in The Enclave Alabang are intended to inspire this return to these ways of life.”

The Enclave Alabang is located along Daang Hari Road, accessible via the Muntinlupa Cavite Expressway (MCX) and Filinvest City.

Bucolic chic. “The type of place where families know other families in the neighbourhood.”

Starting your future right. Rockwell Primaries, the newest subsidiary of Rockwell Land, promises to help customers build their future in a home that they deserve. The company offers a choice between 53 Benitez, its flagship project near New Manila, and The Vantage at Kapitolyo, its first high-rise development in Pasig. Both properties are situated in strategic locations close to major thoroughfares and business districts, making it easier for homeowners to live in communities just minutes away from the city. 53 Benitez is two-tower mid-rise residential condominium, while The Vantage at Kapitolyo offers young professionals and families access to leisure and shopping establishments, and a podium strip with a plethora of dining and retail stores. Shown in photo are one of the ‘bigger-than-usual’ units at 53 Benitez.

yeS, we got water! Picar Development recently sealed a partnership with General Trias Water Corporation (GTWC), turning over the former’s water services in Ara Vista Village, Picar Development’s township development in General Trias, Cavite, to GTWC. The contract signing was led by Picar Development president Ricardo Balbido, Jr., and GTWC general manager Susan Baria. General Trias Water Corporation provides management processes for water supply and distribution for domestic, commercial, industrial, municipal, recreational and agricultural use for residents and lands within General Trias, Cavite. GTWC’s expertise assures Ara Vista Village and its residents clean water supply 24 hours a day.The partnership is good news for Ara Vista residents who enjoy the development’s amenities such as the clubhouse equipped with swimming pools, function rooms, a theme park, and a fitness center. In addition to being the first ‘Telepolis’, or Wi-Fi enabled township in the country, Ara Vista will also house AMA Medical College in the village.

reSort living at home. Imagine living in a residential enclave where you wake up to a splendid view of undulating hills, and the serene blue waters of a famous lake. Look no further than Tagaytay Highlands’ Sycamore Heights, which now offers homes set in a private residential community, just an hour’s drive from Makati City. Sycamore Heights offers a great view of the Taal Lake, and has its own ‘Central Park’ where the community’s swimming pool is located, along with a children’s playground, a great lawn for friendly sports matches, a tree court for afternoon frolics, a pavilion for social gatherings, and a jogging path. Homeowners are also provided membership rights to The Country Club at Tagaytay Highlands. “Whatever your inclinations, the mountain-resort-like development is a safe and secure haven. It is created to be a community that promotes kinship with nature and the environment,” said Lennie A. Mendoza, senior vice president of Tagaytay Highlands. Shown in photo is a perspective of the architectural theme of Sycamore Heights, which must be strictly followed by lot owners.

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B8 Emerging markets in the spotlight.

Survey shows Makati skyline has brand appeal.

JOEL D. L ACSAMANA EDITOR jdlacsamana@gmail.com

PROPERTY

‘Is that you, MakatI?’

M

ost Filipinos can tell the difference between the skylines of Makati and other cities around the globe - and now it seems the rest of the world can, too. The Philippine’s skyline is the most recognizable of any in the emerging markets, according to a new survey from global property portal Lamudi.

The multiple choice survey asked participants in the developed world - as well as countries in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa - to identify emerging market cities by their skylines. The survey presented respondents with skyline images of Medellín, Colombia; Lima, Peru; Karachi, Pakistan; Colombo, Sri Lanka and Makati, the Philippines.

The survey found that approximately 58 percent of Westerners were able to identify the Makati skyline, making the Metro Manila city the most recognizable.

The skyline of Colombo was the least recognizable, with 52 percent. The results point to a growing consciousness of emerging markets in the West.

“I’m not surprised by those numbers. I expect city skylines in the emerging markets to become almost as recognizable as those of New York, Sydney and Berlin in coming years,” said Paul Philipp Hermann, co-founder of Lamudi. “Due to rapid urban development, and the popularity of skyscrapers in the emerging markets, their city skylines are becoming more impressive and unique with time.”

The regional distribution of global survey respondents is made up as follows: 52 percent from the West, nine percent from Latin America, 27 percent from Asia and 12 percent from Africa and the Middle East.

Lamudi is a global property portal focusing exclusively on emerging markets.

For more information, visit http://www.lamudi.com.ph

New e-coM buildiNg iN the works SMPHI, an affiliate of the SM Investments Corp. (SMIC), is plunking down P4 B for the Tri-tower Four E-com Center at the Mall of Asia Complex. Executives of SMPHI recently broke ground for the fifth building under the E-com brand, which will be completed in 2020.

“The demand for office space remains aggressive thanks to the continued economic growth of the country,” said David L. Rafael, senior vice president of SMPHI - CPG. “Strong interest remains due to investors realizing the potential of the Philippines for their business. Our job is to provide them with a good office space for their operations,” he said.

Just like One, Two, Three, and Five E-Com, the FourE-ComCenter is designed to address the demand for

aggressive gameplan. SM Prime top officials and their partners at the groundbreaking (above).

office buildings in the country. It will have a gross floor area of 123,968.00 sqm, and is projected to generate PHP 700 Million in gross rental revenues annually.

A 16-storey building, Four E-Com has a full basement, 4 podium parking, and 11 office levels. Retail spaces are offered at the 5th floor podium and ground levels. The building’s design concept will portray crystal formations, with three adjacent towers springing from a common podium. The building

will have the distinct rhombic shape as well as flat and inclined surfaces layered over grids to resemble crystals.

The E-Com centers are just a few minutes away from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport ,and is accessible via public transportation routes like MRT, LRT, and buses that ply EDSA. Sea travel is also available at the ferry terminal located at the same complex.

SM Prime Holdings, Inc. is the property arm of the SM Group of Companies.

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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

P OP CU LT U RE

LIFE Chan Lim holding one of his paintings

Over 100 hand-painted lanterns by family members of Chan Lim and his students are currently on exhibit in the Atrium of SM North The Block in Quezon City

Chan Lim held a demonstration and workshop during the opening of his exhibit

ART, FAMILY, AND CHINESE NEW YEAR A family of artists exhibits more than 100 hand-painted lanterns, perfect for families and art aficionados.

#COFFEEWITHKAI

taken my 13-year-old son Basti – who has an inclination towards visual arts – with me, and seeing him enjoy the demonstration and workshop made it even more worthwhile.

Chan Lim is the family patriarch, an artist who dabbled in Western art, and who specialized in oil and watercolor. His sons Alex, Felix, Rolex, and Jolex also took up the Chinese paintbrush, aside from pursuing careers in Engineering.

The event had the feel of a family gathering, and rightly so. Members of the Chan Lim family embraced all guests as “students,” and gave us –media and other guests from different walks of life, in all shapes and ages – an afternoon of Chinese art appreciation.

“I’ve been doing this since I was 11 years old,” Alex told us, as he rolled up his sleeves to begin his demo. He finished a bamboo painting in less than a minute; a floral painting in less than three minutes; and a landscape painting in a little over five minutes.

“If you notice, my hand does not touch the table,” he said, as he made light, quick strokes with the brush that resulted in an artwork that seemed whimsical yet uncontrived – a simple yet beautiful take on nature and other things that surround us. Chinese paintings certainly present a different view of our environment.

BY KAI MAGSANOC

“The artist sees what others only catch a glimpse of.”

— Leonardo da Vinci

L

ast January 24, Saturday, the Atrium of SM North The Block in Quezon City was transformed into a sea of red as the Chan Lim family formally opened an exhibit of over 100 hand-painted lanterns by family members and students, in a showcase dubbed “A New Light of Prosperity: An exhibit launch of over 100 Chinese paintings on lanterns.”

The event is part of the Chinese New Year 2016 celebration of SM City North Edsa.

It was in 2014 when I became fully immersed in the world of feng shui, with help from international feng shui master Marites Allen.

She taught me the basics of the ancient Chinese astrological practice, to help me understand the almanac and planner she released yearly, and how I could use the information for motivation and encouragement.

This particular Chinese lantern event was a delight to attend, because it delved into the world of visual art and a painting style I appreciated but never quite grasped. It had always felt so ancient, yet in the event I saw children picking up a Chinese paintbrush and putting together a bamboo work of art. I had

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TO HELP US UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CHINESE LANTERNS, HERE ARE SOME FACTS:

The use of paper lanterns began in ancient China, during the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Aside from Chinese painting, other crafts were used to create lantern art: cutting, pricking, and seaming.

Monks then used lanterns on the 12th day of the first lunar month, in worship of Buddha. Emperor Liu Zhang of the Eastern Han Dynasty was a Buddhist.

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Chan Lim demonstrating how to do a bamboo art

The Chan Lim Family of Artists and Students will hold their exhibit until February 11. To learn • more about their art classes and exhibits, visit chanlim.com or email chanlim@yahoo.com.

WATCH Other events at SM North The CHAN LIM DEMONSTRATE Block lined up for Chinese New Year SO WHAT IS THE HOW HE DOES are Oriental Classics (Chinese classic RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIS PAINTING CHINESE LANTERNS AND musical performance) on January FENG SHUI? 30, 2:00 p.m.; Chinese Wushu Arts • Red lanterns symbolize fertility. Some (exhibition of traditional Chinese martial people believe in hanging them on either arts) on January 31, 5:00 p.m.; Chinese Arts side of the bed or directly above the bed. in Letters Calligraphy Workshop (the art of • Lanterns bring positive energy. What Chinese callighraphy) on February 6, 2:00 direction or area is your luck in this p.m.; Astrological Forecast with Marites Allen year? Hang a lantern there. (intimate gathering with the international feng • Lanterns symbolize harmony. Married shui master) on February 7, 5:00 p.m.; Chinese couples can light them in pairs and hang Court and Folk Dances (traditional dance to them on either side of their bed. Never bring good fortune) on February 8, 2:00 p.m. light just one!

• Lanterns symbolize luck. Ring in the Chinese New Year falls on February 8, Monday.

Year of the Fire Monkey by hanging lanterns in your home or office, Follow me on Instagram and Twitter especially doorways. @kaimagsanoc

•

During the Tang Dynasty, people made lanterns to celebrate peace.

Chinese lantern art is also meant to represent prosperity, strength, and power.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

SORRY MILLENNIALS, WE CAN’T ALL BE LEADERS THE GIST

BY ED BIADO

W

e’re dreamers; we can’t help it. We saw how technology developed and changed the very way we live our lives. We went from cassette tapes to CDs to downloads to streaming in just under two decades. We can’t help it: we’re used to rapid change and we can’t wait for the next new thing, the next disruptive service or product, the next Avengers installment, the next Adele album, the next step in our relationships, the next level in our careers.

Millennials are widely studied by marketers, covered by media and pampered by employers. Our sense of self-entitlement is inflated because everyone around us indulges us. They can’t help it; we’re a tremendously large generation – a generation that is highly opinionated, easily offended and greatly influential. They are giving us leadership positions because they believe that will make us happy – and they’re right.

Millennials are a generation of “nexts.” We are, after all, the next leaders in our respective communities, in politics, in business and commerce. We are the next movers and shakers and shapers. And many of us are more than halfway there, if we haven’t reached that status already.

The Hartford’s 2015 Millennial Leadership Survey states that 80 percent of individuals age 18 to 34 “are leaders today.” Seven in 10 “aspire to be leaders in the next five years,” while 77 percent of those “who consider themselves a leader today also aspire to be a leader tomorrow.” The same study found that a full 60 percent of respondents want training in leadership skills from their employer.

I think that this desire to take on a leadership role is behind the success of the follower-following scheme of many a social networking service. Popular online folk are called influencers because they supposedly have the ability to influence those around them. It makes them feel good, thinking that their opinions matter and that they have the ability to lead. (Influencing is after all a form of leading.)

According to another millennial leadership survey, this time conducted by Virtuali and WorkplaceTrends.com, millennials “already think they have the right skills to become a leader.” A little under six in 10 say that communication is the most important leadership skill, something that half of respondents claim they already have. The leading “weakness” setting them back, 43 percent of surveyed millennials say, is lack of industry experience, followed by technical expertise (41 percent).

And because of this hyper-inflated sense of ego, millennials are now being called the generation of disillusionment. When the same qualified individuals are applying for the same job – or gunning for the same promotion – only one will emerge victorious.

Sorry to break it to you, fellow millennials, but we can’t all be leaders; only the most

qualified of us can. The rest of us will have to go back to our desks and remain followers – maybe until we die.

It sucks, I know, but come back to Earth for one second and think about it long and hard: if all of us are leaders, who will follow us?

“Simply desiring to be a leader doesn’t mean a person has the character, skill, and courage necessary to be a leader,” writes Mike Myatt on Forbes. “If you think you’re a leader, but haven’t been recognized as such, you have a problem. Either you’re incorrect in your self-assessment, or those you report to don’t recognize your talent.”

In a way, it’s the fault of marketers and motivational speakers and leadership trainers and companies promising the sun and moon that millennials are getting delusional at first and then getting disillusioned later on. Because these people and organizations think what millennials want is leadership, they’re offering job candidates and new hires the prospect of leadership even if they know that’s an empty promise. Because I repeat, we can’t all be leaders.

I’m @EdBiado on Twitter and Instagram.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

ADIDAS ORIGINALS NMD RUNNER R1 PRIMEKNIT NOW AVAILABLE!

B

ecause we know we can’t have enough adidas on our shelves, here’s another design that makes any adidas fanatic drool.

Introducing the adidas Originals’ NMD_R1.

The design still has elements from the first release of adidas Originals NMD but has a bolder striking disruptive graphic feel. The look is so sexy you’d want to sport this on a casual or stylish get up.

Designed for the outgoing and personalities without boundaries, NMD_R1 blends the progressive design of the NMD Runner with adidas Originals’ most forward-thinking technical elements.

The shoe has lightweight Primeknit textile with welded tape structural overlays that makes it disruptive looking yet still stylish. This release no longer has the colored pegs at the midsole and is now replaced by sharp and solid black pegs. By far, this NMD is the best looking one in the market.

Adidas Originals’ NMD_R1

The NMD Runner is priced at PhP 9,995.00.

Check out this stylish sole at Born in Mott, Sneak Peak Shangrila, Commonwealth, Capital, adidas BGC, and adidas online shop. For more information visit www.adidas.com/nmd

Kids get a good start on a healthy and active lifestyle with the Milo Stadium at KidZania Manila

K

ids and kids-at-heart will be happy to know that Nestlé Philippines has officially opened the MILO Stadium, its state-of-the-art, kid-sized sports arena located inside KidZania Manila.

Designed for children aged 7-14, the MILO Stadium will get young ones started on the path to an active and healthy lifestyle through physical activity and proper nutrition.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Mexico, the presence of KidZania in Manila provides an ultimate role-playing environment for Filipino children because it allows them to live out their big dreams in a fun, learning experience. Inside the MILO Stadium, kids can get to play the athlete, and can try their hand at basketball, football, volleyball or cheerleading. Each

MILO athlete Kiefer Ravena helps kids energize their body and mind, and sharpen their basketball moves on the court

Back, from left: Aurora Alipao, Nestle Corporate Communications & Consumer Services head, KidZania Manila Minister of Industry CecilleMariño, Nestlé Philippines’ chairman and CEO Jacques Reber and Liquid Beverages Business Executive Manager Joey Uy with MILO Philippines Team lead Ellen Isturis welcome KidZanians to the MILO Stadium

sport has a series of drills that will train kids and take them through a live game simulation that promotes the value of teamwork, among others.

Apart from the physical benefits of sports, the KidZania instructors, called Zupervisors, will also teach about the importance of proper nutrition to enable athletes to live an active and healthy lifestyle. Another activity of choice for the kids is the MILO Champ Moves dance, a three-minute exercise emulating sports movements and designed to energize their minds and bodies for the day ahead.

“For over 50 years, MILO has continued to build champions in sports and in life.

The opening of our MILO Stadium marks another important chapter in our story as we continue to nourish kids with the winning energy to live an active and healthy lifestyle, and discover the champion in

The MILO Stadium is now open in KidZania Manila, the ultimate role-playing environment where kids get to live out their big dreams in a fun, learning experience

them,” remarked Jacques Reber, chairman and CEO of Nestlé Philippines.

Kidzania Manila State Governor Maricel Pangilinan Arenas shared, “We are very proud of our partnership with Nestlé in creating the MILO Stadium. By combining education with entertainment, we hope to inspire kids to learn values and lessons that will lead them to be outstanding KidZania citizens. Teamwork, discipline and hard work are just some of the values they will walk away with when they leave the MILO Stadium.”

During the opening, MILO also recognized the important role moms play in the lifestyle choices of their children as they can inspire and influence their kids to make the best choices and grow up to be good-natured, respectful, disciplined, and responsible individuals.

Being a champion is no easy feat, and raising one is equally challenging. This is

MILO athlete Gretchen Ho helps cheerleaders get started on the path to an active and healthy lifestyle

why MILO has introduced its new formula with Activ-Go – designed to energize both the body and mind to help kids reach their full potential both physically and mentally.

To learn more on how to raise a champion in sports and in life, visit www.milo.com.ph.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

UP STUDENTS WIN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING COMPETITION IN INDONESIA

F

our UP students emerged victorious among Southeast Asia’s best industrial engineering and engineering management students at the 7th Industrial Engineering Competition (IECOM) that took place in Bandung, Indonesia from January 9 to 17.

Daniel Roi Agustin, James Renier Domingo, Dominic Aily Ecat, and Arizza Ann Nocum of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (DIEOR) of the University of the Philippines in Diliman were handpicked by DIEOR to compete for IECOM. Out of 78 teams from Southeast Asia, only 15 teams passed the initial online selection stage to proceed to the semi-finals in Indonesia.

During the semi-finals, teams went through an intensive 3-day challenge composed of a quiz bee, an amazing race, and a simulation case challenge provided by a company. The semi-finals culminated in a presentation to a board of judges from the business world and the academe.

Only five teams moved on to the finals.

Aside from the UP team, other teams were from Universitas Indonesia, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Chulalongkorn University, and Universitas Gadjah Mada.

The final stage of the competition required not only theoretical knowledge

but also analysis and creativity in coming up with solutions.

“We were given four days to study and solve the problems of two of the biggest Indonesian companies – Unilever Indonesia and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia. We visited their plants and were oriented on the main problems they face, then we were given two 12-hour work days to come up with a presentation outlining our solution for each company,” said Domingo, the team captain.

On the last day, the five finalists presented their solutions to the executives and management of the two companies. Each presentation was followed by a question and answer portion.

The results placed the UP team first, while two teams from Indonesia placed second and third.

“I think that one of the main drivers of our victory was our commitment to the solution. We told ourselves that the main reason we were doing this was not because we wanted to win but because we wanted to help these companies succeed by finding the solution that fit their needs and vision best,” Agustin said.

When asked how their UP education set them apart, Ecat answered, “We were taught

Four graduating students of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the University of the Philippines-Diliman won at the 7th Industrial Engineering Competition held recently in Bandung, Indonesia. The winning team is composed of (from left) Dominic Aily Ecat, Arizza Ann Nocum, Daniel Roi Agustin, and James Renier Domingo

The winning students with their coach Simon Lorenzo (rightmost)

the right tools, but ultimately what made us win was our ‘diskarte’ approach – our ability to think outside the box.”

Aside from a trophy, the team was awarded $3500. The winnings will be used to support UP’s industrial engineering student contestants in future competitions. The team

was guided by their coach, DIEOR instructor Simon Lorenzo.

IECOM was organized by Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), the oldest technology-oriented university in Indonesia.

Prominent graduates of ITB include Sukarno, the first president of Indonesia.

Calling all creatives! adobo Design Awards is now ready for your entries

G

et your creative hats ready for this year’s seventh adobo magazine’s adobo Design Awards as it opens for entries until February 27. For almost a decade, the competition has recognized young talents and the most brilliant minds in advertising and design. This year, the competition is raising the bar as the mag teamed up with Design and Art Direction – the British educational charity promoting excellence in design and advertising, hence, changing the competition title to adobo Design Awards Asia (aDAA).

“We are extremely proud to be chosen

by D&AD to represent their activities in the region and to partner with them in presenting this year’s competition,” shares founder and editor-in-chief of adobo magazine Angel Guerrero. “By raising the standards of excellence, we hope to see a new dose of creativity and innovations in

Members of the jury– Team Manila co-founder Jowee Alviar and Design for Tomorrow creative director Ric Gindap

Adobo’s COO Janelle Barretto-Squires addresses the press during the announcementt

the work we receive from both local and international talents.” She also shares that this year, the jury will be headed by D&AD president Andy Sandoz.

The competition theme Designing for a Bold New World highlights creative entries that push the boundaries of design and creativity. The bolder, the better. But

Members of the jury for Design Awards Asia 2016 comic book artist Arnold Arre and art director Patrick Cabral

Angel Guerrero, founder and editor-in-chief of adobo magazine officially launched the adobo Design Awards Asia 2016

talents have to bear in mind that their ideas should still be relevant to the world and may eventually achieve positive results. A few submission formats will be required for some sponsored categories like Mobile App for Good by Globe Telecom, T-Shirt

by Bench, Digital Short Film by Power Mac Center and Video by Brand New Media.

As entries are being tabulated after the deadline of submission, creatives can look forward to the series of events prepared by aDAA. On March 22, the adobo Design Series will have jury members as hosts to short talks on design-related topics at the Mind Museum. On March 31, Lucille

Tenazas, Associate Dean of the School of Art at Parsons The New School of Design, will have the Design Masterclass to be held at Axon, Green Sun. Other members of the jury include Melvin Mangada, AJ Dimarucot, Dan Matutina, Jowee Alviar, Marcus and Bernie Nada, Benjamin Marasigan, Leigh Reyes, Patrick Cabral, Ric Gindap and Arnold Arre.

For more information on how to register for events or enter the competition, visit www.adobodesignawards.com, email events@adobomagazine.com or call 02 845 0218.

SAT URDAY : JA NUA RY 3 0, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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Robert De Niro plays Dick, the titular dirty Grandpa who convinces his uptight, soon-to-be-married grandson Jason (Zac Efron) to drive him to Florida

A scene from the hilarious adult comedy Dirty Grandpa

RobeRt De NiRo is ‘DiRty GRANDpA’

J

ason Kelly (Zac Efron) is one week away from marrying his boss’s ubercontrolling daughter, putting him on the fast track for a partnership at the law firm.

However, when the straightlaced Jason is tricked into driving his foul-mouthed grandfather, Dick (Robert De Niro), to Daytona for spring break, his pending nuptials are suddenly in jeopardy.

Between riotous frat parties, bar fights and an epic night of karaoke, Dick is on a quest to live his life to the fullest and bring Jason along for the ride. Ultimately, on the wildest journey of their lives, “dirty” grandpa and his uptight grandson discover they can learn

from one another and form the bond they never had.

This outlandish comedy also stars Aubrey Plaza, Zoey Deutch, Julianne Hough, Adam Pally, and Dermot Mulroney.

As Dick and Jason embark on their seemingly innocent overnight trip to Florida, Jason begins to notice that Grandpa isn’t quite himself. Expecting to accompany a grieving widower for a brief trip of reflection and inter-generational male bonding, Jason discovers a foul-mouthed, scotch-drinking horndog with only one objective: sex, and lots of it. Dick had been a faithful, loving and doting husband to his wife for over forty years, but after losing

her, he can only live life forward – Dick’s ready to get busy. This is his moment to live it up and throw it down, but he needs a wingman.

During the writing process, screenwriter John Phillips had only one actor in mind for the role of Dick Kelly: the incomparable Robert De Niro, whom Phillips never in a million years imagined would be willing to take on the provocative role. “It’s crazy because when I wrote the script I was living in New York and always only had Robert De Niro in mind, who has that perfect blend of comedic timing and imperiousness that the character needed. He also had to be slightly terrifying and really smart, and De Niro certainly embodies all

De Niro and Efron pictured in their suits while filming Dirty Grandpa

The film also delves into inter-generational male bonding

of those qualities,” explains Phillips.

Witnessing his outrageous screenplay come to life was a thrill for John M. Phillips, an experience he will not soon forget. “Hopefully audiences will appreciate seeing Robert De Niro and Zac Efron in roles you’ve never seen them play before. The fact that Robert De Niro has said these ridiculously

crass things I’ve written has been a great accomplishment for me, one in which I will lord over my friends and enemies for the rest of my life,” jokes Phillips.

Dirty Grandpa hits theatres on Feb. 3 from Pioneer Films.

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

WaCky Comedy With Jake Gyllenhall, James marsden

A In Accidental Love, Jessica Biel (left) is a small-town waitress, while Jake Gyllenhaal ( right) is an unprincipled politician

James Marden plays Scott, a trooper and is engaged to Alice (Biel)

ccidental Love is a wacky comedy with an underlying theme of health care, starring Jessica Biel, Jake Gyllenhall, James Marsden, Catherine Keener, Kirstie Alley, Tracy Morgan and Malinda Williams.

Alice Eckle (Biel), a somewhat naïve roller-skating waitress in a small Indiana town, is about to get engaged to her trooper boyfriend, Scott (Marsden). At the fancy Gondola restaurant when Alice has an engagement ring on her finger, a clumsy workman accidentally shoots her in the head with a nail from his nail gun.

At the hospital, the doctors cannot operate to remove the nail because Alice does not have health insurance and the nail is not life threatening so its removal does not qualify as an emergency. If the

nail shifts to a different position, however, it might influence Alice’s behavior in unpredictable ways such as increasing her sex drive or causing her to speak Portuguese.

They hold a fundraiser to gather money for Alice’s operation but fail in raising the $100,000 necessary for surgery.

Alice does however befriend two people with their own medical issues: Reverend Norm who suffers from priapism and Keyshawn who suffers from a rectal prolapse.

Then Alice’s Aunt Rita proposes a solution to the problem. Rita is a vet and has operated on cows before. Confident in her surgical abilities, she tries operating on Alice but fails to remove the nail causing Alice even Watching TV, Alice sees her congressman, Howard Birdwell, a charming but rather clueless

fellow, visiting a bunch of kids and promising them colored glue. In congress Howard has vowed “to help all the people,” and might just be Alice’s last chance to get the nail out.

And so it goes… Alice and Birdwell fall in love as Trooper Scott shows up to rescue his beloved. Birdwell however escapes to a man’s retreat to center himself.

Though the congressman has seemingly double- crossed Alice a second time, he secretly attaches a small health care rider to a different bill thereby finally allowing her to resolve her medical issues. Then with everybody healthy, they all celebrate at Keyshawn’s wedding.

Accidental Love opens Feb. 3 from CrystalSky Multimedia.

Check out the film’s trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=dax0YZWEakQ

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SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

SinAG MAynilA filM fEStivAl now on SECond yEAr

ince its successful inauguration in March 2015, the first set of featured films debuted in various international film festivals. “The exposure of the filmmakers in other countries brings pride and honor to Sinag Maynila and to the Filipino Filmmakers,” says Festival Director Brillante Mendoza. As we welcome the New Year, the independent film festival Sinag Maynila has a line-up of films to premiere in April.

CEO and Founder Wilson Tieng, together with world-renowned and internationally acclaimed film director Mendoza, assures that Sinag Maynila will give grants to independent filmmakers so they can develop their individual material to a full-length film for public exhibition.

For 2016, the festival has been opened to any Filipino independent filmmaker who wish to apply for a film grant.

Five chosen filmmakers closely collaborated with Tieng and Mendoza. This collaboration resulted in stories that reflect the Filipino culture while illustrating messages that will resonate globally.

that she wants to go home to her parents in the province to start a new family life with him. Haunted by a past that Virginia tries to conquer—her only son Sonny Boy who disappeared years ago, what follows shows a portrait of a woman and a mother trying to juggle the sad realities of life in a cycle of life and death. The film stars Elizabeth Oropesa, Lotlot de Leon, Rosanna Roces, Anita Linda, and Mark Herras.

Mes De Guzman's well-known works include Ang Kwento ni Mabuti (2013) and Diablo (2012)

Protection Order (TPO) against her husband. Meanwhile, Miguel, together with their son, goes through the same long and arduous process of applying for the custody of their son on the town’s most festive and busiest day. When they see each other in the middle of the road, an accident will ensue leaving them both destroyed and at the losing end. The narrative will start repeating backwards, the truth will be revealed with scenes that have yet to unfold. Oliver Aquino, Mara Lopez, Micko Laurente, Menggie Cobarrubias, and Lui Manansala play major roles in the film.

dyAMpEr by MES dE GuzMAn Three friends wait along Dalton Pass every dawn to jump at the back of rice delivery trucks to steal the goods and sell it at the wet market as their means of income. One of them accidentally gets a pack of drugs in one of the trucks they jumped and finds themselves in jeopardy when its owners track them down to retrieve the stash, and gives them a chance to get off the hook by means of taking on a risky mission. The film stars Carlo Aquino, Alchris Galura, Tim Mabalot, Kristofer King, Liza DinoSeguerra, and Debbie Garcia.

Gino Santos is young at 26 and is best known for his film Ex with Benefits Ato Bautista is a film and TV director with a decade of experience in filmmaking

Adolf Alix is a screenwriter and filmmaker known for his works like Donsol and Mga Munting Tinig

MrS. by Adolf Alix Jr. 70-year-old Virginia shares the old ancestral house with Delia, her ever-loyal maid.

Delia is marrying her long-time boyfriend, Rene, and tearfully confides to Virginia

ExprESSwAy by Ato bAutiStA A syndicate old-timer named Ben needs to do one last assignment before the boss he works for grants him his much-delayed retirement.

Assigned to be his partner is the neophyte Morris, a trigger-happy, sadist who yearns to impress the syndicate boss. For Ben, this last assignment turns out to be a journey of introspection, self-healing and redemption.

With this awakening, he takes it upon himself to pull Morris out of the eventual hell-of-alife he says he has lived as a hit man. “The film stars Alvin Anson, Aljur Abrenica, Kiko Matos, Antoinette Reds, Jim Libiran, Japo Parcero, and Judith Javier.

CroSSword puzzlE 45 46 48 50 53 54 55 57 58 60 65 66 67 68 69 70 ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Rover’s restraint 6 Serpent 11 Everybody 14 Kind of triangle 15 Farewell 16 — — step further 17 Hearth tool 18 Gathers opinions 19 Leo mo.

20 Lagoon boundary 22 Take potshots at

24 28 29 30 32 33 35 39 40 41 42 43

More minuscule Dog at the ballpark Pina — Malt-shop freebie Stratford’s river Bates of “Misery” Andrew’s dukedom Onion goody Extinct bird Joie de vivre Service charges Courage to go on

Staffer B-vitamin source Cocoon dwellers Kind of hunter Priests swing them Tenochtitlan resident Chess piece Go bad Keep after Plain as day WSW opposite Madonna role Wobbled, as a rocket “The,” to Wolfgang Stubble remover They run on runners

DOWN 1 Racetrack circuit 2 “Green” prefix 3 Puffin kin 4 Sault — Marie 5 Robin re: spring 6 Steam 7 Megastar 8 Tablet 9 Sushi morsel 10 Chagall’s homeland 11 From the top 12 Jeweler’s magnifying glass

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13 21 23 24 25 26 27 28 30 31 34 36 37 38 43 44 47 49 50 51 52 53 55 56 59 61 62 63 64

Bierstube order Many a salad bowl Winter fest (2 wds.)

Muffler Feature film Single-handed “Auld — —” Like some smiles Dark ale Easier said — done Roadie gear Relish tray item Speed-trap device Nudges, perhaps Right to decide Kandinsky contemporary Worker with acid Bugs Told the world Endangered layer Out-and-out Hot-tub wood Quickie exam A law — itself Future fish Kilmer of films Wool producer Sunburned NFL scores

Joselito Altarejos is an accomplished filmmaker having won awards in the Philippines and overseas

t.p.o. by JoSElito AltArEJoS Teresa is a battered mother in the hands of her husband, Miguel. When their son Miguelito starts to get hurt as violence erupts at its worst, Teresa will seek Temporary

lilA by Gino SAntoS Jess is a young woman running from her past and moves into the house of a warmhearted landlady. She finds a diary in her room that belonged to an old tenant.

As days pass, strange occurrences ensue and the diary’s words take an eerie turn when Jess finds herself in the middle of a malevolent turn of events from a dark past not entirely her own. Starring in the film are Janine Gutierrez, Enchong Dee, Sherry Alingod, and Migs Cuaderno.

The 2nd Sinag Maynila Film Festival will run from April 21 to 26. For more updates, look for Sinag Maynila on Facebook (SinagMaynila), Twitter (@sinagmaynila), and Instagram (@sinagmaynila).

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SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

Puerto Rican model and male pageant titleholder Fernando Alvarez

Janine Gutierrez and Aljur Abrenica in one of the final scenes in Dangwa

screen faDes to Black for ‘Dangwa’

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from c8

MA 7’s morning kiligserye, Dangwa, ended yesterday.

A GMA News and Public Affairs original, it aired from Oct. 26, 2015 with young Kapuso actress Janine Gutierrez and Mark Herras and Aljur Abrenica. Janine played Rosa, a flower vendor whose mission is to help her customers realize that love blooms in its own time.

The last four episodes saw Dangwa’s heroine had ran out of magical flowers a sign that her mission here on Earth was over. The planets aligned with the sun,

casting total darkness for a few minutes and opening up the portal to Rosa’s world. Rosa is torn between going back to her world and staying to choose between Lorenzo (Aljur) and Baste (Mark).

Lorenzo’s true color was finally revealed and he would do anything to keep Baste and Rosa apart, to the point that he would force Rosa to marry him. But Lorenzo’s mother kidnapped Rosa. Trying to save her, Baste’s life was put on the line.

In the end, Rosa chose to go back to her world believing that it wass her fate to give joy and love to other people instead.

HHHHH Puerto rIcan says sInulog Best In the worlD Mr. Puerto International 2015 Fernando Alvarez said nothing compares with his experience in the recently concluded Sinulog festival. The guy traveled all the way from from Coamo to find that Sinulog is the best festival in the whole world.

He pointed out that the festival showcased the diverse cultures of the Filipino people, which are united by their common devotion to the Holy Child.

He added that Sinulog is a well-known religious festival worldwide, even in his hometown Coamo in Puerto Rico.

Though he is the reigning king in their country, he admitted that he is not that popular, because pageants are no big deal there. It is in the Philippines that he felt the

2016 SAG AwArdS on LifeStyLe

InternatIonal DJ leaDs BuDDha-Bar ManIla’s latIn-fIlleD 4th annIversary Party Experience spectacular when Buddha-Bar Manila, the metro’s most sophisticated restaurant-bar-and-lounge celebrates its 4th Anniversary from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. today with Celebracion de la Musica.

Headlining the party is DJ Carlos Campos of Barrio Latino Paris together with Buddha-Bar Manila’s resident DJ Joseph Alturas.

French DJ Carlos Campos was born in Chile and has played in some of the best venues around the world.

Without fail, DJ Carlos Campos turns up the heat with dance floor music and a fresh sound that is a mix of electronic and Latin beats.

But then again, Buddha-Bar Manila turns four with more surprises, beyond the aural delight. Good music goes well with a succulent feast. Avail of the TapAsianBuffet from 9 p.m. to 12 midnight, which offers a wide selection of “tapa” treats for P599.00+ and the Sangria Promo priced at P120 net. There will be free flowing Mojito, Daiquiri and Pina Colada By Bacardi at P500.00 net from 9 p.m. to 12mn, which can be availed at a promotional price of P120 net from 12:01 to 2 a.m. and all of these while listening and grooving to salsa, samba, rumba and other Latin music genres.

real-celebrity status when he competed for the Mister International in Manila last year and just recently when he played the role of Magellan on a float fielded in by Psalmstre to the grand parade.

“I thought nobody knows me. Things like will anybody get notice of me? What if people don’t care of my presence, how would I feel? But I was surprised they know me and kept shouting my name, ‘Fernando, Fernando, Magellan!’ That was awesome. I was even teary eyed at one instant. It was really nice being part of this celebration. I said, wow, what a wonderful feeling!” added the 21-year old senior accountancy student at the University of Puerto Rico.

Fernando observed that Sinulog also brought a lot of fun and entertainment, foods, parties, and gimmicks, which made it a unique celebration.

“Cebuanos are truly devoted to Senior Sto. Nino. Despite their differences, they were united by their devotion to the Holy Child. I think this makes Sinulog the best festival in the world. It’s one thing I wish would happen in Puerto Rico. We are a small nation with approximately four million people, but there is only a small percentage of Catholics. We don’t have religious festivals like Sinulog,” said Fernando.

French DJ Carlos Campos of Barrio Latino Paris leads the anniversary party at Buddha-Bar Manila

Come in your best dancing ensemble and dance the night away at Buddha-Bar Manila’s 4th Anniversary extravaganza. And discover why no party address in Manila does it quite like Buddha-Bar Manila. There is absolutely no door charge at the Celebracion de la Musica.

Buddha-Bar Manila would like to extend special thanks to its esteemed partners for Celebracion de la Musica like Bacardi, Maserati Philippines, Titania and SkyJet Airlines Buddha-Bar Manila is located at Picar Place, Kalayaan Avenue, Makati City. Call at +632 8566719, +632 8565738 and 0998-983-3918 or book at info@ buddhabarmanila.com. You may also like and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @ BuddhaBarMNL #buddhabarmanila2016

Celebrate the best of Hollywood’s year in TV and film with A-list celebrities as Lifestyle brings to Philippine cable TV the live airing of the 2016 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards tomorrow.

The SAG Awards is the sole award giving body which honors the performance of actors selected by the actors’ peers in SAGAFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists).

From the red carpet to the awarding ceremony, Lifestyle’s live telecast will let Filipinos get front row access on who will get the most honors during the SAG awards at the comfort of their home.

Among the list of nominated films and TV programs for this year’s SAG Awards are Trumbo, Beasts of No Nation, The Big Short, House of Cards, Game of Thrones, and Homeland.

Another must-see during the SAG awards ceremony this year is Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s presentation to Carol Burnett of the Life Achievement Award.

Previous SAG winners include Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Jennifer Lawrence, Matthew McConaughey, Morgan Freeman, and Eddie Redmayne, among others.

Be part of a major Hollywood awards event and catch winning moments with Lifestyle’s (Sky Cable and Destiny Cable ch. 52) live telecast of the SAG Awards on Sunday at 9: a.m. and it at 10 p.m. also on Feb. 1 at 12 noon, and Feb. 6 at midnight.

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SAT URDAY : JA NUA RY 3 0, 2016

ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ 1:43 now behind leather goods brand 1:43 member Gold Aquino says that a McJim bag and belt can be any man’s best fashion items.

Yuki Sakamoto says bagging the McJim endorsement will help the group further its success in the industry.

1:43’s Anjo Resurreccion is grateful to McJim for supporting the group from the very beginning.

Yheen Valero of 1:43 loves his McJim bags and belts because they are very easy to pair with different kinds of clothes.

With their new hit single rocking the airlanes today, award-winning OPM artist 1:43 is now being touted as the newest brand ambassador of McJim Classic Leather.

The long established gentlemen’s brand tapped the boy band—composed of Anjo Resurrecion, Yuki Sakamoto, Gold Aquino, and Yheen Valero—to represent the McJim in its advertising, public relations, collaterals, and digital marketing materials for the year 2016.

“McJim constantly prides itself in having a long-standing support program that celebrates Filipino talent. And as a staunch supporter of OPM, McJim has always been there for 1:43.

Thus, it’s high time to make them the new face of the brand,” McJim said in an official statement.

The multi-awarded Filipino pop heartthrobs, who have successfully morphed from teenyboppers to serious musical idols, have just released their pop-rap single “Maria Clara,” which is set to capture the heart of OPM listeners. The song was composed by one of its members Yheen Valero and was arranged

by Jonathan Ong of Sonic State Studio.

The members of the hunky group, who flexed some muscles on their latest shoot for McJim, acknowledge how the world-class leather brand known for its quality belts, wallets, bags, and accessories boosted their efforts in attaining success all through these years.

“We have always been grateful to McJim because the brand has supported us from the very beginning. This year they tapped us to be the face of the brand and that’s a big deal because this will help us reach a bigger audience and help us share our music with them,” a very gratified Resurreccion enthused.

“McJim was there when we were just starting out and we will always be thankful for that. This project will allow us to take further strides on our path to more success—just look at how McJim helped the likes of OPM icons Jose Mari Chan and Randy Santiago, and actor and

television host Edu Manzano get to be where they are now,” Sakamoto said.

The bachelors of 1:43, the ISAH V. RED voices behind the iconic and 5th PMPC Star Awards for Music Song of The Year “Sa Isang Sulyap Mo,” are the perfect endorsers for McJim as the brand aims to be more relevant to the younger generation, especially the millennials.

Likewise, 1:43’s family-oriented song “Ang Saya-Saya” became the official song of “Ismol Family” in GMA 7, while “Hayop sa Ganda” has a cult following among the LGBT audience, making them the most sought boy band today.

They also won the Most Promising Recording and Performing Group in the 45th Box Office Entertainment Awards of the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation, a barometer of the most bankable local talents, and have been nominated for various Awit Awards and PMPC Star Awards For Music categories.

“McJim Classic Leather, having been being in the industry for more the 40 years now, deserves to be endorsed by a pool of young talents who are making waves in their field. 1:43 has demonstrated that it is the most popular and enduring local boy band today so we believe that they are the right people to carry the brand,” add the brand’s official statement.

Aside from his composition, Valero says music lover to expect more feel-good and heartwarming songs from them this year, which they will compose like their other hit songs. “’Maria Clara’ is just the start of great music from us. We hope that our fans will continue to support us and watch for our shows here and abroad,” Valero affirmed.

Fresh from a successful 2015, 1:43 is scheduled to have shows across the country and abroad. For bookings and inquiries, please contact chriscahilig2011@gmail.com or call 0927-4180808. ➜ Continued on C7

Fashionable but functional bag modeled by Gold Aquino

A bag Yuki can use for his daily errands

Anjo Resurreccion is rocking his McJim leather belt.

Yheen Valero in a classic leather belt OPM artist and the most-sought boy band today, 1:43, is the newest brand endorsers of McJim Classic Leather.